Spring Break

Spring Break...its that time when everyone leaves you and its cold and lonly...its the time you get to sleep and eay a lot from the basketball team...and its the time wthat you can lift and play ball like that was all there was to do. Love it. So that is pretty much what I did.

I started a new power based workout. It revolves around the three big body lifts. The squat, the bench, and the clean. The squat I am doing is a full squat, done all the way. The bench is a very explosive bench, going down and then blowing up. The clean is the most difficult lift out of the three for sure. If you dont know what the clean is, check out this video...



This video has the full clean and jerk. I am just doing the first part where he gets it in the squad position. Sick. This dude Kendrick Farris has the world record with 405 KG...anyhow

Why is it so hard? Becausre there are three states to the lift. THere is the initial hip movement, then there is the sholder shrug, and then the pull of the bar up with the elbows flipping under the bar supper fast. Its super complicated. To learnt the lfit correctly, I am getting my buddy, Dan, Assistant strength and conditioning coach. I have split the lift to three parts...the Romanian dead lift, the power snatch and the front squat to work on all three parts. Hope to get the Clean down in 2 months

The team got to go to the theater together. We watched the movie shutter island. It was a very interesting movie. It was depicted more of a horror movie but it wasnt really that scary. It was very mental, very thought provoking and mind twisting. So if you like those type of movies, you should go watch it. I am pretty picky in what I watch cause I dont like to waste my time watching crap, but if thats your type, then go for it. Here is a trailer.



I was also lucky that my dad got to visit for two days. He came on his way to see his client. We got to watch mIchgian Hockey destroy Lake Superior State at my first ever hockey game. It was cool to see my buddies play on the ice.



The next day I got him row 2 tickets for our last season game against Michigan state. Oh what an atmosphere! It was rediculous. Whitnes everywere. And was I getting heckled! Getting called cowboy and yeehaa!! the whole time hahaha. But we palyed pourly and the Spartan fans savored every minute of it. There was one point efore the game when the Izzone, the student section, was getting all non state fans out of their zone. Well there was this girl who was wearing a while shirt like everyone else, but it had a block M on it. THe whole student section started to yell at her till the ushers came and made her leave! What the heck! I felt so bad for her! These people are crazy! hahaha

Trip To Indy

This week was action packed, action packed! So muched happened in so little time. So there were three big days this week: Thursday, Friday, and Sunday

Thursday we had UCOffee, the last one of the year and pretty big since we havent had one since january. So I had some big things planned. I was going to do one of my signiture DP the Great magic routines, a rediculous awkward dating video, and a salsa routine. The salsa was the biggie. Filming was filming and I got John Hughes to do the editing for me because I knew there was no time for me to do it. So that helped a lot. We ended up working on it tons monday, then some on tuesday and some one weds. We had it down pretty good. It started with Bethany and Mark doing some routine that they had coreographed, then they finished and me and Rina popped in between and did our thing. After that the girls had a mini thing anfd then me and Mark had our little Thing. THen we switched partners and danced in unison, then we switched partners. And then after that Mark drops Bethanie on purpose and takes Rina from me and did this sweet areal move and then I go pick up Bethany for this sweet pose at the end and then get tackled by her boyfriend/my roomate Brad. It was quite the ending we had planned, haha. In fact we added Brad on Weds and we had him work on this sweet aria move himself with Bethany were she ran towards him and jumped and he grabed her waist and brought her up in the air so that she would be parallel with the floor. It was funny because they couldnt get the mechanics down so I tried it with Brad and got him on thefirst try perfect. Its a pretty sweet move.

