Erin Shaw Street

Ugly Bugs, Ignite Birmingham, and Other Distractions

Have I ever been more happy for a week to end? I don't think so.

When your week starts out with losing your beloved canine friend, it's generally not going to be a good one.

I wanted to sleep a lot, and I did. Till I woke up at 2 in the morning and couldn't go back to sleep. I cried, aka the "ugly cry." I ate two Publix black and white cookies. I reached for some healthier distractions and found a few, all of which I recommend for anyone going through a) loss b)c onfusion c)quarter or mid-life crisis. Those categories pretty much cover it all, right?

• I watered my new plants, which was a surprisingly therapeutic activity (especially when done with a glass of wine in hand). Following the guidelines of The Grumpy Gardener, my Gardens colleague Steve who is in charge of my yard makeover, I stood out in the yard and gave each plant a slow, long shower. There are a lot of plants so this takes a good while, but I don't mind the smell of mulch and the routine.

• Walled myself off at Hoover's Ross Bridge Spa, where I turned off my cell phone, sat in the steam room, and had life's stressed scrubbed off of me. Call me high-maintenance (and trust me, you wouldn't be the first) but hot water and good product soothes the soul. 

• Attended the first ever Ignite Birmingham, in which a bunch of speakers had five minutes to talk about anything they're passionate about. Lots of my friends spoke, like Shaun Chavis who did a rockin' talk on "Finding Your Inner Foodie." Arts, media, science -- the talks ran the gamut, and it was pretty brave of those folks to get up and participate. I want to speak next time. (Wade Kwon has a great recap, complete with Tweets from the evening here .)

• Shane, Nate, and I created this "ugly bug" as part of a classroom assignment. Granted, we probably took the project to ridiculous lengths, with me doing the concepting and styling, Nate painting and gluing, and Shane coordinating the mechanicals. But that's what we do, and it made us laugh, and that was good. 

Here's a Video:

Laughter is good.

So that's this week. Check please.

Wordless Wednesday

Just a few words: One of the most comforting places to me is the library.

My view yesterday from the Hoover Library's lovely Library Plaza, with a cafe, plenty of sunshine, and a used bookstore. My happy place.

That's beer cheese soup by the way. That and a stack of new memoirs = a little comfort.  

F. Scott Fitzpug

F. Scott Fitzpug, 2001-2010

We lost our beloved pug today. It was peaceful, but we're devastated. I wrote this beforehand, knowing that this might be coming. Writing is how I deal with grief. I can barely talk but do want to share our story.

This is the story of a girl and her pug, and it's one of the hardest I've ever written.

In June of 2001, I had just moved back to Birmingham and was a single girl living in an apartment on Southside. I'd become fixated with getting a pug since first seeing one in a pet store window in Sarasota. At the time, I wasn't ready to commit to a dog -- I was working long hours at a newspaper, a life not really conducive to animals -- or much else really.

So when I moved back to the Magic City and got a job with more normal hours, I combed the classifieds looking for pug puppies. One Sunday I found a listing for a litter in Cullman. I got in my car and drove up there "just to look."

 That's where I found him and fell in love with those huge eyes and loud pant. Next thing I knew he was strapped into the passenger seat, and our adventure began.

I called my parents from the road to tell them. "You did what?" But he quickly became a member of the family, F. Scott Fitzpuppy/ F. Scott Fitzpug.

Three months later, on my second date with a chemistry professor, he came to the door with a nylabone. With the girl came the dog -- in fact by then I had a license plate that said "GRLNPUG." When I drove back and forth to Tuscaloosa to visit him, F. Scott came with me. When I went to Japan with my parents to visit my brother, Shane kept F. Scott and housebroke him. It was a feat I could never do on my own, and those poor hardwood floors on 31st Street took a beating. (Now that apartment is an upscale loft -- hope that they refinished the hardwoods.)

When we got married three years later, we had our photos made with F. Scott, who was wearing a beautiful collar of white roses. He stood so proud in the pictures, even if he couldn't be at the ceremony (pugs and heat don't go well together). That was the photo that ran in the paper.

In our vows, which we wrote, we both committed to a house full of books and dogs -- pugs specifically. We made that vow come true a few months later, with money from the wedding, when we drove to Florida to pick up his pug sister, Lolita.

The two became best buddies, even if her crazy pug puppy energy drove him nuts from time to time.

A year and a half later we welcomed our third "pug" into the house -- baby Nate. Although we worried how the dogs would react, they were so gentle with him. F. Scott would curl up protectively over his bassinet, and Lola thought he was her baby.

A girl and her pug became two pugs and a girl, and a baby, and a husband. And we've spent the past four years together. F. Scott started having his challenges the past year or so, going blind because of a genetic retina condition, probably due to overbreeding. He (and Lola) had a bad bout of pancreatitis last year, and we thought we might lose him. We had another year.

Although he slowed down and bumped into walls, he still was our faithful companion, curling up in our lap, giving unconditional kisses, and getting excited over the prospect of Cheerios.

