Day Fifteen...

I began doing bicycle rides as a fundraiser for AIDS Service Providers back in 1997 or 1998. My last big ride was in 2001. It was a ride from Montreal to Portland, Maine. The ride finished successfully and we left the jet port in Portland, Maine on September 10, 2001. The BAD GUYS left the jet port in Portland, Maine on September 11, 2001. It was certainly not the typically euphoric week that usually accompanied the completion of a great ride, but the dates will never be forgotten.

So I quit riding after that ride, but decided it is time to get back in the saddle. The Hill Country Ride for AIDS (http://www.hillcountryride.org) is a benefit for several service providers in the Austin area that work with people living with AIDS. Last year the ride raised over $600K and this is the tenth anniversary of the ride. The goal is to raise $650K. I am riding and I am a sponsor of the ride. When this ride was organized, I was also a founding member. If you think you can help, go to the web-site and you can easily make a donation to the cause on my behalf. Thanks.

...much later the same day. You know that feeling you get when you finally figure out what it is that has been gnawing at you all day. Well, about 4PM I realized what it was, and it hit pretty hard. Not to go into the gorey details, but I realized that I was not going to be able to attend the Hill Country Ride for AIDS kick-off party that was held tonight. I had wanted to do that, and I was the sponsor of the event, but it was not possible for me to be in two places at one time, so I had to punt.

Other than that, the day went well, and as it turned out, everything worked out okay, and no traumatic long lasting negative effects were experienced. Ask me later...

So, go have yourself a nice warm bowl of soup, sit back and look at the fire (or put a DVD in the machine and watch a digital fire) and enjoy the rest of the day. Do something nice for somebody, say thank you to someone that you otherwise take for granted, and generally just try to be a nice person for the rest of the day.

Visualize whirled peas.