Holiday Wishes Meme

[kate_nepveu]

Instructions

Step One

- Make a post (public, friendslocked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.

- If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.

- Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ, or link to this post (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two

- Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:

- If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.

You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

My list

If I'm doing wishes I have to include the three I'd ask from a genie—not that I expect anyone here will be able to grant them, but if one of you secretly is a genie, I'd feel silly if I missed the opportunity, hmm?

Otherwise this is a few things that came to me in odd moments tonight, that I don't mind wishing for in this context (which does limit me somewhat).

Edit: I love you all. Really. You all are so thoughtful and kind, I have been happy all day, and it's been quite a busy day. I am entirely back in the holiday spirit, am looking forward to them again instead of saying "ugh, car travel and no time to do work," have granted a few wishes of my own, including one random stranger's. It's fabulous. Go post your own lists so I can see what I can do to pass it back to you.

1. For people to seriously think about organ donation: decide whether to be a donor (lots of good information to start your thinking), and if you decide to, get a donor card, put a sticker on your driver's license, sign up with your state's registry if it has one, and most importantly—tell your family.

   Edit: I'm thrilled that so many people already are organ donors and have been reminded to talk to their families or update their cards on the topic. Thank you—it's great to hear. Keep letting me know!—especially if you weren't a donor before, or wanted to be but didn't have a card or hadn't told your family, or hadn't made a decision until now.

2. An icon of my smiley (non-proportional font, of course) and with some color: => (Thank you, silmaril, for the sample ones that refined what I was looking for, and thank you, ellarien, for picking up that ball and running with it!)

MP3s of Concrete Blonde's Bloodletting, which I only have on cassette. (Thank you, everyone who offered, and particularly desdenova for ultimately giving me the iTunes gift certificate.)

The best truffles ever, in dark chocolate, orange, or raspberry. (Thank you, yhlee, and also greythistle for offering, whatever you end up doing.)

I was going to say The Unknown Ajax or A Civil Contract, but I see they are to be re-released by Harlequin, so instead I'll say Barbara Hambly's Stranger at the Wedding. (Thank you, ceara, and jimtbari for offering.)

The Book of the Weird (a.k.a. The Glass Harmonica), by Barbara Ninde Byfield. (Edit: papersky may have access to a copy, but has to check.)

Interesting bookends. Ones with Ganesha would be particularly awesome.

(the genie three:) Long life, in excellent mental and physical health, for everyone I care about, ever have cared about, or will care about.

Being the sole winner of the next New York State lottery drawing that I buy a ticket for.

An end to ignorance (or, if that's beyond the powers of the genie as if often the case in folklore, Culture-level control over my body).

Comments

[ceara.livejournal.com]

Um. Stranger at the Wedding I can do, if you don't mind a MM with a rather creased spine. I have a whole pile of Hambly that I think it's likely I'll never get around to reading, given the size of my to-read list.

[kate_nepveu]

Sure! I just want to read it, from papersky's constant references to it WRT Fantasy of Manners. If you're sure, that would be great. Can I e-mail you my address?

The one I can grant relatively quickly...

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

...is sadly the one I cannot guarantee coming up with something you'll like.

But, several versions:








The fonts are becker, becker, and terminal---the last, maybe the quintessential fixed-width font.

If you had visualized something else in terms of coloring, let me know, and I'll play with things later... but no earlier than next week. I could do this now because I was about to explode looking at stuff I'm supposed to look at. Anyway, they are all rather quick attempts...

Re: The one I can grant relatively quickly...

[kate_nepveu]

I could do this now because I was about to explode looking at stuff I'm supposed to look at.

I know the feeling! Why do you think I made this post?

Those are cool, so much better than I could do at all. I wish I had graphics ability. Even though it's not exactly what I was thinking, it's very helpful because now I have something to sharpen my vague thoughts again.

So: I think something closer to just plain Courier (or maybe bold Courier) is more what my image was. And 100x100 might be bigger than needed, but of course I could always resize that, so nevermind. (I need to go to bed.) I really like the red for the font, with a light background (maybe more neutral?)--goes with the journal scheme.

Right. Bed. Thanks for doing these, I really appreciate it! Don't explode, and I'll try not to as well.

