And so it begins...

Well, thanks to the support of some good friends the Arbor Mist Challenge gauntlet has been thrown and I have accepted.

Yesterday I went to Winco to pick up a bottle for today's Day of Drinking.  Unfortunately they only had the basic flavors of AM so I had to opt for Strawberry White Zinfandel over the original choice of Strawberry Mango Moscato.  Also somewhat unfortunately, Winco provides the perfect environment to make bad decisions without fear of being judged.  While perusing the AM selections I realized that they only came in 750ML and 1.5L sizes.  I felt like drinking a 750ML bottle of 6% alcohol by volume "wine product" would be a disservice to my supporters so I decided to up the ante to the 1.5L which, in retrospect, may be just the type of Type II diabetes nudge I was hoping to avoid - especially based on the second ingredient being high fructose corn syrup and the full bottle containing an impressive 78 grams of sugar.  Well over the RDA values of 40-50 grams for an average adult.  Well it's too late now.

Because I was already at Winco it seemed logical to pick up a few other things and, influenced by the bright lights and cheap prices, I made off with a 1.5L bottle of Strawberry Arbor Mist, a box of pinot grigio, a family sized bag of Ruffles and ranch dip and a family sized package of string cheese.  Even if these selections had been possible at my local New Seasons I can't imagine that I would have experienced the same blase level of non-judgement that I did at Winco.  I didn't even bring my own bags and no one cared!  Honestly, if New Seasons could replace their dairy section with a cow and a mild your own/churn your own station they probably would but I digress.

Grant has graciously agreed to not only put up with me drinking booze juice for an entire day but he's also agreed to act as judge so that I can't just drink a glass and then pour the rest in the yard and write things that I think are funny while pretending to drink the rest of it.   Thanks to him for his patience and for keeping me honest.

Follow me along today here, on Facebook or on Twitter @theladyandchico and remember, there's still loads of time to donate at http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=4&climber=8384

Stay classy my friends,

V

Challenge #19 - Welcome Craftards Challenge

Hello!  Welcome!  I recently took a gamble on donating to someone else's charity drive in order to purchase an ad spot on Regretsy in the hopes that I would be able to ramp up some of my own fundraising to haul my own sorry ass up this godforsaken mountain.  So, I threw down $100 at the glorious Bronc Drywall's AIDS Ride fundraiser and secured myself a little Below the Fold advertisement.

I'm hoping that this gamble paid off and I'll be able to meet my $2,500 fundraising goal for Summit for Someone and Big City Mountaineers.  I didn't have a lot growing up because we were miserably poor and recycled more cans than I can remember.  But I did have a dad who was committed to building character by putting you through miserable life experiences.  I want these kids to be able to slog through the majesty of the outdoors and be forced to poop in the woods so that they have a leg up on someday being a functional adult - which is more than most of us will ever hope to achieve.

If, through the support of the Regretsy community, I'm able to exceed my fundraising goal I will carry with me to the top of the mountain a cherished talisman as a token of thanks and cry glitter-eagle tears at the summit..  I'm not sure what that will be yet - spectacled octopus?  Mass-produced robot charm?  Barn wood "Thank You" sign?  Organic cotton tampon "CF4L" banner encrusted with real Swarovski crysals? So many possibilities.

Thanks for your time and support.

TAKE THE CRAFTARD CHALLENGE BY DONATING HERE

Challenge #18 - The Arbor Mist Challenge

Nothing says dedication to a cause quite like being willing to drink AN ENTIRE BOTTLE OF ARBOR MIST FOR CHARITY.  That's right, I'll risk alcohol poisoning and Type II diabetes just in the name of fundraising.  Donate $30 and I'll drink and entire bottle of Arbor Mist (so many choices, 14 varieties!  Exotic Fruits White Zinfandel! Mango Strawberry Moscato!  Challenge flavor is negotiable!) and live blog my thoughts on it, the world and the general unacceptability of boot-cut jeans and cinnamon flavored jelly beans.  Did you know Arbor Mist makes a sparkling variety?  Neither did I until just this second.  You know what, donate $50 and I'll drink and entire bottle of Sparkling Arbor Mist, live blog it AND jog a half mile.  WHATEVER IT TAKES PEOPLE.

