If THAT picture isn’t cool and fitting at the same time. Dang. I want that framed.

So spidyredneckjedi wants a memorization. Well I’ll give it a shot.

I have a lot of early memories of this guy and, I am ashamed to admit, most of them involve people being mean to him. I remember in Boy Scouts when he was the only kid who did not know how to use a hammer. At the time we thought it was hilarious, but looking back it is kind of sad. Some kids just are never taught such things. I remember we all made him think we were lost on this long hike when, in actuality, we were all standing in front of the trail that would lead us home. I remember kids teasing him relentlessly about many things: his being overweight, his being poor, his strange geeky tastes.

I am ashamed to admit that, at an early age, I participated in some of these activities.

Sometime late in middle school or early in high school (I can’t remember exactly) he moved down South and we thought we’d never see him again. We just let him fade out. Then, for no reason, he was back. Out of the blue.

By this time I had changed considerably. I had gone through a time of social rejection and found myself sitting in the back of the room or along the wall, staying out of people’s way, staring at the floor as I went place to place. I had only a few friends, I loved Star Wars and classical music, and I got excellent grades. When spidyredneckjedi came back, I completely forgot about the years in the past and quickly embraced him as a friend and never looked back.

Ever since I can safely say that no man I’ve yet know has shown more integrity, sincerity, and good nature than spidyredneckjedi . He is honest, intelligent, funny, trustworthy, humble, courteous, hard-working, and if I am King Arthur, he is definitely one of my knights. spidyredneckjedi  has over come hardship after hardship, climbing out of every hole, leaping every trench, taking every cheap shot and keeping his flag held high where everyone can see it and no one can touch it. Yes, he likes Spiderman, but I won’t hold that against him. After seeing Spiderman II and how he saved the people on the train, Batman and Spiderman can get along with each other now that Spidy has earned his “wings” in my book.

Oh and he likes Star Wars. As far as I’m concerned spidyredneckjedi  is OK in my book. And believe me, people WANT to be in my book.

Uh….. I’m going to have to go with Wolverine on this one.

Take care pal.

Well, that is it as far as requests go. Is there anyone who has not been memorized yet that wants to? Just leave a comment and I’ll do my best.

linds7384. . . well, I will admit right here and now that I did not get to know this young woman nearly as well as I should have. I wish that I would have gotten to know everyone in my graduating class better, but I just never got around to it. You all know how it is; you have a group of people you associate closely with and you never really get to know the people outside it terribley well.

However, fret not linds7384 because I do have the faint trappings of what could be called “memories” involving you. I remember a New Year’s party at your house, though I do not remember the year. I do remember there was good food, that I once again felt horribly single at midnight, and afterwards I watched an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation with your parents.

I also remember when you and a certain best friend of mine were dating (the first round) and the three of us went to see “Armageddon” at the Hardacre. Remember that? You cried and cried when Ben Affleck drew the short straw, and I went to the restroom to get you tissue for your tears. On the way back my shoulder  hit one of the lights along the wall, and the sudden noise caused an older woman to spill her drink onto her husband’s lap. Oops. But, nevertheless I brought you something to dry your face with. And hey, whaddya know? He got to live! (Sorry if I ruined the end for anyone who hasn’t seen it…)

Other than those two memories I can only recall snapshots of times in band, both in the band room and on the field during the football season. Ladies and gentlemen of Xanga, I will tell you right here and now that during my three year stretch as drum major, we had a darn good-looking flag girl squad, and linds7384 was a part of it. So was JonsiJ now that I think about it.

There you go linds7384. Consider yourself memorized. And congrats on your impending marriage! Woot! hehe. I said ‘woot.’ I am SO hip.

The next memorization will be of TheIdiotSavant. I’ve known him for quite some time, but it wasn’t until about halfway though the sixth grade that I became friends with him. He was like me: a social outcast, school-smart, geeky, and liked Star Wars. Actually, now that I think about it, it was being friends with him that made me fall in love with Star Wars. I remember going to his house and pretty much becoming part of his family. I love his parents. His mother taught me in kindergarten and his dad is just an awesome guy. My fondest memories, besides pressing my face against a piece of plexiglass and doing an impression of Dr. Evazan from the Mos Eisley Cantina, would be the memories I have of a place called Woman Lake.

    I had the outstanding fortune to travel to Minnesota with him and his family on two occasions. The first occasion was during the summer after we became friends. I was incredibly naive, so I believed everything I was told, which led to a great deal of laughter at my expense. I don’t mind though. I learned how to fish (the correct way), how to tie on lures and hooks, how to water ski (sort of), how to shoot pool, how WONDERFUL Sioux City Sarsasparilla is, how weird it is to drink around ten of them in one night, how many mosquito bites one human being can indeed endure, how to flip open a pocketknife, how to launch a fishing boat, how to cook fish over an open fire, and how to catch a walleye, amongst other things. I also met and had a short-lived crush on a young lady who will only be identified as “Sarah.” I have not seen her since, though I ALMOST did when I went back this past summer.

