Birthdays: From cards to Facebook walls

Yesterday was my 31st birthday.

I received 5 birthday cards – 3 with money – and nearly 100 posts to my Facebook wall.

I don’t know about you, but I still prefer getting a card. The written word is much more personal.

But don’t get me wrong…Facebook has simplified our lives and allows us to keep in touch with more friends. What used to take a birthday calendar, Hallmark card, stamp and few dozen thoughtful words, now takes the ability to hit the send button.

I’m sure there will soon be an application allowing us to post automatic birthday greetings. I hope it doesn’t drive Hallmark out of business.

The hardest speech I’ve ever given

My grandfather died on Saturday – a few hours before I made it home. Below are the words I spoke at his memorial service. Isle of View, the title of the speech, is what my grandfather used to write at the bottom of every letter he sent to my grandmother in college (say it three times fast and you’ll get it). Although incredibly emotional, I’m glad I was able to speak. It’s a moment that will live with me always.

Isle of View

Fond memories of summer vacation in Whitefish, Christmas on the tree farm, grueling games of Oh Heck, losing rounds of Ping pong, early morning tennis, a staple diet of bran muffins and prunes.

Charles, Chuck, Grandpa, Pepa, Dad, Daddy, Pop, Chuckles. He had many names, but there was one thing he considered us…competition. Whether it was early in the morning on the tennis court or late at night around the card table, Grandpa was always challenging us to do our best and at least try and beat him. Few of us were successful.

He was so many things to so many people – a father, a brother, a husband, an engineer, a magician – it took me years to figure out his thumb trick – he was a mentor, a volunteer, a Sunday school teacher, a basketball player, and last but not least a grandfather. He touched so many lives.

I will miss you Grandpa. I won’t be able to spell without you sounding out the words for me and will probably never be able to finish an entire crossword puzzle again. You taught me so much and will continue to be a good role model for my life. I’m thankful I knew such a great man.

Delivered by Eric Porterfield on Sunday, December 28, 2008 at Charles Porterfield’s memorial service at Westminster United Methodist Church.

TweetsGiving: Fundraising using Twitter

Epic Change is trying something new. They’re trying to raise $10,000 in 48 hours for a classroom in Tanzania. TweetsGiving is the name of their campaign. It launched today at 12pm and ends on Thursday, Nov 27 at 12pm. The video about the school will get you to donate alone – it uses post-it notes and a catchy tune to tell the story about how the school was torn down by developers and rebuilt by Epic Change.

To learn more, follow their tweets on Twitter and even post what you’re thankful for this Thanksgiving while you’re at it. I applaud their efforts to show the world that social media can be used as a successful fundraising tool. Bravo.

McCain on Economy: “I still need to be educated”

The current administration is making plans for a record bailout – a $700 billion rescue plan for Wall St – to help solve the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. This plan would put us in unchartered waters – a record national debt causing even more dependency on foreign governments and even more job loss (600,000 since the beginning of 2008). I don’t care if you’re a Republican or Democrat, generations of Americans will be paying for Wall Street’s mistakes for years to come. Our next president must be well versed and knowledgeable in economics. Watch this video and decide for yourself.

Bloomingdale’s Georgetown to Open in 2011

Bloomingdale’s has announced that it will a new store in the Shops at Georgetown Park by August 2011. The new three-level store will be modeled after Bloomingdale’s Soho in Manhattan. This is undoubtedly a big plus for the Georgetown mall, which currently has stores such as, Express and Dean & DeLuca.

Biking in DC just became easier with SmartBikes

Leave your walking shoes at home and instead pack your biking helmet. For only $40 a year, you can now bike around DC on a SmartBike. The bike stands are located throughout DC (Logan Circle, Dupont, Shaw, Foggy Bottom, Downtown, etc.) and will undoubtedly expand as more people discover the service.

Renting bikes is very popular in Europe. Tourists can bike down the Champs-Elysees in record time or students can sleep in and still make it to class on time. Hopefully this will provide an alternative for tourists in DC, finally putting an end to the segway tours and help people take off a few inches in the process.

The perfect veggie burger

I’ve been experimenting with making several different types of veggie burgers lately using ingredients from corn to peppers to beans. By far, the best pseudo beef burger was made with beans. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:  2 cans of beans (i prefer black and pinto but can use chickpeas or lentils), medium yellow onion (chopped), 1 cup oats, 2 eggs, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, pinch of salt and pepper

Recipe:

1. Drain and wash the beans and put them in a large bowl. Add the chopped onion, oats, eggs, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.

2. Mix together and put mixture in food processor until all ingredients are well chopped.

3. With wet hands form  thin to medium-thick size patties.

4. Grill the patties on a flat surface (versus a grated one) for approx. 10 minutes on each side on high heat (350-400F).

5. Eat and enjoy immediately or put the grilled patties into individual plastic bags and freeze (taste even better when frozen and reheated!).

And yes that’s the McVeggie at McDonald’s in India – when are they going to bring it to the States?!

Mr. Yogato brings fun and great tasting frozen yogurt to DC

My first experience at Mr. Yogato involved naming 11 Nicholas Cage movies to receive a discount on my first of many cups of frozen yogurt. This time I chose the original soft with blueberries – delicious. Located at 1515 17th Street between P & Q streets, this small yogurt fun house offers 18 flavors (4 at one time) and more than 40 toppings. Mr. Yogato is a welcome addition to DC – the experience is refreshing and it’s nothing like you’ve ever tasted!

Rules of Yogato

1. If Mr. Roboto comes over the speaker system and you sing along,
   you get 10% off yogurt.
2. Try your luck with a trivia question. Get it right for 10% off, but get it wrong and 10% is added.
3. If you will wear a yogato stamp on your head, you get 20% off.
4. If you can recite the Stirling battlefield speech from Braveheart in a great scottish accent, you get 10% off yogurt.
5. Order a yogurt for 30 consecutive days and we’ll name a flavor after you.
6. If a customer suggests a topping or flavor which is then adopted, that customer receives a 5% discount for life.
7. If anyone can stump Steve on trivia regarding Seinfeld or “The Rock,” 10% off yogurt.
8. Anyone wearing a kickball uniform and has played hard (evidenced by dirt on their knees) will receive an automatic 10% off yogurt.

Fish nibbiling at your toes

Yes, these are my feet being eaten by fish. I recently went to a fish spa in Kuala Lumpur, where the fish – bigger than i expected – give you a pedicure by nibbling at the dead skin on your feet and legs. For someone as ticklish as me, it was sometimes difficult to leave my feet still for only a few seconds at a time. For 38 ringit ($12) you get to dip your feet in flesh-eating fish infested waters. I would definitely recommend trying it sometime if you’re ever in KL.

What does half a billion dollars get you?

Nowhere if you are Barak Obama or Hillary Clinton. According to the NYTimes, Mr. Obama has raised $268 million and Mrs. Clinton $215 million. Can you imagine what our inner city schools would look like if we gave them $500 million? They could buy desks, books and computer equipment…and invest in dropout prevention, athletic or music programs. We must reform our campaign finance laws NOW.