Detour Signs

So, a few weeks ago I went to New York. I tried on some clothes, ate cupcakes, got driven around a lot. That's the kind of person I am.

In a few days, my dear friend Jen Lemen is leaving for Rwanda to visit some children. She is bringing two thousand bouncy balls, a blueprint for empowerment (written by Rwandan Odette Umurerwa and illustrated by Jen), and the Miracle-Gro substance that is the spirit of Jen Lemen. That's the kind of person she is.

I really hope you will follow along and pitch in.

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I was thrilled to become the Mind, Body, Spirit editor for a website called sk-rt.com a few months ago. Some of you may have noticed the brag badge in my sidebar. The site was invented to help women share items of interest on the internet, and last summer, I got lucky and found myself in a cab with the three amazing founders. We bonded over a late night supper, and I was ecstatic when they offered to make an honest woman out of me and gave me a spot on the masthead.

Sk-rt was a runaway success from the get-go, the kind that everyone roots for. Well, nearly everyone. The site was recently rebranded, under threat of litigation by a print publication that felt they owned the word, "skirt," or any word that came within a vowel of it (they can have skort). I've been respectfully and quietly waiting for it to all get sorted out. Thank god, not everyone thinks discretion is the better part of valor.

I adore this take on the situation with every breath in my body. If your significant other ever walks out on you for another, people, THIS is the girl you want in your corner. Madam, I kirtsy in your general direction.

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Finally, I will be participating in a panel at Blogher '08, in San Francisco this summer. Last year was my first time to attend, and this year I'm on the agenda. Crazy, I know.

The panel is called "What We Believe: Beautiful Blogging and Positive Posting." It's going to rock. We'll be raffling off a live unicorn. I hope you'll come.