I love him so much I can barely put it into words. For nearly nine years he's been my sidekick, and a piece of my heart walks around in that fawn, snorting little creature.

I remember right before I got him thinking, "if you get a dog, you're going to fall in love, and someday, it's going to break your heart to say goodbye."

  

But there's been a lot of love in between.We love you F. Scott, now and forever.

Birmingham's Yummy Mummys: For Jenny's Light

I stopped in my tracks the other day (actually, stopped in the middle of the staircase at work, where I can often be seen running and Tweeting) when I got a message from my friend Kelly Taylor. No, not Kelly Taylor from West Bev, Birmingham's Kelly Taylor, sassy PR maven.

Anyhow, Kelly was writing to tell me that I'm one of the top five finalists for www.myscoop.us Birmingham"Yummy Mummy" contest. Honestly I was a little mortified but then flattered, especially when I learned more about the event during which the finalists will be honored: May 6's Yummy Mummy Night Out at the Matt Jones Gallery (6-9 p.m.).

It's going to be a fun event, with food and swag bags, and the announcement of Birmingham's "Yummiest Mummy" (tee hee) based on votes. Click here to read about all of the finalists, and, if you're so inclined, please vote for me :)

Click on this link to be directed to an email to vote for me -- Just put "I vote for Erin Street for Yummy Mummy" in the subject line.

But most importantly, consider attending the event, because ticket proceeds benefit an incredible organization, Jenny's Light.The group raises awareness of postpartum depression and other perinatal mood disorders and the much needed resources to help women who struggle.

Many of my friends know Jenny's story (she worked at Southern Progress before my time). For those who don't, please click here to read.

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The feeling of isolation and sadness that some women experience postpartum can be suffocating, myself included. I got help; many others don't.

Jenny's Light does an incredible service by bringing these issues to the forefront. Among their offerings are providing grants to organizations that work to support women and sharing of these survivor stories.

So, I am flattered to be nominated for this fun title, and would love your vote. But more importantly, I want to encourage my friends to support this event because of the cause. Tickets are $20; RSVPs go to [email protected]. If you're part of our social media community here in Birmingham please spread the word that way.

Related Links

Jenny's Light: Frequently Asked Questions About Pospartum Depression

Fried Chicken For The Cure? Cause Related Marketing Fail.

Something really bothered me about the Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials touting their "Buckets For A Cure" campaign to raise money for Komen.

I'm not the only one.

This item appeared in the Washington Post, and I can't agree more. An excerpt:

"Here's a line from the National Cancer Institute's Web site:

'. . .studies have shown that an increased risk of developing colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer is associated with high intakes of well-done, fried, or barbequed meats.'

Beyond that, since obesity raises breast cancer risk, it's worth looking at some numbers: According to the KFC Web site, an original-recipe fried chicken breast has 320 calories, 15 grams of total fat (including 3.5 grams of saturated fat); a thigh has 220 calories, 15 grams of total fat (4 of them saturated).

So, no, I don't think that buying fried chicken by the bucket is a good way to fight breast cancer. Even the grilled-chicken option, though less caloric and fat-laden (a breast has 190 calories, 6 grams total fat and 1.5 grams saturated fat; the thigh has 150 calories, 9 grams total fat and 2.5 grams saturated fat), still fits into that 'barbequed' category noted above."

The writer goes on to say that a 10-piece bucket of chicken and sides from KFC costs about $20, so if you're interested in supporting Komen, why not just write them a check directly?

I'm a big proponent of cause related marketing when done right -- which can be done. But in this case, it's a big fail.

The watchdog group Breast Cancer Action Project and their "Think Before You Pink" Project takes it one step further:

"Make no mistake–every pink bucket purchase will do more to benefit KFC’s bottom line than it will to cure breast cancer.

The Buckets for the Cure website, cast in a particularly sickening shade of pink, notes that 'customer purchases of KFC buckets during the promotion will not directly increase the total contribution.'  In small print, of course.  They say that 50 cents from each bucket purchased will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, but exactly how much does KFC stand to gain from this campaign? Is it more or less than the $8.5 million that is the fundraising goal for Komen?

KFC, owned by the world’s largest restaurant company, could surely afford to donate the $8.5 million independently of the Buckets for the Cure promotion.  Instead, they have decided to use this opportunity to improve their brand and drive up sales of their products."

By raising money in the name of breast cancer research, while engaged in a partnership with a corporation that may very well be contributing to this disease, is pinkwashing in its most egregious form. We expect better from the largest grassroots breast cancer organization in the world.

The watchdog Breast Cancer Action Group takes it one step further. Their "Think Before You Pink" project takes groups to task for what they call "pinkwashing," in which companies, which may produce products that contribute to cancer, use cause related marketing to advance their bottom line. 

    Like I've written about before, it's so important to ask the write questions when it comes to supporting non-profits through purchasing products. In this case, skip the bucket.

Related Links:

Check Your Charities

Now We Know Your Color, Here's How To Help: Facebook, Breast Cancer, and You

Girl Scout Front Yard Power!

