In which I find a ring, a car, and a Greek god

It was the last day of finals last semester. Snow had fallen a few days previously, but the morning was dry and bitterly cold. What snow was still on the ground was hard as ice (which will make another appearance later in this post). My last final was scheduled at 8 a.m. So there I was, trudging along my favorite brick pathway on campus, minding my own business, when what should appear? Something shiny on a bench covered in snow.

“Sacre bleu!” I said. “Something shiny!”

The Shiny Something was hiding underneath the ice-like snow, so I had to dig with my little frozen fingers to get to it. When I finally reached it, I realized that the Shiny Something was a ring. My first thought was that I had ruined someone’s surprise proposal (as would be typical at BYU). But on second glance, it didn’t look like a wedding ring. It was fairly plain and…somewhat familiar looking.

“Wouldn’t it be funny if this ring had words written on it?” I said to myself, remembering my own replica of the One Ring that I had when I was thirteen.

Now, gentle reader, try not to be alarmed when I tell you that there was in fact writing on the ring and that it was in fact the One Ring. I found it! It came to me! It wanted to be found!

Odd? Yes. Spooky? Very yes. Ironic? Very very yes. Of all the people who could have found this discarded Shiny Something, I—one who knows the lore and still somewhat “believes” in it—found it.

And no, I’m not telling you where it is now. Just don’t be surprised if I develop wicked-awesome-superpowers in the coming months.

This wasn’t the only convenient allusion I experienced recently. Driving down the freeway with my dear friend, Cassie, I passed a semi truck carrying cars to a dealership. The last car on the top was none other than the Batmobile, completely black with authentic wing-like fixtures sprouting from the taillights. Who says that Dark Lords and Dark Knights aren’t real?

But I’ve found good things, too. Like Proponents of Light. For example, since the Paragon of Masculinity (see my post on Michael Phelps) semi-fell from grace after the 2008 Summer Olympics, I have discovered the Paragon of Charm, oddly enough a leader of Proponents of Light. You might know him better as a world-renowned American hero short-track speed skater (herein re-enters the ice from earlier [see how clever I am!]).

Sigh. Formerly known as the Greek god of wisdom and light, Apolo (who had to lose an “l” from his name in order to skate against mortals) is the reason I have not missed a day of workout since the Vancouver 2010 Olympics began. If you haven’t watched the video of his training sessions, you need to.

More on the Winter Olympics to come! According to my Greek god/personal trainer, I need to get a decent amount of sleep. My Games start now!