Nate Journeys America

Be A Story

2011-10-15T18:32:00.005-04:00

... through the highs and through the lows one must wonder where to go, but through it all we must never forget... we are here to be a story, and to be a part of a much bigger one...

Today I write with a fresh look on all the crazy hits that have come in these past few years, from parents re-marrying to brothers divorcing, to people struggling and the top man glowing, from being in love to being said goodbye, from standing up to the evil that exists to falling on my knees begging God for forgiveness for my sins, to all the folk who come and go, to the politicians who lie while the statesmen stand for truth, it has been a time of trial... a time to produce my story.

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You know it is funny I just took a look at my last blog to see when I last wrote... one year ago tomorrow. Destiny would have it that I would open my digital journal and write at this particular moment in time. But rather than go into detail of all that has occurred over this past year, I would rather delve into the place I have come to now, and the stories that light my fire.

My writing abilities have probably deteriorated a bit from this long hiatus, but bear with me while I attempt to bring them back.

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This country is in a very prime place right now... prime for making REAL changes, prime for growing, prime for listening to our hearts once again, prime for learning humility again, prime for re-awakening the dreams that exist in our hearts.

For the sake of not wasting your time, let me just say this. I am on my way up. On my way up with God, man, work, and all that I am capable of doing for others. My dreams are alive and well, and God is at the helm. I pray He keeps this crazy horse on course, because it will inevitably be a wild road ahead.

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Let me just tell you about a little experience I had the other day that I would like to call "Sessions with 'The Man'."

To preface, let me tell you that I have recently begun working for a unique financial services brokerage firm with a huge vision. (Don't worry, I still teach/play tennis & the bagpipes and hopefully will continue for years and years to come.) I have already become licensed in Life Insurance & Annuities and I sit down with people and help them get into a feasible financial plan to improve their future without the downside risk that stocks, 401(k)'s, 403(b)'s, and Mutual Funds come with. Let's just say, the right products for the times, and the right vehicle to help. The company is called People Helping People, or PHP. It has been around for only 2 years and has grown to over 5,000 Associates and is playing big time offense in this downtrodden economy. I am sure you will be hearing about them from more than just me over the coming years...

At the helm of this company, sits a 6 foot 5 inch Iranian Christian man named Patrick Bet-David, who immigrated here as a child during the first Iraq War. You can read his story here. I read his story, read his blogs, his vision, etc. I think they are great. I have met him before, but this past Thursday I got to really spend quality time with 'the man.' He was coming into Atlanta to do a Corporate Overview for the Atlanta Headquarters. We first had a meeting at 2-4pm with licensed associates only. He frequently mentioned me during the meeting as a hopeful leader to emerge within our company. I knew this beforehand, as they see my ability to work with people and my drive to become a success. But I wasn't really interested in this, as much as where my 'leader' was in mind and soul, in particular. We all sat there and listened to a man very well versed with his tongue, but through all the great stories and thoughts on his beliefs, I wanted to come up with a question for him that he was not used to hearing. I didn't want to stump the man, I just wanted to hear him answer a simple, but also tough question that was outside of his comfort zone.

The question was this: "What is the number one quality of a leader?"

He immediately spun the question around and asked me what I thought it was. Though I knew my answer, I refused to say it, as I wanted to hear his answer. I could tell he was a bit bothered just by the fact that I was not going to tell him my opinion. So, stuck there, he went on to answer the question, stating many many good qualities of a leader, but he could not say one to be the greatest, nor could he say the one thing that I believe it is. It wasn't until later on after our Corporate Overview meeting that I had the pleasure to sit right in front of him where we all met again for dinner at Chili's. Yes, I sat down right in front of him, so that I could look him in the eye and get a true feel for his presence and what it really is he stands for. I heard him speak about some great things in one sentence, but then in another sentence about expensive purses for his wife and a huge mall in Houston. I knew at that point that he is struggling with the same things that every wealthy American is faced with... greed. This is not to say he is full of it... it is just an inevitable struggle of being in his position. It was at this point that I was asked what my answer to the question I had asked earlier was, to which I responded: "A servant to the many."

Tick tock, tick tock, I knew this answer would certainly bring the conversation to another level... and... it did. Patrick is a very strong stature character who usually is able to wield himself by his amount of wisdom plus the above, but I knew for this time, he felt threatened. I could sense it. I wished he would simply say, "Good answer Nathan", but I knew he wouldn't go down without another challenge. So, I asked him another question. It was this: "Since this company is very much about obtaining leaders, what is it that you want to use these leaders for? In other words, why should leaders work for PHP?" Immediately he stormed back with the comment, "Why are you working here?" To which I responded, first off to help people, secondly to pay for certain things and get into a better financial situation (or get out of my 'shituation' so that I can help other people with theirs'... haha just kidding), but also, to learn more about the financial services industry. So, we sparred back and forth with each other while everyone listened in. What the reason for my questions came down to was this... Is this company reeeaaaalllly what it claims to be, or is the talk a front for a means to an end? Afterward I came to the conclusion that this company, along with every profitable organization, struggles with the balance, the balance of making money and following your vision. Yet this company has such a better vision than any other company I have found in recent history, that naturally, I must hold them to a higher standard. Gosh, this sounds a lot like me! Yet, I know in my heart of hearts that there is such a thing as a fine line that we can walk to fulfill both. I am constantly striving to stay on (and sometimes find) that line.

One word keeps us on it... and that is prayer.

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After the great sparring session at Chili's, Bo, our head of Atlanta Operations and all of the east coast as well as CMO of the company, convinced Patrick that he needed to check out the famous Veggie Bus at my home, so he did. We all trucked over and hung out for a bit while showing him the famous veggie bus. Here is a little video Patrick made from that experience... I hope you don't hold it against him... or any of us!

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You see I have so many incredible stories and I am sure you do to, but I haven't hit the road in such a while. How badly I would love to get the veggie bus ready for a road trip you do not even know. I just need to focus on my PHP business and hopefully I can help many of you through this company while you in turn help me to hit the road... where many stories await... If you are curious and would like more information as to what I do, please write back and I will be more than happy to tell you!

What else is going on right now? I am working out early mornings with Bo, our CMO, who has also become a good friend and mentor. Lots of other stuff going on, but maybe we'll just have to catch up in conversation. But boy, how I would love to hit the road...

In the meantime, I plan to continue building on my story... I hope you build yours too...

Hope continues... faith envisions... and love thrives. I miss you all and hope to see you soon...

God bless you big time. I am signing off...

~ Nate

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Lyrics:

Josh Garrels - Farther Along

Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this, all by and by

Tempted and tried, I wondered why
The good man died, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves em’ both
We’re all cast-aways in need of ropes
Hangin’ on by the last threads of our hope
In a house of mirrors full of smoke
Confusing illusions I’ve seen

Where did I go wrong, I sang along
To every chorus of the song
That the devil wrote like a piper at the gates
Leading mice and men down to their fates
But some will courageously escape
The seductive voice with a heart of faith
While walkin’ that line back home

So much more to life than we’ve been told
It’s full of beauty that will unfold
And shine like you struck gold my wayward son
That deadweight burden weighs a ton
Go down into the river and let it run
And wash away all the things you’ve done
Forgiveness alright

Chorus

Still I get hard pressed on every side
Between the rock and a compromise
Like the truth and pack of lies fightin’ for my soul
And I’ve got no place left go
Cause I got changed by what I’ve been shown
More glory than the world has known
Keeps me ramblin’ on

Skipping like a calf loosed from its stall
I’m free to love once and for all
And even when I fall I’ll get back up
For the joy that overflows my cup
Heaven filled me with more than enough
Broke down my levee and my bluff
Let the flood wash me

And one day when the sky rolls back on us
Some rejoice and the others fuss
Cause every knee must bow and tongue confess
That the son of god is forever blessed
His is the kingdom, we’re the guests
So put your voice up to the test
Sing Lord, come soon

Chorus

Land of the Secure... and the Home of the Wimps?!

2010-10-17T16:10:00.011-04:00

It hit me hard while doing some hill sprints yesterday that America is becoming the 'Land of the Secure and the Home of the Wimps!' I was just contemplating on the fact that America was originally supposed to be the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." This means that people who are brave and like freedom live in and will love this country. If someone does not want to be brave, but instead prefers a sedentary, easy, and secure lifestyle where things are taken care of for him, then there are plenty of other places in the world where he would be very happy... or maybe not... enough doers to cover his costs and make him happy? I have to be blunt here. I have been really irritated with Americans as of late. It seems too many people are asking what can be done for them and why things aren't so great for them... as if they are entitled to this stuff! The more I talked with people from all over the country I noticed two very different types of people: Those who do... and are irritated, and those who look to receive... and are also irritated.

These two types of people seem to be in the biggest battle I have witnessed of my life so far. The doers are constantly irritated with the receivers for sucking the life out of this country. The receivers are irritated with the doers because they are doing everything they can to keep the receivers from getting it so easy. Clearly a country cannot survive with two such different thinkers... or maybe it can. Maybe that is the only way that the receivers can survive. Maybe that is the only way for the doers to remain humble from their work. But... how humble are these doers going to be forced to become? Do you think they are going to keep wanting to do while the receivers keep on taking more and more from them? I don't think so. Something has got to give.

Clearly, I classify myself (and I don't like to put myself into any class) as a doer. Yes, I could do more. I believe we all could. But the main thing that differentiates me from a receiver is what I ask of myself the minute I wake up in the morning... that is, "what can I do to work towards my goals?" While a receiver asks, "What can I get to come closer to my goals?"

So as this country becomes more and more of a receiver country, it becomes more and more of a failure country. I meet people everywhere... even a lot of doers... that just annoy me. They do, but then they start complaining too early and don't ask enough of themselves. They have no faith. They are falling... falling... falling... slowly but surely into that receiver category as they ask less and less of themselves, and more and more of others. These are the people that I am targeting this blog toward. These are the people that, with a simple change of thought back to the way they used to think (if they can just remember how that was!) could start back on the real doer road again. These people are still effected by what I write, or by an inspirational quote, or by a Rocky movie, or by a great speaker that begs in a flashy way for people to give life their best! These people need to snap out of it.

How? One might ask. Simple, just ask yourself, what is the most I can give today. If that means quitting a job that is sucking the time and life out of you and going with a dream you had when you were a kid then do it! Jeez, how many people I have met who just totally discounted their dreams once they reached adulthood only to make an almighty dollar a little sooner and to live comfortably... is beyond me! What is comfort without joy? Love? Passion? Zest? Energy? God??? Nothing, if you ask me.

Of course there are the worries... the almighty worries. You know, those things that control our lives. They walk hand in hand with fears... and I hate them. You know what I am talking about, the 'what if's!' The 'I can'ts!' The 'oh man I am sure there is somebody better out there so I might as well not even try!'

Then there are those who forgot altogether what life was like outside of the tiny little box they have put themselves in. That box that just kept getting smaller and smaller until the littlest things, like going for a walk, now seem like too hard of labor for them. They are much more comfortable sitting inside and watching other people do things on a 40 inch flat screen television. These (I don't know how many million) people have driven me nuts too! I can't get their attention for a simple, nice, person-to-person conversation if I try! (Well, I can, but I would much rather see them get up and walk away from that colorful screen of nothingness, realizing that there is so much more they could be doing with their time! Gosh, life is too precious for this, people! America is, and always will be... what we make of it.

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I am going to end this blog with a story of when Megan and I went to Barbados in the southern Caribbean for the last part of our month of adventures on our Jetblue 'All You Can Jet' pass. I saw and spoke with many natives. I stayed with a native, played tennis with a native, and constantly hung out with the natives. I noticed all sorts of things that opened my eyes to the crap that goes on in the U.S. that I just had to write about it. People there do not have nearly as much as people here do in terms of material wealth. But, they do have a beautiful place to live in and an environment where people are united in their love and respect for one another. All the little things that seem to bug Americans and make them so difficult to continuously get along with roll right off these peoples' backs like rain off a leaf. They work less... but get more done, because they think clearly and with zest and energy and they work together! They take the time to engage in fun conversations with one another... gosh I miss that already! They don't worry so much about what tomorrow will bring, but instead have so much energy and liveliness and focus on the moment they are in at any given moment in time. This is all true! I saw it! I saw it in Ireland last year too. Go and see for yourself if you don't believe me! Oh yes, they take care of each other like you only see very rarely in America today, where the focus seems to be mostly on one's self. Ok, they do have their problems, but they do know how to enjoy life.

One night there was a group of taxicab drivers and friends hanging out playing dominoes at the local taxi stop in Holetown, Barbados. It was about 9pm on a Tuesday night and these guys were just laughing it up, filling the night air with the wonderful sound of laughter. Megan and I heard and walked up to see what was going on. They looked at us, some with smiles, others with a bit of confusion... maybe that two white tourists would even care what they were doing, and others couldn't care less that we came up. We talked for a minute with a few of them and they asked if we wanted to join their game. We had no change at the time, otherwise, I might have. But anyway, the point is, these grown men were outside, laughing and having fun with friends. This is something I very rarely see, if ever, today in America. So many people have an agenda, a chip on their shoulder, or maybe ten paranoid worries constantly going through their mind while in public that they are unable to engage in and enjoy times like these.

I wish these things would change... I believe they can. I can't afford to believe otherwise.

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Travel Chronicles:

September 7 - 9th: NYC - Couchsurfed with Nat Chua - Went to U.S. Open

9 - 13th: Boston - Stayed with Megan's college hockey friend Rachel Przybylowski - played tennis with someone I met in a CVS Pharmacy - played my pipes in an Irish Pub in South Boston on stage with an Irish Band.

Late 13 - early 15th: Pit Stop @ home in ATL via flight to Charlotte - Ran errands, worked a day teaching at the club - received some important items in the mail, including my newest attack, the Uilleann Pipes

15 - 21st: Long Beach, CA - Couchsurfed with Sharon Hammer - Played in Pro Futures Tourney in Costa Mesa - Rented a Smart Car Convertible for the time - Ate dinner with friends I met in '07 when I crashed their party - swam in the Pacific - broke my pipes in the same place as '07, out in front of the same house, literally in the same place on the pipes - met a new friend at the tournament - read all about the uilleann pipes - made friends with other couchsurfers staying at Sharon's too

21 - 22nd: Las Vegas - Stayed with Megan's cousins - off-roaded in their Rhino

22 - 29th: Prescott, AZ - brother Luke picked us up in LV and traveled over Hoover Dam to Prescott - met up with my bagpiper/tennis & racquetball playing friend Sandy Massie - watched a multiple-type bagpiping concert - played racquetball nearly every morning around 7 - dinner at Massies - Thumb Butte Hike w/Megan - traveled on foot and bike most of the time - gave Megan two tennis lessons - camped and slid at Sliding Rock in Sedona w/ Megan, Luke & niece Sierra

30 - 6th: Barbados, South Caribbeann - Couchsurfed with Alison Johnson (no link available) - amazing place/views - relaxed - swam in Caribbean - rented motor scooter for 3 days - went on a Sunday Group hike - ate at Fish Fry Friday night - met other couchsurfer who is married to a local tennis pro - played tennis with him - toured much of Barbados (not east coast though) - drank Barbados' own Mount Gay Rum - hitchhiked - enjoyed the simple life

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Signing off,

~ Nate

Back out of the Matrix

2010-09-12T20:04:00.017-04:00

Me sitting with my bagpipes outside the 2010 US Open.

If you read the blog I just posted before this... then you will know that I am currently on the road again traveling on the Pro Tennis Circuit. Let's rewind for a few minutes though, back to May 28th, 2010, the day my baby came home...
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It is Friday, May 28th, 2010, my heart races as I hastily prepare to pick up my girlfriend of 3 1/2 months, Ms. Megan Dovell begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, up from the Atlanta Airport. The last 3 of those months she has been in S. Korea teaching English. Only three weeks were we together since we began dating before she left. Megan booked the ticket the day before we met. ***
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That brisk Monday evening on the 8th of February, 2010, was a night I will never forget. It had been over a year since Megan had first messaged me on Couchsurfing, but we were finally meeting up. We had talked a few friendly messages after that, but circumstances kept us both from meeting up until now. Funny thing, when I asked Megan where she lived so I could go pick her up I found out that she was literally just around the corner from me, a two-minute drive. It is about 9pm, I arrive at the door of a nice new Duluth suburbian home, ring the doorbell and wait. A friendly and beautiful lady (whom I assumed was her older sister but found out later was Sheri Kaminski. She was the mother/wife in the ex-neighbor family that was putting Megan up. Her family of 5, the Kaminski's, grew up with Megan's family of 6 but Megan's parents moved to Ohio a few years back. Thom & Sheri are in the picture to the left where we all went out to a really cool improv theatre in February.) answers the door and has me come inside as she tells me that she will get Megan. A little "woop woop" dance by the banister with a smile as she looked up to the top of the steps and Megan walks down, humbly dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans. She hardly looked at me before we walked out the door but I could tell she was happy to go out with me this brisk evening.
Fast forward to an amazing 2 hours later. After dinner we drove to my favorite spot at Lake Lanier and walked & talked along the lakeside. She wanted to see my house and bus, so we ended the night lying on top of my school bus looking at the stars as we drank our McDonald's hot chocolates. We talked about all kinds of things and found out that we matched up on about a gazillion different levels. (We still find more to this day... and hopefully for days to come.) It was then time to take her home. We spent every day hanging out together from then until that morning she left for Korea on March 1st, 2010.

We talked every single day while she was in Korea, most of the time twice a day. We either talked on Magic Jack or Skype, depending on if I was at home or not. Since Korea is 13 hours ahead of Atlanta our nights and days were flip flopped. This often made our conversations quite interesting, one always waking up while the other winding down, but we knew how strong our love was before Megan left... so all was very worth it. Megan kept a blog of her time there at: http://mommamiaimlivinginkorea.blogspot.com
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*** Anxiety and excitement are brewing in my heart as I try and get all my stuff together before I go and pick up Megan. Finally I am finished and as it looks I will make it there right on time as long as the traffic is good... not. A big accident provides for a half hour delay in downtown Atlanta and I am freaking out because Megan has called. She has arrived and I am not there... Oh boy, not good! The car is fresh and clean, the shells I picked up on the shores of Maryland laid across the dash of my '87 grey Bimmer Convertible look beautiful, my two favorite U2 cd's (Joshua Tree & Achtung Baby) I bought for Megan sitting perfectly in her door compartment, the flowers I picked from my back yard sitting on her seat, but no Megan.

Finally I arrive, park, and run to the arrivals level of the ATL Airport. After looking for about 5 minutes I find Megan. She looks like a traveler who just flew 16 hours should. But when our eyes met we both lit up like two Roman Candles as we grasped each other... our life together has been reunited after a brief stint before she left. Oh what a feeling that was. I couldn't stop hugging and kissing her... my love, my future, my dream, my life was at my side... never to part again.

I know, my eyes were half open, but I was all there :)

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Fast forward to this day, this month, September 2010!!! As you know I have been training to get back out on the road, now that I have spent this past year breaking free from the Matrix, the grips of society. In this time I have gradually taken out the things that were slowly picking at my character like bugs slowly destroying a leaf. At first I was so numb it felt like I didn't know which way to turn. Just broken and weakened by the matrix that I was living in. In this time I really realized how important it is to NOT compromize in this life. If you have faith in God and you work on that faith daily along with what you strive to succeed in, you will find that everything you need He will provide and your life will be so much more alive, not numb at all but warm as a cup of hot chocolate on a brisk February night.

To the bed I go. Much more to catch up on, but first I must rest... Good night all. It is so good to write you again.

Signing off,

~ Nate

P.S. Please read the blog below if you have not already...

P.P.S. I love comments, so please feel free to. Each person that receives this is my friend and I want to hear from you.

The Final 10%

2010-03-26T15:44:00.012-04:00

The Journey is alive again!

"The men I pity are those who do 90% of what it takes to succeed." ~ someone famous

Okay, with exception for the video I actually wrote this blog about 6 months ago and I am finally posting it because things are just now coming to fruition. I will be writing a new blog soon, but please read this one first so you know what is going on!

~ Nathan

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Written on March 26th, 2010, but highly relevant stuff!

If you saw my last long blog entry I told you that I had a surprise to tell you. Well... here it is! This is a rough cut, so it is a bit drawn out and needs to be cleaned up, but for blog purposes it should help you to see what is going on in my life... (see video below)

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Moving on, I have some big news on my end, where to begin telling you... oh wow I do not know! I am & have been training since January to go back out on the Pro Tennis Satellite Circuit again for a part of 2010. I will be heading to Joplin, Missouri on July 15th to play in my first tournament there. I will again be staying with the Meekers, a beautiful older couple that own an incredible little bed & breakfast called Bit of Eden. Then I will be training & going to the southern California tournaments in mid-late September, including Claremont, Costa Mesa, & Irvine. I am not going to pretend that I don't need help getting me through this successfully. Beyond my two incredible trainers, Betty McHan (super-slow strength training) & Josh Rohr (explosiveness, agility & speed training), I need finances to back this up. As you know if you keep up with my blogs I spent the last two years paying off debt and getting myself into a good financial position with owning a house, two (old :) Bimmers, & a 35-foot (school bus veggie converted :) RV, & a (free) German Shepherd named Jack, & most recently God has put the most beautiful woman in the world into my life, Ms. Megan Dovell. You will hear much more about her in the future I am sure, but for now she is teaching English in South Korea. She is amazing, but I am going to spend more time talking about her in my next blog.

