My girlfriend wears the pants... I wear the gown.

On February 19th I posted that I was going to start training for a full marathon.  Feb 19th POST

Honestly, I haven’t done any running yet, but I have done a little walking. The pneumonia kind. Walking pneumonia. The day after I posted about running again, my body decides that’s not a good idea.

Prior to me knowing I had pneums I tried self medicating with some over the counter drugs. A little NyQuil™ here, a little DayQuil™ there… a sprinkle of Benadryl... a long list of teas and other herbs and spices. I lived off dry toast & over the counter liquid gold for a few days. I thought I was getting better but my girlfriend was not impressed.

Here’s the reason my wonderful girlfriend wears the pants in the relationship and I wear a gown.

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She basically forced me to go to the doctor by setting up an appointment for me. She called me on her way home from work, and told me it was time to man up & go to the doctor. While I was coughing and trying to tell her I was fine and getting better, I received a text message from a doctor’s office confirming that I had an appointment in 1 hour. I told her I’d meet her outside when she gets home, so she could drive me to the office.

After a few minutes with the doctor and a quick x-ray, he confirmed it was more then just a little cold. I had full blown pneumonia.

You can understand why I hate running. Thinking of running gives me pneumonia.

P.S. I lost about 8 pounds from this, so it’s sorta like I was running the whole time. (Gotta stay positive)

5 People I want to buy a cup of coffee

In 2019 there are 5 people I want to buy a cup of coffee. Here’s my list:


5. Redman - Rapper/Record Producer/Actor @therealredman

He’s a Jersey guy. His music is dope. Best MTV Cribs of all time.

I honestly think we’d become best friends and he’d even be ok with me calling him Regi. Redman would probably order a Caramel Frappuccino, extra caramel.

4. Tig Notaro - Stand-up Comic/Writer/Actress @TigNotaro

She has a great approach and delivery to her comedy. Who doesn’t like stand-up with life threatening scenarios & sock puppets? Tig probably would order a Chai Latte.

3. John Turturro - Actor/Writer/Filmmaker @JohnMTurturro

Okay, John is basically that friend you never personally invite anywhere but he’s always at the group meetup. He’s in every random movie you select on Netflix. He has great range as an actor and I expect he’ll order an Espresso.

2. Daniel Norris - MLB Pitcher @DanielNorris18

This one is a bit obvious.. He’s a sports figure who lived in a van. I’m a Fantasy Sports Radio Producer who lived in a van. Umm.. Yeah, we are basically related. No matter what he orders I’d probably gift him with the GSI Java Drip Portable Coffee System. It’s great for off the grid livin’.

1. Matt Pinfield - TV/Radio Personality @mattpinfield

Also a Jersey native. He’s a wealth of knowledge when it comes to everything music. When I rode my bicycle from NJ to San Fran, I reached out to Matt about meeting up. Some scheduling conflicts on both ends prevented the meet up, but in 2019 I’m hoping we finally make this happen. I’d probably just offer him some SiriusXM community coffee at work, and pick his brain about the 80’s East Brunswick music scene. I imagine he likes his sugar with coffee and cream.

Who’s on your Top 5 list?

Honorable Mentions:

Drew Brees-NFL Quarterback, Les Claypool-Musician, Missy Elliott-Musician, Larry David-Comedian  


"Win a game."

We are a little over a week into 2018 and by far this is my most successful year on social media, so far. On January 1st, I tweeted out this..

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I still fully intend to keep up with my plan of following people on twitter. (I just figured it’s easier following the most people on Twitter vs. obtaining the most followers on Twitter.)

On January 6th at 11am I replyed to a tweet about the Cleveland Browns.

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Over 450 likes on the most simple tweet!

“Win a game.”

Since I'm famous now... I want to remind you. You can accomplish anything. Just keep your eye on the prize.

The tweet that started my fame

 

 

 

 

 

 

Month to Month to Me

Here’s one sentence that recaps something new that happened

to me every month starting from May 2016

 

May- I left New Jersey on a bicycle with my two friends from college.

June- I visited the Gateway Arch in St. Louis for the first time.

July- I fell in love and then two hours later hated Utah.

August- I flew back to New Jersey after visiting California for the first time.

September- I started a new job at SiriusXM.

October- I obtained a driver's license, for the first time in my life, that doesn't say "New Jersey" on it.

November- I tried to avoid all political facebook posts.

December- I turned 28 years old for the first time.

January- I became an Ordained Minister.

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February- I completed certification courses in Fundamentals of Project Management, Achieving Personal Success, and Introduction to Time Managment.

March- I delivered for UberEATS on a bicycle.

April- I started cleaning out the van with intensions to sell it later this year.

 

Shifting Gears in 2016

All across the internet it seems everyone is cursing out 2016. Anticipating a better 2017.

Honestly, I can’t complain because 2016 wasn’t a particularly bad year for me. In fact the last two years I’ve kind of been kicking major keester in the “achieving personal goals” department.

In 2015, I decided to downsize, move into a van and start a podcast/blog. Blah, blah, blah.. I know that’s all I talk about here on, DudeInVan.com (Go figure) My point is, that was a goal and I accomplished it.