    This past summer I went up to Woman Lake with the same bunch and spent a BEAUTIFUL and WONDERFULLY relaxing week reading, fishing, and realizing I am getting really old and my tubing days are short-lived. Perhaps if I had not worn myself out working this past summer I’d have gone more than once. Hard to tell. However, I learned a new fishing knot, I caught a lot more fish than I even thought I would, experienced how incredibly huge the Shore Lunch tradition had become, and for the first time in my life I stood proudly on the bow of a ship flying the Jolly Roger. Nothing like cruising by listening to the little children scream as a tall man stands proudly on the prow of a bass fishing boat, his long hair trailing behind him, his knife at his side, the Jolly Roger whipping furiously in the wind while his shipmate, TheIdiotSavant, bares a knife in his teeth and raises a liquor bottle high in salutation. Ah, the bliss. Thanks for the memories matey.

Why a picture of the Riddler? Why not? Just kidding. I don’t know, I couldn’t find a nice painting that reminded me of my friend I guess. That and he is extremely bright, clever, and also crazy. Just like The Riddler. Yes, that’s why I chose the picture.

Next will be linds7384. Ta-ta.

:EDIT:

Just wanted to let all of you know that the saga of Mystery Girl continues, and very soon I will do something very very brave. I am scared to death, but it must be done.

You know, I feel like Cyrano de Bergerac. All of you who are familiar with the tale know how Cyrano, a fairly unattractive man, falls in love with the beautiful Roxanne and, knowing he cannot win her with good looks, woos her secretly with his words. Eventually it works. Hopefully, I will be so lucky.

Honestly, I have no greater fear than the fear I have of beautiful women. No fire burns brighter or more fiercely than my heart alight with love, and too many times I have been burned by my own flames. Too many times have I had to extinguish my flaming flesh with my own tears, too many times have I lain in bed feeling my flesh being knit back together cell by cell, too many times have I had to desperately search for the tiniest twigs and leaves to keep the coals from being extinguished entirely. How long can I continue?

The next person that asked to be memorized was JonsiJ. Yes, there is an order to this whole thing. I’m going in order of people asking me. Don’t fret! I’ll get to everyone eventually!

Anywho, hmm…. what do I remember about JonsiJ… well I remember when she was a “new kid.” I remember when she had braces in middle school. I remember her being a flag girl in marching band. I remember… well I remember I got to know her a little better at this little church retreat we called “The Rock.” I got to see a side of her I didn’t really know was there. She had never struck me as the religious type before and it wasn’t until that retreat weekend that I got to see it. I think that retreat and seeing another person my age exercise her faith gave me an experience to draw upon later when I was in college and was just starting to get into my own faith. I’ll also admit, without shame, that I had a small, short-lived crush on JonsiJ my senior year. It wasn’t anything serious, but I thought she was quite lovely. Still do in fact, but in a completely gentlemanly way. Now she is one of the few people I have known before college that I get to see on a regular basis and JonsiJ, I so very much appreciate seeing a familiar face once and a while. Take care and thanks for the memories. Tune in next time for TheIdiotSavant. If you notice a HUGE lack in updates, that is because next week is Spring Break and my internet access will be somewhat limited. C-ya!

Since I couldn’t POSSIBLY do justice to the amount of memories I have of my sister, I am going to move on to BribB. No Sis, I don’t hate you. I just am having a hard time coming up with one memory I could blog about. Maybe it’ll be something to discuss over break next week. Oh wait, you’ll hardly be there. Haha. Anywho, on to BribB.

I must admit I do not know BribB very well, something I wish I would have had the opportunity to remedy. But, being so far apart class-wise in high school, it was only on rare and precious occasion that I was able to spend any time with her. Sure, she was a rockin’ trombone player in band, but she sat on the other side of the room from us saxophones. I would have to say that I got to know BribB best when she was my guardian angel in the student directed play “Ambivalence.”

Why was she casted for the part of an angel? Silly xanganite. Don’t you know that all angels are beautiful? I think I will remember BribB most for her beauty. I’m not going to lie, she’s an extremely beautiful young woman. She is also very intelligent, witty, and deep in a philosophical sense of the word. Being able to stand up there on stage with her was indeed a treat. You look great in white BribB. She’s also a terrific actress, and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing her perform on stage on a couple of occasions outside of my own meager theatrical experience. I think this young lady has a colorful future ahead of her, and I am glad to have been a small part of it.

The next person who asked to be memorized is claytoniantomb, one of my awesome friends from out in Laramie, Wyoming. He has a very funny webcomic at surrealu.keenspace.com that was in the school paper for a while until one of the editor people decided that keeping the corncob in his butt was an outstanding thing. Anywho, he’s very creative, tall, handsome, and very single. (There’s your free advertising bud.)

