Kick off!!

No... not the super bowl. Though I do hope to celebrate that fabulous event this weekend. It's not that I like football, it's just that I enjoy feeling like I do once a year. I could lie, and say that I watch it for the commercials, but that would be a sad clinging to the past sort of thing to say. We all know that the shiny new commercial feeling of yesteryear has kind of worn off.

Last night was the kick off for my team training. I'm still taking donations by the way... and I hope you will contribute. What did they give us? Pizza and cookies. Yes ladies and gentlemen, my journey to a healthier me has begun in full, glorious, fat-laden food style!

Tomorrow at 8am... our first run. Woo hoo!! Wish me luck.

on fundraising

Asking people for money feels strange. Many thanks to the handful of friends and family who have contributed... I suspect that more will. I am guessing however that as I continue on with my training and soliciting of funds, that it will become necessary to look to outside sources for donations.

See, when I tell people what I 'm doing... they think it's cool! Awesome. Then I mention that they can contribute, even as little as 20 bucks... and I get that glazed over look. Of course some folks, I don't want to name any names (Dad... I'm talking about you), just don't feel comfortable contributing to cancer drug research. Why you say? That's because conventional medicine, and conventional research in particular have a tendency to poo poo any non-traditional methods of treatment, though some have been quite successful.

Honestly... I'm inclined to agree. If I were to get sick I would be pretty unlikely to seek out conventional methods of treatment.

Here's what I would say to that though. Contributing to some form of cancer research is better than not contributing to any. If you're worried about fairness in research, make a small donation to my cause, and then find a company that pursues research of alternative treatments and donate in kind to them. Most of all think about the people that conventional treatment does work for, and how grateful they would be to have something to allow them to have a higher quality of life with their families.

Just some ideas. Next I'll have to figure out what I'm gonna do about raising the rest of the money. Bake sale? Car wash? Silent Auction? Singing Telegram?

Your input on how I can best solicit a donation from you would be greatly appreciated... Please leave one in the comments.

PS. I am moderating the comments.

...and now for some sad news

Angela's father passed away on the 18th. Angela tells me that by some miracle they were able to bring him back from the brink long enough for the whole family to gather so he could say his goodbye's and they could say theirs. My heart goes out to Angela right now, and to the rest of her family.

Saying goodbye to loved ones seems to be a recent development on my radar. A dearly beloved family friend was taken suddenly while enjoying himself on the beach with his wife and two youngest sons. The memorial service is happening today, and I am sad that I will not be able to be there to remember the wonderfulness that was his life with the rest of the community back home. I almost collapsed when I initially learned of the news... and then alternated between feeling completely normal and sobbing uncontrollably. I seem to have settled into a simple pace of moodiness and irritability for the time being, though I hope that will wear off soon.

Now that Angela's father has passed, she will be facing these feelings as well... only more so, because this was her Dad. The man who raised her. The pillar of her family. A leader in her community.

My Dad has made me swear that when he goes, instead of holding a sad event in his honor, we will instead put on a grand roast and have a fabulous time at his expense. I guess it is in that spirit that Angela will continue with the triathlon that we have signed up to do. She will be finishing the race in her father's name, and I will be finishing the race to be there for her as well as to honor her family.

I guess our timing for signing up for this event is good. It will give Angela an outlet to channel her feelings and it will help me to feel like I'm part of something important.

I signed up to do what?

My friend Angela and I have decided to train for and complete a triathlon with Team in Training (LLS). Angela's dad has been fighting Leukemia, so we decided to do something to make ourselves better, while trying to support the cause. We'll lose weight, feel great and accomplish an impressive goal, and at the same time we can raise money to try and find a cure for blood cancers. It's a win win!

I'm not gonna lie though, I'm really scared. I tried training for a marathon once, and my knee got really pissed at me. So, yeah... I'm worried that my body won't let me do it. I'm also taking time off from performing to pursue this, so I'm worried that my skills will get dusty while I'm pursuing more athletic interests. I'm also completely freaked about swimming in Lady Bird lake!!

So, to accomplish this goal I'm gonna have to overcome a few personal demons. Wish me luck!

No promises on how often I'll update this blog. My goal is to hit it at least once a week, but we'll see how it goes.

Training begins January 31st, and the race is on May 25th. If you're interested in donating (no pressure... but seriously do it. No really... money please...) you can do that here: Aden's fund raising page