Captain Jack & Tiny Dancer

This weekend, I achieved one of my life goals. There are few things that I absolutely have to do before I die and I did one of them this weekend.
I saw Billy Joel and Elton John in concert on Friday night and my life will forever be changed. To be in the same room, no matter how large, with people who have shaped music so much was amazing. To see the two gods of piano rock sit key-to-key was incredible.
To make things even cooler, I got to see the concert from a sweet suite directly above the stage. I have never been in one of those little-rich-people-boxes before and I'm sorry to say that I hope to never have to sit anywhere else at the Energy Solutions Arena. The seats had cushions, the view was incredible, and there was an unlimited supply of mozzarella sticks and coke.
Since my ticket was gifted to me, I justified the expense of buying a concert t-shirt ($40 . . . ) and a Billy Joel keychain ($10 . . . ). Expensive? yes. Worth it? yes again.
I am sorry that I never post pictures on my blog because the shirt is pretty sweet.
On my way to the concert, I mentioned that the only concert that could possibly top this would have to be Michael Jackson, after his death. Since that's never going to happen, I can officially say that I have seen the best concert imaginable.
Unfortunately, this means that all concerts from here on out will pale in comparison to my heroes: Elton and Billy.

I told you you'd miss me. . .

Dear Everyone,
I apologize for leaving you all hanging out there in the blogosphere. My bad for not posting for about nine months.
Here is a quick update on my life since we last spoke:
In April, I moved out of my parents house and down to Provo.
In May, I kept living in Provo and still liked it.
In June, I vacationed in my new favorite city - Seattle. It is seriously one of the coolest places I have ever been. I would love to settle in Seattle someday.
In July, I lit some fireworks and went on a blind date with a girl who was incredibly tall. It's sad, but that's all I remember from July. Oh yeah, my best buddy, BigCat (Jordan) came home from his mission in July. That was good for me.
In August, I turned 21 (finally) and moved into another apartment in Provo with said best buddy. I also began taking classes at UVU. I declared myself as a Communication major but didn't take any comm classes.
In September, I started liking Provo again. . . briefly.
In October, I had the honor of travelling to Denver with a coworker and some new friends to see one of my all-time favorite performers :Andrew McMahon (lead singer of Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate). My friends and I won a contest where we got to go in early to the show and meet the star.
October held other great things for me. After my car broke down, preventing me from a trip to Idaho, I got roped into playing the keyboard in a band for the play "Little Shop of Horrors." It was a great experience and reminded me how much I love performing.
I also bought a new car in October. (apparently it was a big month)
In November, my dislike for Provo returned with a vengeance. I decided to throw in the towel and began searching for someone to buy my contract.
In December, I did my best to get through Christmas without beating anybody up. I decided this year to give the holidays a second chance. It really wasn't too bad. Some of the highlights include: helping the Burgeners decorate their Christmas tree, drinking sparkling cider, and playing Santa Clause at the Trayner family Christmas Eve party.
Now that it is January, I find myself in an entirely different place. I moved home temporarily and now I live on my own again. I am renting a room in a house with 5 guys in South Salt Lake (Millcreek). One of my roommates is a new friend from 2009 and I'm enjoying my time here. Rent is super cheap and I have my own room. The best part is that I don't live in Provo anymore.

So that's my update. I will try to blog more frequently in the coming months but I can't make any promises. My life just isn't that exciting.

Praying for Tuberculosis?

As you all know, I have been suffering from a mysterious medical conditon for well over a year now. It has been seven months since I last saw a doctor for it, so I decided to find a new urologist to get a fresh perspective.
My search was made surprisingly easy when I received a list of health care providers from my insurance company. I randomly chose a urologist in the valley.
My appointment was today. I was really nervous because these things usually involve some awkward moments. Strange enough, the doctor just talked to me. He looked over my history and is pretty sure he knows what is wrong. His guess? tuberculosis. That's right. . . TB. The same disease that claimed the lives of thousands of people in the 18 century. Just my luck, right? To be honest with you, I'm relieved. They still have more tests to run, but I really hope they have finally found out what is wrong. I'm ready to move on.

