The Moving Guy

Talent is sort of a relative term. What makes a talent? Most people would probably say something like the ability to sing on key, hit a baseball , or build a beautiful piece of furniture. I have none of those talents. One talent I do possess, I am a really good mover. Weird huh? Now this talent was developed later in life because for the first 18 years I had never moved. But I went to college and that was the first timed I packed up my life and moved it. By the time I finished my mission where I moved about nine times myself, I had become quite proficient at moving others as well. I have participated in a number of moves at varying levels of preparation. Sometimes I would arrive and it was simple as moving boxes in to predetermined rooms while other times it was so poorly planned that people hadn't even begun to pack yet. Now it is a honed skill, in which I would prefer people get out of my way and let me do my thing. If I need help or advice I'll ask for it. So it was no surprise when my friend Frederick asked for my help him move out of his apartment. He needed the best...so he asked the best, me. Frederick's mom was nice enough to document our endeavors.

Frederick and I started by moving some stuff out of the place he and his fiance Julia will live. I taught Frederick one of the important rules of moving. If you are on the fourth floor never do in four trips what you can do in three. We were done there soon enough and headed to the place he was moving out of.

Not only did Frederick recruit me for my moving prowess he needed me for my brute strength. We were moving stuff from the apartment to a storage container. A bed a couple of couches, and some other furniture. I looked at it and knew it would be no problem.

Frederick's dad was there to help as well as Molly and Julia. I was especially helpful because I was able to fit in the container and move stuff in and still able to get out once it was all full.

Sure it was 90 degrees and 500 percent humidity but soon enough we completed our task, and Frederick took us to dinner at Ted's Montana grill to reward us for our willingness to help. Yes if moving is a talent, I have it in spades.

Monday Haiku

Feel so very sad
Tough to find the right words now
No silver lining

Tough to Rally Back From

I first became acquainted with my friend the Rally Monkey the fall of 2002. I was freshly home from my mission and enjoying baseball for the first time in two years. The Angels were a scrappy team that year and many of their victories were come from behind wins. The secret was of course the Rally Monkey. The little guy inspired the crowd and was a big part of our home field advantage. The crowd gets so pumped when he comes up on the jumbotron at Angel Stadium. We ended up winning the World Series in no small part due to the Rally Monkey.

Just this past weekend the Red Sox felt the wrath of the Rally Monkey, leading Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia to remark:

"The first night a lot of things didn't go our way, and yesterday was a two-run game and then it finally seemed like we were going to break through there," said Dustin Pedroia, who had seven of the 19 Red Sox hits in the series. "Then they get back-to-back doubles and they just had all the momentum. They put that damn monkey (The Rally Monkey) on the board and the place went nuts."

The little guy was a in rare form and all was good in Halo Heaven. But then the recent turn in the economy was felt close to home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bga4vLTOJ4U

His livelihood and purpose in life lost, the little simian took it very hard. Sensing that things would not be the same he decided to end things. What made it all the more ironic, he did it during the all star game.

It is all a bit sketchy as I was not actually there. I was notified by my roommates Dan and Jim that the little guy could not be stopped. Before they knew what was happening, the chair was tipped and it looked like the RM was off to the big banana tree in the sky.

My roommates claimed they tried to stop him but that seems a bit suspect, especially considering the fact that they are Yankee and Rockies fans respectively. I came home to the following horror seen.

What they hadn't counted on was the resilience of this little guy. He rallied back from the great beyond. By the next day he seemed fine. In fact I found him the next day just chilling in the living room. It looked like everything would be all right. But things were most certainly not all right. I was informed that another "incident" had occurred. Again I wasn't there to see exactly what happened. The roommates again claimed it was an accident. Regardless of the exact nature of the event, the Rally Monkey was down, at the hands (although it doesn't really have hands) of the Swiss exercise ball.

Luckily I arrived in time to save him but he was injured. He was in a lot of pain. But like before he rallied back. It was his identity, he had to come back. But with that a dark side developed. After the hanging and the Swiss ball, he was in intense almost constant pain. He did what many proud individuals do, unable to admit he needed help, he self medicated.

I have to admit that by this time all the warning signs were there. But I was unable to accept them. I could not admit that my dear friend, the symbol of all that is good in America's national pass time was a stoner (Rex Hudler may have had something to do with this). Sure, I wanted to believe they were clove cigarettes, and that it was just a young monkey sowing his wild oats. You all know the follies of youth. Looking back I was wrong. I was in denial as much as the Rally Monkey himself.

