For This Let Us Be Truly Thankful!

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.”   -Buddha

And that in a nutshell is something for all of us to be thankful for of all the things that could happen to us - we're here and we're able to express our thankfulness.

Now granted, in honor of the holiday I could have posted a picture such as this one to express my thoughts for the season;

(Ready for the town line sprint!)

Or I could have gone old school and used this one;

(And we can't even train the cat to use the litter box 100% of the time!)

But I found the quote about Buddha and I thought that since it was more non-denominational that it would work for this post.

Tomorrow (or today, depending on when you're reading this - perhaps after your evening meal?) most of us in this country will be celebrating Thanksgiving that wonderful day of familial bacchanalian delight!  But its so interesting that though many people know about the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe setting down to break bread (deer, corn, fish and other items of bounteousness) they don't know about the rest of the story.  Fortunately, our friends at History.com can help us out - just click here.  And they also put out this great video;



Or this version from Scholastic.com;



Or, there is this interesting and amusing little vignette;



But what it all boils down to after the commercialism and the Macy's Day Parade and the sales is that this is really a holiday for us to take just a moment in our busy lives and remind ourselves of all we should be thankful for.  Buddha, being the wise and enlightened being that he was, managed to distill what to be thankful for into three points;

1)  Be thankful that we learned something, even if it was only a little bit;
2) We're not sick;
3)  We're not dead.

That pretty much covers it.  And yet, that doesn't seem to be enough somehow.  My friend Stephen Mosher (click on the link you can learn all about him) has been doing something on facebook for the last month in which he has been posting every day something for which he is grateful.  They have been uplifting, enlightening and thoughtul posts and I have looked forward to reading them every single day.

In the Northport Connor household we do something every single evening at the dinner table - we share one thing we are grateful for from all the things that have happened during the day.  At our annual Thanksgiving feast, which is usually held at Mark and Laura's house in New Jersey, we also go around the table and share something we are grateful for from the previous year.

Yet one grateful does not seem to be enough.  So in honor of the holiday and in the spirit of Thankfulness I would like to offer my own Stephen Mosher inspired list of things for which I am grateful this year;

24)  Facebook - As silly as it may seem to be grateful for this "addiction" it has been a very important part of my life this year.  No, I don't have a smart phone and I don't post updates every three minutes (I actually have a ten-year-old flip phone that was a hand me down from my mother-in-law) and I try not to post "amusing" things like, "sitting on bus next to a really fat guy who stinks - help me!" but I have used it to reconnect with so many old friends and to share important moments in my life.  It also helps me keep up on all the doings of some of my favorite people - but more about that later.

23)  That I live in America - It seems trivial but its true.  Although I sometimes fantasize about retiring to the Netherlands or Belgium (for the cycling culture) or even Ireland (for the music), I'm grateful to live in a country that gives me the rights that I have.  Although it seems many people take these freedoms for granted, I'm grateful to live where we can disagree with the policies of the government and not be jailed.  Even if it means listening to ludicrous statements like this from those who seek to lead our country;



22)  Politician who follow their conscience - I'm primarily referring to politicians like Governor Andrew Cuomo, State Senator Mark Grisanti, State Senator Carl Kruger, President Barack Obama and all of those whom we have elected that forget about their reputations in order to try to do the right thing.  In a year that has seen our national government gridlocked by petty politics, I am so grateful to have lived to witness the legalization of Gay Marriage in New York State;



21)  The best job in the world - I am so grateful to have a job that is secure, that provides health care and that still inspires me to be better.  Yes, it has its frustrating moments but what aspect of life doesn't.  I get to work with the best kids in the world who are so passionate about what they do and the art they create.  They inspire me to be a better teacher, director and father and they provide my own children with such amazing role models.  How could I ask for more.

20)  My wife performing again - yes, she has been doing it off and on since we moved out here but lately she has been getting calls left and right to do shows and now (as I write this) she is in rehearsals for a production of A Wonderful Life at a theater that is a six minute walk from our house.  We hope that this leads to more engagements at the John W. Engeman Theater.  As tiring as the rehearsal process has been on her, to see her happy about performing again makes me so glad.

19)  Beer - It seems silly but it is one of the things I'm grateful for.  I don't drink it all the time but hey, I like the taste and as Benjamin Franklin once said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy"!

18) My friends and colleagues at Syosset High School - Okay, so I have never been someone to have a ton of friends.  In my entire life I have usually only had one or two close friends that I could always count on and those were the ones I usually hung around with - Ed Trevorrow, Chris Wilmoth, Mike Shef, Eric Folkerth (who was also my boss) and others.  Its no diferent at work.  Becuase I'm almost a one-man theatre department I tend to spend a lot of time alone.  This year I have made a conscious effort to try to reach out and socialize with my fellow teachers more.  I've tried to talk more to my stalwart, brilliant, resourceful and patient set designer Pete Haughwout; my former SDL compatriot/set constructor Craig Mooers and this year I've tried to branch out even more.  I've gone riding with Dave Steinberg and had lots of conversations about Connor's Army with Rich Faber, Shai Fischer and Steve Tozer.  It feels so good to talk to someone other than teenagers.

