16 tons, and what do you get, another day older

Ever since my housemate left for the big city, I've been a bit blue.
I've even been thinking about getting a dog, but for purely selfish reasons: so I would have a warm body to pet and cuddle and keep me company. If I were more stationary, that might still be okay.
But we all know I like to travel. Not just to out of town destinations, but all over this town and across the river and to the west and the south.
The dog would spend a lot of time alone or in a kennel.
That is no life for a dog.
I grew up with dogs, so I know.
Over the winter break from school, when I had little money and plenty of time, I also had plenty of thoughts. Thoughts of mortality, thoughts of experiences not yet had, thoughts of events important to me but not yet shared.
Hold up, a minute - what's that last thing you say? "Important events not shared"?
As some know, after my stepdad's death in fall of 2011, (my oldest brother and) I came into a little "free" money from Mama's retirement portfolio. I have already witnessed (and still see with the stepfamily) how unearned funds can pit family members against each other. I have known too many to have died this last decade, and last year in particular. With each death, the living squabble, or stop conversing, over division of the stuff left behind.
I didn't want to be part of that scene. Stuff is stuff. This time, the loss adjustment would be the use of the funds for the good of others. Not all of the money, of course. But I decided that at least 25% of the funds (roughly half of what I received, after the IRS took its share) would do to help better the world at large, rather than my tiny speck.
Some went to my fraternity, Alpha Chi Sigma. In addition to the friendships and help during my college years (in the Gamma Beta chapter), both as an undergraduate and as a graduate student, their work continues. "To strive for the advancement of chemistry as both a science and a profession." You bet I beleive in that goal! Since 2012, I have been a professional Brother for life; in return, they have used my donation to the Reserve Fund for scholarships and education programs.
Chemistry lives on!
I am also a member of the Florida State University Alumni Association for life. Again, that has been true since 2012. Why did I do so? Well, it is my grad school alma mater. Also, I have been very pleased with its projects for education, not just sports. I know the first thing many folks think about are the Seminoles football team, but there is also the circus and the opera and so many other facets to the brilliant life there on campus and open to the community at large!
I also renewed my pledge to Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church's Renovation Fund. I had first made a three-year pledge toward the refurbishment of the sanctuary. The congregation had been exposed to the beautiful original colors of the space when a SCAD team had worked on one corner of the church. Now was the time to bring back the sunlit peach and glossy white, to expand the stage, to replace the sagging pews! So, I made my pledge and kept my word. Then, when the air conditioner needed to be replaced, I looked to my new "free" money and opted to continue my pledge for an additional year. Good money, well spent. My last pledge payment was in March 2013; the church held a ceremony to burn the promissory note just a few months later. Now, everyone has the benefit of a beautiful place of serenity.
What else? Well, I started living as Fliss. Sure, I had already had a small taste of that lifestyle prior to my influx of funds after my stepdad's death. A friend was trying to encourage and engage more people in the writing and performing of short plays; he started a kickstarter fund to bring in the needed cash. It was close enough to my birthday that I could justify lending my support in a big way - and, after attending the event and gaining my reward, I was hooked.
Anyone who really knows me knows my tendency toward altruism. Kickstarter and Kiva both allow me to help strangers, and some friends, attain dreams that are just out of reach of their straining fingertips.
I really like that A few dollars from me can be of such good use.
So, I had created Fliss, but I became quite remiss about announcing the projects to others. Then, as I began receiving my rewards as a backer of these projects, I forgot that I should give feedback to the creators of these projects, to let them know how much I appreciated their hard work and their commitment.
These were all events which were important to me. But I had not yet shared them.
So, with the thought that I would not want to leave this Earth without having written about these creative projects, I have been catching up. From the 14 postings at the start, I now have 146 entries. I have had to do some research so these entries are in chronological order, as nearly as possible, as I if I had not been my usual disorganized, procrastinating self. For the most part, that has worked seamlessly, but the time lag really shows in the comments portion in the blog.
That's fine. Some of those comments truly are recent. As I have completed writing about a project, from my initial support of it on kickstarter to my receipt of the reward, I have searched out the creators online, on facebook, on LinkedIn. I have shared my blog entries with them, late though they may be... and have been met with thanks and joy! After all, these projects, like all creations brought to life, are very dear; to have someone else also find them dear is very positive and is reaffirming proof of the validity of the dreams.
The writing and reviews of my endeavors have been a positive force for me, too.
So, pardon me, but I still have work to do here...