Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochie

All,

That's right, I'm living an Alan Jackson song. I've been hopping back and forth over the Chattahoochie river bordering Alabama and Georgia the last couple days, working and swatting nats every 2 seconds! It's pretty country down here but it's the humid, buggy deep south you might expect this time of year. Still, I'd trade urban sprawl for this any day of the week!

I'll be working in Southern Georgia and Alabama most of the day today, then it's off to north Georgia this afternoon, as I'll be staying in Dalton, GA tonight. Tomorrow and Friday I'll be in Atlanta and Friday night it's off to watch my cousin Kyle play soccer for Elon vs. High Point.

As I drive through SEC country, it's hard to ignore the fact that college football is in the air...

I expect all of you will be watching my Gamecocks play NC State tomorrow night (Thursday) on ESPN at 8!

Hope you're all well.

On the road,

Matt

Back Where the Tea is Sweet and the Talk is Slow

Friends,





After an intense few weeks in New York City, my travels for work have taken me back down south. I left Flushing, NY, Friday afternoon, en route to Charlotte. This drive took me about 12 hours. I spent the weekend there and am about to drive the rest of the way to Columbus, GA, this afternoon. Since NYC-Columbus is over 1000 miles, I was provided a travel day today. I'm looking forward to easy, interstate driving, where I don't need to worry about which bridges and tunnels I can go through and which I can't, and what parkways to avoid, like I did in the city. Though it will be hotter than hell down there this week, probably, I'm excited for a change of pace. It's cool that I can be in a major metropolis full of culture and diversity one week, and a mid-sized town of a completely different demographic the next. This gig has allowed me this opportunity time and again!



The time in New York was great, don't get me wrong. I was able to spend a lot of time with friends in the city when I wasn't working. Thursday, my buddy Danny, and a few other friends and I went to a Mets-Braves game at Shea Stadium. I had a view of Shea out my hotel in Queens, so I was glad I was able to make it to a game while I was in town. This is the final season for Shea Stadium (they move into Citi Field in Spring 2009), though you wouldn't know it because Yankee Stadium's last year is this year, too, stealing all the limelight.

I'll be in Georgia and Alabama working this week. The upcoming Labor Day weekend will be spent at Lake Hartwell with family and friends, the following week I'll be in Tennessee, then in Louisville for the weekend, then back in Ohio for a few days before enjoying a week off in California. This week off will be highlighted by the OHIO STATE - USC football game in LA!!

I want to thank all of you for your support over the last several months. I hope you're all well and thanks for reading.

On the road,
Matt

Turn Right to go Left

Friends,

For those of you who have had the pleasure of driving through New Jersey, you probably know what I'm talking about. Take whatever you learned in driving school and throw it out the window when you get to the Garden State. You make U-turns and left turns from the right lane and you can't pump your own gas here, either. It's interesting. I'm sure there is a reason for the madness, but I can't see the logic. Oh well, I'm sure they don't care what I think!

I've been in Jersey for the last two days, working in the Newark area Monday and Tuesday. I spent the weekend in New York City with friends. Steph and I met up with some of my college friends and others for a great weekend in Manhattan. Over the course of two days we were able to see and do a ton of stuff and, lucky for us, the weather was amazing. I'd been to New York several times before, but one thing I hadn't experienced until now was "Top of the Rock," a viewing deck on the top floor of the Rockefeller Center. This was cool because, since it's not nearly as tall as the Empire State Building, you're able to actually see objects in the city far more clearly. After some tough weeks at work lately, this weekend was much needed!

I'm back in Queens this week, working in Long Island tomorrow, the Bronx and Manhattan Thursday, and back in the Bronx Friday. Friday after work, I'll be heading south where I'll be working the next three weeks. Monday-Wednesday, I'm in Alabama, Thursday and Friday of next week I'll be working in the greater-Atlanta area.

That's all for now. It's getting late and I'm exhausted. Hope you're all doing well.

On the road,

Matt

Sunsets over Midtown

Folks,

I'm not sure it gets much better than this. As I type this blog, I'm looking out my hotel in Flushing, NY (Queens), and I'm watching the sun set just North of Midtown Manhattan, of which I have a full view. Breathtaking.

Since I was a kid, I've loved skylines. I remember family drives where it was a big deal to drive through downtown Dayton because we got to see the buildings and Ryan and I thought that was so cool. I also remember driving through Cincinnati and playing a game with my brother in the back seat called "Who can spot Riverfront first" (of course this was pre-Great American Ballpark and Paul Brown Stadium!) I love cities, and you could argue the coolest skyline in the world is staring back at me through my hotel window right now. Pretty cool. Now please don't misunderstand my hotel to be ritzy with these views. All night long I have planes flying low overhead as LaGuardia Airport is literally a 1/4 mile from my hotel! The beauty come with a price: Sleep!! Well worth it though...

