Here we go again...Best Western Ahoy!

Yeah, the picture is the Palm Desert Best Western in California...the Best Western that I'm sitting in right now looks almost exactly nothing like that one.

I'm in some kind of odd Groundhog Day cycle here...once again, I'm at a Oregon Best Western, this time the Albany Best Western in...well, in Albany. Which is about 10 minutes away from Corvallis. Where Jen and I will be searching for a rental house tomorrow. Yeah, a rental. It doesn't look like the perma-house is going to happen in time for school, so we've got to get in something and get down here. Then we hope the real and actual house will happen in the next 3-6 months. Wish us luck...

RACES FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 18th TO AUGUST 24th

August 23rd / Hell's Gate Duathlon / Lewiston, ID

August 23rd / Run-a-Muk 10k and 5k / Monroe, WA

August 23rd / Kelly Butte Classic 8k / Springfield, OR

August 23rd / Clyde Hill Circle the Hill 4 mile run / Clyde Hill, WA

August 23rd / Lake Sammamish Triathlon / Issaquah, WA

August 23rd / Major Megan McClung Memorial Run 10k and 5k / Oak Harbor, WA

August 23rd / Cutthroat Classic 11.1 mile trail run / Pacific Crest Trail

August 23rd / Run Like a Dog 5k / Olympia, WA

August 23rd / Run for Your Rights 5k / Bellingham, WA

August 23rd / Run to End Hunger 5k / Mt. Vernon, WA

August 24th / Heart of the Sound Triathlon / Vashon Island, WA

August 24th / Apple Capital Olympic and Sprint Triathlons / Wenatchee, WA

August 24th / PB Shuffle 5k / Shoreline, WA

Let a Man Handle This...reprise

After many complaints...well, actually no one complained, but I think about it a lot so...I've decided to add a little more writing to The Two R's! After all, it's supposed to be about Running and Writing, except about 90% of the posts are about running. So, starting with this post, and every once in a while in the future, I will toss in a "very special, watch with your whole family, serious-Blossom type episode" best of writing piece from the old Woolley Scott dot Com site.

Let's start with a little something I called "Let a Man Handle This", originally posted on November 11, 2006.

LET A MAN HANDLE THIS

Yes, that would be me...the man. Just wanted to make that clear.

So after about the 14th time that Payton shoved his hand down his pants today, Jen finally felt she had to speak up.

“What are you doing?” Jen asked.

“Nothing,” Payton replied. Wisely, in my opinion.

“Why do you keep putting your hand down your pants?” Jen asked.

“My underwear are too loose.”

“What?”

“My underwear are too loose. I have to fix my pee-pee.”

“What?” Jen asked again.

Listening in the kitchen, I could have stepped in at this point and advised Jen to cut her losses, but that really isn’t my preferred method of parenting...or husbanding, as the case may be. Sink or swim, I say. Live and let live, I say. This is what you get for turning my underwear pink in the wash and forcing me to speed-dress at the club to limit my embarrasment, I say.

“I have to adjust my pee-pee,” Payton repeated patiently. “My underwear are too loose and it just goes where ever it wants.”

“I hope not,” Jen said.

Me too, I thought.

“It does,” Payton said. “Dad understands. He’s done it before.”

Oh, boy.

“Scott!” Jen yelled. “Could you please tell Payton to keep his hand out of his pants, please?”

The double-please is not a good sign.

I ducked my head into the living room. “It’s a guy thing. Don’t worry about it. Pee-pees sometimes have to be adjusted. Don’t you ever watch professional baseball?”

Payton nodded sagely. “See?” He said to his mother.

I ducked back into the kitchen before Jen’s crook-eye could get me.

It’s no wonder there are so few of us SAHD’s...most mothers would rather have all fathers at work six or seven days out of the week. At least.

They call me the Two-Gun Kid...

