Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore...

So, the week has been crazy still. It makes it easier to write blogs when things continue to happen out of the ordinary.
First of all, you all know Yao is out for the season. Lament... In spite of this, I did get a McGrady jersey from Fanzz (50% off, thanks Jake and Lindsey). I think that act of faith alone helped them to their 13th straight victory. I would wear the jersey all around campus if only it didn't fit me like a night-gown. As such, it will make a nice poster for my wall.
Apart from this, I got shot down for a date again this week. Fortunately, I'm far from throwing in the towel! I kept getting texts from a random number and this week I found out that it was the girl from my psychology class sending invites to her jazz concerts (refer to the 'Banging My Head on the wall' entry... it's that girl). I also got a dance sport partner today. We're gonna rock that competition, even if she is taller than me! Most of the girls in my class are... I got an A on the Foxtrot test on Tuesday. Dance sport will be the cha cha... Can I swing my hips enough to catch the attention of the judges? I wish I had more hips to swing...
I'm down to 140 lbs. I don't know why I keep losing weight, maybe it's running for four hours, four days a week, every week...
I've decided Batman and Robin is up there with Avengers in stupidest movies ever. It's one of those where you tell yourself, "Man, I could have been doing something better the last hour and a half of my life, like staring at the wall with pants on my head."
Finally, today, for the first time in remembered and recorded history, someone said, "Hey Todd" on campus, and I couldn't put a name to their face. He looked familiar, but I was clueless with what to call him. THAT NEVER HAPPENS WITH ME!! One thing I do very well is remember names, so today kind of shook my world.
Ok, I can't stop smelling my hands. Some sort of perfume or something... I better go wash them with lemon-scented dishwasher soap. I don't think I've ever tried that before, actually...

Sorry BYU, but my blood is still more red than blue

How about those Rockets?!! Twelve straight!! It makes me so excited I could just chuck my monitor, CPU, and speakers out the window! The keyboard already went, remember?
You know, I realize there are a lot of things that get me excited in life.
So, I had decided that if the Rockets won 15 straight (tying the franchise record), I would celebrate by streaking through campus with something like "15-0 Feb!" painted on my chest and a ski mask. Who cares how cold it would be? Then I got an ecclesiastical endorsement interview today, and realized that might not be the best thing to do.
So, what do I do to celebrate the fire that T-Mac and Yao are on? Shoot off bottle rockets from the roof of my apartment building? Ask out every Texan girl from my ward in one weekend? Wear red shorts, socks, and underwear to work? Or maybe, I should do something I won't get in trouble for, like have a barbecue, and make sure no Lakers or Mavs fans get invited.
One thing is for sure. I'm going to buy a Rockets shirt from Fans and wear it all week, never taking it off except for showers... maybe.

We'll just glide... starry eyed...

Tuesday was my first day back at work on the ankle. Not bad... I even played a game on an intramural basketball team. I can't jump and I'm not nearly as agile, which makes me pretty much worthless on the court (for those of you who have played with me before). I still had fun! Though one of my friends took a nasty spill, so I had to call Lindsey and ask her where the Urgent Care center was again. It wasn't for me this time.
Wednesday night, I went to a dance lab for my class. I wish they would have these more often. I danced with ten different girls, I'm not even kidding! I probably wasn't very impressive because the shoes I was wearing had about as much traction as soap. I got to show off my moonwalk a few times though!
Again, I sweat way too much!
Thursday I got an email. It came much earlier than I expected. It certainly didn't take five to eight weeks. As such... I'm in for San Antonio EFY! Only for a week, from June 30-July 5... and I think there might be some family business during this period, but it'll all work out. I got so excited when I read it that I almost chucked my keyboard right out the window!
I'll see ya'll this summer!