So I am wealthy I know, but to take that leap into the great beyond, back outside of the Matrix that is the societal gravitational poll into the great unknown that is the place where my dreams lie, I NEED YOUR HELP! Yet if you know me, you know that when I ask for help I always want to give more back to you in return. So here are some awesome ways YOU can help:

Go to FeedtheVan.com (soon to be FeedtheBus.com) and you can sponsor me in one of three ways. You can buy a sweet "I fed the van." t-shirt for $15 bucks. You can purchase a bumper sticker ad on my Veggie Bus for $50 (to be placed on both the bus & on FeedtheBus.com with a link to your own website!) Lastly, you can make a simple donation to this great cause right from the website.
Tell as many friends as possible about this blog and get permission from them to have me put them on my blog list. Get 15 people to sign up by sending me their e-mail addresses & I'll send you your very own FeedtheVan.com "I fed the van" T-shirt! Do I have the van anymore? No, but her spirit (and website) lives on...
As I am sure you know, to do what I do well, a great diet is paramount. Beyond my normal healthy eating habits, I supplement it with a priceless product called Vemma, the #1 liquid dietary supplement on the market, made of Vitamins, Essential Minerals, Mangosteen (whole wildcrafted), & Aloe, also where it gets its' name. I have been using this product for a year & half to help keep my health at its' peak & it is a key contribution to my life goal of being a centenarian. Recently I decided to begin selling this product as I believe in it so much. It can be purchased in many forms, including the regular 32 oz bottles, the single-use double-shots, Verve Energy drink, Vemma Next for kids, & Vemma Thirst Sports Drink in individual powder packets. This being said, you can click on the Vemma link above to go directly to their website and purchase with me as your referral. It's got a 30-day empty bottle full refund guarantee, so no risk... only reward!!! As I have found, it is the tastiest & easiest to drink of all the liquid dietary supplements I have used, which is one of the main reasons I have stuck with it! By purchasing this product you will be helping yourself to live a long & healthy life along while helping me out on the road!

These are three awesome ways you can sponsor me on my way to becoming a success on the road. Thank you for reading and considering and God bless.

Signing off,

~ Nate
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So there you have it, this blog I wrote about 6 months ago. I will be following it up soon with my current situation/adventures.

Love Song to our Maker

2010-03-10T19:44:00.003-05:00

With all the strife and struggle out there, and the ignoring of the One who made us, I just wanted to pay tribute to our Maker with this tune. I hope you will relax, put on the brakes, and listen to this tune & read the scripture quotes that go with it, including the one I added below :).

That is what is meant by the Scriptures which say that no mere man has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord. ~ I Corinthians 2:9

:) I love you all.

~ Nate

Taking Responsibility For Your Life

2010-01-21T18:26:00.002-05:00

WATCH THIS WHEN YOU HAVE 40 MINUTES... NO MATTER WHAT RELIGION YOU ARE, IT IS VERY WELL WORTH YOUR TIME! Grab those headphones and really get into this... it's awesome!

Blessed are the Dreamers

2009-12-23T20:41:00.014-05:00

\/ Scroll down \/

A Reunion at the U2 Concert October 6th, 2009
(Danny, Peter, Ted, & Me)

We do what we do

Only feet from the Bono

My brother Dustin, Jack (my dog) & I at Centennial Olympic Park sometime in August.

My Mom's Wedding 9-12-09 (brother Luke walking her down the aisle)

In order from left to right: Me, Dustin, Peter, Luke, Mom, Steven, his Mom, Tiffany, & Moria
aka the Brady Bunch

Mom & Steven

Some mountains in Tennessee... or was it Kentucky? on my ride home from the wedding.

Over 5 months have passed since I last wrote. I have been in shock & awe over all the happenings in my own life since then.

Here I sit with the usual beer at my Mother's home in our nearly 200 year old home in the study, my favorite room in this house in Groveport, Ohio to tell you a majorly shortened version of what has happened over this time. It's been nuts as usual. Yet, it feels good to write again.

Last time I wrote I had just purchased and moved into my new home on Mattison Street in Duluth, Georgia. Since then I acquired pretty much a houseful of free (or really cheap) furniture. One family from Sugarloaf was redecorating most of their house and asked if I would like to come over and look at some stuff. "Sure" I said, thinking it would probably be just a few things. Above is the first truckload full. My friend Joe helped me pick it all up in his truck too.

I had a great housewarming party with a keg of Guinness and Irish food. Several friends/clients from Sugarloaf came, as well as my friends and newfound neighborhood friends. As I remember the power went out that night during the rainstorm. We ended up singing to my friend Graham's acoustic guitar as he played some Irish jigs. No, I'm sorry, we ended up playing water basketball into the night at my neighbor's.

Moving on, two roommates moved in August 1st. Both are female whom I found on Craigslist through a roommate ad I posted. They were the first two to come take a look, so no conspiracies please. It has worked out well (so well that I am adding a 3rd roommate in the basement come January 1st... another female... my next door neighbor's girlfriend... so it will be a happening place... don't know how much time I will spend there :) )

Then my 27th birthday came on the 25th of August (starting to dislike these birthdays already... would rather be like an aboriginy and never fully know my age.)

Sometime in here I quit my tennis teaching job at Sugarloaf and began working independently and at Hamilton Mill, a 2500 home community in Dacula, Georgia.

September came, and with it came a lot. My Mom got re-married to a man named Steven Thomson. My great Irish friend Gary Kilduff came all the way from Dublin, along with all my brothers and their families, plus all of Steven's family, including his two daughters. Yes, very similar to the Brady Bunch. It was a wonderful wedding, a truly beautiful time.

While we were there we were all thrown a curveball, finding out my Father had gotten re-married to the former Susie Gualtieri that weekend as well. It was strange and a bit unnerving to find this out the way we did, but we all kept our cool.

Moving on, October 6th was the Atlanta U2 concert, where my brother Peter came from South Florida, my great friend Danny came from Maryland, and our friend Ted came from North Carolina just to meet and experience the concert together. What a time we had. The pics will tell the words.

Later in October an amazing thing happened, the story of the year, but I will save that story for the next blog.

Also in October I was called and asked to be assistant high school tennis coach at Duluth High School right by my house (3 minutes away.) I will be starting in February.

We did a Halloween Party at my place too. I was a pretty bad version of Chuck Norris (pics.)

November brought work and organization... fine.

December is bringing big plans for the future.

The rest is in the pics.
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Once I said that the joys lie in the cracks and crevices of all we do in life. Lately it seems I have been too busy to really appreciate those joys like I should. I plan on getting back to that place in 2010...

I still have the bus and am working to get the veggie system running again. 2010 will bring out a dream inside of me. I have a dream we all get off our butts like we did in the times of the American Revolution and take this country back over to be used for what it was meant for... freedom. Dreams, dreamers, the fire inside being let out for what one believes in. Wimps, well, wimps will just need to take note and get on their own horses and ride! Learn from those who know, drop your pride, and find the life that God has set for you. It is there. Quit crying, quit lying about our yesterdays and even todays. Why not spend that energy on planning a beautiful tomorrow... not for ourselves so much as for others... for the best self you can get is in the joy of giving to others. When you're lying on that deathbed you won't say you didn't give it your all, right? No regrets, right? Let's turn off our televisions, stupid habitual websites on our computers, pray, get down on our knees and pray to our Maker for the strength to walk that line. Walk it humbly, with the Love that only a maker could give. Come on! No more petty small talk... get with it. Feel the power of the Maker, God himself rise up inside of you. Nurture it and it will grow... beyond our wildest dreams... feel it... don't be deceived... never let it go! Don't be afraid to make a sound.
It gets better each time around!
Just remember to keep your feet on the ground.
But let that joy grow abound

Am I making a point? Boy I hope so.

Merry Christmas

Signing off,

~ Nate

Breaking Through to the Other Side

2009-07-19T12:12:00.013-04:00

From a recent Braves/Yankees game in here in Atlanta

One year ago almost to this day I found the home of my dreams. The dream machine, the veggie bus. It took me through a cold winter rent free and kept me nice and humble as I continued to work and save. In that time I paid off all of my debt and geared myself for the next big step in my life. It wasn't until I received a call from my oldest brother Luke while I was taking my trash out at the trailer park in February that I decided it was time to buy. He went on to tell me that the government is going to give away $8000 to any and every person out there who buys their first home in the next 10 months or whatever. I had already known about the interest free loan, but straight cash? Come on, this is never gonna happen again, and if it does I'm not waiting around for it. So, I continued down el cheapo road for the next 6 months as I held onto my job and waited patiently for the year and a half mark at my job to arrive (late June was that point) so that I could be approved for a mortgage.

Late May I received a call from the (best) mortgage guy, Brian Redmond, reminding me that now is the time. He set me up with a great realtor named Gin Willis who got me right on the horse searching for homes. Long story short, I looked at a gazillion homes in that short 3 week period and ended up purchasing the first home I was taken to. On June 20th at 1:30am I jumped out of my bed and wrote the 'What I want to do' e-mail to Gin. Not even 3 weeks later Brian pulled off a loan and I closed on my new home July 10th, 2009. It all happened in magical time and fluidity, from the offers to the rest of the communication. I thank God alone for the team of people I was set up to work with. I don't believe it could have happened more naturally.

Here I sit, here I sit in the journey home where I write you all of what dreams have come, a year and a half from the time I was broke as a joke, in debt, and fresh off the road from the journeys of 2007. What a sweet time it is.

I have a roommate lined up to move in on July 30th and another possibly early to mid August.

I will be sending out an eVite shortly for the housewarming party, which will take place the evening of August 1st...

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Robot Music for those of you who may find yourself mistaken or feeling like a robot at work and/or in life... enjoy.

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NEWS!!!

First off, my Mama is getting married on September 12th to Mr. Steven Thompson! This is huge news for me. All the brothers and their families will be up in Ohio for it... a very rare occurrence.
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I recently went to Ohio for the Dawes Family Reunion at the Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio. I got the following pic from across the pond in England from a long lost relative, James Dawes.

Here is my immediate family pic (cousins, grandmother holding my nephew, Dad next to me, brother Dustin & his family.)

My Nephew & me (Daddy Dustin on left)! He's almost one now.

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What else, I played for a couple of Weddings. One was for a friend of another client who's Wedding I did 7-7-07 (see pic to right for '07 Wedding.) This was in Charlotte. Here is a pic from it. Then the next day I drove to Cleveland, Georgia, which is in the mountains, to play for Ben Jelen's Wedding. Ben is a musician who is trying to make it big in New York. Here is his music video for "Wreckage." Some of you I know have already heard of him.

This is one of the pics he sent me from before Rich's Wedding (Rich left, David right.)

... and below is one from Ben Jelen's Wedding.

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Lastly, I have been summoned to play in Las Vegas for Operation Save America's Pro Life Memorial Service. I played right down Fremont Street. That was yesterday, July 20th. I am back in Atlanta now... flew back today. I did a gig for them last year in Atlanta and they asked me back this year.
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Oh, one more thing. I played for Lanelle Babbage-Torres ("a minority within a minority") for a Mother's Day Pro Life gig too. Here it is:

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"Better to be hated than to be loved for what you're not" so go ahead, I dare you to "break on through to the other side."

Signing off,

~ Nate

I Flew Away (Ireland - Part II)

2009-05-19T22:40:00.013-04:00

A day pack on my back, pipes in a sack around my neck, the legs pumping hard on the bike's lowest gear, I fight to reach the top of the climb. Lush green fields as far as the eye can see and a castle greet me on my left, the Atlantic on my right, along with a few cows in a pen (see pics.) I finally reach a good spot to hop off the bike, what looks to be the highest point of the
Cliffs of Moher, a natural phenomenon that words can't describe. I lock the bike to a fence gate to some cliffside farmland, jump the fence, hike up a couple hundred yards, jump another fence or two, and... there it is. I stand only a few feet from the edge of a 200 meter dropoff as I look out at the Atlantic Ocean on this beautifully rare sunny day. Seagulls glide upward through the air without a single flap of their wings, waves crash below as the sun glistens off the water. As I stand in awe I realize this may be the most beautiful site I have ever laid eyes on.
I hike southward along the cliff's edge until I find the most beautiful spot to play my pipes. Only a few hundred meters from the visitor viewing area, I stand to play to celebrate this high Irish occasion. Fast forward 40 minutes, hands a bit cold and time to find somewhere to warm up. Hiking to the visitor area from the forbidden cliffside path, visitors eyeballing me with funny looks as I hop the barbed wire fence, soaking up the sites while the hands warm up in my pockets. I begin to walk eastbound away from the cliffs to try and find Amber. This is where it happened, three men drive toward me in a golf cart, stop, and ask me if I was the piper playing at the cliffs. After I said yes they proceeded to ask me if I would mind playing again while they videotaped me. I said, "Sure, but for what?" "We're with ABC News Good Morning America and we are doing a special on the Cliffs of Moher and we want to make you a part of it." I'm smiling from head to toe on the inside as they drive me on the golf cart up to the cliffside, where they threw a mic on me and had me play. This was around the time Amber showed up, wondering where I had been and what these men were trying to do to me. Once it was explained she calmed down a bit and gave me a look and said, "Only you Nate! Only you..." Though a bit out of pipe shape I gave it my all as my pipes belted out Dark Island in this surreal moment (see pic & video.) It went on for about 15 minutes... 15 minutes of fame! See it on ABC News Good Morning America sometime in the next two weeks. They will be e-mailing me when they air it, so I will let you know...

After this delightful event Amber & I hiked another 8-10 miles or so of cliffs over a five hour period, before finally riding our bikes back to Doolin Hostel, where we stayed (pic above with our host.) It was maybe the most fun bike ride I can remember as we cruised down the hills at speeds probably around 35 miles an hour as our bikes shook, brakes squeeked, and voices shouted with joy. It was awesome (see pics & video.) We did stop to check out the rocky Atlantic coast before going back home. After cleaning ourselves up, we headed down to the local
Gus O'Connor's Pub, only a block away from the hostel. There we ate, drank Guinness & Smithwick's, listened to a traditional music session consisting of an accordian, two flutes, and a fiddle (see video.) Actually, you know what, this was the night before. But we did go to O'Connor's again. The food was especially delicious as we were especially hungry. We ended the night with a phenomenal movie that I just happened to leave in my dvd drive in my computer when I took it overseas. Yes, you guessed it, Ghostbusters! It was a great ending to an amazing day.

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Through all the evil in the world, the weeds, beautiful flowers still exist, and will ultimately overcome the weeds. The adventure lies in finding the flowers.

"Just a few more weary days and then... (we'll) fly away."

Signing off,

Nate

Hello again, I missed you

2009-05-13T21:37:00.017-04:00

It has been entirely too long since I have written you, my friends. My focus got too large on the task at hand. I think I temporarily became what they call a "workaholic." Woah, I am so glad that I finally got out of that funk. I have a ton to catch you all up on, and vise versa I am sure, so let's get this shindig started again.
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First off, let me catch you up briefly on my most current situation. Since I last wrote you I have moved twice. I moved my bus out of Amanda's back yard and into Jones RV Park on February 17th. I lived there a month & a week. It was awesome. It is an incredible experience to live next to carnies and across from old free spirits. Then I finally moved out of my portable living quarters and into an ex co-worker/friend's home five minutes from work. The bus went to the shop to have some minor work done, then temporary storage. This is where I live now, and where I sit in my (classily ;) furnished room on a blue easy chair with a candle burning, headphones on, a beer at my right. Now... I type.

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Roots Search 2009 - Ireland, Part I
(transcribed hand-written notes from Delta Flight 176 - Dublin, Ireland to Atlanta, Georgia, May 5th, 2009)

Here I sit on a long flight back home from Ireland, a land I could only speculate to love for so long, but now can confirm as fact. It began with a ridiculous road trip south 7 1/2 hours from Atlanta to Orlando to pick up a flight out of there with my part Irish college friend Amber Kinneer. Since she lives there and tickets were cheaper flying from there, that is where we departed from. But wait, there is one layover... in of all places, Atlanta! No, they would not let me pick up the flight in ATL, so as ridiculous as it was, this was the case.

Fast forward to the good part - we are at the gate 1/2 hour from departure and I suddenly need to use the # one reliever. I swear we never heard a call until the "Last Call to Dublin" I heard over the loudspeaker while standing at the # one reliever. Amber was most likely going into panic mode so I knew I had to turn on the jets and get rolling. After arriving back at the gate in record time we had our tickets scanned. "Beep, beep, be-beep beep!" the scanner screamed at Amber's, then my ticket. "Here, please step aside for a minute," the attendant said. She then proceeded to give our tickets a double-down before looking at us both and asking this, "I hope you don't mind but we are going to have to move you into first class. Do you mind?" Then the other attendant added, "It must be your lucky day." Amber's panic mode turned immediately into panic/giddy mode as the two of us, hopped, skipped, jumped and high-fived our way through the tunnel, into the plane, to the left, and into our 'large & in charge' first class seats. I could tell you all about the remote controls and four-course meals, massages (no, just joking) and angel-like service, but I won't. Let's just say it was a very enjoyable trip across the pond. Morning came quickly and before we knew it we were no longer seeing blue, only green green Ireland.

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An end note: I can now assure you from enough ups and downs, you can experience a flow of energy infinitely strong... or you can experience a hurt that can overcome you, depending on what you dwell on. Whatever you do focus on will compound upon itself the more you think on it. So, "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8

There's a light at the end of this tunnel for you, and when you get there you will find me, swinging the world by the tail, bouncing over a white cloud, killing the blues :)

~ Nate

Zero Debt

2009-01-18T22:28:00.016-05:00

As usual, turn it up...

A little over a year ago I decided to veer off the blast of a path called the Journey America Tour 2007 to accomplish one goal for 2008 - pay off all my debt. I loved the path I was on, did not want to jump off for the life in me, but it was pulling at me like a dead weight that would not go away, keeping me from fully following my dreams. It was my master and I was its' slave. I did not want to spend my energies any way but whole-heartedly and, well this evil thing called debt kept me divided. As of Friday I killed this evil thing... for good.

2008 was a complete change of gears from 2007. In many ways I felt like I was going backwards by going back into this matrix called corporate America to teach tennis for a corporate-owned club. I felt many times that it was breaking me down, weakening me. Yet as it went on I realized it was actually strengthening me, strengthening my patience in goals, hopes, & dreams. Not to mention, every two weeks my goals were refreshed as I saw money magically appear into my bank account. I guess that is the hook that keeps most people in corporate America, along with those "bennies," but that's another subject.

So here I sit in my school bus at my fold-out desk with my Christmas lights on, candles burning, Bruce Springsteen on the record player singing I'm on Fire. I've got chilly fingers with both heaters going and a glass of cheap wine to my left. All is good, because I am debt free.

The question always goes: 'Where do I go from here?' The response right now... I say, "good question, good question." For now I will continue to hunker down and keep my job in this rough economy and save my money to build a surplus, which could go to a number of things, but I guarantee you this, it will not be wasted.

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Highlights of 2008

10. Got a good job
9. Kept a good job
8. Bonnaroo 2008
7. Played my pipes on 92.9 DaveFM all across Atlanta for Saint Patrick's Weekend.
6. Made a few good friends in Atlanta.
5. Bought a school bus converted Waste Veggie run RV which I have now lived in for 4 1/2 months.
4. Received a second chance in a very big way from God.
3. Got to see my family & friends on various trips to Ohio, Charlotte, & Arizona.
2. Continued to fight the good fight of faith in God & His ability to set us free.
1. Killed the Devil of debt and my spirit grew wings...

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So back in early December I took a trip out to northern Arizona to see my brother Luke and his family for a week. It was an awesome time with many highlights but one you all might actually care to read about is this: My brother happens to work with a famous rock climbing legend named Tony Yaniro (translated from French.) Luke planned a three day/two night camping trip to Joshua Tree for the three of us. Luke ended up getting pretty sick so he had to stay back in his tent while Tony & I hiked through about 18 miles of crazy boulders and cold flatland of Joshua Tree. Mind you he took me to areas that nobody goes in Joshua Tree, waaaaaaay off the beaten path. Felt like I could have died about a 1/2 dozen times, but all in all it was a blast. Luke, you missed out! Oh well, Luke is fitter than me so he would have done great had he been able to come. Let me tell you, after the end of that second day (the big hiking day!) all I could think about was food & sleep. I felt like a brainwashed rabbit with only those two things on my mind.

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What else, Christmas was an awesome time. I went to Ohio and saw my best Ohio friends & family. Yet my Mom went south this Christmas to see my brother Peter down in Florida so I had the house to myself and Teddy (my Mom's 4 pound maltese.) It was still a great and unique time though I did miss my Mom (and the rest of my family scattered across the U.S.) very much.

No more running... to stand still.

Signing off,

~ Nate

P.S. Below are a bunch of pictures from 2008...

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Where I work

Bonnaroo mornings

Bonnaroo evenings

David, (next door neighbor I grew up with) and I Chuck Norrissing it in downtown Atlanta

Co-workers

Headed to Stone Mountain for another hike

Mom, Lindsey, David, & I at the Neil Diamond concert

The crew headed to Stone Mountain again

Andy & I in Ohio

Todd Martin & I at the Champions at the Palisades in Charlotte (where I used to work)

My one & only bagpipe student, Andrew

At a going away party for a friend in Charlotte

Champions Series

Hiking in Dahlonega, GA

Johnny Marley in my bus!

Johnny Blazed & I cleaning waste veggie oil using his own high tech invention

One of many bonfires by the bus

Johnny Blazed, my first Couchsurfer!

