Yes! My own pub! I was about to jump the border.  At the last minute I got the opportunity to work and live in Europe for the summer. It was a chance to work on a children’s book (8-12 year old age group) that I had conceived 5 years ago and had outlined in full and started the previous year. Between brushing up on my Spanish, rehabbing injuries sustained when I was hit by a drunk driver in April, finding and packing sensible walking shoes, regular work stuff, lining up someone to take care of... [Read more]

Shhhhh... I'm Volunteering from The Couch! Do you like video games?  Do you want to volunteer but don’t want to leave the couch? Great! I have an activity for you. Go to www.FreeRice.com FreeRice.com is the Official Winner* of: Volunteering Made Easy Best Way to Stay Seated and Volunteer I Made the World A Better Place While Procrastinating at Work Can I Report These Community Service Hours to My Parole Officer? And possibly… The Palme d’Or ** All kidding aside – go play any of... [Read more]

Laughing in a Paris Cafe I cut my hair for charity. Again. To be quite honest, this haircut…  It was kind of an emotional decision.  Don’t get me wrong – cutting your hair for charity is always a good idea. Always. However… Unlike the last haircut, which I anticipated for a year, this one came out of…  Well, it happened after a particularly rough holiday season. Oh, I told everyone it was a professional decision.  I was working with a girl with gorgeous long red locks, comedian Virginia... [Read more]

Lucky Chillin on my Kitchen Table It took a long time to write this one, as I’m still a little sad about it: I was driving across country over the holidays and had the… distinct pleasure… of stopping in Hooks, Arkansas.  The town is made up of a few trailers and two gas stations – one station apparently only takes gold bullion.  I stopped at the other station. As I walked inside to pay I saw a friendly black cat approach a woman and meow.  The woman kicked the cat.  I literally saw... [Read more]

Mercedes & Kitty Kat Don’t volunteer with cats if you’re allergic. I repeat, differently: If you are allergic to cats do not volunteer with them. En espanol: No voluntario con los gatos si usted alergico a ellos. Obvious?  You’d think so, but I had occasion to test this.  Here’s what happened… I set up a volunteer activity with one of the most helpful* volunteer groups of all time – Heaven on Earth Animal Sanctuary.  They have a small house in Van Nuys, which they’ve... [Read more]

The Ladies Payne Repaid Again! Re-loaned again. And just in time for Christmas. I would never suggest that Kiva is more fun as a competition. Especially not a competition between family members. That would be tacky and defeat the purpose of being generous out of the goodness of your heart. But… if, lets say, my family members and I were all making Kiva loans then… I would be ahead. By a lot. Maybe it’s because I do due diligence. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve learned to stick... [Read more]

Freezing for Furry Friends Ladies and Gentleman, the following is an account of my weirdest volunteer activity as TheGoodMuse- yet. I had never volunteered with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), but then I got this email, which said something like… Come take a shower in the middle of the LA Convention Center to promote water conservation by eating less meat. Sold. You had me at public nudity. In all seriousness, I’m a vegetarian. I have been since I was a teen.  It’s... [Read more]