Katie May is my southern name

I was told this by John and Josh.... Who might these fine southern gentleman be you may be asking? Well, here is the scene:

I am have now gotten to the point where I could care less if I sit in a restaurant, go to the movies, shop or whatever alone. I find it almost comforting to sit by myself and just relax and be with my thoughts. Well, after a loooonnng night of drinking (again), I finally woke up (at around 1:30) and proceeded to meet the rest of the team downtown for a little lunch and sightseeing.... Well, I missed lunch, I was starving, and the thought of visiting one more junk store with Jill, kind of made me want to throw up. So I ventured in to the Mojo Brewhouse, a little gem of a restaurant on Nashville's famous Broadway.

I sit down, and wait probably mmm... 30 minutes before anyone notices I am there and would like food. That is the negative side to being alone in a restaurant. So, there is a table on three older gentlemen next to me, they are getting drunk because it is 2 for 1 on Sundays, and why wouldn't they be. One of them invites me to sit with them...

I can't refuse a chance to sit with the locals, so I do. I immediately go through the rounds of telling people what I do ("Crocs? What are Crocs?" is the typical repsonse followed by "Oh those funny lookin shoes!?"... I hate telling people what I do), followed by where I come from, and how long I am in town for. These good ol' boys were hanging out because the wives were out of town, and couldn't go golfing because of the rain... so they came to the bar. We proceeded to talk about Portland for approximately 20 minutes and the beautiful plants that are there....John owns a nursery. I watch these guys get more and more drunk, and they start getting sassy and talking about fishing and how they cap-sized there boat because they took a left at the fork instead of the usual right they take on their fishing trips. I really couldn't understand them half the time, but it was so fun to sit there and listen to them go. We even saw a celebrity... Yep... Peyton from Rock of Love walked by, and if those guys didn't just about pee themselves when they saw her! They got pictures, and called their wives, friends... this led into a conversation about Brett Michaels and how Poison was the shit back in the 80's... So funny! I left about 20 minutes later after buying the boys a round, and saying my goodbyes...

That probably wasn't the most exciting story, but it pretty much sums up my experience here in Nashville... I absolutely love it here! I have told at least 10,000 people this, but if it was near the beach and a mountain I would never leave. I love honky-tonkin', the people.... I am even starting to warm up to the accent. It has been nothing, but an amazing experience here. I've danced, had one of the worst hangovers of my life, shopped, wore high heels for like the second time ever, and met some amazing people... just what being on the road is supposed to be...

Next it is Indianapolis... I am planning on running the 5k there, and then we go back to Florida, something I am sort of dreading, worst drivers ever in my opinion.. Till then!!!

Jelly, Mario and Luigi, and the East Coast have nothing and everything in common

So, Here is my attempt at trying to get back to the whole blogging thing. I am starting fresh and trying to do shorter, but more frequent updates.

We left Boston today, and I wish we could have stayed longer, for more reasons than one. To be more specific those are:

1) I desperately wanted to go to a Redsox game. I don't think I have ever been to a city where they are so passionate about there sports teams. It is one of the most infectious feelings ever. I wanted to paint myself red and blue, and run up and down the streets, yelling the names of players...
2) I also wanted to stay for the marathon.... how much fun was that crowd!
3) I didn't get to eat at the North end, or go to a chacerero, which was something I promised people I would do. The reason I ended up not going was a good one though.
4) I am pretty sure that somewhere in that city or in the Northeast is a man for me. I think I am destined to marry someone from the east coast.... I almost find every guy there to be unbelievably good looking... minus the ones that have more hair in there eyebrows than I have on my head....
5) I didn't get to do any of the touristy stuff.... Lame!


Other than that short list, I had an amazing and fantastic weekend. Work went well, and I was blessed with some new friends. Zach (my roomie) is from Maine, and I was lucky enough to receive and phone call and invitation from his friend Eric who lived in the area. So on a whim I ended up making the drive North twice.... one night was spent in New Hampshire, where I played a fantastic game of civil war (like beer pong meets dodge ball), and proceeded to most likely make somewhat of an ass of myself..... The clincher was that I had to get up at 6:30 and make my way back to Boston for work. That was a rough morning/afternoon. Then I turned around and headed right back up to Maine to continue the festivities. This night was just as drunk as the first, and more fun! I heard some fantastic jokes, watched two dogs go gay for each other, and found out that bars in New Hampshire close at 12:30, which to me sounds like the worst idea ever. Wow!

