Seattle photographer Chrissie White is 17, and the photo above was not Photoshopped. With all the smoke and mirrors we can choose to create dreamscapes now, it’s easy to forget about just having your friend jump on the bed until you get the shot.

Pink Mermaid with Color Splashes
Sweet for a little girl’s room. She’s blushing.

Raval Page Flags

I bought these pretties because I didn’t want to mark up the Churchill book. Reading is so much fun.

Chevron Tags
Cool tags and bows are the key to wrapping everything in brown paper and getting away with it.

We were supposed to leave for New York this morning, so I spent all day yesterday in a pre-trip frenzy. By the time evening rolled around, I had several more hours of scrambling to do, so I decided a twenty-minute nap would be prudent. I woke up three hours later.

Once I figured out where I was and shaved my Rip Van Winkle beard, my heart whomped. Neither Hank nor I was packed, and the house looked like the producers of Hoarders had stopped by to do some light staging.

So. Good. I went online to print our boarding passes to find our flight had been canceled. Apparently New York is too cold to sustain life right now. Bwahahaha!

When I went to reschedule the flight, the only available option was a redeye. So tonight I’ll be navigating security with a four year old who’s up three hours past his bed time. On the plus side, we’ll both have suitcases.

I’ll be in New York to check out Restaurant Week for Travelocity. Hank will be in New York because he likes airplanes, and snow angels, and cuddling in hotel beds. I like those things too.

Kid-friendly New York suggestions welcome. If you see us up and about at midnight, that’s because Hank refuses to adjust to time changes until the day before we fly home. So if you know of any all-ages late night poker games, let us know.

In an effort to gather all my writing in one place, I’ve been posting articles that originally appeared elsewhere. This piece was published by the The Morning News in 2003.

You have yet to help out at your local food bank, look into the tutoring center, join a tree-planting group, or read over those Peace Corps brochures you sent for in college. All of it seems like too much of a pain. You want to save the world, but only if you can do it in your pajamas.

Put your good intentions to use with some low-impact, high-yield volunteer projects you can tackle from home. Here are a few convenient ways to help others without cramping your rock-and-roll lifestyle.

Watch your hair grow.
Locks of Love takes donated human hair and makes wigs for underprivileged kids suffering from medical hair loss. It works like this: You sit on your bum and grow your hair out until you can cut off at least ten inches. You put it in a ponytail, cut it, then send the ponytail to Locks of Love in an envelope. They send you a thank-you note, and you feel all aw-shucksy inside.

Knit a bear.
Teddies for Tragedies sends hand-knitted teddy bears to child victims of tragedy around the world. So far they’ve sent over a thousand bears. You can send them some wool yarn or stuffing and they’ll put it to good use. Or, if you know how to knit, choose one of their patterns, knit up your own bear, and send it in. There are no deadlines or quotas. Besides, why make yet another scarf when you could be making a cuddly teddy bear for a scared little kid?

Send a card.
Remember how excited you were to get mail when you were little? Make a Child Smile is a website that publishes information about kids with life-threatening illnesses and asks you to send them cards and small gifts. It’s a fun, easy way to lift their spirits while they’re getting through a tough time. Plus, it gives you an excuse to buy stickers again.

Write for change.
Amnesty International’s Freedom Writers program chooses three human rights cases each month that deserve your attention. The site gives you information and a sample letter with an address. If you support a particular cause, you can print and send the letter that Amnesty provides, or write your own. If you don’t see anything that moves you, check back next month for updates.

Sew a security blanket.
Many of us have fond memories of our security blanket; some of us still have it. The aptly named Project Linus gives the same sense of comfort to seriously ill children, or those who’ve experienced trauma. The program provides new, handmade blankets in any style or size. They have patterns available on the site to get you started. Maybe you’re not a whiz with a needle and thread, but we’re talking about small squares of fabric stitched together. I have faith in you.

Stop surfing, start helping.
Online Volunteering hooks up ‘virtual volunteers’ with organizations in need of their expertise. If you have access to a computer and the Internet (check … check), and you know something about programming, writing, project management, translation, law, education, or any other area of expertise that works over email, you’re in business. You’ll use your skills to provide online help for your chosen organization. Yet another job you can do in your underwear

Alfred Shaheen was one of the pioneers of the Aloha shirt, but boy did the man make a mean mum or what?

Here’s more of his stuff on eBay, he has some covetable crane prints too.

Whose work are you searching for on eBay right now?

This year’s ALT was amazing, but I’m in Portland now scouting event space, so we’ll talk more about it tomorrow. In the meantime, photographer Justin Hackworth (whom I adore) pulled me aside for ten minutes to shoot some photos. I had a quick manic episode for him. I love number two, number three makes me think I should incinerate those pants forever. Please vote in comments.