Today I learned about something gives me more hope for the future of mankind than I've had in a very long time.

Having lived for many years in Louisiana, I was very affected by the this year's Gulf oil spill disaster. My obsession with news about the spill led to the discovery of a lot of disturbing revelations about the oil industry, which quite frankly disgusted and depressed me on a very deep level.  

Considering the tragedy of the spill, and now the explosion of another offshore rig in the Gulf today, I've been frustrated by a lack of clean energy alternatives available to average consumers. I know that if the option to purchase cleaner and safer energy were avaiable, millions of people like me would choose it. 

Every year Quicken Loans sponsors a table at the annual Bow Wow Brunch- a charity event that benefits the Michigan Humane Society. This weekend was their 21st annual brunch - held at the Ritz Carleton in Dearborn - and I was honored to represent the company, along with several others, for a cause that is close to my heart. Several local personalities were on hand to lend their fund-raising celebrity to the function, while silent and live auctions also raised money for the nonprofit. Especially enticing for the pet lovers in attendance were the sweet kittens and pups that graced the foyer, auditioning for new homes.

The auctions featured items donated by local businesses, craftspeople, and artists, as well as some specialty experiences, such a private breakfast with the giraffes in the Detroit Zoo, and also a thrilling ride with GM's Vice Chairman Bob Lutz aboard his private J-39 Soviet jet.

I have a dog from MHS, who was surrendered to the Huron Valley branch at the age of 3 weeks, barely responsive and suffering from dehydration, malnutrition, and urine burns on his paws from unclean conditions. A foster care provider working with the shelter nursed him back to health with lots of care and attention from her family. When I took him home at 9 weeks, he was happy and healthy and loving, and instantly fit right in with my other pets. He's been a loved and valued member of my household ever since. Because of him - and because every animal in my home was once in the care of a Humane Society - I feel indebted to MHS. (See comment in epilogue for correction! MHS is NOT affiliated with HVHS.) I was very happy to be able to attend and contribute, and was very pleased with what I heard during presentations at the brunch.

So there are coffee shops, and then there's Biggby. Why is Biggby better? Let me count the ways:

1. They're a Michigan-based company (I love to give business to my fellow Michiganders).
2. They have a fantastic understanding of what it means to provide stellar customer service - evident in their company culture and the way they reach out to clients via social media like twitter and facebook.
3. Our CMO Stu Davis is a devout Biggby drinker, thanks to their fantastic customer service (see #2 and this).
4. Because Biggby Bob, the CEO of Biggby, is a cool guy and an innovative, hands-on entrepreneur.  
5. They are the fastest growing coffee franchise in the Midwest, in an economic climate where many businesses are struggling - which proves they are doing something right!
6. Their website rocks.
7. They have super yum coffee drinks.

Are you convinced yet? No?

Then how about this? They are giving away a FREE specialty beverage -  today only - in honor of their 15th birthday!

Now who gives OTHERS a gift on their own birthday? (I told you they were special!)

Happy Birthday, Biggby! Raising my cup to you!

After Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, hundreds of thousands of residents of Southeast Louisiana were dispersed around the nation (and even the world). Even before Katrina, a struggling economy led many to leave for jobs in other states, away from their true home.

I am part of that diaspora - as are many of my friends and family. Which brings me to the point of this post: The Saints symbolize the colorful New Orleans community and the people who still call New Orleans their home, no matter where they may live. And when the Saints play, we are united with each other - as well as those loved ones that remain in the Big Easy - through the common bond of watching our team give it their all against the odds.

It's this unity that led former Saints quarterback and sports commentator Bobby "Cajun Cannon" Hebert to dub us members of the Who Dat Nation - a scattered legion of die-hard devotees to a team of lovable underdogs.

The Saints' journey to the Super Bowl has been more than just a dark horse victory; their unlikely triumph has been a symbol of survival - a testament to the spirit and determination of the beleaguered yet buoyant citizens of New Orleans. When the Saints played the reopened Superdome for the first time since Katrina in Sept 2006, the game represented a giant step toward normalcy. And when the Saints began to actually do well in ensuing seasons, each win represented the collective triumph of New Orleanians over adversity, creating waves of celebratory healing and hope.

Of course I am rooting for the Saints this weekend...the symbol of my heart's home. And it doesn't even really matter if they win or lose, because just making it this far is a miracle and proof that God loves New Orleans (did you see how many freakish turnovers it took to make the Saints' victory over the Vikings possible?).

To honor Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, I wanted to tell a true story of zany enthusiasm, devotion and community - N'awlins Saint-style. A story that came to me through the networks of the Who Dat Nation, of which I am a proud citizen.

Bernard "Buddy D" Diliberto was a sportscaster in New Orleans for 50 years. Disheartened by the Saints' abysmal seasons of continual  losses, he coined the term "The Aints."  After years of frustrated devotion, Buddy D made an infamous promise that if the Saints ever made it to the Super Bowl, he'd parade down Bourbon Street in a dress.

Going to the doctor can be a drag. But if you have a great doctor, you might even look forward to it!

Honestly, my own doctor, Dr. Peter Dews of the Providence hospital group in Detroit, is one of the great ones. In fact, when I recently called to make an appointment and learned he had moved to another hospital group many miles away, I gladly tracked him down and followed him there. He’s one that I could not let get away. In fact, he really renewed my faith in the medical profession after several bad doctor experiences.

But in this post I want to talk about a doctor that Dr. Dews referred me to. A doctor that made me laugh, despite being zapped with electric shocks and repeatedly stabbed with long needles.

In an effort to try to find out what is wrong with my continually painful wrist (other than the fact I am on the computer for 14+ hours a day!), Dr. Dews referred me to Dr. M. David Jackson for an EMG. That’s Electromyography for the uninitiated. And I have to say I had no idea what it entailed.

Completely innocent of what an EMG was, I went to see Dr. Jackson with no expectations. On the way to the appointment, I encountered construction and was running late that morning. I sat for some time in the examination room, face-to-face with a strange looking computer, and assumed this was the Electromyograph thingy.

I was correct, but it was more than that. When Dr. Jackson came into the room he explained that this machine would not only record the response of my muscle cells, but would do so by administering a series of increasingly powerful electric shocks.

Referring to my lateness, he fake-maniacally laughed as he attached the electrodes to my hand and arm, and said, "After this, you’ll never be late again."

Ha!

I must say that this procedure was overall very, very unpleasant. But this joke made me laugh, and set the tone for the rest of the ordeal, which was made much less of an ordeal with humor.