wow - i really dropped the ball on blogging these days.  i just havent had the courage to sit and write, really.  plus, twitter has kind of been a mini blog for me; as i really just write a few one liners and move on.  …yeah.

i’m in huntsville, alabama now.  i enjoy it.  why, you ask?  well, there’s a five guys right across from my hotel.  and that place always makes nolan happy.  ALWAYS.  if one were to ask what to get me for christmas or birthday - i will hint to them to treat me to five guys.  but whose talking about christmas or birthday presents?

i’m watching ryan adams and elton john on cmt crossroads now.  it’s crazy that it was recorded in 2002, and now 6 years later ryan adams has done even more to make a name for himself.  20 years from now he’ll be considered a bob dylan-esque artist.

alright - i’m distracted.  and i cant blog/think.  so i’ll blog another time soon.  promise.

I joined Twitter yesterday. Not sure why, but it looked appealing.

Now.

Follow me.

If you’d like.

Oh. I can’t believe the Jayhawks pulled off last night’s shocker. I drove for about 3 hours today and listened to Mike and Mike in the morning on my XM radio and was really baffled all day regarding the foul that wasn’t made forcing Chalmers to make that three to go to OT. What a wild ride, though. I wish Joey Dorsey hadn’t of fouled out, so Memphis would have had a better shot in the OT, but, there’s nothing you can do about that. I’ve respected Calipari for awhile, coaching-wise, but, last night, there should have been a timeout before Kansas took the ball down the court. Anyways - congrats to Kansas.

I’m in Uniontown, PA, by the way. It’s nice and warm here which is weird territory for me to be in. But alas, it won’t last too long, as I’m heading to the Chicago area in a few days.

Hola. Been awhile.

I’ve been in Oklahoma for the past few days. Before that, Boliver, MO. Currently, I’m in Oklahoma City until tomorrow after Sunday morning’s service. Then it’s off to some city I’ve never heard of in north OK. Then, it’s off to the Des Moines, IA area again. Which, is okay - I have no beef with the city, mainly due to the fact that I spent a good wad of dough on clothes at a lovely mall. Also noteworthy, is that I will be in a suburb of Chicago coming up, and will eventually lead to my touristy excursion of the third largest city in the U.S.

I finished season 1 of Dexter. Which is easily the best show on TV currently. LOST is my favorite REAL favorite, but it’s not nice to judge gods among mere mortals. I’ve been suggesting this show like I suggest great bands or great restaurants, so hopefully, my friends will catch on.

If you’re in a shoegaze mood, I just discovered Steven R. Smith. Not to be arrogant, but my music collection just gets better and better! Also, recently picked up The Assassination of Jesse James soundtrack featuring Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. It’s really, really beautiful. “Song For Jesse” will hook you in. Might also evoke your eyes to shut and take a contemplative nap (If that’s possible). And furthermore, if you haven’t had the privilege of watching the film, do yourself a huge favor and rent/buy it! I think it’s Brad Pitt’s best performance, and also Casey Affleck’s.

I don’t know I’ve revealed on here about my move to Dallas, post-tour, but I plan on doing just that and connecting with a close friend, Jeff. Besides being a great friend, he’s also got some music out there that I’m a fan of.

Some plans after tour:

-Going to Manipur, India

-Vacationing with family at Myrtle Beach

-School stuff

-Aforementioned Dallas move

-Pursuing music (this is in conjunction with the Dallas move)

-And hopefully getting a new car. I love the ‘ole CRV, but the 200k miles on it scare me.

Anyways, it’s dinner time for me and catching up on sleep later. I’ve had the kids in hotels with me for the past four days and it’s drained me dry. I love those little buggers to death, but they wear me out!

That’s Moi. She’s fun.

one… if you think of it, pray for me that i get the support that i need for a trip to india i am taking to take home the children i travel with back to their homes.  i think about it every day about how amazing of an opportunity it will be.  but i’m also thinking about the doubts that i would be able to get the $ i need.  so, if you think of it, keep me in prayer.

i’ve watched a few movies lately that were immensely aesthetically rewarding.
sunshine - there’s not too many words to describe here.  you really need to see this one for yourself, but it’s definitely a good one for the mind to tackle.

rambo 1 & 2 - call me a loser, but i hadn’t ever watched these movies in their entirety.  but i’m glad i did, and next up is the third one.

rebel without a cause - always wanted to see this one since it’s a classic james dean movie.  it made me laugh a few times because of the 50s dialogue, and it had some odd characters, but i’m glad i saw it.

i’ve also recently been told to watch a tv show called, “it’s always sunny in philadelphia.”  thanks to scott for this one, cause it is quite the show!  one of the funniest i’ve seen in awhile.

i’m out for now.  bedtime soon.

First.  On March 11, I will be at Walmart (probably at 12am) purchasing this film.  I thought this film, along with There Will Be Blood were the two best movies I saw all year.

Secondly, it’s been a crazy month.  First, the tornado in Jackson, TN kept me indoors until it blew over.  Then, it was finding a hotel to stay in, since most had lost power.  It’s also been a crazy month because our team leader’s wife is sick and she hasn’t been with the team for about a month.  So, we’ve had to juggle that and get things taken care of in her absence.

I’m in El Dorado, AR right now.  I hate it when I have a day off, and it’s in a city with nothing to do.  Just give me a Starbucks or Borders and I’m happy.  But, this town has a Sonic and Walmart and that is the place to be!  I discovered that last night around 9:30 at Walmart, en route to purchasing Ponds towelettes.  These things are glorious.  I use them every day!

