U2 priorities

The U2 concert in Raleigh is tonight!! We’re very excited and are going to try our hand at getting into the pit. From what Katie P has said and from what we saw during the last tour, that’s the place to be. In an effort to increase our chances, I’ve been reading “Joe’s Unofficial Guide to the U2 Queue.” I found this part particularly hilarious about eating and drinking light so that you don’t have to go to the bathroom:

Most venues will have portable toilets, so having to go to the toilet is not an issue in the morning. However, when it gets closer to show time, you only want to drink enough water to sustain life, but not too much where you will have to leave and possibly lose your spot at the front of the stage.

LOL.

Filed under: Around town, Art, In the world

stop child trafficking now

I wanted to draw your attention to the Stop Child Trafficking Now Walk taking place on September 26-27 across the world. The more I get to know about this organization the more impressed I am with it. While there are two sides of child trafficking, the supply side and the demand side, SCTNOw focuses on the demand. From their website:

SCTNow directs the majority of its fundraising to organizations comprised of Special Operative Teams who gather information about child predators both in the US and abroad. These teams represent the best military, federal and state intelligence and investigative organizations. They track predators to build cases against them that result in convictions.

These teams possess skills beyond the average military or law enforcement individual—skills that enable them to achieve their goals in foreign lands independently, without support of US law enforcement resources.

These teams investigate, gather information, intelligence and evidence and build cases more effectively than law enforcement officials in sovereign states. They understand the risks associated with missions of this difficulty. The teams, selected and deployed for these missions, are made up of elite operatives.

They don’t seek public recognition or fame for their efforts. Their reward is the personal satisfaction that comes from knowing their efforts will take predators off the streets and put them behind bars, resulting in the rescue of innocent children.

There will be a walk taking place on September 27th in Chapel Hill where a group of friends, McCoy’s Marchers, will be walking to raise funds. Find out about walks in your state here and/or donate to my friend’s group here. If you’d like more information, let me know!

Filed under: Around town, In the world

morning runs

I am not a runner. Nor would I ever think of getting up at the break of dawn (or let’s say 7:30am) to run 5 kilometers with a thousand other people.

All that to say, I did NOT run a 5k this morning. But my friends did! By the time Andy and I rolled out of bed at 7:23, threw on some clothes and made it up to Franklin Street, Scott and Anna had already started the race. We got up there at 7:33 and a few minutes later we saw the first runners come over the hill. As the leaders went by, we saw Scott was one of the front runners! Literally!

We cheered on Anna and made our way to the finish line just a few blocks away. By the time we got there, Scott had already won the 5k!

We cheered Anna to the finish line, along with the winners of the 10 mile race.

We had a great time cheering on friends and people we didn’t even know. It reminded me of the time we cheered Joie L. and Carrie M. on during the Lincoln Marathon. Good times!

Filed under: Around town, Friends