03/26/13 - Day 91 - Let people cut in line (free)

Generally I am in a hurry.  I try to slow down but it never works.  It seems like everyone else pretty much keeps the same pace.  I never know why I'm in a hurry to get places.  I just want to make sure I have enough time to not be late to where I'm going.  I used to (and still sort of) have a problem with tardiness.

But today I was at the gas station and I just let a couple people go in front of me.  Not in an annoying overly nice way.  I just wanted to let them go ahead because I could tell they were tired of waiting.  It was a busy day at that particular gas station and I wasn't in a rush. 

Money spent so far:  $336.98

03/25/13 - Day 90 - Working for three (free)

Today my kindness attack was a little weird and on accident.  I basically had to work in my section for three people.  It was rough and I had a lot of help but still I had to cover my shift and the shift of two other people that weren't able to make it work because of family stuff. 

I had to slap a dog pretty hard in the face today also.  It was the only way to get him to drop the dog he had in his mouth.  He's a coonhound and doesn't understand that little dogs aren't prey.  I felt bad and he's okay as is the little dog he was trying to hunt down. 

Money spent so far:  $336.98

03/24/13 - Day 89 - Cupcakes for Thanks (free)

Today my kindness act was really a thank you for a fellow do gooders act for me.  There was about a foot and a half of snow on the ground tonight around 9:30pm and I knew I would never get to work in the morning if I didn't go out and shovel.  I had shoveled about half of the driveway when a guy came buy with a little snow plow and offered to plow my car out. 

I offered to pay the guy but he said I didn't have to.  So I went in and got him a banana cupcake that my wife had made for thanks.  All this and I was able to get a car out for work on time. 

Money spent so far:  $336.98

03/23/13 - Day 88 - Stop CISPA Petition (free)

Today I signed a petition to top CISPA or the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act.  It is an act that would essentially give large corporations and ultimately the government access to private users online information. 

The government does a shitty job at most business it sticks it's nose and money grubbing hands into.  So keeping them out of private citizens private business seems like a no-brainer. 

Sign here:  Stop CISPA!

Money spent so far:  $336.98

03/22/13 - Day 87 - Offered help to a friend (free)

My wife has a friend that has been going though some tough stuff.  She seems to be handling it well but I offered my help anyway. 

Not with anything emotional really because my wife is much better equipped to handle that stuff.  More like manual labor type help.  We'll see what happens.

Money spent so far:  $336.98

03/21/13 - Day 86 - Lending an ear (free)

I knew this anonymous kindness attack would roll around sooner or later and today was the day.  My brother had something to really bitch about and I was the man he called.  I usually am.  This particular day it was about traffic in LA (where he lives.) 

Money spent so far:  $336.98

03/20/13 - Day 85 - Conversation (free)

My wife and I went to eat at Cracker Barrel for breakfast this morning.  There was an older woman sitting alone and she struck up a conversation with us.  She was super sweet and really funny. 

I was singing some stupid song to my wife and she commented to my wife that it must be nice being serenaded over breakfast.  We laughed awkwardly.  She told us that she too was a singer and sang on some stages with some pretty big country acts.  Her name was Phyllis.

Our normal response, right or wrong, is usually to ignore people who infiltrate our conversation but I made a real effort not to do this.  She was an elderly woman sitting alone.  She was really sweet to the server and very nice to my wife and I. 

I asked the server after she had left if she knew her.  She told us her name and that she was suffering from cancer.  She said she didn't know her really well but that the manager did.  I am going to go back and give the manager a gift card to give to this woman. 

I regret not taking the time right then and there to get more information from her.  The whole exchange was quick and in the middle of a busy restaurant so it didn't occur to me until I had already left to offer a gift card.

Money spent so far:  $336.98

03/19/13 - Day 84 - Offered a kidney (free)

A friend of mine was diagnosed with a rare kidney disorder.  It caused him to put on nearly 40 lbs of water weight in the span of two weeks.  I offered him my kidney.

Pretty serious shit.  But I've got two of them. 

Turns out he doesn't need a new kidney just medication so my kidneys are safe for now. 