17)  Coffee! - Yes, although I'm decaffeinated (mostly) I love the flavor of coffee and the hot cup that I have in the mornings always hits the spot.  Of course, sometimes I cheat and add some REAL coffee in the mix and the resulting jolt is so much fun!

16)  Riding my bike in the rain - Okay, so I don't pretend that all of my gratefuls are going to be esoteric and profound.  I'm just grateful to feel the wind on my face and the rain coming down.  I don't like cold rain as much but there is something that always manages to take me back to being a little kid and riding in summer rain showers that I feel every single time I ride in the rain - even when my butt is squishy from the water.  Today I went for a 20 mile ride in the rain and the feeling hit me again - it never fails.

15)  Working at Sunrise Day Camp  - Sunrise Day Camp is the only day camp dedicated to serving children with cancer and their families and a place where I have spent the last two summers teaching Drama and Dance.  As tiring as it can be sometimes (both physically and emotionally) I have grown so much as a result of my working there.  I have witnessed the power of these children to bounce back from what many older people would consider an instant death sentence and yet they continue to embrace life and sieze the day for all its worth.  Its because of them that I decided to spend the summer of 2012 riding across America to raise enough money to let eight more children fighting cancer experience this joy for themselves.

14)  Our new sprinkler system - Yes, it seems like an indulgent luxury but its really not.  We're not rolling in money but we took some of the money from my bike accident in the summer of 2010 and we decided to have an in-ground sprinkler system put in.  You see, to me part of having a home is having a lawn (and my Long Island raised wife ridicules me for this "obsession" as she calls it) and I've never been able to keep it watered properly .  Invariably I let it (cause it?) die every single year.  This summer will be worse since we won't be living here - this sprinkler system will hopefully ensure that I still have a lawn when I return from our trek.

13)  My mechanical aptitude - One of the things my father always insisted on teaching me is how to be self sufficient when it came to taking care of cars, our house, the lawn.  Growing up we never had the money to pay for a lawn service, plumber, carpenter/handy man, and rarely a mechanic.  Watching my dad I learned how to do certain things and to do them right.  As I became a homeowner that became imporant since living in an old house means there is always something that needs to be fixed.  This has also been important to me as a cyclist since I can't afford to take my bike to the mechanic all the time.  With the right books and the right tools I have learned to be my own mechanic (98% of the time) and have been able to start a project called RECycle for Sunrise to help raise money for our cross country fund raising event and for Sunrise Day Camp.  I can completely strip a bike, true wheels, and put it all back together - and it will still run.

12)  Living in Northport - As conservative as this little village can somtimes be, I'm so glad that we live here on Main Street in a town that has parades, concerts in the park and where you can walk down town or go to the grocery store and see people you know.  We live a ten minute walk from the water and we can bicycle to the park and lay on the grass.  There are ice cream shops and general stores and family nights in the summer where they close the street for a big block party.  This Friday we are going to the tree lighting and Sarah is lighting the tree!  And this is where my children are growing up - a Norman Rockwell painting come to life;

(It may not be as snowy but this could be Northport if you squint your eyes and turn your head just so)

11)  My Inspirations in life - Through the years they have changed depending on what I was doing and who/what I wanted to be - Mikhael Baryshnikov, Paul Taylor, Mario Siletti, Twyla Tharp, Laurence Olivier, Johnny Depp, Dan Gable, Gene Kelly, Ed Kresley, Kevin Bacon, Lance Armstrong (yeah, yeah, I know), Eric Clapton, Lund Sox, Mike Ockrent - these are only a few of the people that I have tried to emulate in my life.  Although I could never even hope to get close to their greatness (although I did double date with Gene Kelly once - do you remember that Shannon?), in my zeal to be like them I found myself pushing myself to be better and because of that I accomplished so many things in my life.  I don't always talk/brag about them but they shaped who I am and I'm grateful for that.

10)  Everyone I ever met in my life - Yes, I know its very esoteric but I have been shaped by all of those who have come into my life and as a result I am who I am and I am in the place where I should be.  Meeting each of you and interacting with you has shaped me in miniscule ways the way the gently lapping waves eventually shape the largest stones on the shore.  I have become who I am becuase of you and I am grateful for that.

9)  Joey Patton - It may seem odd that I put one particular person down as someone/something for which I am grateful but if it wasn't for this man I would not be where I am in life right now - I truly believe that.  I answered an ad in Backstage for dancers who could sing who were needed for a production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.  Up until that point I had all of two musicals under my belt - being more of a concert dancer.  Joey saw something in me and when my friend James Heatherly's agent managed to knock him out of the role, Joey offered it to me.  Becuase of that role I obtained my Equity card and I met the person who would become my best friend, my partner and my wife.  That role also opened up doors for what would eventually become my performing career.  If it wasn't for him, I can't imagine what my life would be like now.

8)  Everyone who has supported Connor's Army - From the sponsors to the riders in the various Victory Rides, from those who have donated to any of our fundraising events to each and every person who has added our Connor's Army facebook page to their likes.  Your support and your belief in the value of what we/I am trying to do is what keeps me going.  There have been some dark times in the last year where I really began to fall into despair and wonder if I would ever be able to do this but then support would come from an unforseen quarter and I would be revived.  We still need sponsors to help us cover the costs of our cross country ride but I do believe that will come from somewhere - because your support has given me the faith that it will happen.

