This will be another post where, instead of remembering everything about something, I will remember something about everything.
You can write reviews for pretty much anything these days--businesses, professors, movies, and so on. But what if you could write reviews about roommates you've had? That's what I'm going to do here. I had eighteen roommates during my time at BYU.
However, to avoid awkwardness, I will not write reviews about those with whom I am Facebook friends. Most of them would have positive reviews, but I won't write about any of them.
Roommate #1. I don't think I've ever met someone who hates people more than this person. He wouldn't answer the door. I think he only had one friend, really, not counting roommates 2 and 3.He spent his free time playing World of Warcraft, and I think he might have even skipped church once or twice to do so. He wouldn't talk to me, and I think he talked to my other roommates about me. Now, I was a really awkward roommate at that time, but he was in no way a good roommate for me. One time, I saw him walking down the street, and I said, "Hi, [#1]!" and he didn't even acknowledge me. Not recommended.
#2. Facebook friend.
#3. FB friend.
#4. FB friend.
#5. FB friend.
#6. I'm not Facebook friends with this person because he doesn't have Facebook. He is a great person and tries to be friends with everyone. He tried to include me in things going on, one of few roommates to do so. Definitely recommended. ("Definitely" seems to be his favorite word!)
#7. FB friend.
#8. FB friend.
#9. I didn't get to know him that well, as he was in another room, was my roommate for only a term, and was frequently gone. He is married now, I believe to the girl he started dating while he was my roommate. Neutral recommendation, but if I knew him better he would probably get a positive recommendation.
#10. FB friend.
#11. Kind of a weird guy. Not a jerk, but not super friendly either. He used to listen to music really loud, and he would listen to the same song on repeat, which could get a little annoying. He moved out halfway through the semester, which was a little odd. Neutral recommendation.
#12. He was friends with #11, and kind of has a similar situation, though he's a bit friendlier. He was not a good home teaching companion. He is married now. Last fall, he was working as a lifeguard at the RB pool, where I would go swimming. I didn't talk to him because I didn't know if I was allowed to. On one occasion, I was getting my kickboard and he was standing right by. I could have talked to him then, but I wouldn't have known what to say, so I didn't say anything. (Maybe I was also embarrassed for him to see me swimming.) If he didn't recognize me, I don't feel that bad. If he did recognize me, then I might feel bad--except that he didn't talk to me either. I still regret, though, that I didn't at least say, "Remember that time we were roommates?" Neutral recommendation.
#13. FB friend.
#14. FB friend.
#15. FB friend.
#16. This is a sweet-bro from South Carolina. He was nice enough, but he had all his SC buddies, so he was always spending time with them or else with his girlfriend, then fiancée (now wife). He didn't make any friends in our ward, despite having an elders quorum presidency calling, which tends to be one in which you need to get to know ward members. While I wasn't Facebook friends with him, I would stalk him, and he was friends with #17 below. My guess is that he sent the friend request to 17--but he never sent one to me, even though he knew me first and he shared my room! I think he was afraid of me. He worked out a lot and had very stinky laundry, which he left on the floor where it was easy to smell. Neutral recommendation, but you wouldn't get a new friend out of him, because he had his SC buddies and had room for no more.
#17. I'm not sure what's up with this quasi-hipster. At first, he was really nice, bringing us leftover waffles from work, watching movies with us, and inviting us to his Christmas party. But then during the second semester, he quit attending our ward. And then he quit talking to us. When we tried to talk to him, it was like we were bothering him. He would go out of town for a long time without telling us. And it wasn't even just that he wouldn't talk to us. He wouldn't respond to important things, like working out paying utilities or responding to apartment management's important emails about renovations. Because of him and other people, I no longer trust people with bow ties, and waffles make me a little uncomfortable. Not recommended.
#18. This guy is one of the South Carolina buddies of #16, but he is even more of a sweet-bro, with less room for new friends, less time at the apartment, more working out, and a diet composed mainly of energy and protein supplements. He spent far more time away from the apartment than he did in it. I'm not sure why he would pay rent just for a storage unit. Neutral recommendation, but you are even less likely to become his friend than you are to become #16's.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
The day before Labor Day
Labor Day is coming up on Monday, so I'm going to remember what I can about the Sunday before.
