Dedication... eh?

This one is for my mother -- because I've neglected to update this in eons. Apologies in advance for those following at home...

Left off in Waterbury, Connecticut, didn't we? That began the 2 day trek across the midwest to Peoria, Illinois. Ah, the midwest, just like I remembered it from the drum corps days. Lots of corn and the twang of accents.

Some notable stops in the midwest included West Lafayette, Indiana, home of the Purdue Boilermakers. I hadn't seen a train as a mascot since UCF's Knight helmet. Took a sneak peek into the band hall -- the ever so fabled world's largest bass drum. It's folklore that the rim is still out there, as we could only find the head...

The great part about the midwest was the fact that the layoff was coming. Not to say I'm not enjoying my time on tour, but there's much to be said about returning home. Dorothy was right.

Before ending our tour, we made our obligatory stops in Portsmouth, Ohio and Ashland, KY. Only separated by the Ohio River, the sight was gorgeous. If by gorgeous we mean, "Wherever I am going to be tomorrow, it will be 50 degrees warmer"

Current state: Ohio. That grassy knoll is what we like to call 'Kentucky'.

The layoff couldn't have come any sooner. Unfortunately, mother nature had to rear its ugly face and douse the entire eastern seaboard with a copious amount of the white stuff. My connecting flight to Tampa was in Charlotte, and it was delayed 2.5 hours. Worked a little deal with USAir and changed my flight from 2:30 to 6:30 to accommodate seeing my brother, sister-in-law and my nephew in Charlotte. Fun times had by all - little Cracker Barrel, little hahaGregg, and a mall trip occupied our afternoon. My flight from 6:30 got delayed to 7:00. Then to 7:45, and finally to 8:00. No amount of peanuts or pretzels could forgive this travel folly.

But when we landed in Tampa and it was 50 degrees... not 28, 14, 6, or 22....I could've been content with wearing shorts and a wife-beater (not that I would wear one). Thank you -- thank you life.

While the rest of America was plowing on more firewood, here's a brief summation of my layoff:



Let me elaborate since they sometimes pictures don't explain the full story.

1) Mall
2) Beach
3) Jetski

Of course, long awaited reunions with friends, students, and mortgage/condo/insurance/cable/internet companies filled the rest of the break. I'm glad to report that all of my business was taken care of on the first day.

A bunch of us went to the Rays spring training vs. Puerto Rico down in Port Charlotte. I participated in one of those 'let's fill in this dead time between the middle of the 3rd inning' promotions and played a game of "Let's Make a Deal". Prize: Tampa Bay Rays Nike Hat. Mystery Box: ???

Mystery box it is. Turns out it was a baseball signed by... the guy announcing the game. Wonderful. He felt bad because it was a gag gift and gave me the hat as well. Alright, free hat!

Capped the week off in Pinellas @ BD's and Tilted Kilt and said goodbye to Tampa (and possibly my last glimpse at 80 degrees) for two months.

And now, for something totally different...


Ugh. Canada. Number 1, not a fan of leaving my cell phone on airplane mode for the next week. No texts, no internet, no calls -- no fun. Of course, one could make the argument that you should just pay the roaming fees if you're that desperate, but I think I can manage. I... think.

So Canada -- Number 2, it's cold. Again. We started out in the Toronto airport (all of us of course). Got a picture of the national animal...


anyways... after we all met up, we made our way to Kitchener...

Grace about Kitchener -- GoodLife Fitness. Amazing gym right across the way from the hotel.

Onto North Bay, about 5 hours to the north-north-north. Another bitter cold day and night for Drowsy. Saving grace about North Bay - tried Poutine.

America is missing this one. This French-Canadian delicacy must be implemented on every menu in the states. Fries, gravy, and cheese curds. Really -- who would've thunk? Now I can die happy... and fat.

After North Bay came Brampton. Now here's a town with character! Taco Bell and KFC and everything! Brampton was (is, as I'm currently reporting from the HoJo here in said city) a quaint little town. A hair outside of Toronto, and still miles away from "the states". Here's me in front of the Rose Theatre (that's right, r before e up here).


We ended up in London, Ontario and played an arena show 2 inches above the ice. Funny fact as it was warmer outside than in the arena.

Took some beautiful pictures of London, as you can see, down by the Riverwalk...


And so we end our venture to our neighbor up in the northeast. Began bitter because of the cell phone roaming and such, but all in all, it was pleasant.

Onto the U.S. of A... and... customs. Welcome back to the homeland...