Jet-lagged with a Runny Nose.

location: my/Emily's living room
time of day: 8:17 am
state of mind: nostalgic
people within 20 yards: A sleeping Emily
last time you saw an ugly baby: Can't recall, I feel like I had a dream about one.
the book that you're currently reading and enjoying: Spiritual Depression (Martyn Lloyd Jones)...so good...really, very encouraging

So, Matt and I just returned from our trip to N. Ireland to visit the UCF peeps. It was awesome. We saw all the sights, celebrated St. Patrick's day where everyone should really, got to meet and play with some Irish kids, and really enjoyed hanging out with Erin, Dwight, John and Elizabeth. For more details see my facebook photo album obviosly entitled "Ireland"...or call me!

Now, for the meat of this post. In hopes of finding a different word document this morning, I stumbled across a short story I wrote last year about an experience I had with Jen. I believe the story was forwarded to some of you. It may have been disregarded then, and may be for a second time, due to its' length. I thought I'd post it because it makes me laugh, weep, and recall fond memories from senior year and the quirks of all our friendships. The length of this post I believe is appropriate seeing as I haven't posted in 1/20th of a decade. Enjoy.

The Night I Stood On Jen

A Short Story by Jamie Simpson

I was on Facebook looking at photos of Brian Cook when Jen Wilmore walked into my office and I hurriedly closed out of the web-page. She said, "Oh, no…you don't have to…" and I said, "Nonsense! I do." We made small talk for a matter of 13 minutes about what books caught her eyes on my bookshelf. Thoughts raced through my mind, like how it'd be such a great idea if I opened up my little built-in to the entire campus and allowed students of all shapes and sizes to filter in and out of my little office, perusing and borrowing any book that met their fancy…then I thought about the liability of it all…then Jen spoke and my little day-dream (well it was actually night, but you see I wasn't asleep and the sun had long set, so…I guess just dream…) was shattered in a thousand necessary pieces because we were, after all, in mid conversation. So I answered some questions and then fired back with a few. I think…if my memory recalls, there was a lull, a lull that provided me with just enough time to step up into the seat of the chair I had just been sitting in. I then felt the need to explain myself so I said: "I like standing on tall things." Jen, previously face to face with the caps of my knees cocked her head back expectedly and suggested I stand on her…I guess her reason being that if I like tall things so much…might as well try her since she clears the seat of the chair by a good 4 feet. Now, here's my confession, I was a little reluctant. When I indicated to my dear friend that I am fond of standing on tall things…I meant sturdy four…sometimes 3 legged things. So, I may have bit my bottom lip (memory fails me) and nodded in what Jen probably thought was mutual consent. Here's the thing, when I asked her how I should go about in participating in her being stood on, she just sort of barked, "Stand on me!" Uhm, so I tried it. I palmed Jen's head with my left hand and gripped the top shelf of my built-in with my right hand and sort of hoisted myself (meaning my left leg) onto her shoulder. I next shifted some of my weight to this left leg of mine and locked my knee a bit, but certainly not all the way, just enough to let her think I had done it.
I don't know how, but she caught me red-handed. She, in a gentler voice this time, asked if I would place all of my weight on her shoulder and actually stand on her. I, a little more confident this time, replied that I would, but only as a result of her being so unusually adamant…it's the type of thing where someone's got this really bad idea, and you know it right off, but they are just so darn persuasive that they end up flipping the tables and then you end up feeling silly for not having come up with the idea yourself. Before agreeing for the second time, I asked her to quickly brief me on the idea behind the brilliance…a sort of mission statement as to why we were executing the whole endeavor. She replied that it's clearly only to be done to say we did it. Her being so clear cut and all, I just went for it. I lifted with my arms and pushed with my legs. I was up…seeing things from a new perspective…legs almost locked…




Jen died.