Archive | Do Gooding RSS feed for this section

Doing My Part

22 Nov

ronald reagan, quote, we can't help everyone but everyone can help someone, volunteer, philanthropy, helping otherI think I’ve talked about this on my blog before, but because I’m such a fan of my own work I can’t remember.

I want to change the world.

When I was a kid I’d see those Sally Struthers commercials for the Christian Children Fund, and would cry. The idea that there were so many people suffering killed me, and even at a young age, I understood the magnitude of global hunger.

Children were starving to death, and there was nothing I could do about it.

My high school required all of its students to volunteer as part of their yearly academic requirements. They were trying to raise the future leaders of America, and believed that service to others makes you a better human being.

When I was a sophomore I volunteered at an armory which had been turned into a homeless shelter/soup kitchen. It was clear that the man who ran the program loved what he did, and that his enthusiasm was a bright spot in the day of the people he served. Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Bloggers For Movember Giveaway

12 Nov

If you’ve never heard of it, Movember is an annual event which encourages people to grow mustaches to help raises funds and awareness for men’s health issues. Last year Le Clown set up a Bloggers for Movember campaign which rallied bloggers to support the cause. It was a huge success, and one that Becca from 25toFly is repeating this year.

I had so much fun with the campaign last year that I told Becca I most definitely wanted to be a part of it this year. Not only do I love supporting charities, but any excuse to grow out my facial hair is aces in my book.

mustache, movember, handlebar, men's health, bloggers for Movember, Movember women

You think this is photoshopped, but it’s not.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

My Loving Locks

22 Apr

“It’s just hair.”

I said that to a friend years ago after she got, in her mind, a terrible haircut. I’ve said it dozens of times over the years to people who hate their hair, are having bad hair days, or who have suffered at the hands of an inexperienced or overzealous hairdresser. It wasn’t until my grandmother was diagnosed with Lymphoma five years ago that I realized it wasn’t just hair for some people.

My grandma underwent treatment, and began to lose her hair as many cancer patients do. Alopecia (also known as hair loss) is a side effect of radiation therapy and chemotherapy as the treatments harm the cells which cause hair to grow. It was something that was unexpectedly emotional. For who? Perhaps for all of us in our ways, but especially for her. She hated not having hair so my aunt and I picked out a wig for her so she could feel “normal” while out and about. I’m happy to report that my grandma is in full remission, and has all of her own hair now.

There is a certain helplessness a person feels when their loved one struggles with a serious illness. It is not your own battle to fight, and you are not one of the medical practitioners aiding in the treatment process. You are both directly and indirectly involved, and it leaves you feeling like there should be something more you can do. You just want to help something or someone.

I took to the internet to find my something or someone, and stumbled across Locks of Love, an organization with which I was already familiar.

locks-of-love-logo-0011

Credit: Locks of Love

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

12 Days of Christmas- Day 12

21 Dec

For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile, you know I love giving back. I love charity. I love volunteering. I think acts of service towards our fellow (wo)man are the one thing we’re all capable of doing, and should be doing.

giving quote_0

That was my inspiration behind the 12 Days of Christmas series. This year has been huge for me in terms of my writing, and by that I mean I’ve actually been doing it. I’ll elaborate on that in a yearly wrap up post I’ve been working on, but wanted to take this moment to say I’m incredibly thankful for the community here on Sips of Jen and Tonic.

This was my way of giving to you what I’ve been taking for the last year.

I must confess that, while I was excited for each day and what it would bring, I was most looking forward to today. I figured out that I wanted to do this on the second day of the series, and have been anxious to get to the end ever since. That may also be because I can finally take a break from assaulting your inboxes on a daily basis. Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , ,

12 Days of Christmas- Day 11

20 Dec

I honestly cannot believe I only have this post and the one for tomorrow, and then the 12 Days of Christmas series is over. I should be flying high! My creative juices should be spilling over! I should be spinning plates on my fingers, toes and nose simultaneously. The closest I’ve gotten to that tonight is when I burped and hiccuped at the same time.

Instead, I’m left with nothing.