TAKE THE ARBOR MIST CHALLENGE AND DONATE $30-$50 HERE

Challenge #17 - The High Five Challenge

So here's how this is going to go down.  You are going to put a $5 bill on your hand.  Then we high-five.  Whoever the bill sticks to gets to keep it.  I'm going to give it to charity but if you want to be a selfish bastard and blow it on Funyns and Doublemint gum that's your prerogative.  Fair warning, if it sticks to your hand I'm going to feel free to tease you endlessly about why your hands are so sticky.  If it sticks to mine there will be nothing to make fun of because I'm coming prepared with gymnastics rosin and Ninja Warrior Spider Walk Spray.

Highest of Fives from: http://seanwes.com

TAKE THE HIGH FIVE CHALLENGE AND DONATE $5

Challenge #16 - The Losing Bid Challenge

Remember that one time there was that one thing that you HAD TO HAVE on that auction site?  Maybe it was a deadstock My Little Pony, maybe it was Kobe Bryant's face shield.  Well now that you just freed up $67,099.99 that you would have otherwise invested in smelling like Kobe sweat and looking like a cross between the Phantom of the Opera and Vivica A. Fox in Set it Off  and you can toss at least a sweet $10 at charity.

Photo: Jesse Johnson/US Presswire

TAKE THE LOSING BID CHALLENGE AND DONATE HERE TO BCM

Challenge #15 - The Socially Awkward Challenge

Ok, I'm going to set a weekly fundraising goal of $500.  For each week I meet my $500 goal I will share with you a story from my incredibly socially awkward childhood/young adult years.  Those of you who have heard some of these stories know that this is worth it.  I PROMISE.  If you have any doubts, see challenge #14 because I was a real-life mathlete.  And in the orchestra.  Just trust me on this one.

TAKE THE SOCIALLY AWKWARD CHALLENGE BY DONATING TOWARD A WEEKLY $500 GOAL AND FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOUR RELATIVE CHILDHOOD NORMALCY 

Challenge #14 - The Mathlete Challenge

Who loves math?  YOU!  No?  ME?  Sure, kind of... not as much as I used to but whatever.  Basically there are four key elements to making my summit of Mt. Hood successful. 

 #1 - the mountain.  Check, that's been there basically forever.  

#2 - me.  I'm signed up and committed to being fit enough not to slow down the climbing group like a fat kid on a field trip.  

#3 - you.  Well you're here, so that's a good start.  

#4 - your money.  Yeah, that's the thing, isn't it?

The equation is something like (me + mountain)^(you * money) = serving underprivileged kids.  That's me plus mountain to the power of you times money.  If money is a zero and you multiply zero times anything you get a zero and you take anything to the power of zero you get the number one.  Not just me + mountain anymore, just a one. And unfortunately, the number one doesn't do a lot for the kids that need help here.  I'M JUST SAYING.  

TAKE THE MATHLETE CHALLENGE AND MAKE THE EQUATION WORK WITH YOUR DONATION

Challenge #13 - The Midwest Passive-Aggressive Challenge

No, I understand.  There are just some people who are more naturally inclined to help other people.  We all learned The Golden Rule but for some people it just stuck better than others.  Not helping underprivileged youth have experiences that most of us take for granted is a personal choice and, just like any personal choice here in the USA, you are free to take it.  I won't judge you.  I'll be fine.  I'm sure the kindness of others will carry me to my goal.  Although, if everyone relied on other people to do good deeds the world would pretty much shut down, wouldn't it?  No, I don't expect you to answer that.  Just thinking out loud.   Is that a new shirt?  How nice for you.