My neice Sierra & I petting a Newfoundland in Prescott, AZ at the annual Courthouse Christmas Lighting

Rob Arnold, my old trainer/travel mate from Summer '07 on the tour. We met up in here in AZ at my brother's

Sierra & I kicking back

Thumb Butte as seen from my brother's deck

Tony Yaniro & I hiking Joshua Tree

that's bright!

Joshua Tree hiking to our camp spot

Luke & Tony

Pack of wild Antelope in AZ

Keep on rocking in the free world

A Chuck Norris roundhouse kick in the face!

2008-10-20T11:33:00.013-04:00

That's just what the doctor ordered for this country! Turn it up...

Learn more about Chuck Norris here...

Obviously we have a lot of craziness going on in the country right now: Junky media coverage on candidates and a presidential election, bad economy, corruption, etc., etc. Enough about the bad things of this country, what about the good?

Well how about this, it has allowed a couple from Oregon to drive all around the country for eight months in their converted school bus rv without paying anything for fuel. (That is because this bus had been converted to run on Waste Vegetable Oil .) Then, when they were ready to get rid of the bus and trim down on their incredible journey, they were able to put up a simple free ad on Craigslist in Atlanta, Georgia using a free wireless Internet connection. Best of all... sell it to a Mann who was very very happy to take up where they left off, write a free blog about it, and send it out to the masses for free! (See pics below of Oregon couple & me)

As of now, I have officially lived in my bus in the back yard of a friend's house in Dunwoody, an area north of the perimeter of Atlanta, Georgia, for over a month and a half, and I'm loving every minute of it. I purchased the bus in July, I believe, and moved out of where I was living in Norcross at the end of August.

My roommate Marcus, David, me, and a co-worker friend, Zach

Lindsey, Gary, and I
During the time since my last blog to you a world of things have happened. I have had visits from my best Ohio next door neighbor, David Snow and my Irish friend, Gary Kilduff, who flew all the way out here from Dublin to see me. (Little did he know he would be sleeping in a bus! Thank God Amanda Deghenhardt, whose lot I am parked on, let him sleep inside for the time he was here.) I have also been working towards selling my first home on wheels and purchasing my first stationary home.

!!!!!!!!

By the way, If anybody would like to purchase the famous, the one and only van that runs on advertisement income and has it's own website, the Crazy Train, Anna Supernova, FeedtheVan.com masterpiece for the low low price of only $3000 it is all yours to continue the amazing adventure in. She is guaranteed to please and comes complete with a toilet, sink, propane fridge & stovetop, bed, microwave, power outlets, grey & black water holding tanks, shag carpeted ceiling and much much more! Go to: FeedtheVan.com to see it and read all about it!

!!!!!!!!

Okay, back to the story: So I am looking to purchase a home here in Atlanta. One that I plan on renting out, parking my bus on the lot, and living out of the bus. I have only a little bit of my college loan to pay off and I am completely debt free (minus what the house will cost!)

You all might be wondering just how this bus runs on WVO and how I get it for free, what it looks like on the inside, etc. Well, let me tell you, it's all awesome! I'll try and put up as many pics and videos as I can over the next few weeks. I have taken the bus all the way to Ohio without even filling up the entire way, then I drove it all around Columbus, including the Neil Diamond Concert with my Mom, David, and Lindsey (see pic below) until I finally had to fill it up 75 gallons at a local fast food restaurant (we won't say where), and that took the bus all the way back to Atlanta without another fill-up. I also drove it to Charlotte once without filling up the entire trip. The bus has two tanks, the diesel tank (50 gallons) and the veggie tank (110 gallons) plus reserve containers (50 gallons.) I start the bus cold on diesel, let it warm up a bit, then flip a couple of veggie therm switches to begin heating the veggie, open the hood and close/open a couple of valves and I am now running on Waste Vegetable Oil(a 2 minute process!) The only thing I have to pay for are WVO filters that cost about $10 bucks each and need to be replaced about every 500 miles.

Mom, David, & me in the Bus

Hanging out in the bus before the concert

You guessed it, Neil Diamond himself!
So this was how I dealt with the gas crisis and went a little greener. Other ways I have gone green are by using the following two products.

The first is Ethos, a fuel/oil additive that works to clean old engines and make them run like new again, improving gas mileage to its fullest and prolonging the life of your engine. I found the product online and decided to give it a try back in May or June. I have been using it the way the directions say ever since then in my Bimmer (which currently has 241000 miles) and have experienced a dramatic increase in gas mileage (15%) and power. It has ended up saving me a net $30 in gasoline per bottle. A 16 oz bottle costs about $30 and lasts for 160 gallons of fuel. It keeps new engines new and restores old engines. I have even started putting this stuff in my van and bus. (Due to lack of driving these vehicles I haven't been able to really improve their current state.) I like the stuff so much that I am now an authorized seller of it. So if you want a bottle, send me $33 bucks to cover the cost and shipping and I'll send you one!

If you found the first product slightly hard to believe, you may find the second a little harder. Another product I found online, the second product is Laundry Magnets. Basically it is two rubber coated, very powerful magnets that you put on opposite ends inside your washing machine. These magnets change the properties of water much like what detergents do in order to clean your clothes. With them I have not had to use laundry detergent to wash my clothes and they leave them smelling and feeling fresher than laundry detergent ever did. It was one of those products I just had to try, and since they come with a 90-day money back guarantee, I figured why not. They clean my clothes so well it's hilarious! No regrets! They cost me $50 bucks I think. Take note that they only work in washing machines with metal walls on the interior bin, for the obvious reason.

What else, I've been bagpiping it up with 25 paid gigs or so already this year in Atlanta. I think I've done a gig every weekend for the past month and a half. It's been awesome!

So all this has happened while continuing to work 6 days a week as a tennis teaching pro at TPC Sugarloaf.

Videos & pics to come soon...

From the Bus, God bless...

~ Nate

for richer or for poorer... 1/2 way

2008-06-28T00:54:00.006-04:00

I'm Plugged in and the Ball is.... Rolling in Atlanta.

(imagine that... a new song that I like)

A bottle of wine at my side and half remaining, I sit in a big big house where I dog sit a schnauzer named Ellie right across the street from work. I'm here to get back in touch with you. I have not forgotten for a minute about you. I miss you and the road so much. My heart yells out much like the yells in this song (Viva la Vida - at 3 minute point.)

The goal this year was to pay off a debt... a debt I have accrued. I am quite a bit past half way there and I wish I could just make you feel the way my heart is crying out, but my mind keeps plugging onward toward the goal.

As a half way celebration, I went to Bonnaroo. I took my van and I took Lindsey, my girl. 'Twas a 600-acre farm in the middle of nowhere Tennessee, 80,000 + crowd with over 50,000 vehicles, tents, and RV's. It is Woodstock of the now, and it rocked. I saw Pearl Jam and a ton of others. The van was our mode of transportation/camp. She did a phenomenal job as expected. I love that thing, I really do, if that doesn't sound weird. It will always be my first purchased home.

I found a few videos of myself on youtube - see below.

... and another one. You'll just have to go on there and see it.

You may be looking for details on my job. Well, one quote my Great Aunt Pat used to say is "If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all." The good is it pays well, they feed me, give me all kinds of benefits and opportunities to rub shoulders with successful people. Other than that, it is what it is. The good thing is I am making money. The battle between time, energy, working for the good people, and working for the man rages on. Give me some time to get back in the groove...

Sights aimed high,

~ Nate

Walk the Line

2008-03-18T09:32:00.010-04:00

'Tis the morning after Saint Patrick's Day and I am one cup of Starbucks to the wind. My schedule has been booked up on the tennis court beginning about a week and a half ago, and I am building a waiting list. I played my bagpipes for the Loafing Leprechaun, a well known Irish Pub close to work, on Saturday and Monday mornings. There I was heard playing on the radio on 92.9 Dave FM throughout Atlanta. I also played a gig for the big annual Saint Patty's Party at the Sullivan home in the Sugarloaf neighborhood where I work.

The cracks and crevices of the day are when I have been actually growing in areas outside of work(friendships, bagpiping, etc.) So all is good, but I wanna talk about the bigger topic today, what I stand for.

I do not want to make anybody confused as to what I believe in and stand for. I believe in God and in his Son Jesus Christ, who did indeed come to this Earth to save us from all our horrible sins that we have made and continue to make. I trust in God and put my faith in Him, that He is in control, despite the way things look at times. I have realized more and more each day that I simply cannot live a good life without Him.

Just for fun, say I did not believe in God, or that believing in Him did not make any difference. This would mean that lying would have no repercussions, thinking of others is pointless, and indulging in all the world has to offer is ultimately the best life one can have. Take God out of the picture and, well, since my life is just fleeting, blowing in the wind on this little Earth in the middle of a huge galaxy with no real rhyme or reason, I may as well just do anything I want to to do, right? No way, that is the exact reason people are ruining this world already. Just look into the politicians' eyes and see if you can find truth, or yet another person ripping, tearing, and manipulating his/her way to the top, at all costs. Look the same way at many of the "popular" musical artists, listen to their tone of voice. Does it sound like they are trying to speak truth into your soul, or are they simply appealing to your weaknesses in order to make a sale? What about actors? Models? Companies that sell stuff we do not need? Are they not all simply trying to seduce us? Of course they are!!! Let us not be ignorent of this! They are fighting to tear our lives into bits, all leading back to the almighty dollar that they want so badly so that they can say they lived their life to the fullest. Why? Because God does not exist, so who cares what the repercussions are!

Live simply, live happy, live free, and do not be manipulated. Each and every one of us has the opportunity to live right in God's eyes. Do it! He sees it.

Mark these words from William Penn as we close in on Election Day.

"Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants."

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On other fronts, the roommates are awesome. It is a great living situation, much more roomy than the van! I have begun practicing the pipes with a new friend/tennis prodigy at Sugarloaf, Martin Richenhagen (see pics below of us at the hockey game.) Martin plays the drums. He is from Germany and takes Art Appreciation in college.

________________________________________________________________

Another reason why U2 is my favorite band. A family/band that plays together... stays together.

YouTube: Bono Family (click to watch)

Walk the line... and don't go riding on that long black train...

Signing off,

~ Nate

Outlets From The Matrix

2008-02-19T23:33:00.016-05:00

I'm Plugged in and the Ball is.... Rolling in Atlanta.

On Top of Crowders

Having been working in the matrix (what most people call the 'real world') for about 3 1/2 weeks now, I have done pretty well, yet I have searched and found outlets. Don't get me wrong: work is good, work is great, but outlets make it very much better. For those of you who have not already seen the movie classic, The Matrix, well, I guess you're just gonna have to see it.

Outlet # 1: You can call me the newest member of Atlanta Pipe Band! I came to practice on Thursday night, saw an incredible conglomerate of over 50 bagpipers and about 15 drummers at 3 different grade levels. They have competition pipe & drum bands in levels 3, 4, and 5, on a 1-5 scale where 1 is the highest. They put me in their grade 4 band and gave me a nice size stack of music to learn. It's been an enjoyable time "back to the drawing boards" so to speak with hard bagpipe practice on a daily basis. Thank God I have some awesome roommates that have yet to complain about all my playing.

An aside, right after bagpipe practice every Thursday night a good bit of the band members go to Mo's Pizza Tavern, not far from where the practice is. Of course, I went there last Thursday and had an incredible time hanging out with and getting to know some of the members. Just at my table alone was the Pipe Major, John Recknagel (an 'Open' status Piper, aka the best of the best), a 23 year-old piper from 78th Highlanders in Nova Scotia, a grade 1 player, and a student of P/M Recknagel's, who had won gold in competition after only a few years of playing the bagpipes. Two nights later I met the Canadian and one of the band's drummers (a Northern Irish American himself) out for my first real night on this hopping town called Atlanta. We had a great time in which we watched another drummer from the band play with his punk rock band and rock the house down. In this experience I also met a bunch of other people, but that's another story...

Outlet #2: The Roundtable Discussions. Let me tell you, my roommates and I have some hilarious conversations at "the roundtable" in the dining room of the house where I live. Most of the time we're laughing, but also a good bit of the time we're talking about all kinds of interesting topics that we never fail to get deeply into discussing, with no boundaries. It is a place where independent thinkers go and sharpen the minds of those around them, all-the-while sharpening his own and decompressing after a long day's work.

Outlet #3: Lake Berkeley Chapel. This is my new-found place where I get to go to church and worship the Lord. It is located right on a beautiful lake about 10-15 minutes from where I live. I saw it while I was searching for a place to live a few weeks ago and had to go back. As soon as I get pictures of it I will post them.

Outlet #4: Adventures... with a camera. Yep, I got a very nice used digital camera on Craigslist for $15 bucks and I've finally got some photos for you!!! They are from my journey to Charlotte 2 weekends ago, when I climbed Crowder's Mountain on the way back. I stayed with Julie Sawyer and her kids for a night (I bought the kids some sparklers to burn at the local fireworks store) and with David Johnson, the author/photographer of 'Voices of Sudan' the next night. (Every last one of you should click on there and buy his book. It will save lives.)

That's enough outlets for now.

Unplugging,

~ Nate

No News is Good News...

2008-02-03T17:51:00.003-05:00

... but Good News is even better.

NOTE: I have gone back and put the music in for most of my previous blog entries. You just have to click the PLAY (>) button at the top of that blog.

So I have officially been in Atlanta for a week and two days now. I immediately found a good roommate situation the day after I moved in (Couchsurfed the first two nights.) My roommates are a man named Eugene, his wife Fannie, and there 4-month old son, Nathan. Eugene is a musician like me and has a great setup in his storage/garage room where we can jam out on our instruments. He plays the electric, acoustic, & bass guitar, keyboards, and is a very good vocalist as well. Eugene also sings and plays music at his church, where he originally met Fannie singing in the choir. We've had some incredible roundtable discussions just in the week I have been here.

On the work front I have had a good first week. Atlanta has a very active tennis community, one of the most active in the world, with an ALTA League that boasts over 100,000 members, not to mention all the other leagues. That being said, there is much work to do even for a sixth full-time pro at TPC Sugarloaf, also known as Sugarloaf Country Club. This is a happening place!

Outside of work, since I am currently trying to give my brain a rest from that, I have gotten in touch with the Pipe Major for the Atlanta Pipe Band and will be sitting in on this coming practice on Thursday evening. Atlanta Pipe Band is known for having a very good quality band and also has bands in three playing levels, Grades 3, 4, & 5, with 3 being the best.

Beyond that, I have joined a Ron Paul Meetup group here in Atlanta. In case you don't know, Ron Paul is running for President and is the only candidate that makes sense in my mind. I really don't care what his percent chances of winning are. That is not the reason I vote. I vote for truth, no matter how unpopular it is. See videos below.

and his most recent update...

Week two, here I come.

"Stand up for what is right, even if you're standing alone."

Signing off,

~ Nate

Atlanta Bound

2008-01-04T23:33:00.000-05:00

Well, I got the job I was hoping for as a tennis teaching professional at TPC Sugarloaf, a PGA Tour Club in Duluth, Georgia, about 30 minutes Northeast of Atlanta.

This means that I'm officially moving out of Charlotte. I'll be moving out on the 25th of January and begin work on the 28th. Since my other Charlotte brother, Peter, also just moved down to West Palm Beach, Florida for his job, no Mann brothers will be left in Charlotte. It is a place I will surely miss. Yet, it is only about 3 1/2 hours away from Duluth... not too bad.

2008 will be mostly a work year for me, but I will still do some tournaments and travel when I can. On a positive note, it will be a year of paying off debt, hopefully all of it, and building a reserve for the years to come.

I will keep you all posted as things progress. I'm still heading to Florida on the 15th for a tournament in Boca Raton.

Focused on the goals...

Signing off...

~ Nate

"Some of the time I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." ~ Quote from Gladiator (Gladiator's servant)

Just a minute of your time...

2008-01-01T03:45:00.001-05:00

... do you have it?

It seems like most of us don't seem to take the time these days. We have it, but we don't take it for what is right. We are distracted... bigtime. I beg you to take this time out. Life lies in in the cracks and crevices of all you do in a day. I hope you can enjoy them.

What a 2007 this has been. My heart is riding higher than it ever has and I honestly think this past year has been the best year of my life. So much has gone down, so much has been played out... wow, what a year.

This is the first year of my life that I feel I honestly followed my heart. I did not let myself be sold to anybody for a monetary price. I lived as Godly as I know how, yet made some crucial mistakes along the way.

EVEN SO, IF I DIED TOMORROW, I WOULD DIE WITH ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD AND... NO REGRETS. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER FELT THIS WAY ON NEW YEARS EVE.

People can be bought... but not everybody. I am only for rent... lol Yet my heart lies in the same place all along... and that is what cannot be moved.

Happy New Years to all... and to all a better year than ever before.

Happy 2008

Signing off,

~ Nate

The Simple Year

2007-12-24T00:03:00.001-05:00

Well here I sit in the famous study room in my old home in Groveport, Ohio. This is a room where much went down in my younger days - incredible board games were played here, the Christmas tree used to be in here, all my big school papers and projects were done in here, and I think the best of all conversations went down in this room. It is a room of warm thought... and I love it. I'm currently listening to an old Johnny Cash record (time to flip it) that is crackling through the speakers of a record player I bought for my Mom at a thrift store two years ago. Ah, yes, that is where I met my friend Dirk, an incredible historian/junk dealer who helped me find a good record player and some good records for my Mom. Dirk is a really cool guy, but that's another story. All I know is I have two cans of Miller Lite here to last me this blog. It's officially Christmas Eve 2007 and I'm relaxing.

I'm not reminiscing about this past year with a nostalgic feeling like you might think. Instead, I've been thinking about what the true underlying thing I've been running from / running for is, and what it is that drove me to embark on the Journey America Tour this year.

After all this thinking, I've realized the answer is simple. Simple... simple... simple.

Simplicity. It is not the way it is these days. It is what I am runnng for. Everybody (well, almost) has way too much to do and way too little time to do it. Everybody has big dreams that they hope to achieve somehow, yet they continue this vicious cycle of working their tails off only to buy more stuff that they don't need, which does not add an ounce of joy to their lives. No, they just put that stuff to the side somewhere after the initial high runs out and then go and buy more stuff. But what is stuff? Stuff... stuff... stuff. It's the exact opposite of simplicity, and that is what I've been running from. All the time used to buy this clutter and little did you know the time is gone, the time that could be used to live has been traded for stuff that won't go with you when you die, and I hope you don't want to remembered for it either. It's what I'm running from.

Anybody who knows me will tell you that 98.6% of everything I own I bought used or is a hand-me-down or given to me. I simply don't want. I wanna live healthy and live free, but I don't wanna want. I know that every want that is not a need will take me away from what is real, and I don't want that. I wanna simplify... live simply, and show the world that it is a beautiful and joyful thing to live without a whole lotta stuff. Each time I want something I think of the many other things that this money could be used for, and I quickly change my mind, with a deep breath of thankfulness, thinking "Thank God for what I have."

Look, people, I have been given soooo much this year, probably more than anybody else, not because I wanted it, but because I put myself into a situation in which I needed it. I walked the faithful line that God would provide every time I needed it... and He did. More than I have told you all in my blogs, I have been sincerely blessed. At the precise time that I needed something, I got it! Not when I thought I needed it or when I wanted it, but when I truly needed it. God was there and worked in a million different mysterious ways.

Back to the topic, simplicity... the simple life. It is what I strive for. To me it is the most beautiful thing a man can have - the clarity to see what is really important in this world and to discard the rest. That being said, I have made my 'Simple List' for you all to enjoy. These are the top ten objects of importance in my life as of right now, what I love:

1. God - hands down the best reason to live in this world
2. People - Family, then friends, then enemies, I love 'em all
3. Freedom - simply put
4. Nature - the mountains, the ocean, all that can be seen from the road and on a quiet day
5. Music - the best massage I know for the soul
6. Sport - heavy breathing, sweat, and competition can do amazing things for one's quality of life
7. Travel - the word just makes me wanna dream about places like... Iceland.
8. Food - As my Mama says, "Food is a celebration of life!"
9. A Woman - okay, this will probably get bumped up on the list I'm sure... lol
10. Coffee - oh yes

____________________

This all being said, I have one major distraction that has kept me - and will continue keeping me - from fully achieving my goals, until dealt with. The word, the sick word - debt. I have debt incurred from college that I simply need to pay... ASAP. Thus, I am now working full-time as a tennis teaching professional to completely pay off that sick thing that keeps us from capturing our dreams, called debt.

I will leave you this one piece of advice about debt: Don't get into it... period, unless you want to be a slave to it. Freedom is much too valuable to trade for debt.

My goal is to be completely debt free and have a nice cash reserve by the end of 2008, and who knows what 2009 will bring.
________

Next tournaments: I am playing two in Florida in January. Get this, I paid $37 round trip after taxes to fly down there... thanks Skybus!

A very Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Signing off...

~ Nate

Thanksgiving Reunion

2007-11-22T16:04:00.001-05:00

Back in Ohio with my Mama and the Silent Month is done

So I was hanging out throwing the baseball with my old next-door neighbor/friend David Snow yesterday in the rain when he told me about the Turkey Trot, a 5k race through Columbus, Ohio on Thanksgiving morning. I remember my brother Dustin used to run in these back in the day, but I had never done one. Actually, I have never participated in any organized race of any sort, besides in gym class growing up. So anyway, I decided to do it. He told me to meet him outside his house at 7am this morning.

