Two things

1) Two of my friends have birthdays within a few weeks of each other - this year, for their 30th, their wives arranged a spy-vs-spy capture the flag like game with dart guns and secret identities. It was amazingly fun! And now we have like 30 dart guns, so we'll be doing it again. :) Racing around MIT in mobs, alternating between hunting futilely for the extremely well hidden trophy and having massive shootouts was delightful (yes, including the futile hunt - it felt very spy movie as we checked every nook and cranny and jumped on table to check tops of cabinets and the like, all the time with front and rear scouts watching for double-crosses or ambushes).

2) Kiva is still one of my favorite charities. They're effective, sustaining and well run, the stuff you want from any charity. It's especially nice now that I've hit the point that loans get repaid a couple times a year and I get to cycle the money around again. It's also special to me because I give my grandmother a gift certificate each Christmas and help her log in and find a group she likes. Good stuff all around.