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As usual, I'm once again doing the Avon Walk. I'll be crewing this year as my knees are sufficiently lousy that walking it no longer sounds like a good idea.

If you'd like to donate, the link is http://info.avonfoundation.org/goto/rivka

So I've been doing the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer for years now. I'm not walking this year due to the knee injury. I am crewing though. That's this weekend. I'm currently the third place fundraiser for crew. Up until recently I was number 2. I've a little goal to be number two again. Also - Avon is a hell of a good cause. So here I am asking for you to donate. Link is below

http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/WashingtonDC?px=2165789&pg=personal&fr_id=1910

I've been thinking a lot. I've been thinking since I read the not-rape article I linked a while back, and since reading Yes means Yes. And I've been thinking more since reading cereta's entry .

I'm an anthropologist by training and by nature. What I do professionally is go and take a walk in someone else's world as best I can, and then come back and explain it to my world. How do I invite you, the other, my friends, to come take a walk in my world?

How do I invite you to understand what it is to walk through a different world than the one you see? How do I explain when I've heard the same damn comment about my chest for the fifteenth time that I'm sick of it, and not only that I'm sick of hearing it, I'm sick of people, even people I care about feeling that they have a right to talk about it.

How do I make you understand that the joke about giving myself a black eye, or smuggling melons, is insulting, that's it's old, yet I still have to either grin and take it or risk insulting you by being sick of it. How has me wanting you to not talk about my body somehow become me apologizing to you? How do I explain how the mild feeling of people only seeing my breasts is helping to lead me to have surgery to have them reduced.

I walk in a world where somehow it's my job to explain to you why that's not okay, and if I don't do it in a way that seems nice to everyone around- it's my fault because my tone was wrong or too harsh. I walk in a world that even though I'm tired of explaining, and have been for years, I still feel obligated to educate. I walk in a world where I have to.

How do I explain to you that although I am strong for a woman, I am better trained than many and I'm fairly confident, that I still know that many men could probably take me. And how do I explain to you the effect that has to have on my behavior. How do I tell you that my mother made me promise not to walk alone at night, even though it's one of my favorite ways to calm down when I'm stressed.

I walk through a world where I'm supposed to take "nice ass" from a stranger as a compliment, where I have to dodge a couple of teenagers trying to cop a feel getting off metro. I walk in a world where virtually every woman I know, myself included, just brushes that stuff off as part of walking through life as a woman. I walk in a world where it's been hard to figure out this list, because constant awareness, brushing off the comments and knowing where I am is so ingrained.

I walk in a world where people I know say "I don't know anyone who was raped." when I know it's not true. She just didn't want to tell you because the questions you might ask, all well meaning, start to be about how she could have avoided it. I walk in a world where I've been trained how to avoid rape, date rape, stranger rape, and I know that if I don't follow that advice - if something happens someone will ask me why I didn't follow the advice. I walk in a world where I'm the one expected to stop rape.

How do I explain that you've got privilege - you don't have to walk in my world - moreover you don't even have to see it? How do I show you that in my world there isn't, there can't, be a neutral space on this? How do I take that knowledge and still ask you to come with me for a walk in my world?

ETA: I'm not asking for an apology - and I'm not mad. I'm asking for a glimpse into my world, those comments are just a part of my world.

I haven't done a lot of asking this year. I know money's tight - but if you can spare it, it's a hell of a cause. I have 11 days before I walk. My link page is here: http://www.avonwalk.org/goto/rivka

I can't do life saving research and find a cure. I can't physically provide a mamogram, I can't donate thousands of dollars. I can walk. I can talk to my friends, my people and ask for a few bucks.

Breast cancer touches so many people - my aunt Susan, newly a survivor, friends of my friend. Breast cancer sucks. Breast cancer is a man who's done dozens of walks with his wife who now walks with her shoes on his belt because he wants her there in spirit after the cancer killed her. Breast cancer is friends having to hold a wake on the day of closing cermonies two years ago. Breast cancer is my aunt Susan being told that after defeating melanoma years ago, she has cancer again.

There are three large pink ribbons on the wall of my office. Each one is from one of my walks. Every three minutes they are handed out during the walk. Each one represents another person whose life is altered by hearing four words "you have breast cancer."

If you can't afford to donate, please don't, but please do come out and cheer. Watch this space for where the cheering locations are.

I am doing a massively non-scientific survey for class. If you could take a few minutes and fill this out I'd really appreciate it. In addition - this is one of my rare pubic post so feel free to direct folk here. This will be used only for a class study, comments are screened and the poll is set so only I can see the answers.
( the poll )

Hey folks - if you want to go to a rockin' pirate themed party to benefit breast cancer research - tickets are still available http://cgi.ebay.com/Team-Wench-Privateer-Feast-GENERAL-ADMISSION-Sale_W0QQitemZ260343566723QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Tickets_all_in_one?hash=item260343566723&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

This is Team Wench's Privateer Feast. Show up eat great food, win great prizes and help raise thousands for breast cancer research.

