Wow. OK…so this has been the kind of week that makes one want to down a bottle of Dramamine in one sitting. Politics on both sides of the “big pond” continue to make the ground shake with change and speculation.
But, even more important than who leaked to whom, and who will take charge of what, is WHY CAN’T I GET EVERYTHING I WANT!!!!!!
EA has really pulled the window to a narrow split for many of us who were unable to log on every 4 hours for weeks. Turns out that sometimes life gets in the way…and when I made the calendar, I thought, “this look EAsy!” But…of course…they changed things in the middle of the update, because it seemed too easy for some. Bastids!
Now…I will likely be forced to make the decision whether I want to drop donuts on “Moe’s Cave” and caveman character (Another Moe???)…or if I am just going to go with my gut, and realize that creating a huge Cave/Springfield, which will be followed by an Egyptian Springfield makes no sense. I WANT the pirate stuff. I’ve always wanted to be a pirate in my heart of hearts. But, we’ll have to see how difficult they make it to get it all.
I also admit that “getting it all” makes me feel a bit greedy…when so many have so little (like the players who missed 2-3 years of free stuff!). And when I take a look at what’s REALLY IMPORTANT…
I realize that this place is already doing “Something that matters,” and perhaps it is possible to do both!
Which brings us to my REAL reason for writing this post. (sorry for the caps to all of you who are offended by them…it really does represent me YELLING…for emphasis…which I do sometimes when I am trying to be heard above the din of political blather).
We have done an AMAZING job with school supplies…and the water tank is working perfectly!!
However…when it gets dark at the Buyijja school in rural Uganda…it gets really, really, dark. With no electricity, darkness means danger, when surrounded by a jungle. And to make things more precarious, many kids, and a couple of the teachers often end up staying overnight at the school, rather than face the long trek to and from surrounding villages, where their homes are.
These charging units will provide not only solar lighting from the panels and storage units, but also provide enough power to charge cell phones, or satellite phones, or a padular device when someone like Emma is there for the night. Cell service is sketchy…but available. But, lights, when there are countless possible security risks and potential animal intrusions, are essential.
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION…
Join Alissa in the support of this important upgrade to the lives of those who REALLY have so little.
80% there. Not too bad for 5 days.
HOLYFREAKINSHIRT!!!!!!! You guys are AMAZING!! As has become the norm lately…I am blown away by the gracious generosity to which this group responds!
We are VERY close to finishing our goal…in less than a week!! Amazing…
Thanks to all who have contributed- this is a very important jump in safety and comfort for those kids and teachers who end up spending the night in the school.
It’s a relief knowing I’m not alone in feeling it was crummy to alter the game mid-stream, not for our benefit but to make it harder for those who didn’t hustle from the start and squeeze the rest for donuts. For this reason, I did not pay ransom for Caveman Moe and refused to make a purchase beyond the Tree House I’d already bought. This was a matter of principle. Now they could only make it up to us by increasing the shovel count and/or offering a second chance to finish winning Caveman Moe! Just putting that out there…
Egyptian quest is okay but not high on my list of items to improve the existing town and doubt I’ll work hard for these. The last part has Fabio and a ship so this is worth working for! ha Yes I like to sail and think a hunk will help balance the many sexy females I have acquired. I didn’t upgrade Boobzilla for that reason alone.
In the future, I hope EA will rethink this strategy as I’ve always imagined them playing fair with their customers. Between this recent move and mocking us for playing their game, I have begun to wonder if there might not be a twist of resentment toward us. What I know for sure is that I already paid enough for my donuts and have no intention of squandering them to finish their quests.
I agree with most of your thoughts…but, maybe not where you posted them? No big deal…there are loads of other “thread-jackers” LOL, and a lot of frustration with this event!
I had an outage last week for five days. It was the standard “synchronising” then the Bart screen. I didn’t sweat it much because I don’t really want dino-land in my town but then I remembered about Caveman Moe! Full character?! I couldn’t pass that up and lucky made made it ,without spending donuts, with one day to spare. I made the baby t Rex with only 3 hours left to spare. Baby t Rex couldn’t be bought with donuts I saw. I look forward to the Egypt theme next. Especially if Skinner gets a new skin with a visual job. I can add some Egyptian things around King Toots, which already has a beer can pyramid behind it
This event is frustrating. If you play a few times a day, that should be plenty time to get everything. I’m not going to get the caverns and refuse to drop the remaining 20 donuts out of principle.
Beat you to the punch this month Patric 😂 I’m always happy to help 😃
That you DID!!! I am so pleased with the progress!! You, Alissa and Fred…out of the box, before I even posted it!
The only time I don’t tap every four hours during events is when I’ve had a few beers and sleep through my alarm or are otherwise indisposed. lol. I’m a freemium player so I do really need to tap often, especially to earn the bonus donuts after I have earned all the prizes for an event.
Also, I am so stoked on the water and school supplies. It is truly moving and wonderful to behold. Thanks everyone who has made it possible 🙂
It is the perfect final dot to the triangle… Education, Water, and Light! There are a ton of metaphors in there somewhere!
Although I think the stuff that’s been going on in that village is great and I’m so happy to see that people here have been of such help, these posts always make me feel kinda bad, because I’d love to contribute, too, but I can’t really afford to. 🙁
I make a decent salary, but I’m the sole support of TWO households (my husband’s and my household and my parents’ household in NYC) and my husband and I are in our mid 50s, so I really need to be saving anything I possibly can after that for retirement (which I’d very much like to have at some point, and there’s a pretty good history of longevity in my family, and we have no kids, so I need to make sure I can take care of myself and my husband in our old age).
