Honorificabilitudinitatibus!

So when I was a kid there was a cartoon series featuring a young boy named Tom Terrific and it was shown as part of the Captain Kangaroo children's television show.  It starred Tom Terrific, who lived in a treehouse and could transform himself into anything he wanted thanks to his magic, funnel-shaped "thinking cap," which also made him smarter. He had a , Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog, and an arch-foe named Crabby Appleton, whose catch-phrase was, "I'm rotten to the core!" Other foes included Mr. Instant, the Instant Thing King, Captain Kidney Bean, Sweet Tooth Sam, the Candy Bandit and Isotope Feaney, The Meany.

Now I know a lot of people have annointed him as a Hall of Famer already but Tom Terrific should not be confused with Tom Brady;

(Now where did I put those car keys????/)

Or confused with the "Terrific Tom" of the cycling world, Tom Boonen (pronounced "Bone-en") - a Tom that actually wins;

(Car Keys????? WE don't need no stinkin' car keys!!!!)

No, Tom Terrific was a different kind of hero.  To give you a little taste of cartoons from "Back in the Day", here's what his show looked like;



I think that one is particularly appropriate seeing as how we're going to be heading west on June 15!  I only hope we can manage not to crash into the Mississippi river the way Tom and Manfred did.  Yes, that's what used to pass for animated entertainment way back when as opposed to some of what we find on TV today;



of course as an avowed Phineas and Ferb fan I do enjoy the musical renderings of those little guys - much better than the Tom Terrific theme song I have to admit.

What all of these individuals DO have in common is that they are all what William Shakespeare would define as Honorificabilitudinitatibus - "the state of being able to achieve honours".  The word is first mentioned in his play Love's Labour's Lost (a prequel to the lost play Love's Labour's Won) and is spokken by the character Costard;

"O, they have lived long on the alms-basket of words. I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word; for thou art not long by the head as honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easier swallowed than a flap-dragon."

It should here be mentioned that "flap-dragon" was a game which involved trying to eat hot raisins from a burning bowl of brandy (Of course, that is not to be confused with a burning bowl of Brady which I guess is what happened after his "melt down" during the Super Bowl).

Even although the palmarés of  both Messieurs Boonen and Brady are well-documented, it is a little known fact that Messieurs Phineas and Ferb have indeed earned an Emmy award for "Outstanding Writing in Animation"!

Well, it now appears that some out there have also considered Connor's Army to be Honorificabilitudinitatibus as well!  A recent article penned by Miss Tara O'Connor (no relation, unless it goes generation back to the old country) in the Syosset Patch entitled "Syosset Teacher Goes the Distance" has generated a lot of interest and has helped us spread the word about Connor's Army Ride Across America.  That came out on Monday and generated a lot of interest and messages to us.  I also have to say I am incredibly humbled by all of the people who shared the link on Facebook and for all the comments people wrote. 

And you remember the interview with the Long Islander I spoke about a few weeks ago?  Well it seems the article came out in a few local papers that are under the Long Islander umbrella - the Record and the Northport Observer.  It was a 3/4 page article and it really gave us a lot of glowing compliments.

Now you have to understand, one of the things I'm not very good at doing is "tooting my own horn";

it was probably one of my biggest weaknesses back when I was performing, the business of "the business".  I've always been one to simply do and hope that my efforts are good enough.

Well, it seems that things are starting to happen and folks are starting to take notice.  It seems that the Long Islander also publishes a paper in Dix Hills and one of the Town Councilpeople(?) took notice of it.  As a result, yours truly is going to be honored by the Town of Huntington for our efforts to help Sunrise Day Camp on April 17th!!!!!!!  I'm incredibly grateful to them for this honor and for everyone who has supported us thus far!  I want to invite everyone who lives on Long Island and who supports us to join us at Huntinton Town Hall on April 17th at 7:00 and maybe we'll go out afterwards to Ben and Jerry's to celebrate!  Nothing says support a cyclist like filling him with ice cream!!!!! 

And in the meantime, please do me a favor.  PLEASE help us to spread the word even further so we can get the word out - Invite everyone YOU know on Facebook to go to https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Connors-Army/143446649035655 and add us to their likes.  That goes for friends, colleagues, other facebook pages and groups - everyone you know.  It really would mean a great deal because every person means someone else who might be able to help us spread the world.  Besides, I really am hoping to get 3600 likes by June so I can have one person for each mile I'm riding - YES, I'M DEDICATING A MILE TO EACH PERSON WHO LIKES MY PAGE!  I WANT TO RIDE FOR YOU!!!!!

And now to give you all a little dessert treat in preparation for the April 17th soiree, here is a little song I just found called "I Love My Bike" by Italian hip-hop star J-Ax;



I only wish I knew what he was saying!

Stay well, and I'll see you on the road!