Credit: peanuts.wikia.com

Our male pattern baldness is eerily similar
(Credit: peanuts.wikia.com)

This is how tonight has gone: Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

12 Days of Christmas- Day 10

19 Dec

I’ve come to accept that there are things in life I can’t control:

  • Death
  • People actin’ a fool towards me
  • Weather
  • MTV playing reruns of the MTV Movie Awards for 6 straight months after it airs
  • My bladder

56dc47cb78c4553a087f95ce8bb5b35b73

While driving today, I came up with a great concept for today’s blog. I was going to talk about my family, love, friendship and all that other crap you’re supposed to be thankful for around the holidays. I was going to win awards with this post. The Nobel Prize committee might as well have been polishing my medal (they give medals, right?) Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

12 Days of Christmas- Day 9

18 Dec

My name is Jen, and I’m an addict. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment my habit made the leap from recreational use to full-blown addiction. Maybe it was the time I sat in my car during my lunch hour, participating in my new hobby. It could have been the time I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning partaking in it even though I knew I had to get up early the next day. How does one define these kinds of moments?

My name is Jen, and I’m addicted to internet memes.

I am ashamed, dear readers, because I should have been writing a post for you tonight. I come up with the concept to deliver twelve posts in a row to show my holiday spirit, and now I can’t deliver. Instead of typing feverishly, I’ve been pissing away my night looking at things like this:

88735055128250460_GX9hyLmm_c Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

12 Days of Christmas- Day 8

17 Dec

Every year when Christmas approaches, I get really excited. Because of Baby Jesus? No. Because of all the presents I’m going to receive? No. Because of the paid day off from work? Nope. My panties get electrified because of the salmonella-laden drink we call Eggnog.

I have a love-hate relationship with The ‘Nog. When I first see this holiday treat decorating the dairy section, I do a little happy dance right in the middle of the aisle. It looks like a cross between the Harlem Shake and the Cabbage Patch. Basically, shit gets crazy at Safeway.

You too can do "The Eggnog" in your local grocery store. (credit: Polycore)

You too can do “The Eggnog” in your local grocery store (credit: Polyvore)

Unfortunately, my enthusiasm causes me to lose my ability to judge how much eggnog I can drink before I want to die. I always go for the big carton, have a couple of glasses, and then regret my decision to purchase so much buttermilk liquid butter of the raw egg concoction. Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

12 Days of Christmas- Day 7

16 Dec

I’m a sucker for Christmas traditions. Some people string popcorn and hang it on their tree. Some people sing Christmas carols. Some people attend midnight mass. I have fond memories of these lovely Tonic Family traditions:

  • Cussing up a storm as we try to figure out which bulb is causing the whole strand to blackout
  • Having tree sap stuck to my skin and hair for days after helping get the tree in the base
  • Waking up at ungodly hours because a tiny person in the house wants to get up before the sun does to open presents
  • My parents arguing because my dad forgot to charge the camcorder battery for the 900th year in a row
  • Feeling bloated and praying for a swift death after consuming too many sweets
Christmas 2009. This is me right before I "gave birth" to the cheesecake, rum balls and fudge I ate earlier in the day.

Christmas 2009. This is me right before I “gave birth” to the cheesecake, rum balls and fudge I ate earlier in the day.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , ,

12 Days of Christmas- Day 6

15 Dec

I wanted to write this post last night while the feeling of yesterday’s events were still fresh in my mind, but I decided against it. I don’t believe in writing from an overly emotional place, and yesterday I had to take a step back. I needed to give myself time to process what had happened

Now I’m ready to take a breath, and type.

Earlier this week, there was a shooting at a mall in my area which left two people dead. As I’m sure all of you know, there was a horrific shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut yesterday which claimed many lives, most of which were children’s.  Also in the news yesterday, a man stabbed 22 children outside a primary school in China. After hearing about these acts of unspeakable violence, my first thoughts were, “What the fuck has happened to people?”

I cried. For the victims, for the families of the victims, for the people who will forever be haunted by the events, for everyone who lost a little faith in humanity.

I used to be very cynical and pessimistic, believing that people will screw you over when given the chance. “The world is full of opportunists” I’d say, and I meant that. I looked at everyone as though they were a suspect in a crime they had not yet committed. Innocent until proven guilty? No way. Guilty until proven innocent. Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries

%d bloggers like this: