Happy Birthday to me!  Today I turned 37 - I know, it sounds so old, but I don’t feel old.  It’s funny, I remember as a teenager finding out a family friend’s age (she was 32) and being appalled at how OLD she was.  Maybe, it’s just that the older you get, the older “old” gets too.  My parents are rapidly approaching 70 but knowing how fit and vital they are (mentally and physically) it just doesn’t seem that old anymore.  Twenty years ago 70 seemed ancient to me, but not so much any more.  It will be interesting to see how the impact of the “aging population” will have on us all, as individuals and as a society.

Wow.  Off on a tangent there!  Anyway I had a great day, spending time with my lovely friends and lovely family, though I do miss Yvette - all the way in Melbourne.  I do have a good bunch of people in my life and I feel very blessed by that.

You might remember that I recently had a healthy little windfall - after refinancing the loans on our house etc, we have come out ahead. So, for my birthday, today I ordered a Dell computer online and I am very excited!  I have to wait about 2 weeks for delivery though. Among other things, it has a 22″ flat screen monitor and 2 gig of RAM.  I have been limping along on just 384 meg of RAM, trying to use Photoshop and everything else that I do.  I can’t wait - it’s gonna be so fast! It also has the new Vista which looks cool.

I am also feeling very happy because today I decided to stop thinking about what a great idea Kiva is, and do something about it!  Mrs Dorcas Okon is married and has four children. She was trained as a tailor in a notable fashion home in Nigeria. She wants the loan so that she can buy an additional sewing machine and sewing materials. 

From the Kiva site:  “[The Kiva system] is one of the best ways to empower our neighbours, giving them opportunities to become economically independent, improve their standard of living, and alleviate poverty for themselves and their communities. Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can “sponsor a business” and help the world’s working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you’ve sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.”

Happy day and happy sewing to you, Mrs Okon!

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tags: birthday, computer, dell, kiva, microlending, monitor, new, sewing