TAKE THE MIDWEST PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE CHALLENGE HERE AND GIVE UNTIL YOU FEEL BETTER

Inspirational Intermission

Quotes from BCM kids:


“At the end of the trip all of the people were more than just friends, we were more
like a family. I am also proud to say that we walked forty miles and climbed 11,601
feet. I did something most kids wouldn’t even think about doing and its all because
of you and people like you who are willing to donate money to a bunch of kids so
that can go on a camping trip and push themselves both physically and mentally. So
I just wanted to say thank you!”- Thomas


“Today was the best day of my life, because I discovered another part of myself…if I
trust I can do something, I can do anything.” Aide

Challenge #12 - Hawthorne Hipsters vs Hippies Challenge

Go to SE Hawthorne in Portland with a friend, like Hawthorne and anything between 30th and 45th - one of you has hipsters (ironic mustache, suspenders and hat) and , the other one has hippies (selling patchouli, playing the sitar and wearing dreadlocks).  For each member of your respective subculture you see you donate $1 to my cause.  Better yet - make this a drinking game and after an hour I'll just come along and *liberate* you from your wallets.  Funds = raised.

TAKE THE HAWTHORNE HIPSTERS VS HIPPIES CHALLENGE AND SUBVERT MAINSTREAM APATHY

Inspirational Intermission

Check out Roosevelt, the totally adorable handi-capable Border Collie.

http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/two-legged-border-collie-on-wheels-shows-us-we-all-have-the-power-to-overcome

Challenge #11 - The Hour of Your Time Challenge

Figure out about what an hour of your time is worth.  Give that to charity.  Feel better about that hour you wasted on  http://tiecats.tumblr.com/ or  http://animalstalkinginallcaps.tumblr.com/ or  http://waytoomuchportland.tumblr.com/ or  http://www.buzzfeed.com/ or any of these  http://mashable.com/2012/03/25/best-cat-tumblrs/ or  http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/  or  http://failblog.org/ or  https://www.facebook.com/ or  http://www.someecards.com/ or  http://pinterest.com/ or  http://www.happyplace.com/  or  http://www.grantland.com/  or  http://hypebeast.com/  or that flash sale site or whatever it is exactly that you've been wasting your time with.  Don't lie, you know you're guilty.

TAKE THE HOUR OF YOUR TIME CHALLENGE AND FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF

Challenge #10 - The Regrettable Technology Challenge

Ok, I know you're spending a lot of money already on laser removal of your Zune tattoo and spending a lot of time trying listing all your HD DVDs on Craigslist.  Next time instead of trying to get fancy with early adoption, just wait for something to settle into the guaranteed mainstream before investing.  Take whatever money you were going to spend on those Google glasses, give it to charity and you'll save yourself the money and buy enough time for Google to make those glasses in version 2, black plastic hipster-frames.

Photo: http://www.engadget.com

TAKE THE REGRETTABLE TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE AND DONATE YOUR EARLY ADOPTER UPCHARGE TO CHARITY INSTEAD

Challenge #9 - The Spare Change Challenge

Stop saving all that spare change and be realistic - you're never going to have enough to fill that Scrooge McDuck vault.  Instead, take all your spare change and give it to me.  For charity.  But don't even try to pawn off that Canadian dime that's been sitting in your car for the last nine months, I can see right through you.

Photo: http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Scrooge_McDuck

TAKE THE SPARE CHANGE CHALLENGE AND GIVE ME ALL YOUR COINS

Challenge #8 - The Blackout Drunk Challenge

Hey!  Do you remember that one time you broke a glass/knocked over a street sign/put a dead squirrel on a car/fell asleep on a stranger's porch/dropped your phone in the toilet/broke into a coal plant/stole the Indiana Jones trilogy on VHS, a light bulb and one shoe from a house party that ran out of beer/peed in public/walked home barefoot/jumped out of a second story window/puked in your weave and/or your college women's soccer team's goalie's gym bag?  Or you thought it was a good idea to drink that much Boone's Wine Product/Mad Dog/Green Apple Pucker/UV Vodka/Milwaukee's Best/Peppermint Schnapps/$5 champagne/H2Amigo/Blatz/PBR etc.?  Or you overdid it playing Flip Cup/Drinko/Drinking Jenga/Quarters/Edward 40 Hands/Power Hour/Beer Pong/Crazy Dice/Circle of Death?