It was such a treat today to have a local Girl Scout Troop (#35!) visit our house to help with the yard makeover.

One of their moms, Rebecca, is a Gardens Editor at Southern Living, and she brought the girls out on their day off to practice planting.

They are preparing to do a big community service project involving landscaping and want to learn some of the basics.

They were all fantastic -- those girls are not afraid to get dirty! I learned a few things from them too. Here's a video of them in action, and The Grumpy Gardener, Steve Bender, commenting on my gardening skills. The yard is really taking shape and looking beautiful, and it's been a good distraction from the other, not so great stuff going on. Thanks Rebecca, Brittany and Troop #35 -- you rock!

Related Links:

Front Yard Makeover From The Grumpy Gardener

Earth Day: Hands In the Earth, A Dog on My Mind

The only break in worrying I had today was time spent in my yard.

With F. Scott Fitzpug hospitalized with serious pancreas/gallbladder issues, I spent much of the day trying to figure out what's going on with him.

Exhausted, I don't want to write much about that now except to say he's been my best buddy for nearly nine years. The rest is too painful to write about, and I need to know more before I can put any words down.

Once I knew that he was being cared for at our wonderful vet's, I headed home to pick up Nate for his 4-year check up, only to discover the garden fairy had visited, aka, Rebecca Reed, my colleague in the Gardens Department.

Rebecca was preparing to plant in the yard tomorrow and I was glad to join in and get my hands dirty.

She showed me how to water plants properly (I'd been under-watering) and shared how her vision is shaping up: beautifully.

With my hands in the dirt and cool water, I felt a little better. It is Earth Day after all, so having earth in my hands and animals on my mind made sense I guess.

When we returned from Nate's 4-year check Rebecca and colleague Rex Perry were hard at work with the preparations. Rex installed a beautiful arbor, which ties the whole project together.

Tomorrow the Gardens crew will be back to finish the planting, with a troop of Girl Scouts in tow -- they're learning about gardening for a badge.

I'm learning ... something.

Related Links:

Grumpy Gardener: Pink Flamingo Saves The Day (Yard Makeover)

Alabama Pug Rescue

Shower Power!

This is a bit of a different kind of post for me, but I had to share these pictures. Today I went to a baby shower to celebrate the upcoming birth of my friend Rachel's baby, Charlotte. Rachel and I worked together at the Cancer Center, and our small, close-knit group gathers to celebrate all our big milestones -- many times at our ringleader, Dolly's, home.

Each member of the group is really into event details, since we've all done a whole lot of work in that department ;) Dolly's entertaining is legendary, and I had to share a few shots of her handiwork because they are just so lovely.

The flowers: all fresh from her garden, arranged in silver baby and julep cups. 

The hand-knit pea pod? Made of organic cotton by our hostess.

The lunch -- all made from scratch (except for the Sister Schubert rolls). Southern through and through!

Now, I am planning a belated 60th birthday party for Dolly at my house (Cinco De Mayo theme). Better get to planing those lime trees in the yard for fresh squeezed margaritas ...

 

Related Links:

HostessBlog.com: Pretty In Pink Baby Shower With A Southern Twist

Pea Pod Knit Along

Saturday night at Disney/Happy Birthday Dad!

It's Saturday night at Disney and the Shaw/Street/James families are having a great time!

What a treat to all get to experience the Mouse Magic with Nate for the first time, not to mention celebrating Dad's birthday today (Happy Birthday Hugh), and Nate's birthday tomorrow. 

There are a total of nine of us here together, including my brother Ryan from NYC, sister Megan and brother in law Ricky from MS, and Aunt Lily from Miami. Yes, 8 adults, one kid.

Here are Dad and Nate going on Dad's favorite Disney ride yesterday -- "It's A Small World."

Growing up about an hour and a half from Disney Word, we came here all the time as kids, and it is pretty incredible to return as adults with our parents -- and a new generation. (I can pretty much pinpoint my love of kitsch to this place. Nothing like growing up in Central Florida to influence one's sensibilities. Tacky is relative here! But more of that later ... )

Given, much like the current Disney promotional songs, we find reasons to celebrate just about every day. Like last night, before we boarded "Mission" Space at EPCOT. Here my brother's tribute to Cher/GaGa (though I have no idea who is singing in the background ;)

More soon, Mousekateer friends!

The Pre-Party Commences (My Beautiful Boy)

Tomorrow afternoon we leave for Disney World, a surprise 4th birthday trip for Nate. I can't wait to break the news to him, right before we leave for the airport.

But first, a glimpse of cupcakes during pre-party #2 at his school today. When I watch this video I can't help but wonder, "How in the world did I get this incredible child?" It's true. 

I'm not a kid person. It is not a secret. Then I met this one. I cried when he was taken from my body. When time stood still. Then came a scream and the person who changed everything. He's a doll and a joker and a storyteller. A flirt and a rocker and an artist. Smart, funny, lovely.

I'd like to take credit, but this one came out his own person. To Nate: