Category Archives: IRL

In Real Life (IRL) contains posts about what happens in (my) real life.

Two Weeks Left to Save Carmine


Have you bought your Save Carmine shirt yet? The voting ends in two weeks, so if you haven’t yet, treat your avatar to a charitable shirt!

Currently “Save Carmine” is in the lead, so if this keeps up, Carmine will finally survive a Gears of War game. Head on over to the official Gears of War page for more info. Remember, all proceeds go to Child’s Play, so this is a great way to donate, AND have a voice in what happens to Carmine in the upcoming Gears of War 3 game.

Photo of the Week – 8/1/10

The sun sets every evening but how often do you get a chance to enjoy it? During our vacation in Door County, we took advantage of our kidless freedom and arrived at Murphy County Park just in time to see this beautiful sunset. We were standing out on a long dock overlooking Green Bay of Lake Michigan. I can’t say I’ve ever witnessed a sunset this beautiful before. The picture is stunning but it was even more beautiful in person.

See Drifting Sunset at Flickr.

Save Carmine! Donate to Child’s Play!


Haven’t we seen enough COG soldiers die already? Carmine 3.0 deserves to avenge his brothers’ deaths, and kick some major ass. I’ve sent my 80 spacebucks to Microsoft which will then be converted back to cash and some amount of it sent to Child’s Play. In return my vote to “Save Carmine” has been cast and my avatar received a cool t-shirt (shown above) to show his support for Carmine as well. Do your part! Grab this t-shirt for your avatar, and/or this t-shirt for yourself, and keep our fearless Carmine alive through Gears of War 3!

All proceeds go to Child’s Play, a charity set up by gamers, to help support children’s hospitals around the world. This is really a great way to engage a gaming community. It gives gamers the ability to choose a plot point in a popular game, makes them feel good about donating, raises money for children’s hospitals, and also raises awareness of Child’s Play. As the father of two preemies, I know how it feels to see babies and children fight for their lives. Children’s hospitals are incredible places, and they need everyone’s support. Lives, young and old, are touched forever in these hospitals, and even the little things, like a furry bedside companion or cozy knit hat, make a huge difference. So the least you can do is buy your avatar a t-shirt for 80 MSP, but please consider making an extra donation to Child’s Play as well.