2013. I went to church early for bishopric meeting, and when Bishop came in, he said to me, "Hi Beardie." I told him that I had grown it in my field studies class, my one chance to grow a beard in a BYU class. He asked what the field studies were in, and I told him geology. We met in the Varsity Theater for church. I remember hearing Matt Markham saying his brother wanted to move into our ward. During priesthood meeting, I got up and urged everyone to get on our ward website so I could get their records. I told them to talk to me if they had questions (I think), and Bishop said they might not recognize me without my beard, and I said, "Yeah, the beard's coming off tomorrow." After the block of meetings, Brother Jensen said he was scared to do tithing with me because I looked scary. Then I came home and wrote up about Geology 210 and wrote on this blog.
2012. I think I got the member sheets that everyone had filled out, and after church I spent time in the clerk office, pulling in records. I think I might have split up the work with Cory Newton. Here is my journal entry for the day:
"It was a good Sunday. I finally got set apart. Then today I was able to input info from all the new member sheets and write both of my blogs. It helps that there's no school tomorrow."
2011. I wrote a weird blog, but I don't remember much about the day, really.
2009. In ward council in the morning, we reported about our visits of the week. When we talked about Bea Dorsett, I had written on the progress report, "If Negative Nancy and Daniel Downer had a baby, they would name her Bea Dorsett." Everyone thought that was really funny. Then I announced that transfers were occurring, and I said I was staying. They said that I sounded like I was Daniel Downer, and someone said, "Look where he's going," as I had written that Elder Warren was being transferred to Brewster, WA. Sister Presnell's convert mom came to church that day, and she was very gung ho. We were happy to have Heidi Wohlmacher, an investigator from Culdesac, ID, come. After gospel essentials, she said she was looking for a flock, and Sister Presnell's mom very strongly said, "This is the right one!" We hoped she wasn't overbearing. This is my journal entry for the day:
"We were pleased today that Heidi came to church. Shaun didn't, but he called later and said he had a stomach bug. [It is rare for investigators to actually call you when they miss church!]
"I wonder what my purpose is in dying here. I will see what it is, because I know there must be some reason."
2008. We were going down Baker Ave, which didn't have a bike lane and had lots of cars parked in the road, so we were riding on the sidewalk. There was a garbage can in the sidewalk, but there were cars in the road, and I thought I could make it between the can and the fence. But I hit the can and crashed. Some people driving by saw it and stopped to see if I was fine, which I was. But then my gears weren't working right (they only worked in 3rd gear), so we walked the rest of the day. I think this was the day when we were walking uphill on 9th Street when there was a cloudburst. I didn't have my umbrella, so I got rained on. I was annoyed that my planner got wet, because it meant I would need to go through most of a transfer with a warped planner. We went and had dinner with the Raabs, who had been to Utah and taken some of our stuff. Sister Raab asked if the five-year-old girl she had met was my sister. I said she was my niece, and she said that Allie seemed amazed that they had been in my presence. This might have been the time Brother Raab gave us apples, and Elder Duncan immediately began eating his, so I followed suit, and Brother Raab said, "You didn't need to eat them now." Sister Raab might have asked if my first name was Herman (Melville), and she said that would be a better name than Herman Munster. While we walked home for the evening, I might have sung the closing song from A Boy Named Charlie Brown, "Now the shadows of the morning have gone beyond the August afternoon," since it was the end of August. This might have been the time Elder Duncan said his high school had sung that song in their production of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, even though it wasn't part of that musical. I told him it wasn't part of that musical, but he said they added it, but I'm skeptical. This is my journal entry:
"We dropped Jason. We were sick of him bailing on us. And the Gillespies bailed on us. I hope this doesn't become a regular thing.
"Today we were biking down Baker. I was biking on the sidewalk because there were parked cars and people in the road. I thought I'd be able to dodge a trash can, but I didn't and I crashed. Now my gears don't work properly. I hope they can fix the bike. When I crashed some people were driving by. They saw me and stopped and asked if I was OK, which I was."
2004. My mom said we weren't going to church that day, because it would probably be the last time we went camping with my Grandpa Boyd (and it was). I was wearing new pants, but I thought my mom would be mad that I was wearing new clothes camping. She said to me, "Those must be new pants," and I said, "How did you know?" She pointed out that I had left the tag on them, and I felt dumb. She wasn't mad, however.