My most distinct memory of me and claytoniantomb is one winter night we were headed out to Wal-Mart. I can’t remember why, but we were. It was getting late, so the parking lot was near empty. His car had recently been involved in an accident, so one headlight was ok and the other was smashed in such a way that it shone upwards.

He began spinning donuts and executing other maneuvers on the slick parking lot and as we came out of a particularly nice spin we found ourselves facing a large semi that had just pulled into the lot. As we sat there in the car, the broken headlight was shining directly into the driver’s window, and he smiled and waved at us. I’m sure it was the first time he had been spotlighted from such a small vehicle, and I thought the moment was particularly hilarious.

There are other memories, most of which involve three foot ninjas, tragic romance, and roleplaying. I will say though that out of all of my friends, he by far has the most sophisticated sense of humor, something I greatly appreciated in contrast to the constant quotes from the movie “Supertroopers.” Thanks for the memories claytoniantomb. Hopefully I’ll see you in April.

OK, who wants to be memorized next? Any volunteers?

This entry’s memorization will focus on my dear friend, s1ck_k1tty. I’ve known her since… well I would say we started being friends when I went off to Scotland in September of my senior year. While in Edinburgh, Scotland, I was checking my email. Lo and behold I recieved an email from Winter-someone. I had NO idea who it was, but my curiousity was piqued and I responded, asking who it was. Turns out it was s1ck_k1tty, a person I barely knew at the time. In fact, our relationship consisted of friendly greeting and light conversation in the morning and in the lunchline. She was emailing me to tell me that she missed that and wanted to know how I was doing out in Scotland. How touching is that?

       So I get back and we become better friends, soon finding out that the woman who recently broke my heart has given her an equal amount of grief. Nothing like two friends healing from the same wound to cement a friendship pretty solid. I remember we found that out while walking out in the woods near my house. What a beautiful walk.

        So the year goes on. We are great friends, and I am there for her as she dates a pretty crappy guy who’s face resembles a hamster. She left him later. Eventually I start falling for her. Yeah, that’s right. I start. Well, I’ve been burned a couple of times already by falling in love with a friend, so in January at a school basketball game I spilled the beans, telling her that I am starting to fall for her and I would like her to know that before it gets really bad. For the first time a woman honestly told me, without any deceit or cruelty, that she just wanted to remain friends. It was a little painful, yes, BUT I still had a wonderful friend, and we’ve been friends ever since. There have been some shaky times, but we pulled through them.

      A few things I remember distinctly:

      The painful ace-wrap sessions before Romeo and Juliet. Regrettably, Mercutio did not have large, lovely, breasts. s1ck_k1tty does make an outstanding Mercutio though.

      The distinct scent of her perfume. Wasn’t it called “Candies?” I still catch it every once and a while and boy do the memories come flooding back.

      I remember I always seemed to see her in black-and-white (hence the above picture- no, I did not draw it.) I remember the choir was singing in Iowa City and she was asleep on the floor. Sunlight was coming in through the stained-glass window and painted her skin a million different colors. I remember writing in my journal about it at the time.

    Well there ya go. I could go on but I know people HATE long xanga entries. At least it seems that people respond less to long entries. Meh. Tune in next time. Who knows who I’ll think about next?

Well mysterydude2001 gave me a great idea. Anyone who posts a comment, (given that I know the person at least a little bit), I will post a memory of. As my first victim, I will use mysterydude2001.

I remember back in 2004 over Spring Break, whydoyoulook, goblnqueen13, mysterydude2001, and goblnqueen13′s parents went to a Trivia Bowl in Walcott, Iowa. It was an event in which teams are asked a series of questions related to different subjects. The top couple of teams in the end are awarded a cash prize to split up amongst the team members.

Well.

So we are doing our Trivia Bowl questions, and there occasionally is a that the group feels pretty confident on. However, in a few circumstances, mysterydude2001 insists that we are wrong. He is a very persuasive person, so we pay heed to his pleas. We got several questions, which were originally right, wrong due to him. Not that we were bitter or anything, in fact it was really kind of funny. The first of these questions was about college basketball. I think the answer was originally “UCLA” but he INSISTED that the answer was Duke. Yeah, it was wrong.

By the end of the evening, this had happend several times, thus resulting in his new nickname “The 29th Duke of Penzoil.” We just put all his wrong answers into one long nickname, but now I, at least, just refer to him as “The Duke.”

When I was back in Wyoming afterwards, I got him a Burger King crown, put a piece of duct tape on the front, and wrote “The Duke” with a Sharpie. I wonder if he still has it.

Anyways, it was a great time. I wish it could happen again, but seeing as goblnqueen13 and I are no longer together, I don’t see it happening. Oh well. I still have The Duke, don’t I?

All hail the 29th Duke of Penzoil!