our second autograph-signing session of the weekend. we'd already gotten michael's. this was when we went back cuz pumkin (sic) made an appearance. i believe we could have counted on one hand the number of times michael's mouth was closed in the three days we were there. it's not meant as a derogatory statement -- it's not because he talks too much. it's just fact! i have proof:
there's plenty more proof where these came from. try my photobucket account.
on to the talking. first up was brendan in the 100m breast. when we arrived at the nat, kimberly had already whipped out the BHO sign ... which read "Brendan Hansen ... [BHO logo] ... smo-hooo-kin' the competition!" slightly embarrassed to be putting ourselves out there as swimmer groupies, but also slightly more giddy/delirious from anticipation that built during the trip down, we displayed the banner proudly for about 2 minutes while brendan was in sight. he stood directly below us greeting his parents, whom kimberly made fast friends with. (go kimberly! most of us were much too shy to approach them.)
after that, we were busy snapping pics of michael phelps as he wandered around on deck, trying to remain incognito. (now, just a suggestion, michael: if you really want to go unnoticed, maybe you could try ANY combination of clothing other than what you have made your typical pre-race attire ... practically calf-length athletic shorts over your long jammers/bodysuit, sneakers on your size 14 feet, long t-shirt, loose-fitting (even on the impossibly broad shoulders you have) warm-up jacket, swim cap covered in monstrous headphones (which only cover one ear so you can hear them announce the race) ... and last, but certainly not least ... your trusty towel to wipe down the starting block. you have it draped around your neck, over your head or around your waist for the ever-so-convenient deck change, at all times. now tell me how this is supposed to be inconspicuous?
alright, enough picking on michael.
the trio love.
i'm proud to say i think i've made six more girls aware of the genius and beauty that is ian crocker, brendan hansen and aaron peirsol.
see below.
ian signing for the "equal opportunity stalkers." [katie makes ian laugh, part one]
ian smiling ... on his own accord. actually, i think one of his coaches had just come up and said something to him. probably something akin to: hey, ian. check out those crazy fangirls watching your every move. you're their very own reality tv show, and ratings are at an all-time high.
of course, if he had said something like that, i have a feeling ian would have gone running into a locker room with his head in a bag. he's sooooo painfully shy.
brendan began to recognize us after our first signing. he had asked our names, and though i seriously doubt he remembered any, he acted like we were old friends whenever we'd see him again. "hey guys, how's it going?"
i was gonna put another pic in here, but i would fear for the condition of your hearts. i'm sure you'll know what i mean if you visit my photobucket account.
this would be the signing session during which aaron offered me his phone number. this is also where he redeemed himself in katie's eyes by signing her swimcap after two other attempts. ("i'm sure he didn't mean to," was best friend brendan's claim.) the phone number story ... you're dying to know, i can tell.
manda: *hands aaron ticket stub from sat. night session* can you put your world record time on it?
aaron: *takes ticket and sharpie, without missing a beat, says* what, you want my phone number?
manda: *brain temporarily stops functioning, smiles and manages to half laugh/half snort* ha-ha.
aaron then proceeds to question the exact time of his world-record breaking swim in the 100m back, and turns to brendan for help.
a: "what was it? 53 ...?"
b: "14, i think."
a: "ah, are you sure?"
me: "i think it was 17."
a: "yeah, i think you're right. 17."
*scribbles 53:17 on ticket stub*
brendan *feels dejected, hugs self*
the conversation is caught on tape, sans audio, but complete with brendan's self-imposed hug. so basically you see us all hanging over the railing drooling on the two unsuspecting roommates, aaron dropping the sharpie, brendan rescuing it, and our lives made complete.
getting ready to break his own WR from the 400 medley relay in athens.
gosh, there are so many more stories. more in my next post!!
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