irony deficient

I was all set today to give blood in honor of a soon-to-be student at my school. If you know me even a tiny bit you are aware that I tend to avoid a) exercise, b) bodies of water, and c) needles and/or bloodletting. However, this is a special situation; I'd like to say it was purely altruistic - my decision was 99% because I wanted to help our future Renegade - but I also felt the need to be a Big Girl and show my students that despite my nearly debilitating fear apprehension about needles & blood, I could buck up and do it.

So I made an appointment (to make it official - knowing others would be expecting me kept me from making excuses or, more likely, chickening out) for 3:15 this afternoon. At 3:10, my stomach started to twist and I began sweating slightly, yet I shuffled over to the junior high gym and checked in. I think I scared some of my students who were waiting there; I could feel myself being less congenial & encouraging and more withdrawn & twitchy. I read the [very long and involved yet fascinatingly informative] Pre-Donation Handbook; I got my number for the Pre-Donation Screening. I waited about 2 excruciating days 10 minutes before a smiling young woman invited me to the secret interview area. We chatted about my day and then without warning I treated her to my increasingly shrill and anxious policy of how I generally do not deal with needles unless medically mandated but felt this was a necessary thing to do today. She compassionately yet professionally moved forward with the interview (I surreptitiously watched her laptop for an entry of "Crazy Lady") then we were at the part where she poked my finger to do a quick test for iron richness.

And this is where my story comes to a screeching, bloodless end. Other than the menacingly slow-flowing droplets used to determine my LOW LOW LOW Fe content, there was no giving from me today. Despite my cowardly reservations, I was looking forward to joining that group of noble individuals who do this regularly; I had visions of being one of those cheerfully brave people who step right up when the Blood Mobile parks in front of Whole Foods. But most of all, I wanted to be part of the solution for our student.

I will get myself some supplements and try to gag down some leafy greens and be ready for next time. If you can give, please do. Click here and find a donation site nearby.

pimping but without the pay

I am not sure how they keep finding me but various organizations have been hot on my inbox [that sounds so naughty; I might say it at school tomorrow and see what happens] with requests for publicity. Some I have found worthy and others I have respectfully rejected; today I bring you one that caught my interest not only because it seems to be a useful site but also because the PR person described the founder as "serial entrepreneur Fabrice Grinda," which is an irresistible intro, no? So without further ado, I give you:

OLX

It is an online classifieds site that is FREE to use (unless you want to be a featured listing but even that is only $1.99/week for top of listing & search results or $9.99 for home page) for any category - including job search and real estate - and includes the option to upload photos & videos. Being a layout connoisseur, I am drawn to the pleasant colors & simple icons as well as the handy distance toggle for adjusting the scope of where I want to look for whatever I want. Plus, you can sign up for e-mail alerts using a keyword AND there is a Facebook application that I have obtained even though I'm not sure what I'm going to put on it yet. Maybe it will motivate me to get rid of crap around my house...[But not until after May 30 - our school is having a fundraising garage sale, which I DID just post on OLX, easy as pie].

Here are the reasons they give for being better than Craigslist:

1. OLX is 100% free forever - even for jobs and real estate
2. OLX has a fantastic mobile site where users can do everything they can do on the web
3. OLX is both global and hyper local
4. OLX has a WYSIWYG editor allowing rich colorful postings without knowing HTML
5. OLX has direct support for video & images
6. OLX allows you to view listings in your local language
7. OLX has improved search – both across and within categories
8. You can search within a certain distance of your zip code
9. You can promote your listings on Facebook and other social networks
10.OLX has pictures in listing pages and search results

I concur with all of these assertions, though I'm not entirely sure what it means to be "global and hyper local" but it sounds like something good.

Now go out there and find yourself a buyer, or a seller, or a job, or another home. Or maybe connect with another "serial entrepreneur" like the foxy & smart Fabrice:

Bon jour & merci, Monsieur Grinda