Dancing the Morning Away, and Protecting Jackie.

Last Saturday morning, I woke up... and it was dark. It was a little depressing. I grouchily got up, showered, dried my hair, dressed in a skirt and nice blouse, put on my heels... and then set out in the cold towards the Marriott Center. Matt, my dance partner, had said to meet him on the north side. I found him, and we went in. We were given a number, (639) and then we went and practiced on the dance floor. Matt seemed rather nervous. Finally, they had us all line up in numerical order (which was ridiculous because there were about 240 couples competing Bronze-level cha cha). We were probably the seventh or ninth heat. And we danced. We felt a little silly. In fact, I'd imagine that kind of what a blind date would be like...

After dancing, we went and did homework in the audience. He did some economics homework... and I started preparing my lesson for my Book of Mormon class... "...Is that for Book of Mormon?" "Yeah. We have to prepare a lesson for a teaching experience... it's not due for a while though... it's just my friend Ryan and I wanted to get it done before all the big projects in our other classes were due..." Matt blinked at me. "...Who's your professor?" "Swift! He's amazing, I'd really recommend him..." Matt kept giving me that funny look. "When do you have him?" ... "Uhhh... Mondays and Wednesdays..." "From 3 to 4 pm?" It was my turn to give him a strange look. "Um... yes... Yes." Oh no... now Matt is stalking me... "Jenna, we're in the same class!"

Whoa. "Wait... we are? I swear I've never seen you before!" "I've never seen you before either!" ... "Where do you sit?"

Matt answers, "Usually the first row."

Now that was a tad strange. "I... always sit in the first row. Always." How can we have never seen each other before?

"I sit on the right... The whole right side is basically from my ward..."

"Yeah, I sit on the left... usually sandwiched between my friend Ryan and my roommate Hillary."

"Yeah, that's weird."

Then the results from the first round were posted. About a quarter of everyone had been eliminated... Matt and I, however, were not. So we danced again. And then... oh look, we made it to the third round. For sure we got out this time! ... No, apparently not. Still in this thing. Fourth round... oh look, they'll calling back 639... again. Fifth round... 639! So we danced again.

Finally, we got kicked out by the sixth round... but we had made it to the top quarter. I think that's pretty good, considering this was basically the first time we'd ever met each other. I went home, tended to a few developing blisters on my feet, and finished preparing my Book of Mormon lesson. Ryan came over and we taught each other our lessons. He taught from Fourth Nephi, and I taught... from all over the place. Mostly from Moroni 7 and Ether 12... Then he left, and continued on to do biology and physics homework and such. I did some HEPE homework too.

Jackie came in to my room at one point and told me that she was going on a date with Neil, but she'd been having minor problems with him. So basically, if she came home with him in the middle of the date, I was now under oath not to leave her alone with him. Oh, joy.

I continued doing homework, and was getting ridiculously tired of it. But then Ryan showed up.

He hadn't been at my place very long when Jackie showed up... with Neil. We're not sure what Neil's problem is, but he... can be ridiculously obnoxious. As far as I have been able to tell... he just can't stand not being the center of attention. So... now it was me, Ryan, Jackie, and Neil in the kitchen. Rachel also showed up... I assume because she had heard stalker stories about this Neil and wanted to know who he was.

The next hour got stranger and stranger and stranger. I wanted to leave. Rachel wanted to leave. But... we were under oath not to leave Jackie. Jackie looked a little uncomfortable... Ryan also made a few funny faces that meant... "Yeesh, this guy is weird..." I mean, the guy wouldn't allow a lull in conversation. No quiet. Where there could have been quiet, Neil was being obnoxious.

Finally, when Neil started singing out putting beans in people's ears (no, I'm not kidding), Ryan leapt up and ran out the door a million miles per hour. Jackie, Rachel, and I burst into laughter, nearly collapsing on the kitchen floor for lack of breath. Neil kind of looked stunned. Soon thereafter, he left too, and us three girls sighed with major relief. Oh good. He's gone.