It's not everything....

...but it's something. You could even call it change. President Obama...

“The one thing we have not done is we have not launched a war.”

Thanks for that, Mr. President.

All gave some..

...and whatever you gave, in whatever way, in whichever branch, during during or between whichever wars, from one vet to another, thanks.

Another revolution...

...of my home planet has occurred since I fired up this thing on October 22, 2003. Eight Earth years is damn near incalculable in blog years, I suppose. All the usual accolades to my co-bloggers, readers, commenters, sources and inspirations apply. Doing this has been a source of entertainment, education and solace for me, and I hope it's been at least some of that for some of you.

I'd be remiss if I didn't note that none of this would have been possible without the unrelenting indulgence of the Brilliant and Beautiful Bride of Upper Left.

All the usual accolades also apply, of course, to those who've chipped in to keep me and the blog afloat financially. Things aren't quite as desparate around Upper Left World Headquarters as they were the last time I rattled the change cup, but the income from my day (and night) job drops rather precipitously in the cooler months when the patio closes and half the dining capacity at the perfect tavern disappears. Since that tip jar isn't so productive right now, this one could use some attention.

The easy way is PayPal, but if you need another way, drop me a note.

Whether you can chip in or not, thanks for being here, some of y'all for all eight years!

An Upper Left Landmark.

This is the 9000th post on Upper Left since I launched this thing back in October of 2003. Upwards of 8900 of 'em are probably my fault, but this seems like a good occassion to thank Carl, Darryl, Deej and Diane, who have all stepped in from time to time, allowing me to take a couple actual vactations over the last few years.

I know some of y'all have been hanging in through most all 9000 posts, and some of y'all are just checking in for the first time. I want you to know how much I appreciate all y'all.

A bunch. That's how much.

9000. Whew.

Back in business.

Phones are up thanks to, well, I'll spare you the nitty gritty, but thanks, Pat!

Gotta catch up a bit but I'm sure there's someone, somewhere, being wrong on the internet that I'll feel compelled to correct right quick here...

Yes, you can.

And you should. Via the DNC blog...

You can send an e-mail to Speaker Pelosi at AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov to thank her for her hard work over the past four years and to give encouragement for all that she will do during the next legislative session.

To quickly recap…

…a couple of weeks ago I posted a big emotional dump about our financial straits. It was pretty raw stuff, and by the time I got back to the blog the next night I had it in mind to take it down. Before I could, though, Carl had picked it up and posted an appeal on my behalf at Horse's Ass. Andrew soon followed suit at the Advocate.

Thanks to the expanded reach their support gave me, the next few days produced about as much in donations as the last seven years of blogging have. Those contributions had an immediate effect, both financially and emotionally. They helped pay, or pay down, at least, some utility bills, avert an automotive disaster and get through a few days of our daily business. They also confirmed that I'm not just sending electrons into the ether. There's folks out there, folks that appreciate my efforts, folks that care about our welfare. You folks.

Things are some better now. We're not out of the woods yet, but with your help we've worked our way back to the path. Yesterday I was finally able to send a check to my long-suffering landlord, who has been patient beyond understanding. Of course, another one's due in just a few days, but it's one step at a time right now. With the rent paid and the heat on (neither a certainty just days ago), we're having kids and grandkids over tonight. No tree this year, no Chinese take-out buffet, no piles of packages. Just time to spend with people we love. It's arguably better this way, although it would be better yet to do it by choice, I suppose.

There are thanks aplenty to pass around. To Carl and Andrew, of course, who made my moaning meaningful with their posts of support. To all of the northwest bloggers who took notice and sent along words of encouragement or chipped in what they could. You make me feel like an appreciated peer in a community of folks I read daily and admire greatly. To all the friends of the blog and I, old and new, near and far. And, of course, especially to Joel, Stephen, Neal, Darryl, Bob, Howard, Dean, Randolph, Chad, Stevan, Carin, Rob, Richard, Jennifer, Peggy and Jaime.

I can't begin to tell ya'll what you've done for me or what it's meant to me. I suspect most of ya'll know, though. If you're just catching up to the story, here's the obligatory PayPal link one last time, this time 'round.

We're still broke, but because of you we're not broken.

Thanks again.

Yeah, poverty stills sucks…

…but things aren't nearly as bleak as they were when I dumped my tale of financial and emotional woe on y'all last week. There are still major money issues looming pretty immediately in my life, but not so many now.

Response to the fundraiser Carl kicked off in response to my post last Thursday night has been enormously gratifying, and if it hasn't solved all of my budget issues, it's sure made a big difference in my emotional outlook. The combination of contributions and comments each day has given the Brilliant and Beautiful Bride of Upper Left and I a huge lift, and helped us raise our view from some of our more immediate challenges enough to focus on some strategies for going forward.

