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We're on our way
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I'm Riding to End AIDS
From June 6-12, 2010, I'm bicycling in AIDS/LifeCycle. It's a 7-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to make a world of difference in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS.
after graduating from medical school in 1994 i moved to new york and did my three year residency in internal medicine at st. vincent's hospital. the first half of my training took place before the advent of protease inhibitor based regimens and was therefore dominated by many sick and dying aids patients. what they taught me was immeasurable, but what i gave them seemed paltry. i was green, i was scared, and i felt i had nothing to offer them. so now i am doing this ride as a small token of my appreciation for some of my greatest teachers.
Help me support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation by giving what you can. We'll keep riding until AIDS and HIV are a thing of the past.
update #1 march 23, 2010
about one week ago i bought myself a super kick-a** bike - carbon frame, something-something derailers, super-something shifters, working brakes... you get the picture. also some shiny clothing, generously padded shorts, sleek sunglasses, funny shoes, and a bike computer to tell me how fast i'm going and how far i've gone (pretty far gone obviously). not quite ready to be photographed in aforementioned get-up, i am going to satisfy your curiosity with a pic of me, my bike, and the lovely couple who sold it to me - pat and terry (whose names, they informed me, can be safely interchanged) at the accord bicycle service on route 209. stay tuned...
update #2 april 6, 2010
Today I woke up determined to do an early morning bike ride. Bleary-eyed, I pored over the map and charted my route. Sipping my coffee I noted overcast skies - an excellent opportunity to try out untested gear. I deftly popped the darkly tinted lenses from my cycling glasses and replaced them with the vision-enhancing yellow ones. I pulled on my leggings, my booties (these slip right over my fancy shoes - feet can get cold at the speeds I travel), and my form-fitting wind breaker and stepped outside. It was 44 degrees and had just begun to rain. So you know what I did? I went biking anyway. If that kind of dedication doesn't get you to cough up some ducats I'm at a loss. Show some love, people, paul
paul update#3 april 13, 2010 i biked home from work (24.2 miles, lots of hills) last night and back again this morning. so not only am i working to rid the world of the sourge, aids, but i'm also helping to ward off global climate change. and did i mention that my form-fitting windbreaker matches my bicycle perfectly - so i also look great while doing it. don't worry, pictures are forthcoming...
update#4 april 24, 2010
so my amex bill came recently. bicycles and all their attendant accoutrement are expensive. not to mention the tubs of vaseline i slather on my delicate perineum. however it all seems worth it when you have a ride like the one i experienced today. 45 miles on a 68 degree sunny spring day in the hudson valley where life is exploding from the earth in gorgeous color. at one point my route found me on boodle hole road. how many of you can say you have found yourself taking in boodle hole ... on a bike.
update #5 May 5, 2010
actually this is not so much an update as a shot across the bow. it's crunch time, people. the ride is a month away and i have been training my butt off. yet there are some of you out there whom i consider close friends who have yet to pony up any cash. it could get ugly and personal out here in the blogosphere. and at this point an average donation (my mean is $112, the median yet to be calculated) will not assuage my rage. right now i have drs. a.u. and m.s. in my sights and believe me, it will sting. i hate to have to resort to this (kind of), but you leave me no choice...
update #5 May 5, 2010
...well, i think i've given dr. a.u. plenty of time... i'm surprised, nay shocked, that one who has profitted so handsomely from the aids epidemic has yet to donate. -ZING!- (how much do those drug companies pay you for those "scientific" presentations anyway?) -SNAP!- i'm beginning to think you're afraid we really will cure this disease and leave you jobless. -OH NO YOU DI'N'T!-
update #6 may 5, 2010
in all truth, dr a.u. has been a long-standing, dedicated advocate for those with hiv and i have nothing but respect and admiration for him. if any offense was taken, it was not intended. if nothing else he has a great sense of humor and a love of the phrase -OH NO YOU DI'N'T- peace, brother.
update#7 may 6,2010
i am so sorry about all of the madness yesterday. i'm not completely sure, but i think it was the work of my alter-ego, bitterman (photo to follow soon, i promise). he is a ruthless, relentless, fund-raising megalomaniac which I know is hard to reconcile with the gentle, nature-loving pansy picker you know me to be. to prove that i am fully in control, i'm inviting you to check out some photos i have taken on my rides through the beautiful hudson valley (you will be invited to view photos on the kodak gallery site). of course pictures don't do it justice and there are many things that can't be captured on film: the smell of lilac and honeysuckle, the riot of bird song, and the fast moving wildlife. there are also things that i've spared you like the not quite fast enough wildlife - namely the squirrel carcasses that litter the road - potent reminders of the importance of bicycle safety. update #8 May 12, 2010 maybe those republicans are on to something... make a few baseless, inflammatory accusations and watch the money flow - over $1000 in new donations followed update #5. if only i could borrow another trick from their playbook and redact the whole thing, my reputation would once again be unsullied. so if controversy sells the next obvious ploy is sex (another right-wing specialty - co-founder of the family research council hiring rentboys, oh my!). so here's that oft-promised, sexy pic of me in ridiculously tight bike clothing. enjoy! update #9 june 3, 2010
as i pack for my upcoming departure to california, it seems an appropriate time to look back and take stock of all that i have learned during my training. i have learned that there is a lot of gear required to be a cyclist. i have learned to drink from my water bottle without choking. i have learned to meaningfully gesticulate at thoughtless motorists and maintain control of my bike. i have learned how to gracefully arc rivulets of nasal secretions over my shoulder while traveling at top speeds (right nostril works better than left). and, most importantly, i have learned that i know a helluvalot of generous, wonderful people who have truly moved me with their support. thank you, paul p.s. there is still time to donate. we don?t leave til sunday.
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