7)  Black Betty and Black Pearl - I'm just grateful that I have not one but two bicycles that I can still manage to climb on to and find my purpose.  Although my body is not what it used to be and all the dance injuries are beginning to creep up on me - I can climb on one of these beauties and  work through my problems, find inspiration, and put things into perspective - just keep pedaling!

6)  My family - Not my immediate family, three of whom are sleeping upstairs and one of which is rehearsing downtown - but those who raised me, grew up with me and who came back  into my life at the age of 38.  We don't get to see each other as often as we would like but you are always a part of me and you have made me who I am.  My values are because of you, my intelligence and natural gifts are becuase of you, my DNA is becuase of you.  I love you all and without you I would be incomplete.

5)  My father - Yes, I know technically he is part of the grateful above but my father deserves to be thanked on his own.  Whenever I think of my father I find myself constantly thinking of the song "The Leader of the Band".  In particular I think of the lyrics, "he earned his love through discipline, a thundering velvet hand/and his gentle means of sculpting souls took me years to understand".  My father has had his flaws but he was the best father I could ever have hoped for.  He was a career military man and he taught me by example the importance of honor, of keeping your word, and of working for something that was higher and bigger than yourself.  As a kid, even though he was a single father working two jobs (his job as a Sargeant in the Army and as a night janitor), he found time to be active in the Y-Indian Guides with me, assistant coach my Little League team (I wasn't very good) and be a den leader for our Weblo den.  As I write this he is in the early stages of Parkinson's and yet he finds time to be a Eucharistic Minister for the homebound taking the sacrament of communion to those who can't make it to mass.  He has never done anything for accolades or pride, except the pride in doing his best.  I am grateful to be my father's son.

	leader of the band dan fogelberg.mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

4)  My family's Health - I'm spending next summer riding in support of children who are fighting cancer and I constantly ride with the list of those who are fighting the disease, have won the fight, or have lost the fight in my head.   Three of my four sisters are survivors.  My mothers are survivors.  My father is fighting Parkinson's.  And yet I am grateful that my wife and children have all been spared the ravages of anything more than a cold and allergies.  I am grateful that I don't have to worry about their medications or if they'll make it to their next birthday.  They are all healthy and I can sleep knowing they're okay.

3)  Reconnecting with my friends - This year has been an incredible year thanks to the miracle of Facebook (see #24 above).  I have reconnected with dear friends that I had drifted away from because of time and distance and I'm so glad they are back in my life.  Friends like Pat Dwyer and Stephen Mosher whose wedding on the beach we attended and who were so amazing in supporting Sarah as she stood in front of 600+ people to give a thank you speech for winning the AFP's Philanthropy Day Leaders of Tomorrow Award.  You have both been so incredibly supportive of my family and we love you so much!  So supportive that your current profile pictures are you with my children!  Friends like Marci Reid, Laurelle Rethke (Auntie Laurelle!), James Heatherly and others of the "Texas Mafia".  Friends like Shannon McNulty Burwell - the object of my double date with Gene Kelly and the list goes on.  Being able to "talk" to you via FB reminds me of who I am, where I've come from, and what it means to be part of larger community. 

2)  My Children - It is not always easy to be the father of a "tween" but when she looks at you and says, "I'm so glad your my dad" it makes your heart melt and you thank God for life and for the fact that you must have done something right to deserve that moment.  I am so proud of Sarah and all that she has accomplished this year.  She has received so many awards and accolades this year for her environmental and fundraising work and yet she has managed to stay humble and truly cognizant of what they all mean.  She has also managed to maintain her curiosity and wonder.  She is truly growing up to be a beautiful young lady.  My boys can be rambunctious but they are my pride and joys and I couldn't be prouder to be their daddy.  Their passion for life and the friendship they share with each other is something I never had growing up since my sisters were so much younger than me.  They are truly each other's best friend and I'm so glad to see they are growing up as truly kind and caring young men.  They remind me of what it means to be a gentleman and a "gentle man".

1)  My Wife - Amy is my best friend, my soul mate, me right hand, my everything.  Some sort of convergence occured to bring us together (see the note about Joey Patton above) and my life has been magical ever since.  Yes, we've had some very hard times due to all of the infertility we expereinced and we have our dark periods even now.  But I could not imagine my life without her by my side.  Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and just gaze at her sleeping face until I fall asleep.  Every day I wake up grateful for the beautiful woman beside me and for the amazing family she has given me.  I don't know what I did in another life to deserve her (if you believe in the teachings of Buddha) but I am grateful for whatever it was I did to draw her to me and to keep her by my side.

	Tracy Byrd - The Keeper Of The Stars .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

And that my friends is my list of gratefuls for this year.  I thank you if you made it this far and I thank you for being part of my life - I guess I have yet one more grateful after all!

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

I'm Not Worthy!