However, I know that, compared to that village, I live a life of great luxury, so I do feel quite guilty. So maybe I’ll try to find a way to make a small contribution, but I apologize in advance for its meagreness (meagreosity? 😉 )
You have a huge heart and are awesome IMO. God bless you. I haven’t been able to contribute so far because of money issues myself, but like you are going to give an amount soon I have been saving that may seem small to me but will be big in the long run I think 🙂
Okay, done. It’s not much, but I hope it can help a little.
Every little bit helps! 😀
It doesn’t matter how much it is. It is what you can afford. Please check out Bible references Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4. You may be surprised to find you have donated a fortune!
Well, if I have to be honest, I don’t think I qualify as the “widow” in that story, since the money I’ve donated is hardly “all that I have.” I wish I could be that generous, but, in light of current politics, it’s more important than ever that I try to ensure that I save enough to live on in my old age, possibly without the benefit of Social Security (despite the fact that I’ve been contributing to that fund for about 36 years now), and to support my parents for as long as they live.
Unfortunately, our retirement savings fell way behind, first when the restaurant we owned burned down and Loyds of London screwed us over and wouldn’t pay out the insurance they owed us and then, more recently, when my husband became chronically unemployed.
But, again, I’m still doing better financially than a LOT of other folks in this country and certainly WAY better than the folks living in that village. So, I thank you for your sentiments, but I don’t think I’m deserving of equating myself with the “hero” of that parable.
(Oh, and neither of my two lottery tickets were winners, when I checked them yesterday… I’m beginning to worry that that retirement plan may not work out after all! 🙁 😉 )
I was just trying to say it’s ok to give a small amount as you seemed to be feeling a bit guilty and I wanted to cheer you up.
Like Patric says it’s all there small amounts that add up and all help towards the final goal.
Fingers crossed for you that your lottery numbers come up next time!
Thank, Jack – I appreciate it all! And I knew you were, but I just felt a bit undeserving of the analogy. But very nice of you to post all of that! 🙂
There is absolutely no reason for you to feel guilty for not taking up the cause of someone else.
If this is something you truly feel concerned about, go for it.
Don’t let a guilt trip con you out of your money if you aren’t interested in the cause.
But I do think this is a worthy cause!
Sandra…
I have been very careful not to lay “guilt trips” for these, because the fact is, everyone has their own lives, their own financial challenges, and will or won’t give accordingly.
HOWEVER…it is important to note that every dollar…even donations as little as $5, add up quickly when we are talking to thousands of people here. Almost all of our campaigns have had large donors…but are driven at the core by those giving $10-$20…in large numbers.
So…give what you can…and know that every dollar goes to work…and is very much appreciated.
Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that you were guilty of guilt-tripping!! Any guilt I’ve felt about this had been entirely of my own doing. But I’m glad if I’ve been of even a little help. 🙂
One thing I never really thought about until a few weeks ago is that, near the Equator (i.e. in the tropics), they have pretty consistent amounts of daylight. However, this means that year round, sunrise and sunset are only about 12 hours apart (so from 5/6 a.m. to 5/6 p.m.) They don’t get early sunset in the winter and late sunset in the summer like we do further north/south. And when it gets dark, it gets *dark.* Long story short, I’m happy to donate some money so folks can see each other in the evenings and be safe. 🙂
Exactly…but it also makes the sunlight hours so much more productive! This is a perfect way to take advantage of their location!
Pleased to help. I love getting a bargain and although I don’t directly benefit I get so much pleasure knowing how much even a small amount means to those that need it. Jackie x.
Exactly! Thanks so much!
Done!
I know in the past as a community we’ve done a Christmas in July type thing where a lot of us turned on our Springfield holiday lights. I actually thought that was what this post might be about. I wonder if turning our town lights on my be a good way to show support?
Done! Let’s turn on the lights!
Q: What do you call a pirate with two eyes, two hands and two legs?
A: A beginner.
Friggin’ hilarious man!
What a great post. Happy to donate.
What are the major problems during the night time in regards to security? Is it animals from the jungle or simply bad people wishing to do harm to others in the cloak of darkness? Is it possible to have the village centralized so the village people are in close proximity to their homes?
“Is it possible to have the village centralized” Of course that is possible, one village would need to leave their homes in hopes that the next village would allow them to construct homes near them. They would need to adopt the new village customs and principles which may be contrary to their own.
I imagine the major problems after dark involve animals and bad people. An animal that would eat a chicken could easily enter a home and take an infant. Then there are people who might do harm if they know they will not be identified under the cover of night.
Beyond the security that power supplies, it is safer than burning candles and lamps if they are lucky enough to have those. Hopefully they’ll be able to generate enough power to use a refrigerator to keep medicine and other supplies on hand in the near future.
PERFECTLY STATED… TSTO TAPPER!
Sorry I missed this earlier, Mark.
The security issues are both of the things that you mentioned…but in an abstract way.
Yes. Animals are an issue…but mostly because they are drawn to any food that is being consumed at night. They aren’t really afraid of humans…and it’s not so much the traditional “big game,” (lions etc.) as it is the very aggressive monkeys and other “foragers” who think nothing of marauding in the dark.
The concept of “consolidating the village” is unfortunately not very practical…as the school was built away from the primary village area, due in large part to theft and assaults that result from people being desperate…and as in so many other impoverished areas around the world (including here in the US), alcohol abuse enters into the equation…making it very unsafe for young women (who make up most of our teachers) to be too close to those who may do them harm.
Security lights…and distance…are a good combination in this situation.