Tuesdays with Muerte

This is a clip of me showing off for a girl after a fun night out. I'm thinking about doing this onstage for tomorrow night's ward talent show. Granted, I may be more nervous in front of 200 people, but at least I'll have shoes on. ...We'll see if I'm too sore from practicing today. (What that really means is, "We'll see if I chicken out by tomorrow.) It turns out that I didn't throw my backflip at the talent show on Saturday night; not because I was chicken, but because the tendons in the front of my feet were shot and I wasn't able to adequately rotate by 7:30pm. 20 practice flips will do that to a body after a year of not using those muscles.

"-" Hal-le-lu-jah! It was at the height of anxiety attack that I walked in to the health department this afternoon for my final TB prognosis. The older receptionist glanced at my arm and said, "Gimme your paper". She ran her finger along the my little red bump and without saying another thing, stamped it, initialed it and, "NEXT!" I didn't dare ask her for an explanation, I just looked down at the check-boxes and noted that the side marked "negative" was scribbled in. Phew! Walking triumphantly out to my car, I decided to treat myself to a hamburger on the way home. Here are some images to help illustrate the intensity and true anxiety I felt over the last 48 hrs: (Be sure to click on each picture to ensure maximum enjoyment...) ---------------- Listening to: The Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday

I went to the Provo Health Dept. yesterday for my mandatory TB test. Yes, this is the very building Noelle went to for her TB treatment. Needless to say, I was a little anxious to see whether my skin would react to the small dosage that they injected and formed a nice, bug-bite-like bubble under my epidermis. Here is a picture of an actual injection and its small, red aftermath: If you look really closely at the upper mid-arm, you can make out the little, red blotch. I'm honestly not sure what a positive reaction would be, but I don't think this is it. I imagine if I really did have TB there would be more irritation, more texture, and more redness. I don't cough. One of the instructors took a look at it the other day and said it was probably bruised--maybe she lied. I return to the Health Dept. on Friday at 4pm for the final prognosis. By the way, EMT training is still a real hoot. I love the class and curriculum; the people are sometimes a little irksome. Our perso...

Nolan, my roommate, is great on the BBQ. I was privileged to go with him to the store to purchase a "Memorial Day Steak". $5, London Broil. Then he instructed me in the sacred art of marinade. "Feel" out the amounts of Terriaki sauce, Sprite, and a super-secret spice and soak in a ziplock bag. Finally, I watched him grill the meat to perfection. The secret is to not over cook it. Take it off the coals when it is still pink on the inside because it will still cook even after you take it off. And don't pierce it too much or the juices will be let loose. The sun came out, after an afternoon of hail, just in time for our evening BBQ. Everyone was invited and about 20 people showed up. We ate and then went to FHE for a lesson and games and hot tubbing. The rest of the evening I spent playing the guitar with new friends. I learned a lot of new songs... The Ataris - Looking back on Today Collective Soul - Needs Foo Fighters - Up in Arms Secondhand Seranade - F...

Today, I ran my first competitive Triathlon. It was a 1/4 mile swim in the pool, 10 mile bike on the electronic bikes upstairs, and a 5 km Run around Provo/Orem. Coincidentally, this was also the first annual 24-hour Fitness Triathlon and it was a privilege to be a part of it. Paul Dixon was there to support me and take pictures for the swim and bike portions. What a guy! Here are some of the fabulous shots that he took: Pre-race Glam shot (Matt Harrison was signed up to be #18 but he never showed) I started off slow and didn't flip turn to save energy over saving time but I still was the fastest swimmer... I rotated between freestyle and backstroke so that I could keep track of my laps Biking was the hardest for me; I've got to work on my hammies. Just before the run... The race was great fun. I finished 5th out of 24 overall with a time of 1-hour flat! Some of these athletes were "the real deal" with wet suits and everything. I, on the other hand, was the on...

After a long Saturday morning EMT class, I came home with the weekend assignment to perform at least 15 imaginary assessments that take about 10 minutes a piece. After nice lunch at a new Mexican restaurant with my roommate, Nolan, and a little book review I ventured out to the Carriage Cove Pool with pressure cuff and stethoscope in hand. I wish I had taken a picture of the hoard of sunbathers surrounding the pool that Saturday afternoon. Just imagine the pool scene from Sandlot. There were probably close to 50 people--only 25% of which were CC residents. All I saw was a perfect environment for taking peoples' vitals. I systematically moved from one recliner-pool-chair to the next for three hours straight! Many of the girls surprised me by how willing and even anxious they were to have someone examine them. Many gave reasons/excuses for helping me. Some said that they had been wondering about their blood pressure. Others more straight forward and admitted that they just l...

Gold: Paul Dixon, Engineer/Linguist Gold: Eric Koko, Frisbee Golf enthusiast, Med School at University of Hawaii Gold: Jolene Wong a.k.a. Mojo, Jojo, Kevin's sister Silver: Dan Seegmiller, New Roommate, Workout buddy Silver: Chen..., New roommate, Master at Ping-pong, phD in Mechanical Engineering ---------------- Listening to: Jack Johnson - Mudfootball (For Moe Lerner)