I completed my end of the deal - I paid for 30 issues of "Sports Illustrated" (at less than $1 an issue. That's 7844576% off the cover price!) and now it is mine...

...the commemorative Syracuse Orangemen 2003 National Champions miniball.

Today is the greatest day of my life.

from the Button Maker

A Cry for Help
Many of you know that I am training for a marathon. Specifically, I will be in Kona, Hawaii on June 22, 2003 running in the Kona Marathon. I am doing this through a program called Train to End Stroke, run by the American Stroke Association (a division of the American Heart Association).

For those that are interested, Train to End Stroke is a really great program. Since I started 5 months ago I have gone from run-walking 3 miles to running a full 17 miles. During the 5 months I've met some great people in my training group, received a lot of great advice from my coach and through the training sessions, and I've raised a lot of money for stroke research and education programs.

But that right there is my problem: Even though I've raised about $2,000, I'm still dangerously short of my fundraising goal of $4,850. I could really use some help from those of you who read this (that's YOU!).

But why? Why would you want to support Train to End Stroke? First off, although I will be traveling to Hawaii to run this marathon, only 30% of the funds raised go towards paying for the trip. The rest of the money raised is going towards great stroke research and education programs to help fight the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Did you know:
• Every 45 seconds someone suffers a stroke
• Every 3.1 minutes someone dies of a stroke (making it the third leading cause of death in the United States)
• There are 4.4 million stroke survivors
• Stroke is the #1 disabler in the U.S.
• 29% of people who have strokes are under age 65.

Third, it's tax deductible. If you send me a check (email me for my address and make the check payable to American Stroke Association) you will be sent a receipt from the ASA. Or you can very easily donate online and print out your receipt right then and there.

And finally, you want to support me because I really need your help.

Obviously, we all don't have a lot of money to throw around. But if you could make some kind of a donation towards my goal it would be greatly appreciated and it goes towards a wonderful program and a great cause. Little or small, the donations really do add up.

As Fred Bartles of Bartles & James used to say, "Thank you for your support."

Did anyone catch the lunar eclipse last night? I did and got an amazing photo

I guess the digital zoom on my camera is a little stronger than I thought.

When I applied to Carnegie Mellon University I didn't know that only those in the utmost physical condition would be admitted. I should have realized this was the case after my interviewer dropped me off in the middle of the woods with nothing but a map, a compass, a full bottle of water and a Modern Math final exam, and expected me to return to campus within 3 days WITH THE EXAM COMPLETE! (they didn't even give me a pencil)

But after 4 years I knew why. Those were the most grueling 4 years of my life. If I had to take one more exam while holding my breathe underwater and blindfolded, so help me. I hated that school and every professor there. But today I look back on my time and thank the school for making me the man that I am today.

And I'm sure Aron Ralston looks back and thinks the same thing. That's right, Aron Ralston, the man who cut off his own arm in order to escape from the mountains of Utah alive, is a Carnegie Mellon University graduate (Mechanical Engineering '97). The training, the torture, the long nights alone with "Nurse Bertha" all paid off for Aron. In fact, the quote from Aron that probably summarizes his journey the best is CMU's motto:

I FELT PAIN, I COPED WITH IT, AND I MOVED ON.
That phrase is plastered all over the school - on every symbol, on every plaque, and on every Optimus Prime picture you can find on campus. And If I had a nickel for every time I uttered this phrase during my time at CMU I would be a rich man.
"Hey Adam, how did the final exam go?"
"I felt pain, I coped with it, and I moved on."

"So, what did she say when you asked her out?"
"Listen, I don't really want to talk about it. I felt pain, I coped with it, and I moved on."

"How was the cafeteria food?"
"I felt pain, I coped with it, and I moved on."

("My heart is in the work" also seems to be gaining some popularity)

So as people search for more information on Aron Ralston, trying to understand what could give a man such a will to live, I hope they realize that it came from the rigorous training and education that Carnegie Mellon University prides itself on.

Relatedly, CMU recently announced plans to create a Robot Hall of Fame. What they do not mention in that press release is that each year, all new robot nominees will face each other in a No-Holds-Barred Battle Royale where only the winner will be inducted into the Hall. Yes, that's exactly how it will work.

Remember my blood blister foot problems? Well, things have died down a bit, and the toe nail is still intact. See!

Parag, we need you!

New Hampshire Weeps and the Rest of the World Says, "Oh, so that's what was on the back of their state quarter."
Poor New Hampshire. The one thing they could latch on to as a reason for existing is no longer. The Old Man of the Mountain has collapsed. Trying to prolong their reason for being, the state of New Hampshire had previously attached stabilizing cables and epoxy to the Old Man, but, as state park official Mike Pelchat said, "There's only so much you can do."

So now, with the Old Man of the Mountain gone, there really are only two reasons to go to New Hampshire:

1. Driving through it while going north to Maine.
2. Using the New Hampshire airport as a cheaper alternative to Portland International.

If something happens to Maine, New Hampshire is screwed. Rumor has it they have already started placing epoxy and stabilizing cables on Maine's southern borders.