2003. In the day, I remember reading scriptures, and my cousin Cannon came in and said, "Oh, you're reading scriptures." David was playing Sequence with Ya-ping and one of her friends, and he asked if I wanted to play. I said no, and he said that the Mormon rumor about face cards wasn't true. That wasn't really why I wasn't playing, but I ended up playing anyway. Later, I remember standing near the bridge at the Pistol Rock campground with Dave and Ya-ping, and Cannon's baby Lillian was very giggly.
1996. We were playing in the creek, and I was really excited that it was September. I remember picking a red leaf and putting it on my little boat. I hated the water skeeters that were in the water. Later, we walked up the creek, and I slipped and hurt my shin. I was an over-dramatic not-quite-eight-year-old, and I was crying. I suggested getting a rag wet in the stream to use as an ice pack. After I had recovered some, I remember telling my cousin Terrill that the creek was "gruesome." He said, "How is it gruesome?" and I explained my shin situation. (I had only recently heard the word gruesome from my dad. I asked him what he meant, and he defined it as "awful." So I tried to use it, not quite getting its sense.)
2013. I went to church early for bishopric meeting, and when Bishop came in, he said to me, "Hi Beardie." I told him that I had grown it in my field studies class, my one chance to grow a beard in a BYU class. He asked what the field studies were in, and I told him geology. We met in the Varsity Theater for church. I remember hearing Matt Markham saying his brother wanted to move into our ward. During priesthood meeting, I got up and urged everyone to get on our ward website so I could get their records. I told them to talk to me if they had questions (I think), and Bishop said they might not recognize me without my beard, and I said, "Yeah, the beard's coming off tomorrow." After the block of meetings, Brother Jensen said he was scared to do tithing with me because I looked scary. Then I came home and wrote up about Geology 210 and wrote on this blog.
2012. I think I got the member sheets that everyone had filled out, and after church I spent time in the clerk office, pulling in records. I think I might have split up the work with Cory Newton. Here is my journal entry for the day:
"It was a good Sunday. I finally got set apart. Then today I was able to input info from all the new member sheets and write both of my blogs. It helps that there's no school tomorrow."
2011. I wrote a weird blog, but I don't remember much about the day, really.
2009. In ward council in the morning, we reported about our visits of the week. When we talked about Bea Dorsett, I had written on the progress report, "If Negative Nancy and Daniel Downer had a baby, they would name her Bea Dorsett." Everyone thought that was really funny. Then I announced that transfers were occurring, and I said I was staying. They said that I sounded like I was Daniel Downer, and someone said, "Look where he's going," as I had written that Elder Warren was being transferred to Brewster, WA. Sister Presnell's convert mom came to church that day, and she was very gung ho. We were happy to have Heidi Wohlmacher, an investigator from Culdesac, ID, come. After gospel essentials, she said she was looking for a flock, and Sister Presnell's mom very strongly said, "This is the right one!" We hoped she wasn't overbearing. This is my journal entry for the day:
"We were pleased today that Heidi came to church. Shaun didn't, but he called later and said he had a stomach bug. [It is rare for investigators to actually call you when they miss church!]
"I wonder what my purpose is in dying here. I will see what it is, because I know there must be some reason."
2008. We were going down Baker Ave, which didn't have a bike lane and had lots of cars parked in the road, so we were riding on the sidewalk. There was a garbage can in the sidewalk, but there were cars in the road, and I thought I could make it between the can and the fence. But I hit the can and crashed. Some people driving by saw it and stopped to see if I was fine, which I was. But then my gears weren't working right (they only worked in 3rd gear), so we walked the rest of the day. I think this was the day when we were walking uphill on 9th Street when there was a cloudburst. I didn't have my umbrella, so I got rained on. I was annoyed that my planner got wet, because it meant I would need to go through most of a transfer with a warped planner. We went and had dinner with the Raabs, who had been to Utah and taken some of our stuff. Sister Raab asked if the five-year-old girl she had met was my sister. I said she was my niece, and she said that Allie seemed amazed that they had been in my presence. This might have been the time Brother Raab gave us apples, and Elder Duncan immediately began eating his, so I followed suit, and Brother Raab said, "You didn't need to eat them now." Sister Raab might have asked if my first name was Herman (Melville), and she said that would be a better name than Herman Munster. While we walked home for the evening, I might have sung the closing song from A Boy Named Charlie Brown, "Now the shadows of the morning have gone beyond the August afternoon," since it was the end of August. This might have been the time Elder Duncan said his high school had sung that song in their production of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, even though it wasn't part of that musical. I told him it wasn't part of that musical, but he said they added it, but I'm skeptical. This is my journal entry:
"We dropped Jason. We were sick of him bailing on us. And the Gillespies bailed on us. I hope this doesn't become a regular thing.