I got to see familiar faces though, and hang out with some incredibly fun people. Even though I had just met all of Zachy's friends, I felt instantly comfortable around them, which is so nice when you are on the road. I can't even begin to describe how lucky I have been on this trip with the people I have connected with. I always try to surround myself with good positive people, and it seems like I have been getting that ten fold. I hope that this trend continues....

Now it is off to Nashville, which I am currently on the hunt for some cowboy boots for. I am pretty certain that this is going to turn into one of those weekends that will go down in the books on this trip. Philip is busting out his denim shirt, which to you might me nothing, but to myself it is somewhat of a legend and I can't wait to see it in all it's glory. I'm sure words won't be able to describe it, but picture will come shortly after.... Till then.

More to come...

I am planning a nice long post about my adventures in LA..... so be ready.

Till then

LET IT ROCK

So I am sitting in my hotel room in Austin... I have been super unmotivated when it comes to doing this blog. That and I have been insanely busy. Plus I have logged around 1300 miles in two days, and, go figure, we don't get wireless in the trucks. excuses excuses...

So let me give you the highlights from the past couple of weeks:

We will start with the Huntington Beach top 3:

1) Hungtington beach was our first event of the tour. It was crazy to actually get started and see how everything looks when it is put together. That and being a part of an event was also incredibly cool. Marathoners are quite the motivating group of people. I am seriously considering training for a marathon now. But at the same time, I really like drinking.
2)I went out for my first night in LA. It was an experience, filled with LOTS of fake boobs, and boys that were pretty, too pretty. I was about to puke if I had to look at one more striped shirt, true religion jean, spiked hair douche bag. I seriously drank an entire pitcher of beer, and a couple of jaegar bombs (my first by the way), and the guys were still vile. I never thought I would find myself writing or saying these words, but I insanely miss Pacific Northwest boys.
Other than the lack of eye candy, I had an amazing night. There was an epic dance off between Phil and Pedro. Then one between me and some other guy (I kicked his ass with my lawnmower skills). Followed by a walk down the beach that ended in me losing my camera. Sad
3) Sunday was supposed to be our first race day. There are usually to expo days, and then we set up at the finish line. Well... what can only be described as a massive hurricane swept through Huntington, and caused the event to be cancelled. Kind of shitty, but we got up at 4am to set up, so I wasn't too sad.

This started it all. After our first event we had four days to do whatever we wanted before our next event. Jill and Nate flew home to see their loves, and Phil and I headed South to San Diego. It was chillax.... lots of hanging out by the beach, lots of drinking, lots of coffee. It was pretty much perfect.

Have I mentioned this is the coolest job ever?

We then had our next event in Palm Springs... I strongly advise all people under the age of 50 to avoid Palm Springs at all costs, unless you are going to Coachella. We really were only there for two days because it was a bicycle event.The boys that worked for cannondale were kind enough to hook the whole team up with bikes to use until we see them at Tour de California this next week. After the event, I indulged in a pre-birthday beer, and then rode my new borrowed $6000+ bike back to the hotel roon with Jill.

I don't know if I was feeling ballsy or incredibly stupid, but I decided to do a little wheelie in the parking lot.

Bad Idea.

I underestimated the power of the front brakes and was face first in the pavement before I could even blink. Don't worry. The bike is fine... I am too, no broken bones, but an insane bump on my head, and a lot of bruises on my legs.

The evening concluded with the crew eating pizza and beer, and when everyone bailed on finishing the case, I took on the challenge with Philip and we happily took care of the coors light case pool side.

I woke up the next day, my birthday, with a great hangover. I was also excited because it was our first major haul, we were headed to Austin. My birthday was spent in the beautiful Croc 2, with a playlist on Phil's Ipod made especially for my birthday.