Well, I've officially become what I detest...not just a cell phone dork, but a dork with two cell phones. Since my old reliable cell phone had a 360 area code, I thought I better get another one with a 541, e.g. "look at me, I actually am living in Corvallis...as far as you know", area code for job hunting down in Oregon. So now I wander around with a cell phone in each pocket of my trusty cargo shorts and basically feel like an idiot. Not only that, but the new Best Life magazine (basically, Men's Health for Rich Snobs - don't ask me why I get it because I really don't know) has an article warning men about carrying their cell phones in their pockets right next to their...well, you know...tallywhacker. And I've got one in each pocket! He's surrounded! It's a good thing I'm done having kids, because I'm probably done having kids.

RACES FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 11th TO AUGUST 17th

August 15th / Aquaman Duathlon / Richland, WA

August 16th / Rush Sprint and Intermediate Triathlon / Rexburg, ID

August 16th / Emerald City Open Water Swim / Seattle, WA

August 16th / Friday Harbor 8.8k Loop Run / Friday Harbor, WA

August 16th / Covey Run 10k and Talking Rain 5k / Woodinville, WA

August 16th / Bonney Lake Days Five Mile Run / Bonney Lake, WA

August 16th / Titanium Man Jr. Triathlon (for 7-12 year olds) / Richland, WA

August 16th / Beaver Lake Triathlon / Sammamish, WA

August 17th / Hulaman Half-Iron Triathlon / Gaston, OR

August 17th / Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon (Fast, downhill course!) / Snoqualmie Pass, WA

August 17th / Mt. Hood Jazz Run 5k / Gresham, OR

August 17 / Danskin Women's Triathlon (I'm not really big on the whole "one gender-only" race thing, but this one is so popular, I'll make an exception) / Seattle, WA

I'm a little sick of the golden arches...

Back at the McDonald's...thanks to my blogging cousin Pam for the good tip, only the Valley Mall modem is having issues, "should be replaced tomorrow...or the next day" according to the Mall Office. Doh!

RACES FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 4th TO AUGUST 10th

August 8th / Friday Night Stampede 5k / Auburn, WA

August 9th / Crawfish Crawl 5k / Tualatin, OR

August 9th / Kirk Spencer 5k / West Linn, OR

August 9th / Bellingham Youth Triathlon / Bellingham, WA

August 9th / Riley Run 5k / Mt. Vernon, WA

August 9th / Festival of the River 5k / Arlington, WA

August 10th / Haulin' Aspen Trail Marathon and Half-Marathon / Bend, OR

August 10th / Port Gamble Trail Half-Marathon / Port Gamble, WA

A year late...but still purrrty...

Well, it only took me a year to get my hands on my award for being part of the 3rd place finishing team in the 2007 NW Passage Ragnar Relay! And it's nice! And you know that if the fabled NW Runner team took third with me on the squad, then everyone but me on the team was startlingly fast. The third place award, as you can see, is a bronze relay baton...pretty sweet.

Of Course, we're in the Valley now, that would be the Yakima Valley, not the Willamette Valley, and we're on our fourth straight day of 90-plus temps with at least four or five more lined up to come. Let me tell you, that's some hot running right there.

Since I'm at the rents and forced to stomach their dial-up connection, this post is coming straight at you from the Union Gap McDonalds! $2.95 for two hours...someone please tell me where to find free wi-fi around this town!

Wall-E? How about Wump-E?

Of course I've seen Wall-E. I love Pixar movies. The writing is, and always has been, so far above the standard for animated films. It's just amazing. And even though the other big animated studios have improved their products, because of Pixar, there's still no comparison. And please don't listen to the people that can't figure out why there's no talking in the first half-hour or so...I realize that most TV and video games and movies aim directly for the lowest common denominator and explain the plot point by point for the average viewer...don't listen to them! It's a great flick.

BUT...but, did it seem a bit familiar to any other Bill Peet fans out there? Any Bill Peet, Wump World, fans? It sure did to me. People polluting the planet so bad that they have to leave? Check. Scouts flying around in space ships looking for a new planet (or the same old planet with new life? Check. Absolutely clueless, self-absorbed, human-types ruining the planet that they live on and not caring a whit? Checkaroo.