Okay, moving on from metrosexual tendencies, but I’m glad to see Duke kicking butt and taking names.  They’re 22-1, and 10-0 in the ACC.  I wasn’t expecting this!  But it’s good that they handled UNC and pretty much everyone they’ve played since the lucky Pittsburgh.

I am just about finished up with Catch-22.   I purchased a few books the other day that I look forward to reading soon.

Yes, that is where I am currently. We have a concert tonight at 5:30, and then three more tomorrow morning, so I’m not too sure that I’m going to be able to see much of this city. And it all seemed so intriguing!

Take for example, some of the things Wiki had to say. The corndog was arguably invented here. The city is known for it’s chili, the first drive-thru window, and of course, the residence of former president, Abraham Lincoln. So, obviously I was hoping I’d have time to check a few of these things out on a Saturday that is normally deemed as a “day off,” but as luck would have it, not today.

So… I’ll write back later if I get to do something fun besides a concert!

i can re-edit this later (if i remember), but here’s an update on where i’ll be in the coming months…

1/19 - nederland, tx

1/21 - houston, tx

1/23 - auroro, mo

1/26 - rochester, il

1/30 - jackson, tn

2/3 - ellisville, ms

2/4 - madison, ms

2/6 - jackson, tn

2/10 - springfield, oh

2/13 - gallatin, tn

2/17 - el dorado, ar

2/18 - blanchard, la

2/20 - newton, ms

2/24 - bentonville, ar

2/25 - springfield, mo

3/8 - marshalltown, ia

3/12 - boliver, mo

3/23 - marshfield, wi

3/28 - elmhurst, il

3/30 - rock island, il

4/5 - lancaster, pa

4/13 - naperville, il

4/20 - prior lake, mn

4/27 - cincinnati, oh

5/4 - hershey, pa

5/18 - alexandria, va

5/25 - thomasville, ga

6/1 - mechanicsville, va

6/2 - harrisonburg, va

6/8 - philadelphia, pa

well… i’m sure these are somewhat subject to change, but if you’re in the area, come out!

i’m trying to conjure up a ‘best of 2007′ list. here goes…

favorites cities - miami, houston, chicago, omaha, milwaukee

favorite restaurants - chuy’s (houston), penn station (cincinnati), baker’s ribs (fort worth), giordanos (chicago), freebirds (webster, tx) - this place trumps chipotle!

favorite starbucks - nothing too fancy, but there was one in arlington, tx where i got a ton of reading done, and my coffee was JUST right. second place, the starbucks in springfield, mo.

favorite weather - miami. it was 70 degrees in early may of ‘07. waking up, going to the pool, lizards walking around everywhere, etc. second place, lexington, ky. it was around april i believe.

favorite books - what is the what (dave eggers), the informers (bret easton ellis), the road (cormac mccarthy), shane claiborne (irresistible revolution), possible side effects (augusten burroughs)

favorite airport songs - richard butler “california”, brian mcbride “silent motels”, hammock “startle the heavens (lament)”, the cure “to wish impossible things”, david zinman: baltimore symphony orchestra “adagio for strings, op 11″

favorite record - i made a list on thedrop, but for some reason i forgot to mention my favorite. i know that sounds weird, but it was so high above the rest, i neglected to include it. anyways, it was kings of leon - because of the times

favorite shopping - sure, that sounds girly of me, but when you’re on the road 3 days out of a week, it’s nice to find some good places to find clothes. and these were really just based on the sales i found and how giddy i was to get so much good shopping done. alas: DC, virginia beach, atlanta, columbus, dallas

favorite movies - once, no country for old men, 3:10 to yuma, there will be blood, the bourne ultimatum

So, I, uhh, met a famous person.  Not your average famous person, either!  This was not Britney Spears, Levar Burton, or Mr. T, but a lady by the name of Sunita Williams.  You can read about her on Wikipedia here.  She was on the Expedition 14 and also #15.  Freakin cool!  I was with the children of the world (as usual) on Wednesday of this week and she happens to attend a church that the children were singing at.  Anyways, she’s apparently been on Martha Stewart and some other networks, and she was super-kind enough to take the children on a tour of the Space Center Houston.  Most of the children aren’t educated like your usual American children who know about stuff that they learn in 3rd grade science class about gravity, the moon, and even space.  It’s kind of sad, you know, but it was cool to see the children listen to Sunita talk of her travels in outer space with the children’s eyes lighting up!  It was rad.  And I also got to partake in the tour of the space center.  I think I enjoyed it more (scientifically speaking) than the children, but it was a fun time all in all.  I got a picture with her, but I had it taken on someone else’s camera, since I was a gooberhead and didn’t foresee myself meeting someone famous whose been in outer space that ‘normal’ Wednesday.  Oh well.  If I can snag the picture from the camera recipient, I’ll be sure to post a picture.

In other news, Tim Hecker has a new record out called “Atlas”.  Which is just two tracks that are 10 and 11 minutes, respectively.  If you’ve ever heard Tim, then you know the kind of stuff he releases is ALWAYS innovative to the max.  Crazy, crazy, drones and space soundscapes that will leave you mesmerized.  Sounds that make your head spin and put you in a meditative and reflective mood.  I love it.

I’m also in San Antonio for 5 days!  I’m super stoked.  I’ve always wanted to visit here and I’ll be here until Tuesday.  Hopefully I can make it out to the Riverwalk and Alamo and all the other touristy junk that well, tourists do.  Nothing can get my spirits down!

Cheers!

yes… i go home in two days. i’m so excited. i have a new nephew to meet and greet, parents and grandparents to hug, my favorite bed to sleep on, friends to get coffee with and catch up, and of course, open presents. it’s gonna be a blast!

here’s to those who have a job on the road months out of the year and only get one week off for vacation!

cheers,

n