kurt the soigneur

getting ready

2010-09-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

So good day folks. Check out PabloveAcrossAmerica.com to DONATE...and to check out our itinerary for the ride this year.

I am getting ready, but I am not fit to help the guys out much this year...I am thin, but I haven't had the riding this year, so we'll see how we go. The crew will be the same (mostly) as last year. We have a different driver and chef. This year, Stan and I will both be doing soigneur duties and Chad will be our wrench for most of the ride...SRAM had to pull him out for a couple of things. Also...this year, we have donating guests to ride with Jeff and Rick. Should be great.

I got my stuff packed, and my guitar going, and I am ready to rock out...you know.

The hand is doing pretty well now, though it won't support full-time work, I am working just under 20 hours of massage a week, so 80% of full-time work prior to the crash. But I think I am ready for Pablove 2010 Seattle to L.A. Can't wait to roll into Portland.

alright...

2009-10-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Let's catch up again, damn old hotels have no serivce...

Last 2 days I got to ride with the gents, and did 100 yesterday, and 91 today. Yesterday was good, really good weather, no sun, overcast. Rode hard and kept the wind off the guys as much as I could, rolled it up and had a ball. Today was rainy and colder, but equally as nice. Kept the winds off the guys as much as possible again... Had a blast with them again, and just enjoyed giving them a good day nice and easy. My legs were a bit better today, as yesterday I dealt with riding after several days off. But I came around again and I felt pretty damn good. The rain felt good, and Chad actually said I look fit...

The hotels have been really up and down lately....yesterday was good, and today isn't bad. Last night Chad and I went to bed early, about 8am. I watched some tele, "Hogan's Heroes" and "MASH", that was cool.

Not much other than that to say. We have a real short day tomorrow, 48, then we get to go to the Children's Hospital in Houston and hang out on the Cancer/serious illness ward. El Jeffe is gonna talk to the kids and parents about Pablo and his legacy and what he is doing with Pablove. We're taking the kids Pablove hats and bottles and stickers. It should be fun.

See you later. Check in when I can. Sorry I haven't had more funny stories...had my behind on the saddle a bunch.

easy in the big easy

2009-10-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

Alright, so had a couple days off in our layover here in New Orleans. It's been relaxing. Yesterday (Sun.), Chad-O and I drove around all over in the SRAM car checkin out the sights. Had an alligator sausage omelette (awesome) and pretty much saw lots o' cool stuff. Saw lots of drunkards as we got up real early to go and do laundry...

in fact...one young-ish guy came up to me and said (cue slurred speech and alcohol smell and really, really traumatized look on the face)..."ummm, could you help me?". I said "yeah, what's up?".
him "Are you from around here"
me "uhh...no, I got here about 15 hours ago"
him "Can you help me find my hotel?"
me "uhhh...no, I don't live here. But, my hotel is right here, why don't you go in and ask them where it is"
him "I am so humiliated and embarassed..."
me "uhhhhh...do you....really think this is the first time someone has lost their hotel?"
him "I'm...I'm...I'm just gonna keep walking."

So, I watch him walk back towards the French Quarter, weaving and asking others where his hotel is. Later, Chad-O and I find his hotel...about 2 blocks from ours, but the OTHER direction. Nice. Ahhhhhh....the craziness of youth...I was only slightly jealous...haha.

So, I met my friend, Sara Roahen, and she's a food writer, and wrote a book about New Orleans eating and cooking, called "GUMBO TALES"...you should buy it. She just had a little pip, a son. It was awesome to see her, and as a bonus I saw her sister and her husband. They were both a couple years behind Sara and I...we haven't seen each other since we walked off the pitch in 1989. Anyway, it was cool.

Today Chad-O and I took El Cheffe, Amy on a ride around and went out to a Biggggg ol' plantation. It was really cool. Then we walked the quarter, it was real tame in the afternoon. But, we need to be tame, we pull out tomorrow early. Another hundred mile day.....

Don't forget to follow at Pablove.org to see video and to leave them some money...it's for a wonderful cause. And we'll roll to Austin.

Cheers.

day 6 and 7

2009-10-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday did 49 after the transfer to the ferry. Very windy and up and down and up and down across Mobile Bay. Dauphine Island to the mainland. Had a couple of guest riders, Joe the Skull and Deirmuid (I think I spelled it right)....and the gents had to cut the ride a bit shorter, since it was blowing about 40 mph solid wind. The ferry was cancelled after our crossing, so we got really lucky to get across.