Hey folks, a favor to ask, if you are going to be at opening or Closing ceremonies for Avon, or hell even if you're going to be at a cheering station, and wouldn't mind going me a favor let me know.

The plans to have the team wench remember's poster fell through but I'd really still like to have it on the walk. Let me know if you might be ablet o take custody for a bit.

So, I was thinking that it was going to be a lonely walk this year. So I had an idea.

I'm going to remind myself that you guys have my back.

I'm planning on writing on my finish shirt from last year, the names of my donors and any of you guys who want your name on the shirt, whether you donated or not, so long as you'll be thinking about me once or twice over the course of the weekend. I'll be wearing the shirt on the first day of the walk.

So, if you'd like your name down as a reminder that even though I'm physically walking alone, my friends have my back on this one, leave a note.

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When opening ceremonies are over, at least one person, probably more, will be wearing a large pink ribbon. One will be handed out every 3 minutes for the remainder of the walk. Men, women, at night, during the day, those ribbons will be handed out. By the end of the walk, about a third of the people will be wearing them. They represent the people diagnosed with breast cancer as we walk. That's one every three minutes, or about 20 every hour, more than 700 by the time we've finished walking.

This is breast cancer, this is friends holding a wake that I skipped closing cermenies to drop Sas off at. This is friends hearing that their mothers, their sisters, their friends have gotten sick. This is people who have lived, 5, 10, 15 years post-diagnosis, thanks to the research and time and money that's gone into breast cancer research.

I can't do the research, it's not my field, I can't donate huge amounts of money. I can walk, I can talk. I can, and I will.

If you can either donate (click here or come out and cheer (I'll post the locations when I get it) please do.

~~I'm less than $50 dollars away from my goal... I'd really like to make it ::grin::~~ Now I have to set a new goal ::grin::

So, I'm Team Wench's only walker in Avon this year. It's truly weird. This is the first year that I'll take those first steps alone. This is the first year that I won't catch up with my team at the lunch stop to chat before we walk. This is the first walk that I can't call Sas and see how he's doing. He's crewing, and will undoubtably be waking my ass up early on both mornings, but it's not the same.

He's not walking because his hip is shot. Should I be walking? Probably not. My knees are lousy, and I've been out of shape. Am I walking anyway. You're damn right. Why?

I can.

I can step out, I can talk to people and hear their stories. I can hear about the woman who beat back breast cancer twice and is on her fifteenth walk. I can talk to the guy who thought that walking would be like running a marathon, and he found out it wasn't, but he's doing it for his recently diagnosed wife. I can read mohawk man's shirt and be profoundly moved at the strength of his entire family. I can be amazed by the woman in terminal stage whose oncologist told her that if this is what she wanted it wasn't going to make it worse.

I still can. I'm alive, I'm healthy. I have to do something.

I have too many friends who can't think about breast cancer without thinking about best friends, sisters, mothers, and fathers. There are too many people whose lives will never be the same after being touched by breast cancer.

I can walk. I can fundraise. I can help throw a damn fine event.

So, I'm going to ask you my friends for two things. First, those of you who are local, please, *please* come out to one of the cheering stations for a few hours. It's a couple of hours on a weekend, I know you folks are booked solid, but I'm giving you 2 months to make the time. You have no idea how good it feels to have people smiling, cheering and hollaring when you're exhausted, your legs no longer want to work and you've got ten more miles to walk. The lift that a friendly face and quick chat can give is amazing. Even if you don't see me, cheer the rest of the walkers. Please, try and make the time.

Second, I'm going to ask for your money for the charity. I've got fundraising minumums in order to be able to walk. You many not be able to toss in more than ten bucks, but that's something. I'm not going to do the "well it's only a couple cups of yuppie coffee" or any of that ridiculousness, you all know what you can or can't afford. If you can afford to toss that ten bucks, the link is here.

Once again it's that time folks.

I'm once again walking the Avon Walk. I'm walking and I'm asking you to donate here.

I walk because I can and I'm asking to donate what you can. Almost all of you have had breast cancer touch your life or the life of a friend, mothers, sisters, girlfriends, sons and husbands. Breast cancer SUCKS.

I'm going to spend two days walking, getting blisters, and hopefully not dehydrated again, because I can. Because I'm able to and because I can help. Please help me do that.

A bit under a year ago, some of Sas' neighbors moved out. They dumped their extremely friendly, darling cat in the neighborhood. Sas and I have kept an eye on him, given him pettin's on occasion and generally noticed that he's not gone feral, he's stayed a sweetie. He's an attention whore and loves on people.

