Archive for 'couch surfing'

Justin Marriage : the stag

toad on the couch bikeEverything was steaming along fine in our deck renovations. Once Kev and I had finished 3 weeks of procrastination and started work. We also fabricated and painted cupboard doors to complement last winters back-splash.

Long story short, I was 2 days late, and starting to scheem up very complicated methods for ‘biking’ (car ride, train, bus, fed-ex) the 500km to Justin’s (yet to be organized) Stag in KW. Tracy who was (thank muchas) flying my suit up to Thunderbay for the wedding, called to see why I hadn’t dropped my shoes off, and then suggested ‘wouldn’t it be easier to car pool with me to Toronto tomorrow?’
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a day in the Anchorgian Life

OK, back to my de-plane-ing, almost a week ago now.

It’s 11pm, but there is still a fair amount of light out, simply because there is waist deep snow almost everywhere, including fairly deep stuff on the roads, which reflects the street lights up, which in turn are bounced down off the clouds.
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Anchorage Alaska

So the 24th arrived, I’d started packing at my usual 1am, and manged to have it all wrapped up around 3.

Sheri drove me to the airport, I check in, fall asleep, wake up in Chicago. Walk around, check in, fall asleep, wake up in Denver. This is where the Nat Factor started to kick in.

Since I was headed up on a blind date, first impressions are paramount. So I walk into the Body Shop, and the kind people there agree to put some Mascara on, which is followed by 5 layers of base, and what-ever-comes-next make-up. They didn’t have black nail polish in stock, so sharpie had to do the trick.
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Where I sleept in 2004

PERSON MONTH(S) TOWN LOCATION
Scott & EM’s March Tucson AZ foamie on weightroom floor
Tam Moshiers Feb Alpine CA on the RAAM course
Mike’s New House (5th) Jan Bakersfield CA ‘Nat’s Room’
The Max Family Jan Salem OR Guest Cabin!
Sam McKay Jan Very Beautiful Tofino BC Crack Shack aka Best Western Staff Housing
Adrien Hingston Jan Burnaby BC Very Old fold out couch
Bryant ? Dec / Jan Whistler Hangin’ /w P Anderson
Kevin ? Dec Pitt Meadows BC Spare Room
Erin Henthorne’s November Vancouver Hangin’ /w team Beaver
The Hingston’s November SaltSpring Island, BC 5 mattresses, 1 Nat
Annie Griffin’s November Fairfield (again) Futon, Nat and 75 lbs of cats
Michelle Pigeon’s November Victoria BC Couch
Brad Keast October Fairfield (area of Vic) Awoke bewildered on office floor
Nat’s Place on Long Gun October Victoria BC Little dark, noisy, cold room in dirt-bag house
A. Shei September Seattle Basement Bedroom
HOH a.k.a. Matty Hewitt September Kingston ON livin’ room futon (last time HOH had the futon and I was on the floor, so I’m pretty stoked)
Aldo Sfalcin & Renee September Windsor ON Art/Spare Room
The Gold Commander’s (A&A Bagshaw’s) August Amhurst NH Room, Bed & Cow
Federal House Inn August South Lee MA I am an Innkeeper!
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) August Annapolis MD Top Bunk
Motel 6 August Altoona PA Single Room /w HBO
Wal-Mart Parking Lot August Altoona, PA Back of Vehicle
the Moshier House July Elmira NY Futon with Schitzu
Kubas’s July Canten CT Justin’s Room /w GGW & CKY4
the Rosario’s July Bakersfield CA Bumped Licie to the Couch
Steve Monska’s July 3 North Ampton Couch
Charlie Week’s July 1-2 Lee MA Unfurnished House (/w hammering on roof)
Post-RAAM hotel June 27 Philly 6am – noon checkout!
“Fire” & “Nosey” June 21-26 America Back Seat & Floor of Van
Pre-RAAM hotel June 20 San Diego CA 1 rider, 1 bed
The NINJA’s Dojo June 4-5 Auburn, Maine 3-in-one, airmattress, sleepingbag & Pillow
MA & PA Hawkins June Cumberland Center, Maine 1 nite basement, 1 nite bedroom
Cameron Mahon’s (aka Denise Kelly’s) May Glen Williams Ont. Home Shopping Spree!
Hipwell’s Motel May Effingham On. Sardine style, 4 boys one bed
Kasey Crockett May Syracuse, NY Couch in Basement
The Hackler’s May Bolton Mass Medora’s Room
The ArchBiker April-July East Lee, MA Semi-Furnished Room
G-Off’s Palace April Vic “Spare Room” -futon
ck’s April Vic I’m now at the 2 month mark on this chesterfield
Kerry Classen’s Newest Home March Bend OR Furnished Bedroom!
Tom Tate’s March Coronado, CA My filthy sleeping bag on floor
Various Beaches and Fields March Ensenada to Rosarito Mexico with and without tent
Sleeping Bag and Toque March Glider School, UCSD Stary Sky
Laura Hall Feb Marina Area, CA Mattress on Floor
Viet (J’s GF) Jan San Francisco, CA Couch
Jason Crookham Jan South San Francisco, CA Sailboat
Scott Wert’s Jan Sacramento, CA The Whole Apartment!!
The Summers Jan-Feb Visalia, CA The Whole RV
“The Farm House” Jan 2004 Duntroon, On. 2-bed room to myself!
Grandpa Robinson Dec Waterloo, On. Floor of Sewing Room
Mike Ryan’s Dec-Mar Bakersfield, CA Floor/ pull out couch
Hannah Tyler’s Dec Bend, OR Loft Bed
Kerry Classen’s Dec Bend, OR Downstairs Den
My Subaru Dec somewhere in Oregon It was 15h and not 8h to drive to Bend
Eddy Gragus’s Dec Ft. Collins, CO Couch
My Subaru Dec Nebraska/ Wyoming So cold I didn’t sleep over 1h
Aunt Glenna/ U Geoff Dec London, On. Spare Room
Cousin Robin’s December London, On. bunk-bed
Mom & Dad’s Dec-Jan Bracebridge, On. Communal Bedroom
Denise Kelly’s sister’s Oct Ancaster, Ontario (On) (DK’s Sis, I’ve never met you, but thanks!)
Ben Kubas’s Oct Pittsfield, VT Kitchen Floor
Dawkins Manor Oct Hamilton, Bermuda Guest House, room
Erin McNamara Oct Boston, MA Couch
Sean Nealey Oct-Nov Lee, MA Bedroom (rare), unfurnished