The guys rolled pretty easy, and Chad and I napped off and on in the car. Today was a harder day, as the four riders rolled pretty good into New Orleans (Naw-lins). 108 miles on the bike today. Chad and I rolled behind, as usual, and stopped at a grrrrreat BBQ joint. Had a big 'ol pork sandwich and baked beans and cole slaw...mmmmmmm. Chad had a rack-a-ribs, and slept a bit.

Rolled into Naw-lins and wow. wow. wow. Saw several boats laying in the trees on the side of the roads, and many old foundations empty and sad looking. And some very sad looking humanity...people are down and out. Really out. And lots of drunk loud non-funny people wandering the Quarter. That will probably be me before too long...

Have a 2 day layover here in Naw-lins, and I hope to see a high school friend who is an author and lives here. But, she did just have a baby, so we'll see if we can swing it.

More later.

Day 5

2009-10-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am in Foley, AL...I wasn't able to get on yesterday, so let me catch you up...

Day 5 (yesterday) did 100+ miles. I got to ride with El Jeffe (Jeff) and Rick (Coach B). I wanted to keep them out of the wind and give them an easy ride since I don't have to ride all the way, and they do...

So.......we wake up and it's rainy. NOT raining, but rainy. however, as soon as we left, it started to rain. Pretty hard, but it felt like home, so it was cool. It rained for about a third of the ride, off and on hard. I sat at the front as much as I could to give them an easy day. Jeff wanted to goose it a little, so I kept the tempo 20-22mph. I maybe pulled 70 semi-windy miles of it, and I think it was really nice. It was fun for me to help them out, and just sitting up there and riding tempo is always nice. We did have three flats, one each, just to make sure Chad-O wasn't getting tooooo sleeepy back in the SRAM car. 2 tires had monster cuts and had to be thrown away, so that sucked. But it was enjoyable.

We were told we couldn't ride into Pensacola, so we shuttled in the SRAM car. Had a nice hotel...no cockroaches and all was good.

This morning was a short day, and I decided to ride with the gents as we rolled 45 into Alabama (or FlorAbama as the locals call it...hmmmm.) Anyway, a nice easy small ring day, and I got to dip my feet into the Gulf of Mexico, SOOOOO that means that I had my feet in the Pacific, the Gulf, and the Atlantic all in one year. Righteous.

So...funny stories...uhhhhh....let's see...A sing for a "Mullet Festival", 2 "gun show" signs mingled amongst about 30 church signs, a sign for "Driver Licenses", and a few people who...let's just say....a few people. But I did forget to mention, a couple of nights ago, I was in bed watching "Star Wars" on cable and Chad was surfing the net...our hotel room phone rang. It was a women without a southern accent, so I assume it's El Cheffe, our Chef, Amy. She says "What room are you in?". I say "118". She says "Is there a bunch of Mexican guys out front?"...hmmm. I said "ahh....no, I don't think there's a bunch of Mexicans out front". She says "Do you want any company tonight...?". And I bust out laughing which pisses her off, and I say "ahhh....no I don't think I need any company tonite". She quickly hangs up...

Ahhh....life on the road. Dig it.

2009-10-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

day 4...and caught up.

I drove the SRAM car with Chad and Amy following El Jefe and Coach B. Relaxing route and drove nice.

A funny story. I filled the car up and went in to pay. And what did I see. A woman about 5' 4" and 300-325 showing her belly and chest to another customer and talking about her tan. It was really crazy. She was talking to him, and he was verifying, that she had a really great tan from the last few days of sun. The sight was simply breathtaking. Wow. I really do love the south. and for those of you that don't know me well, I am dripping with sarcasm.

Oh, and yesterday, Jeff and I stopped at a Starducks (again, NOT a typo) to get coffee. A what? you say...Well, in the little town of Hawthorne, Jeff was just talking about coffee, and lo and behold there was an "Expresso" place called "Starducks". Jeff talked to the locals and got 2 shots over ice. The locals were really puzzled that he didn't want any flavors, and that he just wanted 2 shots....very odd. Expresso. And it sure wasn't Stumptown.

Our hotel today is AWESOME. Chad is convinced the room is clean...and cockroach free. He hasn't ransacked the room yet...but he may. Though he is equally convinced that I am going to find a cockroach and plant it in the room to make sure I get a room to myself again...hahah...and I just might.

Tomorrow I get to ride 128 with the gentlemen. mmmmm. I love it. I'll only be a little tired, but that's awesome. 128 is epic.

I'll let you know how it comes out.

cheers.

day 3

2009-10-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Coach Rick and I split the day, and I rode aobut 40-ish. It was nice, El Jefe, Jeff, kept ramping it up on me, egging me on....jeez this guy is still giddy and fired up...coming into Tallahassee was great. I always wanted more tatoos and the 15 or so cars that left paint on my elbows helped. (that was sarcasm...noone touched me, but it was close.) Jeez.

