Meet My Groomsman Pt. 9 featuring Dan Nelson

Greetings from sunny southern California. This is my first post as a married man. I'll do posts on the events surrounding the wedding but I haven't forgotten the very popular series of meeting my groomsmen. Seeing as I still have about a day until the Open House I figure these posts are still relevant. This posts focuses on none other than my consigliere Mr. Daniel John Nelson.

When did you meet?
Great story actually. I was sitting in the SWKT at Washington Seminar orientation in Fall 2003. They put the roommate assignments up on the screen and it flashed Dan Nelson and Peter Dorsch. We just happened to be sitting next to each other. I turned to Dan he turned to me, we shook hands and have been dominating ever since.


Nickname 
Neltzon, Old Man Nelson, DJNeltz

Where does he live?

Dan lives in Arlington, VA in my old house. I had so much fun when I lived there. Occasionally we were told that we were having too much fun. This is also the house where you have to be on guard at all times. If you say something questionable you will be called out. This can be about anything including the way I answered my work phone.

Who does he root for?
Dan Nelson is a true sports fan. It's funny because we totally agree on the Cougars and Lakers, but he hates the Niners and Angels. Dan is the biggest Yankees fan there is and takes great umbrage when I make statements like, "Robinson Cano is a nice little player." Dan is also a Rams fan but more of an LA Rams fan than a St. Louis fan. Eric Dickerson is not walking through that door.

I liked this picture so much, I made it into a magnet and it's on the fridge in Arlington

What does he like?
Dan likes reading sports biographies, baseball, BYU, Star Wars, Quicksilver, batting cages, bow ties, bobble heads, Mario Kart, Snap Shirts, sitting on the porch, having a catch, the Crossroads of the West, Don Draper, IN-N-Out, Brigham Young's Birthplace, Jim Rome Show, Sports Reporters, Redskins Fans, IBC Rootbeer, Sundown, Magnum PI, Karate Kid, and Hulkamania.


Which Star Wars Character is he most like?
No question Lando Calrissian. He's as cool as they come, sharp dresser, and I have trusted him to drive the Millenium Falcon. One day, I was talking to Dan, I said wouldn't it be cool to have a shirt that had Chewie, Lando, and Han, and it said Players Club. I come home from CA and sure enough Dan produced these. Looks like they heard about his little maneuver at the Battle of Tanaab.

Meet the Players Club (Congrats Millie on the twins!)

Things you should know about Dan

• I have never heard him admit to him liking a player that was not on one of the teams he roots for.
• He and I strongly believe that you can not trust a man who doesn't like baseball. 
• We once held a 300 lbs snake on Capitol Hill with TV's Jim Fowler.
• After a concert Dan told me to call into the the radio and request Cruel Summer by Bannanarama. I did and they played it.
• Dan single handily kept a mutiny from happening in regards to our Cobra Kai Halloween costumes.
• We had this ongoing joke for years about wondering what happened to people only to realize that they got married. Now that I am married I'm not sure the joke is as funny.
• Dan picked me up from the airport when I moved back to VA. His first words...Welcome to the Commonwealth.
• When we got our place at the Melrose, Dan had all the utilities turned on and bought us a really nice TV. He wanted a little be of appreciation and said "Thank you would be nice." I responded, you are welcome.
• He hates people taking pictures of food and displaying it, and Family Home evening.
• I have dunked on him about a million times on a nerf mini hoop.
• He pick sixed me in flag football (from the endzone I believe) and doesn't let me forget it. From that point on, I always made sure he was on my team. He's really fast and he takes great joy in running past people who underestimate him.
• He taught me that anybody can make good meat sauce.
• Dan does not like to be called Danny.
• La Serna would definitely beat Brighton in any sport.
• Dan and I have been to a ton of games in Baltimore. One time Matt Waldrip, Dan and myself fully dominated the stadium, on another occasion we saw the absolute worst managerial decision ever, and got free pretzels because we were next to the fan of the game.
• Once when we went to New York to see the Angels play the Yankees, he forced me to sit through a 12-0 Angels loss where I believe only one Angel got to third base.
• Reg or Pre Reg?
• I believe with all my heart that I saw Jim Thome at Dunn Loring.
• He may know the whereabouts of the Ganzer's wedding album.
• Like me he encourages our friend Brian Barker to "take the diaper off".
• Every year about this time the Redskins start their season, Dan and I love to pretend to be 'Skins fans and talk about the majesty of Joe Gibbs.
• I once made a character based on him for my wrestling video game. He wore a tie and had a sweet taunt that he would do.

I probably have a million inside jokes with Dan. He's been a great friend, and I am absolutely pumped for him to move out to CA for school. Now we just need to get Joe out here too and there will be balance in the force.