pleased precariously

My information packet and tshirt for the AIDS ride arrived today.

I’ve been wanting to do it for a few years now, especially since I started riding longer distances, but something always came up. A failed engagement, a move to Boston, a herniated disc.. you know, the usual.

This year I’m officially taking the plunge. 545 miles in 7 days of supported riding. Sure sounds fun

The only stumbling block to my enjoyment (and also my feelings of helping out a good cause) is that I have to raise $2500US before May 18. Here’s where you come in. I’ve chosen to support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, a find group of folks who help in the public policy arena, as well as with treatment, prevention, housing, and general community awareness. Anything helps, $10, $5, $250, anything at all. I seem to remember the software project advice “Give Early, Give Often”, but I may be confusing that with something else.

Consider this your chance to do something good for someone else, and at the same time see to it that I’m in physical pain for at least a couple of those 7 days. Everybody wins!

Click here to donate

If you’d rather donate by some other means, get in touch with me via email (toshok@hungry.com) or phone (if you have it) and we can work something out.

Current amount raised: $485.00. 19% of the way there

So I’ve been meaning to post, but so much has happened lately (and in the past few months) that the prospect of disentangling it to the point where I could make something coherent out of the mass has been daunting.

But something happened Sunday that makes me sad enough that all the rest of the stuff doesn’t matter much anymore, let alone communicating any of it.

Idaho man missing after helping crash victim on I-84

(another page about the crash)

John was the chair of the University of Idaho CS department, one of my professors, and one of my good friends. He was directly responsible for creating the environment in which most of the hungries flourished and initially found each other. He was the one who gave us keys to the labs, he was always supportive and excited and his energy about all things, no just computers, was infectious.

I’m still hoping they find him, injured but alive, but given the time span involved, the drop from the bridge, the temperature and turbidity of the water…

*sigh*

update: since I originally wrote (but didn’t publish, oops) this, jamie found another page, with interviews from people at the scene.