At (the ungodly hour of) 7am on Tuesday, October 19 (tomorrow!), Operation: Boob Tour 2010 will commence! I'll be hitting the road with my dear friends Mark and Alicia on the backs of our respective motorcycles which will be loaded down with riding gear and damn near everything pink we own and can stuff into our poor saddlebags.
I met Mark and Alicia in early 2008. We were all members of the Route (aka Moto) Safety crew for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. When my mom, sister and I walked this 2-day, 39.3 mile event in Boston in 2007, the moto crew members were my personal heroes. I had just gotten my first motorcycle - a 1996 Suzuki Bandit 600 - and this was the first weekend-long event in which I had ever participated, though not for my mom who walked the walks when they were 3 days long and journeyed from Baltimore and Frederick, MD to DC. The Route Safety Crew was *full* of energy, egging us on to take just one more step while also making sure that we were ok to keep going. We decided to try crewing in DC (which is a tad closer to home) in 2008 and that's how I found myself a part of one of the most amazing families around. Mark, Alicia and I got a lot closer that fall when we were all a part of the moto crew for the 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk and well, not to be cliche, but the rest is history!
The three of us are hitching our horses to our wagons (slash, loading down our bikes) and heading to the wild blue yonder (and/ or the southeastern US). Our journey will first take us through Charlotte, NC, where we get to reminisce with friends that we met last year at the Avon Charlotte 2-Day Walk, which was our first big road trip/ out-of-town walk that we did together, and then down to Athens where I'll get to show off the beloved town that holds the darn-toot'n-ist university in this fine land (that's UGA for those playing the home game). By the end of the week we'll be participating in the 2nd breast cancer walk event of October in Atlanta, GA. The following week will include a trip to Mickey Mouse's house which, if I may take a moment, has the kid in me tickled 8 shades of pink. Maybe even 9.5 shades. Yes, I think it's more like 9.5 shades of pink. The weekend of Halloween will find our little trio participating in the 3rd 3-Day Walk of October and our final collective event of the year. I'm sure we'll have a number of bittersweet feelings to mull over as we sip margaritas overlooking the ocean when we get over to Daytona Beach. On the way home we'll stick to primarily smaller coastal roads that will allow us to visit old friends before finally returning on Wednesday, November 3.
So strap yourselves in to this crazy ride we've dubbed the Boob Tour 2010 and hold onto your teeth as it's guaranteed to be wicked, wild and all together wonderful.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
You Know You're a Member of the Breast Cancer Walk Moto Crew If...
1. You drive to work looking at people walking along the road to make sure they're not limping.
2. You want to hug a stranger walking down the sidewalk.
3. You see someone in an orange t-shirt at the grocery store and think they're your best buddy.
4. You want to high five a woman just because she's in pink.
5. You park your motorcycle on random street corners... usually on the sidewalk
6. You spend hours and hours putting together the ideal booty-shaking playlist
7. That playlist is full of things like the "Chicken Dance," "Boogie Man" and "We Are Family"
8. You think putting those songs on repeat for hours on end is a great idea
9. You see a woman with short hair and wonder if she just finished treatment
10. You respond like Pavlov's Dogs to the word "pie"
11. You try to grab a stranger's cell phone because they're not supposed to text and walk at the same time
12. You consider one way street, stop and do not enter signs more suggestions than rules
13. You think that a whistle and a little flag will protect you from the speeding cars you step in front of
14. You tell people "I'm working this corner" and they don't think of "Pretty Woman"
15. You ride really slowly in the right lane with your hazards on staring intently at pedestrians
16. You feel entitled to hold your hand out and stop cars while crossing the street, and glare at them if they yell or honk at you
17. You pole dance on a lamp post
18. You think it's acceptable to ride down the street blaring your horn when there is no traffic, often to a catchy tune such as "Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits"
19. It feels strange to NOT be using a port-o-potty
20. You wake up at 6am and think of how nice it was to sleep in
21. You think flashy vests, obnoxiously bright colors, fishnets and tutus are normal attire
22. Your idea of a quality lunch is string cheese, peanut butter graham cracker sandwiches and gatorade
23. You walk through the grocery store expounding on the comparative merits of the purple versus yellow gatorade
24. You have at least one good joke a day.... which you tell over and over and over again, and no one gets tired of it but you
25. You want to eat dinner last
26. Spaghetti sounds like a meal fit for kings
27. You feel like four wheels is overkill
28. You study traffic light patterns while riding around to see how many walkers you would be able to get across
29. You wave at and thank people who honk at you
30. You wonder why people don't wave and cheer when you honk at them
31. You cross your arms above your head when you're thirsty or can't do the potty dance any longer, and expect someone to come take your place
