I said c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, and take it...

Take another little piece of my heart (walk) now baby...

Ok, here's where I get all PSA like, but promise not to scream like Janis, because frankly, none of us could stand that. I don't want to come so quickly on the heels of a tragedy such as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, because I KNOW that's tacky, but I wanted to put this out.

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. Number One. I just found that out, and it blew my tiny little mind. I always figured it was Breast Cancer, because BCA gets all the press. And for the general population? Heart disease and stroke are ranked number one and number three on the old "causes of death" scale. Think it can't happen to you? Think it would never happen in your family? Think again.

My dad's had at least two heart attacks, and probably more. He wasn't even aware he was having them, just thought he was experiencing a bad backache. My aunts and uncles have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Chances are, there's someone in your family who does too. That's why I've decided to walk in this year's American Heart Association Heart Walk.

I'm looking for sponsors, if anyone's interested. You don't have to. Honestly, you won't hurt my feelings, and I won't sign you up for bestiality websites if you read this and don't donate. (You don't even have to tell me you can't do it- trust me, I know how tight money can be, and the folks in NOLA and the rest of the gulf coast are a priority.) If you are interested, you can donate through my personal Red Cross site (Email me, or leave me a comment asking for the link, and I'll send it to you). (I think the site only takes donations of $25.00 and up, however, if you'd like to send me a check or money order for less than that I can give you a mailing address, and the appropriate agency information.)

Again, just to reiterate, if you already gave to Katrina victims, and are tapped out, or are busted, like I've been for the past few months, don't worry. But if you're able to, and want to, I'd appreciate your support, and so will the hundreds of thousands of people who receive support and services from the American Heart Association.

We will return to your regularly scheduled blog tomorrow...