The race cost $27 bucks to run, and $30 on race day... well, to those who felt like paying. I ran numberless :) So here we are, David, his friend David (last name Rose), and his friend's sister sitting in David's car at the race site, way freaking early. Not to mention, it was raining lightly on and off, the sky was 1000 shades of gray, and it was 41 degrees at race time. Thank God David had a CD of 100's of Bud Light Real Men of Genius ads for us to listen to while looking at all the goofy runners walking by either stretching, doing goofy warmup drills, or just looking way too serious in their leotards with shorts worn over them, among other interesting outfits. Our contribution was an eclectic selection of animal hats David has collected over the years (see pic.) I wore the pig, one of the more aerodynamic hats in the collection.

So anyway, here we are, all couped up inside David's car when he offers me a two year old 'Espresso Love' Gu Energy Packet, which he had actually received when competing in the 2005 Turkey Trot. It was 12 months expired, but I didn't care. I waited until 15 minutes before race time, just like the instructions on the package said to do, before gobbling down this packet of old caffeine-loaded syrupy goo. MMM... gobble gobble! It took a while to get the whole packet of ancient Gu down my throat, but I did it, and enjoyed every bit of it. I know it's not really good to have caffeine in your system before running a race, but hey, I figured it was only 3.1 miles - it won't wear off before then.

Fast-forward 15 minutes, 4,000 people all jumbled together at the starting line. This is when David commented again that "it won't be too bad, only 3.1 miles!" Not a second after he said that a person behind us told us that it is actually 5 miles. 'Crap!' I thought to myself, there's no way this packet's gonna last me 5 miles!'

The siren rang and we were off. It was clear that if I was gonna make any headway I was gonna have to run through the grass on the left side. So this is what I did for at least the first mile. I was passing people like mad and I think maybe only 1 person passed me for that first mile. The second mile was a little slower, but still really good. By the time we got to the turn-around I knew this was going to be a grind getting back, seeing as it was mostly uphill and the wind was blowing right at me. I almost lost my pig. By the way, I did have a lot of good comments, like, "Go Pig!" as I pulled my sweatpants up that I had accidentally put on backwards this morning (it was so early!) I couldn't tie them from behind and run at the same time, so I just kept pulling them up whenever they began to sag. We were nearing the end of the 3rd mile and I was still passing a lot of people, but more were passing me now.

It was at this time, that something inside of me gave out. It was like my tank just instantly hit empty and I was not feeling good. I thought about the old Gu 2x Espresso Love packet that I'd had... oh boy... time to pull over. I pulled off into the grass and dry-heaved a few times, before catching a second wind. The Chariots of Fire tune that David played in the car kept ringing in my head, along with the quote, "What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger." All that and the fact that I just don't think I could handle seeing David pass me in his big goofy Elephant hat. (Mind you, David has never beaten me in a running race in the past between the two of us, and I wasn't about to lose my perfect record.) So, I jumped back out there and blazed past a lot of people that I had already passed earlier before I got the feeling again. Time to pull over... I dry-heaved a few more times and again jumped back out there, this time most people were passing me and I could feel my legs tightening from slight dehydration (I've been through this before with tennis :)) The last mile and a half I felt like junk but I made it about 30 meters from the finish line before this little punk high school kid decides he's gonna try and pass me. With the crowd all gathered around and watching, I yelled "Come on!" at the top of my lungs and burst past him to the Finish line. I gave him a low five before walking slowly through the line to get a pumpkin pie (for the first 1000 finishers.) I quickly got the dry-heave feeling inside and realized it wouldn't be good to be walking slowly in this line. Besides, I didn't even have a number for a pie anyway. So I stepped out of line ASAP and my running part of Thanksgiving was done. I had run five miles in 35 minutes, 30 seconds. Next year I'll be prepared to go the distance...

Well I gotta get off here and go to my second Thanksgiving Dinner at my Mom's friend's house across the street.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD DAY!

Signing off,

~ Nathan

P.S. Go watch 'Into the Wild' in the theatres if you haven't already - best movie I've seen in years. You'll see why...

Where do I go from here?

2007-10-17T12:20:00.001-04:00

The Journey America One Year Anniversary Blog

Well, the Crazy Train story is written and I'm off the road, and people are wondering... what next?

In retrospect, this past year (began October 31st, 2006, when the lease on Flowerfield ended) has been bittersweet. What was it about? This has always been a tough question to pinpoint an answer in a few words. Simply put, it has been about following a dream. Yet, what is that dream? That dream is to change the world through my talents and love for God and people, one person at a time, while honing them to their greatest of quality.

In all actuality, I am a decent tennis pro, bagpiper and... storyteller I guess, with much un-tapped talent, ability, and creativity. So, have my talents reached that peak yet? Absolutely not. I would be lying if I said otherwise. Next question: Have I given it my all? Sadly, I don't believe so. Yes, there have been many external weights (money being the culprit, of course) that have kept me loaded down, but still, have I put in my all? I don't believe so. So, what is it that has been my main downfall?...

Discipline It is such a tough thing for me to admit to you all, but I've made it a point to keep my life and it's journeys an open book on this blog, and this means admitting my faults. I have had the joy of being able to see what discipline is, through friends:

Lance Vodicka - a great example of a very disciplined, God-fearing peer who is giving the tennis tour his all.
Cary Daves - an ex Marine who has selflessly let me stay in his spare bedroom and shown me what self-discipline is when it comes to cleanliness, organization, timeliness, etc.
Peter, my brother - a Mann who has, through extreme self drive, pushed himself against difficult odds into a successful complete career change from an Audio/Visual and I/T career to becoming a great young Stock Broker for Merryl Lynch.

and Mentors:

Tim Wilkison - a native Charlottean former touring tennis pro who rose to #17 in the world through his unbelievable self-discipline and work ethic. Tim would wake up at 4am every morning to train and start his day. He also went three years straight without missing one day of practice. He kept a tally of it.
My Mother - the absolute strongest woman I know. Has worked out of the depths of having nothing more times than one should have to do in a lifetime, all through an iron will to see all four of her sons off to be successful in life with college degrees and the wind at our backs. She instilled in me to have the will to plod... every day and every day and every day.

These are just a few of the people who have shown me what discipline really is. I don't describe them to you so much to raise them up on a podium, but instead to explain those alive today that are close to me that have shown me, through their actions, what discipline is and where it can take a man(n) in life. These people have, by their actions, exploited inside of me my own shortcomings and pulled me out of my comfort zone, and continue to exploit my weakness as to stretch my limits, simply by their actions.

So what am I going to do? I am still in the midst of planning Journey America 2008. I have many ideas, but nothing set in stone. I hate to say my ideas before I really know what the plan will be... I don't want feedback on these ideas yet...

Yet, over the next few months I am going to work on my biggest weakness - discipline. I will work to make new, great disciplined habits that will, through diligence, tear down the wall between me and my own success in life.

How am I going to do this? I have made a plan to completely drop most lines of communication (Internet mainly, and most cell phone calls) for a month and go into a place of solitude, where no voices can distract me from creating these refined lines of discipline within my heart and mind. I plan to spend my entire day focused on practicing my two biggest talents to their fullest - tennis and bagpipes. I am currently laying out an entire month's plan of how I am to spend my day, every minute of it, and I plan to follow this to the T.

I will chime back to you in a month with a blog update on how I have progressed in these areas.

Imagine, if I can spend one month in complete focus and discipline, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things, in order to shape my entire life ahead, what would be the limit to my success? Is there such a thing as a limit?

I will cut casual communications from October 20th to November 20th.

"With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." —Matthew 19:26

Rising high above the level of mediocrity...

~ Nate

P.S. If any of you are wondering what you can do to support, I've got an answer! I have made a large order of the incredible 'FeedtheVan.com' T-shirts in order to make them available at a much lower cost - $12 bucks each. Buy one, wear it, tell your friends about it! Click on pics below to see what you're in for and e-mail me if you would like to purchase one. I thank you for your support.

Front

Back

The Crazy Train - Part III

2007-10-15T20:12:00.001-04:00

It's amazing Neil is still alive

Day 4: Almost to Indianapolis

Okay, so I messed the story up a bit for Day 4. We were in Illinois or Indiana actually, when the whole thing happened with Kim in the back. You see, we made it through Kansas and Missouri in Day 4. Yeah, and we actually even stopped in Saint Louis to see my tour buddy Lance and his older brother Bob and catch dinner with Lance (Bob had to go teach a lesson) at the Saint Louis Bread Co (known as Panera Bread all other places.) So Lance and I got to relax and have some dinner and catch up on each other's crazy adventures. Lance had just gotten back from traveling around the world on the tour for 12 weeks straight. He had been everywhere from India to Finland, to Italy, among other places, while collecting some good points and bringing his ranking down to 900 or so in the World, a career high for Lance.

So anyway, after catching up with Lance while the crew went elsewhere to eat, it was time to hit the road again. (They weren't into the trendy atmosphere here, so they all went to A&W to eat, except for Neil. Neil hung out with us.) So it was somewhere between St. Louis and Indianapolis that Kim got sick, where the story left off at the gas station in Part II.
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So here I am, coming out of the gas station only to see Tony standing outside the passenger side of the van a couple inches from Neil, who was half-way out the window staring intently into Tony's eyes, Tony's finger in Neil's face. I had to break it up. "Wo, guys come on, not now. Come on Tony!" Tony looked over at me, understanding immediately where I was coming from and walked away. That is when I asked Neil what happened - bad move. I don't even remember all the junk he told me, but it was junk. This is when I turned and apologized to Cody & Kim for such a ridiculous argument to occur at such a time when Kim was in this condition. Cody basically had his head down in a sort of sick, disgusted manner. He walked past me and on to Neil while he mumbled in a soft voice, head down, "I haven't said anything to Neil this entire trip." Oh boy, what was he gonna do to him, I thought. He walked right up to Neil and repeated the same thing he just said to me, still in a soft voice, along with "if any of you say anything else I'm gonna cut your heart out."
Oh gosh - I chimed in with, "Sounds good to me, whatta ya say Neil? Sound good?" Cody said nothing else, just walked away back to Kim, who had just went inside to purchase a gallon of water for Neil, who didn't even want to take it. "Take it Neil!" I said. He did and didn't know what to say by that time.

I comforted Kim & Cody by telling them we were only a couple of hours away from Indy. So, we all packed it in one last time before Indy and, well, drove to Indy. We met Kim's cousin there in Indy, helped them get all there stuff out and into her car, played a few farewell bagpipe tunes for them, had them sign my van guestbook (yeah, I have a guestbook,) got some gas, and we (Tony, Neil, & I) were on our way.

It is about midnight now. Columbus, Ohio is about three hours away. Tony, Neil, and I all agreed that we should go the distance to Columbus. That is exactly what we did. I drove about an hour, then passed the keys on to Tony. Yes, Neil was still in the front seat. While Tony was driving Neil decided he wanted to get up and brew some tea for himself. Tony didn't like this at all, as Tony figured if Neil was so attimate about not doing anything illegal, then he was playing games. "Sit down Neil," Tony said in a demanding voice. Neil refused. Tony snapped at Neil... again. There happened to be a rest stop up the road and Tony agressively pulled off into a spot and really laid into Neil again for the last time, explaining to me that Neil refuses to give up his seat, but stands up to cook. "You see Nate, I'm tired of these (blank) games." At this point I just wanted to sleep. "I see. Neil, just sit down so he can drive." "It's not fair Nathan." "Just do it. Do it." Tony chimed in, "If you don't sit the (blank) down I'm gonna leave you here at this (blank) rest stop Neil!" Neil finally sat down. "Was that so (blank) hard?!" Tony finished... and we were on the road again. One big ugly family Columbus bound!

Tony handed me back the keys after about an hour of driving and I took us the rest of the way in. We got in around 3am (midnight San Diego time) and stayed the night at Milo.

Day 5: Big Day

Today we are to take the van to my hometown of Groveport, Ohio, about 20 minutes from Columbus, and switch vehicles with my '87 Bimmer Convertible. We first got some brunch with my Dad at the Linden Cafe.

It was a time filled with good conversation and good food - thanks Dad. My Dad went back to work and we headed on to Groveport, to the place of my begets, to switch vehicles. My Mom was home - I didn't even realize it was Saturday! I thought she would be at work. So I got to surprise my Mom for the (???) time and see her before we left, and she got to meet the last of the crew. After a lot of packing everybody's stuff into the Bimmer, we then used the roof bag from the van and Tony strapped it over the trunk in the back of my car, in such a way that we had to keep the top down the entire time. Keep in mind it is the hottest day I ever remember in October in Ohio (low 90's!) so it wouldn't be such a bad thing. By now it was about 3pm and we were on our way. Tony was in the back right with his dog on his lap and Neil was in front, as usual. It was supposed to be about a 7 1/2 hour drive to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where I was to drop off Tony. Yet you know how we like to make stops. It was actually a pretty fun ride - we all got along good, singing to the music, acting like the crazies we were to the Homecoming night high schoolers at the Maryland gas station we stopped at, and just having a good time.

The circumstances may seem rough from an outsider's perspective, but this was actually the smoothest ride we'd all had in what seemed like forever. Not only this, but we were all feeling the excitement of being almost there. The air seemed fresher than ever, the greens looked greener than ever, and life was just sweet. To make a long story short (something I need to get better at!) we arrived in Fredericksburg around 1:30am. The original plan was for me to drop Tony off at this big hall (can't remember the name) where his sister likes to hang out and surprise them with my bagpipes. We had a great elaborate scheme planned, yet when we got to this hall, well, only about three cars were in the entire lot and... it was closed. It was a bit late. The number Tony had for his sister was not working, and I guess Tony had never been able to get a hold of anybody in his family the entire way. At this point I should have been sad for Tony, but instead I couldn't stop laughing. The whole thing just looked hilarious at this point in time at this time of night. Picture it - Tony is trying to knock on the door of this huge meeting hall at nearly 2am, it's freaking cold outside, I've got my top down, loads of crap, Tony's dog... and Neil. So anyway, we went back to the gas station and looked in the local phone book for Tony's sister. We found her, tried calling, "This number is no longer in service..." explained the nice operator recording. Oh boy, well, the last option was to go to the house listed in the phone book and have Tony knock on the door... it's pushing 2:30am by the time we found it (an older fellow at another gas station lead us the way to the street she lived off of... very nice.) So there we were, at this house in the countryside of northeast Virginia in the middle of the night (yes, there were cars in the driveway.) Tony got out with his dog and knocked... and knocked... and knocked some more. No luck. Time to get a hotel room. We got a room by about 3:30am and Neil elected to sleep in the car. Neil was at this point trying to convince me that Tony was a bum and was just using me. I refused to believe him. "Goodnight Neil." It was a great sleep.

Day 6: Final Destination approaching...

We got up, took showers, and went back to the house from the night before to knock again. Tony knocked again... the door cracked open, Tony stuck his head in and said, "What are you doing? Let me in woman!" "Oh my God!" she said, "Tony!" Yes, it was his sister. I think my heart jumped higher than Tony's. His Mom was there. I got to meet them both and they brewed me some coffee while Tony told them a bit of our adventures. I really wanted to play my pipes for Tony, but Neil was whining like a baby at that point for us to get out of there, so I told Tony. He understood, though he thought it was crap... and it was, but it was what it was. Tony gave me his part and told me he would pay me for the hotel bill as soon as he got his first paycheck. 'How about that Neil?!' I thought. 'Not such a bum and a thief after all. I never thought he was. Glad I didn't listen to ya.'

And so it was time to take Neil home. I thought aloud as I saw a church, "Boy, it would be nice to get to go to church today. Oh well."
"You want to go to church? You can go to church if you want!" Neil said. At this point the clarity of Tony's frustration toward Neil peaked in my mind.
"Wait, you want me to go to church, but you wouldn't let me play my pipes for Tony's family for five minutes?! What's wrong with this picture? No, I'm not going to church Neil!" I exclaimed, explaining how messed up that was. Keep in mind, Neil may be small, but he is 42 years old.

So, I took Neil home to Durham, North Carolina, him being his rude self as usual. We finally arrived at his new home, an apartment in an older part of Durham. I took his bags in, shook his hand, and said a very thankful goodbye and I was on my way.

Aaaaahhhhh, freedom. Thank you Lord! Charlotte, here I come.

It was about 8pm when I arrived at my buddy Cary's, where I am currently staying. Amazing grace how sweet the sound, I am home!

The Crazy Train:

4000 miles
$800 in gas
$700 of which was paid for by other passengers
700 pounds of luggage
100's of details I'm missing
14 states
6 Passengers
6 days
4 nights of couchsurfing
3 Dogs
3 friends made (Kumara, Tony, & Kim the Couchsurfer)
2 acquaintances made (Cody & Kim)
1 manipulative midget
1 automobile exchange
1 wheel fell off
1 night in a hotel
0 items stolen
0 deaths
0 times a dog pooped or peed in the van
0 times a dog attacked Neil
0 times Tony's dog barked... the entire journey (I wouldn't mind having a dog like this)
0 alcoholic drinks consumed by passengers other than me
0 more details I'm gonna write

All made it safely to our destinations.

And that concludes the story of the Crazy Train Trek Across America.

Signing off...

~ Nate

The Crazy Train - Part II

2007-10-13T10:31:00.001-04:00

All that you can't leave behind, plus much much more!

Day 1: Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007

So here we all are, in the busiest alley I've ever been in my life, blocking traffic with my big Crazy Train of carnies, trying to get Neil's stuff packed in, on, and around the van, anywhere it will fit. People in cars are honking their horns, store-owners are swearing at us for blocking their two parking spaces, saying they have a customer coming in five minutes, and Tony and Cody (riders 2 and 5) are telling everybody to chill out, while I'm on top of the van trying to get Neil's dollar store mini ratchets to work. Finally #3, Kumara the hippy, gets my keys and moves the van in to a semi better space, while I'm still up there on top trying to figure out these ratchets. Anyway, Tony and Cody help me get the ratchets working and we've finally got everything strapped in, all-the-while people continue honking and swearing at us - at this point a few foul words slipped out of my mouth directed toward the impatient drivers. With the help of Tony and Cody we finally got everything strapped in and we were on our way. It's about 3pm now and our goal is to get to Flagstaff, Arizona by the end of Day 1 (as per my trip itinerary I made the night before.) This is supposedly seven hours in a nice car in good traffic. All I know is we are on the road - first stop, a grocery store where we can grab some snacks for the road and Neil can get some cash back to pay me his first half. (pic below of Tony, aka Al Capone, outside the van in L.A.)By the time we actually get on the freeway toward our destination it is around 3:45. Rush hour starts around this time in L.A. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to actually get out of the whole L.A. vicinity, as every freeway/road/street was wall to wall with cars - no shortcuts here!

Out of L.A. and up the grapevine (a nickname for where the freeways hit the steep slope of the mountain range surrounding L.A.) This is always a fun adventure in my van, as you all well know from June. Keep in mind this time we have six total passengers weighing in at over 1000 pounds, plus about 500-600 pounds in luggage, plus 110 pounds in dogs, for a total of around 1700 pounds, excluding all of my stuff. Most of this weight was in the back of the van, which wasn't a bad thing, since it is a rear wheel drive vehicle, but it was very bad for bumps. We only had to stop one time before we went up the grapevine to let it cool. It was okay the rest of the way. By this time, I'm beginning to relax, believing that this van full of passengers would really make it.

So how is the crew getting along? Kumara is loving it, sitting up front and singing along to all my music CD's, the dog owners are chilling in the back with their dogs, who have begun to quiet down now (the two small ones liked to yap a lot, while Tony's dog was totally relaxed and laid back, just what we needed.) Then there was Neil, aka Genie in a bottle, who seemed to have an endless supply of facts and jokes that he loved to spurt out inadvertently, in a non-stop sort of manner. Neil stood up front between Kumara and me if he wasn't cooking, cleaning, organizing, or sleeping on the ground between us (see pic.)

We had to take several stops along the way to let the dogs/people out to stretch their legs and what not. By a few hours in I was noticing a bit of tension building between Neil and Tony. Neil seemed to like to play manipulative games and Tony did not like it. More on that to come.

Below is a pic of the back of the van (nice and snug ;)

So anyway, we arrived at Rob's in Flagstaff by about 2:30am that evening. All were invited to come sleep inside, but Neil and Tony preferred the van. So Rob and I sat outside for a bit to drink a beer and catch up on life when his roommate's friend came outside and coldly said, "What the hell is all this?" as he was pointing inside the door at the couple and Kumara who were sleeping inside in the living room. This guy was obviously drunk and I could see right away this was going to be a problem. Rob explained who the people were and why they were there, explaining that he had already spoken to the roommates about it, but this drunk was not going to leave us alone. He then proceeded to accuse Rob of being a mooch and not pulling his end as a roommate. Keep in mind it is about 3am right now. Who accuses someone of these things at this time of night, especially when this person doesn't even live or pay rent at this place??? This guy thought it was the perfect time, and after a bit of listening to him talk in circles and just picking up on his ridiculous demeaner while watching Rob defend himself over and over, answering with logical answers, knowing what I already do about Rob, it was time to chime in. I told the guy basically that he was full of it and had no right doing what he was doing at this time of night in a place in which he did't even pay rent, and I explained how good of a guy Rob was to me as a 'roommate' in June, always doing more than his share. This didn't shut the idiot up either. He now just wanted to argue for the sake of arguing. This is when the couple came out and said they would just sleep in the van. 'Oh great,' I thought, 'there is barely anywhere in the van for these people to sleep.' Rob and I both pleaded with them not to go to the van, but they politely insisted. Now I was really upset at this idiot. I don't like to fight people, but sometimes that threat needs to be put out there, just to let them know that you are for real. Well, this seemed to work. The drunk took us seriously, felt like an idiot, and proceeded to leave, or did he go to bed? I don't remember, I do remember that we didn't see him again while in Flagstaff.