(I genuflect before your kindnesses)

For those of you who are new to Connor's Army I want to thank you for believing enough in us to have made it this far.  If you're reading this I'm going to assume (of course we all know that its a dangerous proposition to do so) that you are here because of the post on facebook.  You may have added us to your likes becuase a friend of yours invited you.  You may have added us becuase you saw a post I placed on another page's wall.  You may have added us because your a friend of mine and you responded to the event I placed on facebook.  You may have added us becuase you are one of my Thespians, a family member of one of my Thespians, or a friend of a Thespian.  Or, you may have added us becuase you saw the ad I placed in program for The Complete History of America (abridged).

However you got here I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  I wish there was a way that I could see each and every one of you and let you know how much your support means to me because I was beginning to lose hope.  To those of you who are new to Connor's Army - thank you for joining our fight.  For those of you who have been a supporter from the beginning (yes, I'm talking to you Justin Tasolides who started the first facebook group so long ago) thank you for staying with us!

Now, for those of you who have read my posts in their semi-regularly schedule you know that I sometimes tend to ramble and go off on stream-of-conscious tangents or I insert lots of amusing (at least I find them to be so) youtube videos and music clips.  For instance this one;



And that's truly the way I'm feeling right now because if you're reading this from one of the above mentioned sources, you're one of (as of this writing) 1,121 people who like our Connor's Army facebook page.    Of course, if you're not one of the 1,121, why not?  You can click on the link above and add us to your likes right now.  Go ahead, I'll wait;



Did you do it?  Thank you!

So many of you may have joined the Connor's Army facebook page but you don't really know much about us and that's really what this post is all about.  You may have joined because you're good friends with someone and they said, "hey, my high school theatre teacher has the facebook page and you should like it becuase I do" or something to that effect.  And because of your friendship with that person (or one of my entreaties) you've joined but you're not sure what we're about.  Well, I think its about time you knew my story.

For as long as I can remember I’ve been riding bikes and enjoying the freedom they give me. I wish I could say I still ride the old faithful cruiser of my youth but, alas, it has gone the way of most of the other bikes I’ve owned in my life – “lost in transit.”

You see, I grew up traveling around the country and the world as an “Army brat”. Although we did enjoy one long spell in California, as a career Army man my father received moving orders every three years. Inevitably in the move things would be lost – electric basses, favorite clothes, stamp collections, books – and most often it was my bike.

In 40+ years of riding (and who knows how many miles) I’ve only owned two brand new bikes. One was a golden Italian five-speed that gleamed in the California sun and that I promptly crashed into a parked car on the first day in a “look at me, I’m riding a big bike” moment. The other was a black 1989 Peugeot hybrid I bought for myself to get around my college campus, which was stolen after only three months of owning it.

Fast forward to six years ago.  Stilly mechanically minded and still not living in the lap of luxury (I’m a high school teacher with three kids) I found myself needing a bike.  As it turned out I found a discarded Diamondback Allure frame in a pile of garbage by the side of the road.  It had flat bars, the derailleurs and shifters were trashed, the rims were bent and the seat was missing.  Suddenly, I had a mission, like the bionic man we could make it faster, stronger, better than it ever was.  I began commuting from my home in Northport to Syosset where I work - a distance of between 13 and 20 miles each way - depending on which route I take. 

I started doing this fairly regularly and then I found I needed ankle reconstruction surgery.  As part of my rehab I hooked my bike up in the basement and rode for hours on end trying to get my ankle strength and stability back.  And then everything changed.

Until 2005 my life, I guess like so many other people’s, had been touched by cancer in only distant ways - a grandmother who died when I was a toddler, a rarely seen great-uncle, my Amy's mother’s friend.  Even when my biological mother went through her own bout with cancer it was before she re-entered my life in my adulthood, so I learned of it merely as a past occurrence.

Then my wife’s Grandmother Mina died of cancer … and his uncle … and his wife’s aunt … and a close colleague.

And then what I thought would be unthinkable happened.

In 2005 my sister Winona, a single mother raising two children, was diagnosed with cancer. Soon afterwards my sister Angela was diagnosed with a different cancer. In 2006 I got word that my youngest sister TaMara had cancer at the age of 28, and just before Christmas that same year my mother developed a rare and aggressive form of melanoma.  To say I was overwhelmed and more than a little pissed off would be an understatement.

Now all of my instincts as a big brother and a son were to fight the enemy and beat it for them - to do something, anything but sit on my ass.   But I couldn’t - this was a battle they had to win on their own.  And they did.

Nonetheless, I felt helpless and impotent as they struggled valiantly to conquer the disease. I just felt like I needed to do more than simply sit by and wait for news to come that things were going to be alright. I needed to do more than just offer emotional support. I needed to do more than wish that there was something I could do.  I needed to take action.

So I turned to one of the things I knew best and began plans for his own kind of war - a peaceful one waged on a bicycle.  Yes, I suppose I could have organized a benefit dance concert.  Something that would happen once or, if I were lucky, could happen on a yearly basis.  A dance concert for life as it were.  As someone who has been dancing since my late teens I first thought of that option.  But I also realized that in fighting this disease my loved ones had indeed gone through a lot of pain and suffering - in order to truly help them I needed to also go through something to feel what they were feeling.

From the time I was a teenager facing the constant displacement of an army brat, my bicycle had always been the place I felt most at peace, the place I could really think through whatever life threw at him. Now I decided to use it fight the disease that was attacking MY family.

And Connor’s Army was born.