"Today we were biking down Baker. I was biking on the sidewalk because there were parked cars and people in the road. I thought I'd be able to dodge a trash can, but I didn't and I crashed. Now my gears don't work properly. I hope they can fix the bike. When I crashed some people were driving by. They saw me and stopped and asked if I was OK, which I was."
2004. My mom said we weren't going to church that day, because it would probably be the last time we went camping with my Grandpa Boyd (and it was). I was wearing new pants, but I thought my mom would be mad that I was wearing new clothes camping. She said to me, "Those must be new pants," and I said, "How did you know?" She pointed out that I had left the tag on them, and I felt dumb. She wasn't mad, however.
2003. In the day, I remember reading scriptures, and my cousin Cannon came in and said, "Oh, you're reading scriptures." David was playing Sequence with Ya-ping and one of her friends, and he asked if I wanted to play. I said no, and he said that the Mormon rumor about face cards wasn't true. That wasn't really why I wasn't playing, but I ended up playing anyway. Later, I remember standing near the bridge at the Pistol Rock campground with Dave and Ya-ping, and Cannon's baby Lillian was very giggly.
1996. We were playing in the creek, and I was really excited that it was September. I remember picking a red leaf and putting it on my little boat. I hated the water skeeters that were in the water. Later, we walked up the creek, and I slipped and hurt my shin. I was an over-dramatic not-quite-eight-year-old, and I was crying. I suggested getting a rag wet in the stream to use as an ice pack. After I had recovered some, I remember telling my cousin Terrill that the creek was "gruesome." He said, "How is it gruesome?" and I explained my shin situation. (I had only recently heard the word gruesome from my dad. I asked him what he meant, and he defined it as "awful." So I tried to use it, not quite getting its sense.)
Friday, August 22, 2014
Two days before Labor Day
With Labor Day coming up, I'm going to remember what happened the Saturday before that day.
2013. In the morning I had to go up to the geology computer lab to work on the writeup for Geology 210. The TA Brad had shaved his beard, and he looked really different without it. I worked all day on that writeup. Others left, planning on working on it later, but I'm glad I stayed--even though I worked most of the day, I didn't totally finish. I had to use Adobe Illustrator to modify one of my pictures:
I think at one point I took a vending machine lunch break, and in the evening I went over to the CougarEat. I also bought a newspaper jack-o-lantern decoration from the Bookstore, that being my favorite of their Halloween decorations (they also had orange and black owl salt and pepper shakers). When I left for the day, I went to 7-Eleven to get my last Slurpee of the season (it was August 31), and by the cash register there were Reese's pumpkins. I think when I got back to my apartment, there was no parking, so I had to park far away and walk back. (Maybe I ran back.) I had to go through some sprinklers, and I was worried they would ruin my new shoes.
2012. It was September 1, and I was kind of sick. I slept in and took a nap, listening to my music to try to get my new Kelly Clarkson and Owl City music integrated into my collection. It was rainy when I went grocery shopping. I remember seeing the shaved ice shack outside the store and thinking that I couldn't get them anymore, since it was September. I saw gummy werewolves and gummy vampires for sale, but it was still too early to get them. I wanted some cough drops, so I bought some apple cider-flavored ones. Then I went home and watched some of the Frozen Planet documentary. My roommate Cameron and his friend came in while I was watching. They wanted to watch something, but they finished the documentary with me, watching a fight between a wolf and a reindeer (or something like that). Before they watched Downton Abbey, I had to show them the clip of the ice trapping starfish:
2011. I went to Famous Footwear to buy new running shoes. I really liked my K-Swiss Tubes, so I bought some more of them, but orange and black instead of green and grey. I tried some new Adidas, and as I was checking out, the cashier said her husband had some and he loved them. (I ended up not liking those shoes.)