To recap, you've helped us pay down the phone bill, buy a car battery, clear a bank overdraft and have a little bit of walking around money for bus fares and such. I even squeezed out a few bucks for a token x-mas package for the youngest grandkids.

All that being said, I'm going to keep pitching for another day or two. If you haven't had the chance, and you have the ability, please click the PayPal link to chip in.

I can't begin to tell you how much even the smallest contributions or the shortest notes have encouragement have meant to us this week. While we may not have gone from poverty to prosperity just yet, you've lifted me out of the despair that seemed inescapable just a few short days ago. Thanks, from the bottom of my heart.

The story so far.

What started out as an expression of sheer frustration before being turned into a fundraiser has been rewarding for me well beyond the financial support I've received. That financial support has produced some pretty significant results around here. You've kept the car running, the phone ringing and, as of today, we've wiped out the overdraft at the bank and stopped the steady drain of continuing charges.

I'm still pitching because rent, lights and heat are still real issues for us, but we're so far beyond where we were just a few days ago that it's impossible to truly express my astonished appreciation.

The whole back story is behind the links above, but the short story is that if you think the nearly nine thousand posts I've written over the last 8+ years and the activism that has informed those posts has some value, and your circumstances allow you to chip in a bit of that value, I really need your help.

Here’s the PayPal link. Thanks for doing what you can, even if it's only taking the time to listen. That matters, too.

While you were away…

…a fundraiser has sprung up over the weekend. Yep, things really looked as dire as I wrote on Thursday night. I was too frustrated at that point to even ask for help, but Carl picked up the ball at Horse's Ass and put my whining to work. Andrew took the hand-off with a post at the NPI Advocate, and things look a bit brighter on Monday morning.

The need is still as real, though and nearly as unmet as it was three days ago. If you can chip in, here's the PayPal link. Anything helps.

In addition to Carl and Andrew's help in spreading the word, it's been particularly gratifying to see the names of so many of my favorite local bloggers among the contributors. Thanks again to you all. The sense that I'm part of a community of folks, and perhaps a valued part at that, is a good one.

Every nickel, though, from every source, is hugely appreciated and will go to meet real needs. I don't do this for a living, have never planned to, and don't even imaginable that it's possible. Right now, though, because of all y'all, it's giving me some degree of economic life while the Brilliant and Beautiful Bride of Upper Left wrack our brains to come up with the survival resources we need.

The links above will lead you to the whole sordid story. I don't want to turn this into a whine-a-thon, because your help has put me in a far better state of mind. I've learned, though, that there's no profit in false pride, and I admit that I need your help right now. Again, if you can, here's the link.

Whether you're in a position to help out or not, though, thanks, as always, for being here.

It's a dark and stormy day…

…in the upper left, with a "Pineapple Express" due to bring several inches of rain down on us, but there's a ray of light shining on Upper Left World Headquarters. With the help of Andrew and Carl, donations have been coming in and, while we're far from out of the financial fix we've fallen into, some immediate needs have been met and there's a little reserve in the PayPal account. Might even be able to pay a bill or two.

As I've mentioned in comments, that little financial toe-hold is a huge emotional lift for the Brilliant And Beautiful Bride of Upper Left and me. It's certainly solidified my resolve to keep this blog up and running in most any way possible. If I lose power, I'll blog by battery. If the phone goes, I'll go find a hot spot somewhere. Whatever happens, keep coming back, because I will. It's the best way I can think of to say thanks.

Again, the gory details that started this off are here. If you haven't had the chance, and you have the ability, please consider chipping in via the PayPal link here.

And thanks again. And again and again and again...

Thanks…

…to all y'all for joining me in this adventure, as always, but today I'm especially thankful that my mom will be joining the Brilliant and Beautiful Bride of Upper Left and I for Thanksgiving Day. It's been over a decade, as Mom's moved about from Sequim to Spokane. She came home to Seattle this year so we get to enjoy her company this year. Mom's 85 now, so these opportunities are special.

There's a fairly substantial list of other things to be thankful for, too, of course. Life's not going as good as I might wish for, but it's no where near as bad as it might be, either. Mostly, though, it's you, and another turkey dinner prepared by the BBBUL (AKA The Queen Of Thanksgiving) and Mom.

Happy Thanksgiving.

7 years.

8738 posts. 336,699 visits. A million thanks to all of y'all who've joined the adventure.

In other words, happy blogiversary to me!

In honor of the occasion I'm going to run a little begathon through the weekend. Things aren't quite as desperate as the last time I dragged the PayPal link off the sidebar and into a post, but times being what they are, a few extra shekels in the PayPal account couldn't hurt.

It's also a way to drag out the celebration a bit. Seven years. Whee!