Of course, I'm not a pro. At the time I was riding for fun and exercise, occasionally joining the local Huntington Bicycle Club for weekend 50-milers or their annual century. I also knew that I couldn’t afford to leave my job to do a several thousand mile fundraiser. So instead I pledged to ride my bike to work and dedicate this daily commute to raising funds for the American Cancer Society in gratitude of the fact that it was through research and tests that came about as a result of ACS funding that allowed my family to win their battle with this damn disease.

I rode in all kinds of weather, got hit by a van (on the same day as the prom - which I was attending as a chaperone), and did a lot of thinking. People kept thanking me, often telling me about someone they loved who was also fighting cancer; and I began keeping a list of all the people I was riding for as the miles slowly added up.

By December 31, 2007, with 53 names on what we now call The List, I'd cycled 2,154 commuting miles and raised a bit over $12,000 for ACS. In addition my eight-year-old daughter Sarah had started her own fundraising campaign, Connor's Army Junior, and raised an additional $1,000 for ACS.

In the fall of 2008 Syosset High School dedicated their annual homecoming week school walk-a-thon to a place I had never heard of - Sunrise Day Camp.  I became intrigued by this camp and what they were doing for children.  Unfortunately, by the time I found out all about the camp I had already made plans to work at another day camp as a drama specialist.  However, I kept finding myself drawn to this camp and what they were doing.  I found that it's a very special place where children with cancer and their siblings can come free of charge to enjoy a summer filled with fun, friendship, and activities - things often denied them by the demands of their medical condition. At Sunrise they can escape the waiting rooms, the lab work, the check-ups, and the chemo-therapy; and simply be children in the sun.

And finally, in the summer of 2010 I began working at Sunrise Day Camp.  Working with the children there and getting to know their families has affected me deeply.  Seeing the joy these children feel at just being able to be a regular kid, not "the kid with cancer".  Being able to attend a camp where no one gives them a second look because they've lost their hair or because they have a stint in their chest.  Having a five-year-old kiss me on the head on my last day of dance class with her and thank me for playing with her for the summer. 

Watching these children go through a battle even adults find it difficult to face is both heartbreaking and inspiring. But I have seen with my own eyes the difference this special place makes in lives filled with pain and uncertainty. I have seen the joy spread across the face of a fourteen-year-old who has never really swam before finally (after weeks of constant, daily and frustrating work) being able to go up to "the deep pool" with the rest of his teenage friends.  I have seen kids who have never acted before find their dramatic voice and discover they really are good at this drama thing. 

And by the end of that summer a plan had begun to form in my mind - and now as a result we are well on our way an even more ambitious ride than the first one.  To help this camp I'm going to do one of the things I do best.....ride my bicycle!

	Queen - Bicycle Race .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

During the summer of 2012, with my family as my support team and (HINT, HINT) the occasional riding partners, I'll be cycling 3,600 miles across America to spread the word about Sunrise and help raise much-needed funds to keep up their year-round programming.

My fundraising goal? $50,000!  Enough to send eight kids with cancer to eight weeks of camp!

I'm not naive - I know I can’t compete with people who raise millions of dollars for cancer research, but this coming summer I'm doing what I can to fight the war against cancer one mile at a time ... all 3,600 miles of it between California and New York!

I'm looking for sponsors and I'm hoping to connect with people who can help me raise the funds to send these kids to camp.  Anyone interested in helping can go to the Connor's Army Ride Across America link on the Sunrise web site and contribute online.  Or sponsors can contact us through our web site at http://www.connorsarmy.org/.    Any money that sponsors give us to underwrite the cost of this event will be used only for gas, lodging and food for me.  The support team will be paying their own expenses.

And I'm not doing it on some super fancy bike like the one the writer from the New York Times used on his recent trip.   No, I'll be riding on a steel frame bike I dug out of the trash six years ago.  As time has gone by I’ve engaged in more dumpster diving, e-bay purchasing (much to the chagrin of my wife) and online mega bike stores to create my current “Frankenbike”, affectionately known as Black Pearl because she’s completely black and, like the ship in the “Pirates” movies, she’s not pretty but she’s fast.   She’s my main commuter bike, and I would say in the last six years I’ve probably put on 7,000 miles on her commuting the 25 mile round trip between my home and school. 

(Steel is Real - and Black Pearl is going to make it 3600 miles!)

And I won't be staying in fancy hotels.  We're hoping to get Motel 6 or someone like that donate some nights.  We're hoping to sleep on the couches of friends (and maybe facebook supporters?) along the way.  We'll stay in hostels and we'll camp out in our tent - whatever we need to do to keep the costs down.

Because whatever we get from sponsors that we don't use - we're going to add it on top of the pledges we get for Sunrise - sort of like the cherry on top!

So that is my story.  Again, I want to thank you from the bottom of my soul for liking us, supporting us, believing in our mission to help these kids and for making more of a difference in my life than you will ever really, truly know.

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

Caps......make that bikes.....for sale!

So I've been working lately on a side venture to support Connor's Army and by extension Sunrise Day Camp.  Its called RECycle for Sunrise and what I do is take old bicycles, fix them up and sell them to either help sponsor the cross country ride or to go towards the $50,000 we're trying to raise for the camp.

