In the span of just three days, a few folks tweeting in Austin, Texas, decided they should do something to help the community, and the idea for the first-ever Austin Blood Drive Tweetup was born. I signed up to donate with the first "tweet" that I read.

The blood drive was Thursday, July 3, and from what we hear from the Central Texas Blood and Tissue Center, they saw more first-time donors that day than they had in ages and the total number of donors was more than double that of a normal Thursday. Just in time for the July 4 holiday weekend.

Read more about the event, including the initial planning, from the one of the tweeting event planners, Michelle Greer.

And if you're just starting to tweet and want to follow someone who donates blood, takes pictures of her pets and loves Nashville and Austin equally, you can find me @summerh.

I'll be out of the office Monday, July 14, dropping nickels in the slot machines and celebrating the upcoming nuptials of a good friend.

While I'm out, please feel free to contact Laura or Megan by emailing nfib@hammock.com.

I'll be back checking email and counting my winnings Tuesday, July 15.

No email. No Twitter. No blogging while I was gone. But I did do some gambling and got a new iPhone.