For these past three months my record on a bike was 12 1/2 miles in 45 min. Today I brought that up to 17.8 miles. Big difference. Also I can defiantly feel my knee getting stronger. However, now that I’m through with the bike for today I really don’t feel like working out. Just cause I’m lazy. The only exercise I like doing is bench-press and I think that’s just because I get to lie down. I hate when I get lazy like this. I always need some kind of inspiration. So I figured I’d write a blog about getting inspired.
The following list is a list of things that inspire me. I left people off this list because there’s too many. So this list is full of “things” that inspire me.
WARNING!!! THIS LIST CONTAINS THINGS THAT INSPIRE ME AND MIGHT NOT INSPIRE YOU BUT GET YOU SCARED INSTEAD. SO EXPLORE THIS LIST AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!
Movies
• The Descent- Hot girls get trapped in a cave and fight cave creatures. (Inspiring!)
• Sunshine- Makes me want to be an astronaut, visit the sun, and save people.
• Touching The Void (documentary)- Your worst nightmare happens to Joe Simpson! He’s left for dead in a cave, which is located in the middle of a mountain! This is how he survived and climbed/crawled his wall out with no food or water, only a broken leg.
• Long Way Round (documentary)- Ewan McGregor and his best friend Charlie Boorman travel around the world on motorcycles.
• First Ascent (documentary)- The director travels around the world looking for the best boulderers and rock/mountain climbers to find their own first ascents.
• And pretty much anything else on the National Geographic and Travel Channels.
• …WARNING! Do not watch Vertical Limit! Horrible movie. But that’s what got me interested in rock climbing. Vertical Limit and the opening scene in Mission Impossible 2 where Tom Cruise free climbs a huge freakin’ wall!
Books
• Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simon- The ultimate travel guide to the world. Although he took his four year journey back in the 70’s, people haven’t changed.
• Long Way Round by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman- If you liked the film and Jupiter’s Travels you’ll love this book.
• Dispatches From The Edge by Anderson Cooper- This man’s entire life is devoted to telling the stories that America never hears.
• God Grew Tired of Us by John Bul Dau- The true story of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan and how he made it to America.
• Notes from My Travels by Angelina Jolie- Basically a diary of her trips to Africa, Cambodia, Pakistan and Ecuador.
Climbing Music
• Lonely Soul by UNKLE
• We Can’t Wait Any Longer by Michael W. Smith
• Laugh, I Nearly Died by The Rolling Stones
• Mass Destruction ((P*Nut & Sister Bliss Mix)) by Faithless
• I Have A Dream by Common ft. Will I Am
• KOYAANISQATSI by Philip Glass
• Metamorphosis Five (Philip Glass cover) by Aleck Karis
• …too many songs to name. But anything by Delerium, Bonobo, B-Tribe, Cat Empire, Baul Dimension, Mogwai, Nina Simone (dope), Thievery Corp., Trans-Global Underground and Quantic.
• Paper Planes by M.I.A. was one of the last songs the DJ played at the Lime light on the night of my birthday. Now it’s been stuck in my head for over a week.
Well…now it’s time to go work out.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Eileen - Mean Lean Fighting Machine - Update
Don’t let the title of my Blog mislead you. This I am not......yet. So I thought I would let you all know how my training was coming along for Mt. Hood. I am training six days a week in the gym under the guidance, on occasions, of a personal trainer. Also walking now up to six miles two, three times a week now that the weather is nicer. My cousin, who is my chiropractor, also has a gym attached to his practice that he has given me access to for training. The personal trainer also comes gratis per my cousin. I am very fortunate to have this and I am always thanking him for it. My trainer has already upped and changed my program twice. During the times that I am working on said program I also up weights and reps on my own. Along with my trainer comes two other trainers in the gym who are very inspiring to me to say the least. They push me, stretch me and encourage me. What a great group of peope I have in my camp right now.
Am I sore? Hell yeah. Very sore at times. I just seem to ignore it and keep pushing myself. I have one day off a week from training. I don’t rest, still have a family and a house to keep up. My life is very, very busy but I am loving all of it.
I am getting quite the education through this whole process. It’s amazing how many different exercises you can do for one part of your body. Just for instance, your abs. I have felt pain in all different parts of my stomach that I have never felt before. I train in the martial arts so you would think I wouldn’t be having this problem. And your arms. Triceps, biceps.....pain, pain, pain. Right down to my hands. But hell, you should see my arms and abs right now. Kind of have a four pack going on in my abs and my arms are, let’s just say...strong. But, I am 50 not 20 so I think the slammin body thing I was hoping for may not happen. It’s all good though. Need a "STRONG BODY" and a "STRONG MIND" to reach the top and that is my focus.