32. You wonder why the guy on the highway crew with the safety flag isn't dancing
33. Your idea of honoring someone is to wave the shoe you've been wearing for 4 straight days in the air
34. The combination of pink, inspiring music and story time makes you cry
35. You'll cry on a stranger's shoulder
36. You walk around whistling "Pink Warrior"
37. You send hugs and butt pinches by proxy to your friends
38. Your friends have names like Ass Pick, Repo, TuckBack and Short Bus
39. You put stickers, flags, flamingos, bras and anything pink on your (custom painted) bike
**Thanks to Mark, Astrid, Marmalade, Bicycle Kevin, Robin and Tape for helping out
2. You want to hug a stranger walking down the sidewalk.
3. You see someone in an orange t-shirt at the grocery store and think they're your best buddy.
4. You want to high five a woman just because she's in pink.
5. You park your motorcycle on random street corners... usually on the sidewalk
6. You spend hours and hours putting together the ideal booty-shaking playlist
7. That playlist is full of things like the "Chicken Dance," "Boogie Man" and "We Are Family"
8. You think putting those songs on repeat for hours on end is a great idea
9. You see a woman with short hair and wonder if she just finished treatment
10. You respond like Pavlov's Dogs to the word "pie"
11. You try to grab a stranger's cell phone because they're not supposed to text and walk at the same time
12. You consider one way street, stop and do not enter signs more suggestions than rules
13. You think that a whistle and a little flag will protect you from the speeding cars you step in front of
14. You tell people "I'm working this corner" and they don't think of "Pretty Woman"
15. You ride really slowly in the right lane with your hazards on staring intently at pedestrians
16. You feel entitled to hold your hand out and stop cars while crossing the street, and glare at them if they yell or honk at you
17. You pole dance on a lamp post
18. You think it's acceptable to ride down the street blaring your horn when there is no traffic, often to a catchy tune such as "Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits"
19. It feels strange to NOT be using a port-o-potty
20. You wake up at 6am and think of how nice it was to sleep in
21. You think flashy vests, obnoxiously bright colors, fishnets and tutus are normal attire
22. Your idea of a quality lunch is string cheese, peanut butter graham cracker sandwiches and gatorade
23. You walk through the grocery store expounding on the comparative merits of the purple versus yellow gatorade
24. You have at least one good joke a day.... which you tell over and over and over again, and no one gets tired of it but you
25. You want to eat dinner last
26. Spaghetti sounds like a meal fit for kings
27. You feel like four wheels is overkill
28. You study traffic light patterns while riding around to see how many walkers you would be able to get across
29. You wave at and thank people who honk at you
30. You wonder why people don't wave and cheer when you honk at them
31. You cross your arms above your head when you're thirsty or can't do the potty dance any longer, and expect someone to come take your place
32. You wonder why the guy on the highway crew with the safety flag isn't dancing
33. Your idea of honoring someone is to wave the shoe you've been wearing for 4 straight days in the air
34. The combination of pink, inspiring music and story time makes you cry
35. You'll cry on a stranger's shoulder
36. You walk around whistling "Pink Warrior"
37. You send hugs and butt pinches by proxy to your friends
38. Your friends have names like Ass Pick, Repo, TuckBack and Short Bus
39. You put stickers, flags, flamingos, bras and anything pink on your (custom painted) bike
**Thanks to Mark, Astrid, Marmalade, Bicycle Kevin, Robin and Tape for helping out
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
To Pink or Not to Pink?
I got word from a friend (I should say something about him being the bestest or tallest or something) that the Lofty Salon and Wellness Center in Vienna, VA, is offering pink streaks for just $10. I've always wanted to die my hair, but I've never done a crazy color.