OF COURSE YOU DON'T

Because even though no self-respecting Lohan will get out of bed for anything less than a .2 BAC, binge drinking tends to make the rest of us a little fuzzy.  So save yourself the trouble of throwing money away only to wake up regretting it in the morning feeling like someone punched you in the face with a railroad tie and a small mammal died in your mouth.  Instead, throw your money at charity and feel like someone slapped you with happiness and good karma.

Bonus - take this challenge at the $50 level and I'll write 300 words of an imaginary drinking adventure featuring you as the main character!

TAKE THE BLACKOUT DRUNK CHALLENGE AND DONATE $25-$50

Challenge #7 - The Twitter Handle Challenge

US Track Star Nick Symmonds auctioned off space on his arm and will wear the winning bidder's Twitter handle on his left bicep for every meet this year, including the Olympic trials.  That stunt earned him a solid $11k.  For $100 I will paint your Twitter handle (or a Twitter handle of your choice, while reserving all rights to reject anything too inappropriate) on my abs and flash it in the general direction of Portland on the peak of Mt Hood.  Want something besides a Westward ab point?  I'm flexible.  Ab photo included for proof of promises fulfilled.  In the meantime, if you need me, I'll be doing v-ups in my cubicle.

Photo: http://www.pitchengine.com/

TAKE THE TWITTER HANDLE CHALLENGE AND DONATE $100

Challenge #6 - The Tax Deductible Challenge

Big City Mountaineers is a 501(c)3 organization which means all your donations are tax deductible!  Now you can know that your money is going to help kids build self-esteem, motivation, decision-making and communication skills and not to determine why coked-out quail are so slutty. 

Image courtesy of http://www2.wii.gov.in/envis/galliformes/galliformes_images1.htm

TAKE THE TAX DEDUCTIBLE CHALLENGE AND SUPPORT AT RISK YOUTH AND DRUG FREE QUAIL

Challenge #5 - The Dollar per Mile Challenge

Are you a little bit of a gambler?  Want to leave your donation amount up to factors beyond your control?  Donate a dollar for every mile I run between now and June 28th (the day before I leave for the mountain) and put your monetary fate in my hands... or feet.

DONATE TO THE DOLLAR PER MILE CHALLENGE BY LEAVING YOUR NAME AND EMAIL IN THE COMMENTS!

Challenge #4 - The Hopeless Romantic Challenge

Mt. Hood?  Yeah, I got married there.  It was epic.  Do you love love?  Do you love to help people do what they love when they love challenging themselves and giving back to the community? Do you love that someone doing what they love will be at the same place that they committed to their lifetime love?  If you're my friend probably not because you're a cynic and you just threw up on your keyboard because you think romance is like, totally gross.  But hey, maybe you'll forward this on to your friend/neighbor/fourteen year old Twihard cousin who has nothing but disposable income and the utmost belief in the fact that love conquers all - even mountains.

TAKE THE HOPELESS ROMANTIC CHALLENGE AND DONATE $THE POWER OF LOVE

Challenge #3 - The Elevation Challenge

Overall Mt Hood is just shy of 11,250 feet of total elevation.  I'll be making my way from basically sea level all the way up to 11k plus.  Some of it in a car, some of it in a snow cat and the rest of it on foot.  If you accept the challenge to give just $.01 for every foot of elevation gain you'd be signing up for a generous $112.50.  Too steep for you?  Knock it down to one tenth of one cent and all you have to do is commit to $11.25. 

TAKE THE ELEVATION CHALLENGE AND DONATE $11.25-$112.50

Photo courtesy of: beautifulhoodriver.com/

Challenge #2 - The Unispired Cafeteria Salad Challenge

Oh hey there Nike friend, find yourself sad about the lunch offerings?  Did you drop $6.95 on a salad not because you really wanted it but because you couldn't think of anything else to get and you didn't want to wait 15 minutes for the grill?  Did you cram everything you possibly could into that salad container in the hopes that it would turn out ok?  Now think what you could do by giving that amount of money to charity.  Wouldn't that take some of the sting of having to put your strawberries next to your potato salad on top of your cottage cheese because, let's be real here, ever since they started charging by size and not weight you've just been trying to make the heaviest salad known to man.