As always, I am pushing myself for many. Not just for personal gain. My goal is the summit, my heart’s desire is cures. Our voice needs to be heard. Climbing mountains, walking 60 miles, soft walking for the cure, running, biking, fund raising, your voice, your passion, your drive, your determination. It all counts!!! I walk, I climb, I fundraise, I support because I love all of you and pray for all of you and hope tomorrow brings us word of a breakthrough. Well, today is a new day and it is early and I unexpectadly got a day off so off to the gym I go. NO PAIN......NO GAIN!!!
Peace, Love and light,
Together is One,
Eileen - Strong Feather
The Regulars - Mt. Hood July 2,3,4
Am I sore? Hell yeah. Very sore at times. I just seem to ignore it and keep pushing myself. I have one day off a week from training. I don’t rest, still have a family and a house to keep up. My life is very, very busy but I am loving all of it.
I am getting quite the education through this whole process. It’s amazing how many different exercises you can do for one part of your body. Just for instance, your abs. I have felt pain in all different parts of my stomach that I have never felt before. I train in the martial arts so you would think I wouldn’t be having this problem. And your arms. Triceps, biceps.....pain, pain, pain. Right down to my hands. But hell, you should see my arms and abs right now. Kind of have a four pack going on in my abs and my arms are, let’s just say...strong. But, I am 50 not 20 so I think the slammin body thing I was hoping for may not happen. It’s all good though. Need a "STRONG BODY" and a "STRONG MIND" to reach the top and that is my focus.
As always, I am pushing myself for many. Not just for personal gain. My goal is the summit, my heart’s desire is cures. Our voice needs to be heard. Climbing mountains, walking 60 miles, soft walking for the cure, running, biking, fund raising, your voice, your passion, your drive, your determination. It all counts!!! I walk, I climb, I fundraise, I support because I love all of you and pray for all of you and hope tomorrow brings us word of a breakthrough. Well, today is a new day and it is early and I unexpectadly got a day off so off to the gym I go. NO PAIN......NO GAIN!!!
Peace, Love and light,
Together is One,
Eileen - Strong Feather
The Regulars - Mt. Hood July 2,3,4
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Matt's New Myspace
Well guys I turn 21 on the 20th. I can't wait! I know being apart of this team means that theres alot of people looking up to us and viewing our profiles. Well I figured it wouldn't be good if people think "hey lets check out these regulars guys" and then see a profile pic of me passed out on a lawn somewhere. not a good marketing techinque. So I decided to just make myself a new profile for anything and everything related to The Regulars. I just set up the account today so it's still "under construction" but I will have it pimped out like my other profile soon enough. Go add me if I haven't added you already. ~Matt
http://www.myspace.com/lifecrux
http://www.myspace.com/lifecrux
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Bretts first Volcano since Chimborazo
Hi, so i'm now in Pucon, which is a really nice village in the heart of the Chilean Lake District. I have been here for three days after a couple of days at Puerto Varras and Valdiva. This is my favourite place in the Lakes, as per usual its stunning, with Villarica Volcano dominating evertything, and the town itself is very nice. The first day we climbed the volcano (2,870 meters), we had a perfect day and the view from the top was spectacular. Yesterday we went for a bike ride to another lake, again it was beautiful with view of several volcanos along the way. The Chilean Lake District was colonised by the Germans, so its got a lot of good chocolate, beer and really nice architecture (when it hasn't been destroyed by earthquakes). As Pucon is at the base of the most active volcano in Chile, everything is prepared for an eruption. A number of times a day, sirens go off. One siren means its 12pm, 2 means its a fire, and if its 3, its an eruption - you get quiet nervous when its two. In case of an eruption they have signs telling people where to go in order to avoid the lava flow. I've met some great people, a few americans and the girls that work at the hostel are really nice and easy-going.
So far the trip has been fantastic. I struggled at the beginning to keep to budget, i'm so used to eating and living pretty well that its hard to cut down, I would eat out all the time and not really think about spending money. Also Southern Patagonia is very expensive, now the Lake District is a little cheaper, I just bought a ticket all the way to Santiago (8 hours in good seats) for $20 - amazing. Travelling alone hasn't been a problem, I find that the easiest way of meeting people is in the refuges, so it is very important to pick the right one. Anyay, tonight i'm off to Santiago, so i'll wirte soon.