I thought it was just a phase. In fact the next day I came home and it really looked like the little guy had turned the corner. I found him on the couch studying the scriptures. Things were looking up, he had admitted the existence of a higher power and I thought he was turning a new leaf.

But as quickly as things improved, they went back to the same pattern of addiction. This time he was battling the pernicious evil that is alcohol. And he was doing it right in my face. And for some unknown reason he insisted in doing it in 3D. Talk about insult to injury. As much as I hated to admit it I knew something had to be done. Changes had to be made.

Jim and Dan were the first to approach me about the idea of the Rally Monkey going to rehab. I'll admit that at first I didn't think it was necessary. And the RM wanted nothing to do with it (http://youtube.com/watch?v=LD5sahXoj0U) I was hesitant to get on board. Yet I knew that my friend was on a dangerous path. After careful consideration we realized we only had one choice...Rally Monkey Intervention.

It ran the gamut of emotion for everyone involved. The little guy was a shell of his former self. I was distraught, Dan angry, Jim confused and scared.We tried everything we could to get him to see the error of his ways. My emotions were pretty raw. Dan even threatened physical violence. It wasn't looking good. Jim and his mighty beard were troubled. We all were.Finally a break through. I bottom lined it for him. I told him that so far the Angels are having a great season, the pitching and defense have been spectacular, K-Rod has been amazing, and the bats are coming around. But come playoff time we are going to need you little Rally Monkey. It truly was rally time. He decided he was going to go to rehab and get himself right mentally and physically.

We packed his bag and sent him on his way. He was going to get the help he needed.

Needless to say it has been an emotional time around 3076. Feelings are raw, and adjustments are on going. But all signs point to a full recovery. In fact the Angels had a come from behind victory today. GO HALOS!

The Stanworths of Dallas

One year ago a wrote a tribute to Jenn and Marc here on Pete Chat. http://petechat.blogspot.com/2007/07/stanworths.html

As I was reading Jenn's blog this morning I was reminded that today is there 9 year anniversary. I can hardly believe it has been nine years. Last year I wrote about some of the great things about them. This year I want to write my memories of how they ended up together.

Jenn and Kate

When I was in ninth grade I thought my sister was just about the coolest girl in the world. She was in College at BYU, she did cool stuff and when we went to visit her at DT I was in awe. I still remember her friend Cara giving me chocolate milk. Anyway at some point after she dumped the cymbal player I started to hear about this guy Marc. Marc this and Marc that. So school ends for Jenn and she comes home and I seem to remember her being sort of mopey. She missed Marc. Our sister Chrissi was getting married that summer and the wedding reception was really fun. I remember my friend Robert came from Florida. Marc however did not come.

This happened to be the just about the same time that Marc was leaving for the MTC and eventually the Philippines. Jenn knew he was getting set apart the next night and he hadn't called. She was very bummed. But then he did call. And she was so happy.

So two years went by. Jenn did her thing and Marc did his. I know they wrote back and forth quite often. And despite the best efforts of quite a number of cool dudes Jenn was waiting for Marc. There was however at least one tiff. Jenn had bought Marc a plaid tie from J Crew. But he hadn't been doing a good job of writing. So it ended up being my birthday present. I still have it. I think it turned out that Marc's mission was having trouble getting mail and he hadn't received some of Jenn's letters.

Eventually Marc came home. That was the summer that Jenn did marketing for the Fox Hills Mall. I helped her move into her apartment in Westwood and she was decorating her room. She was putting pictures up and one of them was a group picture outside of Chevy's I think. I picked it up and said something like "Jenn what is so great about this picture?" She said that was the night that Marc kissed me for the first time after his mission. I was like "Oh please."

Eventually Marc came down to southern California for a visit. It was time to meet the folks. Jenn was so nervous ( probably a little bit embarrassed too) for him to meet us. Chrissi dubbed Marc "Prince Charming" or PC for short ( nickname he still has) and we anxiously awaited his arrival. My dad had barbecued and we waited and waited for his arrival. Finally we couldn't wait anymore and we started to eat. Eventually they showed up and Jenn ended up being happy that it was very low key. This was also the summer I got in big trouble for turning off the power at Barber's house. I was grounded a large part of the summer, no driving, no talking on the phone and no hanging out with friends. The only fun thing I could do was kid sit David and Derrick. I'm pretty sure JJ and Romie appealed to my dad for a one night reprieve and let me go to the big bash that they had planned. I went with Jenn and Marc. We went our separate ways.

