People I Live With, Episode 3

[The Beatles -- White Album]

So I kind of forgot about this little miniseries on Life at Crick. Seems that I got all the way to Episode 2 - describing a whopping six of people that I live with - and then characteristically totally forgot to mention the other twenty. And we only have three weeks left. (OK, talk about that is freaking me out.)

HOWEVER, the boys in the Tower (aka, the Biola Boys, aka Shane, Nick, and Daniel) really seemed to want to be featured, so they kindly reminded me. And, in gratitude for their gentle reminders, I chose to skip over two floors of Crick and go straight from the basement to the Tower!!

So: Crick House, Tower, Room #2: Daniel Menjivar, Shane Martin, and Nick Dalbey. All three of them go to Biola in Southern California. Shane is actually from Houston (yay for Southerners!) but Daniel and Nick are die-hard SoCal snobs. (I love that I get total control over what is said in this space. I hope you're reading this, Nick Dalbey.)

Daniel: Just look at that picture. That picture. Says it all. He's sitting across from me in the living room right now playing "La Vie En Rose" out loud and just said, "If I had a song I would always walk in the room to, this would be it." Basic facts about Daniel: He's into history, classy things, and board games. If he ever asks you to play Ticket to Ride with him, don't be fooled -- he will crush you. He is almost a part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and when asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he says, "A good man." Also, I have never met anyone who can make up a more outrageously hilarious story on the spot than Daniel. The other day, he came into the living room, sat on the couch next to me and - with no other introduction - said "So once I was fighting this wildebeest." The thing about these stories is that they always come at exactly the time you need something to cheer you up. Daniel's good at that.

Today, tragically, Daniel is sick. In his honour, we shall remember only the strong and strapping healthy Daniel Menjivar. As he said when he found out I was blogging about him: "LET POSTERITY KNOW WHO I WAS!!!! Remember me in my GLORY DAYS!!!" Daniel, we will never forget.

Lastly, Daniel has a wonderful girlfriend back at Biola, Karrie, who sometimes sends him cookies which he will from time to time share.

Shane: Interesting fact about Shane: He is old chums with Sam Townes (one of the most awesome guys at Covenant :))!! OK, so, first of all, I think at least my dad should know that Shane was, in fact, named after Shane from the old Western flick of the same name. "Shane! Come back!" That Shane. Dad, the name continues to haunt my footsteps. :)

How does one describe Shane? He is an almost-Catholic, overly-analytical Romantic who loves poetry, writing couplets of rap songs, and all things that are Beautiful. He gets that pensive look on his face and you know the next question he asks is going to pin you to a wall and you're gonna have to mentally engage. Yesterday he was writing a paper (by hand) and trying to craft the first sentence with the utmost love and care. He was debating over the placing of one of the words -- "Well, if it goes before the clause, it's harder to read but the other way is just not as beautiful. I'm going with the beautiful option." And I thought, That's Shane.

Also, he will do almost anything for a Coke. Unbelievable.

I give him advice about girls. ;-)

Nick: Well, Nick goes by a lot of nicknames around here (nicknames -- HA! -- get it, NICKnames??!! BAHAHAHAA.), some of which should probably not be repeated because they are just too awesome. But, let me just say, he stars in many knightly tales, usually told by Laura Hutton, of kicking the butts of evil goblins and saving princesses (once I got to be the princess in the story -- very exciting). He has been known to randomly say, "I want to slay a dragon" and is fondly referred to as "the 70's god" by the girls, due to the way his hair falls fabulously across his forehead. We also like to refer to him as our North Star because he is 6'4" so anytime we get lost in London, we just look for his "70's god" head. It has never failed. (Though he did get lost in Paris at 2:00 in the morning a few weeks ago. I did NOT just publish that on the Internet. No worries, his mom already knows.) Nick is just one of those guys who makes you feel like bad things won't happen to you.

If you say the word "Dante" in Nick's presence, he might fall into a lovelorn swoon. If you say the words "Dante isn't all that great" in Nick's presence, he will probably cry. Or kill you with his dragon-killing skills. "Beatrice" would also be an interesting conversation-starter. He is another connoisseur of beauty and can be stopped in his tracks by a beautiful line of poetry.

The Biola Boys are the kind of guys your parents want you to be friends with. Sincere, witty, fun, easy to talk to, gentlemanly, and - most importantly! - a little outrageous. Sometimes, when Emily and I need a change of scenery, we'll climb up the narrow stairs to the third story (or "the Tower" as we have fondly named it) and read in their room for a couple hours. Good conversation, good laughs, good fun. The stuff of good memories.