Anyway, yes, I'm still in New York and still in one piece. Last week had its hurdles, but this week has been much smoother. I spent the weekend in Danbury, CT, which is about an hour north of the city. This was nice as I was able to unwind a little bit and enjoy a relaxing weekend. Sunday night I drove back to Queens and Monday I worked in Brooklyn all day. I really like Brooklyn a lot. I feel like it's real New York. It used to be a lot rougher, but lately, they've been sprucing things up and it's getting very nice. I really like the Park Slope neighborhood, the area where I stayed back in May. Apparently, property prices there are beginning to rival those across the river in Manhattan! Definitely a resurgence going on.

Today, I was in central Long Island all day, so this made for very easy driving compared to the city! Tomorrow, however, I'll be back in Manhattan and up in the Bronx all day, so hopefully I'll get through unscathed!!

This weekend will be a lot of fun as Stephanie is flying into town and we're going to spend the weekend with friends in Manhattan. It should be a great time. I'm going to leave my truck at the hotel here in Queens, so it'll be nice to just take cabs and trains around, not having to worry about parking!

Next week is my last week in the city. Then, it's back down south as I begin a week in Alabama and Georgia the last week in August. Alabama in August - I'm sweating just thinking about it!

Thank you all for reading and for the continued support and prayers along the way. I sincerely appreciate it and couldn't do it without you.

On the road,

Matt

Beginner's Luck

All,

After being in New York City for two days, I've already had a flat tire and a fender bender! It's funny, I was in the city driving for the first time back in May, and I made it through unscathed. Now, the second time around, I haven't been so lucky! Actually, I'm 0 for 2, which is a pretty crappy way to begin a three week run in the city!

The first problem was yesterday, as I drove around in Queens' Chinatown. As you all know, I drive a truck and pull an 18x7x12.5 ft. high trailer. It's not exactly maneuverable. Because of this, city driving can get interesting. Let me tell you what happened. My trailer is wider than my truck as its wheels stick out about a foot on each side. Considering the narrow streets in this part of Queens, evidently my trailer tires rubbed along a curb that had a sharp spot and it popped my tire on the side. The flat tire that resulted was unable to be patched. Luckily, because it's NYC, there was a shop only a block away. They were able to change the trailer tire for me, so we were only out about 45 minutes! If this would have happened in the small towns I typically frequent, this mishap likely would have wasted the whole day. It ended up being a great day as I made a friend in the distributor sales rep I worked with and he invited me to dinner last night with he and his wife at an excellent Italian restaurant in Long Island!

Today, I had another unfortunate encounter driving, this time while merging onto 2nd Avenue from the Queensboro Bridge in Manhattan. Rush hour got pretty crazy and as I was trying to make my way off the bridge, a tractor trailer got a little too close to me and as I moved ahead, my trailer's fender (over the same wheel well with the flat tire!) hit him and got pretty bent up. Fortunately, it was not badly damaged and still operational, so I moved along and so did the truck. It's hard to say whose fault it was, so we both nodded at one another and went our separate way. The rest of the morning was intense as I drove through Times Square, up to Harlem and down through Greenwich Village. The day ended in Brooklyn, which seemed like a cakewalk after navigating Manhattan!

I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend in Danbury, CT, where I'll crash tomorrow and Saturday night. Sunday afternoon, I'll head back to the city, where I'll be for the next two weeks.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and I hope you're all well!

On the road,

Matt

Calm Before the Storm

Friends,

First off, I'd like to extend my apologies for the drought between posts. Since my last blog, I've been in the Carolinas, weaving back and forth between North and South, braving the oppressively humid, 95+ degree heat. It was all worth it, though, because my job finally took me back to the familiar, easy-going Carolinas. It was a great couple weeks as I got to spend a lot of time in Charlotte, while enjoying my travels through Columbia, SC, where I went to college, as well as some of the other beautiful towns in the region.

Now, it's back to white-knuckle driving in New York City. Yep, I'll be in the 5 burroughs of NYC for THREE WEEKS STRAIGHT as I'm working with a distributor that's pretty much exclusive to this area. I'm staying in Danbury, CT, tonight, and I'll head into the city tomorrow. Luckily, I've already been down this road before, so I know what to expect at least. It'll be crazy, but that's what I signed up for!

I hope you're all well and I will try to update this thing with stories from the city. Thanks for reading!

On the road,
Matt