BREAKING THE RULES?

WOW Gosh where do I start? Exactly a week ago, my fingers were freezing off at the start of El Tour de Tucson, and now I’m in Cambridge with my family celebrating the start of the Holiday season. To all of those who contributed to my bike ride and helped raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – THANK YOU!

The Tour was great, it was a great weekend as Jon and Olive traveled out to Tucson with me. So nice to travel as a family and Olive was an angel. My TNT team is really awesome and not having been out to the Southwest since I was like 7 years old, the desert landscape was so WONDERFULLY dramatic, I loved it. I did, however have a run in with law in Tucson – well let’s say the bicycle law. At the second to last rest stop I was approached by Radar Matt, a member of the bike patrol (who took his job very seriously) and I was informed that I violated one of the rules of the tour apparently it is “verboten” to pass on a double yellow line. I guess I didn’t read the fine print of the Tour rules and regulations. I really had NO idea I did anything wrong. Radar (yes that’s his real name) proceeded to inform me that while he could disqualify me, being that I was a member of Team In Training member he would overlook the infraction. I thanked him and did that sort of reverent, respectful thing one does when the state trooper lets you off with a warning (I didn’t even have to show cleavage for this one). Radar then proceeded to tell me, my helmut was not properly fitted and that Critical Mass was illegal and if I wanted to learn how to bike with car traffic legally I could take a bicycle safety course. Little did he know that while he was clearly committed to being a law abiding citizen, I on occasion found the law too unjust to obey. I’m not sure I was interested in learning how to cycle safely in a car infrastructure. Shouldn’t car drivers be learning how to ride safely in a bicycle infrastructure? Wouldn’t that make for a better world? Rosa Parks made for a better with her illegal action, non?

Since it’s the Thanksgiving weekend – I can definitely say I am grateful for Rosa Parks – she has become my ultimate rationale for law breaking because let’s face sometimes laws are just not JUST!

Random Thought of the Day

What's up with those trees that smell like vomit. Someone told me they are Ginko trees and the leaves look like what I know to be a Ginko leaf, but boy do those little yellow crab apple things smell like puke when they are squished up on the street or sidewalk. When I was training the other day in the park, I saw a Chinese couple collecting the pits, the woman didn't really speak English when I asked her what she does with them, but she gestured that you eat them and said "cook''. It didn't sound very appetizing.

Random Thought of the Day

How do you know when blue cheese has gone bad?

TIME

I think that perhaps the problem with having a gigantic life is that there never seems to be enough time to do ALL the things you want to do, ALL the things you imagine, conjure up, think about. I feel like I'm always running late (and a lot of times I am). It's like the goddesses are playing a trick on you - I'm going to give creativity, inspiration and ideas but you will only be able to follow through on some of these creative, inspired ideas. Which ones do you choose? I want to do it all. Maybe it's just a matter of time management or sleeping less (maybe a little combination of the two). Gotta a run, I don't want to be late for yoga.

MY GIGANTIC LIFE

I am simply astounded by my life!
In the last two months between getting a puppy pug and training for a Century bike ride with Team in Training, my life has been a whirlwind.

In the past two months:

• I have been co-raising a pug with Jon.
For all you folks out there with children I don't know how you do it.
1) How anyone raises a puppy or child on their own I don't know - I could never be a single parent, thank god for Jon!
2) If this is what it's like with a puppy - I'm not sure I could ever be a parent, period.
3) And to those of you who have TWO children - WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!


• I have raised over $4000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
For all you folks who have contributed I really can't thank you enough and if you haven't you still can, just click on to Nadette's TNT Site and do it now - it's easy, it feels good!

• Jon, Olive and I did the MS Ride on October 16th











• For Jon's birthday weekend (October 2) we went to the dog friendly Inn at Lake Joseph - the whole family loved it!









• and before we went to the country Olive got blessed at Catherdral of St John the Divine.









• I hosted a cooking class at our apt. taught by Melissa King (check out her website)

• I lost 10 pounds - my pants are too big, gotta buy more pants.

• I've ridden over 200 miles on my road bike.

• I've gone to over 25 yoga classes.

• I hosted a meet & greet for our neighbors and friends.

• My dear friend Suzanne visited from Montreal and we visited Ellis Island and the Museum of Chinese in the Americas. One of the exhibits at MOCA asked, where is home? "Home can be a question of place but it is also a question of belonging." Between Ellis Island and MOCA I had food for thought about home. Where is home for you?

