Hi. I happen to share a birthday with Jim Hightower, who is a great rabble-rouser and role model (a much, much older role model). I have received lots of birthday wishes from folks here & Facebook - thank you everyone! I have plans for a really nice day: going to a book store (though I don't know what I'm going to get), lunch out somewhere, a bike ride to the gym for a swim, and in the evening, my coach promised a workout that'll make me cry.
But -- what I really want for my birthday is donations for the Hill Country Ride for AIDS. This will be my 13th year doing the Ride (some day I hope to actually ride every mile of it, but that's a matter for discussion in a Weight Loss Kos diary) and I would really like to raise a ton of money for this cause that matters so much to me. This ride raises money for services for persons with AIDS in the central Texas area. Food bank, counseling services, legal services, and numerous other ways of assisting our brothers & sisters who are ill.
This ride benefits AIDS Services of Austin & other organizations in Austin that provide direct assistance to people with HIV & AIDS. They do things like case management, a food bank, and prevention & education. Everything they do helps people.
The amazing David Smith, our Ride Director, says that we get a glimpse of the way the world should be on this ride and it is true. If you are close enough to Austin to do this ride, you really should. It is amazing, and the kickoff party this Friday will be amazing. But if you're not lucky enough to live in the Austin area, could you please donate? I know times are tight and lots of other people are asking for money, but this is different. These donations will directly help out people who really need it. Food and counseling and assistance with housing and legal matters -- these are real things that people really need. So, for my birthday, please donate to the Hill Country Ride for AIDS. Thanks!
And you know it wouldn't be a me diary without some U2 youtubes - I wouldn't want you to think this diary is by an imposter, so here's the song I play in my head to get me over the hills:
And last but certainly not least - I really need help decorating my helmet. I am in no way, shape or form arty or crafty. But we decorate our helmets for this ride. I suppose I could just tape a lei to my helmet & wrap some around my handlebars, but I bet someone here can come up with something better. I tried last year drawing a Celtic knot, but even with directions from WikiHow, I couldn't do it. I'm seriously directionally challenged, and like I said, not at all arty. Any ideas out there?