5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me

It appears I'm out of touch and that I've been tagged at least twice. First things first, the following are now "it": DH, Nate, Sohm, TN.

1. In truth, I barely qualify as half a samurai. I'm half Japanese, half Chinese, and grew up in Gunnison, Utah. But for my asian ancestry, I would be a cowboy instead of a samurai. I've tried the cowboy thing, but no one takes an asian guy with cowboy boots and a cowboy hat seriously. And me with a full on mullet (in 1991) looked pretty funny.

2. I am a nerdy samurai. I was the South Sanpete School District spelling champion for grades 4 though 8 for four consecutive years (5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades). In 8th grade, I was 2nd place in the Deseret News State Spelling Bee. Had I won, I would have been on ESPN. That was probably the only chance in my life I had to be on ESPN. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a bike champion. Sigh. Note: I'm not that great a speller; my mom just quizzed me a lot.

3. The feminine side of the samurai occasionally shows too bright. Case in point 1. I took a class from the dean of the law school. One of the few days that I attended, I was sitting towards the back in the shadows, and was whispering the answers to a friend who had been called on. The Dean said, "maybe I should just talk with your friend, it seems SHE knows the answers." I responded: "actually, it's a he." In the Dean's defense, my hair did not quite conform to BYU standards.

Case in point 2. Cousin Chris hit a deer in Nephi and I went to help him fix his truck. We went to the service station to borrow a tool, and the mechanic referred to me as Cousin Chris's WIFE.

Case in point 3. While living in Las Vegas, I was asked out by a male. He volunteered to take me to a club and "get me in some trouble." I declined.

4. I have been a cycling fan for a long long time. Even though I have only been seriously racing for a few years, I have always loved the sport of cycling. I remember waiting for the daily newspaper to track the Tour de France results. I remember getting the paper in 1989 and learing that Greg LeMond had beaten Fignon. In 9th grade, I got an old steel framed bike and gave it a sweet fluorescent green and white fade paint job. I also got a Decente stars and stripes jersey. On my first ride out, I tried to beat a pickup truck around a corner, went down, broke my ankle, and tore up my knee. As a result, I have two screws in my ankle and a scar on my knee.

5. The samurai used to be slightly chubbier. Though I've always been active, there was an inactive period in my life when I got a bit chubby. In 1993 I went on a mission and got chubby. In 1995 I got back and started running. That year, I ran up Rock Canyon as fast as I could several times. On the road, I could easily sustain sub-6 minute miles for 10-12 miles. I got skinnier. Then I got married in 1997 and got chubby again. When I graduated from BYU in 1998, I was an Orvis flyfishing guide for two summers and ate lots and lots of really good food, and got even chubbier. I think I topped out at around 165. In 2000, after my brothers made fun of my out of shape arse on a bc ski trip, I decided to whip myself into shape. I am no longer chubby.