luv it.

luv being busy.

slopping it up in the airports, jet jet jettin all over.

last week i rocked san jose, la (got to take this funky picture with my girl, ain’t it great?), then wichita falls.

this week, i got to spend the weekend at home! (won’t be doing that for another two weeks)

then i’m back to wichita falls, then mexico the week after that.

great, huh?

sometimes, i feel more comfortable on the road.

if it just weren’t so tiring and draining and lonely, i’d love it even more.

love it.

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i’m tired. really tired. i ran 14 miles yesterday, then did an hour and a half of advanced yoga, and my bodies been creekin all day. what’s with this? i guess that happens when you’re an old man like me.

yep, i’m an old one.

i have a secred to reveal, everyone. i’m not as young as you think.

i’m actually 30 and a half.

i know, i know, everyone thinks i’m 29. but i’m telling you right here, right now, i’m officially giving my age to someone i care deeply about.

so, now i’m 30. oh, and my birthday’s in april now.
how about that?

are you feeling this new Murs album?

every now and then, something comes around that you hear about from multiple sources. I remember sophomore year of college, suddenly this Jurassic 5 single popped up on a mix-tape, then another single showed up on the Rawkus Lyricist Lounge CD, then I’m at a party and my boy pulls out a 12″ that he just got of Jurassic. Like, suddenly, all in a month, J5 had taken over as the next big thang. Then they pushed out their EP, and I salivated for their album.

Remember?

Same thing with Murs. I heard about an old album, 316, a few years back. I’ve even got one of his tracks on a Def Jux sampler. But, I grab this album, Murray’s Revenge, a couple months ago on an iTunes recommendation, and it’s dope. Real dope. But I sleep on it and then pick it up again this week. And people everywhere are telling me, “Yeah, that Murs is slick!” And then I get the new NBA Live 07 (my first video game purchase in probably 2 years), and guess who’s on the soundtrack? Dang. All things collide, huh?

Oh well, sorry to be such a fan boy about a rapper who’s probably much younger than me. Sorry.

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So, I ain’t been on this blog as regular as usual. My apologies.

Why? Here’s a couple reasons.

• School and Work. Baby, it ain’t no joke. Last week, the highlight of my life: On Thursday, I had 3 hours off. I sat on the couch and watched TV. First time in aboot 2 weeks that I earned the right to just veg veg veg. Lovely.
• My new girl. Didja know I got a fabulous new gal? Didja? Didja? Didja? Yeah, it’s been like insta-relationship. We only hit the 2-month mark last week, yet I’m feelin her like it’s been 2-years. Is this what happens when you get old? You just vibe much better in a relationship without all those silly games and power-struggle moves and “well, we hung out with your friends last week, so this week you need to hang out with my friends this week” silliness. Ah, I dunno. Maybe it’s cuz we’re long-distance. Maybe it’s cuz we’re both trying so hard to put Jesus first in this thang. Maybe it’s cuz I’m old and know not to expect everything to be 100% perfect and my way in a relationship. Or maybe it’s cuz . . . dare I say it . . . this might be it. Loverly.
• Running. Today I ran the Livestrong 10K in memory of 2 pals who lost the battle to cancer this year. I feel like I kind of ran it in vain because I didn’t put on those little signs that said “In memory of . . . ” But, whatever. Many, many close friends put the wallets on their hearts and fronted donations to the Livestrong foundation for me. Made me feel good. And I ran it with a good pal too. We went nice and slow, yet still ended up with a pretty good time. How about that? The one thing that I’m not proud of, though, was the fact that there’s a lot of cancer survivors who ran the race too, and it’s a beautiful thing, but I felt real awful when I ran right past them. Like, “hey man, that’s awesome that you’ve beaten cancer, but you can’t beat me! Sucka!” Yeah, the competetive nature ain’t the best for a race like this. But, didja know? I also ran a super-hilly 14.5 miles yesterday. Whoo-hoo! I’m sore, I’m tired, and my body’s all sorts of crazy hurtin. So that’s why I got no times to call you back, fool. Lizzovely.
• The stupid Yankees. Talk about choking it up. This whole last week took too much emotional energy to deal with a team that dominated the season falling apart to the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers! Who? Wha? Oh, they still have a team in Detroit? Stupid Yankees. Not-so-Loverlively.