2010. I left early in the morning with my parents and Allie to go to Moosehorn Lake to ride on our little inflatable boat. At one point, I was having a hard time steering and almost ran into another guy. I apologized, and he was very friendly, saying it was a great day for boating. At one point, Allie was in the boat with me and said "gooder." I told her that "gooder" was nonstandard, and that she should say better, but she said people knew what she meant. (I don't think I would have corrected her today.) At one point she made a remark about putting her hand up and making the waves stop, like Jesus. On our way home, we stopped at McDonald's in Park City. We had to wait a really long time for my mom, because she was helping some lady who had a disease and needed to get new clothes from her husband.
2009. We had dinner with the Browns and their parents (whose name I can't remember). After dinner, we went to our apartment. Elder Warren had held the phone that day, because it was transfer call day and we were super anxious. We got our call from President Palmer, and I remember Elder Warren saying, "So do I have to learn Spanish?" Then President talked to me and said I was staying and getting Elder Tamblyn. Elder Warren told me that he was being transferred to Brewster and Twisp, in a newly organized "zebra" companionship, where one companion was English speaking and the other was Spanish speaking. I said that that had always been my dream--to go to that exact area and have to speak Spanish, but that people told me it wouldn't happen. Elder Warren said he thought he was the person who said that would never happen. And then he got it instead of me, even though I knew some Spanish! That night we went out to go tracting, but as we were locking our bikes to a sign, a wasp stung me on the neck. Elder Warren said I should get some Benadryl. We walked to the convenience store on the end of Grelle Ave., got some Benadryl, and walked back. We might have stopped at the recent convert Renee's on the way back. I was super tired filling out the progress report for Sunday, and Elder Warren laughed at me.
2006. We were in Fillmore, camped out in my grandma's backyard. My aunt Michelle took Susanne and Allie to a little store in town, where Allie got a sheet of sticker earrings. That day we also went to Duane's grocery store, where Susanne got some Hershey's chocolates. The chocolates were haunted houses (I think) and the white chocolates were ghosts. We saw some Halloween Peeps, and Allie said they should get them for my birthday. I was impressed that she remembered I got some for my birthday the previous year.
1999. We were camping in Fillmore Canyon, and I think this was the time David had brought his friends up. They were excited to feed cows on the Christensens' farm.
1997. I remember seeing a bunch of tombstones. Later I learned that that was a mortuary, and I said that I had thought it was someone with their Halloween decorations up early.
2013. In the morning I had to go up to the geology computer lab to work on the writeup for Geology 210. The TA Brad had shaved his beard, and he looked really different without it. I worked all day on that writeup. Others left, planning on working on it later, but I'm glad I stayed--even though I worked most of the day, I didn't totally finish. I had to use Adobe Illustrator to modify one of my pictures:
2012. It was September 1, and I was kind of sick. I slept in and took a nap, listening to my music to try to get my new Kelly Clarkson and Owl City music integrated into my collection. It was rainy when I went grocery shopping. I remember seeing the shaved ice shack outside the store and thinking that I couldn't get them anymore, since it was September. I saw gummy werewolves and gummy vampires for sale, but it was still too early to get them. I wanted some cough drops, so I bought some apple cider-flavored ones. Then I went home and watched some of the Frozen Planet documentary. My roommate Cameron and his friend came in while I was watching. They wanted to watch something, but they finished the documentary with me, watching a fight between a wolf and a reindeer (or something like that). Before they watched Downton Abbey, I had to show them the clip of the ice trapping starfish:
2011. I went to Famous Footwear to buy new running shoes. I really liked my K-Swiss Tubes, so I bought some more of them, but orange and black instead of green and grey. I tried some new Adidas, and as I was checking out, the cashier said her husband had some and he loved them. (I ended up not liking those shoes.)
2010. I left early in the morning with my parents and Allie to go to Moosehorn Lake to ride on our little inflatable boat. At one point, I was having a hard time steering and almost ran into another guy. I apologized, and he was very friendly, saying it was a great day for boating. At one point, Allie was in the boat with me and said "gooder." I told her that "gooder" was nonstandard, and that she should say better, but she said people knew what she meant. (I don't think I would have corrected her today.) At one point she made a remark about putting her hand up and making the waves stop, like Jesus. On our way home, we stopped at McDonald's in Park City. We had to wait a really long time for my mom, because she was helping some lady who had a disease and needed to get new clothes from her husband.
