After months of fundraising, today I crossed the finish line at the National Walk for Epilepsy with my biggest supporter, my husband. It felt great to have worked for this cause that affects me every day, and to be part of this effort to raise awareness for this condition.

There were so many thousands of people there this morning, families and friends supporting each other. It was empowering. There were also NFL athletes and local and national celebrities there to help draw attention to our cause. Of course that means we grabbed some autographs and pictures, you know me!

The money we raised will go to fight stigma, raise awareness and find a cure for epilepsy. My hope is that this Walk will help bring more families closer to seizure-free lives, and help people better understand what epilepsy is all about. This year’s theme is Talk About It. There is a great new website at TalkAboutIt.org to explain epilepsy to the world. I hope you’ll check it out!

ALSO SEE: Why I’m walking for epilepsy

On Saturday, March 27, 2010, I will be participating in the National Walk for Epilepsy on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Why? Because I was diagnosed with epileptic seizures at the age of 16. I’m lucky enough to be able to control my seizures (which generally occur at night) with daily medication, but not all people with epilepsy are so fortunate.

I have a friend suffering seizures caused as a result of a brain tumor, who is still working to find the right medication for her. I have another friend who has seizures that were triggered by her second pregnancy. Taking medication at all during pregnancy is scary, but not as dangerous as a seizure could be.

Epilepsy — which refers to a number of different seizure disorders — affects lots of people in different ways, and seizure management is a tricky business.

For me, epilepsy means daily medication which I’ve taken since I was first diagnosed (over 20 years ago). The worst thing I have suffered from a seizure is biting my tongue in my sleep. (Although that can be a pretty severe bite.) Learning I would have to take medicine to be ‘normal’ for the rest of my life was a tough thing for a teenager to get used to. But it’s not so bad.

I have been lucky to have pretty great health care, constant coverage via my parents or corporate plans, and access to top-of-the-line research hospitals to be sure I’m getting the right medicine for me. Not everyone is so fortunate. But I like to pay it forward. I contribute to websites that give me free services. And I want to help the research that has helped me. So…

The money I’m helping to raise through the Walk will go towards research for better treatments, to raise awareness and maybe even to find a cure for epilepsy. My hope is that this walk will help bring other families closer to seizure-free daily lives.

Please donate whatever you are able. I know there are many worthy causes asking for donations now, but this one affects someone you know — and maybe some other folks that haven’t had the guts to tell you yet.

Here’s my fundraising page:
Heather’s National Walk for Epilepsy Page

Thank you so much for your support and friendship.

I just found out my hair stylist/colorist is moving from DC to LA. I am a wreck.

Some of you may be able to walk into any old barber shop and be happy with the standard military high-n-tight, but:

• I am a woman, and
• I change my hair color — from pink to purple and other assorted colors — on a regular basis. (They call my type ‘creative color’ I believe.)

The last time I lost my hair stylist, it took me about 18 months to find someone who would work for me, someone who didn’t want to make me look like Dorothy Hamill.

I’m sure some of you ladies out there can sympathize with me, perhaps even some of you stylish men. For me, my hair stylist is a very important and trusted creative partner. This one I followed across town, but I can’t move to California. The previous one I lost in a divorce. (We tried to keep things going after my friend, her ex, moved out, but it was just too awkward.)

Now I must embark on this search again, what a drag! Know a great stylist in DC who is good at creative color? Let me know, ASAP, (in the comments) my hair grows fast!

Washington DC’s Metro system (WMATA) is in financial trouble.

As a regular commuter via the Metro subway system, this is a big deal for me. I need to get to work downtown, and Metro is still cheaper and faster than driving and parking downtown.

Frankly, as someone who has lived in both DC and in VA, I see how states have privileges that the District doesn’t. In my honest opinion, I think Virginia and Maryland, or the Federal government, should pitch in some capital for WMATA to refurbish the Metro system. Because as long as Congress refuses to grant statehood to the District, the District’s problems belong to the entire country. But I am aware the country is short on cash, and subway repairs are not top priority when we’re at war and people need jobs.

(Hey, wouldn’t subway repairs put people to work…? Never mind me.)

That said, I have also utilized a number of community bus systems as part of my daily life. In Arlington, there is the ART system. Georgetown Business Improvement District has its own shuttle bus between Rosslyn Metro, Foggy Bottom and Dupont Circle. Then there’s the downtown Circulator bus. I’ve got no idea what Maryland might have going on. If WMATA held a summit with all these operations, they might very well find some money to made on the roads – via these ‘new’ bus routes that have been already tested – to help their underground business.

How about the money that’s been put into these operations by Arlington, the Georgetown BID and the Downtown Business Improvement District? Seems like there’s an opportunity here. And I still think, despite a few accidents and scandals, that WMATA bus drivers are the best bus drivers in the area.

It has been nice to have a clean, safe subway to be proud of. Wouldn’t it be nice to keep it that way? I think it’s worth a little raise in rates, and I’d love to see WMATA take over the ART route I need to get me all the way home.

