Mr. Garner Goes To Washington

Last weekend, I was called out to take the #ALSIceBucketChallenge by a friend. The following week, Georgia was called out by a friend to take the challenge. While I had a week to fulfill my challenge, G was given the typical 24 hours. We made her deadline but not before it had gotten nearly too dark to record outside. G and I agreed we'd "dunk" each other. We also discussed changing things up a bit and not donating to ALS. Instead, we chose to donate a scholarship to Girls Grace Adventure which is a discipleship oriented program for 2nd through 5th grade girls. GGA takes place at Grace Community Church in Fulton, MD , and it seeks to help girls grow deeper in their relationship with Christ, grow closer in relationships with other girls, and grow in abilities to reach out in Christ's love to communities. GGA meets on alternating Wednesdays from late September through early May.

An unusual event happened Monday around 6pm, and I'm curious how you would interpret the event. I arrived at the BP gas station in Maple Lawn and immediately noticed a man talking to another woman at a gas pump. By her body language she wasn't very receptive to what he was sharing. By his voice, he seemed sincere and somewhat desperate. As I turned off my car's engine and finished a text on my phone, the man walked over to a woman at the pump in front of me and began sharing his story with her. As I listened to his words, I considered just staying in my car or even driving away. For a moment, that sad, natural reaction to someone interrupting my routine bubbled up. After all, I was only there to get gas and leave, not to have someone approach me with something to sell or asking for a handout.

I will miss you soooo much! G left me a note on the back of my left hand before she went to Kentucky for two weeks. The star is obvious but I'm not to sure what's on the left. Kinda looks like a shark now. :)

When I first tweeted on August 23, 2008, as @webmonkeydc it was the result of @mheerema nudging me a few times. Then, I had been working for AOL for a couple months after a four year tour at WUSA9 in DC. Coding was a daily activity as was leaning new coding techniques. Thus, my Twitter handle fit. However, there comes a time when  social media skin needs to be shed.