This post’s title originally started out titled as The Post Where I Ask You All To Do Something For Me In Return For Nothing… Again.

Let me explain.

I’m not one to ask for help.  I’m usually the one being asked for help.  Looking at my current job, I think you’ll all agree that it’s pretty understandable that I feel this way.  Which is why I often hesitate bringing things like this up, especially when they are for myself and therefore in my eyes seem selfish.

The truth is though that this is something I just can’t pass up because, truth be told, I don’t want to always be the one who help is asked from.  So while I would love to be able to seize this opportunity on merit alone, I really need your help.  This is something that could potentially change my life in the direction I want it to go for once.

So what is it you ask?  It’s the Name Your Dream Assignment contest being sponsored by Lenovo© and Microsoft©.  Basically, you Name Your Dream Assignment, the top 20 voted ideas are finalists, the winner is selected by an expert panel, and if you win they give you a new Lenovo© W700DS, a digital camcorder, a blog (already got one… but hey… I’ll take another), and $50,000 to cover the expenses of making your dream a reality.

That’s some pretty serious coin.

Here is the idea I came up with and submitted…

The Blogyssey Project

I want to take portraits of different bloggers, of all genres, from across the United States and Canada being who they really are.

Usually we know them as text on a screen, a cartoon avatar, or an overexposed self-portrait a la “MySpace” style. But really who ARE the bloggers we are reading?

Ideally what I would do is set-up a blog and determine bloggers who would be interested in such a portraiture project. I would then travel through the United States and Canada during July and August to take a minimum of 365 portraits of these bloggers in their “natural” environment.

After the trip and the shoot, I would do both an online display and hopefully a gallery showing as well of the faces behind the screen.

I get to travel across the country, meet bloggers, take pictures, and blog about it all.  I think that’s a pretty damn awesome dream assignment.  I tend to think it would play out like a Dave Meetup… only on some serious steroids.

So the way this works is that you visit the Name Your Dream Assignment Website, register, and “PIC” my dream.  I know… the whole registering part is the absolute DRAGSUCKSNOTGONNADOIT part.  As much as I wish they didn’t make you do it to vote for it… well it’s their rules and their $50,000 that they’re giving away… so I guess that’s the trade off.

I’m not sure what my odds are… because it seems the early leaders have quite a head start.  If I didn’t try, and I didn’t ask, then I would definitely be asking the “What ifs?” So at least I won’t be torturing myself with those questions no matter how badly I lose.

On the bright side… if I do win, I’ll be taking your portrait this summer!!!