Desperate Pleas, Cajoling, Guilt Trips Etc

Below is a copy of a letter I've been sending around to friends and family. Pleeeaaase consider giving. Yes, it's rather pathetic to break a two month blogging hiatus with a fund raising plea...but I guess that's how I roll.

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Dear Family,

As you know, I’m always looking for an excuse to ride my bike. Recently, I found what may be one of the best excuses out there—the MS-150 bike tour.

The Colorado MS-150 tour is a two day event held on June 27-28. I (and 3,499 others) have committed to riding 150 miles during those two days (or 175 if I'm feeling extra ambitious). Why would I do such a thing? Well, why else? The money!

The Colorado MS-150 is an attempt to raise 3.2 million dollars for the National MS Society—an organization that seeks both to fund research that will hopefully lead to cure for Multiple Sclerosis some day in the future and, in the mean time, provide valuable programs and services for those who suffer from this disease (more than 400,000 in the United States alone). As I've heard the stories of those who have had their lives affected by this disease and have learned more about the work of the National MS Society, I've become increasingly convinced of the importance of this cause. That's why I have committed to raising $500 (and hopefully a bit more) for this wonderful organization.

And (you knew it was coming!) that's where you come in. I realize that there are many good causes asking for your help--but would you please consider sponsoring me in this endeavour by making a donation to the National MS Society? Doing so is easy. If you wish to pay with credit card, you can either view my personal page by clicking here, or go to my Facebook profile and follow the link on the left hand bar. Or, if you would prefer to use a personal check, simply send it to me at home (checks can be payable to NMSS, Colorado Chapter).

If you have any questions about the ride, the MS society, or anything else, please feel free to ask. Thank you for seriously considering this opportunity. Any help you can give is greatly appreciated!

Joel

PS: If you know someone who may be interested in contributing to this cause, please feel free to pass on this email!

Half Empty

I've never wanted to be that guy. The one who can rain on every parade, who can find the cloud that comes with every silver lining, who always sees the glass as half empty. And I'm sure that anyone who knows me well will attest that, ordinarily, I am not. "He has a sunny disposition," they'll say. "He's so pleasant to be around. A real joy. Look up 'good natured' in the dictionary, and you'll see his picture." It's true. Ask my mother. She'll tell you.

But even I have my limits. Lately, I've had quite enough. My patience has run out. I'm up to "here" (please imagine me waving my hand somewhere above my eyeballs). Consider the following image (captured from weather.com a few minutes ago) and I'm sure my problem will be obvious:

That's right. Another week of 65+ degree temperatures in Denver. I think they forgot about winter here because it seems that's all we've been having here for the last two months. And I, for one, am sick and tired of it.

For one thing, there's the skiing--or lack of skiing. Yes, there is still snow in the mountains.* But nothing that makes a ski snob like me want to drive an hour. So, not knowing what else to do with myself on a Monday, I've been forced to ride my bike and to endure sights like this:

Can you see why I've reached my limit?

And that's just the beginning. Because do you know how hard it is to dress for a bike ride on a sunny 65 degree day? Shorts or knickers (yes, I sometimes where "knickers")? Short sleeves or light jacket? Or would short sleeves and a vest be best? And do I need sunscreen? (Don't even get me started on sunscreen. I mean, sunscreen? In March? Seriously?!)

Of course, those things are merely scratching the surface. The real problem is much more fundamental. The real problem is that that I feel compelled to ride my bike in the first place. In my experience, bikes are not meant to be ridden from, say early October to early March. That's the time for packing on a few winter pounds, maybe catching up on some reading. And that's the way I prefer it.

Take today, for example. What I really wanted to do with my Sunday afternoon was sit around in my comfy chair and read my book until I fell asleep. Maybe eat a plate of nachos and an Oreo or seven. But could I do that? Noooooo. That's the kind of thing one does when its twenty-five degrees, overcast, and drizzling (like it probably was in Michigan, or Western New York today). You can't do that when it's 65 degrees in March. They have a word for that: "Sin." So I had to skip my nap. I had to go for a ride.

And what's worse--I'll probably have to tomorrow, too. Oh, the things we endure.

*At least in some places. A couple of weeks ago Jill and I attempted to snowshoe @ 11,000 feet and had to carry our snowshoes. Every once and a while we'd see a little patch or two and strap them on out of principle, but it really wasn't what we had hoped for.

Friday Photos, 3.13.09

A few before bedtime...note the teeth.
In other news, Jill found Adrian standing in his crib today.

Friday Photos

Yep. Been a while. Three things on the agenda today.

First the pics:

Cups/glasses have long been a favorite toy.

First trip to the litterbox, er, sandbox at the park this week.

He can apparently sit up on his own. Too bad he hasn't learned how to lay down properly yet. (Thankfully, somewhere in his genetic pool is a rubber neck.)

Second, the Adrian Updates:

• No crawling yet (which is fine with me--that sounds like a lot of work.) However, he is definitely getting up on his hands/knees and rocking.
• Cheerios are apparently his new favorite food (after that one thing...). And bread--he's like Daisy that way.
• Teeth! Two, in fact. We're thankful that there has been some apparent reason for the (slightly) fussy nature he's had on occasion as of late.

Finally, the obligatory half-hearted promise:

One of these days I'll post something more than a picture of my son. Maybe a video of my son?

Friday Photos