Entry #4

Big Decision in the City of Big Lights

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Annamaria:

When it came down to it, his parents came to Las Vegas. We went to Caesars to see Bob performing as Caesar, his “regular” job. Then we went home and watched the movie, “The Terminal”. When the movie was over, Bob started talking about the trip. It was very dark in the apartment (stove light only -- maybe kind of a reddish light...). Paulette, was at first in an “absolutely not” kind of stance. The change happened when Dan said, I know I want to do this. Paulette got very quiet. She asked me, “What do you think of this.” And I said, I think they should do it.

Then it got talked about -- maybe Paulette and Emma could come with them. She got a lot more comfortable. Just being invited seemed to make a difference. It was pretty much set in stone that the guys were going.

Paulette:

When I could see that I wasn’t going to be away from dad for two months in a row, I felt better. I asked Annamaria how she felt about being away from Bob -- she was much more positive. This is what he does, she said. He has to go. I admired her for being so upbeat and willing to let him go. But he doesn’t have PD and she doesn’t have depression. And Dan & I have a longer relationship.

I have no doubts about Bob’s ability to pull off the trip. I am concerned that he was taking on a big task -- perhaps overwhelming. But, when he puts his mind to something, he does it. I know he will take care of Dan.

I am happy for Dan and Bob. It will be a wonderful thing -- but I can’t say I’m excited about it. 

Surely They’ll Love Us…

March 1, 2004 

Since getting mom’s approval for the loaner on dad, I’ve spent the last two weeks working on the schedule. There is a scene in the movie “Vanilla Sky” where Tom Cruise’s character has his company’s paperwork sprawled across every inch of the floor in an attempt to make some sense out of it all. I’ve been using a similar method with the scheduling process.

Mom’s approved us for sixty days. Dad and I decided that we’re going to leave sometime in June/early July as that’s statistically when the least rainouts occur.

But which way will we go? How can we touch all four corners of the country (not to mention Montreal and Toronto) with the least amount of backtracking? And just because we can be in a city at a certain time doesn’t mean it’s convenient for the home team to be home, too. The nerve of these organizations.

So I printed each team’s schedule out and laid it on the floor. I held a map of the U.S. in one hand and pencil with a really good eraser in the other. As I walked the teams, grouped geographically, I would get about two weeks in before getting stuck by either a long wait for a team to go home, or the need to have to double back, adding thousands of mile to an already looooong road trip.

The main bugaboos are places like Tampa/Miami, Seattle and Montreal. These places are all, relatively, on an island. The geographic consideration of Houston and Dallas are no treat either, so we’ve got to figure out a way to hit them at the same time.

"Imagine all the possibilities", as Tom Chapin used to say on his program, “Make A Wish”. And I do. It's the most exhilarating and frustrating place at the same time. Because while having all the doors open is exciting, it’s also maddening because we don’t have anything to point to until we set some foundation. The “what about this way?” or “maybe that way?” questioning can go on forever. At some point, in order to move forward, I just have to say – this is it.

Beyond scheduling, a large part of the focus is on hitting the phones, internet and fax machine as hard as we can. We simply need awareness at this point from the right people.

I have a few trees to shake for money, but I have to admit that part always gives me pause. It’s not that I don’t believe in what I’m doing -- I fully do. It’s just that money (at the level I’m asking for) has seemed to, by and large, elude me to this point in my life/career.

I’m very hopeful that people see the nonprofit side of this and the tremendous cause of it all, along with a tangible piece of evidence of what we’ve done (the documentary) to share with everyone and say, “Yes”.

Annamaria:

Bob really hasn’t talked to me about what he needs overall. I just do it as it comes. We have two desks in our office. I just started calling and faxing. I’ve been going through the phone book, taking lots of notes, and sending lots of faxes.

One of the most difficult things seems to be getting a car for the trip. We’ve tried the big names in Las Vegas and even a few companies on a national level. So far, no luck. We needed more of a salesman approach.

Getting the smaller things (food, gift cards, etc.) has been easier. I have to work all different hours (east/west coast) -- talking to supervisors from different places and such on top of my regular job. The internet is such a beautiful tool. It is really making this possible. Unfortunately we only have the one terminal to plug into it...

The movie can be seen here. Please watch it and share it with friends. 100% proceeds benefit the Michael J Fox Foundation.