Of course, there's one small difference. Bill Peet wrote the Wump World back in 1970. Yep, 38 years ago.

Head over to your nearest library, children's picture book section, and tell me which version of Wall-E you like better. While I love the Pixar version, I've had a soft spot for the Bill Peet version for over 30 years.

Still here...but barely...

Well, we're in the countdown period now. This is the last weekend in the Skagit Valley. On Monday, we'll start our, slow, trek to Corvallis. It should only take us a month or two. Don't worry, we'll get there eventually.

A few more photos of the Coos Bay Fourth of July 5k and check out all the great Tri's coming up in early August. See ya at the races.

RACES FOR WEEK OF JULY 28th TO AUGUST 3rd

August 2nd / Frank Maier Marathon and Douglas Island Half Marathon / Juneau, AK

August 2nd / Race for the Homeless 10k / Vancouver, WA

August 2nd / Mt. Ashland Hill Climb 13.3 mile run / Ashland, OR

August 2nd / LUNA All Women's Triathlon and Duathlon / Fairview, OR

August 2nd / Tacoma Narrows Half-Marathon / Gig Harbor-Tacoma, WA

August 2nd / Rock 'n' Relay and Four Miler / Portland, OR

August 2nd / Whidbey Island Triathlon / Langley, WA

August 2nd / Once Around Lake Cavanaugh / Mt. Vernon, WA

August 2nd / Snoqualmie Railroad Days Run 10k and 5k / Snoqualmie, WA

August 2nd / Run for the LIGHT! 5 miler / Westport, WA

August 3rd / Mid-Summer Olympic and Sprint Triathlon and Duathlon / Fairview, OR

August 3rd / Footzone 5k / Redmond, WA

August 3rd / Troika Half-Iron Triathlon / Spokane, WA

August 3rd / Satsop Olympic and Sprint Triathlon / Elma, WA

August 3rd / XTERRA Black Diamond Triathlon / Black Diamond, WA

Stare at this one for a while...

I know, I know...two posts in two days and you're thinking, "hey, Scott's back to his normal posting schedule." But no, nothing could be further from the truth. I'm still at the Best Western with free internet, but I won't be tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll be back to a nomad wandering the desert in search of a new house...with a cable modem, preferably. So don't get used to seeing new posts all the time. In fact, enjoy this one for a few days...

So we just happened upon a 5k here in Coos Bay. I mean, really just happened upon it - we were walking down to Mingus Park for the Independence Day celebration and they were lining up for the race! So, unfortunately, I didn't get to race in it, but I did get a few photos, and as you'll see, despite the unfortunate name, Mingus Park is quite beautiful and if you're ever in the area around the Fourth, head down to the park for the 5k.

Well...I'm having a whole lot of trouble uploading these photos on the Best Western WiFi, so I'll have to show you the rest later.

Waaaahoooo!! - free internet at the Best Western!

Well, we're down in Oregon on a house-hunting slash vacation trip and I was just beginning to wonder if I was ever going to post again when, lo, out of the murky haze that is Coos Bay, I spotted a Best Western, and verily, it did have free wireless internet service.

And all was good. And then there was much rejoicing.

Hey, here's a new race calendar. I'll be back tomorrow with a race report from none other than the Coos Bay Fourth of July 5k! With photos!

RACES FOR WEEK OF JULY 21th TO July 27th

July 26th / REI Peak Challenge 5k / Eugene, OR

July 26th / Padden Duathlon / Bellingham, WA

July 26th / F.I.T. Family 5k / Covington, WA

July 26th / Anacortes Art Dash Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / Anacortes, WA

July 26th / Washougal Mayor's 8k / Washougal, WA

July 26th / Enumclaw Street Fair 3 mile run / Enumclaw, WA

July 26th / La Center Our Days 5k / La Center, WA

July 26th / Wells Fargo Torchlight Run at Seafair 8k and 5k / Seattle, WA

July 27th / Cascade Run Off 15k and 3 mile / Portland, OR

July 27th / Swedish SummeRun / Seattle, WA