The Fundfax Fairraiser – A fundraiser for Marissa

As mentioned in previous posts, my friend’s daughter, Marissa, was diagnosed with infantile spasms about 17 months ago at the 2 months of age.

From time to time, he asks me to help him out with spreading the news of events or activities in her honor or ways to support and spread the awareness of the condition.

Currently, there is a fundraiser in the form of a raffle. There are many, many prizes but it’s really about supporting Marissa and spreading the awareness.

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Perhaps you remember Marissa, a 19 month old baby girl who was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms when she was a mere two months old. Her stuffed bunny Fairfax travels the world, sharing not only Marissa’s story but also spreading awareness of the serious pediatric epileptic condition that she, and other young children, suffer from. Approximately eight months ago we pulled together for a community project titled Fairfax ‘n’ the Chief in honor of her father (who is a fellow Halo fanatic). Today I’m proud to announce The Fundfax Fairraiser, a very special fundraising effort that will benefit sweet baby Marissa and those that are helping her through this very difficult fight.

The Fundfax Fairraiser gives you, the passionate gamer, a chance to win some absolutely incredible video game-related prizes. For every $1 you donate, you will receive one virtual raffle ticket that gives you a shot at winning everything from a Kotobukiya Steel Spartan 12” Figure (covered in more Bungie autographs than you could ever begin to count) to an EA Sports Pack to an autographed copy of The Godfather II to one of dozens of games spanning across the various platforms. So, you are interested in trying to win some cool stuff while helping out a worthy cause? Let’s take a gander at the things you just may find yourself the proud owner of when this is all said and done, and then we’ll get down to the nitty gritty details of it all.

Enter the Fundfax Fairraiser.

Circuit Strike.One

(post shamelessly copied from JeffJ since, even verbatim, it’s all still applicable!)

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Kill Everything. Touch Nothing

My good friend and former partner in crime se7en has gone and released an iPhone game. It’s called Circuit Strike One and it’s a shiny mix of Asteroids and Geometry Wars.  If you dig a little deeper than the surface visuals it’s more than that though.  It’s an iPhone shooter for people that really like a serious challenge.  I’ll be honest, if you are looking for something mindless this is not your game. It has a very robust control scheme that takes a bit of learning. Once you’ve got a feel for it though, this game is unlike anything else I’ve played on the iPhone.

It’s visually stunning and driven by the thumping beats of yet another friend named Devo.  He’s one half of the electronic duo 3L3TRONIC. The soundtrack here is phenomenal.  It speeds up and slows down as it reacts with gameplay and keeps your adrenaline solidly in the red zone.

Clearly I have busy friends.  Go to the App Store now and give them your money.

Circuit Strike.One:  (site)

Circuit Strike.One: (iTunes)

Coney Island Photo Oppurtunity

Lauren Farmer posted on her blog a couple of weeks ago asking if anyone was up for having their photo taken. Being the adventurous type and wanting some new photos for my sites, I figured I’d inquire. After a few back and forth emails we decided to venture out to Coney Island this past Saturday. It’s one of my favorite spots in the city. It was really fun and exciting to do. She has a very unique view of the world around her and I’m very glad to have taken her up on this oppurtunity. Thanks Lauren.

I had to put the photos to music, as I often do. The track is The Funeral, from Band of Horses. The photos are also on Flickr.

Cool (by association)?

My friend Jon Saunders was honored with an Official Honoree award from the 2009 Webby Awards.  This is something he should be very proud of. Hell, I’m proud of him! This is HUGE. Congratulations Jon…

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I got an email today at 4:32pm letting me know this site, I Like To Tell Stories, was one of 12 Honorees in The Webby Awards – BLOG-Culture/Personal Category. Among my fellow 12 Honorees: Anderson Cooper, NPR, Top Chef and Cute Overload. I am among greatness and it really feels wonderful. The 5 nominated sites are quite amazing as well, I just explored and added several to my RSS, you should too.

This was not just a photo competition or even a photography only category, it was open to all blogs of a cultural or personal nature. I am truly humbled to have my images and stories included in such a wide open category among so many diverse websites, it really is an amazing thing to realize.

I called my father, emailed a few friends and 2h later, haven’t stopped smiling.

I’d like to thank the Academy (yes, it’s an academy) and everyone along the way that let me photograph them or otherwise let me share my part of their life……