I don't know how many of you remember this sweet little tale but Caps for Sale was always a favorite of our kids when they were much smaller.  If you don't remember this sweet little tale, here it is for you.  I find it better to put on my snuggly pajamas and grab a mug of hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows while I enjoy it.  Wait a minute...............okay, I'm back and ready so here goes;



Of course this is not to be confused with that other children's novel "Cats for Sale";



Or (slightly less cute) "Crabs for Sale";



But if you want completely (and somewhat nausiatingly so) cute, there is always, "Kitten Falls Asleep";



And then we run into the problem that once the kitten falls asleep, what  do we do when said kitty has a nightmare?  You give it a hug of course!



And then there is the problem of trying to transport ducks for sale.  I mean sure they can walk themselves but what happens when the elements get to be too much for them?



Of course the entire problem of trying to peddle cats or crabs (or ducks) from town to town is trying to get them to stay on your head as you carefully walk along.  Even if they fall asleep, trying to get them to stay up there is a real pain! 

Now what many of you might not know is that I used to be a big baseball cap wearer.  Not that the baseball caps were big, I just used to wear them all the time when not teaching class.  And as much as I'm a big baseball cap wearer, I don't have quite the collection that anyone would want to purchase (although my wife does want me to get rid of about half of them) so instead of caps I sell my bikes.  And let me tell you, parting with one of my metallurgical steeds is not easy!

But I began listing them on Craigslist to see if I could interest anyone in a good quality used bike.  Most of them are bikes like this;

(all it needs is you!)

And so far I've managed to sell six bicycles and have raised over $250 in money that will go to help sponsor our trip.  I get theses bikes either as cast offs that I see on the side of the road (I have a great GT Tempest that fits that category), that friends have donated (I have a 1970 Schwinn Breeze and a 1980's Univega road bike from that source) or sometimes total strangers give them to us (the Trek above is part of that category as is a Trek 820 Antelope, a Columbia Road Bike) and I spend hours, days, weeks fixing them up.  Some are straight forward and simple adjustments.  Some, like the Schwinn Breeze you see here;

(all it needs is you!)

need lots of work as they are covered in rust and oxidation.  It doesn't mean they're junk, they've just been unused and unloved for far too long!

All in all, I have five bikes I'm working on right now including Amy's bicycle - a 1970's Raleigh Sprite which looks something like this;

(all it needs is - yes, you guessed it, Amy!)

the only problem is that as much as I like vintage, I'm working on "pimping" her ride so I can update some of the componentry.  Since my darling wife is not a much of a cyclist as the rest of the family, I want to make it as easy on her as possible!

Another project that I'm saving for those cold winter months is my father-in-laws bicycle a 1950's era Schwinn New World.  I don't have pictures of that bike available but it looks something like this one;

(could this be YOUR cool, hip, retro bike?)

and its in really good condition except it needs a THOROUGH cleaning!  It hasn't been ridden in fifty years and it has been hanging in their garage for about 40+ years.   When I did a similar treatment to my mother-in-laws bike (which we are not sellign by the way - 12-year-old Sarah has CLAIMED it!) I had to take it completely apart because all the grease had turned the consistency of parafin.  But he donated it to the cause and I'm hoping to get it all cleaned up and rideable and hopefully I'll find the perfect home for it!

Now I wish I were able to do something like this;

That is a top of the line Time road bike with top shelf componentry!  But the most impressive thing is the work space these guys have - look at all those shelves (not to mention the FOUR bicyle helmets this guy has!) and that space and enough room to move around.  Me, I'm relegated to my little corner of the basement known as my "man cave".  Its small and cramped and I have crap everywhere.  But, I still manage to crank out a few refurbished bikes or two a week.  Its fun and its a cool hobby, although I don't think I could ever make enough money to support myself at it.  Of course I do sometimes daydream about leaving it all behind and getting a bike mechanic job, I don't think I really want to relocate my entire family to Hong Kong to do it.

So, if you live on Long Island and you're reading this blog and you have an old bicycle languishing in your basement, shed, attic, back yard or wherever, drop me a line at syossetact@aol.com and I'll come and take it off your hands - it could end up with a new home and helping us reach our sponsorship goal so we can help the kids of Sunrise!  Or, if you're willing to pay me to fix your bike - I can do that too - and the money will go to the Connor's Army Cross Country Ride for Sunrise fund!

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

Back in Black (With a Vengeance)

Okay, so today I finally got on my bike after a week of inactivity.  This was due to a variety of reasons - 1) my little germ monster (William) got me sick with his chest cold; 2) too many errands I had to run to and from (and after) work that I needed to haul things in my car; and 3) excruciating pain in my back which I finally had taken care of yesterday!  I guess you can tell I'm feeling better because I am posting two days in a row!

Well, after my *whispered* "procedure" my doctor told me after laying flat on my back and drinking caffeinated beverages for the remainder of the day, I could resume "normal" activities today.  And for me that means - RIDING MY BIKE!!!!