This week was so packed with basketball as well. now that the season was over we were getting ready to go to the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, indiana. We had a huge win over Minnesota that you will remember from my last post,w hich we really needed to get into the tournament, but nothing was finilized until selection sunday and a win in the first round in the big ten tournament woudl almost seal our chances for the Big Dance. We were preparing for Iowa, so it looked like we had a good shot. So we had practice, then my scout stuff, then other things for th etournament that I had to do. on top of that I got like 10 calls during UCO on weds from Coach Mahoney and his son trying to make a video in tribute of theseasionrs. So I had to walk him through all the steps on how to make a video on a mac and how to edit music and insert it and how to find pictures online and everyhting. Thank God for my iphone because during that meeting of which I missed half of it, I was able to make mutlimple phone calls, text messages, send emails, and get online. I also found some free wifi to help me go fast. Amazing to productivity one can do. But of course I knew that things wouldnt finish as they had hoped, especially when I got a call from coach at 11pm saying that his son, Doland, had gone to bed and couldnt figure out how to save it as a movie file. So Coach saved it to a thumb drive which means it wouldnt work on any other computor since all the files are on that computor. So of course the following day coach gives me the stick, tells me to open what I can and finish the files before he leaves for Indy at 5pm. So there I am trying to get this movie to open with imove and it wouldnt. But I was able to find all the pictures that he had had and they were alll super pixilated. I think he saved the thumb nale versions on google instead of the actual picturtes. So I reverted tot he only thing I relaly knew I had left: make it all over. So I searched for each individual photo that he had in the list and saved them at full size and put hte photos together with smooth transitions and titles and some other speicail effects. I also found two music tracks in the folder so I trimmed them up and put them into one track to fill the whole thing and after working hard at it for about 2 and a half hours I had a full little movie. It was simple, jsut liek Doland had in mind, but it had everything that he wanted. I saved it as a .mov file and put it on the thumb drive and I was a asavior once more. Thank God I didnt have to edit that awkward dating movie.

So Thursday came and the first game against Iowa was that day. i went to Crisler to watch it after I ha all my work done and what a game. We destroyed them. It felt so good. I was also able to lift and then I found one of my new favorite hobbies: shooting. Wel, I already knew I liked to shoot, but I used the rebound gunner that will rebound balls for you and shoot them back at you. It was so relaxing. I was at the top of the key and with the music on and no one else around I was just catch and shoot, catch and shoot. Swish swish swish swish. It was awseome. I loved it. And then we finished them off by liek almost 30, 73-45. Peedi was on fire being 100% in the first half and making our first like 16 points int he game. It was sweet.

sorry about them all being Manny,
he had all the cool action shots

The team knows they played great
and should make the NCAA
Tournament Bid

I finished everything with basketball and was all pumped for the night. I was so so busy that day though running around and getting things done. I had planned to leave Friday morning to go to Indianapolis with 3 other managers to watch the game against Illinois, who was a very good team, for a chance to get to the semifinals on saturday. SO I had to pack and organize and make sure vehicles where good and calsses were exsempt and were got get money for the trip and the whole enchillada. But I also had to get ready for UCOffee. SO I ended up being real late as I got all my stuff prepared for the night and showered and meet up with the girls. We went over with me pumped and ready to perform.

The magic trick was sweet and simple. It was a mentalism one of me predicting 3 events in sequence and then revealing them at the end. it was really good and I know they all enjoyed it. Bugged me because my mom just send me my battery charger for my camera. But I had just charged it 2 weeks and I haddnt been using it at all. So I fugured I was fine...but now, because not 5 minutes into the routine by battery dies...and that sucked so bad because now I wasnt able to record me, the salsa routine and the comedy act and Ashley playing the violin and the music by will and the illegal immigrants band. I coudlnt film anything and it was really annoying. And on top of that I got so many more calls with basketball. I had to keep texting and calling the whole time for this and than and then the managers and the coaches wanted me to go to the office to get smomething and send this and that to the recruits. It was nuts. And then at the end Mark came over from his exam and we got ready to do the salsa rountine. But that was an event in itself. The Awkward Dating Video Here