I ride this thing like Secret Service, and make Jeff be near the gutter, in case we have a car issue. I try and protect him as I can. But these Florida drivers are fairly aggro. Relax people.

Again, Jeff and I had some great chats, some laughs, some serious, some fast sections...some easy riding. Saw a sweet armadillo that had been dead awhile, and it looked like his hide was nice and dried...ready to be made into a sweeeeeeeeet wallet. But...where would I carry it?

Did massages, made bottles...the usual. Great times, nice hotel. EXCEPT...Chad pulled his sheets back and saw a "Cockroach Piece" under his sheets...I was fine, I just didn't look too close. I slept deep. Watched a little TV as well, which is always a treat. Saw "Major League", the Andy Griffith show, MASH...ahhh old school. Oh...and Amy found a giant cockroach in her bed, so she slept in the RV...and Chad saw a cockroach crawling into his Thule rack box on his car. He is unhappy...

Day 2

2009-10-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

91 mile ride with Jeff. I was cool. Nice roads, and only had a couple of close calls with cars. People...remember this: it's nice; hell, it's responsible to give me some damn room from you F350 pickups side mirrors. Damn....move over.

Jeff and I chatted non-stop about music and bands and Wisconsin and Rory and, of course, Pablo. I really feel like I knew him. Jeff told some great stories, and I told him Rory stories, and the time passed quickly for me. It was a great time, and I was glad I could be a part of it.

Mike rode with Chad and filmed it all.

Near the end of the ride, we stopped at a gas station, and the sign said "Dont touch them papers unless you wont to by one" (and those aren't typos...and use your best southen accent as you read it).

Lovin' the south. Then Chad sees a cockroach in our room and decides to sleep in his car. I was a little worried about the cockroaches, but slept anyway.

Day 1

2009-10-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

Go to pablove.org to see video and the route. Jeff and Rick rode and it was hot. Not just hot...but, like a 3 shirt day...and I still stunk...uggggghhhh. I hate humidity. It was blah. The gents rode 95, and I am on deck for tomorrow, day 2. No problem.

Saw an alligator sunny himself or herself...I was in awe. It was huge. The ride was uneventful, and I rode with Amy and RV Andy...we went grocery shopping and I did some cooking prep. Everyone feels a bit sluggish as the Heat/Humidity is killin'. Record heat...and no end for about 5 days.

And the southern ladies at all the hotels and gas stations call you "sweetie" or "honey". And they are big. Big. Real big.

A crappy sleep later, I get ready for day 2.

catch up

2009-10-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

OK, so Therpeutic Associates didn't give me a laptop with a wi-fi card, so I am tethered to the DSL cord...anyway. There is also precious little time to blog on the beginning of a tour like this, so let me catch you up...

Last Thursday...flew to Denver to Charlotte to Jacksonville, then drive to St. Augustine.
...and it turned out like I thought. There was 2 huge guys on either side of me, one of which was hacking like a madman. Luckily Gretchan packed the oregon grape for me...so I doped up on it. The other funny thing was peeling and eating a huge clove of raw garlic as I got ready to get on the plane...then watching the woman across from me freaking out. priceless. Then...about an hour outta Portland, the plane gets rockin' in the turbulence, and I knew it was snowing in Denver. Sure enough, it was freezing rain and cold fog there. So, we were late in and I got out realllllllllllly late going to Charlotte. This meant, I got to miss my flight outta Jacksonville. Luckily, despite the fact that we had to fly south then east to miss midwest storms, and despite the fact that a 3 hour fliht was 4 1/2, I made the last flight into Jacksonville. I got the last seat, which was in the exit row. Nice.

We had a great hotel in St. Augustine and a day to get everything ready. So...the cast:
Jeff-El Jefe. The man we are helping in his cathartic quest. Overall cool guy.
Rick-The Coach "CB". The man helping "The Man".
Andy-Crew leader, RV driver, hotel room getter, problem solver. Ridden across the country, like, 7 times.
Amy-The Chef. You wanna eat? Then don't ever, Ever, EVER piss Amy off. This chef from California is performing amazing culinary feats from the RV. Lots of organic salads and other goodies. No pre-made bars and gels on this trip...
Mike-Here part-trime. Film guy...recording all the highlights and editing/posting on the Pablove.org site. Cool stuff.
Chad-My mechanic buddy from SRAM driving and dealing with the bikes.
ME-soigneur (swan-yer) and jokester...and I may do a little work along the way

The boys (Jeff and Rick) do a short shakeout ride and the staff gets everything ready to go across the U.S. Amy makes some delicious date bars, I make bottles, Chad packs and re-packs, Mike films...and away we go.

new dog?????

