Curt Warner - Social Marketing Trainer

- Movember in Seattle: Changing the Face of Men's Health.

Well, it's that time again, and I have to admit, I cringed a little when my buddy Bryan invited me to participate in "Movember" this year. There's just something inherently creepy about rocking a 'stache, even if it is done ironically. For those of you who don't know, Movember is the month formerly known as November where people everywhere join together to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues. Men grow a Mo (a moustache) for the whole month to become a walking, talking billboard for men's health concerns, namely prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

I started looking more into the details of Movember. The more I read, the more I thought, "Yeah, I can get involved in this!" I've had family members who have been affected by cancer, and I know through their struggles that it's a vile and frightening disease. Between the chemotherapy, radiation, invasive surgeries, and physically altering changes, cancer can really impact ones will to keep fighting.

I don't want any other loved one of mine to ever struggle with the deteriorating effects of cancer again.
Let's find a cure, people. Let's win the fight.

Can you spare $5? I set a goal of raising $300 for cancer research, and I figure if I can get just 60 friends, relatives, coworkers, and even total strangers to chip in just $5, then BAM! We can do a tiny, little part to smack cancer right in the face. Hell, if we smack hard enough, we might even be able to smack the moustache right off that face.

And hey, by chipping in with a few bucks, you can say you participated in Movember without having to grow a moustache of your own. Sounds like a pretty great deal, if you ask me.

Bham Real Estate is just as susceptible to market fluctuation as the rest of the major cities in the US, but there is good news: according to data obtained from Zillow.com, Birmingham home prices are up 7.7% year-over-year as of the period ending 9/30/2011.

You'll find some demographic info for Bham Real Estate here.

This has been a test of the efficacy of ActiveRain's Google Juice.

Discovering Live Music in Capitol Hill, Seattle WA

So you either live in Seattle or you'll be visiting soon, and you want to know what to do? Well, if even an ounce of your being appreciates music, you've got to check out one of Seattle's many live music venues, and the Capitol Hill neighborhood is a great place for you to do just that.

My favorite venue in the Emerald City is Neumos - check out the Neumos Concert Calendar here. This small venue (with a maximum capacity of 800) attracts top notch local talent and national artists alike. If you keep up with the indie music scene at all like I do, you'll probably be enjoying tunes by a band most of your friends have never heard of. Even if you don't know the likes of Fences, Sea Wolf (pictured), or We Were Promised Jetpacks, wandering into this small, intimate venue is a great way to familiarize yourself with some new, rad music.

If you happen upon a sold-out show at Neumos and didn't plan ahead to procure your tickets, step across the street to The Comet Tavern, or take a jaunt a couple blocks away to find Chop Suey, both of which are likely to be showcasing some dope beats or wailing guitars to send you into an aural nirvana.

Have you been to any of these venues or others in Seattle? Where's your favorite place for discovering live music in Capitol Hill, or throughout Seattle?