Looking at the date of my last posting, the title of this entry seems rather appropriate. Much has happened since I've been on my blog, most importantly the passing of Christi Thomas on September 19th. While I knew in the back of my mind this day would come, a big part of me was hoping that she would be the one to win her battle against this nasty beast. I won't go on much here, but you can check out the Webmaster section on Christi's website for a copy of the eulogy that I gave at her funeral. So sad to say goodbye, but she made such a difference when she was here... even if it was for only nine short years.
I'm happy to say that I finally secured my "own" domain name (ericcook.com) after an 18-month long effort to track it down. When I first thought about securing my own website, I discovered that it was being used by someone in the UK. It was a bit "freaky" (witch craft and stuff like that) and active, so it would appear that someone beat me to the punch and I would have to think of something else. That was about three years ago.
Time warp to 18 months ago and I discovered the domain name was not renewed by it's UK owner and was now considered inactive. Let the hunt begin... Unfortunately, my countless e-mail messages and three "snail mail" letters to the registrar that was holding the domain name in limbo all went unanswered. I'm not sure how I came about it, but I finally was able to locate a phone number of someone that was able to at least point me in the right direction. Long story (very long, so I'll spare you the details), I was able to get word to the current owner and he agreed to transfer the domain to me. I've now got my own little personal "portal" on the net and is a good launch point for all of my Internet efforts. There's not much there now, but it's a start.
Finally, I'm excited to announce "officially" that I'll be back on the bike again in 2007 competing in the Founder's Ale Lumberjack 100 mountain bike race. I'll again be raising money, but this time will be dedicating my efforts to Christi and collecting money for the Christi Thomas Memorial Fund. I assisted the Thomas Family in setting up the fund shortly after Christi's passing and it has raised over $27,000 online (with thousands more donated directly to the fund).
One of the best parts of the race, however, is that I'll be racing as part of a team. Team Active is building a team of racers for 2007 and not only will I be part of it, Pedaling with a Purpose, the engine behind my fundraising effort, will be promoted on the team apparel. If that's not motivation to get my butt out and ride, I don't know what is.
Speaking of riding, I'm off to the basement to spend the next hour and a half with Coach Troy. Stop back again and visit (and I promise it won't be as long between postings). Now, where did I leave my water bottle...?
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