2009-10-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well...for those that don't know, we have 2 pugs and a cat. So...last week, we were riding Rory to school, and lo and behold, we saw a stray pug running near Rory's school. Gretchan cornered it and a woman walking her dog put it on a leash, and took it to her house. Our thoughts initially were that she would see someone in the neighborhood looking for the dog and that would be that. That afternoon, Gretchan went to pick up the dog to keep it at our house with our pugs. We thought it would be a day or two and someone would be looking for this dog.

But....no....

So...after placing ads at the three close vets, craigslist, fidofinder.com, and Rachel (the woman who helped us)...no owner. This damn thing was abandoned. So we had him all weekend. Rory digs him and so does Gretchan. (Cue the grumpiness when you make this sound). mmmmmm.

texting and getting ready

2009-10-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

hey peeps....ummmm....when I am riding, I assume that everyone drving is on their phones talking/texting. And it's a good thing too, since then I didn't get hit by the idiot in the silver Acura SUV with Oregon plates starting with SIL. Was that too personal. I'm sorry; when you turn right from the left lane and don't see me, I can't NOT scratch your SUV with my all-aluminum, heavy Fossill watch. The current scort: Watch: 2, Car Kills:).

You see, it's all a matter of physics. If I don't use my arm to prevent my going under your SUV, I go under your SUV. That's not good for my body.

Anyway, she was rude/inconsiderate/too important to NOT end the call as we were talking. I was remarkably calm and only said "fuck" once. However, she did have the intelligance to put her phone out of my reach. Otherwise, I would have seen just how far her phone would have flown....or I guess I could have seen if her phone was stonger than my Carnac shoe. hmmmmm.

Other than that, I did all my laundry at work today, finished all my SOAP note charting, cleaned out my workout box, and listened to the whole Beatie Boys "ill communication". A righteous day. But, I did find out I have a middle seat all the way from Portland to Denver. And I assume 2 three hundred pound men are travelling that day on the aisle and window. So...that's good.

haha.

Don't forget to check out Pablove.org. Get some goodies or make a donation. It will make you feel good. And don't text or talk on the phone while you drive. I am not a good driver, and that's why I don't drive. Judging from what I see, most people aren't either.

waiting

2009-09-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today I just count the days to go. Had a full massage schedule as I finish up paperwork then go to the Ballet to work tonight.

Had to actually put on the fenders on the "old" bike last night as the rains were scheduled to begin today. I hate putting fenders on, yet I hate having a wet ass worse, so it all works out. Luscious D (dave mchenry) would give me shit about that one. Oh, and I actually pulled out the old t-Mobile kit this morning. Ahhh to wear the magenta and black again.

Contacted an old Fort Atkinsonian today who now lives in New Orleans. Pablove passes through there mid-October, so I may get to see an old high school friend.

So, I have been asked what Pablove is. Check it out at Pablove.org. My part of this ride across the U.S. is my standard soigneur-type work; massage, bottle prep, food prep (for the riders and staff), laundry, bag carrying, and generally helping riders with what they need. Unlike a normal race/ride/camp job, I think this time will be more cathartic for me. Rory has only been 6 for about a month, and I realize how lucky I am to have him. Even though those of you who know me know I can bitch about him, I do think he's pretty cool. I mean, how many 6 year olds can sing the words to "Lola", "train in vain", "London Calling" and "A hard day's night"? He is special. And he likes Henry Rollins. haha.

Ok, ballet time.

flu hits

2009-09-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

ahhhhh....Rory threw up all last night. Did 3 loads of laundry in the middle of the night...cleaned our matress...then did laundry all day. Poor little lamb is full of fever, pukey, and body soreness.

pre-ride

2009-09-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

Just had the Pablove chat with everyone on the conference call. It's odd to meet people that way, because, much like reading a book that gets made into a movie, one has an idea of people's look/faces based on their voices. It will be interesting to meet everyone and see if I had their face in my mind's eye correct.

On a personal note, I am getting my personal/work life in order to get on this trip. Haven't told Rory yet, and I know he'll be stressed out about it; I know Gretchan is. But, like a human, he adjusts. My standard trip argument is how much easier it is for me to be gone. Rory is much better without my day to day parenting...haha. I mean...you know...

The ride officially starts on th 10th of October, I fly out to Florida on the 8th. Get there real late...but should be great fun. I like all these people already, and it's a great cause.

Check out Pablove.org. Buy some stuff from there...or at least send them some money for pete's sake...