Money spent so far:  $336.98

03/18/13 - Day 83 - Smile Train Revisited

I am finally able to update my blog on the actual day of the act for a change.  It has been an insane week or two.  I have been working a lot.  My wife has been out of town and that really threw me off my game.  I just sort of stumble around the house when she's not here so I tried to keep myself really busy with work and other engagements.  It's a good thing.  But when I wasn't working or playing with the dogs or devising ways to be sneakily nice for people I was trying to get some sleep.  I still haven't managed to catch up. 

I decided today to revisit an organization that I had previously written about because I wasn't able to donate to them at that time.  It's actually a good thing I waited because now all donations are being doubled by some generous members of their organization.

Money spent so far:  $336.98

03/17/13 - Day 82 - Josh Garrels Music Tip

Josh Garrels is a musician that I know very little about.  But he is giving away 5 of his albums through one of my favorite websites noisetrade.com.  All the proceeds from the tips that people give him go to World Relief of Congo. 

I downloaded one of them called "Love and War and The Sea In Between."  I feel like I recognize some of the song titles so maybe I already know the record a little bit. 

Money spent so far:  $331.98

03/16/13 - Day 81 - Kegs and Eggs (free)

Today is the day my community celebrated St. Patty's Day.  A few members of my band supplied the music for a morning celebration called Kegs and Eggs.  We donated our services so that everyone could enjoy some live music while they were eating some free breakfast and green beer. 

Money spent so far:  $326.98

03/15/13 - Day 80 - Bowl for Kids' Sake Fundraiser (free)

Today my band and I all participated in the Bowl for Kids' Sake fundraiser for the local Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization.  We had a goal of $700 and only managed to raise $150.  We also bowled horribly.  But I still consider it a victory.  It was also a lot of fun!

Money spent so far:  $326.98

03/14/13 - Day 79 - Family Video Raffle

I rent way too many movies from Family Video.  Today they were doing a raffle for lymphoma research.  If you donate $10 you get entered into a drawing to get half off movie rentals for a year. 

Done.

Money spent so far:  $326.98

03/13/13 - Day 78 - Foldit Cares (free)

I just recently purchases Flatout brand Foldits.  They are these long flat breads that fold over to make really easy and portable sandwiches.  They are delicious but I also saw that they have a program called Foldit Cares.  If you send them a picture of your favorite recipe using their product they will donate flatbread to Food Gatherers, a member of Feeding America on my behalf.  Here's my picture.  Super simple but who cares?  It tastes good.

 

Lunch of Champions

Nothing fancy here.

Take fold out bread.

Add two slices Mild Cheddar cheese,

Squeeze a little Simply Fresh Squeezable Chili Pepper and Italian Seasoning.

Fold Over.

Enjoy.

Money spent so far:  $316.98

03/12/13 - Day 77 - Laundry Marathon (free sort of)

My wife is has been gone all week.  She is visiting her sister and won't be home until Sunday.  Cleaning the house before she arrives home isn't really an act of kindness so much as a requirement so I decided to do even more. 

Our dirty laundry never seems to go away so I started doing all of it today.  Hopefully I will be done by the time she gets home.  We hardly ever do all the laundry at once so this will be a really nice thing for her to come home to. 

Money spent so far:  $316.98

03/11/13 - Day 76 - Pledge to end R-word (free)

I've pledged to stop using the r-word through this website:  Pledge.  I was inspired by a couple of fellow bloggers.  I am a little late because the official day to pledge was March 6th.  But I figured better late than never. 

Check out this video for a little more inspiration:

Conner and Cayden Long

Money spent so far:  $316.98

03/10/13 - Day 75 - Sent a gift to random friend #3

Another facebook friend of mine was sent a gift today. She will receive this gift because she was one of five people to respond to a chain letter facebook post of mine.  I don't know this friend incredibly well but I do not that she tends bar and likes really good music. 

Here's what I got her:

1.  A hat that says "America Fuck Yeah!" on it.  Because it's hilarious. 

2.  A book by A. J. Jacobs called "A Year Of Living Biblically."  It's about a guy that tries to follow every rule of the Bible literally.  Including obscure Old Testament rules about not shaving your beard and not wearing woven clothes.  Pretty good stuff.

3.  An awesome mix CD entitled Farmhouse Mix.  I will give a link to my playlist as soon as my itunes starts working again.  Here ya go:  Farmhouse Mix.

