Honorificabilitudinitatibus! - Part Deux

(It's so shinylicious!)

Last week I attended the monthly Town of Huntington Council Meeting and my arrival there found me experiencing an interesting mix of excitation and trepidation on so many different levels.  Let me 'splain.

You see, a few months ago we (I use that to mean Connor's Army, not the empirical "royal" WE) were honored with an article in the Syosset Patch about our (again, I'll explain, I'm not being a royal pain) cross country trip  - http://syosset.patch.com/articles/syosset-teacher-goes-the-distance.  Well, not too long after that article came out, another 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.  Since it also is published in the Dix Hills area, one of the Town of Huntington Councilpersons (Susan Berland) happened to read it and decided to honor Connor's Army with a town proclamation!!!!! 

However, also at this particular Council meeting there was also a protest going on in which many of the members of the community were up in arms about the financial accounting of the Town of Huntington and were demanding an audit of the books.  I was excited about getting the award but very nervous about being trampled on by a rampaging group of conservatives!   I sort of felt like my family and I might end up running for our lives like young Simba;



It was so strange walking in to the place and seeing all of these signs saying "Audit the Books Now" with people wearing shirts that say CSA.  Now I'm from the south and to me CSA means Confederate States of America which I'm pretty sure is not longer in existence - except for those guys who do the reenactments;



(It's just like the clip above, only they're moving slower!)  It should be mentioned here that these are not actors who have been hired for a new Ken Burns movie - these gusy do this for fun - and some people think I'm crazy!!!!  Do they do it for the glory?  Do they do it for the prestige (well, maybe), do they do it for the press coverage?  Do they do it fore the town proclamation?  Do they do it so they can be more Honorificabilitudinitatibus?  I think the honest answer to all of these questions is "NO" they simply do it because they enjoy it, it mkaes them feel good, and they have a calling - though I'm not so sure what that calling is.

I don't know for sure though about THIS version of the CSA but I'm highly suspicious of a group that lists as their internet address the date 1776 and state that "YOU represent the only chance to stop the continued assault on the freedom, innovation, and spirit that made America great. Please join with us -- not to TALK about our problems -- but to finally stand up and ACT!"  Its like they are telling ME that I'm their last great hope!



I don't know about you but that's a lot of pressure for me - I'm glad there is another that the CSA can pin their hopes on!

But once I got over the fear of the maddening hordes of CSAers I was able to relax and enjoy why we were really there.  Councilwoman Berland introduced me at almost the end of all the presentations and I was very appreciative of all her kind words.  It was also very fun to see my friend Stephen Jimenez and Councilman Mark Cuthbertson both of whom I haven't ridden with for a very long time.  I extended an invitation to each of them to ride with me again but so far the phone hasn't rung yet - damn!

In a previous post I introduced to those in Connor's Armydom the word Honorificabilitudinitatibus which can best be defined as "the state of being able to achieve honours". Although many of our better words are complete inventions of my favorite playwright and yours - that of course is William Shakespeare - this one, alas, is not (read further down on the link to see). However, its a great word and the longest word in the English language featuring alternating consonants and vowels

But getting back to the reason for this post.  To be honest, I really didn't feel as if I deserved the accolades.  I know I've written about htis before but I'm goin gto put this out there to all of you right now - the accolades really should go to my wife Amy, my duaghter Sarah and her Sarah's Giving Tree, to all of the people who have fundraised for CARAAM (Connor's Army Ride Across America), to all of the people who have given to Sunrise - really to all of the people who are making the REAL sacrifices.  Especially to those kids who are fighting this disease and hoping for a victory every day!!!!  I'm just riding my bike for 3700 miles - those are the people who are truly putting their bodies through hell in order to get better.

Yes, my friends, THOSE are the people who are truly Honorificabilitudinitatibus - they are the ones who SHOULD be receiving awards.  Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that people are writing about us, honoring us and talking about us and I am trying to do what I can to help the children of Sunrise but without my wife and my family I couldn't do it at all - they TRULY deserve awards. 

