St. George tri, and I'm tagged

I've been tagged by Bonny to share with you all 8 facts or habits about me that may be lesser known. First, I never fill out those email forwards that have you answer 78 questions and send them to all your friends, but the blog world might be different. And because I'm still new to it all, who am I to not participate? Plus, 8 is so much easier than 78. I do, however, commiserate with Haley, who is also an open book and it took me quite a while to figure out what I might write about.

Before I go into that, I do want to say that I went to the Kokopelli Triathlon in St. George. Not to compete, but to be part of a very excited and supportive pit crew for four friends who were going to race.

The pit crew. We got so into it, we wrote "pit crew" on our arms and legs just like the actual racers with their numbers

Because the race was on September 22nd, and I did have four friends racing, I'm behind on writing a blog about it compared to the others who were there.

My four triathlete buddies

To give you a general overview, we drove down Friday afternoon, carbo-loaded at the Spaghetti Factory, woke up entirely too early, watched a beautiful sunrise,

See how pretty it was?! This is Caron and Christy, very excited to swim

watched the storm roll in, dodged wind-blown audio equipment, got soaked standing in the rain, lamented with the triathletes when the race was canceled,

A very sad Christy leaves the transition area having only finished the swim

went to breakfast because it was still 9:00 a.m., went bowling, then drove home with the storm on our tails the entire way. For further perspective, please see Christy's and Caron's blogs.

Now, on to my 8 things.

1. I am deathly afraid of heights, but I love roller coasters. Sometimes I really have to muster up the courage to go on the big ones, but I usually have a blast. To give an example of how afraid I am, here is a picture of me on the Tower of Terror at California Adventure in August.

You may not be able to tell, but I was clutching the arm of Becca G. who was sitting next to me. There was nothing else to hold on to! You're just sitting there in a chair, and suddenly you're shot up some 50 stories, then dropped! I was temporarily cured of my fear once in high school. We went to the Stratosphere in Las Vegas as part of a band tour, and I went on the Big Shot. I was totally fine with heights for about 12 hours after.

2. I am secretly a creative writer. I mostly write short stories, micro-fiction, or poetry. I don't know if I'm very good, but I don't like to share what I write very often because it's easy to hide behind the technical writing degree. Hopefully that will change soon, because Brookey and I are thinking of starting a creative writing blog where we and others can post our creative works and comment on them. I'm a little nervous because what I write is often very personal and can give a glimpse into my inner soul and it makes me feel a tad vulnerable.

3. I don't like cereal. I don't like it as a snack, as breakfast, anything. Every now and again I'll buys something because It sounds good in the moment, and I'll even eat a bowl for breakfast, but it usually goes stale and I have to throw it away.

4. I don't have an iPod and don't really want one. I can't think of when I'd need one, but I can think of all the music that I'd buy on iTunes, and I still need to pay a mortgage. I'm a big fan of music and have been known as the guy who knows all the words to every song, but I still don't know when I'd listen to an iPod. My sister-in-law asked me about it yesterday, and I was almost convinced I should get one, but I think I'll hold out still.

5. I love the Discovery Channel. Some of my favorite shows include Planet Earth, Myth Busters, Dirty Jobs, Cash Cab, and Man vs. Wild.

6. I used to play the clarinet and saxophone, and I was pretty good. I even made the jazz band in college my freshman year, and was a music major before I realized I didn't practice enough to become a professional and had no desire to become a music teacher (which, in my opinion, is the least appreciated job in the entire world, while arguably the most demanding). Consequently, I like musicals, live theatre, and going to listen to a symphony. About a year ago, I looked into what it would take to become part of the West Jordan City Band, but I never showed up. I haven't played my clarinet for about 7 years. It sits in my closet looking longingly at me when I get a tie every morning. Someday I will brush the dust off and play something.

7. I like to keep my house clean, but my room is a freakin' mess. Many of you will know that my room is often a mess. It's not gross or anything, just looks like my closet threw up into the room. It's mostly just clothes on the floor. But I like to have the living room, kitchen, and bathrooms clean. Partly I think it's pride--I want people to think the place is nice, and I can always just close my door--and partly I think it's part of my new homeownership. I really want my condo to retain its value so when I eventually sell and buy a house with a yard, I'll get a good return on my investment. If things stay clean, they usually stay well kept and avoid holes and other permanent damage.

8. I am a huge movie buff, but I own relatively few movies. I love going to the movies. I love the big screen, the big sound, the big seat, and the occasional big bucket of popcorn. I like to see new movies when they come out and I have many favorites. I never keep a favorite for very long, but some of my current favorites are About a Boy, Stranger Than Fiction, The Matrix, Toys, Clue (yes it's a movie, and if you haven't seen it man you'd better!), and Empire Records. I own only three of those.

Ok, that isn't all of me, but there's a little glimpse! Hope you like it! Oh, and I'll tag........... anyone who needs their blog updated or feels like it. (I don't want to pressure you to do anything you don't want...)