By the time I made it to high school, sweethearts getting "pinned" was no longer a thing. I'm not really sure what the specifics were to the ritual, but it seemed like a 1950s/1960s thing when I'd hear about it. I'm sure it was cute at the time. I never did it (although I did wear my boyfriend's class ring, which was still a thing when I was sixteen). Once I got to college, I decided being a marching band nerd was much more important to me than joining a sorority (I made the right choice for me), so I also never went through a pledging process. So no pledge pin for me. Today, I got pinned in a whole different context, and I have to admit, I couldn't contain my joy. It was worth waiting for.
Today I became an official member of Rotary, and was introduced to the club formally. Just as when I watched other new members go through this process, I felt overwhelmed with excitement about the mission of this club. I have the same thrill of anticipation as when I'm in the front car of a roller coaster, and I'm dangling at the precipice of the first big drop, waiting for the rest of the cars to clear the chain. I now have to go through a series of tests on my quest to graduating from a red badge to the blue badge of a seasoned club member. Most of them are things that I'm totally down for, like sitting at different tables every week for lunch, to meet new people, or joining committees. But the one that freaked me out just a little was the "give a 5 minute introductory/vocational talk" at a meeting. I really didn't want to pitch myself as a real estate agent at the meeting, for fear of sounding like I was only there to to farm for clients. I may focus much more on the introductory part than the vocational side. I hear that this particular hurdle is usually the very last one people clear, and I am so not surprised. I think I have a plan, but it definitely needs work. And courage.
So three nights in a row now, I have mentioned Tiny Kittens. Don't give up on me now. I have one last pitch. (Do you believe me that I mean it when I say "last?" Don't.) But I have to say this: this woman needs your support. She needs viewers. She needs volunteers in her home town. And she needs money. The costs involved in feeding, medicating, cleaning, broadcasting, and adopting out 400 kittens at once (or so it feels like it will be) will be astronomical. Sometimes Tiny Kittens gets donations of stuff, like toys, beds, blankets, food, or litter. They have a vet who gives a ridiculous amount of her time, but medications aren't free. They have to deal with parasites and infections and some very special kittens (see Cassidy and Professor Marvel). When the cat births happen, the viewership can number in the thousands (1-2000, typically), and hundreds of people watch the kittens develop round the clock. There is an awful lot of technology involved in such a broadcast, between cameras, software, hardware, and bandwidth. These things aren't free either. Consider going to TinyKittens.com/donate and pitching in a few bucks? If you do it before Sable's kittens are born, you might win the chance to name one of the babies. This litter's name theme will be Dr Seuss, with the caveat that the name must be family-friendly. I suspect later litters will have the same naming opportunities. I donated tonight, and I'm hoping I get to name one of the babies after something in the Lorax. I'm leaning towards Thneed. Or maybe Onceler. Barbaloot? There are a lot of good options there.
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