Less than 48 hours until the Race to Deliver in Central Park. We're at $1180 in donations, which is amazing. If you were thinking about donating and still haven't, you've still got time. $1200 is such a nice round number. 🙂 I'm going to pick up my race number this afternoon. I had my final training run this morning (a very light and slow 2 miles) and I'm ready! Now I just need two good nights of sleep and I'll be burning up the course through Central Park, by which of course I mean I hope I can survive it running ten-minute miles.

Update: Yippee! $1200! Megnut readers #1! Megnut readers #1!

Update on the update: $1260!!!

Both fundraising and training continue for the Race to Deliver as the big day draws near. I ran 5 miles over the weekend, have added in some speed work, and slogged 3.5 miles this morning in the rain. Seeing that we're nearly to my goal this morning helped me feel less soggy. Let's see if we can make it to $1000 by the end of today!

I need 7 people to donate $5 today.

That's a little more than a fancy cup of coffee, and less than a trip to the movies. All for a good cause, and to motivate me to get up at 6:30 AM tomorrow morning and run a bunch of 200m sprints. If you haven't donated yet, please consider it. And for those that have thank you thank you thank you.

Update: Wowzers! That was fast. Like five minutes and we're already at $1020. I won't hound you anymore, but of course, if you still would like to contribute, I encourage you. I'm curious to see how far past $1k we can go. Woo hoo!!

I can't believe it, but we've done it already: since yesterday at 12:31 PM you guys have donated $500!! I'm stunned, and totally inspired and hopeful by what's been accomplished in such a short amount of time. So rather than stop now, I'm upping my goal to $1000. Let's see how much we can raise. And of course, thank you so much for your generosity!

Here's the original post about why I'm running and what the money supports. And you know me and my love for stats, so here's one for you: It only took 31 people to get $500, making the average contribution a little over $16 a person. Woo hoo! 🙂

I love running but I have a hard time running consistently. Having a race as a training goal helps me a lot, and running a race that's also a fundraiser for a good cause motivates me even more. So I've registered to run the Race to Deliver, the annual fundraiser for God's Love We Deliver. Don't be scared off by the "God" in the name, it's not a religious organization.

God's Love We Deliver's mission is to improve the health and well-being of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and malnutrition. We prepare and deliver nutritious, high-quality meals to people who, because of their illness, are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves.

The race is 4 miles, and takes place November 23, so I've got my training cut out for me. I know times are hard for a lot of people right now, and many folks are laid off or worrying that they will be, but if you can afford it, I'd love your support. I've set a donation goal of $500, so if 100 readers can pledge just $5 each, we can reach it! Here's my donation homepage. Thanks so much for your help.

Update: already over $100 has been pledged, so we're more than 20% of the way. Woo hoo! You guys rock! 🙂

Update @ 10:23 PM: We're at $270! I'm totally floored, I can't believe people have contributed more than 50% of the total amount in less than 12 hours!!

All I can think when I see these boots on the streets of NYC is, "Uggh!! Why are you wearing those stupid fucking boots?!"

Update: obviously these boots are ok if you're in the Arctic trudging across tundra. If it's so cold outside your feet would freeze without them, then you can wear them. If they ground is dry, or there are palm trees within a two mile radius of where you stand, you cannot.

There's an article in today's NY Sun about the NYC Jeans Police, Fashion Police 'Ticket' Bad Jeans:

Thought the "fashion police" was just an empty phrase? Meet the New York City Jean Police. It's walking the beat and is ready to issue citations for denim that's too tight, too wide, or just too ugly.

The fact that only one citation has been handed out doesn't bother Meg Hourihan, the 31-year-old software programmer who posted the concept on her blog http://www.megnut.com — and who issued the only citation (to a co-worker). But as it's all meant as a joke, she's just happy to bring some light-hearted attention to the problem.

In case you missed it last time around, here's the link to the citation [.922 KB] And here's a citation in "action".

This Saturday is the (free!) New York City Oyster Festival in lower Manhattan! From noon-9pm there'll be oysters, Guinness, and live music. And there's a shucking competition scheduled for 2pm. It takes place in lower Manhattan at Hanover Square and Stone Street. Rain date is Sunday October 5th. Perhaps I'll see you there?

Ok, for all you wanna-be NYC Jeans Police officers out there, the wait is over. Here is the official NYC Jeans Police Citation [.pdf, 922 KB]. You will see that it's appropriate for any infraction you may witness: bad acid wash, over-sized jeans, low-rise disasters, you name it. Simply print them out and issue as you see fit. And remember, if you get punched in the face after citing someone, it's not our fault. Special shout out to Michael E. who designed the super-excellent citations. Michael, you rock!

I'm taking a new job, starting a new organization of which I'll be president and CEO and also first lieutenant, until I can hire others to join my campaign. The mission's goal? Rid the streets of New Yorkers (and tourists) wearing horrible mis-fitting jeans. First offender spotted Saturday afternoon on Bleecker St., where a woman was squeezed into a too-tight pair of pale blue Lee (?) jeans. I let her off with a warning. Shortly thereafter, I spotted another offender: a woman with large hips wearing low-rise dark denim bootcuts. Since the dept. is new, again I issued only a warning. Saturday's third incident: the horrific thong-above-low-rise. Citation and fine were issued, there's simply no warning for that one.

Part of the department's mandate will be education (since I know how hard it is to find a good pair of jeans). We'll produce a "NYC Jean Guide" that's attached to every pair sold in the 5 boroughs, explaining that if you have a middle that hangs over the low rise (front or sides), low rise is not for you! And if you're hippy (and that's pretty much everyone except models and teenage girls), you don't want to wear a cut that accentuates that fact, even if it's the style right now. Eventually we'll grow so powerful, we'll exert our pressure on the fashion industry itself, demanding styles for women of all shapes and sizes, no matter the season or trends. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all women are not shaped equal, and each is entitled to a great pair of jeans!

Update: someone sent in a .pdf citation for the police to use. [.922 KB]

If you're anywhere near New York City this evening, I don't think you'll want to miss pyrotechnic artist Cai Guo-Qiang's Light Cycle. Beginning at 7:45 PM and set to last nearly five minutes, it's a three stage firework extravaganza with the highlight, "consist[ing] of several halos hovering above the Park with the final halo lingering vertically, 1,000 feet above the Reservoir." So cool, and at the same time, it can be the City's tribute to Johnny Cash. You don't want to miss this.