In the past I spray painted my hair, but you have to be uber careful on that when riding with a helmet. I have to cover my head with an old bandanna before shoving it into my lid or I get pink all up in my helmet (and though that stuff comes out of hair, it doesn't seem to want to come out of helmet pads). That and it usually wears off pretty quickly :(
So... do I pink-ify and hope that my boss doesn't mind? Or accept that after one hour of standing around my hair is going to go either up in a pony-tail or under a hat and therefore its kind of pointless?
In the past I spray painted my hair, but you have to be uber careful on that when riding with a helmet. I have to cover my head with an old bandanna before shoving it into my lid or I get pink all up in my helmet (and though that stuff comes out of hair, it doesn't seem to want to come out of helmet pads). That and it usually wears off pretty quickly :(
So... do I pink-ify and hope that my boss doesn't mind? Or accept that after one hour of standing around my hair is going to go either up in a pony-tail or under a hat and therefore its kind of pointless?
Monday, October 4, 2010
October: The Month of Madness!
It's also the national month of breast cancer awareness, but "month of madness" rolled off the tongue so well! I'm super excited for the month though and (so far at least) only mildly overwhelmed.
I'm a proud member of the route safety crew for breast cancer walks (as well as any other good cause that will have me such as the Face of America ride for wounded vets and the Tour de Cure ride for Diabetes), though ask any of us and we'll tell you that we're actually the moto crew (bicycles and all). In 2007 my mom, sister and I walked in our first event together (though by that time my mom had already walked several on her own) to honor my mom's 8th year as a survivor. Because of scheduling complications, we flew up to Boston (cue Dropkick Murphys' "Shipping Up to Boston") and spent 2 days stomping through puddles as we rocked our neon spandex leggings and bright yellow Mickey Mouse ponchos. As soon as I saw the moto crew on that walk, I knew my calling! I signed up for the DC walk as soon as I got home from Boston and have been doing both the Avon Walk (which is 2 days, 39 miles long) and the Komen 3-Day (which is 3 days and 60 miles long) ever since.
The breast cancer walks are hands down some of the most emotional events I've ever been a part of, save maybe the Face of America ride (but they were emotional for very different reasons). When I say emotional, I don't mean all sad and weepy (though there are plenty of tears). I mean that in the course of 3 or 4 days, I hit every strong emotion a human being is capable of hitting.
Happy: enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure, eagerly disposed to act or to be of service
Happy is admittedly a bit of an understatement. First, I'm ECSTATIC to see friends that, unfortunately, I sometimes only see once or twice a year. People come from all over the country to crew in the various cities and DC is no exception. When you put kindred souls together - which, as cliche as that sounds, we are - and give them but a short time to catch up and hang out and in general be a family, madness will ensue. Every day I find myself laughing to the point of tears at some silliness or joke or moment of ding-dong.
On top of the camaraderie within the crew, there is also the joy of meeting new people who are your family for 3 minutes, 3 hours, 3 days and sometimes years to come. Throw in the knowledge that you're giving a not-so-nice disease, which affects nearly 200,000 women AND men a year, a single-finger salute and let's just say the smiles are flowing!
Reflective: deeply or seriously thoughtful; contemplative
I spend a lot of my time reflecting throughout these weekends. When I see mothers and daughters walking together I remember the times I've shared - both on the walks and outside of them - with my own mother. A bandanna covering a bald head takes me back to the time when bandannas and hats were common in my house as my mom went through multiple rounds of chemo. Looking around the dinner table as I'm surrounded by orange on either side of me, I'm reminded that I'm not alone in my journey and all at once I am unable to remember a time without these amazing people standing shoulder to shoulder with me on street corners, in fields and in lines for port-o-pottys (something I try NOT to reflect on too often).
Heartbroken: crushed with sorrow, grief or disappointment
I tried to avoid this emotion the first few times I participated in these events, but discovered that the downs are part of the experience. I look around and see so many people in pink and cannot help but to think of those that are not there with us. I try not to spend too much time in this emotion, but I also believe grief is a healthy emotion. It's extremely helpful to be surrounded by so much strength and joy to catch me when I fall into this, hold my hand through it and hug me as I come out of the other side with even stronger resolve.
Exhausted: drained of energy, force or strength, physically or mentally
Or in this case - all of the above. Let's just say that 4 and 5am wakeup calls + 16-20 hour days = one pooped puppy!
