Good bye and hello

Monday, June 29th

It's time to say good bye to this space which for most of the readers means I'm about to re-join your life. I got everything I hoped for with this blog experience. I got to keep you all updated about my life on the road while learning tons about the blogging process. I learned how to make a blog, use Google Analytics, and Ad Sense.

One of the things I like most about my job is that I get to peek behind a lot of curtains. I've followed politicians around, lived in a firehouse, worked on sidelines, in dugouts, and shot tons of stuff with really fascinating people.

For the last nine weeks I've been on tour with Dane Cook and the experience has been fascinating. As a society we owe a lot to comedians because, by making us laugh, they tell us a lot about where we are as a culture. Watching the performances of Dane Cook, Robert Kelly, and Al Del Bene in 37 cities was again ... fascinating. It was also fascinating to watch audiences watch them. Like anyone who makes something look easy, this trio worked very hard to make people laugh and watching that process up close is another experience I won't forget.

Finally, I'd like to thank my "Busmates". Uncle Al is Al Dotoli the Tour Manager for Dane Cook. In short, Uncle Al has been on tour with everybody. I'll never forget the time spent on the bus listening to stories about "Frank" or "Sammy"or any of the countless performers he has toured with. Once in the middle of the night, we were the only people in a bad casino restaurant on the Nevada/Arizona border. The Muzak system was pumping in a bunch of old tunes and we were playing "name that tune". After somebody determined who the artist was, Uncle Al would relate a story from being on tour with them. In this picture he is standing.

To his right is Sari Miller, the only woman on the bus. She was also the smartest of the group and my memory of her will be the expression on her face while she patiently waited for the person she was talking with to catch up to her. To her right is Rob McLaughlin. I would not have made it without Rob. His calm and methodical manner while dealing with stress can't be matched. To his right is Allan Santose. Allan did a great job. If you have ever worked with Allan then you need not close your eyes to imagine what it was like working with him for 9 weeks in a row. It was just like that.

Sonny Brown is to Allan's right. He was our driver. You always had the feeling he was in control of the bus - even while moving 40 miles an hour over dirt roads in Idaho. To his right is John Penkala. John and I started a few political "conversations" that would fizzle out when we both ran out of facts. I would say to him that although we just met, we were going to know each other a long time and that I had many years, not a bus trip, to pull him to my side.

Finally to John's right, in the center of the picture is the man that hired me, Mitch Kansky. Mitch called and woke me up on the last Saturday in February and asked me to think about going out on a tour bus for 9 weeks. Although flattered to be asked, I remember hanging up the phone thinking there is no way I would do that. Well I did it, and although he doesn't know it, he really gave me a gift that morning. He gave me an opportunity to walk away from my life for awhile which for an adult is a rare opportunity. I really think the experience changed me. Thanks Mitch.

I'm back in Boston now. I just woke up from a nap in my favorite chair, next to my favorite window, that overlooks the harbor in my favorite city. Think I'll go to Sully's on Castle Island for a burger ...

As Promised

Here it is ... as promised ... my naked belly over 9 weeks. Thanks to Rob who took most of the pictures and edited them together. The result, although entirely underwhelming, does show a shrinking belly. I lost about 15 lb. some of which can be attributed to my inability to hold any food down during week 7. One more post to go !

Sonny and Andrea

This is our driver for the second half of the tour. Sonny's advice to me when joining the bus was "if you sense the bus is still moving and you see me running to the back of the bus, follow me as fast as you can."

I once asked him how long the drive was to the next city and he said "2 cokes". The coke on the left is what he was referring to.

For Andrea in Cleveland ... 1600 feet a night times 37 shows is 11.2 miles out and in. Soft as a babies a

I've had a relapse

I worked hard in the late 90's to overcome a compulsion to take with me, from every hotel I went to, the small bar of soap provided in the bathroom. I use Lever 2000 and, except for the incredibly stupid name, the soap is perfect. I think I started collecting soap again because I've lost so much other stuff in my travels. Anybody need any stinky soap ?

Thanks Andy

Another blast from the past last week. Andy White took me to lunch in Houston. He was my roommate my junior year of high school and I last saw him in 1979. Yikes.

Happy Father's Day father

Wouldn't you love to have a beer with this kid ? If I could go back in time, this is where I would go for a beer. This is from 1950 or 1951. My Dad ... 12 years before he started work on his 1st son. I love you dad. Happy Father's Day.