Without my wife Amy working so hard to make everything possible, I wouldn't be able to contemplate this cross country ride.  If you want to know the truth, everything wonderful that has happened to me since I stopped my career as a performer (all the awards, accolades, praise, etc.) is really because of her.  Without her there to support me, to raise me up when I'm at my lowest, to accept me (huge San Adreas sized) faults and all, adn to make our life around us possible while I chase these gooses, I couldn't do half of what I've been able to do.  Its said that behind every good man is a better woman - well somehow, someone decided I needed the best, just to pull me out of all the messes I probably would have gotten in without her.

Without my children looking at me with those eyes of love and support - I wouldn't have the strength to get on my bike and train.  When I feel like giving up I remember how proud they are of me that I'm going to do this.  And looking into their eyes and holding them reminds me of how lucky I am that our children are healthy and cancer free.

And the faces of all those who have fought and won, fought and lost, or are still fighting - they all deserve honors and awards, they are the inspiration to keep pedaling.  When I'm cranking up a really steep hill and I think I can't do one more revolution the memory of what they have (or had) gone through reminds me that thsi pain is nothing.

So you see, its all about perception.  I am TRULY grateful for the honors , the articles, and the awards , but it really doesn't feel like it will mean much unless we can raise the money to help the kids of Sunrise - those who are truly Honorificabilitudinitatibus.  They are the ones ALL  the towns and villages of Long Isand should be giving proclamations to. 

But YOU too can be Honorificabilitudinitatibus, by going to this link and giving to help the kids - I'll do the pedaling, it's the easy part!  But you will be truly worthy of honor by helping these kids have the chance to enjoy the kind of life that others do without worry about what tomorrow will bring.
And if you are on Long Island and you REALLY want to help, go to Sarah's Giving Tree and buy some tickets to see 42nd Street  at the John W. Engeman theater in Northport.  Its a great show, a great cause and you'll be making a difference!

I guess in the long run, how worthy and deserving one feels about accolades is all a matter of perception - as is all reality, n'est-ce pas?  And now, your musical dessert - what really is reality?  A fun little video by Jessica Frech;



Stay well folks and I'll see you out on that road (if there really is a road as we perceive it)!

Planning the Trip - Part 2

So yesterday I was reminded of the reality of what I'm going to be doing - I realized that we are only 88 days away from our departure in San Diego.  Only 88 days away from what will probably be the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and my family will be there with me to help me through it.  Although many may look on this as just a middle aged guy checking off something on his "bucket list", its really much more than that.  In the movie The Bucket List Morgan Freeman's character tells a story about how the ancient Egyptions believed at the entrance to heaven a person is asked two questions: "Have you found joy in your life?"; and, "Has your life brought joy to others?".  Their responses determined if they would be allowed to enter heaven.  Of course, he tells it much better (but then again, he IS Morgan Freeman);



And of course, part of the irony is that in this movie his character talks about the questions that would allow one to enter Heaven and in another movie he actually played God;



Yesterday I realized that both of these clips from Mr. Freeman's work are really appropriate for what my family and I are trying to accomplish this summer - we've prayered to be able to make a difference and we're hoping that God will provide us with this opportunity to do so.  I have found so much joy in the health and happiness of my children and now I would like to have the opportunity to bring joy to others.  Now could I do this by teaching at Sunrise for the summer?  Yes, perhaps.  But the chance to be able to make it possible for eight children to attend camp this summer, I think, is the best joy I could bring.

It doesn't matter that I have been looking forward to this for two years, that its something I knew I had to do ever since the 2,000 miles of the original Connor's Army mission.  I reasoned back then that if I could ride 2,000 miles and raise over $10,000 then I should be able to ride 3,700+ miles and raise $50,000.  So now, only 88 days out we find ourselves trying to get all the planning done and begin booking the accomodations we'll need upon the way.  We're still working on adjusting the route in regard to where we stay as we find motel and hostel availability.  We are hoping to connect with people we know along the way who might let us stay on their floor/couch/lounge chairs, whatever.  For instance, we've adjusted the first day from 50 miles to 80 miles so we can actually stay in a place where we might have a chance to eat dinner.