Me warming up the crowd before my Magic

So I told you already of the basic game plan of the routine. Mark and Bethany were going to start and then me and Rina were gonna come in. Well, things kinda went nuts haha. I was with Mark int he back and they announced that we were going to do a slasa routine. So I ask Mark were Rina is and he told me to go up and around to the other side adn wait for her by the door. So I ran over, but then when I got by thedoor I see mark there moving some of the instruments out of the way and Rina wasnt comming and I text her and wait and wait and then they start singing the ABCs on the piano or something and I really had to pee and Rina wasnt comming and nothing was hapening and I didnt even know if Bethanie was ready. So i ran ove to the bathroom that was right there and started to pee until I heard the salsa song begin and I was like great Corn so I finished up really fast and ran out the door to the side of the stage and there was Mark looking at the audience all smiling and stuff and then Rina went out and like did a little twirle and a bow and I heard "Daniel! Daniel!" so I thought I had to go out and introduce myself too so I go on the floor and do my little DP hey yeah move and then get off the floor adn watch and then I hear Rina say to me "Dance with me!" and I was like oh geez I guess I have to dance! So I walk over real smooth and begin our routine and int he midst off everything that went by so quickly I totally changed the routine at the end and kept going with material that was uncooreographed and it looked real good. Now I wont say that I messed up and I wont say that i intentionally changed it either, but I will say that things change without me noticing and instead of being like, oh, I messed up, or oh, how do we get back to the routine, I accepted it and embraced it and made the best of it. Its kinda like life: you must accept what you are given and make the best of it. Hahaha. So thats what I did and it was awesome. The rest of the routine worked out for the most part and I was looking good in my outfit. Both me and Mark were wearing kaki pants and I had my ncie mexican shoes and we had black pin stripped shirts that were open with a white undershirt underneath. We had our hear slick and it was good. And the girls had all dressed up and did their hair and had some nice dresses for the thing, but I dont even remembered what they looked like.

So I talkd to my buddies afterwards and told them all about the game that I was going to go to and stuff and then said by to the girls who were going to go on a women´s retreate and then had to take off with Bethie. She brought me over to Crisler to get some stuff and thent o the office. I finally got back to my room to see the historic Syracus win in 6 overtimes. I got to see the 3rd-6th overtime and it was intence. So intence, but it kinda became a joke as they kepted being tied and tied.

I didn't go to class at all. I just had morning prayer ate and packed up. Andrew was supposed tinpick me up at 11:15 and then josh and Steve at 11:30. Well he was so where to be found and a large part badto do because I had his phone. He left it at crisler the night before. He finally came right atlfter noon because he had to bring his room mate to he emergency room for cutting his finger with the razor. We finally left and it was a bunch of fun. We talked a lot of basketball and other things. We stopes at mcdonalds for the first time in forever with me. Then I got 2 full throttle juices or ehatver at a gas station only to find them really dirty.

Kept going. Had fun in the car. We stopped just outside of Indy and I found bawls! Ahhh! So so good! A d they had the rootbeer knew too. In cans and bottles! Feels like heveh. So I got 2 of the root beers one original and some new stuff called pure energy. Re root beer tastes just like ibc. Pure energy tastes like orange bawls. Pretty good. I have already spent $20 on energy drinks and bawls today...wow.

Everything a man would ever want:
Pure Energy and a pair of Bawls

We got in the city and we were looking for josh's reporter uncle hotel and we in The most getto área in Indy. So getto. The Indiana womens prison was right there. There were dudes who looked like they haddebt taken a shower in a year. There were crack ladies walking on the streets and it was nutty. Steve liked it though. We just went back to the Conseco filed house and parked in a structure. We walks over saw BT and eddie George and walked in and it was awesome.






The game was annoying. We were competeative in the first only down by one at the half. I got this big pecan ice cream which was a mistake because I couodn finish it before the second half started and it was super sweet. But then we got tired in the second becase of the game the day before against Iowa and they were hitting teir shots and we weren't. Really annoying. And then we fell apart and were down by 20. Then we made a run fir it and got within 7 and then stu missed a transition quick 3 and manny turned it over andrhey hit another shot and it was all over an we lost 60-50.






But the night was not over. Us 4 went over to a pub really close by called oreileys. It was alright, nice spot. I was really upset for a while. I lost my game of pool even though I was up the whole game. Andrew and josh went to move the car and ended up getting no where with hotels until matt dupree gave us one because the roof fell on him in his so they changed him to another and gave him a complementary party suit. But this is completley unofficial. Unofficial. We did not get get a room from Matt, ok? They finially came back with Will and aj and mikey and it was all over. Mahoney was already there and tom was there and everyone had a good time talking and just having fun. By now Steve already had 6 of those big things which was the equivelent of 3 beers. He spent all his money in beers last night. Haha. I saw steve to over to talk to this group of people and so I followed him and before I knew it I was friends with 2 guys from Indiana and one from purdue who were all 32ish and it wad aweomse. They loved me. We talked a long time about everything to sports to eceonomy to college and the tournament. Then AJ And steve and andrew joined us and we talked Michigan and Indiana basketball and then I did some coin magic fir them and they loved it. Us managers were gonna leave and so we got will and mikey and AJ with us ad left. They guy has my numberto meet up with me next gear. He told me good luck, keep what you are doing and enjoy life while you are still in college.