Marc and Savvy

The strange thing is I can't really remember my first impression of Marc. I guess I had heard so much about him that I felt like I already knew him. So that same summer we went up to Utah to see the cousins and vacation and all that jazz. I remember that I had just got off of probation and I went toilet papering with JJ, Roo, Wyatt, Devin , and Romie. We toilet papered 13 houses that night and were so close to being caught by the police (for some reason we were intrigued by Small Soldiers. JJ do you remember that?) they were literally using the spotlight to find us. Eventually they moved on and we hurried home. We came up with the story that we had been at Disneyland and were on our way home. The next morning we drove up to Utah.

We were at my Uncle's house when Marc came over for a visit. Now he will deny this but I am pretty sure Marc walked up and he was wearing socks and sandals. That is worse than tapered jeans. But he was cool and I liked him. Jenn was crazy about him.

Eventually that winter he came down again for a visit, stayed at Chrissi and Don's. Don must have given him some tips and he just asked my dad if they could go to lunch. They went to Ruby's at the end of the pier and Marc asked my dad for his blessing to marry Jenn.

They got engaged and I have virtually no memory of that time period. It was my senior season of Volleyball so I didn't go to Jenn's graduation.

My dad, my grandpa, and myself all got our haircuts by Mary ( the only person who cuts my hair the way I like it) and we drove down to San Diego for the wedding. It was cool that my cousin Peter was staying with us.

I remember very distinctly driving to the temple with my dad. I had an overwhelming feeling of panic. I remember thinking"Marc what are you doing? Go to Mexico now." But he made the right choice. The wedding went without a hitch, well except that my grandpa got shocked by electricity in the elevator and my sisters new nephew burnt himself on a curling iron.

My sister Chrissi was so pregnant. Haydan was a big baby and poor Chrissi had to wear her Birkenstocks because they were the only thing that fit. We took lots of pictures and it was a windy day. My dads hair was a little wacky and so my mom ended up paying someone to airbrush the photo. I was pleased that I didn't look nearly as awkward as I did when Chrissi and Don got married four years before.

I missed most of the reception because I had to decorate the car. I do owe Jacqueline an apology. Apparently while I was dancing with my cousins I flipped Jac in the air and her dress went with her. I have absolutely no memory of this but David Dickinson was there and she was pretty embarrassed. So sorry Jac. My bad. At the end of the night, Don chased a possum in the parking lot.

I love Jenn and Marc so much. I love the way Marc takes care of Jenn, Savannah, and Kate. They are an amazing example to me of living a Christ centered life. Congratulations on nine great years.

Jenn I assure you that I am doing everything in my power to get Savannah the chance to be a flower girl.

Were you at the White House last week? Plus a Monday Haiku

Well if you are one of my friends from here in DC the answer may very will be yes. But chances are you didn't see the President, the Vice President and about 15 members of Congress. I got called out of the "bullpen" to accompany my boss to the White House for a bill signing ceremony. I jumped at the opportunity and was beyond stoked. I had (thanks to my friend Mike) been to the West Wing once before but this was a totally different experience.

The Champ hanging out in the Rose Garden

Everything ran incredibly smoothly. I was escorted out to the Rose Garden and took my place just in front of the network cameras. Presidential aides escorted the members of Congress out, and we all anxiously awaited for the arrival of the President. Mike had informed me that generally the President's remarks during this sort of ceremony would be quite brief and then he would sign the bill into law.

Sure enough that was just what happened. It was beyond cool borderline surreal to be there. I snapped about 150 pictures during the time I was there.

Two of BYU's most distinguished alums, Peter B. Dorsch and Senator Orrin Hatch

Even after being back here for the last two and a half years I still geek out for stuff like this. It never gets pedestrian or blase. I figuratively had to drag myself out of the garden or risk having to find my own ride home. As I walked out of the West Wing my boss was speaking to one of my heroes none other that Senator Orrin Hatch. The Congressman saw me walking out and immediately introduced me and Senator Hatch was nice enough to take a picture with me.

The rest of the day I was on cloud nine.