Twenty-Two, Just a Day Older

The twenty-first year of my life seemed to rip by like the roaring 60's, filled with significant changes and big decisions.
And it's only begun...
Another week has come and gone. Today is the last holiday of BYU this semester. That's a bit of a scary thought... as well the fact that I will be going back to work this week. Not much to look forward to, but lots of warm, fuzzy memories to look back on.
Speaking of, I got about six "warm fuzzy" notes wishing me happy birthday yesterday. Yay.
So earlier this week, on Tuesday, I went to an interview to participate in EFY as a counselor. There were about six other candidates there, and all of them were wearing a white shirt and tie. I wore a colored shirt and silver tie. I hope that didn't count against me... or the fact that I was from Texas and they were all from Utah. Actually, I think it went well. But hold on to your seats, because we all will be dying with anticipation for the next FIVE to EIGHT weeks waiting for confirmation of whether they'll take me or not. Ya, that'll be right before summer. Bummer.
Later on... Wednesday, I went on a date to the jazz concert on campus. It was fun, but I think the jazz singers over-scatted by a mile. Every time they would start, "Zee bop boppadee day..." I would burst out laughing. I hope I didn't offend the poor singers, I was close enough to the stage to make a spectacle of myself.
Thursday... wasn't there something special about Thursday? Some sort of holiday or something... must have missed it.
I spent the weekend largely with myself and the Russells. I figured I was so social last week, I had an excuse to be reclusive this week. You know, if the Lord didn't tell us to get an education and a wife, I might just retire in the woods somewhere with my cat and live out my days in solitude. Just me and my thoughts... sailing far away... (it's a song).
Then Sunday was my birthday. Hoowah! Blech... I may be twenty-two, but I'm only a day older today. After church (where my roommate Austin announced my birthday in Priesthood) I went to Jake and Lindsey's again to enjoy chicken cordon bleu and mashed potatoes. I would eat it every meal if I could! Course I would clog my arteries and die, but it would be worth it! Maybe if I had some wheatgrass on the side I could pull it off... Anyways, I returned for ward prayer and then we celebrated the three day weekend at the Nunez's with game night. I lost in Catch Phrase and Nurtz... on my birthday!! Come on people! Good thing I'm not as competitive as I used to be, or I might have said some really angry things. Which I might have done anyways...
Thus it is. Now there is a leftover chicken cordon bleau calling my name in the fridge. The thought of eating it is almost as exciting as going to Fuddruckers... but only if it was for free.

Embarrassing Moments

So a few weeks ago, I was at pseudo-FHE at some girls' apartment and a bunch of people were there. We were playing Catch Phrase. Once it was my turn and I sneezed really loud... and immediately covered the lower half of my face with my hand and handed the Catch Phrase on. "Get me a Kleenex NOW!"
Then it was my turn again. I'm surprised they let me touch the thing still. So I got it and wondered why they spelled "Robbin" with two b's, then right when my team guessed Batman's sidekick, I realized I was only affected with temporary dyslexia. Course, it then didn't take them long to guess it, "No, I mean, it's those things girls tie in their hair and you wrap presents with..."

It was pretty embarrassing.

Super Wheatgrass Man Strikes Again!

