Listen.

If you know me well, you know I have a dream of learning the banjo. When this happens, this song will be the first I play:

The Youth

I love to poke fun at my students who are obsessed with Justin Bieber. I love to tell them that he's a toddler, or a hologram. I'm totally weirded out by the whole "Bieber fever" thing, but then I'm reminded of my youth...

Behold, a journal entry of mine from junior high-- heads up for the exclamation points after every sentence:

June 17, 2000

5 handsome, charming, and talented young men from all over America, each with a passion for singing and a dream of stardom come to Salt Lake City's Rice-Eccles stadium to give Utah the best night of their life!

Yes! NSYNC finally came! It is Saturday, June 17, 2000! I will go through the whole day w/ you! I woke up this morning excited as heck! I was going to go to the NSYNC concert at 7:30 w/ Katherine Wheatley, Heather Crowley, and Ashley McKell!

It was such a long time until I went to the concert so I wanted to kill some time, but I didn't want to get ready yet because I didn't want to ruin my clothes for the concert! So I played on the computer, played w/ Greeley, practiced the piano, sat by my window for an hour, cleaned my room, listened to NSYNC on my CD player! By this time it was about 3:45! So I decided to slowly get ready! I took a bath, shaved my legs, put lotion all over me, washed my hair, put my hair up, ironed my shirt, and by this time it was almost 5:00! Katherine was going to be here to pick me up at 5:30 so I hurried and go all my stuff together!

(I'll skip some details and get to a great, great part)

We waited for what seemed like hours and then Pink was supposed to be the opening act but she was sick, so instead they had a guy named Presley sing and then another guy named Ron. It made me made because they didn't even have Sisqo sing and he was supposed to!!

(Skipping ahead)...

They interacted with us so much and they made us feel special! They have my respect and I love them and I love my friends! BYE BYE BYE!

A real choice time in life, as you can see.

To all the fictitious men I ever loved.

In order from my first love to my latest, Happy Valentine's Day...

Dear Anna,

I know you're going to greatly dislike that I'm posting this picture of you, but I can't resist. You're just too beautiful for your own good... both inside and out.

Happy 20th!!!

John Stephen Akhwari

I don't know where I've been my whole life to have never seen this video before now...

Anyway, it's touching and very uplifting.