Hand Holding

A momentous and special event, an American pastime, a sign of love and affection, and I am NOT a fan... hand holding.  You see couples everywhere showing their love for one another with the unionization of their hands and fingers.  You are forced to walk around them on the sidewalk since public Red Rover is not socially acceptable. They are lost in their own little world, but let's be honest, when you look at the guy holding hands with his girlfriend, his eyes scream relentlessly for help. Let me explain why I am not a fan of this epic event couples share together.

First, I am a tall guy and seem to date smaller women.  While my arm is hanging by my side, two things either happen when the hand holding commences.  One, I have to bend down in order to reach her hand, or two, she must raise her arm to an uncomfortable position making me look like the older brother leading his younger sister around a busy baseball stadium.

Second, I never know whether to interlock fingers or just hold hands.  There is no instructional manual for this type of thing, but at the same time, as a man, the woman expects me to take the lead in this sort of situation.  Thanks society.  I feel like the holding of hands with no interlocking fingers is possibly acceptable for the first few hand holding scenarios, but after that, all hand holding options are in play.  Women seem to enjoy the interlocking fingers.  Well then here comes one of your friends that you know from high school, and you must begin the uninterlocking of the fingers.  It's like a Chinese puzzle figuring out which fingers leave first and which ones straggle behind.  There needs to be a couples class for this sort of thing.

Third, sweaty palms are nothing to be excited about.  It is only natural for precipitation to form on the palms of individuals that have been holding hands for a period of time.  This is how God made nature.  With sweaty palms comes clammy skin.  Also unavoidable but also not fun to be around.

I know girls love the art of hand holding and respect that there are also men out there that enjoy the same thing.  Maybe one day I will slowly begin to enjoy holding the hand of another, but I honestly do not see that time anywhere close around the corner.  Until that day comes though, I will continue to be a trooper and persevere through my hand holding fears for the comfort of the women.

First Post Dedicated to Andre Young

This is my first ever post and first ever thought of even blogging.  I can honestly thank Andre Young for this.  Therefore, it is only fitting for me to talk a little about him on my first post.  This is no "man crush" blog, but rather one friend showing his great appreciation for another friend.
Andre and I were once huge rivals.  He played for the Georgia Blazers while I played for the Georgia Stars on the AAU circuit.  Let's just say we weren't the biggest fans of each other.  We were able to beat them twice out of three games, but each time Andre lit us up.  I always found it spectacular that a guy of his stature could control the court like he did.
A few months after our third game against each other, I twisted my ankle at the Peach Jam in the quarterfinals. I went to the hospital and was told that I could no longer play the rest of the summer.  Crushed would be an understatement for how I was feeling.  Our team had ended up winning the game that night and were in the semifinals the next morning.  In a boot and crutches, I made my way to the gym to help the Stars in anyway I could.  The Georgia Blazers were playing the game right before ours.  They ended up losing and walked off the court in disgust.  I remember catching Andre's eye, and he made his way over to me.  He simply asked, "How is it?" I told him what had happened, and he replied with, "Well I hope you get better man."

I was stunned. A guy who barely knew me felt the need to check on how I was doing.  That is the type of guy Andre is.  I never would have imagined that our friendship would grow to this level after that day.  He has helped me through so many things in my life whether it be school, basketball, women, family, or faith.  We talk about anything, and I know my college experience would be a whole lot different without a guy like him to help me out.  This is just a beginning to a life-long relationship, but I thank God every day for a friend that I know always has my back.  We are looking forward to one last year together here at Clemson, but whether we continue to play on the same team after college or not, I know we will keep in touch and have a bond that will span any distance we may be apart. Life without true friendship is a life not truly lived. Big ups Papi Dre! Let's have another great year!