February 9th, 2007
A woman by the name of Cyn left a comment recently. It was on the post where I let my hormones take over and began bitching about lurkers. (Sorry about that, guys.) Anyway, Cyn left a comment as well as a link to her Web site, which I clicked. It turns out Cyn and I have mutual friends. But that’s a story for another day.
A little over a year ago, J. Robbins (of Jawbox and Burning Airlines fame) and his wife, Janet Morgan, gave birth to a baby boy named Callum Robbins. Tobyjoe and I hadn’t seen Janet since she first found out she was pregnant. She was glowing with the news. We were both so happy for them. They had a baby boy on January 27th, 2006. Of course he’s the cutest little fella.
About 8 months into little Cal’s life, J. and Janet discovered something about their baby that no parent should ever have to. Their son had SMA Type 1, or Spinal Muscular Atrophy. It’s a terrible disease. Most babies with Type 1 die before their 2nd birthday. But Cal is actually a very healthy baby boy. He breaths well, he’s active, and he babbles frequently. He’s a strong little boy with two, very strong parents.
Tobyjoe used to work with Janet at Threespot Media in Washington, DC. And J. Robbins has been a part of the music scene since I was a mere lad. They are two wonderful people and it breaks my heart to hear this about their son. I’ve spent the last two days trying to figure out what I can do to help with a miracle. (Seriously, y’all, every time I see his little face I tear up. I know I’m hormonal, but my goodness, what an absolutely wonderful little person.)
J. and Janet have health insurance but most of the conventional means of treating SMA don’t yield the greatest prognosis. And the alternative stuff, which might bring them a better outcome, isn’t usually covered by insurance. That’s why I am writing today. They need our help. So, if you’re feeling a little generous today, maybe you once loved Jawbox or Burning Airlines and have “borrowed” an album (or two) off your friend’s computer, maybe you just like babies, please stop by and visit their Web site. Read their story and (if you’re able to) donate a few bucks and help make their lives a little easier during this very difficult time.
I know that many of you may not know these two personally, and I know that money is tight for a lot of people, but if you can help them out in any way possible, I am sure they would be eternally grateful. And if you don’t have any extra cash lying around, maybe you could see about getting the word out there. If you have a blog, link to it. If you know people who know people, tell them about it. You know how it works.
The links:
Read more about Cal (includes donation information)
Cal’s blog
Cyn’s site
J.’s site
Just Give% (Donations for SMA families)
I am going to turn off comments for this post. But if you have any questions, feel free to email me at mihow [@] mihow.com.
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September 15th, 2006
If you’ve been reading this here Web site for a few years, you’re probably very aware of how I feel about the Segway. You’re probably so aware of how I feel about the Segway, you’re probably sick of hearing me say it. Seriously, I have had several not so pleasant run-ins with Segway owners (see the link above). I also ran into a guy riding one through downtown Washington, DC.
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August 24th, 2006
In order to live up to my flakiness, I have come up with another pet project. I know that some of you are thinking, “Oh, here we go again! Another pet project! What a flake!” That’s me. I’m Pillsbury in a can. I’m a hot biscuit on a Sunday morning. I’m a boardwalk elephant ear. I’m dried skin. I’m old paint. Pick at me, peel me up, but there will be more. There will always be more.
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July 10th, 2006
Well, the World Cup has come to an end. I actually started crying into my New York Times Sports Section this morning. As many already know, I have grown absolutely obsessed with football over the past month. I can’t even put words behind how fantastic it’s been. I take a great long sigh seeing this World Cup come to an end.
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June 7th, 2006
A St. Louis minor-league baseball club came up with the most horrific hamburger ever. A little over a year ago, Burger King released a breakfast sandwich that packed in 750 calories and 47 grams of fat. The Gateway Grizzlies rank in at 1,000 calories. The donut alone has 10 grams of sugar. (For those of you who don’t have to count calories or pay a lick of attention to how much you eat that’s half of the daily recommendation. And if you’re dieting, that’s more than half.) Here’s the surprising part, however, the Gateway Grizzly doesn’t win for being the most caloric. A Hardee’s out of St. Louis released a 1,420 calorie hamburger in 2004. That burger has 107 grams of fat. Methinks St. Louis might be looking at some heart disease.
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May 30th, 2006
Michael Krasny conducted an absolutely wonderful (audio) interview on KQED with Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness.
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May 12th, 2006
Many years ago, when I first moved to DC, a very popular morning DJ was fired from his job for saying something inappropriate on the air. He was discussing Lauren Hill’s booming success album. She had just been nominated for 10 Grammys and I guess he couldn’t understand why.
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April 25th, 2006
Let me begin by saying that I’m against the death penalty. I don’t believe that the state has the right to take someone’s life. It’s also not a foolproof method. Time and time again, we have executed innocent people. If you don’t believe me, try picking up a copy of Deadline some time. It’s frightening how many people have sat on death row and are completely innocent.
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April 18th, 2006
When I first heard about the Duke Lacrosse scandal I was sure that the victim was telling the truth. I wasn’t sure why I was so sure exactly, but I pictured a large group of drunken men, and decided that of course she was raped. If you want a better understanding of what groups of people are capable of doing, read the book Among the Thugs. The dynamics and power of the group is downright terrifying.
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