Brett
So far the trip has been fantastic. I struggled at the beginning to keep to budget, i'm so used to eating and living pretty well that its hard to cut down, I would eat out all the time and not really think about spending money. Also Southern Patagonia is very expensive, now the Lake District is a little cheaper, I just bought a ticket all the way to Santiago (8 hours in good seats) for $20 - amazing. Travelling alone hasn't been a problem, I find that the easiest way of meeting people is in the refuges, so it is very important to pick the right one. Anyay, tonight i'm off to Santiago, so i'll wirte soon.
Brett
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Leaving Something Better Behind
Hey guys, it’s Jen.
From Enzo’s network of contacts, we started receiving photos from people all over the country – photos of their loved ones that we will honor in our movie. It has had an effect on me that is very hard for me to articulate.
Before I started this project with The Regulars, I had never personally known anyone battling Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s…. I just wanted to help… I believe that if every person in the world gives an extra hand, even when it doesn’t directly relate to them, we can lift the world to a better place.
Maybe through us telling this story to the person next to us, or with an audience across an ocean, something personal can happen. Just as the photos did, to me. The “30 million people” statistic will no longer just be an indistinct statistic. Maybe it can become something very tangible for others to understand. A specific voice. A specific moment. The courage in a person’s eyes, that will make it more meaningful for more to fight for what’s next. Maybe it will inspire one extra person to apply to med school to research these diseases next year...encourage one extra person to extend an understanding to a stranger…let a caregiver know that he or she is not alone in the fight. That, we’re in this together. And we will see these diseases defeated, together.
We may never fully know how much our efforts will personally reach others in an ongoing ripple effect. But we will know that we did what we could.
God knows, we will leave something better behind.
From Enzo’s network of contacts, we started receiving photos from people all over the country – photos of their loved ones that we will honor in our movie. It has had an effect on me that is very hard for me to articulate.
Before I started this project with The Regulars, I had never personally known anyone battling Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s…. I just wanted to help… I believe that if every person in the world gives an extra hand, even when it doesn’t directly relate to them, we can lift the world to a better place.
Maybe through us telling this story to the person next to us, or with an audience across an ocean, something personal can happen. Just as the photos did, to me. The “30 million people” statistic will no longer just be an indistinct statistic. Maybe it can become something very tangible for others to understand. A specific voice. A specific moment. The courage in a person’s eyes, that will make it more meaningful for more to fight for what’s next. Maybe it will inspire one extra person to apply to med school to research these diseases next year...encourage one extra person to extend an understanding to a stranger…let a caregiver know that he or she is not alone in the fight. That, we’re in this together. And we will see these diseases defeated, together.
We may never fully know how much our efforts will personally reach others in an ongoing ripple effect. But we will know that we did what we could.
God knows, we will leave something better behind.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Honor your Family & Friends with Alzheimer's & Parkinson's
Hi everyone,
If you have Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s in your Family please read this entire post !!!
Honor your Friends and Family.
I have a really beautiful opportunity for you all to honor your parents, friends, sisters, brothers who have been impacted by Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s disease. If you’ve personally been impacted by Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s this is a great way to honor your own life as well.
If you recall a few months ago I had asked you for photos of these people you care for so I could use it in something I personally wanted to create for you.
But, since then the opportunity to take this idea to a much much much larger scale has presented itself.
As you may (or may not) know a Back Light Productions from Los Angeles is filming a feature film documentary on “the Regulars” and our efforts to raise awareness and funds to conquer Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. There are some big hopes for the film. We are currently working on celebrity narrators (who I can’t mention but you know who they are). If my team can successfully reach the summit of Mount Hood this coming 4th of July…the film could possibly be completed by November 2008. The idea for it at that point is to release it (possibly) at Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival (NYC), Banff Outdoor Mountain Film Festival, or the Toronto Film Festival…then move it onto some of the various cable networks, like Discovery, Health, PBS, ESPN, etc.
How can you be involved?
You all know that I have always been inclusive in nature and I love nothing more than to share all of my experiences with you and have you share yours with me - and this is no different.
Honor your friends and family in the film!
We want you to be a part of this journey with “the Regulars”.
The producer of the film and I have come up with an idea for a retrospective montage introduction to the film in which old photos and video clips of you or your relatives with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s will visually weave throughout the introduction of the film.