Many thanks to every one on this list.

When I’m at their (your) house I do some, or none, of: Cooking, Cleaning, Walk Dogs, Pick up Dog Poo, Clean/ Wash Dishes, let in Cable repair-men, fix your bike, eat your Snackwell’s, Baby Sit, play baseball (or what-have-you) with your kids, Entertain with stories of my travels…

(I always though I stayed with around 50 families, a year, but now that I am writing them down, we can find out)

In 2004 I kept track of where I had slept… which was amazing

I always assumed that I stayed with 30 or 40 different families over the course of a year.  For a lark I decided to keep track.  I am amazed.

When I’m at their (your) house I do some, or none, of: Cooking, Cleaning, Walk Dogs, Pick up Dog Poo, Clean/ Wash Dishes, let in Cable repair-men, fix your bike, eat your Snackwell’s, Baby Sit, play baseball (or what-have-you) with your kids, Entertain with stories of my travels…

Many thanks to every one on this list.


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Lance, Swash Buckeling, and Metal Bumpers

Last weekend I raced Snelling RR and finished reading that new cycling book, It’s Not about the Drugs and find myself motivated to put together a training schedule and actually commence the “Super-Fat” Diet tomorrow.

Snelling is a pretty good race for me. Lots of side winds, rolling, and very bumpy-pothole ridden roads. I can see why I was second in this race last year. Despite having a 10th the riding in my legs this year I fancied I still might do well. I even put on my new Carbon Spinergy’s for the occasion. Trek is sponsored by Bontrager, but last fall I gave my room mate a mixer for rent, and the good old X-Lite’s where what paid for the mixer! But the Spinergy’s and I did well. We where the second last person, to see team-mates Mitchell and Wholberg disappear…

It was fate that I was even able to get to the race. My ride, B. Innes was leaving with out me, as at the designated time of our departure, I was driving around the wrong town looking for his house. As it happened he drove past, recognized my car, flipped a U, followed me, and honked until I pulled over. So we got to the race with around 35 min to spare – perfect timing – actually 5 extra minutes so that I could have pinned my number on the same side as everyone else would have been great!. Raced. Got burrito’s in a silver bus and made it back with out ever getting lost. Amazing, Thanks B!

Lance’s book was pretty good. I have been putting off reading it for a while, because I’m not really a Lance fan. He admits to being a dick in the book, which I though was cool, and overall I found it pretty motivating to read. Word on the Street is also that Lance is genuinely terrified of the day the Ulrich gets his act together and drops him like a sack of slack. There are lots of nice people in the world, but they haven’t won 5 tours. Overall good book, easy to read.

Q: What happens to Avocado’s when you freeze them? This isn’t a trivia question, as I’ll know the answer myself when I get around to thawing mine out…

Note: “Sock Guy” socks elastics fail years before “DeFeet” socks. Some of my DeFeet buddies are coming up on 4 years! Your sagging before 8 months, (3 if you put them in the dryer) Sock Guy, get your act together.

I hit a car the other day during a thwarted parallel parking attempt. I was aboot to smoothly complete the perfect parallel park when… with a honk and flash of lights my car stopped on Lombard St. The car behind me, which was right on my ass, now had some scratches on it’s front bumper. The lady, Michelle, was pretty cool, Asian, and cute (…technically she was in the wrong). We wrote our e-mail addresses (I have no mailing address or phone) on a piece of paper, she ripped it in half and gave me her address. A few days later, checked her address, to find that she’d given me mine back!

If you’re Michelle*, appear Asian, drive a black Acura, and I hit you with my Subaru, e-mail me, so that I can get you that cycling jersey I promised…

Then Today, WALKING across the street, at a cross walk, with the walking man on my side a car drove into me!! I smacked it and made the guy stop. No Shit. I got hit by a car while walking!!! He’s lucky that I was so groggy from my nap that I wasn’t able to properly vent upon him for vehicularly assaulting a pedestrian! Guy watch-out when I’ve had my coffee!

Swash Buckling…

If you where to give me a swash buckle, what would I have?

If someone had a habit of swash buckling they would own a big pair of suede boots that came up to their knees. (see an illustrated copy of puss in boots.) They the boots would have big brass buckles on the sides and go “swash… swash… swash” when you walked.

After I’ve swash-buckled you, how will you feel?

Marco, you swashbuckler, have fun riding with Garett.

OK I updated the Super-Fat Diet Section so those of you who want your dieting plans and goals on line to add to your accountability check out my reference section. The Dr’s note and $20 buy in are not optional, and if you’re like Flushmaster T anonymity is available!

PS Flushmaster T also goes by the name of Kurt Hackler!

If you are Michelle, disagree with something I’ve written or wish to sign up for the “Super-Fat” diet: faatnaat at hotmail

*Michelle is real, but mom if you’re reading, the accident described above FICTION!