TAKE THE UNINSPIRED CAFETERIA SALAD CHALLENGE AND DONATE $6.95

Photo from http://sadsalad.daynarama.com/

Challenge #1 - The Coffee Challenge

What do you spend on a good cup of coffee?  3?  Something like that?  How about tossing just the amount of a cup of coffee my way.  You know, for the kids.

TAKE THE CUP OF COFFEE CHALLENGE AND DONATE $3

Ways to Donate

You can donate over the internet on my personal climber page: 

http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=4&climber=8384

You can donate through mail (aw yeah old school):

For check/money order donations:

1. All donation checks should be made payable to Big City Mountaineers.
2. In the memo line of the check write “SFS-[Veronica Engler].”
3. Mail donation checks to:

Big City Mountaineers
Attn: Summit for Someone
1667 Vine Street
Denver, CO 80206

If you are a Nike employee you can enter a matching donation through the WE Portal: 

http://www.globalgiving.org/cb/nike/pr/10400/proj10358a.html

You'll first need to log into WE Portal and then the link should direct you to the project - when you donate, include my name (ex: For Veronica Engler's fundraising) in the open designation box under the dollar amount. Please note that only donations over $25 will be matched via WE Portal.  

About Big City Mountaineers and Summit for Someone

Big City Mountaineers is a national organization dedicated that " transforms the lives of under-served urban youth through wilderness mentoring expeditions that instill critical life skill."  Summit for Someone is an opportunity to fundraise for BCM by signing up to summit mountains all over the world.  In partnership with Nike, there has been a special summit of Mt. Hood set up just for Nike Employees (check it out here).  So on June 30th, 2012 I'll be hauling myself up to the highest point in Oregon, all in the name of giving under-privileged youth the opportunities so many of us take for granted.

Where do you come in?  By giving me money, naturally.  If you don't need convincing then go ahead and head over here to my fundraising page: http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=4&climber=8384

Need more guidance?  This summit is a personal challenge that I've taken on for myself and on this blog I'll be providing you with challenges that you can take on for your very own.

Summit for Someone™ Program Overview:

Now in its 8th year, Big City Mountaineers' Summit for Someone™ is the #1
mountaineering fundraiser in the country, climbing 14 of the world’s
premiere mountains including Mt. Rainier, Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Grand
Teton, all to support the mission of Big City Mountaineers: instilling critical
life skills in underserved urban youth through transformative wilderness
mentoring expeditions. Funds raised by Summit for Someone™ participants
directly affects the number of young lives BCM is able to change each year.
The core BCM program is a weeklong wilderness backpacking or canoe
expedition in which five adult mentors work alongside five youth to help
them overcome challenges, and to provide the support and reinforcement
needed to help these teens begin to make positive decisions in their lives
back home. BCM's unique mentoring curriculum improves self-esteem,
motivation, decision-making, and communication skills resulting in an
increased likelihood to stay in school, a reduction in violence and a reduction
in drug use.
In 2011, Summit for Someone™ climbers helped provide 37 wilderness
mentoring expeditions for BCM teens from youth agencies across four
regions, allowing them to experience:
• 37 weeklong expeditions in California, Colorado, the Boundary Waters,
and the Pacific Northwest
• More than 2,000 nights spent sleeping under the stars
• Approximately 3,700 miles hiked
• Approximately 2,000 mikes paddles and portaged
• Improvements in three core teen developmental categories:
o Commitment to Learning
o Positive Values
o Positive Identity
By climbing the peak of your dreams, you can make a lasting difference in
the lives of urban youth. For more info on Summit for Someone™ visit
www.summitforsomeone.org

Welcome!

Hello everyone and welcome to my new blog, Virago V.  This is my first blog ever and I started it to tell you more about my upcoming challenge, Summit for Someone, which I'll tell you more about in a bit. 

What's the Virago part about?  Well, Wikipedia, the internet's source of unverifiable facts, says that a virago is a strong, brave or warlike woman which seemed to go along with some of the goals that I have, including my goal to summit Mt. Hood while raising money for Big City Mountaineers!