Of Stupidity, Dirt, and Ponies

Sup.  Name's Langley.  Connor Langley.  You've probably heard of me.  If you haven't, something is wrong with you, because last time I checked I'M IN YOUR FRICKIN' CLASS.  Anyways... for some reason, the first physical feature about me that people always point out is my weight.  I've been described as "really skinny but also not skinny" (which confused me), and, if I may quote Bay Phillips, I have once been told "OH MY GOD NO. UR A STICK!"  My sister told me that any girls out there who were as tall as me would kill to be 125.  I laughed and called her fat.  She smacked me upside the head.

The single most important thing to know about me is that I do not make good decisions.  I have probably yelled "YOLO!" unironically more than anyone in this school, and I bet I'm the only one in this class to have jumped out a second-story window (the key is to tuck and roll).  Ever jogged through your neighborhood shirtless, when it's 30 degrees out?  Ever hopped in a small propeller plane and started flying it, right after you CRASHED ONE in a simulator?  Ever climbed a sheer cliff face in the Red River Gorge at 1 am? (Actually, if you are Kristen, you have.)  Has your forearm ever been entirely engulfed in flames?  Ever ridden Class V rapids while tied to the front of the raft?  Ever slept in a tiny, cramped tent with three Boy Scouts? (NOTHING HAPPENED.)

If you bothered to read that last paragraph, you may have deduced that I'm big on outdoor activities. I'm an officer of HC's Outdoors Club (you should totally come canoeing with us on September 16th.  The forms are in Behler's room, but on Junker's desk.  Feel free to walk in and steal as many as you like).  I go rock-climbing, whitewater rafting, and especially backpacking in my free time.  It doesn't have to be in the wilderness, either.  When it's nice out, I like to go for evening runs, usually around two or three miles.  Also, I'll admit with no small amount of shame and self-loathing that I'm a Boy Scout.  I want to quit, but my dad won't let me.  I have to say, however, that it has lead to some fantastic outings, from sleeping on the U.S.S. Yorktown to an amazing 11-day backpacking trek in the Rockies, at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Which brings us to the first of MULTIPLE PICTURES (you lucky dogs...)

My Philmont crew. (I'm in the brighter red hat.)

Now with scenery!  (Once again note the red hat.  It will be important...)

...WHEN I LOSE IT!  #*&%#*@...

Now.  The OTHER thing.  I wasn't going to mention it, for reasons that may quickly become obvious.  But then Logsdon mentioned it in class, so I was all like "Oh, what the hell!"  What geeks me out?  PONIES.  You may have heard of the Bronies (if not, run away).  When My Little Pony was completely overhauled and rebooted in 2010, by the woman responsible for "Ed, Edd, and Eddy" and "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," it quickly gained a bafflingly large amount of adult fans, and mostly male, too.  We are now over a million strong, internationally, and have officially been bashed, discredited, and just generally called gay by Fox News, Howard Stern, and Jerry Springer (see? We can't be all THAT bad!).  In my case, becoming a brony was an accident.  I clicked a YouTube link and was too dumbfounded to X out in the following 22 minutes.  Then I clicked the next episode, because I can't resist cliffhangers.  Then the next.  Then the next.  And that's how it happened.  Being a Brony as opposed to being a fan of other things is actually pretty awesome.  We have the heaviest creative outpouring of fan content that the world has ever seen, writing multiple fanfictions longer than War and Peace, drawing fanart of often amazing quality, and producing music that sounds like something you would hear on the radio.  My favorite website for generally anything is Tumblr, but my favorite PONY website is the online hub of our community, Equestria Daily.

AAAAND just to wrap things up, here is a picture of me as a pony, drawn by one of my brony friends.

(I'm a pretty cool pony, if I do say so myself.)