It was MEDIEVAL!!!!

Austin was next on the list of stops, which is where I am now. For an amazingly funny, and descriptive account of our journey here please read y co-pilots blog:

http://philiplauri.blogspot.com/

You will laugh, and truly get the feeling that you are on the trip with us.

Austin has been a blast! We had a belated b-day party for me on 6th st., which ended with me leaving my debit card at the chugging monkey, and dancing with a man that I am pretty sure was a foot shorter than me.

We are definitely going to hit some concerts this weekend. Then it is back on the road to Pasadena, with a slight.. possibly big detour to the Grand Canyon. I am incredibly excited!!!! Plus I still have that bike to use... if I decide to get back on it.

Till then I am going to have to just party on 6th st, and make sure I don't mention that I vote democratic.

days 1-3=FLOW-ETRY

Well everyone... it seems like yesterday I was given the best goodbye ever from Portland. I just have to say that I have never felt so loved from any one group of people than all of you who showed up the other night. From the 4+ pitchers of Hamm's we drank to, mikey and chuck feeding me Lil' smokies (bbq of course) at The Wilshire, it really was the best send off anyone could ever ask for.

Since this Monday, I can already say that this is going to be one of the greatest adventures of my life. Lets start with Day 1.

Day 1:

I woke up super hungover on Tuesday morning... like woke up at five in the morning because I was so dehydrated hung over. Luckily I did not puke, but after downing a glass of water and laying back down, i felt something trickling down my nose.... I haven't had a bloody nose in.. oh.... years and years, and I got one Tuesday morning. All over my white down comforter.

Shitty.

If that wasn't bad enough, we were scheduled to leave at 6:45 in the morning. I got picked up. I am pretty sure the hangover had just started to worsen. We get to the trucks so that we can leave in Swan Island, and HOW STRANGE!!!... They aren't even packed with inventory yet. That means that we, the team, get to help...

we left Portland at 10:30.

I was more than a little pissed, San Francisco was waiting for me, and I couldn't deliver myself there when I promised.

After a ridiculous amount of stopping.... Picking up Jill in Salem, getting lunch (which I was about ready to die from hunger so that was a good stop), to picking up friggin chains at Les Schwab, I truely thought we would never actually get out of Oregon. Finally, the open, and insanely snowy road was in front of us.

The Truck is suprisingly comfortable, and the company was really good. The only shitty part is that what would normally be a 10 hour drive to San Fran, actually ended up being 14 hours. Tack on an extra 3-4 hours with any drive you make in a box truck, that is definitely something I have learned. That and we didn't/still don't have a working stereo. Thank God Phil had a computer with a library of music that would kick most Itunes libraries asses.

We made it to Redding at about 9:00. Jill and Nate didn't want to keep going for multiple reasons, but Philip and I had set a goal, and BY F-ING GOD we were going to get to San Francisco. So, as a group we decided that it would be alright to split up for the evening.

We would find out later that this was a bad choice on our part.

I was close to being delirious by the time we rolled into San Francisco, at about 12:30. We headed straight for the lucky penny, a truely seedy diner, which our trusty GPS guided us to with no problems. Once I got there, I was tired hungry, but also feeling like th most accomplished person in the world because I MADE IT!!!! We met up with Phil's friend Bethy who was visiting from Chicago, and just so happend to be there the same time as us. I drank some shitty coffee and ate a shitty grilled cheese, and then we weaved our way through the streets of San Fran, to get Beth back to her room.

Then came our delima.... we didn't have a place to stay. We tossed around a couple of ideas, including sleeping in the back of the truck at Golden gate park, but we didn't have any blankets.

We ended up posting up... FINALLY... at the ever classy Redwood city inn. It was the only place we could find that had a clearance big enough to fit our truck... we took up five parking spots. At 2:30, my head finally hit the pillow, and it was lights out for this girl.

DAY 2:

I woke up in kind of a haze, and with a pool of drool on my arm that could have easily been rung out of the shirt I was wearing. When I drool, you know the sleep that I am in is deep and very serious.