More details and opinions on the mess that is my daily ride to and fro:

• The Washington Post – Metro to cut official who oversaw safety: FARE INCREASES ALSO PROPOSED – Agency seeks to close $175 million budget gap
• Unsuck DC Metro – Metro Has a Sad
• Prince of Petworth – Friday Question of the Day – Do You Support a Commuter Tax for DC?

Someone on Facebook asked me to recall 50 concerts I’ve been to. I do remember the first. I was a late bloomer in my eyes. The first rock concert I was allowed to go to was my junior year of high school: Sting’s Nothing Like the Sun tour.

Before that, my parents had certainly taken me to concerts. I vaguely remember seeing Itzhak Pearlman in a college arena as a kid. I was very attached to the Boston Pops, from all the times my family watched them on TV, so much so that when Arthur Fiedler died, I cried.

But after seeing Sting at GMU’s Patriot Center, I saw the Sugarcubes at Georgetown U, then New Order at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Then I got to school at American University and joined the radio station.

Soon I was going to shows 3-5 times a week. Generally for free, often at the old 9:30 Club on F Street. Sometimes at Lisner Auditorium, D.C. Space or the Bayou. (Those last two don’t exist any longer.)

So when I was asked to recall 50 concerts, my problem was narrowing my list down. I realize not everyone is so lucky to have this experience, so here follow some basic survival skills for concert-goers everywhere, from someone who has been to hundreds of shows in venues large and small:

1. Select a designated driver. It is SO worth it to save yourself the stress and possible legal difficulties. Perhaps you can pay for your driver’s gas & parking or food & beverages during the show, or maybe a bunch of folks can pitch in and buy their concert t-shirt as a thank-you.
2. Dress for comfort, not style. Wear shoes that can sustain some beer from the top and the bottom. If you’re wearing a jacket, be sure it can be tied around your waist or sat upon if you’re at an outdoor venue. Any bag you are carrying should be of the backpack or waist-slung varieties. Don’t worry about being ‘that guy’ wearing the band’s shirt to their show. You might just get called up on stage, who knows?
3. Bring cash. All that you plan to spend, no more or less. ATMs are hard to find at concert venues, and the access fees are often over the top. Credit cards aren’t always accepted.
4. When you first get there: Pick out the t-shirt you want (if you care for one at up to $45 each) and buy it at the beginning of the show, to be sure they don’t run out. Eat before you do any serious drinking. Corrective eating afterwards to sober up is not very effective, and food at concert halls gets worse as the night goes on. (With a few exceptions where they actually make the food fresh.) Ladies: stop by the restroom at the beginning of the night and stash some TP in your pocket.
5. Wear earplugs to prevent a day of ringing in your ears. This ringing signifies permanent hearing damage. You can buy them at most venues, or at a drugstore before the show.
6. Want to sneak a camera in? Photos taken at concerts rarely come out very well. You are much more likely to be kicked out for bringing a camera, or have your camera confiscated, and you’ll miss the music in the meantime. That said, ladies generally get more contraband by gentlemen guards.
7. Don’t forget to drink some water, especially during those long all-day outdoor shows. It is hard to stay hydrated when you’re in a crowd in the middle of a field, especially if you opt to drink yards of beer all day.
8. Bring a Sharpie and a notepad. If you’re lucky enough to get close to a band member, an autograph is much cooler than a photo any day.
9. Respect the bouncers. They may not look pretty, but they could save your life one day. Generally, they’re looking out for you, so be nice to them and do what they say.
10. Don’t say no to a free ticket. Ever. I can’t remember ever having a bad time at a free concert. Music is a great invention, and people are generally at their best when they’re listening to music they enjoy.

I fell flat on my face last Friday.

People use that expression, but like many other cliches, they don’t really mean it.

For me, this is the second time I’ve fallen flat on my face, and I should clarify. I did catch my face a bit with my right hand, my left elbow and my reading glasses. So the damage was less severe than last time.

Last time, I caught myself with my nose. THAT was a pure fall-on-one’s-face moment.

What I learned last time was useful this time, and I’m happy to share these tips with you:

1. Go to a hospital that has a plastic surgeon on call. (In DC, I recommend Sibley Hospital.)
2. If you didn’t get to choose your hospital, be sure to ask about that plastic surgeon. They really do things like stitches. I know.
3. Don’t let the doctor leave without telling you how MANY stitches you got. Even if you are a grown woman. People will ask.
4. Expect questions about what ‘cool’ prescription pain medications you might have received.
5. Also expect jokes about Rocky, bar fights, what the other guy looked like, and how drunk you were, even if you are a grown woman.

In my case, the answers are: 8 stitches (blue), no cool prescriptions, and I was sober, by myself and at work.

Or maybe I’m just saying that because of that first rule about Fight Club.

Thursday July 30

• Title Tracks
• Casper Bangs
• Grendel Babies

This is the last show of the season!

FREE, 7:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tenleytown AU Metro station on the Red line.

No glass bottles, no drugs, no alcohol.

Full schedule and info on how to keep Fort Reno concerts going available at: fortreno.com