My Fave Dutch Sentence

The Laughing Heart

I realise that it is just this side of pathetic to be obsessed with random humans that I will never meet, will never know, and who are wholly unaware of my existence. Be that as it may, I adore Tom Waits. He is my favourite male vocalist of all time. (Apologies to Nat King Cole and Lou Reed.) All of the clips I've seen of him in interviews leads me to believe that he is a genuinely fascinating and uniquely funny man. Late last year I saw him in an Instagram video that made me love him even more for introducing me to a stunning piece by Charles Bukowski. The way he reads it, enunciating each word with precision and care...it brings tears to my eyes and an ache to my chest. Especially when he says "You are marvelous...the gods wait to delight in you."

The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski

your life is your life

don't let it be clubbed into dank submission.

be on the watch.

there are ways out.

there is a light somewhere.

it may not be much light but

it beats the darkness.

be on the watch.

the gods will offer you chances.

know them.

take them.

you can't beat death but

you can beat death in life, sometimes.

and the more often you learn to do it,

the more light there will be.

your life is your life.

know it while you have it.

you are marvelous

the gods wait to delight

in you.

Voyage of the Rock Aliens

One of my favourite accounts on Instagram was JeffreyMixed. It was mega gay and very campy. I had never heard of this Pia Zadora "film" but when I saw Craig Sheffer's gorgeous puss, I kept watching. The comments, like always, did not disappoint.

Living Room Swoon

(photo kidnapped from IG account blissfully_eclectic -  4 May 2017)

Current Celebrity Crush

I discovered artist LP in Summer 2024. I was scrolling through videos on YouTube and the video for Lost On You popped up. I would have skipped past it entirely, since I resent those recommendations. I can figure out what I want to see on my own, thank you very much. But the singer had a chest tattoo that looked like an old ship. I do love a good nautical tat, so I hit play and soon fell in love with the track. This month I have been listening to their music nearly non-stop and have watched dozens of interviews. I just think LP seems like a rad person and I love their voice and style and that hair! I wish I had the nerve to grow out my curls and rock out in a similar 'do, but alas, I do not.

And now Jackson likes them too!

April 2026 Donations

Both Hands

One of Bella and her husband's friends are looking to adopt and so they have the equivalent of a GoFundMe on something called Both Hands. Both Hands is a Christian organisation, which for me is a bit of a turn off, since Christian can often be code for "we only like our own kind" and those types of Christians can be hateful or unaccepting toward people of different genders, backgrounds, sexual identity, and beliefs. But...I do like the idea of helping a young couple adopt a child since I'm very pro-adoption, so I decided to overlook their Christianity and, like Christ, do the right thing. I figure if they are pals of a wonderful woman like Isabella then they must be decent and kind people. I really hope these two kids can get set up with a sweet little one (or big one, if they want an older child) and together create a bigger, happier family. Fingers crossed for Ryan and Mandee!

About Both Hands

We've found the easiest way to explain the concept of Both Hands is to tell how we started, so here it is in a nutshell from our founder, JT Olson...

"Almost twenty years ago, I served on the board for Bethany Christian Services in Nashville and was responsible for an annual golf fundraiser where we sent letters asking for sponsorship while we golfed. A few days before the event, my friend sent my sponsorship letter back to me and scribbled on it, "JT, if you were working on a widow's house I might sponsor you, but you're just golfing. Nice cause, but not my money."

I'll admit I was a bit surprised, but I called him and we had a good laugh about it. His idea never left me. A few years later, one of my friends came up to me in church and told me he was adopting four orphans from Moldova. Since I had adopted, I knew it was expensive. I asked how much he needed to raise. He replied, "About $65,000." He had no clue how he was going to do it, but knew it was God's calling.

Long story short, we gathered about a dozen of our friends and found a widow's home to work on. All of us sent out letters asking for sponsorship while we worked, with the proceeds going towards my friend's adoption. We ended up raising about $55,000. Soon after, another friend asked to do a project for his adoption.

Fast forward twenty years and I think our numbers say it all. In 2008, I left my job to start Both Hands full-time. Mark Twain said, "The two most important days in a person's life are the day they were born and the day they find out why." That day I found out why. If you're interested in partnering to make an impact in any way, feel free to contact us. Let's do more for orphans, widows and adoptive families!"

Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!

Textin' It Up with Bish

Here is yesterday's text messages with Bish, whereI gave my opinion on this week's episode of Abbott Elementary:

May 2024

May 2025