Dear Pamie,

First, congratulations on your recent wedding. Good luck to you and stee; you deserve the best. Tell djb I would have totally taken his sublet if I, you know, lived in New York.

pamie-

i’m starting a “chick lit” (female authors ages 20-40) bookclub at my apartment complex, and “why girls are weird” is the first selection (mainly b/c i’ve already read it and can claim to have touched you- met you at the bookppl pitstop, bolted to recover from appendectomy).

any suggestions on other books for the club?

thanks, and i hope all is well with you. i’ve not read your site too much lately, as my baby’s been taking up a lot of time… kids — man, they alter the space-time realm of life…

-irene

Dear Andy,

I am going to Chad. Yes, Chad. In Africa. It is one of the poorest countries in the world today and yet one of the most generous. I’m going and I need your help.

I am going to Chad this April because over the last year 200,000 people have gone there before me. These people are refugees fleeing the horrors of civil war and genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan. They have lost everything. And those are the lucky ones. 100,000 people have been slaughtered in what the United Nations calls the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.”

I am going to Chad because I don’t agree with the belief that Americans care only about themselves. I know in my heart we all have a passion for idealism – a desire to make an impact in the world. Just look at the amazing outpour of support for the victims of the tsunami. This might be a naive attitude but I really believe what we do and say still matters around the world.

I am going because over half of the refugees in Chad are children. One of my passions in life is working with and helping kids. Seeing the pictures of the haunted, yet still smiling refugee children made me realize what I must make everyone understand Chad is ground zero in the fight to save the youth of the world.

I am not a doctor or aid worker and there’s a reason “Sitcom Writers Without Borders” hasn’t been created. But I am going to raise money for — and awareness of — the people who are the true heroes the doctors, nurses, and aid workers of the International Medical Corps (IMC). Please go to www.imcworldwide.org for more information on this amazing organization.

THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN.

I have committed to raising at least $50,000 for IMC. While in Chad, I will be volunteering with the IMC. The money I raise will go directly towards immunizing children, caring for pregnant women, providing food and water and, most importantly, building a small hospital to care for over 200,000 refugees and 100,000 Chadians.

I am paying my own way on this trip. Every penny I raise goes straight to the Sudan/Chad Relief fund. I know this is a hard time but I ask you to be as generous as you can. I am donating $2500 but any amount will make a profound difference.

Please send your tax-deductible contribution directly to the International Medical Corps at 1919 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, Ca. 90404-1950. Designate it “Sudan Relief Fund — Bycel Project.”

I am going to Chad because after seeing the powerful film “Hotel Rwanda”, I listened as people walked out asking two questions, “How did this happen?” and “Why didn’t we do anything?” Well, it is happening right now in the Sudan and your donation will go a long way to making sure no one will ever ask that question again.

If you are interested in donating or have any questions about my trip or IMC, please let me know. I would also ask you to forward this email to anyone you think might be interested in donating. Thanks for taking the time to read this letter.

Josh

Pamie -

I’m a semi-regular reader (although I never comment), and I was wondering if you would be kind enough to mention my cause on your blog.

I’m running a marathon this year to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I ran my first half-marathon at Disney World in January, and decided it went well enough to go for the whole thing this summer. I figured if I was going to put that much work into something, it might as well be for a good cause, right?

Right.