Day 2: Onward to Colorado Springs (pic below of the motley crew in front of the Crazy Train in Flagstaff)

Alright, I cooked up some egg & cheese tortillas for the crew, then played some motivational tunes on the pipes for all to hear, and we were on our way. It's about 11:30am now, as we all slept in and a few took showers in the am. Destination: Colorado Springs, Colorado, where I set us up with a Couchsurfer, Kim Flory, who was kind and crazy enough to be willing to put up six strangers in her house right in a beautiful old neighborhood in Colorado Springs. So one would think we would have no problem getting there at a decent hour. Right. This group loves stops. Each stop seemed to be a minimum of twenty minutes and went on all the way up to an hour sometimes. Whether it was a five cigarette smoke break or an atm, or the van needing propane (yeah, it was finally empty, so we had to fill it up to keep the fridge cool and the stovetop usable - see pic.)

Getting a brief workout in at a rest stop

All was well traffic-wise, until we were about twenty miles outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we hit a dead stop traffic jam, no movement whatsoever, around 7:30pm. Kumara asked a truck driver next to us what the deal was and he said it was down to one lane five miles ahead. (left: pic of Tony & Kim, aka Bonnie & Clyde, at a rest stop in New Mexico) About fifteen minutes of this and I'd had enough. I took a look at the road atlas and saw that about six miles the other way was a back road that would take us to I-25, the north-southbound freeway we were to catch in Albuquerque, yet it would put us about 25 miles south of the city as well. At this point it sounded pretty good, because we were going nowhere anytime soon staying on I-40 east. This is when I took the big van through the dirt median for a big fat U-turn. She handled okay and we were on our way... somewhere. It was nice to get to see the sunset, something you don't get to see heading eastbound, and Kumara got several pictures of it setting over mountains and craters that made up the horizon in New Mexico. It was really beautiful, something to see, all sorts of colors and shapes. Or was that my delusion from driving so long? Ah, who cares, it was beautiful at the time. In a short time we made it to the back road that would take us to I-25. Let me tell you all about this road. Not a soul was to be found, only land for miles and miles, craters in the earth at times, mountains at others, but all the while, the terrain I drove on was curvy and completely flat, and it was awesome. I wish I had a picture to show you, maybe in the next blog. We were truly in the middle of nowhere, my U2-Zooropa album playing, and just enjoying the funky, cool feeling of it all.

So we finally made it to I-25 after about forty minutes of driving on this old two-lane and we were now northbound toward our destination. Yet, this set us back quite a bit. We got gas again after we passed Albuquerque and I passed the keys on to Tony again to try and rest in the back. Of course I had been calling Kim (the Couchsurfer) to give her the updates and to keep setting our ETA back more and more. Finally, at around 3am, three drivers later (Tony, me, then Kumara) we were in Colorado Springs. Would you believe it if I told you that Kim stayed up for us?! Yeah, she did (well, she slept a little and woke back up when we arrived, but just the same - if this isn't a great sales pitch for Couchsurfing I don't know what is.) We all were immediately welcomed upon arrival and all but Cody and Tony slept inside. It was a good and much needed rest.

Day 3: Kansas City Bound

The morning came awefully early. Yet we were woken by Kim telling us that coffee was brewing upstairs in the kitchen for us. Awesome. When I came upstairs six cups, cream, and a large pot of coffee were sitting there waiting for us all. 'Thank you Lord for Kim Flory!' I thought. Showers were going, the motley crew was stirring, and Kim offered to take us to the store, as we were out of eggs and other breakfast items. I gladly took her up on that. Tony wasn't happy about this, as it would set us back and we were already off to a late start again. Oh well, you can't make everybody happy all the time... or even some of the time... lol.

While we (Kumara, Neil, Kim & I) were out Kim insisted that she take us to the Garden of the Gods. In fact she said she was kidnapping us and we had to go, as to take the pressure off of me for getting started so late... fair enough... I like that. We went to the Garden first, then got groceries. See, the goal was to be in and out in five minutes. All was well and good, but where was Neil? You see it is very hard to find Neil in a big public place and he honestly can't get around too quickly, which I feel for him for, but we were running really late. I had Kumara go searching for him and help him while Kim and I pulled the car up. So I will stop talking about these sorts of delays now that you all get the point... they just made it, say, a slower adventure, but I was determined to stay on schedule for more reasons than one.

So, after a short but sweet time eating breakfast with Kim, getting some work done on the computer, and Neil doing Kim's name for her in caligraphy, we were off...

Kumara was scheduled to drive us to Denver, only an hour drive, where we were to drop her off with her friend, then we would be on our way. That went as planned (final pic with Kumara in Denver below - Neil refused to come out of the van for this one.)

Welp, time for me to take the wheel again! Nearly instantaneously after we dropped off Kumara, Neil began to become more annoying, as he now had nobody to compete with for my attention. "How far do you think we'll make it today, Nathan?" "Can we stop somewhere and get some water?" "Are you lost?" "You know I really don't like the way Tony is treating me." "How many miles to Kansas City?" "Tony is a really bad person, Nathan. I tell him to close the door of the van the other night because it was cold and I wanted to sleep and he tells me to shut the hell up! What is that?! Why do you let him disrespect me like this Nathan." and on and on and on. Tony later told me that he had the door open for a minute to let his dog out (this was all while we were in Flagstaff) and Neil instantly began complaining that he couldn't sleep and that was when Tony told him. He told me that he felt bad and apologized for it in the morning. So anyway, from now on, anything I asked Neil to do that had to do with Tony, he wouldn't do it. You see it is very hard to communicate with the people in the back of the van when you're driving because of engine/road noise, yet Neil refused to help me with communication. When Tony was driving he didn't want Neil sitting up front with him because he said that Neil didn't talk to him. I could see that. So he asked if he could have Cody sit up front with him, as they got along well. "No problem," I said. Well, Neil had a problem with that. He refused to give up his front seat because as I said in the previous blog he hated dogs. He wouldn't stand/sit where he did when Kumara was with us, as he said that it is illegal and it is discrimination. 'Great!' I thought. Well, as I was thinking this Tony decided to tell Neil that he had no choice if he didn't want to sit in the back and to sit down and shut up. Sounded good to me at this point. Neil continued to try to pit me against Tony... and now Cody and Kim as well.

Every stop we made Neil seemed angrier and angrier, vains popping out of his forehead while he rubbed his face over and over again in stress and disgust. Every time he had the chance he would turn to me and try to explain how wrong this is, that everyone was treating him so bad. Now let me tell you all, nobody was treating Neil badly. Cody and Kim tried to be nice to him without success several times. Tony just didn't care to talk to him, as he kept hearing Neil talking about him to me. Anyway, we are somewhere in Kansas now. We've been driving all day through Colorado and it was now the middle of the night... somewhere in middle Kansas. This is when Cody came up to me from the back to let me know that he saw sparks in the rear of the van. I asked him if it was when I hit a bump and he said it was. I explained that is was probably just the chains from the trailer hitting the ground. "Oh," he said, "I didn't think of that," and went back to sit down. Shortly thereafter Neil rolled down his window to get some air. I didn't feel anything out of the norm, but when we passed a guard rail I heard a really rough, grinding sound reflecting back to me. I then saw a sign for a rest stop two miles away. I stopped there and went back to behind the van to check it out when... oh my gosh! The trailer had lost an entire wheel and was riding on its axle on the driver's side for maybe, oh 20-25 miles now. Lord have mercy! That was when I turned to the group in the back and told them what it was. The agreed-upon plan was to stay there for the night (it was about 2am at the time) and get up early the next morning to find a wheel while some stayed at the rest stop with the trailer. I kinda felt like Clark on National Lampoon's Vacation when I saw that wheel, clapping my hands and exclaiming, "Well, we're here!"

I camped in my tent, which Cody helped me to pitch, while Cody elected to sleep outside under the stars and the rest were happy sleeping inside the van.

Day 4: Bound to find a trailer wheel & tire somewhere close by

After being woken up by Kim at around 9am I tore down my tent, rolled my sleeping bag and pad, and helped Cody to drag the trailer to a grassy area. Cody told me he talked with the cleaning lady at the rest stop and she said there was a Wal-Mart about 20 minutes back the way we came from. Awesome. So Tony, Neil, and I took the van to find a wheel, tire, and some bolts while Cody, Kim, and their two dogs stayed at the rest stop with the trailer. It was the third place I went, a Tractor Supply type of store that had the exact wheel and tire combo we needed - $42 bucks. Then Neil needed some cooking oil from the grocery store and I insisted on running in to get it. We then fueled up and headed back to the rest stop. At this time Neil is really getting to annoy me. I won't go into the details, just trust me here. So we get back the rest stop. Cody and Tony held up the trailer while I put the wheel on and started each bolt. I cranked down each bolt, everything seemed snug, Cody and I re-attached the trailer, and we were on the road again!

Let me tell you, Kansas is one windy state. At any moment in time a gust of wind could (and would) blow the van half-way into another lane. This made it really fun. Rule #1: Be fully engaged, have both hands on the wheel, and tell Neil, whatever it was about, "not now."

Tony and I traded driving all through Kansas, while Neil never gave up the front seat, that is until Tony told him to again.

So here we are, it's dark and I'm driving when all of a sudden I hear a loud yell from the back of the van. Apparently they had been trying to get my attention for a while but I couldn't hear them. "Pull the (blank) over." yelled Tony. "Kim is getting sick." I immediately pulled over on the side of the freeway to let Kim outside. It was on the next stop at a gas station where Tony was explaining to me that Kim has lupus and that she is not doing well, but does not want anybody to feel bad for her, and that is why she has kept it quiet until now. It was just then that Neil decided to accuse Tony of stealing his water jug from him to use for his dog. This infuriated me, bad time little buddy. I gave him a piece of my mind right then and there, explaining to him how miniscule his problem was right now. This didn't seem to phase him. He then proceeded to tell me that the whole reason why Kim was getting sick and the wheel fell off the van was because God was punishing us for acting so badly toward him. Oh man, I can't believe what I'm hearing. I went inside to go to the restroom and take a break from Neil. When I came back out, I'll be damned if half of Neil's body wasn't out the window as he stared intently into the furious eyes of Tony, who's head was about two inches from Neil as he pointed at him and threatened him in various ways with his life if he didn't shut up right then....

The Crazy Train - Part III - It's amazing Neil is still alive to come soon.

The Crazy Train - Part I

2007-10-08T14:47:00.001-04:00

PUSH PLAY
All aboard... ha ha ha!

Crazy, but that's how it goes on the Journey America Tour.

(Just so you all know, the Journey America Tour indeed continues in 2008... yet the plan is being revised sufficiently... updates to come.)

Here goes the story...

I was sitting down in my sister-in-law's apartment (brother's wife's sister) in San Diego, California with a significant amount of free time... as I was stuck there. This was two weeks ago today. I had a friend I met in Huntington Beach get me down there for the weekend. I had missed my ride back that morning, so I had no transportation back. Well, this is when I remembered how Amy, my couchsurfing friend in Pomona had told me about Craigslist Rideshare... soon to be a new Journey America phenomenon. After two failures, one ride cancelled who was scheduled to take me at midnight that night, another at 3am who couldn't find Lacy's apartment and didn't want to be late for work (nothing like getting up at 3am, packing your bags and sitting out at the curb for a 1/2 hour, then returning to bed.) Well, then the 3rd came along, a beautiful and warm-hearted musician named Dawn Mitschele, who also has a blog on Myspace by the way which is very good reading. She came by at 3pm on the dot, picked me up in her '87 VW Rabbit stick shift and took me all the way back to my van in Huntington Beach. On the road we engaged in great conversation about life, the essentials, God, and music. At the end she gave me her CD, which is full of witty, mellow tunes that are a joy to listen to.

So anyway, what I didn't tell you is that on that Monday two weeks ago I was sitting there in my sister-in-law's (Lacy's) apartment just looking at my road atlas of the United States trying to figure out how in the hell (excuse my french) I would ever get home on the finances that I had... in the van that I have. The total cost would be about $550. Well, that was when I put the following listing on Craigslist Rideshare in San Diego and L.A.:

CROSS COUNTRY Trip of a lifetime

Alright, here's my story: I'm traveling in my van (FeedtheVan.com) across the great United States of America; planned departure between October 1st & 3rd. I have stopovers lined up the entire way, so we will not need to pay for a place to stay once. Not to mention that this van comes equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, stovetop (dual burners), sink with running water, toilet, power outlets and sleeping quarters in the back that also converts into two benches.

I can legally seat 10 people in this van (2 in the front and 8 in the back) but my maximum I will take is 6 total people including myself, as comfort is worth something. I will be stopping in:

Prescott, Arizona (where my brother, his wife and daughter live)
St. Louis, Missouri (where a friend of mine on the tour lives)
Columbus, Ohio (where my father and mother live)
Charlotte, North Carolina (where I live and my final destination)

If you need to be dropped off anywhere reasonably along this route, I would be more than happy to do so. The cost to take this van cross country is about $450. You will only pay for your share of the gas used for the time you're in the van.

About me: I travel on the pro tennis satellite circuit (why I am in California) and I play my bagpipes on the side to make a few extra bucks. I have 3 older brothers, I am a lefty, and I live in a van down by the Pacific Ocean. You can find out more about me online at the website above and you can always call/e-mail me.

Pics of me and my van below.

Looking forward to having an incredible journey with you!

So here goes the story of the Crazy Train (By the way, I'm changing the name of my van to this.)

Rider #1: I found one person already listed needing a ride with his dog from San Diego to Fredericksburg, Virginia. I gave him a call, his name is Tony, his dog was mellow, and he was up for the trip. He seemed to be the 'I don't care how I get there, just get me there' type of guy who isn't afraid of anybody... Awesome. (BTW - I was pretty much right on about that.)

#2: What I thought was an indian lady which I thought was named Weil Armstrong (heavy accent) needed a ride to Raleigh, North Carolina. Weil hated dogs. I told her about Tony's dog and she said no problem as long as they can sit in opposite locations in the van and the dog doesn't touch her. Hmm, okay, this should be interesting, but it can work. Weil seemed a bit high strung over the phone, but she seemed willing and it might work. At this point I didn't care, because I needed to cut costs.

#3: A self-described hippy named Kumara who seemed fun and full of energy, something that would be much needed for this trip. She only needed to go to Denver, Colorado. I made it work so that we went there, then took I-70 the entire way from there to Columbus. I always wanted to see Colorado anyway.

#4 & 5: A couple in their late 30's with two small dogs in kennels were the last to call, the Sunday two days before we left. They needed to get to Chicago. I told them I could take them as far as Indianapolis and drop them off there. Good enough.

Okay, so here I am one week from the posting back in San Diego lying on Lacy's couch again trying to sleep, just thinking about how crazy this whole thing is gonna be. I've now laid out the entire plan, with each day planned and each stop planned along the way. We were now not stopping in Prescott, as it was out of the way and my brother Luke and his wife Marnie clearly weren't willing or able to put up five strangers and me for a night. So instead, I called up my old tour buddy, Rob, who was now going to school in Flagstaff, Arizona. He got permission from his roommates for us to stay. The next night we were to stay with a sweet Couchsurfer I found who, amazingly enough, would be willing to put up 6 strangers... and strangers of each other... in her house for a night. The next night we had unplanned sleeping quarters but were planning to stop in Saint Louis to see my tour buddy Lance Vodicka and his brother for a meal along the way. The next stop would be Columbus, Ohio after dropping off the couple with the dogs in Indianapolis. We would sleep in Columbus and then go to my hometown of Groveport, Ohio to switch vehicles. Finally we would drop off the riders #1 & 2 and get back to Charlotte hopefully that night. So I had already given each rider a price up front that they could pay half of up front and the other half upon arrival.

Then the morning came at Lacy's and it was time to implement the plans. First stop, just a mile away to pick up riders 5 & 6 and their dogs. Let me explain something, the van has a luggage trailor that was pretty much empty and a roof bag for luggage. This couple had a ton of luggage. After nearly completely filling the trailor with four huge bags that all weighed about 75 pounds each, I was wondering how much more stuff they had. I had to cut them off... no more stuff. So I did. Keep in mind they had two dogs in kennels as well. Alright, so after mixing and mingling everything into the van we were all in and on to pick up rider #1, Tony, and his dog in north San Diego after picking up a gas cap and some more bungy cords at the AutoZone (yeah, either somebody stole my gas cap the night before or I forgot to put it back on at the gas station.) Tony lived in a trailor park near the beach, so he had to come out on his bike to meet us and lead us to where he lived. He was trying to get he and his dog across the country to his son and see his mother and sister.

Next stop, rider #3, Kumara the hippy. She lived right on the beach a couple of miles from Tony. Tony knew the area well and wisely told me not to take the van down the street because it was a very steep hill and the van might not be able to make it back up. So Tony and I got out and walked down the hill while I called her to tell her where we were. Before I knew it I saw a girl about my age running up the hill as fast as she could right toward us. She didn't stop until she hit me with a big hug.
'Wow,' I thought, 'she really is friendly... and full of energy.' That she was.

Final stop, rider #2, Weil Armstrong in, of all places, Santa Monica, in a back alley off Santa Monica Boulevard. By that time everybody was kidding about how we had hoped Weil wasn't 300 pounds, because we'd be screwed if so. When we had arrived there, around 2:30pm, we saw that the alley was very narrow and full of cars, so we decided to park at the grocery store across from the alley and walk to where Weil was. I was talking with Weil on the phone to let her know that we were there and walking down the alley when I saw... Weil???!!!

Weil was not a woman. Weil was not Weil. Weil was Neil and Neil was a midget... Now if that is not a curveball sent by God I don't know what is! Neil wanted us to bring the van into the alley as his stuff was very heavy... and he had a lot of stuff. So we did. By this time, both the trailor and the roof rack were completely full of stuff. We had to literally strap his luggage to the roof on the rack part in front of the roof bag. Neil seemed to already know this and had his own bungies and ratchets for us. Neil also brought tons of food items, a computer tower, and some other small bags full of interesting items like a teapot, a portable coffee brewer, paper plates, styrofoam cups, cologne, etc. Neil was not planning on eating out... at all.

Everybody noticed right off that Neil was a bit edgy and a controlling character. This made things interesting for the entire trip... especially since he didn't like dogs.
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Riders 1 & 2 with my Dad and I at Linden Cafe in Columbus, Ohio.

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Story to be continued in Part II - All that you can't leave behind, plus much much more!

Signing off from Charlotte, NC after 6 crazy days on the road...

~ Nate

In memory of Luciano Pavarotti

2007-09-25T16:13:00.000-04:00

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Bono's Memorial Speech:

06.09.2007
Luciano Pavarotti 1935 - 2007
“Some can sing opera, Luciano Pavarotti was an opera.

No one could inhabit those acrobatic melodies and words like him. He lived the songs, his opera was a great mash of joy and sadness; surreal and earthy at the same time; a great volcano of a man who sang fire but spilled over with a love of life in all its complexity, a great and generous friend.

Great, great fun, The Pavlova we used to call him. An emotional arm twister if he wanted you to do something for him he was impossible to turn down. A great flatterer.

When he wanted U2 to write him a song he rang our housekeeper, Theresa, continually so we talked about little else in our house.

When he wanted U2 to play his festival in Modena, he turned up in Dublin unannounced with a film crew, and door-stopped the band. His life and talent was large but his sense of service to the weak and vulnerable was larger.

We wrote Miss Sarajevo for him. He had worked on the humanitarian crisis that was the war in Bosnia. We travelled together on a UN air force flight to Mostar... all of us earnest in hard hats, just about strapped into this industrial aircraft with the big man handing out parmigiano from Reggio Emilia, “the best cheese in the world" he kept saying… deadpan… to make us laugh.

In Pesaro, in his summer house, he lived an almost bohemian life with a recording studio set up in an out house - but did all his vocals in his bedroom... there was a hammock hung between two marine pines for a siesta. He liked to eat, sleep and then warm up his vocals though I remember more eating than warming up. When we first recorded with him I left a stone heavier than I arrived.

Intellectually curious, couldn’t stick to his own generation - loved new ideas, new people, new song forms.

A sexy man whose life lit up again when he fell in love with Nicoletta and as he watched Alice play in the yard. He loved all his daughters so much.
The sadness of losing his only boy his only silence.

I spoke to him last week... the voice that was louder than any rock band was a whisper. Still he communicated his love. Full of love.

That's what people don't understand about Luciano Pavarotti. Even when the voice was dimmed in power, his interpretive skills left him a giant among a few tall men.”

Bono

Those that have ears to hear...

2007-09-21T03:51:00.000-04:00

profiletweaks.com - Unique MySpace Generators

... the truth is out there for those who can hear it.

Hear this, the tennis part of the Journey America Tour is coming to an end. I am two weeks from traveling back east in my van for one grand fanale of a journey home... and boy do I miss my home. I miss my Mom, I miss my family, I miss those who miss me. I have made my mistakes on this journey... I have had my ups and downs, but most of all, I was able to make a difference in this free land we call the United States of America. It was a reason to live another day...

