Are we all Crazy/Angry

"It's an old and ironic habit of human beings
to run faster when we've lost our way."
-Rollo May

This weekend, John Stewart and Stephen Colbert are hosting "rallies" at the National Mall in Washington, DC. My brother is going.
The "Rally to Restore Sanity/Keep Fear Alive" actually is very indicative of our country. This summer, I saw something interesting-- America rocks. Just don't watch the news or ask politicians. If you do, you'll see America as hateful, divided, intolerant and dangerous. Here's what I saw: a country that was warm, embracing and inherently good.

So what happens? We let the minority dominate. The failure of our democracy might be that we don't hear the majority. The screams, threats and fear mongering of the minority is what most of us hear. And in turn, it shapes what many of us believe. We are a society that has allowed ourselves to be driven and shaped by fear.

I read a fascinating article a few weeks ago in the NY Times about how irrational a society we are as reflected by our parenting. Parents over worry about school shootings and kidnappings (which I don't wish on anyone) when statistically their children are more likely going to get involved in drugs, become obese or injure themselves playing soccer. The most dangerous activity our children do everyday: get in cars. The rates of accidents and injuries in public transportation is much lower than in personal vehicles. If you really wanted to keep your child safe, you'd be better off putting them on a bus or even an airplane.

Fear drives us to be irrational. It causes us to scream and shout while forgetting to think. Fear builds walls. If we could learn to look past it, we would see lots of great things and people that were missed because our eyes were shut, ears were covered and we're yelling too loud.

Blog Hibernation

My last post was Sept 21. Wow. Where has the fall gone? And why am I captain of "Team Blog Suck"?

For what they are worth, here are my excuses:

1) I've been super busy. Yes, that's tired and used, but I feel like I have been working harder as a teacher this year than any year since my first. Classes are the same, but the students are different. I don't have bad kids; I have kids that drain me emotionally. They are students that have many academic, social, emotional and developmental needs. Awesome, sweet kids-- but they are physically and emotionally draining. Unbelievably tiring, each day I am just exhausted.

2) I have not been feeling very artistic and original. I've had great ideas and subjects for blogs, just have not seemed like I could put words to these ideas. Writer's block if you want to call it.

That being said, Monday, November 1 is the beginning of wrestling season. My life becomes consumed by my role as coach. This blog may disappear. I hope not, but I am in a real funky, fluid and flaky place in my life right now. I may or may not be figuring it all out. Just when I think I know the answer, I am proved wrong. When things are dysfunctional in my mind, clarity emerges somehow.

Gas Light

Last Friday morning, my gas light on the Ducati came on. I was heading towards Asheville in the afternoon with plans to stop at a gas station in Fletcher that I often get fuel. Riding up HWY 25, things are great. Then the engine dies. Yep, I've run out of fuel.

Things were fine because I was right in front of the gas station and I could coast into it. I had timed it perfect... I was a genius! It was only when I got into the gas station that I saw that it was closed for renovations. No gas! I ended up having to walk 1/3 mile back to get gas for the bike.

Don't we do that a lot? Ride the gas light seeing how much we can get out of the tank of fuel. Just like me, when the tank is empty, we find we are not in a place to refuel. So what do we have left? Only a empty tank and nowhere to go.

Here's what went through my mind when I was fueling my bike:

Mascot Wrestling

This is what the world has come to:

Ohio U. apologizes for mascot's calculated attack of Brutus Buckeye

Mekong to Tennessee River

On the weekend of August 28, my family and I made the trek to Knoxville to attend a family reunion. It was to mark the 30th year that my family has been in the United States and we celebrated with the families that brought us to the United States. I've written before about what a leap of faith it was for these individuals to step out of their comfort zones and welcome total strangers into their lives.

It really was a great weekend. As always, we had great food. There were laughs, tears and stories. It was the first time in over a decade that we've all been together. So much has changed throughout the years. I am no longer a toddler. My siblings speak great English. We've grown into professionals and some have started families. There are children and grandchildren. And we-- Keans, Uy, Headricks and Smiths-- are all family.

Here is the article in this week's Blount Today about the reunion. It's full of errors about facts and names and some other things. But it does get some of it right. Hope you get to read it. I owe a lot to these families that brought us to America, but I also owe a lot to the ones who love, believe and support in me everyday.

By the numbers

Some numbers from the bike trip:

2 sock monkeys that finished the trip

2 Tires replaced – 1 rear tire on bike and 1 trailer tire

2 gloves lost in Vale, Oregon

4 flat tires patched

7 number of rest days

8 days over 100 miles

13 states traveled through

14 pounds lost

17 other cross country cyclists met

31.3 shortest travel day (Grand View to Mountain Home, Idaho)

54 days traveled

66.2 average daily miles (76.1 not including rest days)

100 Counties travelled through: Oregon (10), Idaho (10), Montana (1), Wyoming (6), Colorado (7), Kansas (18), Missouri (12), Illinois (5), Kentucky (4), Tennessee (12), North Carolina (1), Georgia (7), South Carolina (7)

125.3 longest travel day (Colorado Springs to Kit Carson, Colorado)

3, 578.5 miles logged

3,600 estimated average calories burned per day cycling (based on 14-16 mph for 5 hours)

Roadsick

Homesick:
–adjective
sad or depressed from a longing for home or family while away from them for a long time.

It's been nearly a month since I've been home from my bike trip. It has been great to see friends and family. School is off to a terrific start. But I'm roadsick. Understand, I love being home. But I miss the road. I miss meeting new people. I miss getting up at 6:00 in the morning and knowing I was going to be in a new town today. I simply miss moving. I am roadsick.