I Need Your Help: Some Unabashed Begging

As long as I’ve run The Shack, I’ve refrained from doing any sort of beg-athon. That’s mostly because I blog for the sheer joy of it and money’s never been particularly on my mind when I sit down at the computer and fire up the Ol’ WordPress. I have had a PayPal link and a wish list link but I’ve never made much of a mention of either one. That’s just not how I like to do business. But here it is. You’ll see it again as you read on and I do ask that you stick with me for a bit.

Part of my hesitancy is because I’m always hesitant to ask anyone for money. Call it a remnant from my childhood upbringing or just simple pride, but I hate asking anyone for money. I know how hard you all have to work to get what you have and I’ve never felt comfortable asking anyone for some of their hard-earned cash. This would be the reason I’m not looking to become a salesman.

Now, though, I need to break the streak. I need to ask for monetary help. I’m not particularly proud about having to do so, but at least there is a purpose behind it.

I need to do a good bit of traveling this month. Some of the traveling I can talk about – my Chamber Choir is going on our first-ever concert tour to Pennsylvania and New York City and I’ve been invited to join a panel discussion at this years’ South by Southwest conference in Austin. One bit of travel – to Los Angeles, Culver City actually – I can’t discuss because I’d break a couple strict rules by getting into details but I will be able to talk about it a lot more in about six weeks. You’ll enjoy what I have to say about it, trust me. Suffice it to say that these trips are very good things for me in several regards. They will help me build my future as a musician and one of them will be the fulfillment of a dream I’ve had for over two decades.

Unfortunately, these trips cost money, and though I believe my finances can handle the two weeks worth of outlays, it’s going to be a very, very close issue, and I am looking at having to borrow some of what I need to get to where I’m going. This is where I need the help, and where the pitch comes in.

I don’t need a tremendous amount of money – perhaps fifteen hundred dollars total. That will handle the plane trips, the hotels, and other trip expenses. I assure you all that I won’t spend the money of whiskey and cheap hookers. It’ll all go toward decent meals and decent hotels and airlines that aren’t currently under Federal investigation.

All you have to do is spend a couple minutes clicking the PayPal link button and donating a few dollars. Here’s the way I figure it. I get about 100 visitors a day. If all 100 of you donate 20 dollars – the price of an average CD or one meal out at Olive Garden – any time between today and March 10th, I’m covered more than adequately. So that’s what I’m asking from you all – twenty dollars, one time. If you want to donate more, you may certainly do so and I’ll thank you deeply.

I’ll also do my best to give you some value for your donation. If you donate 50 dollars, I’ll write a blog post on the subject of your choice (within boundaries of general decency – nothing about Howard Stern’s junk or anything) in the month of April. If enough of you, say five or six folks, do it I’ll make it a regular monthly feature. Yep, for 50 bucks you get to pick the post. Not a bad thing, huh?

I’ll think of other ways to give you all some special stuff depending on it I make the goal or not. I don’t know what those things will be, but they might include some pictures from my trips, permanent and prominent links to your blog on The Shack for some period of time (how’s about a small photo link for three months for 50 dollars?), and other more tangible ways I can imagine to show you my appreciation.

Thanks, in advance, to all of you.

Here’s the PayPal Link. Remember, this begathon last ten days and ten days only. After that, the link goes back to its very quiet place on the sidebar, where it belongs.

UPDATE: Had to do a couple quick edits to make a couple sentences, you know, readable. That’s what I get for posting later at night, huh?

And thank you to the person who’s already hit the link!

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Category: The Shack