You remember that story?

A lot of what I've written has been posted here over the past few years. I started the site in 2007 as a way to keep people updated on a trip I was taking, and learned that vacations and publishing don't mix. It took months before I got used to sleeping on a normal schedule again. Those stories are here, as well as some other items I've created.

The Eurotrip Chronicles

The story of my summer of 2007 trip to Paris, London, Wimbledon, and the Tour de France prologue.

The first six days were written pretty close to real time. I haven't learned yet how to fall asleep on airplanes, so the initial confusion stemmed from trying to write what was happening, what did happen, and what I didn't want to miss. It was the vacation of two or three lifetimes and changed how I look at the world, and when I was told that some of my sister's colleagues were reading my perspectives in several other countries, I was proud of the work I'd put together.

Triathlons

I ran my first triathlon in 2004 and did poorly; I've completed more than 20 of them since. I've recapped most of the races that I've done as emails to friends, which from the beginning I've cheerfully titled "Idiocy Updates."

There are many opponents in triathlon, but none of them quite as scary as the one in your own head. I've done races in extreme heat, in terrific amounts of pain, and learned something about myself every time I've placed a chip around my leg and committed to a few hours of exercise.

St. Baldrick's

For the past two years I've shaved my head for children's cancer awareness, fundraising, and research. In that time my friends and I have raised over $5000 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, and to promote our efforts and raise awareness I've written about the experience each time. We also produced a movie this year documenting the process, which you can see here.

The Great Big Honking Superrific Wagerfecta

Every January since 2000, I've run a football contest centering on the innately overhyped, completely predictable, and always amusing pro football championship game. All of its writing from the very beginning can be found at the Wagerfecta blog site. And it's taken years, but I've finally reached the summit: if you Google "wagerfecta," it points you straight to the site.

Five Seconds

I got a very nice response to a piece I wrote about my oldest son, Jarren, scoring his first goal in an under-8 youth soccer league. That's reprinted here.