So, to the strains of AC/DC's "Back in Black";

	AC/DC - Back In Black .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

 I started my ride.  And since today I was riding "Black Betty" instead of "The Black Pearl", I next listened to "Black Betty" by Ram Jam;

	Ram Jam - Black Betty .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

 And I was pumped!  First off, part of the reason for all the "black" theme songs is that its getting to that time of year when we'll have to set our clocks back for "daylight savings time"

which pretty much applies to everyone who doesn't live in Arizona or Hawaii.

But in experienced this morning's ride I was able to see so much that truly made me appreciate life:  The pinkish blue interspersed with the whispy white of the clouds as the dawn errupted across the sky; the dew dappled grass of the suburban lawns; the crisp breeze as it brushed across my face;  the sight of light just breaking across an American flag in front of the fire station; and even the stench of someone's cigar (how can anyone smoke those things at 6:45 in the morning????) that seemed to linger for 1/8 of a mile as I rode along towards school.  It made me feel so grateful to be alive to experience these things. 

In fact, it made me feel a littel like Mr. Weenie from Open Season as he charged down the hill towards the hunters!!!!   You have to go to about 1:11 to get to the part I'm talking about, "I feel Alive!!!!" (it comes right after, "move your wee pudgy legs!")

And that made me so grateful to be alive - to be able to ride my bike again without much pain and to experience these things again.  For a while there I have been really worried if I'll be able to do the cross country ride.  I was frightened that I'd have to have back surgery that would keep me from riding for six months and not allow me the opportunity to train for the event.

But it seems like the injections work and that after the next two (yeah, I know - YIKES!!!!) should eradicate the problem completely!!!!  I mean some of the old "crunchiness" is coming back for the instability but I don't feel the same kind of pain that I did before.  Of course, that may all change after I spend the night in  a sleeping bag on the floor of The Cradle of Aviation Museum with my twins' Cub Scout Troop!  It could be worse, I could be spending my seventh week of sleeping on the ground and in all conditions at Occupy Wall Street!!!!  I have a friend who has been there for a while (kudos to you Laurelle!) and while I agree with their message, I hope that someone really hears them and acts upon it - sort of like I'm hoping someone will hear me and act upon our mission to cross America on bicycle to help change the lives of eight children!

So that's where we are dear readers.  Its Friday, I'm heading out on my bike to go join my boys for an evening of fun at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, the sun is shining, its 52 degrees and there is a 23 mph wind blowing in from the North (okay, that parts not so good).  But in the words of Mr. Weenie, "I FEEEELLLL ALLLLIVVVVVVEEEEEEE!!!!!!"

So keep the faith, Occupy My Blog, and I'll See You on the Road!!!!

Bionic (sort of?) Cyclist

Before I go into today's long overdue post I just want to get something off my chest, and please forgive me for shouting - THIS BLOG HAS HAD OVER 9,000 VIEWS!!!!!!!!!!  I want to thank each and every one of you who has ever read and/or viewed my blog - it means that what I write is reaching someone.

And now back to the post.  Okay, so today I had to go for a "procedure".  For those of you who are familiar with Brighton Beach Memoirs you may want to whisper the fact that I have a "condition"



Yes, apparently on top of my "asthma", "reconstructed ankle", and "sleep apnea" I have a "herniated disc" which has necessitated my having a "procedure" called a Lumbar Spine Epidoral Cortizone Steroid Injection (it sounds so much better when you whisper it);



Apparently, my "condition" is not that unusual in men ages 30 - 50  (although I think my doctor said something about 70% of men may experience one age 35+) and only a small percentage of patients (something like 10%) will need corrective surgery.  So, I don't need surgery but I'm having this "procedure".

Now, I've known about it for a few weeks but we only scheduled it a week ago which sort of sucks because it means all of those wonderful anti-inflammatory drugs that were keeping my "condition" in check started wearing off.  Apparently, anti-inflammatories are cummulative (which is why we have to take them twice a day for like ever) so since I stopped taking them I've been feeling the pain pretty much all the time.  As a matter of fact, yesterday I walked into the main office at school and my Assistant Principal said, "what's wrong, you look like shit!" - ahhhhh, you have to love Ray Gessner.

So all the research and studies seem to indicate that after my shot I should feel much better.  It should at least relieve the tightness in the muscles of my lower back and right gluteous maximus (latin for big butt) that I feel fairly constantly.  So the big question is will it turn me into the Steve Austin of cyclists?



Well, probably not.  But I should be better, stronger, faster than I have been in a long, long while.

Of course, we're really not sure what caused it so I can't really say for sure how to keep it from happening again.  One theory is that is simply a genetic break down of my spine (apparently I also have something called sacralization and a fairly sizeable cyst that is also pressing against the nerve - they're going to try to aspirate that as well today).  Another possibility is that whatever preexisting condition I had was exascerbated by my accident and that earlier this year (February to be exact) I had gone to visit my good friend Dr. Scott Torns and he thought I might have some damage in my L4 - L5 area.  Well, it turns out he was right (he's really very brilliant and if you need a chiropractor on Long Island I would say GO TO HIM!) and there is a lot going on in that area.

But I prefer to look at the glass half full;

(Ahhh, that which nourishes all!)

and I feel like this is going to take care of a myriad of problems.  With any luck I'll be spry and fit and raring to go.  Which is a really good thing since this back has to hold up under 3600 miles of travel on a bicycle this summer!