Home

Home

In January, at the beginning of 2016, I was working in corporate television. My new obsession.. I mean goal was to get back to producing radio. After months of people telling me walking across America was a bad idea, a friend called me a asked if I would consider riding a bicycle across the country instead. 

I said "YES!” immediately, but most people don’t know this part.. I held off from committing to the trip because I was waiting to hear back from a radio station that I thought I had a chance to work at in the Northern Midwest. In February, I was listening to the radio show, I applied to, and one of the cast members compared my broadcasting experience to a “Subway sandwich maker”… That’s when I realized I wasn’t going to get a call. 

The plan was to quit my corporate job to find a new job, as a Radio Producer.

Day 1, New Jersey

Day 1, New Jersey

At the end of March I gave my employer a six week notice. By mid-April I bought a bicycle and on the first week in May I was on my way to California riding my stead. 

Full Refund, San Francsico 

Full Refund, San Francsico 

I learned a lot about myself and I met bunch of really great people along the way. 

Some New, Some Old Friends.

Some New, Some Old Friends.

I contacted a bunch of radio stations as I traveled through 12 states. A few places replied.. most didn’t. At the end of the trip I had a couple of interviews over the phone between Colorado and California.

After miles of peddling from the East Coast to the West Coast, as crazy as it sounds, I accepted a Radio Producer job at the end of my trip.

 

So, I can’t speak for you, because 2016, for me, went as planned.

Highest Point, Colorado 

Highest Point, Colorado 

 

I have no regrets. I don't believe in looking back. What I am proudest of? Working really hard... and achieving as much as I could. -Elena Kagan

Day 304.. SAY WHAT!?

Today is a bit of a scary day.. It's officially my last day of work. OMG! What am I doing with my life? I quit my full time job to ride a bicycle across the country. 

Actually, THIS IS AMAZING! Two months on the road, peddling towards the Pacific Ocean. Besides getting to the Pacific Ocean, my only other objective is to not get eaten by a bear. We pretty much have all our equipment for the trip. We still need to get smaller items like bug spray and suntan lotion. Oh.. and we still need to figure out exactly where we want to start in New Jersey. We all agreed we want to start at the Atlantic Ocean, but we haven’t decided what town.

Also, I did a few searches on Google Maps and it looks like getting out of New Jersey on a bicycle going east to west is a challenge. I hope we make it. 

Thanks for “Liking” our Facebook Page. I’ll keep posting on here but for all of our perspectives on the trip and not just mine, the Facebook page will have all the good stuff.

I’LL MISS YOU VAN MORISSETTE!

www.facebook.com/NJ2CA2016

Side note.. Sorry Prince, but I'm going to act my shoe size, not my age, for the next two months! RIP

Day 186- Merry Christmas!

Day 186

Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus! Nice seeing you Santa!

The last few years I’ve been working Christmas Day. This year is no different. Mainly because I don’t typically celebrate the “family” holidays. So I rather give others the opportunity the be with their families. No matter what you celebrate or even if you don’t celebrate anything, I truly believe this time of the year is a perfect time to reflect on the past and to get ready for a fresh start. In a way this is my last obligatory good deed. I like working in radio and I love being behind an audioboard. So why not spend Christmas Day in the studio? Don’t worry I’ll be spending some time with friends and familia later today. 

It’s been over half a year in the van. I’m still working on the website, but for the most part van life has been great. The weather has been awesome! It’s 70 degrees today!

I’ve been running around for my birthday and getting ready for the end of the year. Maybe I’ve been skimping on blog posts and podcasts too. More to come in the near future. Today I’d like to repost one of my podcasts that are more in season.I posted a podcast with Mike Drake- The Krampus Expert on October 9th (Original post/podcast is up for download HERE) It’s kind of a reminder that 1. I’m still here and 2. Some people celebrate this time of the year differently.

I wish everyone all the best and Happy Holidays!

Day 168- One Day Trip

Today is day one hundred and sixty-eight.

My birthday is coming up. Cool, right? Well it wasn't so cool until... I BOOKED A ONE DAY TRIP TO DISNEY BY MYSELF! ...ummm yeah... kinda seems lame now that I typed it out.

I digress. This is the 10 step plan.

Friday: 1. My plane boards at 6am. 2. I arrive in Orlando at 8:30am. The parks are about 20 minutes from the airport. I'm still trying to figure out what park I want to go to, but they open at 9am (I think). 3. Either taxi or shuttle over to the park. 4. Spend all day at the park. 5. Take pictures with many Disney characters. 6. Head to Downtown Disney, fill my face with tons of food and beverages till 3am. 

Saturday: 7. Head back to the airport after 3am. 8. Sleep in my terminal till 9:30am, when my flight boards. 9. Back in the van before noon. 10. Plan the rest of my birthday weekend.

Objectes I'd like to achieve.

1. Have fun. 2. Snapchat the experience (SC: onlysandro) 3. Find a woman visiting the same park, solo and marry her before the end of the day. 4. Don't get put on the "No Fly List". (I heard young males that travel alone without bags have been put on this list)

I'm in need of some help. Please give me suggestions on what park to visit and the best way to get from the airport to the park.

 

-on to the next stop!