but think of the children!!!

Our esteemed commentator, Jim (of the Borrowed Suits blog, where he covers politics from the perspective of an independent-minded, liberal from Maine), has chosen, as his prize in the First, Possibly Annual, Readers' Photo Contest, to guest blog here. And now, without further ado, I present Jim:

Greetings to all my fellow barflies at the Sign of the Drunken Housewife. Having placed fifth of five (Drunken Housewife's note: First Runner-up is not exactly fifth of five! Also, I gave him the chance to retroactively move up to Grand Prize Winner, but he chose not to make an attempt at that lofty title) in the First, Possibly Annual Drunken Housewife Photo Contest, I have been gifted the opportunity to bring my blogging skills to you, denizens of this estimable forum. To wit, may I present:

The Adventures of Fat Man and Chubby, a parable of hope and charity.

I'm on the run. No, really.

I've gone and entered a half-marathon. This is a scary deal for me because I am woefully out of shape. But no matter if I finish or not, some good is going to come of it. Introducing:

The Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Half Marathon (aka "let's see if Jim can get his round butt into shape by August and finish the thing before the sun goes down and his little sister starts taunting him").



The Children's Hospital at Dartmouth depends upon this kind of fundraising to meet the needs of kids throughout the upper Connecticut Valley region. Like all healthcare in the US, it's expensive. Also like all healthcare in the US, it's underfunded: CHaD loses about $9 million a year. Starting last year, they sponsored this half-marathon to help raise money. You can read more about it at the link, above.

Why you? Because you have a few bucks you can spare for a truly worthwhile cause.

Why me? Because I'm bang out of shape. My sister and I were mutually moaning about that fact when she dropped the hammer on me: "I'm going to run the CHaD. You want to do it with me?"

Pride, people. Pride will always lead you astray. Resist its sneaky pull.

I was in shape once, briefly. I am now round.

My goals are these:

1. Raise $1000 to benefit the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth.
2. Finish the race.

Please help me meet my funds goal by donating online. Click the link here, or visit my webpage and click the link on the right (under the CHaD logo).

It feels good to give! I'll update my training progress periodically and I promise a full-on post with pictures after the race is run. (By which time they may in fact put me in the running for the Grand Prize. In. the running, mind you. I make no claims to stardom, only a layman's portion of fitness.)

If you visit my website, you'll see that my sister has offered a title to this extravaganza: The Adventures of Fat Man and Chubby. So be it. Further updates on the Adventures of Fat Man and Chubby will be forthcoming there – don't miss an episode. It's a long way to August 25th and many pitfalls lie in wait:

Can Fat Man and Chubby complete the race? Will they reach their fundraising goals? Can they conquer the hills of the Connecticut Valley, or will the heat, cinnamon dust and Volvo fumes all be too much?

Stay tuned…

And the Drunken Housewife says: awww, what a good cause, and what a sweetheart Jim is to use his prize to promote a charity. He really is too good for us, isn't he? Let's help him reach his fundraising goals! I will make a small contribution myself.