Ode to February

February has always boggled my mind. It's probably the coolest month out there. It just does what it wants. It's noticably shorter than all the other months but is filled to the brim with awesomeness. The word "february" alone is evidence enough of its greatness. Just to make sure February stays cool, every once in a while it decides to have an extra day. I think we could all learn some valuable lessons from the month of February.
You likely didn't notice, but I haven't blogged since the first of February. Being that it is now the first of March, I think I will just touch on the highlights of my favorite month.

• I was in training all month long for my new position at the bank. The training takes place at a big building out by the airport. This building just happens to be home to the best *cafeteria ever.
• President's Day always happens in February. Question: Who doesn't love President's Day? Answer: Wells Fargo (we were the only bank open).
• Valentine's Day is another holiday that calls February "home." This year all my friends that are around happened to be girls. They decided to have a "Anti-Valentine" Party (more accurately named "Party of Hate"). I'll admit, I was a little depressed that I was potentially going to have to spend the day alone. Instead of being pathetic, I took the high road. I spent the morning working with the missionaries. Then I took a break and Gavin DiFran and I went laser-tagging. After that, I went with some different missionaries to the temple open-house. It was a great Valentine's Day.
• February 23rd was my half birthday. Since I am so much younger than everybody else in my class, I have always openly observed my half birthday.
• The best part about February 2009 has got to be my NEW CAR!!!! I bought a 2008 Dodge Caliber. It's sexy silver with black trim. Inside it has tons of room (I can even sit all the way up and not touch the ceiling with my head). The coolest feature of my new car? Inside the glove box there are grooves where you put up to four beverages. The air-conditioning then kicks in and cools the beverages. That's right. There is a cooler in my glove box.

Ideally, all of this information would have been spread out over the last four weeks. But I'm lazy, and a procrastinator. So here it is.

*No weight was lost during the month of February.

Landmarks

In the last month, I have reached a lot of interesting landmarks in my life.

• My car reached 100,000 miles. My little Hyundai that could. . . did.
• I finally weigh 200 lbs. Who is the biggest loser now, suckas?
• January 30th was the anniversary of my first documented evidence of any sort of medical condition. I remember it like is was yesterday. My companion, Elder Clements, and I were walking through the foggy Belgian streets. We were heading to a dinner appointment with the nicest family ever. I remember turning to Elder Clements and saying, "Elder, righty doesn't feel so hot." Happy anniversary.

Already Disappointed.

Anybody who glanced at a tv today knows that it was Inauguration Day. The day when the mantle of the presidency shifted from tired shoulders to the "shoulders of change." I am an Obama supporter and have been from the start. However, I find it hard to not be disappointed by what I saw today.
What upset me most was the fact that all of the festivities of the day came off like a really boring red-carpet special. I don't even want to know how much money was spent on the goings-on today. I also hate the fact that celebrities such as Ashanti were interviewed wearing skanky award-show dresses. This is an inauguration people- put on a jacket.
Our country is in a pretty serious bind here. We have money. . . or do we? I hate to think who could have benefited from the funds wasted today.
I still have faith in my boy Obama. I'm just sad is all.

Denied. . .

Well friends. Plans have changed again. I'm okay with it this time, mostly because it wasn't my choice. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I was not accepted at BYU. It's no biggie though because I recently received a promotion that would have prevented me from going to Provo anyway. So now I am a Banker at Wells Fargo.
This is even better than my original plan for the following reasons:

• I can keep my beard and not feel guilty for being in violation of the Honor Code.
• I don't have to kick my mild swearing habit.
• I can enjoy a little bit of extra money while I do online classes and night school.
• I won't be throwing money away by paying rent.
• I still get to hang with all my friends who live in the SL valley.
• I won't be looking over my shoulder everytime I accidentally blurt out "That's what she said."

I'll be honest, I didn't really think I would get into BYU- but it was worth a shot.