So now I am here in southern California still. I am skipping the Irvine tournament to make sure I am ready for one final go-round in Laguna Niguel next weekend. From there it is:

Prescott, Arizona to visit my oldest brother Luke and his family
Joplin, Missouri to stay the night at the bed & breakfast I stayed in in July
St. Louis, Missouri to see my tour buddy Lance
Columbus, Ohio to see my Dad
Groveport, Ohio to see my Mom
Charlotte, North Carolina - my final destination (estimated arrival: October 7th)

Journey America 2007 has been a shoestring survived Journey with many stories. It has shown me what the bare necessities in life really are. It has shown me what is meaningful and what is not. It has broadened my horizons. It has given me a way to meet and keep in touch with so many people. It has helped me to see what I've been put here to accomplish... and what I have not been put here to accomplish. It has given me a way to lift the spirits of those who may read my blog and to give them a deeper understanding as to who I really am.
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I have been unable to make a connection here with the girl I so much wanted to see in San Diego. I won't give her name or the reason why, but I will say it broke my heart... still not giving up on that... it wouldn't be the first time my heart has been broken. One day, yes one day, I will be a jolly man married to that woman of my dreams, but not yet, not yet... hopefully sooner rather than later...
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Let me tell you all a little bit about what my dream is, God willing...

My dream is to someday own a good bit of land on a beautiful countryside (or maybe mountainside) somewhere on God's green earth wherever He takes me. On this land I will have a beautiful wife, at least three children, and someday grandchildren. I will probably build a tennis court there and teach my kids to play (if they want to.) I will have many cows, roosters, sheep, dogs, cats, and hummingbirds. All will roam freely throughout the land. I will look forward to rising early every morning to feed the sheep and milk the cows. In this time I will be able to see the sunrise and feel the presence of the Lord and what he has given all around me... it will take over me... I will then take out my bagpipes and play a morning tune to wake up the family and animals, and will help my wife to make the morning breakfast for the family. I hope my wife is willing to host many parties, so that people can come from all around to eat, drink, and have a great time together.

This is my dream. Journey America was a part of it...

I love you all so much.

"I believe in Kingdom come, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for." U2

Goodnight,

~ Nathan

P.S. The Journey America 2008 plan is in the works...

The shape of a W

2007-09-17T02:24:00.001-04:00

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The week started very much on the up and up, thus the beginning of the W. As the week went on and I had to travel down from my very comfortable location in Pomona, where I had met many friends, the first drop in the 'W' occurred. For one I knew nobody - again - and for two I was busted by the cops - again - for parking my van in a public space. (The law in Costa Mesa as well as Claremont is 'no parking over night in a public space if you have sleeping quarters in your vehicle.') Things got up and going again as I found some fellow friends from the tour that I was able to meet and hit with, thus the next upward point in the 'W'. Then the second big drop occurred - I lost horribly in one of the worst matches I've ever played... I'm still getting over it. I was totally sore and just... sluggish... that I don't even no what to say, other than my body just didn't recover well at all from the early week's workouts. Moving on to the last part of the 'W' - the best part. I had an incredible weekend of bagpiping and meeting friends. It all started yesterday with holding up signs and giving out free hugs with my newest Couchsurfing friends who put me up in Pomona. We did this at a street festival going on here where I am now in Huntington Beach (remember where Rob and I crashed the 4th of July block party?... same place.) While doing it I noticed a fellow talking with various street musicians and assumed it was the coordinator... it was, and yes, he let me play my pipes there at the festival. It went over pretty well, but he immediately invited me back to play again today from 12-2. Next was the gig at a church an Italian friend I met in Claremont a week ago asked me to play for. It was a church cookout and it went over phenomenally well, thank God. Next it was back to Huntington Beach where I was to meet a new Couchsurfing friend at the German 'Old World' Oktoberfest. We had a great time and I ended up playing my bagpipes with the German band... that was interesting... the crowd seemed to really like it though. After that I headed back home and I was on a total high as I was blaring my 'Sing Along Songs Disc 2' that I made a few years ago and singing loudly right along. I pulled in to a spot on 8th street in Huntington Beach (a block from where I played my pipes in early July) only to be greeted by a funny fellow who heard me pull in with my Johnny Nash blaring and so he offered me a drink. I couldn't turn it down, so I met these two roommates who are only a couple years older than me - Chris and Jeff. Jeff, the one who offered me a drink, had just arrived earlier yesterday from China, so he was a bit out of it... but in a funny way. We all had a good time hanging out, but then I remembered that I had told my new Couchsurfing friend Sarah that I would go running 9 miles with her in the morning... so it was time to get to bed. So today I woke up, went running instead of finding a church to go to, which I rarely skip, and then hung out with Chris and Jeff again before going to the festival to play from 12-2. After the festival I hung out with Chris and Jeff again before going to a cookout I was invited to by some of the friends I met at the party crashing back in early July.

And that is what I just got back from. Oh what a week of ups (^\) and downs and ups (/) and downs (\) and a grand finale of ups (////) all in all to make one beautiful W.

Signing off...

~ Nathan

Coffee talk

2007-09-08T16:46:00.000-04:00

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CLICK TO DO GOOD - Buy my friend David Johnson's book, Voices of Sudan. All profits go to building wells in Sudan. Besides this, it's an awesome book.

Read about the book here.

No pics... the camera has broken down.

Alright I've been in Southern California for going on 4 days now. I'm currently in Claremont and I lost in a three-setter yesterday. I lost the first set easy, then broke once to win the second. In the third I was up a break 2-1 and he broke right back... I wasn't happy with that at all. This is my first ITF tournament appearance since Joplin, Missouri and I am still sanding the rust off this machine.

Of course since I lost I went into town and found a streetcorner gig at the music & gallery hop that just happened to be going on then. I spoke with a few of the artists and they hooked me up with the man in charge of the event, who gave me a great place where I could play my pipes. I went to the van, geared up in my full Irish kilt and regalia and did the gig... made pretty good money and then headed to the local Wal-Mart where I parked my van and went to sleep.

The view of the mountains here in Claremont is spectacular. I'm planning on hiking to the top of one tomorrow.
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Thoughts:

Back in the van life again.
Camping is good for the soul.
I'm alone but not lonely.
Everybody is a loser until they win.
Why do people choose to worship the God they have created instead of the God who created them? Does this not make them worshipers of themselves???
Where did all the good people go?
Today is a beautiful day and I am quite thankful to be alive.
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Hoping that Luke, Tim & Rob can take a trip out here to experience the van life for a few days...!

Signing off...

~ Nate

The tubing ride... Canada style!

2007-08-25T17:34:00.000-04:00

Scroll down for Birthday Blog... this is just the tubing ride videos. Also, to pause the music, scroll to the bottom of the Birthday Blog and click the little 'Play' button (looks like >)

Happy Birthday... to me!

2007-08-25T15:38:00.001-04:00

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Parry Sound, Canada with Paul

Alright now, it's my 25th birthday today... hahahahaha
Yeah, I'm a quarter of a century old today, another step closer to the deadline, and another step younger inside. I can no longer pass for a young punk or any of that... people actually start taking me really serious now.

Gonna live it up for a little while today and enjoy the sunshine and breeze and my Starbucks cofffee with my Mama here in Ohio.

I'm leaving for Charlotte on Monday, then flying to California on the 5th from there, where my van is waiting patiently for me in Southern Cal, where it will be employed again. I'll be in So Cal through September, then I will make the long trek east, Charlotte bound.
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Music Quotes time:

"I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now." Bob Dylan - I'm younger than that now

"25 years and my life is still; trying to get up that great big hill of hope... for a destination." 4 Non Blondes - What's up

"I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled these city walls, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for." U2 - I still haven't found what i'm looking for

"When love comes to town I'm gonna jump that train.
When loves comes to town I'm gonna catch that plane.
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down, but I did what I did before love came to town." U2 - When love comes to town

"It's times like these you learn to live again.
It's times like these you give and give again.
It's times like these you learn to love again.
It's times like these time and time again." Foo Fighter - Times like these

"Let's get off this. Let's get on with it. If you wanna change the world shut your mouth and start this minute." Cracker - Get off this

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So I took a trip to Canada with my cousin Paul (Dad's sister's son) who just got out of basic training for the Marines. We had the time up at this cabin on a tiny island that we had to take a boat to. While there I hiked, trained, kayaked, swam, played the pipes on the beach, bathed in the clear waters (which was actually pumped up to the cabin and used for tap water as well), cliff jumped a 50-foot cliff, water-tubed (I've only water-skied once, so I wasn't really willing after being thrashed around on the water tube - see video - glad they enjoyed it!) On top of that they had a lot of games around, cornhole (definitely an Ohio game), mini table tennis (used one of the boards for the windows on a table top with a net), chess (Devon took me to school. Thanks Devon.)

Oh yeah, and Paul and I stopped in to check out Niagara Falls along the way (see pics.) We drove up in my ol' Bimmer, in which Paul insisted we have the top down the entire way... 12 hours, that is (check my hair out to prove it.) We also ate fudge and dined at none other than Don Cherry's (see pic.)

Better sign off now since they say a tornado is coming...

~ Nate

"He lived every moment and left nothing to chance."

2007-08-19T10:17:00.000-04:00

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It has been a week and a half now since my Grandfather, Richard W. Mann Sr. (known as Grampy to the grandkids) past away. I'm dedicating this blog entry to him.

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Fishing with Gramps!

Grampy & Grammy

Holding my oldest brother Luke

One of my favorites - My two Gramps together

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Grampy's Funeral Service was on Saturday, August 11th. It was traditional. They had a viewing first, then a Memorial Service, then the motorcade to the Gravesite (Dawes Arboretum), then the Gravesite Service. Grampy was in the Navy for 21 years and highly decorated, so he was given a full Navy Gun Salute and folding of the Flag. I was honored to be asked by my Grandmother (Grammy) to play the bagpipes for both the Memorial Service (Amazing Grace at the end) and for the Gravesite Service (Eternal Father and Taps.) I couldn't have imagined a better place or time for a funeral. The sun was shining, the temperature stayed in the upper 70's, a light breeze consistently blew, everything was in bloom. The feeling was surreal.

Below is what I wrote for my speech about Grampy at the service:

Well as I sit here in the passenger’s seat of the Quality Pools truck with Dustin driving us back home from Virginia, I reminisce.

It has been an interesting week… many things have happened, and many things are yet to happen, but I want to speak on what I remember about my Grampy.

Grampy was always a man who demanded my attention and respect. Ever since I was little I found myself looking up to him. I remember when I was very little and decided to crack one of the walnuts that were always gathered on the living room coffee table. I did so, and with my Mom and Dustin as my witness, I’ll be darned if there wasn’t a $20 dollar bill inside! It didn’t seem to be 30 seconds until the word got out and every brother/cousin/friend was there at the table cracking walnuts. Grampy never said a word about this, but we knew it was him who seamlessly cut the walnuts and glued them back together again with cash inside, in such a fashion that nobody could tell they had ever been touched.

Dustin just saw a shooting star, beautiful! Okay, back to the stories.

Grampy was not a braggert… never once do I remember him brag.

He loved telling stories at the dinner table… How many times do I remember being at the dinner table with the whole family sitting by, just waiting for him to take over the conversation with one of his great shirt pocket stories…yeah, you all know what I’m talking about. I love those times and miss them very much.

I remember the pancakes in the morning… the contests…
I remember his laugh that always took a lot to earn, but was such a joy to hear that I worked hard to get it out of him.
I remember when he and my grandmother came to my elementary school on grandparents day and my grampy seemed to just know when somebody or something deserved a round of applause, and he was certainly not afraid to say it.

Grampy didn’t live for himself.

I remember the bike rides, the words of wisdom that we couldn’t deny, like ‘you should always have a handkerchief with you. You just never know when you’re going to need it.” This was of course right after I had to blow my nose and didn’t have anything to blow it into.

Now I am so thankful to have been able to see him in Florida, in his last days. His eyes were always tired, but his smile made it all worth it. He loved so much to listen to how my life is going and just about the stories that have made this Journey America Tour. He still wanted to watch the big game on tv (the football game in January, then the basketball game in March.)

Grampy would also tell me much in his last days about how he’s been praying for me. What a tear that brings to my eyes. A man in his last days telling me that he’s been praying for me. What a man(n)!

Grampy showed me what it means to walk the walk.

Thank you Grampy. I love you and will miss you dearly.

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He sunk battleships in World War II.
He was shot down and imprisoned in the Japanese Prison War Camps.
He was born of German parents.
His actions were carefully planned and calculated.
He was never late.
He was perfect by no means, but...
He lived every moment and left nothing to chance.

I will see you again, Grampy, but not yet... not yet.

~ Nathan Dawes Mann

The Ohio Story

2007-08-01T22:59:00.000-04:00

Well here I am, midway through my second week in Ohio. I've skipped the Decatur, Illinois tournament and it looks like I'll be skipping the Milwaukee, Wisconsin tournament as well. This is so that I can build my contacts back up in Ohio (2nd base - 1st base is Charlotte, NC and 3rd base is Prescott, AZ.) The trick to keeping this tour going has been to have good contacts everywhere I go and to build relationships, and this is one thing I love to do.

It was my Mom's blankth Birthday last Friday, so I put together a little surprise party for her... and it was a success... we got her good! It was a small party, with only the essential friends, as it was all planned a day beforehand... the way I seem to like to do things. I played Happy Birthday on the pipes, of course, and everybody sang loudly right along. We all hung out all evening and chatted on the back patio with Dustin's famous grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and all sorts of sides that everybody brought over, not to mention a big cake with coffee and ice cream at the end. It was a really good time (see pic - right after the surprise occurred, a couple of friends missing, my Mom knelt down in the middle.)

So now I'm doing some temp work here in Ohio, playing in a little local tournament, training, and hanging out with the old Ohio friends again... and making some new ones too. I've gotten back in gear with my neighbor and pal ever since I was little, David Snow (see pic - David took this of himself after I accidentally left my camera in his car.) We do his Airforce Ravens training program together. Along with that, I've gotten to get the old hitting/training partner, Chris Landouer, to do the old routine again. So it's cool to get to catch up with old friends... just like the good old days.

I was asked to play my bagpipes for last Sunday's church service at my Mom's church, so I was more than happy to do that. It went well (see pics.)

I will be helping my brother Dustin and his wife Crystal move down to Lynchburg, Virginia (where Dustin will be attending law school and Crystal will be finishing her undergrad at Liberty College.) This will be on the 8th. From there I will be heading to Charleston, SC (actually Sullivans Island) where I will be moving to for the few weeks before I leave to California... one coast to the other...

I tell you, everywhere I go, many things remain the same, but also many things are different. Ohio is neither here nor there. It is not as welcoming as the south, but more welcoming than the north. It is friendly, but people seem to have their walls. It is not a boring place, but it is not an exciting place either. It is not an ugly place, but then again, it is not a relatively beautiful place either. It is not a real rainy place, but it is not a sunny place either. Ohio, ever since I can remember, has been exactly what I have made of it. It is neither here nor there. It is my roots.

Well, I've gotta get up at 7 tomorrow so I better hit the sack.

Goodnight from Ohio... where it is neither here... nor there.

Signing off...

~ Nate

Why did the Turtle Cross the Road?

2007-07-20T12:12:00.000-04:00

(Note: All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

Newspaper article pics are up! Scroll down to the blog entry before this one.

I'm a hero now... So I was pulling out onto a winding two lane just after leaving Lance's house in north St Louis and I came upon what looked to be a rock sitting on the road ahead. It was a fairly big rock... wait! That's not a rock, that's a turtle trying to cross the road!!! So I swerved around the thing and pulled over into a gravel driveway immediately ahead and ran back to the turtle while waving traffic around the clueless fella. I'm dedicating this song to Sandy, the turtle and all those other people or animals who have had or wanted a hero in their lives. See the pic...

First off - April, May, & June Journey pics are up!

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Rewind to Wednesday of last week. I wanted to go to Joplin, Missouri for the tournament there, but I had no housing that I wouldn't have to pay for. Know that I've paid a total of $5 for housing on the Journey America thus far and wasn't thinking of changing that streak. So I called my Dad and told him the issue and he told me to come on in to Milo (I was in my home in Groveport, Ohio) and he had some leftover spagetti we could nuke up and talk about it together. By the time I arrived he was on the phone with an Irish Bed & Breakfast in a town 10 miles east of Joplin. 'What a great idea!' I thought. Well it was, because although they were unable to take my piping services as they already had entertainment, they were able to refer my father on to another bed & breakfast right in Joplin... They said they would be happy to have me! So thanks a ton Dad... I'm gone!
So I hit the road, Joplin bound in Summer, my ol' Bimmer convertible. That night I stayed with my good friend, Lance Vodicka (see pic) who is also on the tour. The next day I hit a bit with Lance on his own private court (see video of Lance's brother Bob and me on the home court, taped by Lance.)

Then I was off to Joplin, a four hour drive from Lance's house. I arrived there, signed in, visited the bus of Johnny Blazed, then headed to the Bit of Eden Bed & Breakfast. While there I found out that I was already scheduled to do a 7pm gig for the townspeople in the B & B front yard. It was about 5:30pm at the time. They had flyers out all over the place already and 33 people ended up showing up. The gig went well and the townspeople really enjoyed the pipes. Not to mention I got to meet some really neat people too (see pics.)

I had a match the next day at about 2pm. I didn't do well. I was out of practice and was up against a hard hitting, big serving opponent. It made for an ugly loss that I'm not too proud of.

I stayed in town for another two nights, as the Meekers graceously offered me a stay as long as I needed. About the Meekers, they are an older couple that were both schoolteachers but now retired. Marge is 75 and Bill is 80. You would never know if you met them they were that old. Bill gets up around 5:30am every morning and takes a long walk before beginning work on one of his newest house projects. Let me tell you, Bill is about the most interesting artist with an incredibly diverse portfolio of works that I have ever seen. He does everything from paint (every picture in the entire house!) to interior and exterior architectural design projects (see videos!) Marge is a writer and writes short romance stories. She is also an incredibly sweet lady with a big heart. She made me breakfast every morning exactly how I wanted it, plus much more. I was always healthily stuffed after breakfast. She also went on to make me lunch and dinner nearly every day too. Marge basically adopted me while I was there and I was definitely spoiled.

The amazing story of Bill & Marge

One day, I think it was last Sunday, Bill, Marge and I were sitting down in there living room downstairs having a great discussion when Marge decided to tell me an amazing story. Marge knew Bill for an entire two weeks before they got married and only one week before Bill proposed. They've been married for 54 years now! Imagine the guts it must have taken Bill to ask the question so soon! They scheduled the Wedding immediately for one week later and they're still together to this day. This story got me thinking... a lot. Even back then Bill & Marge's quick Wedding was a big exception to the rule, but what an amazing and beautiful thing.

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On Sunday night I drove back to Lance's in Saint Louis, and I stayed there until Thursday morning. In that time Lance and I trained intensely together, fellowshiped, and got some work done around his house. It was an awesome time and I'm looking forward to coming through there again in October. Thursday morning I got up early to drive to Columbus, as my flight was to go from Columbus to Greensboro that day at 4:51pm ET, for a wedding this Sunday in Concord. At the same time Lance was to leave to India to play in the Futures Tournaments there for 3-6 weeks. All went smoothly on my end, but Lance had a one night layover in Newark, as his first flight out was cancelled. He should be in India now though.

Here's a pic of Lance, his older brother Bob, and me at their home.

I am staying with Julie Sawyer (a fellow pro and good friend of mine - the one who gave me my stringer) now in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Yesterday was a great training day and I hope to do it all again today. I'll be greyhounding/flying back to Columbus on Monday to be with my family.

Signing off...

~ Nate

Newspaper Article Pics!

2007-07-16T00:23:00.001-04:00

Homeward Bound - Part 1

2007-07-14T16:12:00.000-04:00

I will begin with the final happenings of California in late June and early July.

The third picture is of Rob and I with the Vanderstoep family. They had us over for dinner on that Monday night the day after we went to the DeWaters, I believe. It was an awesome time and we made friends for life with them.
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Rob and I stayed three more days in Shingle Springs. In this time we got to eat another meal with the family of one of the ladies who work the front desk at the tennis club. In that time I played my pipes, of course (see pics.) Then later on that night we took a couple of the girls out to a pub where I was to play that night. That wasn't the best idea, seeing as they were 18 and it was a pub. I ended up singing on karaoke and breaking a few windows with my voice. Although I did call in advance to get permission for the younger ladies, we were kicked out shortly after (it was in a friendly way - no worries!) so we went to good old Marco's Cafe, which was nearly next door and hung out there for a little while before calling it a night. Here's the video of me playing at Coloma Club.

The final night in northern California was an interesting time as well. The deal was that Barbara (see previous blog) would teach me to dance if I taught her how to serve a tennis ball. Seemed like a fair deal to me, so after I taught Barbara how to serve we went out to a Salsa Dance Club that I found on the Internet in Sacramento. Well, when we got there we found that the place no longer existed... hmmmm. Where now could we take another two underage ladies (19) on a Friday night? How about a Hooka Bar. Why not? So while Rob, Kelly (a fellow who worked the front desk that wanted to come out with us that night as well) and the ladies were getting high off of hooka, I was getting high off of hummus... tons and tons of hummus. No, I didn't try any of the hooka. It just didn't look to appealing to me. It actually made for a great place to hang out and have some interesting conversation and a good time.

The next day Rob woke up a little earlier than I and began trucking the van down south again, destination Los Angeles. All was well and good until we hit the 'Grapevine', a 4,000 foot steap climb and descent about 70 miles north of L.A. on I-5. We had to stop and let Anna cool down a couple of times during the climb, which was an 'I think I can' time the whole way up, averaging 15-20 miles an hour. We made it though, and we made a video of the feat.