Signs Signs Everywhere a Sign

A confession ... When back in the Boston area and I've found myself on the type of gig I'm on now, I would secretly make fun of the "sign people". I always thought they had a little too much time on their hands. We have none of these people out with us on this tour, but they are easy to identify ... they wear lots of black, and they speak with a body language, and a tone of voice that suggests they are planning a child's cancer treatment, not trying to decide the ratio of coke to diet coke in a crew lounge. Well the joke is on me because I've grown very dependent on the signs. After 30 shows the venues are starting to all run together.

At the end of the night I try to catch a shower before the bus leaves and at that time of night the signs are all down. Here's what it feels like ... imagine going through the door into your kitchen and when you go through you find yourself in someone else's kitchen. It's just like that. I walk out of our locker room and nothing looks familiar. I usually walk towards the noise of trucks being loaded and find my bus. So tonight a toast ... to the "sign people" the world over ... Thank you.

Dylan turns 11 !

I think 11 ... bad uncle ! Love you bud. Here is a pic of him with his Dad last 4th of July Parade. Happy Birthday !

We are on our way to Tulsa, Oklahoma tonight for 3 days off. Coming later this week ... another "odds and ends" entry. Woo hoo. Pass it around !

As Promised ...

Snapped by Al Santose a few days ago.

Matt's Back !

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been a little under the weather. We finished last week in Edmonton on Sunday and drove to Victor, ID for a day off. I forgot about the altitude and did a few things wrong ... exercise ... lack of enough water, etc. By the time we left on Wednesday afternoon, I had a little fever that I couldn't shake until this afternoon. Everyone covered for me and I slept most of the day. The show went fine and we are heading to Detroit.

Here are a few cool pics from Monday all taken within a few hours of one another ...

Mountains in Idaho ...

Rainbow in Idaho ...

A rainbow in Victor that ended right over Mitch Kansky's bedroom. Imagine that.

Coming tomorrow ... a pic of a bald eagle on the building next door taken by Allan Santose.

Lefties Unite !

Portland, Oregon is a progressive city. Finally after years of struggle, left-handed, handicapped men and women finally have their own bathrooms.

Here is a snap from the gate next to where I was connecting this morning in Seattle. I stopped and stared for a minute or so. Tonight we are Edmonton.

I SAW A UFO !!!

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Kidding. This is the "Space Needle" behind the venue we just left in Seattle. It's 12:45 a.m. and we are on the bus on the way to Portland OR.

The show we are working on is simple. We have four cameras cut together for an Imag show. No Audio, little playback, and no Elvis, or Chyron. We are a small 7 person crew. 4 on the bus and 3 locally hired. Above is a pic of Allan and local John in Vancouver. Video world is generally set up in an area central to a power source, and an I/O panel to connect to the house. The expression on Al's face reflects his pleasure that video world in Vancouver was placed here ...

That image will not be the one I keep from Vancouver. We had 2 days off there and I made the most of it. Sari and I took in a Vermeer exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. I also enjoyed 2 mid-day jogs around Stanley Park which is the most beautiful city park I've ever seen. Lots of wide open areas ... woods ... bike trails ... walking paths, and water everywhere.

Here are a couple pics from my hotel balcony.

The harbor was idyllic. The small sea planes that were constantly taking off and landing were fun to watch at first but the noise became tiresome by the time we left.

Finally, here is a pic I snapped at the Grandville Brewery where I had a tour on Wednesday.

The out of focus shot is in deference to my TV friends who would not recognize a shot of mine that was in focus.

Odds and Ends

We just finished our swing up the west coast and currently we are pushing on to Vancouver where we will have two days off before the Thursday show. If I were to name the blog today, I would call it 9weeksinahotelroom.com. My time on the bus passes much quicker than time spent working or waiting to work. Here are a few requested pics ... this is my bunk on the bus.

I know what you're thinking ... this bunk is bigger than my entire apartment in East Boston ... and you're right. But this bed has no windows and I really miss the view. Below is a picture of me peeking around the corner of a nook where we set up "video village" in Salt Lake City. The day/night went by fast but the "out" was a little disorganized.

This blog gets thousands of emails everyday. By far the most asked questions relate to my nephews. Mitchell was in the picture I put up on my father's birthday. Kyle made the blog on his birthday. Nephews three and four are Dylan and Jason. Here's a snap of them from last February on the way into the Gardner Museum.

Dylan is into dinosaurs and trombones and Jason ... well let's just put it this way... someday we'll all be working for Jason. I see them next over the fourth. Dylan and I are planning to resume work on our tunnel from the beach in Ocean Park to Bangalore, India.