Us 5 had a blast walkig down the street to stake and shake and wow it was so so so good. I cant believe we never did this before. We got here and my thing was so good. It was like a burger with toast and wow. It was a pretty getto old school place but all good. We lauged so hard. It was a great night and I was glad I was able to stay with the boys out there. We really ahd fun times and great memories. Too bad we lost, but hey, we should make it to the tournament.




Video of Indy Pole Here Soon....

Which is the next thing that happened this week that was huge: Selection Sunday. This is the big day, when nothing else matters and all focus is on CBS. Well of course I was completely loaded. I had practice in the morning. Then I had to run, yes, run over to St. Mary for Chatechism. Then I ran back to south quad to take a shower and change. And then I did a fast walk back to Chrisler, just in time to get my blue brother hood shirt on and enter the stadium with the team. I sat there on teh edge with the team in the middle. And the the anticipation started...and it took forever, and ever. They went through the first 3 sections and down to the last one...and we waited and waited and literally there were 3 spots left and finally they called us! And people were going nuts! And the team jumped up as if from a cannon and were going bonkers and I joined in the fun and after all that Beilein got the mic and said "wow, after all the excitment...anyone know who we are playing?" No one knew. Hahah. But we are the 10th seed playing 9th seed Clemson on Thursday in Kansas City Missouri, and hwo knows where that is. Apparently its somewhere in the middle of the US, in one of those unimportant states. Its 12 hour drive and immediately all the managers wanted to go and I was hesitating a little bit because of the drive and since I just got back from Indy and I had an exam and papers and stuff, but they were all 100% convinced, so I guess I might have to do some re-planning, dont you think?


Selection sunday clips:



Watch CBS Videos Online

The YouTube ones will be on soon once the site is back up.

Spring Break!

Spring Break, Baby! It is sweet! Well, well! To begin with, I had some chances to go on various trips. I was looking at either New Oreleans with St Mary or Mexico with UCO, but in the end I descided to stay here to help the basketball team. My field of work is here, and I knew few managers wqould be here and I should step up to the plate to offer my assistance and get more face time with the coaches. So that is what I did. Not to say I didnt have some fun of course...

But the fun began with the week leading up to it. That tuesday we ahd an awesome UCO. We had honorings and that was sweet. I was told that I was super creative and that 90% of my ideas were shut down. THat I was always positive and energetic and ready to give a helping hand. David said it best when he said "You know how people say that you dont know someone until you live in his shoes, well, with Pinedo, you dont know Pinedo until you live with him...in a small room..." Yeah...hahaha.

I had a few exams and papers to turn in on weds. I had my 489 history class exam which I aced, so that was good, and I turned in my Musicology paper. It was on the song "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. I started working on it and the more I endulged and researched about the song the more fascinating it became. In short, the 3-5 page paper turned out to be like 7 pages, haha. But it was really good. If you are interested, give me a ring.

Then Friday came,w hich ment more fun. A couple of us were going to watch Nacho Libre before some whent to Mexico with UCO, but then we descided to have some other fun. Bethie and Ashely made a surprise visit, well, surprising for me. We ended up hanging out, dancing in the room, having fights with duckt tape,a nd playing Settlers. That is one great game. Of course I got robbed bad, but it was all good. It was great fun being with the girls on their farewell to awesome Mexico and I give them my good luck and prayers.



Sunday me and Mark went to Christ the King and it was awesome. I had to record so many games for the team that weekend. Satereday I had like 18 games and Sunday I had 8 games. But that night turned out to be another fun one. Rina came by the room while me and Mark were hanigng with Call of Duty on line and we had a blast that night, playing in the snow and with pre-tape and everything. And I showed Rina how to tackle. It was awesome. This was a taste of the future to come.

You see, when those are left behind, well, those who are left behind must unite and conquer, and thats pretty much what Mark, Rina,a nd me did during the break. Mark did go to serve in Detroit from Monday to Thursday, but he was soon back on his feet ready to party.

