Welcome to Gaia! ::

So my work, we help nonprofits raise money online via individual fundraising pages on our website, and several Special Olympics chapters across the country (most of them, actually) are among the nonprofits who use us. So my colleague and "work sibling" (you know how some people have "work spouses"? this is like that, but with more hitting each other with stuff) decided that a bunch of us should participate in their fundraiser this year and make pages and the whole thing.

Their main fundraiser is the Penguin Plunge.

This means we go and jump into the ocean (in NEW HAMPSHIRE, ok, this is for Special Olympics NH) in FEBRUARY.

I agreed to do it, and you know why? Because the terror that comes with chucking myself into an iceberg-studded Atlantic in February is nothing compared to what I'll have to overcome moments before: appearing in public in my swimsuit. After I've convinced myself to come out of the changing room or whatever, the actual Penguin Plunge itself will be nothing.

If you want to donate, or want to send my page around to people you know who might want to donate, or you just want to hit the "Like" button to help me keep beating Ryan in Facebook "Like"s, the link is
http://www.firstgiving.com/camillesicle

Everyone else thinks it's just scary because it's going to be cold. You folks know the truth, though.

Do it! We'd do the MA one - that's where we're located - but for some reason, Special Olympics Massachusetts is one of the few Special Olympicses that isn't with us.

Or come up to Hampton Beach, buy an airbrushed t-shirt, eat some fried dough, and jump into the ocean with me!

Thanks! I'm "training" by not waiting for the shower water to get hot before hopping in. OOH, TOUGH GUY!

It's this coming weekend, actually - this Sunday. And yes, I know it's Super Bowl Sunday... I guess SONH didn't think about that...

Ah. Well. Turns out I can't do it. I'm actually on the other side of the continent right now, and while I was intending to fly home tomorrow, I've had to change my ticket to stay here until Tuesday. My grandmother was sick and we knew it was her last days, so I came home to spend a really brief visit with her while she would still be able to know I was there, and then I was going to come back to Boston and return with my husband for the funeral. But it turns out she had less time than we had thought, she passed away this morning, and the funeral's on Sunday. So instead of doing the Penguin Plunge, I'll be speaking at her funeral. This may be one of the few situations where the opportunity to get half naked and jump into ice-cold water is the happier option.

Thanks. It was one of those situations where it's the right time - granted, her decline was swift, but she was in no condition to go on, and lots of us had made it here in time, so she got to see everyone and know we were here, which she was happy about.

I'm sad that she's gone from my life now, but I'm glad that she is not suffering anymore and that she was surrounded by loved ones at the end. Plus now we're going through all these amazing old photos and I get to reconnect with all my cousins, who are suddenly all 2 feet taller and old enough to drink. So it's bittersweet, but the sweetness is definitely there.