So what next? How about Huntington Beach, the surf capital of the U.S., and close to where I was to store my van with Rob's Uncle. (Above is a picture of Rob's twin neice's that he got to meet for the first time while there.) Here goes another story:

We could not find a parking spot anywhere in Huntington Beach, as it was the weekend before July 4th and loaded with people. Finally, Rob and I came across a block party on 9th & Orange that had a big blocked off parking space right in front of it. I asked Rob if we should park there. "Let's do it" he said, so I turned around and pulled up with the van while Rob asked if we could park there and frequent their party, as we were both quite hungry at the time. The lady asked if we were 21, asked for our I.D.'s. I showed her mine and explained that I am 24 and Rob is 21, so we are of age. All seemed good until another fellow homeowner from the block party came up and told us this was a private party and really isn't for younger people and junk like that. So I turned to Rob and told him, "Just tell him I play the bagpipes." Rob said the magic words and we before we knew it we were being treated like kings, with all the food, drinks, and attention we could ever ask for, along with a perfect parking spot right in front of the party. I rocked them a bit on my pipes and told them about why we were in Huntington Beach and before I knew it tips were coming in left and right... Halleluiah! We didn't just break even with our trip down to Huntington Beach from Sacramento... we made a profit. I played way into the night all around town while Rob carried the case and collected tips. Our first time being stopped by the cops was when we tried to play on Main Street in front of the Starbucks. Rob was carrying the case and waving a 'Tips' sign while I played. Yeah, it wasn't long before the cops were on us like a fly on a hamburger in the summer time. They wanted to write us a ticket, but I assured them we wouldn't do it again (such a treacherous thing as it was) and they decided not to give us a ticket... how nice.

The second time I got busted for playing was about 1:30am with my final go-round on the pipes, finishing at the block party (see video.)

Two mornings later I was leaving on a jet plane. and Rob was being picked up by his girlfriend in L.A. Here I go again on my own...

Signing off...

~ Nate

P.S. Part II will be up sometime tomorrow hopefully.

Becoming Famous! - Newspaper Article

2007-07-07T14:14:00.000-04:00

Click here for my first newpaper write-up from El Dorado County, California's 'Mountain Democrat', the oldest of all California Newspapers.

To get you through the rest of your week...

2007-07-05T01:20:00.000-04:00

Mike Holian, the man who taught me how to play the bagpipes, plays a familiar tune on his Uilleann Pipes.

This was recorded just two nights ago, Monday, July 2nd, after I flew in to Greensboro, North Carolina from Burbank, California.

I look forward to seeing you again this Summer Mike!

As if that's not enough, Mike has a Border Collie, Fiona, that is something else...

Stoop so low... to reach so high

2007-06-27T13:32:00.000-04:00

Where do I start?

Where did I leave off?
(By the way, you can leave comments right here on the blog. Below the entry it says 'Leave Comment'. I love comments!)

Rob and I have now been together for about three weeks in Anna (the Van) and we're still getting along great... imagine that!!! Rob's been great company and a huge help, and I don't think the stories I'm about to tell you would be so good if it weren't for this punk. He's done everything from cook to clean, from drive to train, from brewing coffee to rubbing my feet (no, just joking), from delivering and picking up racquets for me to string to stringing some himself (by the way, we've strung about 40 racquets so far...), and he's done all this while keeping a good attitude. So Rob's last day on the tour will be Sunday, the 2nd, in which I fly back to Greensboro, North Carolina to pipe for a Wedding on the 7th and spend the 4th with my friends and brother Peter in Charlotte.
____

So, what has happened in the past week and a half? Tons. As you know Rob and I have been in Northern California while I've been playing in the ITF Tournaments here. Right now we're in Shingle Springs (in the western foothills of Lake Tahoe) and I played in the tournament here. I lost in a very tough first round match of the qualifier to a player that will be playing today in the first round of the main draw. Since then I have been stringing racquets, playing bagpiping gigs, and meeting tons of awesome locals. I don't think I've felt so welcomed as I do here anywhere else I've been.

Rob and I have been camped in the Gold Country Baptist Church parking lot ever since we arrived here on Tuesday the 19th. The church is located right across the street from the club and they let us use their outlet to plug in, hose for water, and wireless internet which I'm using right now. They have been nothing but a blessing to us ever since we arrived here. We've met all three pastors, several church families (whom we now have contact info for) and have been invited over to two homes for a meal, each a story in itself.

Backtracking to my loss on the tennis court. I have been training tough with Rob over the last few weeks and it had nothing to do with my training why I lost. It was the mistake of business. They say that you've gotta take the money when it comes, or the business when it comes, for that matter. Well, Rob and I racked up 9 racquets to string and have finished before the first matches were to start on Saturday morning. Obviously, the day before the first round matches is the busiest for a racquet stringer. Then I was offered to do a pro-am doubles round robin the evening before for a few more extra bucks and a good relaxing time to meet some locals, which I also couldn't turn down. So after that was over it was just shy of 8pm and I had 9 frames that needed to be finished by 9am the following morning. Hence I got to bed late, got up early and just never got off my feet. This made for a rough day on the court for this mann. Yet, when all was said and done, I couldn't have any regrets, because I had to take the business when it comes. Down the road, I know it will all pay off, just not yet.

So after losing I figured 'heck, I might as well get a gig for tonight since I won't be playing tomorrow', so I called a few suggested local joints and struck gold with Marco's Cafe in Coloma (where gold was first discovered in California.) I invited Barbara (see pic of me playing with two girls in the background - blue top), the really sweet front desk lady with the beautiful smile, to come out. So Marco's was a hit (see video!) and Rob and I had a great time chatting it up with Barbara and Brittany afterward.

So then came Sunday morning, more racquets to string, Gold Country Bagptist church service at 11, and Rob and I are still recovering from the night before. Yet, all racquets were finished and we got to church just after 11. It was a very good service, which Pastor Dale just happened to be basing off the same scripture I read to Rob two days before, I Timothy Chapter 6. Coincidence??? What do you think?

After the service we were invited by a grand couple, Mack and Ronnie DeWaters. Ronnie, Mack's wife of over 50 years even got to take a ride in our van on the way back to their home while Mack ran an errand. Ronnie cooked us an incredible meal, let us do our laundry, and gave us a dozen eggs that Rob got to hand pick from there very own hens(Check out the pics!) They also had rabbits and a big fat cat.

One more thing from that experience, even before lunch I got the chance to surprise there grandson Tyler on his 18th birthday with 'Happy Birthday' on the bagpipes. (see video below - Rob on narration/video coverage again!)

So then that evening we were invited to a younger couple's home, Craig & Jen, for dinner on Monday night. This is another family from the church here. 'Man, this trip just keeps getting better and better' I'm thinking and by now I just can't stop smiling. So fast forward to Monday night, we had an awesome dinner with Craig, Jen, their 21 month year old Noah, and there dog, which I'm blanking on the name right now. It was an awesome 4 course dinner which included some awesome salmon and strawberry shortcake for desert - man life is good! I played the pipes afterward for them outside and seemed to attract everyone in the townhome complex to come out and listen, imagine that... no volume control on the pipes.

So then came Tuesday, a great day of training and tennis, among other things. I was told by the local newspaper reporter, Jerry Heinzer of the Mountain Democrat that he wanted to do a full column on me in the paper, as he had already interviewed me briefly once as a player in the tournament and thought my story was interesting. So the column should come out on Friday, the day before Rob and I finally head out of this town. I'll keep you posted on that...

So Rob and I were planning to go to Lake Tahoe today and stay until Friday, but God had other plans. A wildfire which started about a week ago in Lake Tahoe has closed down the whole highway along the way to Lake Tahoe and burned down over 200 homes and the local high school there. Pray that they get it under control soon.

For us, this means three more days in Shingle Springs, which I don't mind, and you can see why...

Signing off...

~ Nate

P.S. The headline is from an old U2 song, Red Hill Mining Town.

Break On Through to the Other Side

2007-06-17T00:12:00.000-04:00

That's what the above image (taken through my van window) represents.

Rob and I have been here in Sacramento for nearly four days now. We have been camping/cooking in the van outside of the Racquet Club and stringing a few racquets on the side to make some extra bucks. Wednesday and Thursday Rob trained me hard and Friday and today were toned down days until I found out that I was an alternate in the draw today again, so I was the 2nd alternate and the 1st was the only one to get in... bummer but we still get to use the facilities, I can still practice with the players and get ready for a possible Doubles match on Tuesday. I'll keep you all posted on that.

Here's what happens on a usual day here:

~ Rob wakes up - makes a small snack and coffee while I read something in my Bible and say my morning prayer.
~ We do some kind of warm-up, whether it is a jog, medicine ball tosses or Rob will run me through one of his yoga routines.
~ Breakfast time! One of us will cook up some eggs & oatmeal, along with some yogurt and V8.
~ Tennis time! I'll go find someone on the circuit to hit with if I haven't planned it already.
~ Stretch time! Rob or the tourney trainer runs me through my stretch routine.
~ Lunch time! Tuna mac, turkey sandwich, more eggs, yogurt, or something of that sort... with some V8!
~ Fitness time! This is when I'll do my main fitness workout for the day with Rob.
~ Tennis time again!
~ Dinner time! Today it was hot dogs and baked beans, so I hope the breeze is flowing good through the van tonight!
~ Time to relax and wind down for the day ahead. Read a book, talk on the phone, drink a cup of decaf at the local Panera Bread and write a blog, whatever.

All in a day's work. I just hope it's not 105 degrees again here for a while! It was much cooler today, thank God!

Tomorrow is Sunday, God's day of rest, and that is exactly what it will be for me.

"May the good Lord be with you down every road you roam
and may sunshine and happiness surround when you're on your own." - Rod Stewart - Forever Young

Signing off...

~ Nate

There's a new Man in the Van

2007-06-11T14:23:00.000-04:00

Picture Matching - Try and match the picture with the Pic #! (this wasn't on purpose, but give it a try!)

Pic #1: My Charlotte tennis ladies and me after a good clinic!
Pic #2: Andy fixing the van in Charlotte.
Pic #3: Doug (the best damn maintenance man in the land) & Me behind Milo.
Pic #4: Me working it at Milo w/Andy
Pic #5: Dad & Me in front of Milo
Pic #6: The Mann with the Van in front of Milo (that's my cousin Elsa on the left with the sweet Bike helmet)
Pic #7: My Great Aunt Pat & Me at the Cracker Barrel in Indianapolis
Pic #8: The new Man in the Van!
Pic #9: Rob, Sierra (my neice) & Me in Prescott
Pic #10: Luke & Me outside of his work in Prescott right before Rob & I headed out.

____________________________________________

The van has officially arrived at our first tournament spot in San Diego, California!

So, I headed to Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, June 2nd to stop in and play some pipe gigs to make some $$ in preparation for the major gas bill that lieth ahead. When I arrived around 9pm at Milo (my Dad's artist colony in Columbus, Ohio - see pic) about ten people were waiting for me on the front steps and ready to go! My Dad got a full crew of people to help my cause - book gigs, gather Van Feeders, and donate a great travel trailer to the cause, among many other things. My Mom arrived back in Groveport on Sunday - she had been in Prescott and San Diego (where I am now) with the Western Mann family.

So I made it to Prescott after four days of driving on Saturday. That was where I picked up the new man in the van, Rob Arnold. Rob is working on becoming a Professional Physical Trainer and chose to come with me on the road after I asked him back in December. Rob is my personal trainer for the California and Midwest tournaments during the Summer. Beyond that it's great to have someone else drive! Rob's a super-cool guy and is gonna be great to have around for the next couple of months. Rob and I are staying in San Diego with Lacey, Marnie's (Luke's wife) sister. My first match is today at 2:30. I'll be playing doubles tomorrow too.

I also played my pipes in Prescott at some pubs for some cash last night. The visit to Prescott was short but awesome, as Luke, Marnie & Sierra are awesome people...

Mann I love my family!

Signing off...

~ Nate

Up and Out

2007-06-01T23:32:00.000-04:00

I'm hitting the road again tomorrow morning for the biggest road trip I will have ever taken to date... and it's all gonna happen in my 1979 Dodge XPlorer. She's all packed for the journey and ready to roll. She will first be heading to Winston-Salem with my car in tow to drop off at a friend's house. I'm leaving it there so that I can pick it up when I fly back from California in early July (I will be flying to Greensboro, not far from Winston-Salem.) So then I'm headed on up to Columbus to see my Dad and family and play some pipes and raise money for California. I hope to hit the road again to California no later than Tuesday. I will first be picking up my friend and trainer Robert Arnold in Prescott, Arizona, along with seeing my oldest brother, Luke and his family. Rob will be traveling with me for two months or so on the tour through California in June and the Midwest in July and will be my physical trainer every step of the way.

I'm tired and the morning comes awefully early, so goodnight and I'll keep you all posted... Say a prayer for me and the van.

Signing off...

~ Nate

Where there's a Will... there's Johnny Blazed

2007-05-24T00:20:00.000-04:00

Here is a video documentary to my friend John Valenti (aka Johnny Blazed.)

Go Johnny!

Love comes first...

2007-05-22T00:22:00.000-04:00

Much thought can occur on the road. This was the thought that lit up my night of driving back to Charlotte.

Starting from scratch...
I have had the hardest time trying to figure out where all my motivation and fire went for playing tennis. It has not come natural for me lately to do the things that I used to love to do... like go to bed at a decent hour, work out in the morning, for example.

So I was listening to hours and hours of music on the road and my brain just seemed to be a pile of mush the whole time, with no music really sparking me to think about anything worthwhile. That was when I decided to put some real music in, U2 - Achtung Baby album. Instantaneously my heart and mind came to life again as if I had never heard the album before in my life, although I've heard it hundreds of times, literally. My mind was enthused by the catchy, intelligent lyric and musical brilliance and my heart was warmed by the heartfelt vocals of Bono. It was as if I noticed instantly that that was real music and everything else was crap to me. I was already thinking of selling it all on Half.com, but that's another story. But really, when someone sings from the heart you know it immediately, especially because not too many singers do these days, but that's another story too.

Now rewind even more, back to what I've been thinking about for a long time, but especially these past couple of weeks... a woman. Not just any woman, but the right woman, the one that I can love and really spend a lifetime with. I've dated much, but loved rarely.
Now get this, the few times in my life when I did, that was when my motivation to play tennis, train, and all the stuff listed above plus much more, was there in full swing. Not to say that the times I loved were spoken of or that the relationship was going smoothly, but just that love was in the mix (or should I say 'balance') and it was given high priority. Now I know there are several different kinds of love, but the one with a woman seems to be the most all-encompasing, as far as earthly love goes. (I'll talk about other types of love in another blog later on.) This is the love I have been lacking, and this is the love that I need to put on a higher priority level than it has been... well... ever, if I wanna live my life here on this Earth to its fullest potential.

Now I know that finding true love takes time and takes much patience among a billion other things, but it's worth it...

I heard on the radio yesterday that more people are getting divorced than married each year and it has been like this for the past 10 years or so and only getting worse. This, along with seeing it happen all around you with friends and family can make even thinking about the love I am talking about above pretty discouraging, to say the least, let alone talking about it. That feeling breeds fear of love and is only making divorce that much more common, and true love that much less common. Well I'm here to tell you I'm not afraid of true love. In fact I pursue it on a daily basis. I love watching it in movies and frankly I love love!

"Faith, Hope, and Love remain - these three - and the greatest of these is Love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

Signing off from Matthews, NC...

~ Nate

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T12:49:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am in Franklin Coleman's home, a Couchsurfer I am staying with in Tampa, Florida. I am writing this blog from his computer, so I can't put pics on... again. Soon though, soon.

I have had another adventurous week on the road. I traveled from Orange Park to Tampa on Wednesday. I got in and met Franklin around 8:30 that evening. He is an art/music teacher at Tampa Prep School (grades 6-12) and he loves his classical music, let me tell you. He is an older man, 66 years old, and he knows all about Tampa. He took me out that evening to the Big City Tavern with one of his students, Logan (who is a senior) for dinner. It was an awesome old place in the Ybor District of Tampa (kind of like a smaller version of the French Quarter in New Orleans in some senses) that had a really high tin ceiling and exposed brick along with huge windows. It reminded me a lot of my Dad's artist colony, Milo Arts. Franklin made sure neither Logan nor I went hungry there, as he insisted that if I were to pick an appetizer, not just to pick one but two. Fine with me, so I picked two. We hung out, had lots of good conversation and got to know each other, then called it a night as we headed back to Hyde Park, an awesome older district of Tampa which was modeled after a district with the same name in Chicago. It is only a block from Bayshore Boulevard, which runs right along the Bay, hence the name.

Fast forward to the tournament. I've had a hard time thinking of how I would write about how I did. I think the best way to say it is I just didn't play good. I have had a hard time getting my footing (literally) on clay as I am a serve-and-volleyer and I am very much looking forward to the hard court tournaments coming up in California next month. In the meantime I have one more tournament here in Florida, in Fort Lauderdale on the 18th. In the meantime I am going to keep training here in Tampa and try to get in the doubles draw again (John and I didn't get in up in Orange Park.)

Many people want to know what these tournaments are like. This is how it goes:
The sign in is always either on the Thursday or Friday preceding the tournament from 4 to 6pm. If it is a qualifier of 128 than it will be on Thursday to allow for the extra round, as opposed to a qualifier of 64. These Florida tournaments are all 128, so the sign is Thursday. Only 8 of those who play the qualifying tournament will qualify for the main draw of 32. The main draw starts on Tuesday and goes to Saturday, when the finals are played. Players come from all over the world, usually stay in groups in hotels to save money. Others have housing already set up if they have a contact in the vicinity of the tournament... then again others sleep in there vehicles. I have done it differently then everybody this tournament, as I have found housing on Couchsurfing.com.

The day following the sign-in is a crazy day, as more matches are played on that day then any other day. Most players will just linger around the tournament site until their match is on. Of course, since they don't know exactly what time a player will go on, they will say 'not before blank o'clock'. Sometimes you can wait over two hours after that time before you actually go on. Some tournaments put food out for the players and really take care of the players, like Orange Park, for example. They had it all, food, housing, swimming, fitness, everything. Tampa is the exact opposite. All they give you here is a nice location. Everything else costs money.
Other details: Only one round is played per day. The most matches you can play in a day is two; one singles and one doubles.

Bagpiping: I played in the Ybor district the past two nights. The first night I played right on the sidewalk for tips. I asked a cop there if it would be legal and she said "no problem", so I played...
First I was told that I was playing on private property and I needed to move six feet forward. So I did. It wasn't 15 minutes before a pack of Code Enforcement officers came up to me and told me to "pack it up... now!" So I did, but I stood there for a moment to figure out where I would play next. That was when they started threatening me that if I was caught again playing on the street my next stop would be whatever the name of the jail was around there. How friendly... At that moment they didn't bother me one bit, so I headed down the street with my pipe case and found a James Joyce Irish Pub. I played there, made some good tips in a very short period of time (I think I made more than the musician there... I don't think he liked that, but I did) and was offered another gig there Saturday night at 11. So I had two late nights. Now I'm outta here and on to my next gig, the Kaleisia Tea Lounge for another gig and then on from there to my next Couchsurfing spot in north Tampa.

Today is Mother's Day, so I hope you all are doing something awesome for your Moms right now... I have a secret plan.

Happy Mothers Day

~ Nate

This is my story...

2007-05-06T21:51:00.000-04:00

Well shoot, I had a rough first match on Friday. It all started with my YMCA workout Thursday in Orange Park, or perhaps the sleep on the floor of a friend's room the night before. Anyway, I somehow got a pinched nerve in my back from one or the other and had rough sleep the night before my match. I had the trainer massage it out twice, but it only got temporarily worse. He said it wouldn't be until Saturday that it would start to feel better. So my match was rough, as my serve was a pain, literally. I wouldn't default, as that is my one claim to fame - I have never defaulted a match in my life, not even when I was cramping all over in my legs... never. So, I got beat in a pretty bad match, but I didn't default at least. I had a good day of training yesterday and I got to teach a couples clinic with a fellow tour player named Roby to end the night for a few bucks. I took it relatively easy today, as I usually designate Sundays as my days off. Tomorrow I'll be hitting it hard again. In the evening the club is putting on a pro-am for any of the players who wanna play with some locals, another chance to make a few bucks, and I'll be doing that as well. Tuesday I'll be playing in the doubles main draw with John Valenti (aka Johnny Blazed) I think.

So Orange Park is one of the only tournaments on the US Futures Circuit that offers housing to its players. The housing is provided by a slew of volunteer host families who are also members of the club where the tournament is located. I have been very fortunate to get to stay with the Knights, a family of four (w/ two boys) in a very nice home only about a mile and a half from the tournament site. I can honestly say I feel spoiled here... and I love it. They let me have the entire upstairs area, which consists of a large bedroom with a TV with cable, a fridge, a big bed, and a full bathroom. They even took me out to eat today at Carabbas... ahhh life is good! I played my pipes for a good while this evening for them and they really enjoyed that... thank God for those pipes!

Speaking of pipes, I also played them for a small all-black Baptist Church that I found this morning when I went out searching for a church. The people there were as sweet and welcoming as I have ever seen or felt. Once I told an elder, Mr. McNeil, in the morning Sunday School service that I play the pipes he did not hesitate to ask me to go and get them to play for the church service. It was literally like something out of a movie...
If you ever get a chance to go to a traditional all-black (I only say this because it is much different from a 'white run' church, all-the-while in a wonderful way) you should definitely go. Some of the most warm-hearted, enthusiastic, and vocal Christians I ever met were right there in this very small, old white one-room church house. I was tempted to keep driving by when I saw it at first as it almost looked abandoned with only one car in the lot, but then I remembered I had told myself that I would stop at the first church I saw and that was the one. Boy am I thankful I went. Oh, did I mention how they were vocal? They sang old hymns throughout the service, everyone in the church, and it was a sweet sound... boy I wish I could have recorded some of it. Mom, I think your favorite hymn is Blessed Assurance - we sung that one too. It was a great voice lesson!

