Come to my Cafe... in Bosnia Herzegovina!

Hurray! I'm now an investor in a lovely cafe in Vitez. So you need not take out your encyclopedia brittanica, or mapquest the address... it's located in Sarajevo,Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The owner of the Cafe is a lovely woman named Ajida Bengir, and it looks as though she serves a healthy variety of alcoholic spirits. I can't wait to visit!!

It's part of my commitment to invest every month in microloans through Kiva.org. Last month I became a Ugandan Piggery investor. This month I'm moving up the food chain to investment in a business that actually serves the food after it's raised.

You, too, can be a microloan investor. Go to www.Kiva.org. It feels good.

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Ciao, Bella
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Things that make me laugh!

Oh golly... if you don't go to www.ICanHasCheezburger.com every day, then you're missing out on some of the funniest stuff to hit the internet. Its subtitle is lolcats... meaning, of course... laugh out loud cats. And indeed, if you don't laugh out loud, you are an old, embittered excuse for a human. Some background - Somebody stole the Walrus' bucket and he is forever in seach of it. And the title of the site refers to a photo of a cat, asking (or perhaps, demanding) a cheeseburger. Click on over when you're done with this and you'll see what I mean. (and go even if you don't like cats. You'll still laugh)

What else makes me laugh? Googling images of myself and finding a 17-year-old lad in Liverpool who may or may not have a mother named Pam Atherton, but definitely has friends who speak a text language of their own. That my-space site has added to my vocabulary... "ya dirty ticket" .. "Your fizzy willie's broke" ... and "your nan on toast." My best research shows that "dirty ticket" is basically another way to say "cheap bastard." I don't think I can tell you what a fizzy willie is; I might get censored. But "your nan on toast" is the equivalent of responding to an insult such as we might say "your mother." And the more you add to the toast, the nastier your comment is. For example... "your nan on toast with cheese sauce and tomatoes." Well, now, thems fighting words. :)

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=189948796

And finally, finding a review of a movie I was in in the '90's gave me a chuckle. Why? Well, it was an Italian film, filmed entirely in Italian, and the review is on yahoo.it. In Italian. I can't read the damn thing, but they spelled my name correctly. See if you can read it. And no fair cheating and getting it translated.

http://it.movies.yahoo.com/s/sognando-la-california/index-352406.html

Hope you get a lot of laughs!

Ciao, Bella!

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I remember these....

The New York Times had an article this morning about how bridesmaid dresses are catching up with the runway and getting away from the frill, chills and spills of the past. You remember... the pink taffeta dress with the poofy sleeves. The way-too-tight I-need-a-tummy-tuck rayon jersey knee-length dress in emerald green. The strapless wonder that reminded the world that you had no boobs. All dresses, your friend the bride reminded you, that could be worn again in the real world. Yeah, right.

Now you can relive those dresses, and many more disasters, at a site called www.uglydress.com. The site comes complete with commentary and is sponsored by bachelorette.com. (Whoever they are.)

Still... I must confess... I wouldn't mind having a "Gone With The Wind" wedding or bridesmaid dress. I still like shoulder pads (all women should. Have you seen how droopy most women look?) And red velvet at a Christmas wedding with a white muff instead of flowers still appeals to me.

As for my daughter... when she gets married... there is no doubt in my mind that this will be the dress she chooses. Sadly, it is also featured on uglydress.com

Well... ugly is in the eye of the beholder. I would, however, have to draw the line at her wearing the white sequin Minnie Mouse ears with the dress. You have to have SOME set of standards.

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Ciao Bella!

I am officially a Bacon Banker!

What a wonderful holiday season! I hope you got everything you asked for. Other than world peace, I did.

I've gotten some pretty wonderful gifts over the years. (My all-time favorite is the electric pencil sharpener that I got for Mother's Day a few years back). But for this year, my most favoritest, fabulous, wonderful gift of all was from my daughter. She had heard me talk about micro-loans for years, and how I wished I could participate. But, not being a financial institution, and knowing nothing about how these things work in foreign countries, it seemed I was to be denied.

HAH! The power of the internet! My daughter found Kiva.org. They are an organization that lets everyday people like you and me participate in micro-loans. In $25 increments, we can invest in any of a number of businesses throughout the world. With the gift certificate from my daughter, I invested in an entrepreneur group in Uganda. They raise chickens and pigs, and needed the money for more pigs.

(click here to read about my group) http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=29310



I can see how one can get addicted to this! It's interesting to read about the different people and groups and what they hope to accomplish. It's also a sobering reminder of how much we accumulate and consume here in America. We've been working on simplifying in our household.

I mean, how much do we really need, anyway?? All my friends are going to get gift certificates for their birthdays and special days.

And I am going to proudly proclaim that I am an investor in a Ugandan piggery. I intend upon investing every month... so watch for more updates!

Invest!


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