• I perfomed in a Clown Pageant and Liberated the Bike Lane with the Clown Brigade.

• I've ridden in three Critical Mass Rides (and I haven't gotten arrested!)
Here's me and Olive on the Halloween Critical Mass Ride! Two lady bugs!












• On Halloween - Olive and I marched with Code Pink in the Village Halloween Parade. Isn't she a pink peace princess!


• In ONE day I did Civil Disobedience training, saw Hugo Chavez speak and performed in a Clown Pageant. In fact, I was actually performing as a clown in the same building while Chavez was speaking. My life really is gigantic!

I was doing Civil Disobedience Training to prepare for an action at the Pentagon that I was going to do with members of the War Resisters League.

The Civil Disobedience training really made me think about things, along with practical instruction there was, for lack of better term, "philosophical" instruction. I began to understand that there is a sort of philosophy to non-violence. I also began to think about how Bush and dogs are not dissimilar. Maybe Bush doesn't know that war is wrong and if we can just change his focus to something like Habitat for Humanity, like a getting Olive to play with the squeaky toy instead of biting Mommies pants. Then again, as my neighbor, Paula, pointed out, the comparision is a bit insulting to dogs. On a more serious note I also found the training very self-exploratory. In one of the exercise we examined these questions:
1) How have I been oppressed?
2) How have I stood up against oppression?
3) How have I oppressed someone else?

Interesting questions, non? What are your answers?

One of the women at the CD Training shared a story about A.J. Muste. Apparently he stood outside the White House with a candle protesting the Vietnam War. Someone asked him if he thought that standing outside the White house holding vigil was going to affect any change. His response (and I am paraphrasing) was that "I don't want to change."

This really spoke to me. In this world of injustice, hate, violence and ignorance it is SO easy to become cynical and defeated and hopeless (in fact I feel that very often). But like A.J. Muste I don't want to change. I want to know that I will be a positive force, taking a a stand for the best of what's possibly for humanity.

So when people ask me "do you think going to that peace demonstration in DC is going to change anything?" I now have an answer.

• On Sept 23rd I went to DC to participate in the weekend long Anti-War Mobilization. I brought my bike down on the bus and on Friday night I did the Critical Mass bike ride. Afterwards Samantha and I took a dip in the fountain at Dupont Circle - WOO HOO! I stayed at the Hostel, where a really nice guy took some great photos of me and even emailed them to me but I just went to look for his email and I no longer have it - so I don't have his contact info to thank him, nor the lovely pics - maybe he'll read this and email me again (bike4peace@aol.com). The next day was the march, I met Jesus and got to ask him who would he bomb. He said "no one."

I met up with the Times Up folks in front of the White House.
That's Bill holding my bike!





I helped hand out flyers about war tax resistance in front of the IRS. This quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes was on the building, "Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society." I don't think war is civilized. I don't do war tax resistance yet, but I certainly encourage people to do it! If you don't believe in war, why pay for it! 50% of your Federal Taxes go to the military.

In the evening, I volunteered to collect money for Operation Ceasefire who brought us this great concert. I went among the crowd collecting money in a bucket, donations of $20 got a kiss (lips no tongue) and $5 got a dance. I think the peace dances were appreciated, as was the one kiss, however it was the end of the day and most people were pretty tapped out. Before retiring I rode my bike to the Jefferson Monument, it was a mild evening and it was SO great to have my bike in DC. I LOVE MY BIKE!

The next day I went to a beautiful church service at All Souls Church. I thought it was lovely that a church had a "dancer in residence" and I enjoyed the dance piece immensely. I was moved by the singing and the speaking and the dancing. It was nice to be with peace people on this peace weekend. And I reflected on something the minister said "put aside some of your wants to address the worlds needs". In the afternoon I went to the GreenFest where they had valet bike parking (sweet).

I didn't end up doing the Pentagon action because I had a callback for a National Network Commercial that Monday. I was a bit torn up about not being able to participate in this action I had been preparing for, for several weeks and with an Affinity Group I felt REALLY good about. On one level it felt so trite that I would opt for a "commercial" over an "action for peace" but on the other hand that commercial is also my potential livelihood. Most of my peace friends were alot more understanding than I was with myself. No, I didn't get the commercial, but I did get a 3rd callback which I was paid for and that wasn't too bad.

Next on the Horizon - MORE WRITING - so you'll see more frequent blog entries AND
EL TOUR DE TUCSON ON NOVEMBER 19, 2005!

Thanks for reading my blog - come back again soon!