ultra food coma and update

i need to stop hanging out with friends on the weekend.  this is because my time with friends inevitably turns into my time with large quantities of unhealthy (and delicious) food.  if i just stayed home all the time, i would probably be skinny.  and not in the middle of the worlds most intense food coma right now.

that being said, i'd rather be fat and happy than skinny and lonely.  my life is filled with such complex dilemmas. 

other happenings:

1. as i'm writing this, the first wave of college students have started school again.  now i can laugh while they study and write papers and rack up debt up to their ears.  its only fair after being miserable this summer; having to wake up at 5:30 while everyone else stayed up late and woke up around 3 everyday.  oh, how the tables have turned.  enjoy your exams, suckas!
2.  the timothy retreat was an absolute blast.  it's amazing to see just how much everyone has grown and matured within the last year.  even though sometimes i wish they'd mature faster, it helps to realize they're just going through the same process that i so awkwardly struggled through just a short time ago.  and i'm not exactly "mature" either, so what are you even complaining about, dude? (i constantly have to remind myself to not take myself too seriously, or else i end up making myself look foolish)
3. on a related note, this coming fall, i will be charged with the task of teaching the rising 6th grade class.  not an easy challenge, but one i will relish (i think).  i asked my mom how to approach it and she said something very wise, "discipline without relationship incites rebellion."  the kids have to know i care about them and love them, or else they won't respond to anything i tell them.  what gives me the right to barge into their class and set up a list of rules for them to follow if they don't even know who i am?  we'll see what happens.   
4. my dumb computer broke, so i'm going to the store to get one today.  somewhere in tysons corner, there is a brand new macbook pro with my name on it.  yes, i am going over to the dark side.  i can't resist the multitouch track pad and the overall shininess.  i'm afraid i am too easily enamored with style over substance (in many areas of my life) and i will pay way too much for it.  but this has both, so it's a little better right?  still extremely expensive. 

overall, a packed week.  and i didn't even mention the AMP concert (which was awesome).

inside my stomach....

...there is a war being fought between a medium #6 from wendy's, a cup of frozen yogurt (with toppings), and a platoon of mcdonald's chicken nuggets.

this won't end well.

(a visual interpretation)

IRON CHEF

I wish we did cool things like this when I was in timothy... (watch in HD)



The vid is pretty long, but amusing.  Honestly, I was expecting inedible food from the kids, but they continue to surprise me.  Each dish was pretty tasty, which is more than I can say about some of my cooking endeavors.  Our team made the "Southwest chipotle bbq chicken burrito with coleslaw filling."  What a mouthful, literally.  Although it looked pretty plain, we ended up tying for first place (in the initial tabulation) only to lose by the judges final decision.

I was extremely proud of my group though. They were all good sports and all got their hands dirty while working as a team.  I technically couldn't help, so I was just running around, getting things from the kitchen and telling them what to do.  I felt like a stressed out mom.

A typical exchange in our corner of kitchen stadium went something like this...

me : "You! Grill the chicken!"
me: "You guys, cut the veggies!"
me: "Who took all the knives?!"
me: "HEY! Watch the chicken, its burning!!"
everyone else: (whimpering) "yes master"

As much as I was proud of the kids, I was also a little impressed with myself.  I mean this in the humblest way, becase I've never cooked anything in my life other than popcorn and microwave pizza - most of the time, burnt popcorn and still cold microwave pizza.  Maybe I should branch out now that I know I can at least make "Southwest chipotle bbq chicken burritos with coleslaw filling."

Anyone wanna take cooking lessons w/ me?

eventful weekend

i turned 22 over the weekend.  it feels the same as 21, which felt the same as 20, which felt the same as 19, etc. so, although my legal age is 22, my mental age is still hovering somewhere around 6.  i still laugh when i hear the word, "fart."

the problem with growing older is that, at some point, people start expecting you to act your age.  all of a sudden, it becomes unacceptable for a guy to still enjoy video games or watching cartoons.  well, i'm not getting any younger, and spongebob still makes me laugh (and i will probably never tire of killing zombies).  seems like my parents forgot to pass on the "growing up" gene.  but i'm sure as the rigors of life continue to pile on, my sense of wonderment and carefree attitude will slowly give way to structure and boredom.  :(

kinda random, but related, i have 2 cousins who were born on my exact birthday (july 31).  its just that one was born 12 years later, and the other was born 20 years later.  also, i share a birthday with harry potter.  and it's not in november (ahem, jonathan).

today, i took one of the youth kids out to a h.s. parking lot to practice driving for the first time.  i was a little nervous, but he handled it like a pro (just like me).  only, i found out later that he doesn't actually have his permit yet... so, what we did was very illegal.    sigh, you try to do something nice....