2009. We had dinner with the Browns and their parents (whose name I can't remember). After dinner, we went to our apartment. Elder Warren had held the phone that day, because it was transfer call day and we were super anxious. We got our call from President Palmer, and I remember Elder Warren saying, "So do I have to learn Spanish?" Then President talked to me and said I was staying and getting Elder Tamblyn. Elder Warren told me that he was being transferred to Brewster and Twisp, in a newly organized "zebra" companionship, where one companion was English speaking and the other was Spanish speaking. I said that that had always been my dream--to go to that exact area and have to speak Spanish, but that people told me it wouldn't happen. Elder Warren said he thought he was the person who said that would never happen. And then he got it instead of me, even though I knew some Spanish! That night we went out to go tracting, but as we were locking our bikes to a sign, a wasp stung me on the neck. Elder Warren said I should get some Benadryl. We walked to the convenience store on the end of Grelle Ave., got some Benadryl, and walked back. We might have stopped at the recent convert Renee's on the way back. I was super tired filling out the progress report for Sunday, and Elder Warren laughed at me.
2006. We were in Fillmore, camped out in my grandma's backyard. My aunt Michelle took Susanne and Allie to a little store in town, where Allie got a sheet of sticker earrings. That day we also went to Duane's grocery store, where Susanne got some Hershey's chocolates. The chocolates were haunted houses (I think) and the white chocolates were ghosts. We saw some Halloween Peeps, and Allie said they should get them for my birthday. I was impressed that she remembered I got some for my birthday the previous year.
1999. We were camping in Fillmore Canyon, and I think this was the time David had brought his friends up. They were excited to feed cows on the Christensens' farm.
1997. I remember seeing a bunch of tombstones. Later I learned that that was a mortuary, and I said that I had thought it was someone with their Halloween decorations up early.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
1999 tornado
This will be a short post, but the Deseret News reminded me that August 11 is the fifteen-year anniversary of the famous Salt Lake tornado.
I remember being at home with just my sister, and suddenly it was very stormy. The wind and hail were crazy. I was surprised to have such crazy weather during the summer.
Soon, Susanne told me there had been a tornado. I kind of thought she was joking at first, but then I saw the news reports that confirmed it. By the end of the day, the news reported that one person had died, and the not-quite-complete Conference Center received some damage.
Later that day, after the storm had subsided, I went out to jump on the trampoline. Everything was still a little wet, and there were leaves blown off the trees all over the place. I saw a katydid on our grapevine, which made me wonder what had happened to it during the storm. Did it hide? Did it get hurt?
I seem to remember something about chess and Tic-Tacs--two of my obsessions at the time--so I wonder if this was the same day that my mom came home and gave me a little magnetic travel chess set and a bag of six packs of wintergreen Tic-Tacs. But that could have been another day that summer, as those were frequent thoughts I had at that awkward age.
I remember being at home with just my sister, and suddenly it was very stormy. The wind and hail were crazy. I was surprised to have such crazy weather during the summer.
Soon, Susanne told me there had been a tornado. I kind of thought she was joking at first, but then I saw the news reports that confirmed it. By the end of the day, the news reported that one person had died, and the not-quite-complete Conference Center received some damage.
Later that day, after the storm had subsided, I went out to jump on the trampoline. Everything was still a little wet, and there were leaves blown off the trees all over the place. I saw a katydid on our grapevine, which made me wonder what had happened to it during the storm. Did it hide? Did it get hurt?
I seem to remember something about chess and Tic-Tacs--two of my obsessions at the time--so I wonder if this was the same day that my mom came home and gave me a little magnetic travel chess set and a bag of six packs of wintergreen Tic-Tacs. But that could have been another day that summer, as those were frequent thoughts I had at that awkward age.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Scout camp 2005
This week, I'm going to remember the last scout camp I went to.
We drove up to Brother Trost's brother-in-law's house in Idaho, where we set up our tents in his backyard. I rode up with Brother Gubler, and I was in a tent with Nathan Loveridge and I think David Christensen and I think some others.
Perhaps it was that first night when we drove to go someplace for cliff jumping, but I didn't participate.