Money spent so far:  $316.98

03/09/13 - Day 74 - Accordian Donation (free)

"It is a good idea to play an accordian at a polka festival. 
It is a bad idea to play an accordian...anywhere else."

     -from "Good Idea, Bad Idea" on The Animaniacs.

I don't really believe this about accordians but I did think it was funny. 

I have inherited a big beautiful accordian and I think some of my music teacher friends would probably have much better use for it than I do.  For my anonymous kindness attack, I offered this to a few of them as a donation to their school's music program.  We'll see which ones take me up on the offer. 

Money spent so far:  $308.53

03/08/13 - Day 73 - Failed attempts and messages (free)

While everyone else was out enjoying their Friday, I was out working through my Wednesday.  It's just the way my schedule lined up this week but I have my days off on Monday and Tuesday.  So this is really the middle of my work week.  I worked all day and well into the night. 

On my way back home from tracking my radio on air shifts there were two opportunities for anonymous kindness attacks that didn't really pan out. 

First, there was dog in the middle of the road.  It was cold and rainy and dark and there in the middle of the street was a dog barking at me.  It had a collar on but there was really no reason that a dog should be out that in the middle of the night.  I got out of my car to see if I could get him to come over to me.  He immediately backed off.  Slowly at first and barking the whole time.  I could see this wasn't going to be easy.  I got closer and crouched down to make myself less imposing.  This didn't work either and seemed to just scare/piss him off more.  He ran into someone's front yard and close to someone's home.  I thought this might be the people who own the dog and it was my cue to get back in my car and get gone.  It was late.  I gave up.

Second,  I was nearly back home and I spotted a car with it's hazards on in a ditch.  I stopped on the shoulder and got out but there was nobody in the car.  Hopefully the person had found the help they needed.  I wasn't needed here. 

So I sent a message to a friend of mine from high school to let her know that I still thought about her and wished her and her family the best.  She sent me back a super nice message and it was awesome.

Money spent so far:  $308.53 

03/07/13 - Day 72 - KUMFA search (free)

A friend of mine from high school and college is heavily involved with an organization in Korea.  It's called Korean Unwed Mothers Family Association.  I did a little research on this group and also messaged me friend looking for more info as their web presence is a little sparse. 

This organization does great work for single mothers in Korea who feel the societal pressure to give their children up for adoption.  I want to find out more about this issue for a number of reasons not least of which is my own desire to adopt.

Money spent so far:  $308.53

03/06/13 - Day 71 - Tim Reid Jr. Not Much Else To Do

Today I supported another musician friend of mine.  I bought his cd.  He's a friend of mine from college and a pretty great singer/songwriter. 

If you want to purchase it check this shit out:

Tim Reid Jr.

Money spent so far:  $308.53

03/05/13 - Day 70 - Smiletrain.org (free)

I had the day off today and didn't even know what to do.  It was a lazy day.  Didn't work out, didn't clean up.  I did watch Wreck It Ralph.  So yeah...pretty lazy. 

I also investigated a website that had popped up on a number of different "good deeds" websites that I frequent.  It's called Smiletrain.  It's an organization this is dedicating to providing surgeries for children born with cleft lips and palates.  The surgeries they perform are mostly in poorer countries and cities.  Either the local community lacks the proper medical facilities to complete the surgery or the family lacks the money to pay for it.  In certain countries children that are born with a cleft lip or palate are considered cursed and are shunned by their families and communities. 

Offering these surgeries free of charge saves these children from a lifetime of ridicule and health problems.  Unfortunately I didn't have enough money to donate to the cause right now but I did apply to have some free material sent to me from the website.  Go here and you can get a free dvd documentary that shows the story of a girl that received a surgery from the organization:

Order Smile Pinki

I also used my facebook status and twitter account to promote the organization and hopefully inspire some other friends to check out the organization. 

My book "The Lost Dogs" came today also.  It's about the dogs that were seized from Michael Vick's dog fighting ring.  So far it is pretty heartbreaking.  :(  Hopefully the happy part comes soon...


Money spent so far:  $298.54

03/04/13 - Day 69 - Replenishing work food supply

Working at the APL is fun.  I work with some very generous and giving people.  Especially of their food supply. 