Now don't get me wrong, we are not looking at this as a luxery vacation for the family that we can hide in the mantle of doing good for others.  The whole point of this is to spend as little money as possible, especially since all the family's costs are coming out of our own pockets.  And, the more we save, the more we can use those sponsorship monies as more funds to add to the monies we are trying to raise for Sunrise.  If we can reach our fundraising goal AND add another couple of thousand dollars on top of that, it would be a dream come true.  The more money we can raise for Sunrise the better.  Its part of the reason that my daughter Sarah is using her thirteenth birthday as an opportunity to fundraise for Sunrise.  She really feels that she wants to celebrate this important turning point in her life giving to others.  Part of the way we want to reward her for what she is doing is that we are going to try to get to San Diego early enough so that we can spend her birthday at the San Diego Zoo.  Its sort of a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to take her there so we've been saving up to take her before I start pedaling east on the 23rd. 

With that in mind I'm still trying to work out the kinks on the bike.  As you may know, I'm not spending money on a fancy bike to carry my butt across the country.  I'm using a fifteen year old steel frame I dug out of the trash one day on a drive in to work.  I've upgraded it as much as I have been able to afford using gift cards received at birthdays and holidays, buys on e-bay, parts I've cannibalized from road finds, and deals I've been able to get from my sponsors at Adams Cyclery of parts that have come off of other bikes as people have upgraded.  I've got a little more tweaking to do but once I have everything dialed in I will get it tuned up at Adams and we're ready to go.  I still need to fix the gearing a bit and I've just upgraded my saddle to one I had been using on my mountain bike (its got more padding for my tushy) so now I just need to ride.

And that's the next step of my planning is to get my fitness level up.  I'm averaging 18 mph on a fifteen mile ride in to school and I can generally average 17.5 mph over a 30 mile course of rolling hills.  Now if I can build on that over the break next week I may have a good solid core.  And that's the difference between training for what I'm doing and training with the HBC guys on the weekend.  I'd love to join them but many of them are really about hammering it out and basically making the rides a team time trial and I really need to get my body used to maintaining a steady 17 - 18 mph pace for longer distances than just 30 miles (which is when they usually stop).  As we get closer to June 15 (my last day at school) I'll start taking the REALLY long way home and try to log in as close to 40 miles as I can.  I'll have to work on climbing hills and trying to maintain a steady tempo up hills like this up Snake Hill Road in Lloyd Harbor, NY;


View Larger Map

Just follow it on up and check out the switch back that is oh, so much fun!!!!!!

Amy and I area also in the process of trying to get a few more sponsor to help us purchase supplies that we'll need for the journey - we're hoping someone can help us gather together the things we'll be needing (3 tires, 6 tubes, 6 spokes - three for each of the two types of wheels I'm taking, 4 derailleur cables, 4 brake cables, degreaser, a spare nine-speed chain, brake pads) basically the replacement parts that we'll be hauling with us (hence the need for a van and a support driver) in case I break down in the middle of nowhere.
But the closer we get to the event, the more excited and scared I get.  My biggest fear is that my body will give out somewhere along the route and I'll feel as if I have let the kids of Sunrise down.  My greatest hope is that this turns out to be a jounrey without problems and that I will find joy in it and bring joy to others at the same time.  If I can manage to reach my goal and indeed raise $50,000 then I will feel that I have done some good in this life.
And now, since its been so long since I've actually posted a music video - this is the official video for a song that I plan on choreographing to for this year's Spring dance concert - Panic! At the Disco performing "The Ballad of Mona Lisa".  And for those of you who are fans of the Steampunk look - enjoy!!!!!!


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