Best First Half Ever

Go Ahead Skip She's The Man

Not Complicated

There's Something About Mandy, Thoughts on UFC, and "Our Things"

I haven't been a great blogger this week. I have wanted to but didn't really know what to blog about. I have had some adventures including Independence day, paddle boating, miniature golfing with JJ and Jennifer, and watching James Bond outside in Crystal City. I guess they are all "blog worthy" but I didn't take any pictures. Today I was sitting on my bed watching Jack Bauer do his thing on 24 ( I am almost done with season 3 leaving only season 4) and it dawned on me that there was something that I wanted to blog about.

Last Saturday, my friend Laurent and I went to watch one of our favorite activities, that of course being MMA and UFC 86 specifically. Laurent and I are both big fans of one the fighters in the main event Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. You may know Rampage for several reasons but I imagine the most prominent reason would be the fact that he is the inspiration for the famed "Wolves and Chains" Shirt.

Despite my best efforts I just don't pull it off the way Rampage does.

Laurent and I headed out to a classy eatery to enjoy the match up. We had to stand around a bit for a table to open up and finally it did. We ordered a ton of wings (a sporting event and a meal that focused primarily on meat only one element was left of a true man's evening) and cheered wildly as these well trained athletes pummeled each other. It can be brutal but it is very exciting and I can't help but appreciate how hard these guys train and the show they put on. I understand why some people don't get UFC. Last month, Mary, Katie, and Adri went with me and Jim to watch it, and though they hated it I really appreciated them giving it a try. Who am I to make sweeping generalizations but I think most girls just don't like MMA or UFC. There are some girls who do like it, just like there are some guys who like Jane Austin movies. It's rare but you find them. So imagine my absolute shock when they panned the audience and showed my biggest celebrity crush...Miss Mandy Moore. She was watching UFC and she was into it!

Mandy I have but one question. Will you marry me?

When I was a freshman in college Mandy came out with her "Candy" song (http://youtube.com/watch?v=_e4e-eXWbbs). It was love at first sight.

I was once chatting with my friend Bethany and I asked her if she ever thought that there was a celebrity out there that if you met them you just know you would click? She laughed and said maybe. That is how I feel about Mandy. She is tall , cute, and seems so nice on TV. I am a big fan of the movie "How To Deal" and I won't lie the room can get a bit dusty during "A Walk to Remember". Last summer when I was in CA, she was performing at the House of Blues at down town Disney. I happened to be there and pondered if I should go, then I thought there is something very wrong with a 26 year old guy going by himself to see an MM concert. I passed.

Add to all of this that Mandy likes UFC and well...they have a word for this and it's called kismet. So I am confident that if Mandy and I ever met that we would have tons in common and probably sing karaoke and watch old UFC DVD's

Now I doubt there are many NPR loving, wolf shirt wearing, Mandy Moore fans out there and that is my point, we all have stuff that we like and other people just don't get. We don't have to love everything (although we are supposed to love everyone)it's fine, but we also don't have to be ashamed if we like things that other people don't get. Sure I will never understand why my friends dress up and run around and play air soft. I think it is so dumb, but I like the fact that they enjoy it.

Rampage lost and Laurent and I were dissapointed, but we still had a great time. Sure a lot of people won't understand it, but just chalk it up to being one of my "things".

Phoning It In

Can you believe it is July? This year is just flying by. I just wanted to note a few things that have been on my mind the last few days.

• Congrats to Tracy and Odie on their engagement. I couldn't be happier for two people.
• I had been playing flag football two times a week. One game was a pick up game with guys from the ward and the other was in a league. After two amazing wins in the playoffs my team was unceremoniously forfeited when the league owner claimed he had sent an email out changing the game time. He couldn't produce the email he had sent, but none the less we were out. I had a ton playing for the SNAC Team.
• I went to four Angels games in five days. They won three of them and looked good in all of them. I was pretty disappointed when they returned to Southern California by their inability against the Dodgers even when Weaver and Arredondo pitched a combined no hitter. They scored one run over the weekend, and thanks to a gem by John Lackey got out with a W.
• I am glad that Javier reads my blog. Now we need to get Ryan to be a consistent Pete Chat reader.
• I talked to my dad last Friday. He is having a great time in Germany and is getting me a new soccer jersey.
• I have been really bad at taking pictures lately, thus I have none to add to my blog entry.

I was going to write about my phone call habits but it was feeling sort of uninspired so I will save it for another time.