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Here’s a thought before I roll off and make myself a cashew and blackcurrant sandwich (i love love love living near wheatsville co-op. Them smelly hippies know how to eat!). Education involves mentorship. Taking in people and showing them guidance and being a source of advice and love. My favorite part of teaching is all the kids who still email me and ask me questions about life, love, and getting through high-school Algebra II classes. Seems so natural to want to share and spread love to everyone around you, right?

My question to you: Who do you mentor in life? And who are your mentors? When you sit down and count them up sometimes, I’m slowly feeling that you should be touching as many lives as possible in a 2:1 ratio. So, if you’ve got like 3 or 4 quality mentors in your life, that means you need to be a guiding force in 6-8 kids, right?

——————-

Oh, my new tagline:

I grow like arugula.

Cuz I roar like a cougar . . . la.

teds

haven’t picked up the new roots cd? Friend, you best check yoself and download a copy as soon as possible. As soon as possible! Cuz, I’m not allowed to talk to you if haven’t checked it yet. Sorry, that’s just the way it is.

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so i ran 10 miles yesterday then did a power yoga session with lots and lots of inversions and then spent a good portion of last night drinking ridiculously strong mojitos that i made myself. ouch, my whole body hurts today. just don’t feel good, like i want to soak in a tub and turn my brain off for a couple hours.

and to top it off, i had to watch UT lose! That’s never happened before, I didn’t even know that they could lose! Who knew? UT’s not invincable. oh well.

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hey, wanna see a pic of my new girl?

cool, huh? notice my giant fake tooth in this pic?

yes yes yes.

sucka.

big things.

finally finished all the renovations to the crib, thank you, thank you.

got a new roommate, and he’s a wine expert, used to work in the field. talk about a hook up, baby. plus he’s mad cool.

school’s starting to shape up, gotta finish all the unfinished projects and get back into academic mode. no problem.

and i got a new girl. what what?

whatcha think?

Notice how the colors look so bright when they’re fresh. Cool huh?

And why do I look so angry in these pics?

rush rush rush, that’s what it feels like around here.

Just moved in last weekend, still finishing some minor renovations, trying to stay alive with the classes and the work, and maybe, just maybe, still have a life that involves things other than my laptop.

———————–

Remember my old kitchen?

Bucka bucka bucka, how you like me now?

Looks better, huh?

Yep, just a little bit better. I still haven’t had a chance to bake anything in the oven yet, but I’m contemplating throwing together another pie or casserole this week. (Oh who am I kidding, we all know the first thing that’s going in there is a frozen pizza. Please.)

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So, I was doing some google searching for kicks on myself and I found this old article on Asian-American film that I wrote back in 98. Honestly, I don’t remember writing this article at all. But it’s written with improper grammer and subject/verb agreement, so it must be mine! It scares me to think that I could have completely forgot that I wrote this. Wow, how many other things in my life have I completely forgotten about.

(And if you read carefully, you’ll notice that I reference films that I don’t even remember seeing, either. Uh-oh, is this what happens?)

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Shout outs.

J - big ups to your new pad in Chinatown. How you ever found a pad out there without having to deal with the mob blows my mind. I’m always still praying for you.

S - Much love from Texas as you’re out there camping away in the best part of the country.

A&V - I’m slowly realizing that you guys will move away in less than a month. Wow, I’m really gonna miss you. Thanks for helping me figure out this town so well.

MJ - Thanks for the email. I’ll get back to you one day, you know how I am.

Have a good week, kids.

teddy

ooh, so my kitchen’s done. i bought a bunch of crap at ikea and am slowly filling it in nicely. Still haven’t moved in yet, but I can’t wait to cook my first meal on my brand new stove this weekend! Yes yes, happiness comes in simple pleasures.

Speaking of which, here’s the all time greatest song ever recorded. Ever.

I was speaking to the guy cleaning out my vents today. He told me about a friend who died of Leukemia and how he felt how God used him and some other friends to reach out to the widow and how she became a believer because of it. I’m reminded of how God can use all situations, no matter how sad, to make good things happen. Wow. I really dug hanging out with the guy cleaning out the vents. If anyone needs their air ducts and vents cleaned out, I highly recommend this guy.

Oh, I almost forgot. Wanna see the latest tattoo pics?

Wow, I love how those colors really pop. To be honest, I’m kind of bummed out because I don’t really get to see this tattoo very much myself. Only through pictures and mirrors. Oh well. At least that stupid snake is finally gone!

Did you also notice how chunky I’m getting? Oh yes, the summer of fattiness has been very very fun indeed.

Hit me up with your enlightened comments.