Michael and Evo: Wingin’ It!

Hi guys!

Lots of emails and questions are coming my way about “HOW do I get my very own beautiful, wonderful, awesome wristband?

And this is exactly what I am here to tell you wonderful people.

Here is the deal:

1. I have shipped off 100 bands to Mike today, so he will have them available for the pool party!

2. We are working extremely hard on the website, to make it very user-friendly for you, and “Leann-friendly” for me, so I can get your addresses correct and all that good stuff and separate things from general donations from wristband purchases.

3. I am guarding this money, Joe’s money, with my life, and must get this thing just a wee bit more organized before the gates open.

4. Keep checking the website , and listen to the GUAM podcast.

5. One of the great, awesome, and selfless people who are part of the army I have behind me will keep you updated, and you wonderful, generous people will KNOW the moment we get it together.

The end.
Written by Leann Mabry

Awesome picture stolen from Scifi Laura, permission pending.

http://joemurphymemorialfund.org

Because I’m an idiot and shoved a bunch of things into an “action” folder, I’ve almost missed telling you about this:

From May 7 to May 21 you can sign up to be on the national bone marrow registry for free (usually it is about $50-75 unless you sign up at a marrow drive). And they are making it VERY easy- they send you the entire kit in the mail and it only involves swabbing your cheek with a Q-tip, signing some forms, and sending it back. Most people stay on the list and never hear from them for their entire lives but by being on it you could potentially save the life of a child/adult with a bone marrow disease like leukemia.

If you are interested go to the website: www.marrow.org and click on the “Thanks Mom” icon.

Joe’s cousin John sent this to me. Get signed up and get active… please! Headed there right now myself.

Here’s a shot from Joe’s services that Mike and I went to attend a month ago. This email had been sitting in an “action” folder of mine for a while, and I’m sorry for the delay.

From the left and going around the table, you’ll see: Mike A., Valeri Y., Dale C., some other guy named Mike, Jeni W., Issac W., Beth B., Eric B., super stud Evo, Mike R. , Sara M., and Alison J.. All of them are very fine folks and we were happy to get to know them a bit as we chowed down on monster sub sandwiches from Peoria’s “World Famous” Avanti’s restaurant. If you ever find yourself there, go eat it. Way worth it.

Thanks for sharing the pic with us and the audience.

Mike Lopez sent me more information on Joe’s Wikipedia page. Seems that, like all pages, his page is in danger of being removed unless we can get some sources cited:

Thanks for your kind words, but in all fariness I just created a page with one or two paragraphs. The rest of the content has come from other posters. There a long thread in the WI farpoint forums discussing the page, and we got input from several people with experience in Wikipedia editing.

The main consensus was that the page needs references to other sources, print media in special. I hope that some of the family and friends of Joe back in his hometown can find the time to find articles in newspapers, magazines, etc, that mention him. It does not have to be restricted to podcasting; he might have had material published related to his other careers and jobs. If they have that info, I will be happy to help post it.

The challenge has been issued, my friends. Anything you have which can solidify the position of that page’s continued existence would be much appreciated. Post what you can here in the comments or email me directly. I’ll make sure that Mike Lopez gets everything in a timely fashion.

Hats off to Miguel (Mike) Lopez for once again stepping up to the plate. No only is he single-handedly responsible for getting FPM massive attention on Digg, but he’s also taken the time to learn the intricacies of Wikipedia so that he could post Joe’s profile.

Well done, Mike. You continue to rock.

And for all of you, remember that Wikipedia is communit-generated content. Go add some stuff today!

Evo’s note - The John Harris, Joe’s cousin from California (recall that show when they came to visit?) sent me this note and asked me to publish here for all of your to see. Those of you who posted the tribute show are welcome to take it and spread it wide. Joe came from good stock!

To the Far Point Media Family,

We’d like to take a moment to say thank you.

I was getting off the plane in Peoria, IL the Sunday before Joe’s funeral service and I remembered one of the reasons Joe moved to Phoenix– the cold IL winters.

