So here I am about to make my way to Memphis, but let's take a look at the past week and how I got here. 

Last Sunday the 21st - I left Megan's house with a sack of banana muffins and some sweet coke caps and got on the road to Tennessee. My friend Josh (the brother of Ryan's old roommate Caleb) lives in between Nashville and Knoxville in a town called Cookeville. Just north of Chattanooga were some sprawling hills which were wonderful. Some time that night I rolled into Josh's place which was quite impressive. A lake in the backyard, a swanky bachelor pad in the basement and a comfortable guest bedroom (thanks Caleb) to stay for the night. Josh took me over to a friend's house that night to hangout but it ended up being cut short due to my constant dozing off during conversations. I properly conked out once we got home and (thanks to the time change!) benefitted greatly from the extra hour. 

Monday - Josh took me over to Silas' house so we could all go play disc golf at a park in town. We played for skins and Silas narrowly edged me out 9 to 8 with Josh picking up a lone 1 skin. Afterward, Josh took us for some sweet tea, something I have fallen in love with ever since Georgia. We watched a movie that night while splitting chips and spinach dip. 

Tuesday - Josh had a job interview in Nashville which was nice because I got to hitch a ride with him downtown and then walk around the area while he was busy. I walked around Broadway Street, the home of plenty of bars and lots of musicians trying to make it bigtime. I stopped by the Charlie Daniels Museum and Jack Daniels Museum while listening to the constant blare of honky tonk inside the bars. I bought a few souvenirs and met up with Josh who took me to Murfreesboro for some disc golf on his favorite course in the area. It ended up being cut short due to darkness, in which case we headed back to Nashville to see  the Opryland hotel. The mall next door was closed due to the flooding which ruined hundreds of shops last Spring. The hotel itself was very ritzy and had numerous open expanses inside the building which featured air balloons, waterfalls, boat rides and mountainous wildlife. It was spectaculr and opulent. We made it back to Cookeville late that night and we fell asleep watching Planes Trains and Automobiles. 

Wednesday - Josh met up with Silas again and they took me to Burgess Falls, a state park in town. We hiked down to a secluded waterfall which cast mist all over us in its wake. It was beautiful and its massive weight drowned out our voices. Layers of rocks surrounded the falls, detailing the thousands of years of history all around us. After a few hours we headed back to Silas' house while exchanging some very funny drinking stories. The very best guy talk. My idea for beer pong was supported by everyone and when Silas' girlfriend Erica got home we made our way down to the basement with some Yuengling to play with. The games were very fun with everybody playing well and enjoying the atmosphere. I won a few games and then Josh's friend Ashley came over with some Keystone light and we alternated teams and sides. On a side note, I could not be stopped on a 2-rack. 5 and 0 baby. Overall it was a great night which ended with me again falling asleep on the couch. 

Thursday - Josh was kind enough to let me join him and his family for their non-traditional Thanksgiving festivities. We arrived quite early just outside Knoxville for a plentiful breakfast which was going to setup the Thanksgiving chili coming later. Sausage hash browns, bacon, eggs, biscuits & gravy, grapes and a french toast/blackberry jam concoction all made their way onto my plate. Everything was delicious and went down easily with (you should've guessed it) a big glass of sweet tea. Even though we felt comatose and ready for a nap, Josh and I felt like exploring. After an hour hike into his family's backyard property which included a serene lake viewing, we drove to a nearby disc golf course for a quick 9 holes. A nice guy who ended up playing with us named Andy told us during the round of an even better course only 10 minutes away built on the site of an abandoned golf course. After the quick round of 9 we decided to make the short drive and it was well worth it. There were 4 tees for each hole and they ranged from beginner to super-duper long and hard (that's what she said). The course had lots of sprawling grassland, with the old tree and bunker hazards playing quite well given its new nature. One large water hazard was exciting and some of the wooded holes made for a challenging drive. Like a sav, Josh found a disc lost in the woods which was in very nice condition. We finished the round after a couple hours (Josh's bathroom break at hole 15 at a nearby abandoned putt putt course being the main culprit in extending the round's length) and made our way back for the taco salad and chili. It was delicious, I felt stuffed. We played a little Scrabble before driving back in the rain to Cookeville. 