Determined: devoting full strength and concentrated attention to, strongly motivated to succeed
Throw all of that into a blender, hit "frappe" and pour it into a silly looking glass (complete with a curly cue straw of course!) and that's about how I feel when all is said and done. I take the strength and resolve that I feel after these events and use them throughout tough times during the rest of the year. I feel like I could conquer the world (and usually make plans to do just that, until I realize I have to go back to reality at some point).
No matter how hard I try to prepare myself for what I know is coming, something new hits me by surprise every time (cue whirlwind).
So bring it on October!
I'm a proud member of the route safety crew for breast cancer walks (as well as any other good cause that will have me such as the Face of America ride for wounded vets and the Tour de Cure ride for Diabetes), though ask any of us and we'll tell you that we're actually the moto crew (bicycles and all). In 2007 my mom, sister and I walked in our first event together (though by that time my mom had already walked several on her own) to honor my mom's 8th year as a survivor. Because of scheduling complications, we flew up to Boston (cue Dropkick Murphys' "Shipping Up to Boston") and spent 2 days stomping through puddles as we rocked our neon spandex leggings and bright yellow Mickey Mouse ponchos. As soon as I saw the moto crew on that walk, I knew my calling! I signed up for the DC walk as soon as I got home from Boston and have been doing both the Avon Walk (which is 2 days, 39 miles long) and the Komen 3-Day (which is 3 days and 60 miles long) ever since.
The breast cancer walks are hands down some of the most emotional events I've ever been a part of, save maybe the Face of America ride (but they were emotional for very different reasons). When I say emotional, I don't mean all sad and weepy (though there are plenty of tears). I mean that in the course of 3 or 4 days, I hit every strong emotion a human being is capable of hitting.
Happy: enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure, eagerly disposed to act or to be of service
Happy is admittedly a bit of an understatement. First, I'm ECSTATIC to see friends that, unfortunately, I sometimes only see once or twice a year. People come from all over the country to crew in the various cities and DC is no exception. When you put kindred souls together - which, as cliche as that sounds, we are - and give them but a short time to catch up and hang out and in general be a family, madness will ensue. Every day I find myself laughing to the point of tears at some silliness or joke or moment of ding-dong.
On top of the camaraderie within the crew, there is also the joy of meeting new people who are your family for 3 minutes, 3 hours, 3 days and sometimes years to come. Throw in the knowledge that you're giving a not-so-nice disease, which affects nearly 200,000 women AND men a year, a single-finger salute and let's just say the smiles are flowing!
Reflective: deeply or seriously thoughtful; contemplative
I spend a lot of my time reflecting throughout these weekends. When I see mothers and daughters walking together I remember the times I've shared - both on the walks and outside of them - with my own mother. A bandanna covering a bald head takes me back to the time when bandannas and hats were common in my house as my mom went through multiple rounds of chemo. Looking around the dinner table as I'm surrounded by orange on either side of me, I'm reminded that I'm not alone in my journey and all at once I am unable to remember a time without these amazing people standing shoulder to shoulder with me on street corners, in fields and in lines for port-o-pottys (something I try NOT to reflect on too often).
Heartbroken: crushed with sorrow, grief or disappointment
I tried to avoid this emotion the first few times I participated in these events, but discovered that the downs are part of the experience. I look around and see so many people in pink and cannot help but to think of those that are not there with us. I try not to spend too much time in this emotion, but I also believe grief is a healthy emotion. It's extremely helpful to be surrounded by so much strength and joy to catch me when I fall into this, hold my hand through it and hug me as I come out of the other side with even stronger resolve.
Exhausted: drained of energy, force or strength, physically or mentally
Or in this case - all of the above. Let's just say that 4 and 5am wakeup calls + 16-20 hour days = one pooped puppy!
Determined: devoting full strength and concentrated attention to, strongly motivated to succeed
Throw all of that into a blender, hit "frappe" and pour it into a silly looking glass (complete with a curly cue straw of course!) and that's about how I feel when all is said and done. I take the strength and resolve that I feel after these events and use them throughout tough times during the rest of the year. I feel like I could conquer the world (and usually make plans to do just that, until I realize I have to go back to reality at some point).
No matter how hard I try to prepare myself for what I know is coming, something new hits me by surprise every time (cue whirlwind).
So bring it on October!
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