[sloanesomething.livejournal.com]

I am an organ donor, and have been since I was nine and got my first ID card.

[kate_nepveu]

Hooray!

[larabeaton.livejournal.com]

I am an organ donor already, but I do have Bloddletting on CD, and have mp3 technology....

[kate_nepveu]

1) yay, and 2) yes...?

(The LJ address is gmail so will take one-song-per attachments, at least. Whenever you get around to it, of course. Thank you thank you!)

[ex-greythist387.livejournal.com]

I was going to speak up for the truffles, but upon reading their shipping info page (http://www.xoxtruffles.com/pleaseread.htm), I worry that wandering in and making up a box might not cut it. If a non-fancy box would do, send me a postal address of some sort (see userinfo); I can manage something faster than standard USPS.

Or someone else could do a fancy box. :)

Have had organ donor status specified on driver's license since 1993.

[kate_nepveu]

Yay, organ donor status.

Of course a fancy box isn't necessary. When I shipped some truffles to NY in September, they came with dry ice. It's quite cold *now*, so waiting here for us to come home at night doesn't bother me. (And it's so much less expensive to buy them in the store that I'd feel less guilty about it. => I think it was like 20 for $8? Approximately.)

Anyway, I shall send you shipping info, for whatever you decide to do. And if you like truffles, go in anyway and try one. They're *really* *really* good.

[turnberryknkn.livejournal.com]

I think your wish #1 is a wonderful and kind idea.

Am already donor; wrote an entry two years ago about why organ transplant is so difficult and why we need so many donors; put it back up today to try to remind folks.

Hope your wishes come true. Even the genie-at-work ones. :-)

[kate_nepveu]

Thank you, and thank you!

[texas-tiger.livejournal.com]

I've already told everyone and their sister that I want my organs donated.

[kate_nepveu]

Excellent!

[papersky.livejournal.com]

I have a British donor card, I should get a Canadian one. I wonder where you get them?

I saw a Book of Weird recently. If it's still there, I'll pick it up for you.

[kate_nepveu]

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/organandtissue/how_to/register.html#que

And that would be lovely. I have never even laid eyes on one.

[jimtbari.livejournal.com]

I would have offered to lend Stranger at the Wedding but fortunately (as I would have had to root through boxes) ceara has already done so.

I am listed as an organ donor on my driver's license, and I've taken steps to marry one of the people who knows my wishes in this regard. I'll try to remember, this year, to finally make sure my sisters know as well, and I'll look into the state registry thing as well.

Oh, and I donated a car to the kidney foundation last year.

[kate_nepveu]

And I'm sure that's the only reason you married this person. =>

Wonderful, so glad to hear it!

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Well, I just *tried* to send you the MP3 of Bloodletting that I have on my machine here at work, and your livejournal.com address bounced as "Message too large"

(of course, it's got a fairly high sample rate, so the file is over 8 megabytes)

I'm already listed as an organ donor, though -- and a regular blood donor and listed in the bone marrow registries just in case I happen to match someone.

Sorry about the NY Lottery though; if I had that power, I get first dibs on it!

[kate_nepveu]

Hah, yes, I don't blame you about the Lottery.

Thanks for trying--it's a gmail account and it's supposed to take up to 10MB, so I don't know what's wrong, but don't worry about it.

Oh, bone marrow, I forgot about that--all the same, that's a bit different commitment, but people might consider that as well. I just got a postcard from the marrow registry reminding me that they exist and that I'm signed up. And hooray, donor!

[thette.livejournal.com]

I'm a card carrying organ donor to be, and I've told family about it. Glad to be able to help.

[kate_nepveu]

Wonderful, thank you!

[sraun]

I've been an organ donor since my 18th birthday.

I should remind Irene of that fact, and check her status. I think she is also.

[kate_nepveu]

Excellent! And may you have a rational and civilized and fruitful conversation with Irene on the topic.

[annewashere.livejournal.com]

Organ Donor, I am! Good wish.

[kate_nepveu]

Thank you!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I've been an organ donor for ages. But alas, though I own The Book of the Weird, it was a gift and I have never seen a copy for sale. But if I do...

[kate_nepveu]

Great, and don't worry about it--the copy papersky might still be there, after all. Thanks for the thought.