Well, I'm off to St. Catherine's now - I'll finish this post when I get back.

So I'm back - okay, pun intended.  I'm a bit loopy right now so if I go off on a random tangent, or at least more random than usual, its the medication not me. 

Before we left we had a few errands to run and thinking that I would have lots of time on my hands at the hospital I got a new book at the library.  It's called My Thoughts Be Bloody and it takes an in-depth look at the fued between John Wilkes Booth and his brother Edwin and how their rivalry helped drive JWB into his assination of Abraham Lincoln.  Its part theatre history, part American history, and part history geek out!  Since I love all three areas I was in heaven!

We got there early and of course, owing to my unerring sense of direction, promptly went to the wrong place.  Thank God my sister Alina bought me the Garmin GPS unit for my bike - with my sense of navigation I could end up in Utah during the cross country and that would be WAAAAAYYYYY out of the way!

Anyway we got to the right place and got all checked in and barely had time to get down to reading before I was called in.  Now I was all prepared for a quick in and out since I had watched the video above.  And then the admitting nurse asked me if I wanted anesthesia.  Now I hadn't planned on it, especially since the only time I've had it in the past it left me realllllllllllyyyyyyyy loopy.  I think it caused me to slightly hallucinate the first time as you may remember from this post.  So I was a little reticent but since they were going to also try to aspirate a cycst that the doctor thinks might be pushing against a nerve in my spinal column she STRONGLY suggested I have the "twilight" as she called it.  Turns out she was right.

Anyway, after he came and marked on my back, I got to read a little bit and found out that JWB's father was a famous actor from London who was married (and Jewish) but who ran away with a young girl to America (influenced as he was by the writings of Percey Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron).  They would never be able to be married but could start a new life in America.  Then they wheeled me into the room.

To save all the gory details (see video above) they anesthetized me and the loopiness began in earnest!  I never went out, I was in this hazy, fuzzy stage but I still felt some twinges of pain when the needle went in and the injection went in, and he tried to aspirate (unsuccessfully) the cyst.  It was all over in about 20 minutes and they wheeled me back out where I tried to read some more but fell asleep.

Now I'm just dealing with a potential "epidural headache" perhaps caused by them having to go so deep to (unsuccessfully) aspirate the cyst.  But I can say that for now my back feels better!!!!  I may never be doing this;



Nor, with my newly reconstituted back which is free from pain will I quite be as mechanically efficient as this;



of course, in my wildest dreams it would be amazing to be able to ride like either one of these guys (for those of you who don't know, they are the infamous Schleck brothers);



But what it does give me is new hope that I won't have my herniated disc explode somewhere in the middle of Kansas and have to abandon the Connor's Army Cross Country Ride for Sunrise!

I have some really great news coming on that front!  It looks like we'll be able to get some of the student groups at SHS behind us to help fundraise for Sunrise.  They can't sponsor Connor's Army (so if ANYONE reading this knows anyone who can help sponsor us on that front) but they can help us towards our goal of $50,000 to send eight children with cancer to the camp.

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, whether its your first time reading my blog or your eighty-fourth time, please help us spread the word.  We have donations coming in but its happening slowly.  Every little bit counts.  If you think about it, one drop of water by itself is not much, but when they combine with other little drops of water they can fill a bucket, a pond, a lake, a sea!



You see (don't you love homonyms) I really do believe in this cause.  I'm not doing it to get credit for myself and I'm not doing it so people will write how wonderful I am.  I am truly scared of what this journey may do to my body and since I'm a dance teacher/choreographer, my livelihood.  But I also realize that helping children have the opportunity to be children without the stigma of being *whispered* "the kid with cancer" is too important not to try.

Unfortunately, between us, Amy and I don't have quite the same family support that other people who start not-for-profit foundations have.  Other family groups can band together and call upon their dozens of cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. to help them fundraise, to help them promote the event, to plaster the community with advertising, to get people to use their connections to hold music concert fundraisers, or auctions or raffles or other inventive fundraisers.  All Amy and I have are each other and we can't do it alone.  We need the bigger global family - we need a village.

So, if you've read this far it tells me that you are part of my cyber family - you do care about what I have to say and what I'm trying to do to help these kids.  So I ask you, please take a moment and ask yourself how you can help us help these kids.  Its not for the glory, its not for the accolades, its for the kids.  Think if it were your own children (present or future) who were going through this, wouldn't you want someone to try and help them?

Sometimes I think the reason we don't get everyone jumping on board is because cancer is not effecting my own family now like it did when I was riding for my sisters and my mom.  To me, that's the exact reason we should be helping these children - because but for the grace of God would go we.  And my family needs the help of you, my cyber family, to make this happen

So if you've read this far, take some time to write a comment below.  Take some time to add our facebook page , invite your friends to do the same.  Take some time to become a regular, registered follower of the blog.  Take some time to go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056 and make a donation, no matter how small it is, to Sunrise on behalf of the Connor's Army Ride Across America.

We are only a small part of the 7,000,000,000 people who inhabit this earth and its up to us to take care of the others - especially the smallest drops of water!

Thank you my friends, stay well and I'll see you on the road (yes, I'm riding tomorrow - because I can).