It might have been the very next day when we went on a canoe ride in a river. I was with Nathan and perhaps Kelton Gubler (I can't remember for sure). Spencer Jones was in a kayak, wearing a cowboy hat, and at one point his hat fell off. We were in our canoe, and we weren't very good at maneuvering it, so when we hit some rapids, we capsized. I lost my glasses in the process, and we hung on to the canoe as it floated down the river. We were rubbing against large boulders in the river. Eventually we were able to get out of the current and onto the beach. We tried to turn the canoe over, but there was a vacuum that made it very difficult to turn over. We eventually got it over, but I was nervous to get back in. I didn't want to go anywhere, but we couldn't just stay on the riverbank. We said a prayer before we left again.
I knew that I wouldn't be able to last without glasses, so I heard that Brother Gubler was leaving early, and I was going to go with him. But suddenly, he had already left, and I wasn't able to go with him. But I was a little glad. I was able to call home and have David find my blue-lensed glasses, with they sent up with Bishop Clark for me.
After the canoe mishap, I was rather hesitant about other rafting trips. So one morning everyone else went on a rafting trip, but I explained that my reserve of courage was all drained, so I didn't go and stayed with Dave Finklea.
One of those days, I rode with a Pay and a Snarr, and they were listening to a mix CD with "Space Cowboy" and "Hot in Herre." Another day, they were flipping radio stations, and I liked "Ticket to Ride." On that same trip, they had found a country cover of "Cat's in the Cradle," which I didn't care for.
One evening, we had a conversation about missions. The RMs told about their missions, and Cody Spencer was getting ready to go on one, so he told why he decided to go.
One night, one of the Clark girls came because she lived in Idaho. She was talking to me about my brother David. I said they had a baby named Preston, and she thought I said Rusty.
There was talk about how David Christensen had got way too much milk--ten gallons, and we didn't even have cereal. I said that I should have spoken up when we went shopping, because I did think that was excessive. But Brother Trost said his brother-in-law drank milk like it was going out of style.
One day, we were going to ride horses, because Brother Trost's brother-in-law owned several horses. I was a little nervous, but they put me on a horse named Pop, which they said was their best horse. It was indeed a well-behaved horse, and I was glad I was able to ride it. I felt like we were all cowboys. We rode our horses up a mountain trail, and there was a portion where the trail forked. Pop went a different way, and I trusted him, but everyone told me I needed to direct him back to where everyone else was. Then we saw where the other way met up with the trail, and they realized that Pop knew where he was going. Eventually, we made it to a hidden lake, where we were instructed to take our horses to the water. I did so, but Pop didn't drink. They asked me if I had taken him to get a drink of water, and when I said that I had but he didn't, there was of course an obligatory comment about "You can lead a horse to water...". Dave Finklea asked me if my horse was good, and I said yes, and he sounded like he wanted to trade, because his was resistant to him, since he weighed a lot. Fortunately, I was able to stay on Pop on the way back down. I was surprised that the signs on the trail pointed to a place with an inappropriate name. When Bishop Clark got off, he gratefully said, "Terra firma!"
One day, I waited in the car while others rented out rafts. I remember telling Mark Millard and Jordan Morley about the Gilligan's Island episode when Gilligan was struck by lightning and became magnetic and later became invisible. Mark said, "That show's retarded."
On our way back on our last day, someone in our caravan got a flat tire, so we stopped on the shoulder while it was fixed. Mark read a Laffy Taffy joke that sounded a little inappropriate. Greg Byington told a really inappropriate joke that he learned from his dad. At one point, we stopped at a gas station, and most people got large drinks. Then as we were driving, Nathan Loveridge needed to go to the bathroom really bad, and he kept asking to stop. Everyone was annoyed with him. Eventually they stopped at a gas station for him, and he was instructed not to buy one thing in the gas station, because we wanted to get home. While we were waiting, Greg was saying that he didn't like people, and that he knew people who were smart but didn't know practical things like how to change a tire. (I don't know how to change a tire.)
When I got home, I was very tan, and I had tan lines at my wrist and over my eyes, because of my blue glasses.
We drove up to Brother Trost's brother-in-law's house in Idaho, where we set up our tents in his backyard. I rode up with Brother Gubler, and I was in a tent with Nathan Loveridge and I think David Christensen and I think some others.
Perhaps it was that first night when we drove to go someplace for cliff jumping, but I didn't participate.
