80's Movie Challenge

I thought just for kicks I’d issue an 80’s movie challenge. The first person to correctly identify the movies quoted below will get to name the title of Gropius’ next blog post.

It’s a small reward, but could prove to be very funny indeed. You can make it absolutely crazy, bizarre or contrary to Gropius’ likes, but the only requirement: it can’t be anything slanderous, racially biased or politically charged. Even if you don’t know all 4, comment on what you do know & throw in your favorite 80’s movie quote.

Movie 1.
“No more rhymes now I mean it!"
“Anybody want a peanut?”

Movie 2.
“I like the dark. I love the dark. But I hate nature, I hate nature!”

Movie 3.
“Did lard ass have to pay to enter the pie eating contest?”

Movie 4.
“Diane Cort is a show pony. What you need is a stallion.”

Let’s see what you’ve got.

Gropius Nonprofit Giveaway Results...Mothers Helping Mothers

And the winning comment--chosen by the Random Number Generator, my dears--is comment number 9: Mothers Helping Mothers.   This grassroots nonprofit organization offers baby items, cleaning supplies/personal hygiene products, crisis assistance, clothing from infants through teen sizes including maternity clothes, and shoes. And let me tell you, readers, there is so much need for this right now.

Thanks to Uncommon Blonde for submitting the winning comment, and thanks to you for caring enough to leave your own note about a nonprofit or cause that's dear to your heart. I've checked out the websites and suggestions you left and have loved visiting such diverse areas of charitable passions...all over the world!

If you're looking for some unusual gift ideas that really help your goodness shine, consider these two:

• Network for Good's "Good Card."  Here's how it works: you purchase a Good Card for any amount and your recipient can use it as a donation to the nonprofit(s) of their choice. VERY cool.
  
  
• Alternative Gifts International. Give a gift in honor of someone that changes a life around the world. Choose from humanitarian, environmental, health/ nutrition, women's issues projects, etc.
  

They'll both take good care of you with an e-card or a mailed card to your recipient.

A Small Donation to the Nonprofit of Your Choice

What a long, strange trip it's been with NaBloPoMo. Honestly, I am so sick of my blog after posting every single solitary day for a month, I probably will not look at it again. Ever. Well maybe not ever. I'm sure I'll be back sooner than you'd like.

Anywho, to end November with a tiny spark, not a bang, I am giving the meager sum of $25 to the nonprofit of your choice---IF you leave a comment and IF the random number generator selects your comment.  It's so freaking easy it's not even funny.  Leave a comment with the name of the nonprofit you choose, along with their website. If you want, tell me why it means something to you.

Thanks, readers. It's been fun.

What's Fun About Breast Cancer Awareness? Check Out the Pink Glove Dance

This incredible effort by the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon deserves a Gold Star for time, energy and yes, dancing. They may not have the boldest and most coordinated moves in the universe, but hey, they brought down the house with their pink gloves.



Didn't you especially love the cafeteria and janitorial staff? Good stuff for a good cause. Let's applaud them by sharing it with others and doing what you need to do to protect those tatas.  Supposedly, when the video gets 1 million hits, Medline will be making a huge contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community.

Remember the weight loss challenge? I'm surrounded by enemies.

Like Mexican food, ice cream and the occasional margarita. Sweet Jesus, I could eat potatoes or any potato derivative for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. What kind of a vegetarian am I?

Seriously, it's been depressing. I just want to get to my college graduation weight from 11 years ago (GASP), and presumably, it shouldn't be that hard. But after a stressful day, I want to come home, eat dinner and veg... Granted, all of these activities usually take place after more work and a little fiddling around on Facebook, a few blogs and e-mail.

I've come to the conclusion that being married makes you lazy as hell when it comes to taking care of yourself. We can sit down with a bag of chips or a bowl of cream when there is literally not an ounce of hunger on the brain.

Who won the weight loss challenge? A single mother of 3 of course! Well deserved, Nicole, well deserved. You're the most disciplined person I know. (I mean that!) And you took home $20 each from 8 of us other losers for a grand total of $160. You should celebrate with donuts.

The Office Weight Loss Challenge

All of us at work are trying to drop a few pounds, and we decided to harvest the power of peer pressure to accomplish the goal. So we formed a little "club," each put in $20, and weigh in on Monday mornings for 8 weeks. At the end of the period, whoever lost the most (measured in percent of body weight lost) will receive the collective dinero.

The original idea was that you would use the money for new clothes, but I'm thinking that better motivation will be the guilt factor. If I can remember those who don't have enough to eat each time I'm thinking of going too far with the chips and dip, I will put them down. And I can donate the money that I win to a hunger related charity of my choice...if I can be firm enough with myself to win.

Just when I was thinking this was the greatest idea for me, one of our group members mentioned a better motivator. If I lose, I have to write a check in the amount I would have won to Rush Limbaugh. Oh man, that's some serious motivation, or anti-motivation...however you want to look at it.

Write On

A local Marketing Goddess in town recently pointed me to a shiny new contest--a writing contest--which is pure gold for a nerd like me. Here's the deal:

Enter your 500 word essay about what makes Sarasota so great, and if you win, your essay will go up front and center on www.sarasotalocal.com. And you'll also get (drum roll, please)...a free t-shirt from Jakes Downtown! (Anyone know what that is?)

The only problem I have in this little competition is selecting the SINGLE terrific trait of Sarasota Florida as my focus. I do have some first thoughts--impressions of what impresses me the most about this town, if you will.

• I truly love it that Sarasota has more birds than curse words in a Chris Rock segment. It's pretty amazing when you think about it. Winter is the best time of year to soak soak up birds in your binocs, but any month of the year, you can hang out at a retention pond or even a parking lot and see some great feathered friends. (And Sarasota is quickly becoming retention pond city, with SuperTarget and SuperWalmarts on every corner.)
  


• I love it that we host so many fundraising events, showing off so many fugly fashions and plastic faces (and some sincere ones), that we need 3 glossy magazines--and then some--to cover the social scene every month.
  


• I'm still loving Sarasota for the fact that a transexual was once in the running for mayor. That was cool. We're so PC.
  


• I have no choice but to love good 'ole Sarasota for U.S. 41. It's my main route anywhere, and with that designation of "scenic highway," I know I'm not the only one who thinks it's the cat's pajamas. My favorite segment of 41 is "little motel alley," the portion just south of University and just north of the turn- off to Sarasota Jungle Gardens. Otherwise, I would never see real life prostitutes on the way to work each morning.
  


• And speaking of Sarasota Jungle Gardens, I do adore the plethora of museums, attractions, landmarks, historical buildings and spectacles available for visitation here in Sarasota. You could have one hell of a time here on vacation, and spend one hell of a paycheck doing it. So basically, I'm saying that I love the tourists. They give me something to focus on 365 days a year, the short time I spend thinking about my own meager vacation schedule.
  

Although it is extremely cool that the pictures you see of Sarasota on our visitor's bureau website are the pictures you look for in travel magazines when scoping out your dream vacation, I hope we don't see some trite, cliche b.s. about our beloved town on the front page of this obscure website. Let's make it more interesting. Write away, people, and make it good!