Another reason for the move was to work more closely with Michael and Evo on their various podcasts. Joe wanted to make that move because he wished to further that friendship he had built with Michael and Evo.

The pastor at Joe’s service mentioned one of Joe’s great traits– that “he knew no stranger.” You get a sense of that when you read Dale Cordes comment on the Wingin It post “Joe Murphy - In Loving Memory“. Dale, a long-time friend, wrote, “The first words I heard him say as he walked in the room in 5th grade… ‘Hi, I’m Joe. Will you be my friend?’” Doug the Trivia Guy spoke of this trait in the “Joe Murphy Tribute” when he mentioned Joe welcoming him into the studio and immediately feeling that he belonged just from the way Joe looked at him (we’re going to miss that big, warm Joe smile).

The internet promised to bridge communities that were geographically spread around the world. But, far too often, we hear of the sinister ways in which the internet is abused– false online identities, online predators, stolen personal information and how the internet is used for hate. Of course Joe would be the one who, through the internet, found true friends. I could hear how much that friendship meant to Joe whenever he talked about what was happening with the podcasts or of his time hanging out in Arizona.

Our family wanted to say thanks. Thank you to Michael and Evo for being great friends. Thank you to Michael and Lorrie for opening their home to Joe as he dealt with his cancer. Thank you to Evo and Sheila, the other friends in the studio and the rest of the Far Point Media family for being there for whatever he needed, no matter how small or large, like running out for ginger at the first sign of nausea. Thank you for your kindness and your assistance in making it possible for Joe’s father’s trips to AZ be as logistically simple as possible so that he could spend his time with Joe and dealing with the various doctors and nurses. Thank you to those who contributed to the Joe Murphy Fund which has turned into the Joe Murphy Memorial Fund. Thank you to Leann who worked her own magic to get Penn and Teller, two of Joe’s heroes, to call him in his last days. Thank you to the fans who posted comments on the various sites and called into the voice mail line; those messages truly lifted his spirits. Thank you to the fans who simply kept Joe in their thoughts and prayers. It meant a lot to Joe and it means a lot to us.

Thank you!

With love,
John Harris and the rest of the Murphy family

The final arrangements have been made Joe’s services back in his home town of Peoria, IL. Mike and I are flying out for it and, if applicable, will say some very nice things not only about Joe but about this amazing community of which he was a part.

His father has asked that I give him an estimate of how many folks might be showing up in person. While it’s not practical for most of you to attend, there may be some in the area that feel the need to make an appearance. That’s fine, but he’s asked that we be the gatekeepers for “our folks”.

The viewing (my least favorite part) will be Monday evening with the funeral and burial to follow the next day. None of you should feel obligated to attend, but if you are planning on coming, email me for further details and so we can get a head count.

Joe’s dad has asked that memorials donations be made to the following in Joe’s name:

• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Joe’s late sister had CF)
• American Cancer Society
• the Sherman Home Hospice at 5801 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85054-4503
• and of course the Joe Murphy Memorial Fund

Again, email me directly for further details on the services if you are planning on attending. Evo @ this domain name for those that don’t know already.

There is a new bumper available for the taking, directing folks to Joe Murphy Memorial Fund website.

Please feel free to take it and put in your feeds.

All I ask is to please credit the fabulous George Hrab for the music. His website is http://geologicrecords.net

http://joemurphymemorialfund.org

 

 Joe Murphy Memorial Fund Bumper [1:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (154)

You heard it on the last WI show and now you can get it for your very own.

The great guys behind Beatnick Turtle have released Mason Rocket (Spy Extraodinaire) to the masses today, April 2nd as the pick for The Song of the Day. Get it while it’s hot.

And to the boys in the band — you continue to rock.

Cheyenne Wright just became my personal hero of the moment. He does game art, podcast listener, cool guy all around. And this image he whipped up shows what we all hope Joe is up to at this moment.

I miss him already.

And this thing won’t break the post properly. Oh well.

(Summer: Fixed the image break)

E.