The next real eventful night was Thursday night...the game against Purdue. Yeah, baby. I mentioned earlier how I wanted to get some of my chatechims kids to come to the game but the coordinator was out serving and the office wasnt helping me much at all and in short I was never able to contact them. And then my dad ditched me! He was gone all week and got back hiome loaded with work and alas he didnt get to come. So only Rina and Paulina, another freshman friend of mine came to the game...and what a game it was!

We took off in the beggining working very hard for each bucket. They were making a few easy ones. IN the very beginning they were up but we notched our way back in and before you knew it we were up. ANd Manny and Sims were on fire. Peedi only missed 3 shots all nigth as we ended with 63% from field goal and 50% flat on 3s. Thats right. Peedi and Manny combined for 56 points as we defeated #16 Purdue with a convincing 87-78 victory. Want to know somehting funny? Our longest droubt was the very end with no field goal, from 4:42-0:12. But we still won by a good margine. I was having so much fun, jumping up and down. And I know the girls loved it was we texted the whole game. My mom said I was on a lot on National Television and even my Texas Belt Buckle got a good shot on TV. Anyhow, it was a good win over a ranked team and a nice upset for senior day. It was so so so mcuh fun and I was going bonkers and wow, it was so good. I had a blast. But once again, after the game I was completely spent. I was tired. And I had to trade my meatball sandwitch to one of my manager buddies because by then it was 12:14 on Friday morning.

Beautiful...

The Three Seniors: Jevohn Sheperd, C.J. Lee, and David Merrit

Singing "Hail to the Victors" for the last time

Me and Senior C.J. Lee. Awesome Leader

Me and Senior David Merrit. Awesome Fighter.

Then Rina and Paulina and Mark picked me up. We went by main street to go dance or whatever but it didnt work out cause I dont remember. I was too tired. Then we left after chillin there a while and then went to pin ball petes where I dominated in the basketball shooting game and ice hockey game. We had a blast but it was getting late and it was 3 and I was dead. It was a good night.

Friday was a lot of fun. I didnt have pracitce till 3:30, which ment I slept in, hard core. Till a phone call at 11:30 from some lady in Texas wanting a magic show, and I had to explain to her that I was in Michigan. Then I fell asleep. And then was up at 12:30. I dont remember the last time that has happened. It had to have been some time in summer that that happened but I am not sure. I was not expecting anything that night and then Rina came over. And I completely forgot what happened that night. At least I think she came over.

Saterday was even better. Me and Mark and Rina...skiing, and Rina and I for the first time ever. It was sweet. And I sucked. But man it was so fun. You see, there were two modes of thinking. Rina was trying to learn by following Mark. And she was learning, but very slowly. And I just jumped off the hill and went for it...and crashed..and got up..and crashed...and got up, but hey, I learned, fast, real fast. And with my pure athleticism and strength I was able to get down the weaving and turning and it was great. It was super great. Check out this video on facebook. After the great night we went over to Big Boys and chilled there for a few hours getting into some really deep discussions. Rina is an awesome girl because she likes to have fun but she also has the capacity to get really serious and she really loves the Lord. And on top of that she elt me drive her car back to Ann Arbor, of which I heard later I am the first person that she has ever let drive the car. It was sweet.

Yes, that is mud...I took a few hard hits.
But that is how you learn.

And then we got back and we watch Valkarie on the PS3 with some other friends that came over and that movie, wow, it was so good. I loved it. It had a lot of criticism but I theroughly enjoyed it. It was so so good. And it was nuts how close they got to killing Hitler. And on top of that, it was very acurate to the true story. Read more of it here on Wikipedia.



Sunady was pretty nice and lade back. That night like everyone came back. I had to get used to all the noise and all the dudes and all the smells, but It was well worth it. But sad enough spring break had come to a close. Oh well, it was sweet. Sure, my dad didnt get to come, but at elast I see him in 2 months. THat will be cool. And even though we get out alte this year at the 29th of April, at least that means mroe days of nice weather. Because there were like 2 days of perfect weather last year and then I left on the 15th. But this year I will get a little more enjoyment. Keep you posted and tell me what you did for spring break! The comment button on the bottom of the post lets you do everything. Clikc annonymous if you dont have an account and then just write in your name at the bottom of your post! Let your thoughts be heard! Go Blue!