So yesterday I went to Jamba Juice and I got a wheatgrass shot. I think they've gotten smaller... Anyways, after I swigged it, I had one of those moments where you just look at the camera and grin with this look in your eyes like you're about to take over the world because you just did the best thing in your life!
And then it happened...
My ankle brace just popped off and I started running... so fast I was like a blur and I didn't even know where I was going until I was at her door... you know, the "her" from the last blog entry. Ya, and she answered and was like, "Wow, there's something different about you. I guess I'll go out with you after all!" Zing! I swept her off her feet and we were at the Music Dance and Theater showcase only moments later. We were sitting there and all the sudden ninjas were all around us! So I kicked them all in the face so heroically that she fell in love with me right on the spot! I was like, "Sorry baby, but there's other business I have to tend to." And I sped off again in a green wheatgrass shaded blur...
The next day, I woke up and I was still feeling it, so I jumped to the Marriot Center and soaked up as much of the leadership conference (for superheroes on wheatgrass) as I could while staying awake at the same time! I figured then that it was time to temper the hype so I settled down for a moment in the temple. It was there I received the revelation that I was the handsomest man on earth... but only on wheatgrass. So I took out the next girl and she mentioned something like "Salad bar" for supper and I was like, "I just had the equivalent of 32 pounds of raw vegetables... I don't have to eat anything green for like a MONTH!" Fuddruckers it was, where I broke a record in my personal history and downed a pounder! And I didn't even feel bad afterward. At the Polynesian show, she was like, "Todd, you smell like you just mowed the lawn!" And I was like, "Why, thank you, but it would never work between us." So I jumped onto the stage and danced with the Tongan princess. She was large, but I had just had wheatgrass... After her heart was melted and the crowd cheered for us and threw tortillas and cabbage heads onto the stage, I whispered in her ear, "Wanna go to Jamba Juice?".... Kamate!

Ok, so all wheatgrass did was give me an over-active imagination. But believe it or not, there are some elements of the story that are true. Unfortunately, the Tongan princess is old and I would never dance with her, in case you were wondering.

The Deja Blues

It seems I've been here before... beginning of the semester and I do something silly and prove that I am a Martin and therefore injury-prone. The verdict from the health center today was a high-ankle sprain. That effectively puts me out of work for two weeks... so what's the first thing I do? I celebrate my poverty by asking a girl out!! And she said she'd get back to me later. Sure, I suppose she needs a few hours to think of an excuse. That's what I get for asking out a white girl...
Nevertheless, I am determined to see the Polynesians, Native Americans, and assorted Latin Americans dance and sing this weekend! In celebration of the international month that I never really did (come on, who was I kidding?), it only seems appropriate. I will continue to ask girls to come with me, and if I only get rejection after rejection, it's ok... I've been there before too.

Of Skates and Boards

I've tried a few new things lately these past weekends. Saturdays are always open for me in the evening, so, being usually dateless, I have the opportunity to go out and have some fun.
Last week was actually kind of a date. This girl had a birthday, so I called her up to go see August Rush. She didn't get off work until nine, so she provided a counter-offer: disco skating. I can count the number of times I have roller skated on one hand (I roller blade much more), so I thought I would go throw myself around and provide entertainment for everyone else. Eight wrecks spelled success! It was a lot of fun, and I even tried using the bathroom with skates on. Messy... All I had to pat for it was nine dollars and two great blisters on my right foot. Of course, I wonder if the excessive amount of sweat I produced was good for social relations... Does anyone else seem to sweat a LOT in these situations?
This week's adventure was a bit more costly. I took a ghastly leap from my comfort zone and accepted the invitation to go snow-boarding with my roommates today. Now, I can count the number of times I have been snow-boarding on one finger, and it was not the most pleasant experience. But I went forth, dropping the necessary 62 dollars (ouch!) for board and boot rentals along with a day pass. The excitement went awry almost right away when I took an immediate embarrassing fall off the first lift. "Hey dude, don't forget to duck!" So I watch my roomies zoom down the hill as I took a time out to nurse my freshly twisted ankle. When I finally manned up, bit the pain, and started down the slopes myself, the pain was quickly forgotten in the thrill of the moment. Hoowah, what a blast!! I even went down from the summit for my last round, and didn't topple off the edge of the mountain. I did so much better than I did like three years ago! The weather was great, I didn't feel cold at all until snow got down my pants numerous times. At the end of the race, we returned to the car, and the thrill of the moment was no more. Now all I feel is the acute discomfort of my soft-ball sized ankle.
So my right foot is blistered up, and my left is twisted, possibly sprained. Don't I need these feet for work?
Anyways, you can tell my nephews that they may own in the virtual snowboard game in Texas, but Uncle Todd does the real thing! And it hurts...