San Francisco, has also moved up on my list of favorite places to visit.. every time I go there I feel like I could stay a little longer. And we lucked out huge, with the weather on wednesday. Honestly it was by far the most beautiful day, slightly warm, sunny, no clouds to be seen.

We took off on foot, hunting for the essentials.... coffee, breakfast, and a sweet place to chill. We found it two blocks past the "crookedest street," but that wasn't before we had to climb what I can only assume is the urban mt. everest, I really think I need to be hooked up to an oxygen tank, because I was close to passing out by the time we reached the top.

I had a pretty cool moment once we reached the cafe we chilled at. I was sitting outside in the most amazing day San Fran had seen in weeks, sipping my americano, reading a really interesting article in the SF weekly, and just chilling... I realized that I am may just be one of the luckiest people in the world. It was great, I couldn't stop smiling the whole time I sat there, it was just that GOOD.

Phil's buddy Scott showed up around 1ish to join in our festivities, we had to make up for Phil's b-day being spent in a 19 foot box truck. So we headed to North Beach, where the italian food is stellar, and the beat poets got drunk, and wrote crazy shit. My favorite bar in San Francisco is by far this place called the vesuvio... it was the haunt for Jack keroac, and it is divey, but not TOO divey. Plus the beer is somewhat affordable.

We started drinking at 3. Enough said there.

Beth showed up around four, followed by my friend Casey. The same Casey who moved out of the coolest house ever, allowing me to move in and infiltrate the SE.

We kept drinking. Alot

Scott left. He had dinner plans.

Sometime between my fourth and fifth beer, the soul of Jack Keroac infiltrated our very souls, and we got inspired to write some poetry. I will publish the four poems we wrote as soon as I can get my pics uploaded, because the poems we wrote are quite possibly worthy of publishing. We posted our first one on the corkboard at the vesuvio, and I am pretty much positive that someone is going to read it and believe that Keroac himself rose from the grave to write that poem.

We left four more poems that night in random spots. One behind the mirror of the italian restaurant that we ate at and then another in a bar, followed by one stuffed in a drain pipe in Jack Keroac alley. We truely were beats that night.

We went looking for a karaoke bar, and in that process ran into captain democracy. NOW, captain Democracy is running for president, can control the weather, and believes that Baja is not part of mexico but part of California. He also has a website for his campaign... if any of you reading this want to read some crazy go to www.captaindemocracy.wordpress.com. I promise you will not be disapointed, at all. There is also video footage of our encounter with the future president of the USA, and I will get that up as soon as possible.

the karaoke bar was literally a hallway in a building so we took off back to the hotel. Beth, Phil, Casey and I had a nice long walk ahead of us, not to mention another ascent up the urban everest. Well, this time feeling unstoppable we decided to race up to the top of the hill... yeah up a 90 degree face.

SMART.

Beth and I quit half way, but the boys being boys pressed on... I am convinced that Casey's legs almost fell off, and Phil was going to have a heart attack, and that would suck because my cpr card is WAAAAyyyyy expired.

We stopped by the convenience store, and picked up a six pack of pbr, and a six pack of king cobra tall boys. Yum yum....

We then headed back to the hotel, where we watched yacht rock on the computer ( if you haven't seen it, you need to, its on you tube). got drunk and then passed out. It was an incredibly long and amazing day in San Fran.

DAY 3:

I left San Francisco pretty reluctantly. I would have stayed. However, Huntington beach was calling. Hot Surfers are always welcome in my company.

We really just drove on Thursday. It was a chill drive, and we stopped and watched one of the most epic sunsets I have ever seen. I was really in awe of the colors that I could count in the sky.

I do have to add that LA traffic makes me want to kill. anyone who drives down here needs to be removed from the roads so that I don't have to deal with them.

We made it to Huntington Beach two hours later then our ETA, and I was PISSED..... I missed Lost. Those of you that know me really get how huge of a deal that is.

but we made it.


So I am behind on my days, but I really can't write anymore right now. I am tired and have to be up at 5am. Damn these marathoners for starting at 7am. I'll fill you in on the rest later because it is that good. Love you all, miss you just as much, and keep in touch!!!!

p.s. No gingers yet Katie