The important thing is that the pictures need to be taken when they were at a point in life when they were still not affected by these diseases.
For example,
when they were kids,
teens,
college age,
young professionals (or parents when you were young),
etc.
Just as long as the photos were taken in the years before Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s were a part of their lives. They could be posed photos. They could be candid. They could be holiday photos, playing sports, instruments, working on the job, anything, you name it….but the focus of the photo should be clearly they person you want to honor.
In other words if there are tons of people in the photo or the person is so far away you can’t make their face out clearly…it won’t do very well to show your loved one to the world. You really want people to make a connection with your friend or relative while they were in the most perfect state of life.
You can also send video clips from old family movies (which will need to be US Mailed as opposed to emailing the photos).
So, with that being the idea, if you would like to honor the life of your family or friends with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s please follow the following instructions:
Email your photos in JPG file format to the following email address:
backlightprod@gmail.com
Please make sure the files or of the best quality possible. You might need to go have your photos professionally scanned or have a friend do it for you to make sure they were between 200 and 300 DPI and possibly around 8x10 in size that would be fantastic.
Small low quality photos might not be usable in the film so make them the best quality possible.
Also include a brief written description of who is in the photograph and their relationship to you. Also include your own contact information (Name, address, phone number, email), so they can contact you if they need to ask anything.
If you’re mailing a Video or DV tape via US Mail send it to:
Back Light Productions
3805 Lupine Lane
Suite “H”
Calabasas, CA 91302
After you’ve done one or both of the above…..then email me to say “hi” and to let me know that you send in some photos / video for “the Regulars” film.
Let’s make this happen my friends! The more inspiring we make this film just may help tip the scales in raising awareness & funds needed to conquer Alzheimer’s disease & Parkinson’s disease.
World up,
Enzo
10 Mountains – 10 Years (A Quest for the Cure)
Alzheimer’s disease / Parkinson’s disease
If you have Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s in your Family please read this entire post !!!
Honor your Friends and Family.
I have a really beautiful opportunity for you all to honor your parents, friends, sisters, brothers who have been impacted by Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s disease. If you’ve personally been impacted by Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s this is a great way to honor your own life as well.
If you recall a few months ago I had asked you for photos of these people you care for so I could use it in something I personally wanted to create for you.
But, since then the opportunity to take this idea to a much much much larger scale has presented itself.
As you may (or may not) know a Back Light Productions from Los Angeles is filming a feature film documentary on “the Regulars” and our efforts to raise awareness and funds to conquer Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. There are some big hopes for the film. We are currently working on celebrity narrators (who I can’t mention but you know who they are). If my team can successfully reach the summit of Mount Hood this coming 4th of July…the film could possibly be completed by November 2008. The idea for it at that point is to release it (possibly) at Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival (NYC), Banff Outdoor Mountain Film Festival, or the Toronto Film Festival…then move it onto some of the various cable networks, like Discovery, Health, PBS, ESPN, etc.
How can you be involved?
You all know that I have always been inclusive in nature and I love nothing more than to share all of my experiences with you and have you share yours with me - and this is no different.
Honor your friends and family in the film!
We want you to be a part of this journey with “the Regulars”.
The producer of the film and I have come up with an idea for a retrospective montage introduction to the film in which old photos and video clips of you or your relatives with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s will visually weave throughout the introduction of the film.
The important thing is that the pictures need to be taken when they were at a point in life when they were still not affected by these diseases.
For example,
when they were kids,
teens,
college age,
young professionals (or parents when you were young),
etc.
Just as long as the photos were taken in the years before Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s were a part of their lives. They could be posed photos. They could be candid. They could be holiday photos, playing sports, instruments, working on the job, anything, you name it….but the focus of the photo should be clearly they person you want to honor.
In other words if there are tons of people in the photo or the person is so far away you can’t make their face out clearly…it won’t do very well to show your loved one to the world. You really want people to make a connection with your friend or relative while they were in the most perfect state of life.
You can also send video clips from old family movies (which will need to be US Mailed as opposed to emailing the photos).
So, with that being the idea, if you would like to honor the life of your family or friends with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s please follow the following instructions:
Email your photos in JPG file format to the following email address:
backlightprod@gmail.com
Please make sure the files or of the best quality possible. You might need to go have your photos professionally scanned or have a friend do it for you to make sure they were between 200 and 300 DPI and possibly around 8x10 in size that would be fantastic.
Small low quality photos might not be usable in the film so make them the best quality possible.