Today I replenished a few of the (human) snacks that we usually have around the shelter. 

Money spent so far:  $298.54

03/03/13 - Day 68 - Pledge music

I helped a fellow musician upon his path to greatness through pledgemusic.com.  This guy needs no help from me because he is very accomplished on his own.  But I did anyway because his music is freaking great.  Supporting musicians through websites like kickstarter and pledgemusic is the way to go.  So much more of the money goes directly to the artist than just downloading off itunes or worse just listening on spotify. 

Money spent so far:  $288.54

03/02/13 - Day 67 - Kiss a pig fundraiser (free)

One of my do gooder friends is always trying to raise funds for some significant cause.  She's a local celebrity that rubs elbows with the rich side of town so she usually has no problem picking up dough.  (I don't really know if that's true.  She is a charming and lovely person which is why she probably easily raises funds.)  She ask me to contribute some entertainment to the night's festivities at a local tavern and I was super pumped to oblige. 

It was fun. 

There were even little pig cookies that her mom made.  I ate about 6 of them.  Well over my fair share.  While I wasn't singing (a bit drunkenly) I was a sort of bullying emcee for the evening.  I think at one point I instructed bar patrons to "reach in their pockets and take the biggest bill and throw it in the fucking tip jar!"  I dunno.  It worked I think.  A lot of money was raised.

The way the "kiss a pig" thing works is this:  people sign up to raise funds for a cause (in this case the American Diabetes Association) whoever raises the most money gets to have the "honor" of everyone watch them kiss a pig.  I thought this was a thing that everybody knew about.  We did it at my high school's pep rallies and shit.  But my wife was pretty confused by the whole deal. 

I do think that it was successful though.  My guitar case was full of dollar bills. 

Money spent so far:  $258.54

03/01/13 - Day 66 - A dollar for Muscular Dystrophy

You know how your gas station always has a million shamrocks taped to everything around St. Patty's day?  Well so does mine.  The funds all go to help research to cure Muscular Dystrophy.  Not much but today I donated a buck.

Money spent so far:  $258.54

02/28/13 - Day 65 - Donated to Sojourn Shelter and Services

I have been really late with my updates.  I'm gonna try and play catch up here.

This Thursday I donated to Sojourn Shelter and Services.  It is a local organization that helped women and children victims of domestic violence.  More to come with this awesome organization. 

Money spent so far:  $257.54

02/27/13 - Day 64 - Donated to NFS

Super busy week.  I've been working super hard and staying super busy.  Too tired to even think.  I need to get out a do some leg work on my anonymous kindness attacks.  It's been a little too much trying to good from my computer at home lately.  I am going to be doing something on Friday for sure.

I donated to the Not For Sale Movement.  They fight human trafficking and are a pretty good introductory organization for me to get involved.  They have a number of different platforms that I want to try and work with in the future. 

1.  Slaverymap.  A map of the places slavery have been documented and eliminated. 

2.  Free2work.  An agency that lobbies corporations to eliminate the links on their supply chain where slavery could happen. 

3.  The Not For Sale Academy.  A learning course to offer experiential programs on helping to end slavery in your community.

4.  Justice League.  An agency to help with educate and deal with the law enforcement community and their part in helping to end slavery.

5.  Abolitionist Faith Communities.  Getting local religious organizations to participate in the fight to end slavery.

6.  Free2Play.  Fundraisers through youth sports leagues to raise money for the Not For Sale organization.

7.  The Freedom Store.  An online shopping wing of Not For Sale featuring products made by former slaves with all proceeds going to benefit them. 

As you can see there are a lot of different avenues to take action.  Some more time and money intensive than others.  I am going to try to contribute to the fight as much as I can.  This book really shook me up and I think everyone should read it.  It really changed my perspective on the current situation in America.  There are so many faceless enemies.  Welfare and food stamp recipients, the impoverished, illegal immigrants, etc.  They get blamed for things because they are faceless and powerless.  You have to take every case on an individual basis.  Some could be victims of domestic violence.  Some could be victims of the international slave trade.  It is worth taking a minute and thinking about it. 

Money spent so far:  $252.54