It's getting on to winter and he's getting cold and thin. Neither Sas nor I can keep him because of allergies and there are no no-kill shelters in the DC area, I've looked. There is one, but they are extremely picky and pretty much don't do strays.

Anyone know *anyone* looking for a youngish good with people and kids cat? I'm worried that he won't survive the winter, and I'm hating the idea of taking him to a kill shelter.

This post is unlocked, please send anywhere you tink it might do some good.

So, looks like I don't have to be cute...

I've got just under 2k raised (counting TW funds which haven't hit yet)

My family has donated a fair amount.

Y'all aren't going to get to see me cute... unless...

So once again, the challenge, and I've made it a leeetle more fun.

If you guys can get my fund-raising total up to 5,000 before Tax Day, I'll WALK the Avon Walk, for at least one of the days dressed cute. I mean pink, frilly, bows sorta cute... you provide it I'll probably wear it... but only if you can get my total up... That's 3k in a month. Can you do it?

The link is here

And, in the tradition of stupid shit for charity, I will indeed do stupid shit for charity.

Most of you know that my tag line is "Not cute. Fierce!" Well, I've decided that you guys can make me reverse it for an evening. Should my fund-raising total for Avon hit 5,000 dollars by April 1, I'll be cute for an event, yes that means I'll do it in at least semi-public, pink, ruffles, pigtails and all. Yes, the event is still to be decided.

No, I haven't decided on pictures, but if I allow them I'm likely to say if you donate fifty bucks or more, and want one you'll get a picture of me looking cute. So, here is your challenge, anyone who has never bought my not cute shtick. Get me to five thousand and I'll admit to being cute (at least for an event).

Seriously however, it is a damn good cause. The link is here . That will take you to my personal donation page. If you would rather donate by check, let me know and I will send you a form.

Feel free to link. This is one of my real public posts.

EDIT: Team Wench PF funds cannot be the majority. That means, if TW PF donates $2501, the total will be 5001 etc. I'm willing to let TW fund count for a significant percentage but not more than half. I don't expect this to be an issue, but it is possible.

Also, as far as what I wear, I'm willing to leave that up to you guys. If it's going to happen, I'll ask for suggestions and then do a polling among the folks who donated fifty dollars or more. Yes, I'm retaining veto power.

Also, I've not yet decided if I'm willing to let this be photographed, as I said above. We shall see how adventurous I feel.

So, I'm not

webqatch over there --------> with the 10,000 dollar goal. I'm me, with my somewhat lesser goal of $3,000. I've done better than I hoped, TW's money helped immmeasurably. I still want to make my goal.

But that's really not the point. The point is, there are thousands of people, not just women, who are fighting this disease. Some are fighting and winning, others aren't. That's why I'm walking. That's why you're donating. If you've got five bucks to spare on fighting a disease that's killing many, instead of tossing at your morning latte, please donate. If all you can do is wish me well, please do, come out and cheer. If you've got a spare $100 burning a hole in your pocket from your tax return, toss it to Breast Cancer Research. I'll be walking at the end of this month, that's what I can do. What can you?

If you can donate go Here please.

So, I've not been nearly as good at shilling as

webqatch over there, but well I'm not as good at this and not nearly as practiced.

However, I'm still doing the walk. What that means, in case you missed it the first go-round is that in April I'm going to be walking a marathon and a half. That's the Avon 2 day walk for Breast Cancer. (I always feel the need to point out, it's against breast cancer, for breast cancer research.)

Regardless, I've got a lot of money to raise before then. I'm at about 600, that's a third of the amount I've got to raise. So, I'm asking my friends. If you can spare a dollar, ten dollars or a hundred dollars, please toss it to my avon fundraising. If you'd rather not donate on-line let me know, I'll give you a paper form.

Thanks guys.

I took the plunge. I registered today. I'm not sure how in hell I'm going to raise that much, but I'm counting on you guys to help me.

So, the upshot is, April 29-30 I'll be doing my best to walk a marathon and a half to support breast cancer research. I'll be walking with some great people, both inside and outside of Team Wench (www.teamwench.org).

What this means to you... I will be shilling for donations on a fairly regular basis. Also, I fall into the willing to do stupid stuff for charity catagory. If there's something you've always wanted me to do... well if the price is right I'll even be cute. Pigtails, make-up and all.

So, here is my donation page http://www.avonwalk.org/site/TR?px=2165789&pg=personal&fr_id=1150.

Hi, drop me a line on this post tell me how I know you and I'll be happy to friend, no permission needed if you want to friend me, you just won't see much::grin::

I'm Rivka, you might know me through Faire, school, or *ahem* other places.

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