After a two-week hiatus, TMTF is back with new content! My typewriter monkeys and I have resumed… whatever it is we do around here. I don’t know.
Before I get carried away with new posts, there’s some stuff we need to discuss—mostly following up on last month’s charity fundraisers, and also asking an urgent question about hats. Prepare yourself, dear reader, for some Important Business Things. We’ll cover them one at a time. Here we go!
TMTF’s charity fundraisers were a success!
Because of your support, TMTF’s charity fundraisers last month were successful!
The Child’s Play fundraiser didn’t quite reach its goal, yet contributed a respectable $75 toward purchasing toys and video games for kids in hospitals. (I like to think that every cent of our donations was spent on Legend of Zelda games, but that’s just me.) While the Child’s Play fundraiser didn’t meet its goal, I’m thankful we were able to give as much as we did.
The Living Water International fundraiser, which is ongoing, surpassed its goal. Thanks to you, we’ve given $375 toward providing clean water to people in impoverished areas! That’s one hundred twenty-five percent of the fundraiser’s original goal, which is just bonkers.
When we started raising funds last month for charity, I honestly wasn’t sure we would meet our goals. You guys have amazed me. Thank you so much for making this possible. You are my heroes. Well done.
The Living Water International fundraiser is still going strong!
Even though the clean water fundraiser was meant to be a Christmas project, it won’t end for another few weeks. (I didn’t have much flexibility in planning its duration.) For as long as it’s up and running, this blog’s rewards for donors will remain in effect, so feel free to give!
I’m still working on donor rewards, and I will get them to donors as soon as I can.
If you haven’t received your rewards for donating to one or both of TMTF’s fundraisers, I haven’t forgotten you! I’m still working on them, and I’ll send them your way as soon as I can.
By the way, there were a few anonymous donations. If you donated anonymously and would like to receive donor rewards, it’s not too late to contact me. I want to say thank you!
Should charity fundraisers become a Christmas tradition for this blog?
I don’t know. What do you think?
All right, enough talk about fundraising. Let’s discuss hats.
Top hats or fezzes?
Discuss.
I think that’s everything!
I guess those are all the Important Business Things we have to discuss for now. Thanks again, dear readers, for making last month’s charity events a success!
In conclusion, fezzes are less expensive, but top hats lend a certain dignity to any aspiring gentleman. They’re both pretty great.
Typewriter Monkey Task Force 
Fezzes because fezzes are cool.
They are indeed. 🙂
Woo hoo! The Task Force is back in action and now I can finally reply “live” since I only discovered the blog while you were on hiatus. (It’s been a long wait.)
I voted yes on the charity thing, so long as it isn’t overdone to the point where people just treat it like “a thing that happens.” More important is connecting with people, I think, than just mindlessly giving money and calling it a day. (Not that I’m saying that’s what’s happening here, more so that I’ve seen it happen before when things become tradition and lose their original purpose. Anyway, just what went through my head when considering making something as meaningful as this a regular occurrence.)
Moving on to the immensely important topic of hats, I don’t think this is even a contest. Top hats are CLEARLY superior. The humble fez is regulated to circus performers and monkeys. Top hats say “Why hello there, and welcome to my party.”
Fezes (Fez? Whatever the plural is) say “I have a cone on my head, but it’s not even a proper cone because I couldn’t afford to complete it at the top so it plateaus like birthday cake and you could put a little bride and groom made of gum paste up there and I’d only look moderately more ridiculous.” (In those words exactly.) Also top hats can be tipped at passerbys (Passerbies? Whatever the plural is). Try to tip a fez. Seriously, go ahead. What are you going to tip, there’s nothing to grab onto. Also your little cake toppers would fall off and be ruined.
In conclusion, make it a harder comparison next time, this was a No Contest. (PS. Welcome back.)
I think you’re quite right to observe that intentions are important when it comes to giving. It reminds me of the story in the Gospels — Luke, I think? — of the poor woman who donated two coins out of her poverty and was commended by Christ over the rich people who gave away large sums of money out of their wealth.
If TMTF does a charity fundraiser every Christmas — which it may or may not; I haven’t decided — I’ll try to keep it focused on people. I’ll never forget talking with a homeless man about the food a local church gave him. “They gave me cans,” he griped. “I don’t have a can opener. When I told the church guy, he said, ‘It’s not my problem.'” Giving without compassion is not charity.
I haven’t made up my mind about future fundraisers: something to pray about, I guess.
Your opinion of fezzes is the harshest (and funniest) condemnation I have ever read of them. (All the same, I’m keeping mine.) I’d like to buy a top hat someday… perhaps, if I ever marry, I’ll wear one for the wedding.
Thanks, JK. 🙂 It’s nice to be back.
Weddings are the perfect excuse for a top hat for sure. Still, I wouldn’t discount “going to the laundromat” or “standing in line at the DMV” as other valid reasons and places to don such an elegant accessory. (We males get SO few options when it comes to attire, it’s rather unfair. Gotta take what we can get.)
Top hats because brims are practical.
Shade for eyes: check
Rain away from neck: check
Stability for being tossed onto hat rack: check
It’s good to see you round these parts, Some Guy. 🙂
I’d love to have a top hat, but they’re a bit pricey. My other concern is that my wardrobe would have to match the hat, and my wardrobe consists mostly of jeans, guayaberas (i.e. Hispanic dress shirts), and geeky T-shirts.
Top hats because they’re just so classy. That much classy can complete any outfit (almost any outfit, you can’t use your top hat as an excuse to dress poorly). Also, they’re more practical.
Top hats are fantastic, but I’m not sure I could pull off a classy look with my current wardrobe. I need more waistcoats.