Today, Friday - Josh's parents have been super nice to me all week and it will be tough leaving this place which has been very cool. 4 disc golf courses, a great night of beer pong and large southern breakfasts are just some of the things which I will take away from the experience. I'm making my way westward and even though the trip is winding down, I still feel the the freedom laid out in front of me. 

Me and Megan hanging out in Georgia.

The wall that still stands by Pitt where Bill Mazeroski hit his World Series-winning home run.

Tea Bags bar located next to David's house. What.

Party People.

Holly's get-together was a rousing success. Thanks to her and her friends for making it wonderful evening.

Tonight, Megan took me out with her family for a nice mexican dinner at Frontera. A nice restaurant they were surprised did not exist where I am from. Her family is very nice and are taking me out tomorrow morning for a jaunt around Atlanta. Apparently there is a lot of civil war history in the area.

Monday I spent the night in Sweetwater, Georgia after driving from Pittsburg through Huntington, WV and Knoxville, TN. I had another free continental breakfast courtesy of the Hampton Inn and Suites. Bacon and eggs and Biscuits/Gravy!

Tuesday afternoon I arrived in Atlanta and killed some time waiting for Megan to get off work by going to a couple malls a nearby disc golf course I found online at the mall Mac store. It was 18 pretty difficult holes in Roswell which wasn't too far. The course was the best kept I'd seen so far: the tee boxes were all clearly labeled and swept, the baskets looked like they were painted yesterday and the OBs were lined with nets to prevent runaways. Each hole also had a sign indicating how the hole played and various notes about the surrounding environment. It was wonderful to see the dedication which went into making the course. Afterwards I napped at a Walmart until my friend called.

I've been staying just outside Atlanta in Conyers, GA with another sg friend. There was a keg of Bud Light Tuesday night which we helped finish. It turned out to be a crazy party, I finally got to sleep in a twin bed again. We've been playing Black Ops and Borderlands which are pretty cool games. I've had some authentic homemade sweet tea along with a heaping helping of birthday lasagna.

On Wednesday night Megan, her boyfriend and 2 friends invited me to an event at this local movie theater called "Bad Movie Night." The movie they showed that night was called Alien Private Eye. What. Go see it now. It had something to do with a black disc broken in 2 which fell to earth and created a drug '1000 times more addictive than heroine.' The movie was extremely unintentionally hilarious and I highly recommend it to everyone as a truly great example of 'so bad it's good' movie-making.

I'm leaving for Nashville tomorrow to spend a few days with Caleb's brother Josh. His house is supposed to be pretty big with lots of land on the property.

I had a wonderful time in Canada!

Mere was a wonderful host and showed me lots of cool places around Montreal. We went to a museum with her tres cool amis, went shopping at the mall, walked with me around multiple dollarama stores, laughed at a bad scary movie (and laughed at some good ones) and she even let me use her salt & pepper. Such kindness does not go unnoticed. I have plenty of souvenirs and even did some international Christmas shopping. Bon Idee!

Last weekend, I drove all day from Montreal to Pittsburgh. I passed through Rochester, Buffalo and even this small town in upstate NY called Mexico. What.

I met up with Holly and David upon arrival at this bar around the corner from his house. The area is ripe with pubs and cheap places to eat.

I've been sleeping in the past week, staying up late drinking and playing video games. David knew of a sweet disc golf course right next to the Pitt campus which we played over the course of a couple hours. I went back several times to play the course because it was very well made. It's been chilly out but no snow in the area and surprisingly warm during the day. We have also played some indoor ultimate frisbee at this complex on campus the past two Saturday nights. The indoor atmosphere has been been very cool and I would love to come back and do it. I've never played inside but seeing as how it was 10 at night and 30 degrees outside, it was a good idea.