Also include a brief written description of who is in the photograph and their relationship to you. Also include your own contact information (Name, address, phone number, email), so they can contact you if they need to ask anything.
If you’re mailing a Video or DV tape via US Mail send it to:
Back Light Productions
3805 Lupine Lane
Suite “H”
Calabasas, CA 91302
After you’ve done one or both of the above…..then email me to say “hi” and to let me know that you send in some photos / video for “the Regulars” film.
Let’s make this happen my friends! The more inspiring we make this film just may help tip the scales in raising awareness & funds needed to conquer Alzheimer’s disease & Parkinson’s disease.
World up,
Enzo
10 Mountains – 10 Years (A Quest for the Cure)
Alzheimer’s disease / Parkinson’s disease
Saturday, March 1, 2008
A hike and a bike
Hi Everyone! This is Cy a.k.a "Master Ill Com" reporting. I am a first year teacher in Philadelphia, PA. I teach inner city high school math, and I am studying at Drexel for my master's degree. As a team member of A Trail Called Hope I, Mont Blanc, I was looking forward to being a part of ATCH II, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. Unfortunately, the timing did not work for me, and I had to sit on the sidelines....blehh...the worst feeling ever!!
A few weeks ago I sat here feeling very doubtful that I could be a part of A Trail Called Hope III. This coming summer is the summer that I will be cycling cross country, and I was worried that I won't be able to complete both goals if I committed to both. Once again the timing loomed over my head. There's considerable risk of incompletion...what if I need to be back teaching in philly and I'm stuck in Kentucky? I have to be in tip-top shape before getting there...able to climb hills with no problem....cycle 90 miles a day...with 35 pounds of touring gear stacked on the bike...and able to do this on a daily basis! Another issue is being able to finance everything. For the bike ride I am going to need a touring bike, bike racks, panniers to load the gear, ultra light gear, food, maps, and a laptop so I can continue my classes while touring (I'm taking online courses). The climb will add the guiding fees to that.
I actually told Enzo a few times that I won't be able to do it. My mind kept saying, "NO WAY", but I hated the thought that I would miss another climb with my team. For weeks, I kept battling with this thought, but Enzo's "never give up" attitude and Brett's insatiable charm (ladies beware!) is what did it, and I finally realized that I can't miss out on this.
And as soon as I committed to doing both, the most remarkable thing happened. My confusion and uncertainty turned into excitement and enthusiasm. My thoughts on the slim chance of success was completely overturned with anticipation of the greatest summer of my life! I utterly can't wait and, I truly feel that this is exactly what I should be doing.
So this summer, my plan is to complete both. I will be a part of A Trail Called Hope III, and after a succesful climb on Mount Hood, I will complete a cross country bike ride in 49 days.
Here's to making memories, and finding a way to keep them.
Sincerely,
Cy
A few weeks ago I sat here feeling very doubtful that I could be a part of A Trail Called Hope III. This coming summer is the summer that I will be cycling cross country, and I was worried that I won't be able to complete both goals if I committed to both. Once again the timing loomed over my head. There's considerable risk of incompletion...what if I need to be back teaching in philly and I'm stuck in Kentucky? I have to be in tip-top shape before getting there...able to climb hills with no problem....cycle 90 miles a day...with 35 pounds of touring gear stacked on the bike...and able to do this on a daily basis! Another issue is being able to finance everything. For the bike ride I am going to need a touring bike, bike racks, panniers to load the gear, ultra light gear, food, maps, and a laptop so I can continue my classes while touring (I'm taking online courses). The climb will add the guiding fees to that.
I actually told Enzo a few times that I won't be able to do it. My mind kept saying, "NO WAY", but I hated the thought that I would miss another climb with my team. For weeks, I kept battling with this thought, but Enzo's "never give up" attitude and Brett's insatiable charm (ladies beware!) is what did it, and I finally realized that I can't miss out on this.
And as soon as I committed to doing both, the most remarkable thing happened. My confusion and uncertainty turned into excitement and enthusiasm. My thoughts on the slim chance of success was completely overturned with anticipation of the greatest summer of my life! I utterly can't wait and, I truly feel that this is exactly what I should be doing.
So this summer, my plan is to complete both. I will be a part of A Trail Called Hope III, and after a succesful climb on Mount Hood, I will complete a cross country bike ride in 49 days.
Here's to making memories, and finding a way to keep them.
Sincerely,
Cy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
