Welcome to the blog-o-dome.

Blog. Say it out loud. "Blog." What a silly word. I remember listening in on an always-informative NPR program where they said "Blog" came from a fusion of two words: Web Log. So, they took out two letters and knocked out one syllable. Now that's internet efficiency! But, I digress... I should probably explain what this is all about so your family and/or friends can snuggle around the computer to tune in on my Web Log entries...

Let's get the logistics out of the way: My name is Blake Marshall. I'm a 25 year old Grad Student living in the metro-Boston area in a non-descriptive apartment. I have a lively dog named "Clementine" (more on her, later) and I work at a college bookstore. I'm an avid cinephile (movie dork), failed musician, and a flannel-clad person trying to live in simplicity. To bring you up to date, this is what my life looked like within the past few months via video captures:

Moving Pictures in Technicolor

This blog is explained on the top of the page, but I'll try to be more detailed...

During my time in Honduras, I was drastically changed by the children of Montaña de Luz (MdL), an HIV/AIDS orphanage. My perspective changed both internally and externally. My outlook on myself changed as with my view of the world. Upon my second visit to MdL, I also saw this change in the students that traveled with me. I feel like places such as this can have a positive effect on the world, giving one brief glimpses of a kingdom of peace and prosperity. With that said, MdL is still grounded in a bureaucratic world that needs funding to stay afloat. Hence my trip to raise funds for this wonderful place in the midst of a beautiful, yet impoverished, country.

Here's the plan:



I'm taking 2 months off to complete this trip. It covers 4,248 miles and travels through 10 States. I'll be driving down to see my family in Sandbridge, VA in the latter days of June and will depart from Yorktown, VA on July 1st. I will be riding on my Bianchi Volpe, a touring bicycle built for multiple terrains. I'll be carrying up to 70lbs of camping gear, clothes, cooking supplies, etc. As long as the sun is in the sky, I will be biking. Once the sun sets I'll set up camp or find a cheap motel (I've been saving for months now and will hopefully have sufficient funds to purchase train tickets back to MA). I've been training for months with long distance weekend trips, day sprints up in the Blue Hills, and indoor training on a MAG trainer. The trip is a logistical nightmare and I, without a doubt, will "blog" about this in future posts.

Well, that's it for now. I'll consider this a primer-post, something to introduce to your blogging pallet. I hope to continue to commune with you all through this process. So please email me at blakemarshall1983@gmail.com or give me a call at 617.328.7690. Also, if you have any constructive comments and recommendations for fund raising, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading,
~Blake