Why does it feel like Christmas?

To answer the title question, because the NBA season is upon us. Each new season brings a renewed hope, anticipation, and challenge for my beloved Utah Jazz. While players spend the offseason improving their physical conditioning and refining needed skills, I spend my time reviewing stats, watching highlight clips from the previous year, and reading Jazz message boards to keep myself apprised of new team developments so that I can be at the top of my game when the season tips off. Unlike Andrei Kirilenko who spends his summers in St. Tropez vacationing the days away and each year shows up to camp with a weak frame and consistently underdeveloped skillset, I dedicate myself to a focused, daily rountine so that when I report the next year, I'm ready to compete at an elite level as a fan. After an offseason of rigorous training, I have prepared myslef in the following ways:

- Kept my mind sharp to learn about the new developments in the field of statistical analysis
- Improved figure dexterity to respond to text messages during games
- Tempered my man-crush on Deron Williams so that I don't actually begin to stalk him
- Strengthened my gluteal muscles in anticipation of many hours spent sitting in front of a television
- Woke up early to cheer on Deron and Boozer in their quest for gold at Beijing
- Worked on explosion so that I can get off the couch quicker when Memo hits one of his patented clutch three pointers
- Trained my eyes to absorb and process discussions from message boards more rapidly
- Enhanced my vocal power and lung capacity in order to yell at refs that can clearly hear me through the TV
- Learned to be more stealth so that my teachers won't notice I'm following games online in class
- Lifted and improved my strength so that I can challenge Bill Simmons and Ric Bucher to a fight should they ever cross my path (and I would challenge both of those sissys to a fight at the same time)
- Increased my vocabulary to throw new insults at opposing players should I be fortunate enough to attend a game this year now that the Sonics are gone (boo!)
- Tried to develop my relationship with my wife even further so that our marriage survives one more year of Jazz basketball

I will be bringing my "A" game, and I hope you will as well. Here's a little something to get you ready for tonight:

Spring Awakening

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved musicals. It probably stems from when my parents would drive us to any county fair within a 90 miles radius where we would perform "show tunes." When I was eight, my parents got us front row mezzanine seats to Les Miserables in San Franciso. I love it and I almost tried out for the part of Cosette when it came to Salt Lake City but I was too old. Even though I was probably about fifteen at the time, I still claim that I could've passed as an eight year old orphan. My parents were also season ticket holders to The Capitol Theater where I have seen many musicals, some multiple times.

When I heard that Spring Awakening was coming to Seattle I told Tyler that I had go. But for some reason, I kept putting off buying the tickets. I never felt like I had the money at the time to go. So, my friend Brittney calls me and tells me that she got two tickets from her work and she couldn't go because she already had a work function that night. When she told me the news I was so excited, but then I got stressed. The tickets were that night and I had both a Med/Surg and a Pharmacology test the next morning. Brittney told me that I had to hurry and make a decision so I kind of made one without thinking......yes! Instead of studying, I went to the play with Tawney.

The play was nothing like I had ever seen before. The lyrics were mildly inappropiate and sexually suggestive, there was a small amount of nudity, and the overall tone was somewhat crass. I loved every second of it! I really feel like it is hands down my new favorite musical.

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Happy Birthday!!!

So, Stacy is officially on the wrong side of 25. Yesterday was her birthday, and what a day it was. In the afternoon we went over to U Village because Stacy wanted to eat lunch and get a pastry from Specialty's. I always feel out of place there because the joint is usually 95% women, but the chocolate chip peanut butter cookies are fantastic, and hey, if that's where Stacy wants to go on her birthday, then I guess that's where we'll go. From there we spent the next two hours in Sephora and an additional hour and a half in H&M. Ok, so I wasn't actually keeping time, it just felt that long. Who knew there were so many shades of lip gloss to try on?

After U Village, we came home to get ready for some birthday festivities. This is Stacy getting dressed. I'm not sure why we took a picture of her getting dressed, but she requested it (again, it's her birthday, so I can't really ask questions).

We then made our way over to the taco truck down on Rainier to partake of some Mexican delights. Aaron appropriately named this masterpiece of a photo "Three Mexicans Eating Mexican Food."

While trying to fend off Montezuma's revenge, we went to The Garage to do some bowling. Unfortunately we didn't request the bumper lanes that Stacy and Tawney needed to actually hit some pins.

When the bowling was over we came back to our place to eat some delicious cupcakes that Brittney had made. Unable to find a candle, Aaron had a stroke of genius and decided to wrap toilet paper around a straw. Turns out that when you allow toilet paper to burn for the duration of the happy birthday song, it's not as easy to blow out as a candle. Stacy tried her hardest to get that thing out, but ashes were flying everywhere.

The cupcakes were also made to accompany Stacy's last request of the evening: that we watch home videos of her as a little kid. Let me tell you, these things are fantastically entertaining. Most of them consist of Stacy's parents talking to her while she stares at the camera like a deer in the headlights not saying a word. The most action packed clip was when she had just gotten back from her first visit to the dentist. She actually talked in that one. I'm blaming it on the drugs the dentist must have given her.

Anyway, happy b-day to my beautiful wife. She said next year for her birthday I need to write a poem. I bargained her down to a haiku, because I have some experience with those from 8th grade English (and because it's shorter without the rhyming requirement -- I'm terrible at rhyming). She suggested I get started on it right away so that it's done on time for next year. I was just looking at some that were written for Sarah Michelle Gellar's birthday on the Entertainment Weekly blog, and this is the template I'll be working from:

Twenty-nine years old;
True Vampire Slayer to the end;
Can't she make good films?

In fact, if in three years she requests that we watch home videos again on her birthday, I may just use that very one. Just teasin' sweetie. Happy birthday and I love you!

Tyler