I finally broke down and packed all our recyclables and drove to BARC.  It's a 16-mile roundtrip trek from our house, but I'm willing to make the drive because of my past relationship with ARC organizations.

My college fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, has a strong relationship with organizations such as ARC. We worked with PARC (Peoria, Ill.) when I was in the fraternity, so I feel while I’m getting paid to recycle, I’m also helping out a great program, rather than a guy off the street trying to make a few bucks. Nothing wrong with that, just have more of a relationship with non-profit groups.

Anyway, I raked in a whopping $22 dollars and some odd cents for the six months of recycling – plastics, cans, milk jugs, newspaper. Is it worth it? I don't know monetarily. But I feel good about it, and I think that's what makes it worthwhile.

My wife and I are still new to the northwest. If someone could please point us in the direction of a great recycling center that would be much appreciative.

I'm not just talking about a place that pays for cans and plastic bottles. We've been dropping our stuff at BARC ever since I found out they pay for newspaper, glass, milk jugs, colored plastics, along with the usual cans and plastic bottles.

I have roughly 100 pounds of newsprint in my garage, and I'm looking for a place closer to home to drop off our recyclables, and get a few bucks for doing it. Does anyone know of such a place in the northwest or will I be making the trip down Union Avenue?

My wife talked her mom some time last week. Seems her brother has gotten into some trouble in Kosovo over tolietries. He's currently a sergent in the Guard's 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry that was deployed in October, as part of the U.N. international peacekeeping force in the country.

Anyway, seems our troops are running out of basic necessaties in Kosovo. Thanks to some incredible foresight, all the toiletries are being shipped elsewhere for two other fronts. And the ones that do make it to Kosovo are being sold in the PX. The same PX where citizens of Kosovo are buying these items in bulk and selling on the black market for 3 times, if not more, the retail value.

So our troops are SOL. Apparently, my brother-in-law raised a stink (literally and figuratively) to his commanders and well, if you were in the military, that's not good to question authority, especially the U.N. folk.

My wife is starting a drive to send items to our National Guard guys. These items are: toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodrant, soap, shower gels, floss, etc. All items are being rationed in Kosovo.

If anyone is interested in helping our soldiers, you can private me and I'll send the details. If we get enough support, we might consider a community drop-off site. For now, we're hoping to send at least one box full of supplies to our Real American Heroes.