Yonggi: Courage: Babies Hug Bullets Hide

A year ago, Nate embarked on a journey to Germany to serve his country. It's been an odd experience trying to fill in the gap that Nate's absence has left in my life, almost futile really. Even though we talk all the time online, and that I had plenty of personal and academic distractions, and even I'd still would have only seen him every so often had he still attended Fort Collins and not enlisted as he fatefully had; it's a noticeable absence to try to get used to. Nate has such a magnanimous personality, he really does steal the spotlight, which is a contrast to my more quiet and introverted demeanor. It's fun being around Nate; he has such energy that he effuses and infects everybody around him and I feed off of that. He's one of the few people who I feel completely comfortable around and can be wacky and goofy and silly around. It's great fun.

It's somewhat difficult to describe and recount what all we did. It was a few months back after all and we did do a lot of just generic hanging out where not a lot happened but still enjoyable fun. So rather than describe hours of us just talking and joking and trying to figure out what we should do, I'll string together some pics and make some random comments. Lame pic post a go go!

Here's Nate and I laughing after a hilarious joke. There were many moments where we just joked around. The title of this post is an inside reference to when we were watching Children of Men. He often would sing Umbrella by Rhianna. There were bouts of gay chicken between him and Tai often. I remarked about a beautiful girl on tv about how I would "stab her with my penis" and I was literally in tears with laughter over Nate's late night story about the "Twist and Shout." He has the video of me just laughing for 5 minutes straight to prove it too.

Myself and Spencer, under the instruction of Nate's to look "awkward and uncomfortable". Spence played Ian in the horrible amateur student film of the same name for anyone who attended the Doherty Film Festivals and remembers that horrendous film. He also kind of look like an Asian John Mayer.

Lol. Nate has apparently adopted Spence as his "protege." Nate obviously treats him well. I also find it funny how he gives Spencer relationship advice considering Spence is at an age where relationships are a shallow faux imitation (he's 15) and because Nate is a very bitter angry man in regards to every girl he's dated. Granted, I'm not in any better position..haha

This was an interesting story. Nate, Matt, and I were treated to dinner at a sports bar thanks to Michelle (Nate's mother) and her friend. I ordered a western burger, which was quite delicious might I add, and secretly wanted to play darts. Matt and Nate went to the jukebox to pick some tunes to play when this small bald guy wearing tight jeans with requisite oversized cowboy belt buckle and a tucked in t-shirt walks over to Nate to question him if he was with the "ladies" he was sitting with. Man that must have been awkward, having some creep walk up to you to with the intentions of trying to get lucky with your mom. We walked home afterwards for funsies talking and joking around.

Tai and I on one of our many late night rendezvous to the local Village Inn and or Denny's. There's a couple more pics of us at VI. It seems like the most exciting things to do in Colorado Springs past 9-11 is go to Walmart (which we also did often) or VI for strawberry milkshakes and strawberry pie.

Lol. *Shrugs* I should use this for a profile pic sometime.

There was plenty of Guitar Hero played. Though Nate, even though he owns the game himself, refused to play because he was embarassed about not being good enough or some other bull. Spence is 15 and actually plays rel guitar and he's probably the only person I've met who's as good as if not better than me at the game. He's beaten Jordan, which I still have yet to do (nor do I really want to do to be honest) but I have more experience with the game (considering he doesn't own it though and only plays the game at his friends, somewhat an unfair handicap I guess) so I still beat him on most songs we played. None the less, I do bow down and give mad props to thee.

I don't know why or who I kept calling or who kept calling me but for whatever reasons I kept getting phone calls when I hung out with Nate, which is bizarre considering how rare I get phone calls ever. It's pretty rude I admit and it bugs me when people do it to me, so sorry buddy but really, what the hell? *Shrugs*

Another night at the VI. Haha, I made some crazy weird faces. This was another fun night and this pic cracks me up. The waitress was pretty cool, her name was Heidi and Nate mentioned my previous history with girls named Heidi and I playing along offered to tattoo her name on my chest. Man I'm crazy around Nate. haha

Leaving the Inn...Probably to head off to walmart or something.

All during the vacation I kept nagging about what we should do activity wise since I'm just one of those types of people that has to be active and doing things, which is the exact opposite of Nate's wing it philosophy. One of the things we brainstormed was to go bowling and thus we went bowling.

Haha, Spence and Nate bowling at the same time in the same lane! Quite a fancy, till the pins locked up and the managers warned us not to do it again or they'd kick us out. Still, made for a great photo op!

A bunch of asian guys standing around a white car...soooo Initial D!

Chillin'

Haha, Tai kept stealing Nate's hat. There he is with it on sleeping away.

This was a great pic. Us all sharing a beer. Nate had a night where he invited a bunch of friends over and they bought up a lot of liquor. I had a few coke and rums and wanted to drink more but the guys invited (Derek Klinge, Chris Eggleston, Dustin and some other friends) were friggin power alcoholics and had most of the liquor drank in the first 30 minutes. They didn't know how to pace themsevles at all. *sigh* Oh well. Dustin was drunk off his ass and just kept rambling incoherantly and Derek was soooo annoying, he wouldn't shut up at all and talked the entire night in a haughty music snob manner, so usual Derek Klinge for anyone who's ever met him. Eh, still fun. Not to mention I freaked out Nate when I called him and told him I was wandering around lost on some street when in reality I was with Tai getting Guitar Hero. haha, oops.

Haha, last night of Nate's time in the springs, we decided to go to VI and on the way there we found a shopping cart and so we all took turns pushing and riding the cart on our way there. haha oh we must of woke up the entire neighborhood with that rumbling cart.

Walking back after having the last strawberry milkshake and midnight breakfast with Nate.

And that pretty much sums up and concludes my misadventures with Nate, my Rosencrantz to my Guildenstern. There was much merriment to be had and much breakfast and milkshakes drank and many times was Scrubs quoted. Some other things I forgot to mention that occured was how Nate bought me Odin Sphere on an impulse after I told him how awesome I had heard the game to be, which was very generous of him. The game's beautiful, well written, and fun but guiltily I haven't gotten very far in the game due to the fact that it's such a smart game that it requires you to think through and micromanage your items and equipment so much that I rarely have the time or the desire to play it and often have opted for inferior and more mindless games like Dynasty Warriors. This is the same reason why I can't get past the first 4 or 5 chapters in Disgaea, even though I love that game and praise it highly as well. Oh Atlus, you are quickly becoming my next favorite publisher with your quirky anime inspired sprite based games. We also saw Knocked Up, which was pretty good though i wouldn't say as funny as 40 Year Old Virgin. I guess it was a little hard to relate to the female protagonist going through pregnancy since I lack those functioning set of genitalia. Still had it's funny moments though.

Before I knew it, two weeks had passed and it was time to say goodbye once more. I offered to drive Nate to the airport and Tai and Spence tagged along so that we could all say goodbye to Nate there. On the drive home Tai and Spence kept banging on the back of my chair and pretending like they had broken something and I pretended to act irrate when really I just didn't want to say too much and reveal myself choking up from having said goodbye.