This is my story... this is my song.

Signing off...

~ Nate

The Video

2007-05-01T13:05:00.000-04:00

It's Gone... They're Gone... and I'm Gone!

2007-05-01T00:14:00.000-04:00

It's Gone

One could say it is the end of an era for this Mann. 5 1/2 years of long hair, ever since my Freshman year of college, and it all has been lopped off at the local Supercuts.
It was an era which begun with the rebellious start to living on my own. A freshman in college, ladies were telling me all the time to cut my hair as it was relatively long when I came in. I was tired of hearing the complaints, so I went in the bathroom with my roommate's hair buzzer and came out with a buzzed head. The ladies didn't like that either. That was when I decided, 'Fine, they're never gonna be happy anyway... I'll show them.' And I never cut it again through my four years of college. Not until my Senior year did I have some more complaining ladies lop off 12 inches of hair (which went to Locks of Love, right Andrea?) but it was still long enough to pull back into a ponytail.
Let me digress and talk about these days of my life with long hair. Never did a day go by where I didn't feel free. When the wind was blowing and my hair smacked me in the face... I loved that. That was my reminder that I had to look good for nobody, only enjoy being alive and free. During these days I matured quite a bit. I began to play the bagpipes during this era. The pipes have yet to be played by a short haired Nate Mann. That will all change soon.
So it was an end of quite an era... all the friends I met during this time... all the adventures I embarked on... It was a rebellious era, but a very sweet one at that.

They're Gone

The two ladies in the picture with me are the very culprits behind the haircut. Lauren is on the left and Lindsey on the right. I met them both when they were Freshmen at Queens and here they are graduating... walking the line on Saturday. I regretfully will be unable to attend as I will be in Florida for tournaments. These are two very classy ladies. I will miss you L Sistas!

I'm Gone!

I'm off to Florida tomorrow in my '87 BMW Convertible to play in two satellite tournaments and the USTA National Claycourt Tournament. I have housing in all three locations, so the van will sit in Charlotte for the month. I will be back in Charlotte around May 25th. I will then be switching vehicles and and driving the van out to California to compete in the National Hardcourt Tournament and two more satellites. I will then be flying back July 2nd, leaving the van in California for the Summer and playing the Midwest satellites, visiting my family in Ohio, and playing a couple Wedding gigs in July. I will fly back to California on September 2nd and play in the group of satellites in southern Cal before driving Anna Supernova back to Charlotte.

To all who hated my hair: You're welcome
To all who liked my hair: I'm sorry, but eras come and go
To all who still don't like my hair: I don't really like your hair either
To all who couldn't care less: I don't care about you either

For every end of an era there's a new one and for those who don't care, well I don't care about you.

That's my story.

Signing off...

~ Nate

Long time no talk

2007-04-25T11:37:00.000-04:00

It's definitely the little things that make all the difference. But are those things so little? Just because they don't cost so much in a monetary sense doesn't mean they're little. I think they're huge.

Well the little thing that changed my day today was my Dad calling me at 6am just as he said he would to wake me up. I know I'm 24, but sometimes you need somebody just to give you a really good reason to wanna wake up that early. Not always, just every once in a while. We talked for a while, but not before he played me his favorite morning tune these days, 'Where There is Faith' by Billy Simon. What a great tune to wake up to.

Yesterday it was a couple of simple pass along e-mails from my Mom. The first was to give me a heads up on a new airline, Skybus, based out of Columbus, Ohio (where I'm from) that is offering $10 tickets right now around the country, which I definitely capitalized on. The second was an Italian joke (my Mom is half Italian) - goes like this:
_____

This is for all the Italians out there, and those who are lucky enough
to be married to an Italian, and even to all the friends of Italians...

An elderly Italian man lay dying in his bed. While suffering the
agonies of impending death, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his
favorite Italian anisette sprinkled cookies wafting up the stairs.

Gathering his remaining strength, he lifted himself from the bed.
Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the
bedroom and with even greater effort while gripping the railing with both
hands, he crawled downstairs. With labored breath, he leaned
against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen.

Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself
already in heaven. For there, spread out upon waxed paper on the kitchen
table were literally hundreds of his favorite anisette sprinkled cookies.

Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted
Italian wife of sixty years, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself towards the table,
landing on his knees in a crumpled posture. His parched lips parted,
the wondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth, seemingly
bringing him back to life. The aged and withered hand trembled on its
way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked
with a spatula by his wife . . .

"Get outta here! " she shouted , "They're for the funeral."

______

So it's the simple acts that reach out to someone, disregarding oneself for a moment to make someone else feel good. How sweet it is too.

Other good stuff:

Mike Boston - Always saying nice things to everybody around him. I notice people at the Palisades, where Mike is manager begin to smile even before Mike says anything when they see him because they know that he's gonna say something to make them feel good. You can't help but to smile around Mike.

Lance Vodicka - A friend of mine on the tour - one who has seen some very tough times in his life, but still turns to God for guidance - he wrote me just before Easter with several incredible Bible verses and his faithful words along with them.

David Johnson - This man has been the most selfless friend I could ask for. He has let me stay with him at his house for over a month without ever wanting a thing from me. David has been around the world on Missions trips and is currently in the finishing processes of his book, 'Voices of Sudan' which all the profits will go to help build wells in Sudan.

Thank God for good people and simple (yet huge) acts of kindness. These are the people that give others a reason to get up in the morning...

Signing off...

~ Nate

P.S. I'll be leaving for Florida this coming Tuesday. It will be California after that. I won't be back in Charlotte until around July 2nd.

March Pics are up!

2007-04-10T00:02:00.000-04:00

Check them out here - Only 2 more weeks in Charlotte and I'm headed to Florida!

More News...

2007-04-05T18:58:00.000-04:00

The FEEDtheVan.com Official Homepage video is up and running!

Also, I've changed My Journey America Tour Schedule around a bit. Note that I will not be playing in the upcoming Mobile & Little Rock Futures so that I can stay in Charlotte to practice with Tim Wilkison and raise money for the Florida Claycourts coming up in late April. I've also added the Four USTA National Mens Open Tournaments to my schedule. Playing in these tournaments will give me a National ranking and thus guarantee me a spot into Futures Qualifiers for 2008.

Lastly, (I forgot to post this in my last blog) I just got back from Sunny Florida on Monday night where I helped my Grandparents get back from their Winter home in Sanibel Island. The trip went smooth and I gained three pounds - Thanks for all the food Grammy! I also got to see my cousin Becca and Aunt Dottie while there. Becca, a Senior in High School and a tennis player herself and I got to hit some balls around each day on the famous Sandy Bend tennis court... the court where my dream to become a tennis pro began.

Walking the line...

~ Nate

Just call me Tuna Mac

2007-04-04T20:57:00.000-04:00

Mmm yum, a monstrous pile of tuna mac for dinner. It's like a bottomless pit of shear tuna madness. What can I say, what can I say?

Okay, well I've had a couple of busy weeks settling in here in my new temp home at David Johnson's in Matthews. I've been getting very accustomed to my new Van lifestyle and I've been working a lot on getting her ready for Florida. She's running very solid right now and I'll be taking her in for her NC inspection tomorrow. As long as they don't take off for the toxic fumes she puts out constantly I should be good to go.

Beyond that, I've been working on my tennis game with none other than Tim Wilkison himself over the past two and a half weeks. No pic yet, but soon to come.
Other exciting stuff includes: major FEEDtheVan.com updating/upgrading going on. I'll let you all know when the newest updates are up on the web.
February Pics are up on the Journey America Website. Videos and March stuff will be up soon.

Walking the line...

~ Nate

You can run you can hide...

2007-03-28T00:56:00.000-04:00

...but you can't escape Anna SUPERNOVA's love. Check it out - The Beta issue of the all New FEEDtheVan.com!

Note that you need to have Quicktime installed on your computer to view the site correctly. Download it here.
Also note that the site front page isn't working very smoothly in Internet Explorer yet. It should be soon, but for now you can view it in Mozilla Firefox.

Comments/Suggestions gladly accepted!

Signing off (passing out)...

~ Nate

You Better Believe It!

2007-03-20T23:06:00.000-04:00

Another crazy weekend plus 2 for this Mann.

Saturday:

Woke up at the Days Inn, brewed up the free coffee, took a shower, met a Northern Irishman and his son (his business website) who are traveling all around the country in there three-wheel Honda Motorcycle and pull-behind luggage trailer (which he buys the kits, puts them together, and sells them back home in Ireland) and then... the car didn't start, unsurprisingly enough (remember, the alternator is bad.) I got a jump from the guy working the front desk. This got me about three blocks downtown, since the Saint Patricks Day Parade (which I missed playing in for the first time in 4 years) was just beginning and traffic was crazy. So, I called the Good Samaritan and the best car mechanic friend I know, Tim McMeeken. He arrived within 25 minutes with 20-some foot jumper cables that never lacked the length needed for a convenient jump. So we jumped the Bimmer not once, not twice (in the left turn lane onto the freeway - we looked like two uninsured Mexicans trying to get away before the cops arrive) but three times (on 77-Southbound, this is where we swapped batteries) to get it back to his house where he could replace the alternator. Seeing that the job would take more time then the time allotted before my first gig at 4:45, I called up none other than Johnny Blazed (aka my Manager... for the night.)

He came and picked me up from Tim's in his "I think I can" Mercedes and we were on our way to the first gig, a private party. It went well, they want me back next year, but the best part, the best part of the gig was at the end of it all, when I was going to John's Mercedes where he was waiting to pick me up. As I approached the vehicle two little girls were riding on their bicycles. One of them said to the other, "Don't go over there! There's a stranger over there!" I looked "over there" and there was John, sitting there in his 1983 Mercedes loaded with body putty and worn off grey paint, and I couldn't help but to laugh. I reassured the little girls that John is surely not a stranger, but I don't know if they ever believed me. So on to the next gig...

It went in this order:

Dinner
Picasso's Pizza & Sports Bar on East Blvd.
Big Ben's English Pub on Providence Rd.
Union Station Restaurant & Bar in Gastonia
Hef's Lounge and the Wine Bar next to it on Woodlawn (under Jason's Deli)
Ri Ra Uptown
5th & Tryon

It all ended uptown at 5th & Tryon Street around 3am playing for loads of people for tips on the street corner.

Sunday:

Woke up late... of course. My brother Dustin and his wife Crystal were in town at my brother Peter's for a short visit. They came and picked me up at David Johnson's in Matthews, where I'm staying for now, and took me to Peter's where we all hung out, ate pizza, and watched some basketball. Check the pic (who's taller? Look at their feet!) After Dustin & Crystal left back up to Virginia where Dustin was going to check out a law school I took Peter's car and, with some help from Tim again, picked up my freshly fixed car that he had fixed for me. Goodnight.

Monday:

Finally got a hit in with John. Today's the day I'm supposed to check out the "New" van that I held the seller up from selling for almost a month now. Some things fell through in trying to get it all together before dark, so it had to wait until Tuesday, aka today.

Tuesday:

I woke up at a decent hour today - finally back on schedule. I made some phone calls, booked a piping gig for a Memorial Service this Friday and for April 7th, then waited up for Dirk Allman, my Historian / Junk Dealer friend who is quite an interesting fellow ('fella' for Southerners.) Yet he was unable to come over to pick me up as his mother got sick and needed to be taken to the hospital. I pray all is okay with your Mother, Dirk! So I drove over to look at the van on my own.

I test drove it. It ran very solidly, but had some little things wrong with it (only one headlight working, and other small issues like that) as it hadn't been driven in quite some time, at least not anywhere far. I spoke for a while on the phone with Tommy Lucas, the owner, who is now in Hawaii, about all the details of the vehicle, and believe me there are a lot. Anyway, to make a long story short, I just purchased my first home today (see pic - that's the Title and the keys I'm holding.) Time to re-vamp the campaign!

Directly afterward I got my first hit in with Tim Wilkison himself, did some of his recommended drills on the ball machine, and called it a day.

I'm in Charlotte and I'm still loving every minute of it.

Signing off...

~ Nate

There's No Place Like Home

2007-03-17T03:22:00.000-04:00

I'm back in Charlotte, North Carolina! I arrived at around 9am this morning with John Valenti (JohnnyBlazed.com.)

We traveled from Houston, TX to Cocoa Beach, Florida, dropped off John's bus, loaded everything up into his old diesel Mercedes which was sitting there for a few months and had 480,000 miles on it (yep!) and drove it up to Charlotte all through the night. Note that the bus's max speed is about 65 with the wind at its back and the Mercedes can't be driven over 70 or it will shake violently.

So we went up to North Charlotte and slept on Alex McMeeken's couches (also where my ol' Bimmer was sitting for three months) and woke up around 2pm. I tried starting up the Bimmer, but no luck. We tried jumping it and it would start, but as soon as the jumper cables were taken off it would immediately shut off. So then we headed to Wal-Mart where Alex had to get something and I was able to have my battery checked there... where it just happened to be purchased from originally. It ended up being dead but I got a partial refund since it was still under warranty (yes!).

After installing the new battery the Silver Bullet started up immediately. So then I was on the road and it was about 5:30 or so. It was then time to work on getting gigs for tomorrow - Saint Patrick's Day! I filled my schedule, but ran into another problem, the lights were dimming on the bimmer... and fast, to the point where it almost stalled. After a few phone calls I realized it is most likely the alternator. But this was about 3 hours ago and I didn't want anybody to come pick me up downtown, as I would have to come back to get my car anyway and that's a lot of trouble for someone to go through. So, after continuing walking the Charlotte uptown streets to finish filling my schedule I decided to try to sleep in the car. That didn't work, so then I went to catch a cab on the street. The rate was $50 to go to Matthews where my friend David Johnson lives where I would be staying for the night. I got him down to $40 but that still wasn't cheap enough to have to drive back into town again anyway. So, I started the Silver Bullet up again with no lights, slipped her down the back streets and into the Days Inn parking lot where I got a room for $45 bucks... and a wireless internet connection.
________________

Dispelling some myths:

Myth: Some people thought I was going to South Padre Island to party with the Spring Breakers.
Fact: I didn't go there at all to party with the Spring Breakers, but rather to keep my van in a good location where it would be likely to be sold. In fact I got several hours of practice in with John every day while I was there... not to mention running every morning on the beach. I was up late only one night and that was to play my pipes for tips - which I did very well by the way.

Myth: I've been getting the question of how I'm gonna keep my FEEDtheVAN site up if I sold the van... and people are wondering if it is just a scam to get money for the tour.
Fact: FEEDtheVAN.com will be sporting the all new Dodge Xplorer Camper Van I will be purchasing on Monday in Charlotte, which I've been planning to purchase for almost a month now. The FEEDtheVAN.com website is strictly a business venture and will take some time in getting going, but once it does, I believe it will spread like wildfire across the U.S. and be a great investment for all who decide to purchase an ad.

I know I should be in bed, but I had to get the word out.

The morning begins a new day.

Signing off...

~ Nate

SOLD!!!

2007-03-14T16:20:00.000-04:00

Big Blue was officially sold yesterday afternoon in Harlingen, Texas. She started the day broken down at the Uncle Buggies Dune Buggy Rental on South Padre Island and ended the day in someone else's hands... Thank God! The night before last her surpantine belt broke off while driving on the island, so I had it towed off the island and fixed the next morning.

The sale happened like this:

John and I were caravaning our way towards Harlingen, where the full-size Double Dragon Arcade game his brother in Houston bought on eBay was located. Once we arrived at a spot where we could drive together without doubling both vehicles back to where we were ultimately going I left Big Blue in a Citgo parking spot and it wasn't 20 minutes, just hangin' out at Joe Vega - The Arcade Guy's house - that I received a call from someone interested in Big Blue. When we came back to where she was resting there must have been four Mexicans waiting there ready to check out Big Blue. After a brief test drive and run through of the vehicle, they were ready to buy. So we swapped all of my stuff out of Big Blue and put in into John's Road Sailor mini-bus, wrote up a bill of sale, did the transaction and headed onward and upward.

The Journey continues in Houston - We'll be playing in New Orleans tonight...

Signing off...

~ Nate

P.S. I made $100 in tips one night playing my pipes on South Padre to Spring Breakers and in pubs as well. $82 was of that was made up of ones.

Beached... and Puzzled...

2007-03-08T22:51:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am on South Padre Island, in my van, all the tourneys here in South Texas are finally done, and I have a dilemma. Here it is:

As you know, I put my van up for sale here in Texas. Well, I have actually had several buyers here, but one major problem. I haven't been able to locate the Title. It is nowhere to be found in the van, and the only other place it could be is in Charlotte with my friends Tim & Alex McMeekan, where I left all of the rest of my stuff... and my car. They have looked up, down, left, and right and have not found it either. So, as you also know I was gonna ride back with John Valenti in his mini-bus (see pic.) He is here also on South Padre Island. So today I filled out an application to get a duplicate title and mailed it out to Charlotte, but even then it will take 15 days to get the new Title once they receive the app. Staying on South Padre is not an option, as I have to be back in Charlotte by the 11th or 12th to begin working and training with Tim Wilkison, as I've given my word I would do. Not to mention, March 17th is St. Patty's Day and I already have one gig lined up and probably will obtain several more once I get back to Charlotte.

So what do I do now??? That is the big question. I spoke with John this evening and he is thinking about not going all the way back to Charlotte, as the next tournament will be in Mobile, Alabama, which is right on the way back. He will only have to pay $30 more in gas to travel there on his own, so it doesn't look too practical to him to travel all the way to Charlotte with me. If this is the case, then it's time to FEED the VAN and haul my van back to Charlotte in Big Blue one last time, then sell her when I get my Title in the mail there. In essence, it is a 1409 mile trip from here back to Charlotte, which translates to just under $300 in FEEDtheVAN money, or six ads.

If you are willing and able or might know somebody (or company) who is willing to FEED the VAN then boy, now is a great time! I know I will make it back - I have faith, yet it will take much works...

Signing off...

~ Nate

P.S. The second picture is of Lance Vodicka & me. Lance is my new good friend I met on the Tour.

Quick Update from McAllen, TX...

2007-03-05T21:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, I came to my match 2 days ago quite unprepared, without adequate racquets and warmup and I played a tight match. I lost badly, yet learned much. Never will I come to a match unprepared again. I have been playing, training, and eating a ton over the past few days, so I have had little time to write much.

I am playing in the main draw Doubles tomorrow with my friend John Valenti (aka Johnny Blazed.) I am looking forward to this one - we'll just leave it at that for now.

Signing off...

~ Nate

Match tomorrow

2007-03-02T22:42:00.000-05:00

Well it's 9:43pm and I have a match at 9am tomorrow - the first in nearly 2 weeks.

As some of you know, I'm selling Big Blue, sadly but happily enough. I'm purchasing an upgrade back in Charlotte. It's a Dodge Xplorer Class B RV, but it looks like a regular van (see above pic) and gets 15 miles to the gallon - 50% better than what I'm currently getting. It has a sink with running water, a toilet, a stovetop, a microwave, a fridge, inlaid floor for standing, a propane power system, and 2nd battery in the back to power more stuff. It also has 64000 miles and a rebuilt transmission.

So I'll be traveling back with none other than Johnny Blaze himself. We'll first be stopping in South Padre Island, a popular Spring Break spot, then heading up to Charlotte on the 9th or 10th.

I'll let you know when Big Blue is sold...

Signing off...

~ Nate

The Tour Website has finally been updated!!!

2007-02-25T23:52:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right - The all-new Tour Website is up!

Check it out at any of the following sites:

NathanMann.com
NateMann.com
DanNate.com

... and tell me what you think!

Update from the Lone Star State

2007-02-22T15:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, since I last posted I have:

* Slept in my van every day, and loved every bit of it - I've slept on the beach in Corpus Christi, at the tournament sites, etc.
* Really received some help from the Lord God almighty - Let me tell you in Corpus Christi I really felt down and lonely, worse than I've felt in a long time. It was then that I picked up my Bible again and started reading. I, for some reason, turned to the book of 1st Samuel and read all about this incredible man that followed God's orders day in and day out and reaped huge rewards because of it. This nearly instantly gave me strength that I haven't had in a long time. Now I've read through the entire book of Samuel and feel like I could walk through a wall... and I'm loving every minute of it.
* I've gotten closer to my Dad via our phone conversations than I've been in a very long time.
* I ran out of gas with no gas station for at least 20 miles either way. Somebody took me and drove me all the way to the nearest gas station to fill up a 5 gallon can, then back to my Van.
* I hit a big bird (not the Big Bird) along my way down through the empty space of South Texas while trying to make it to the next gas station without running out of gas again. I hit him right beside the Chevy emblem and he broke part of the grill I hit him so hard. Don't worry, he died instantly.
* I lost in the second round of the qualifier in Brownsville to a guy who beat the #1 seed in the next round worse than he beat me. I will be playing here in Harlingen starting Saturday.
* I've sold three FeedtheVan ads!
* I met two really cool guys from my neck of the woods in Brownsville. One, Parrish Preston, is from Atlanta, and the other, John Valenti (aka Blazed), who is from Charlotte and drives in a mini school bus to all the tournaments around the USA. He started when he was 24 also and is now 30, so he's been doing this for 6 years. I've gotta show you all his van. I'll do a video of it later. Here's his website.
* Not too many pics these days, as I have nobody with me to take them (hope you're doing well in Ohio, Andy!)

That's the latest news from the Lone Star State. It's off to training again now!

Signing off...

~ Nate

The Map is up!

2007-02-19T20:47:00.001-05:00