In the course of human history, there have been but a handful, a small handful at that, of true geniuses, of writers so extraordinaire that their masterpieces escape the confines of time and space, of that which we call reality. The Odyssey, War and Peace, Leaves of Grass, East of Eden, A Confederacy of Dunces, Willard and His Bowling Trophies, The River Why, The Hotel New Hampshire, The Children’s Crusade, Skinny legs and all, and of course, The Alphabet of Manliness. All make us test the limitations we believe words can have upon our souls. But nowhere in written language has man been prepared for what is about to come, for the conflagration of letters into words into thoughts that will bombard the souls and scratch new blood ways inside that which was once locked and shut away so long ago.
O ye of weariness, rest a while upon thy shores, and thusly thou whilt behold a sight that blindeth even the eyes of god…
Drum roll please.
A little louder.
Not that loud.
O minions of mine, men and women, children of all ages, robots, space aliens posing as regular Joes, revolutionaries, punks and those who think punk is dead, dead animal eaters and vegan eaters (not people who eat vegans but rather people who eat vegan), bike riding hippies, BEHOLD!!!
The next masterpiece which will erode all the work done by every other writer ever, the next masterpiece that will redefine what it is to be a masterpiece, the next masterpiece to début as the New York Times bestseller and remain there… forever, the book that will replace the bible.
Together with Sonadei (www.sonadei.com , and while your on their website why not check out some awesome Cape Verde Bicycle Organizations shirts, messenger bags, and donation opportunities. Also check out some of the super awesome things Sonadei does for the biking communities around the country, and the causes they help support), I am embarking on constructing the greatest written work that will ever shine upon the collective eyes of man. The book will be between 0 and 1,000,000,000 pages of gut wrenchingness, side splittingness, sock knocking offness, tear jerkiness, correct spellingness, all shades of humor (ness?) and all other real and made up stuff I can say about this book.
Be on the lookout for new information, updates, even greater hype, and the world premier release date of this exciting book which marks a new epoch in the course of humanity.
Just in case you didn’t understand what I said, I am writing a book with Sonadei about my time here in Cape Verde, about the bike project ALL of YOU have helped support (that’s right, I’m looking at you who hasn’t bought a shirt yet, arrrr), and about my experiences with Peace Corps. We don’t have an idea yet about when it will be published, as modern spell checkers only go so fast. But stay tuned for all the exciting news about this exciting project.
Jeez, after that my normal everyday news just doesn’t seem as exciting. But I’ll give it a go anyways. Tis the New Year here in Cape Verde (not sure about anywhere else) and with the arrival of 2009 we can look back and reflect upon the year we jokingly referred to as 2008, HA! Anyflashback, here are some of the highlights that marked that wild and crazy year:
• My first Carnival ever. Four days of dancing for hours and hours and hours dressed as a shiny red Power Ranger, and even getting a few seconds on the local news as I danced (perhaps slightly, SLIGHTY, inebriated)
• Two weeks sojourn into the deepest heart of the mainland Afrika, or at least the heart of western Afrika, Mali. An amazing adventure along rivers, bumpy desert roads, and hikes in ancient embankments, all documented exactly as it occurred in my blog.
• Becoming certified by the internationally recognized Centro de Saude in Tarrafal as a First Aid giver type person, or something
• The start of the infamous Carberinho Project. Will it end in 2009? Who knows???
• My 1 year São Nicolau, Cape Verde, and Peace Corps Volunteer Anniversaries!!!! Yay!
• The announcement of the “Cape Verde Bicycle Safety and Awareness Project” and the start of t-shirt sales. This project has been moving along, despite my apparent lack of updated information, and together with Sonadei we are going to have a successful (i.e. Kick Ass) project.
• Visitors from abroad!!!!
• Mid-service medical exam. Probably the most intense physical I have EVER had. Add to it the awesome Ukrainian accent of the doctor, and the sudden “…and now you take off all your clothes” and you have one hell of an experience.
• New 1st year PCV’s!!!!!
There are a myriad of other things, little and big, that occurred over the course of the year, and who knows what 2009 holds for us all, or at least me, with these remaining months of Peace Corps service.
Thanks for sticking with me, and let us all walk/bike each day with love in our hearts.
Word up!
