In which this blog gets used for something worthwhile for once.

If you've been reading this blog for any significant length of time, your impression of me (assuming you do impressions) is probably that of a cranky, profane, self-absorbed douchebag who spends all his time bitching about Georgia football or popping off at the Republican party. And don't get me wrong, you've pretty much pegged me, but it might surprise you to know that in my non-blogging time I actually do some respectable things. For about a year now, for instance, I've been the chair of the junior board of Magic Moments, a non-profit, non-partisan charity that grants "wishes" for kids here in Alabama with fatal or life-altering illnesses. (First person who says living in Alabama is its own life-altering illness gets a computer virus sent to them.) Each year we meet with as many as 200 kids and send them to Disneyworld, take them on shopping sprees, take them to meet their favorite star athletes (like we did with Matthew, shown above meeting Peyton Manning), or grant any number of other wishes that give them some nice memories at difficult times in their lives.

This year we're making a concerted effort to expand our grass-roots support through an online fund-raising campaign. The campaign is called the "Magic Mile," and each one of us on the junior and senior boards have set up our own personal fund-raising pages to which we've been directing friends, relatives, and co-workers via e-mail. My personal page is here, and guess what: You can donate there, too.

All you have to do is make a secure online donation with your credit or debit card, and it doesn't have to be a lot -- since this is the first time we're trying a campaign like this, we're starting small, and with each of us aiming for an individual goal of $500, even small donations of five or ten bucks will help. And they'll take us a little bit further toward being able to provide another Disneyworld trip, pro-athlete encounter, or other wish for a sick kid.

So go here and throw in whatever amount of money you can spare. And don't worry, this site will return to your regularly scheduled bitching and complaining before you know it.