Oh Canada!
Well, the countdown is on. Stephen and I are appr. 12 hours away from embarking on this bicycle journey called the "Hunger Ride" down the Pacific Coast. To reference an 80's band.......as Europe once sang......."This is the Final Countdown."
My riding buddy, Stephen Douglas, his father Billy, and myself slept comfortably last night thanks to the Quality Hotel of Vancouver. All I've gotta say is it was Quality. Top Quality. My flight to on Wed. Vancouver was pretty uneventful with one exception. When I was about to sit down in my seat on Frontier Airlines flight 631 out of Denver.....(seat 14C, a window seat, just in case you were wondering) I noticed what I thought to be a 10 year old boy sitting in the middle seat (of a three-row isle) with his mother, who had taken the seat on the aisle. Envisioning a potentially squirmy and squirrely situation for the next 3 hours or so.....attempting to avoid this I had what I thought to be a brilliant idea. I offered my window seat to this child (thinking of course he would take this....what kid wouldn't want to look out the window?) and offered to sit in the aisle while the Mom would be BETWEEN us. That way Coach Rand could catch up on some well needed sleep that he's been deprived of for last, oh, month or so. Well, let's just say Mom didn't go for that. I'm thinking her total rejection of my idea had something to do with the fact that I called this poor MOther's child a BOY when, in fact, it was her DAUGHTER who was with her........who has really really really short short hair.......and was wearing camoflage pants, and a brown army like coat.
It was an honest mistake. And I felt terrible. Let's just say I quietly sat down with my tail between my legs. Doh!
Stephen, Bill, and I had the chance to wander around Vancouver and the surrounding area today. We went atop Seymour Mountain several miles outside of downtown. As you can see in the picture, there's still plenty of snow at the summit. Too bad I didn't have my saucer with me and I could have made a trip down. Vancouver is no doubt a steller town as far as scenery goes. However, it's got the traffic of NYC which makes it much less appealing as far as being a place that I'd want to live.
A GREAT BIG THANKS for the votes that were received for my "Wrestler Name" for the summer. Again, I ask that when you refer to this bike trip you would from now on use my wrestler name and not any of the following: Coach Rand, Mr. Rand, Tom, The Tomster, TomCat, TomTy, Tommy
Before I announce what name I shall go by for the next several weeks, I'd like to make you aware of some comments that I've heard from various people in the Memphis, Denver, and greater Milwaukee area communities in reference to me wearing a wrestler's singlet for the entire summer.
"Can you let me know where you got that singlet from, I'd like to pick up two or three of those
for myself this summer."
Matt Weathersby, Commercial Advisors, Memphis,TN
"Do you think that I could fly you back to Memphis sometime next week for a few hours? I'd like to have you around (in your wrestler's singlet) to help me show a house that I'm trying to sell."
-Drew Renshaw, Renshaw Builders, Memphis,Tn
"Tommy, are you sure that's appropriate to be wearing in public?"
Adrianne Smithey, Women's Senior High Director, 2nd Presbyterian Church, Memphis,TN
"I'm going to propose that Sun Microsystems have an official, mandatory "Wrestling Singlet Day."
Andrew Aymami, "Some kind of finance job where nobody understands what he does"
Sun Microsystem, Denver,Co
"Even though we shut it down a few weeks back, you still, and will forever always, own the pole in the corner. Too bad you will never have the chance to own it in your singlet."
-"Hollywood Raiford
"I'm not sure that I would go for the singlet myself, but I definitely think that it's sure to bring out the Tom
Cruize in you this summer. Yeah, because you definitely look like Tom Cruize."
-Brooke Faber, Junior High Youth Director, 2nd Presbyterian Church
"Tom, please remember, you may only watch 60 minutes of WWE wrestling per week this summer on the Hunger Ride."
-Roger Rand, Best Dad in the World, Waukesha,WI
The Final Count:
T-Bone: 149
T2: 37
The Exercisor: 151
Macho Man Randy Rand (as a write in): 1,109
SHOUT OUTS'
*Andrew Fitzgerald, GM of the Quality Hotel in downtown Vancouver for putting us up last night.
*Fawaz, my taxi driver from the Vancouver airport to downtown.......for breaking a new speed record and giving me the
opportunity for my life to flash before my eyes several times in a 30 minute time span while riding in his taxi. That was cool.
*Bill Douglas, Stephen's Dad, for being a stud and driving the support van for the next week.
4 Comments:
Tom, I like that you're growing your beard out...it makes you look like Bigfoot. (Careful on those Pacific Northwest backroads...you never know what you might run into.)
To make you feel better, a real conversation between my coworker David and our boss:
David, looking at a photo of boss's new house with a person standing in front of it, "Is that your son?"
Roy, visibly taken-aback, "No, that's my wife, you *&$^*#."
Seriously, at least you don't work with the woman in 14A or the daughter in 14B.
(Nice Final Countdown reference. That's my ringer.)
Tom-
Jenny says that you are a definite "Rockstar" too! We are praying for your safety and ability to share with the people you and Stephen will meet along the way. You are making a great impact on those kids in Ethiopia and we are thankful for it!
Lauren & Jenny
how's the singlet working out for you, Mighty Man?
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