This past Tuesday night Holly invited some awesome people over for a potluck and it was a great night. There was homemade Sangria, wine and cheap beer which I made sure made an appearance. Thank you Holly for having us over at your house!

Wednesday night I went to Hambone's for some Obscure board/card games with some cool young people. I even got a deal on my Coors Light. Score!I also got to see David play in a band at this bar called Spin. I smuggled some booze in and felt great with the covers they were playing. I also got to chat with a cool girl named Carly who also plays frisbee and lives in the area. We chatted outside over box wine and beer which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I'm leaving Sunday morning for Huntington, West Virginia where I will be for a couple days. Tuesday night I will be arriving in Atlanta and staying there for who knows how long.

Will be able to post pictures sometime this week of all the shenanigans. I really liked the city and could see myself here in 2011. We'll see...

Outside the NBC studios where I got the full tour.
Katie's wonderful dog which kept me company at night.
Me with some Central Park ultimate dudes.
Next to Strawberry Fields in Central Park.
Time Square.


I made it to Montreal, Canada!


But before that I must catch up on how I got here. I spent last week just across the

Hudson River in Kearny, New Jersey, traveling to New York a few times to visit the

downtown area. Central Park looked amazing and was a joy (if a bit long) to walk through.

I even played frisbee with guys from meetup one evening inside the park. I almost got an

extra seat to watch a taping of the Jimmy Fallon Show at the NBC studios but they didn't

call my number. I could see myself living around the area, depending on how comfortable I

was not having a car. I used the bus system to get around which was surprisingly easy to

use not much of a hassle. I made sure to wear my Giants jersey while walking around Times

Square which prompted a few cops to wish me good luck against the Rangers, which had just

beaten them in the ALCS.


I left New York Friday afternoon to stay in Boston for the night. I arrived at Boston U

around 10pm and quickly made my way towards frat row. I was weary of arriving at the

Canadian-US border with 50+ beers and a batch of mushrooms in my car so I was determined

to find a party and have a good time. I set out in my Mikhail costume (from LOST) and

carrying lots of booze under my arms. I followed some a group of pirates and Waldos into a

house with loud music and blended into the party scene. One of the guys who lived there

met me in the kitchen and, when he saw me depositing a shit-ton of beer into his fridge,

he showed me around the bitchin' party. I played some beer pong (on the shortest table

ever I might add), showed them how to play quarters and finally played some Pro Evo soccer

on the PS3 to close out the night. It was an awesome night and they all enjoyed my Beer 30

lights which littered the kitchen. I stumbled back to my explorer late that night, having

given away my drugs and alcohol and entirely satisfied with passing out in my backseat.


Saturday afternoon at 2 pm I awoke and immediately left Boston. I wound my way through New

Hampshire and Vermont over the next few hours and the countryside was a rolling sea of

oranges and yellows. I got to the border around 7 pm and it turned out to be a sluggish

entrance process. They completely emptied my car and rifled through its contents, messing

up the carefully constructed layout I had lived with the past month+. The immigration

officer asked me lots of questions as to the reason for my arrival and apparently wondered

why I chose to vacation in Canada in the winter with someone I had never met before. After

an eternity I got my passport stamped for the first time and I was back on the road.


The weather seemed to change almost immediately: what was a light rain back in Vermont

became heavy rain/light snow once in Canada. French signs and kilometer speed signs were

an amusing first taste of the country. I pulled my directions out and made my way to

Mere's house in the Verdun district of Montreal. That night we sipped cheap wine with her

neighbor, chatted about various things and stayed up late listening to random music. She

has an extra room which has kept me warm during the light snow outside.


Last night we watched Planet Terror for the first time after episodes of Family Guy were

the only tolerable thing on television. It is chilly here in Montreal, but I managed to

survive walking around downtown. French is everywhere here and Mere has told me that

Quebecers are their own group separate from most of Canada. I plan on being here for a few

more days before going back to Pittsburgh to spend more time with those fine people.


Au revoir pour maintenant mes amis.