Abbott & Costello, Lucy & Ethel, Paulus & Scott

One of my first blog posts was about my friend and occasional running buddy Lisa.  After years of begging, Lisa has finally acquiesced to running a race with me, yay!!   So if you're anywhere around downtown Columbus on May 3, watch for us!  It'll be like "Where's Waldo," except instead of red/white stripes you're looking for the crazy mass of red/blonde curly hair. 

I have to admit though, that running with Lisa always feels a little empty for me.  You see, Lisa and I are only two of a trio; with the third being our friend Katie (who I will henceforth refer to as Katire, as that is her proper name in my eyes).  A long time ago, the three of us had to share a bus seat (if you need to know how long ago that was, let's just say that all three of us have been skirting the 6' tall line for decades and there is absolutely NO WAY that three 6' tall people are sharing a school bus seat).  Katire got on first and got the window seat...Lisa was second and in the middle...and I got on last.  For the first few years of elementary school, Katire and I disliked each other as we each were jealous of the other one talking to Lisa on the bus.  Fate intervened in fourth grade, and suddenly Katire and I were in the same class...without Lisa.  Katire had a perm and glasses, and I had naturally ridiculous hair and was awkward as all get out.  Probably out of necessity, we formed a fast friendship that (unfortunately for Katire) is still going strong. 

Katire is the much needed straight man in our comedy duo.  I am silly, she is serious.  I am always late, she is only late if she isn't 10 minutes early.  I am disorganized, her nickname is "Katie Stewart".  She gardens, I kill things.  She is mature, I like to remind her that I'm older than her.  She always has what I need to borrow, I inevitably break it.  I am nosy, she is private.  I have hair-brained schemes, she is the voice of reason.  It has been this way since I showed up to her house in a fringed cut off neon green sweatsuit and she told me I looked like the Jolly Green Giant.  Since I got blue dye on the top she lent me for senior pictures.  Since she told me to "get your dignity out of your purse, please" once at the movies.  Since I walked around Meijer holding a ladle and hugging the inflatable Keebler elf.  Since I broke her crockpot last Christmas.  Since she told me to keep this blog interesting or she'd stop reading.

Katire's friendship kinda helps me be a functioning adult.  Her well placed, "Oh, whatever"s let me know when I'm needlessly getting all excited over nothing and her faith to continue to lend me things after numerous failures in the "I'll get this right back to you" department speaks to just how loyal of a friend she really is.  And even though I often struggle to show it through the big goofball that I am, Katire's friendship is super special to me.  She is the closest thing I will ever have to a sister...someone who knows my past and my present and will undoubtedly be there for me in the future.  So even if she's not running the race with me, I know she'll be there at the finish line.  Eating a huge bowl of ice cream and mocking me, sure.  But there nonetheless...



 





 

Leaplings Have Birthdays Too!!

So apparently everyone writes a blog post on their birthday.  And despite the fact that I (Patrick) don’t have a birthday this year, which Kelsey keeps reminding me of, I thought it might be fun to write one.  I chose this topic because I probably see the readership of this blog fairly frequently, but you probably do not know much about me except what is directly related to Kelsey and the little person.  

I apologize in advance for the drop in quality but most of the things I write these days are of a technical nature.  A note about technical writing: not long after I started working someone mentioned that most of the things we write no one wants to read in light of this what we write should be as short as possible.  

Without further delay, three things you might not know about the guy who accompanies Kelsey and the little person on occasion:

1.       I like to read books, a lot.  I occasionally wander off, but mostly I stick to fantasy.  I have really enjoyed Glen Cook’s Black Company Books of the North, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy, and even the occasional book about an Egyptian sorcerer, an evil clown, and time travel.  Oddly enough I have never read any of the J. R. R. Tolkien books.  This seems like something I might have to fix.

2.       I enjoy college football.  Every year at the start of college football I root for eight teams to go undefeated and for chaos to reign.  But for the most part that does not happen.  I know it is not shocking that someone would like college football, but I tend to be more interested in the administrative side than how my favorite team does.  Topics like should players be paid, how should a national champion be chosen, the difference between how universities treat coaches and players those are the things that interest me.  This could be because I am rather unathletic and never played football at any sort of competitive level, but that is the sort of fan I am.

3.        I guess we can stick with sports.  My favorite sport to play is tennis.  Don’t get me wrong I am bad at it.  I mostly concentrate on trying to hit the ball over the net and in play, as opposed to trying to score points.  But it has two things working in its favor.  First, it is not a team sport.  I realize that team sports teach us a lot of important life lessons blah, blah, blah.  But I don’t like team sports.  I don’t like having other people depend on how I do, and I don’t like it when I can’t control the outcome.  Second, it is fast paced.  You do not spend ten minutes waiting for the ball to come your way or three innings waiting for your turn to bat (here’s looking at you baseball).  I probably have not played in a year or two but it is near the top of my list of things I should do more. 

Well that concludes my birthday blog post.  If you can think of an interesting topic that I should write on for next year please let me know.  That is, if Kelsey let's me write another post...