I just bought a new toy - can't wait to try it out!

Bravo ThinkGeek - Bravo!

when Dave emails me?

as an update to my previous post - here is the "ride recap" from Ride Leader Supreme Chris Thomas - http://www.ridewithchris.org/2011/03/ride-report-distance-training-6-3272011.html - apparently over a third of the riders didn't complete today's ride. Since I was one of the last folks into the parking lot I had assumed I was in the minority.

Tonight after reviewing LJ posts from around the globe - I must say I feel blessed having each and every one of you to read. Sorry if I've been about nothing but my bike training - and the food that's fueling that training. I can hear the collective scrolling! (chortle) I love - even after 7 years - the incredible sense of awe at all the different voices you bring to the table. We're all extremely lucky to have one another to hear.

26 March 1862 - "I wish to communicate the parts of my life that I would gladly live again."
- from the diary of Henry David Thoreau.



Title: Photo Album - Stop Motion
Flickr User ritchiemh

it's whats for dinner

Back in September when I signed up to participate in AIDS Lifecycle, I had no idea what I was in store for. The training up the hills of the bay area, the new friends I'm making - and the rewarding experience of fundraising. Fundraising is intimidating stuff - but ya'll here on Livejournal (along with friends over on Facebook and Flickr) really helped me fundraise like a gangbuster.

This morning I reached my $10,000 goal. Powered by "Tell Bob McDiarmid to Shut up" on Facebook - I raised $1010 in five hours and put my fundraising over the top. The way people have come out to support my efforts to raise as much money as possible is positively overwhelming. $10,000 seemed like an impossible goal - but ya'll proved me wrong.

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

I'll still be accepting donations all the way up until June 5th when I roll out on my seven day bike ride to Los Angeles...
You can donate by visiting http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/robertmcdiarmid

If you haven't seen the internet video of the two boys from an Australian high school here's the link.

One kid hits the bigger kid (the "fat" kid) in the face - and continues to hit him in the stomach - when the bigger kid suddenly block a punch then bodyslams the smaller kid onto the concrete.

There are follow up videos, interviews with the bigger kid, Casey Haynes, and his family and interviews with the smaller kid, "the bully", Richard Gale, in the video and his family.

The video has gone viral on the internet - and with it - the comments on the videos are 90% "Good for you Casey! You are a hero!" - along with comments telling Richard Gale "you'll burn hell you piece of shit" - and similiar comments about Richard's family which go way over the top. So while folks have posted the video going "GO CASEY GO!" thousands of times - can you imagine being Richard's family and hearing that your mother is a whore and your father looks like a toothless serial killer THOUSANDS of times. In the follow-up - Richard's Dad actually tears up about how horrible the stream of negativity towards his son and their family has been.

I get a real mixed feeling about this. on the one hand - high school was a shitty place for me - and I don't have a single fond memory. but if he'd REALLY injured the kid he bodyslammed? with a neck injury or worse - - this would be a very different story. Should his father be proud he stood up for himself, absolutely. Should the father of the kid throwing punches in the video be ashamed? absolutely. Does the kid who threw the punches deserve to "go to hell and burn" like people are telling him on YouTube? absolutely not.

Listening to the interviews, Richard was fitting in by picking on the weaker kid - who didn't end up being the weaker in this case. and I think even though his actions are reprehensible (hitting another kid in the face), he deserves compassion as well.

I think a tragedy of epic proportions was barely evaded here. I hope the school and the community get both kids some help. Casey needs to understand how close he came to SERIOUSLY injuring a smaller slighter kid that himself - and that while standing up for yourself is good; taking it a step further and being violent clearly isn't.

It's easy to take on Casey's side of the argument - - and cheer a kid that "socks it to the bully." But even Casey will say, "I snapped and really wanted to hurt him." which is hardly a healthy reaction.

I've been a teenager - it sucks. Even the best environments, pretty much suck when you are in that "not a kid anymore but neither are you an adult" place. You are testing your limits at school, at home and personally. I don't watch these videos - of the initial event, nor it's affect on the families concerned - - and think this is something we should be high-fiving Casey for - nor should we ignore Richard's actions that provoked Casey's response.

It's sad actually - that Casey had to bodyslam a fellow student before anyone took his story seriously. Richard, had to be coached to apologize, and lives in a divorced home with parents that wouldn't even appear on camera together. You can see what the immense spotlight is doing to both families.

I think it would be interesting to come back to both families in six months - and see what changes have really happened in both these kids lives? What did they come away from this situation learning - if anything?