It might have been the very next day when we went on a canoe ride in a river. I was with Nathan and perhaps Kelton Gubler (I can't remember for sure). Spencer Jones was in a kayak, wearing a cowboy hat, and at one point his hat fell off. We were in our canoe, and we weren't very good at maneuvering it, so when we hit some rapids, we capsized. I lost my glasses in the process, and we hung on to the canoe as it floated down the river. We were rubbing against large boulders in the river. Eventually we were able to get out of the current and onto the beach. We tried to turn the canoe over, but there was a vacuum that made it very difficult to turn over. We eventually got it over, but I was nervous to get back in. I didn't want to go anywhere, but we couldn't just stay on the riverbank. We said a prayer before we left again.
I knew that I wouldn't be able to last without glasses, so I heard that Brother Gubler was leaving early, and I was going to go with him. But suddenly, he had already left, and I wasn't able to go with him. But I was a little glad. I was able to call home and have David find my blue-lensed glasses, with they sent up with Bishop Clark for me.
After the canoe mishap, I was rather hesitant about other rafting trips. So one morning everyone else went on a rafting trip, but I explained that my reserve of courage was all drained, so I didn't go and stayed with Dave Finklea.
One of those days, I rode with a Pay and a Snarr, and they were listening to a mix CD with "Space Cowboy" and "Hot in Herre." Another day, they were flipping radio stations, and I liked "Ticket to Ride." On that same trip, they had found a country cover of "Cat's in the Cradle," which I didn't care for.
One evening, we had a conversation about missions. The RMs told about their missions, and Cody Spencer was getting ready to go on one, so he told why he decided to go.
One night, one of the Clark girls came because she lived in Idaho. She was talking to me about my brother David. I said they had a baby named Preston, and she thought I said Rusty.
There was talk about how David Christensen had got way too much milk--ten gallons, and we didn't even have cereal. I said that I should have spoken up when we went shopping, because I did think that was excessive. But Brother Trost said his brother-in-law drank milk like it was going out of style.
One day, we were going to ride horses, because Brother Trost's brother-in-law owned several horses. I was a little nervous, but they put me on a horse named Pop, which they said was their best horse. It was indeed a well-behaved horse, and I was glad I was able to ride it. I felt like we were all cowboys. We rode our horses up a mountain trail, and there was a portion where the trail forked. Pop went a different way, and I trusted him, but everyone told me I needed to direct him back to where everyone else was. Then we saw where the other way met up with the trail, and they realized that Pop knew where he was going. Eventually, we made it to a hidden lake, where we were instructed to take our horses to the water. I did so, but Pop didn't drink. They asked me if I had taken him to get a drink of water, and when I said that I had but he didn't, there was of course an obligatory comment about "You can lead a horse to water...". Dave Finklea asked me if my horse was good, and I said yes, and he sounded like he wanted to trade, because his was resistant to him, since he weighed a lot. Fortunately, I was able to stay on Pop on the way back down. I was surprised that the signs on the trail pointed to a place with an inappropriate name. When Bishop Clark got off, he gratefully said, "Terra firma!"
One day, I waited in the car while others rented out rafts. I remember telling Mark Millard and Jordan Morley about the Gilligan's Island episode when Gilligan was struck by lightning and became magnetic and later became invisible. Mark said, "That show's retarded."
On our way back on our last day, someone in our caravan got a flat tire, so we stopped on the shoulder while it was fixed. Mark read a Laffy Taffy joke that sounded a little inappropriate. Greg Byington told a really inappropriate joke that he learned from his dad. At one point, we stopped at a gas station, and most people got large drinks. Then as we were driving, Nathan Loveridge needed to go to the bathroom really bad, and he kept asking to stop. Everyone was annoyed with him. Eventually they stopped at a gas station for him, and he was instructed not to buy one thing in the gas station, because we wanted to get home. While we were waiting, Greg was saying that he didn't like people, and that he knew people who were smart but didn't know practical things like how to change a tire. (I don't know how to change a tire.)
When I got home, I was very tan, and I had tan lines at my wrist and over my eyes, because of my blue glasses.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Scout camp 2003
Of the six scout camps we had when I was a scout, I only went to half of them. But for me, going to half of them is actually pretty good.
For our 2003 trip, we met in the church parking lot one morning. I was wearing a blue polo shirt, and I said it made me look like the Skipper on Gilligan's Island, my obsession at the time. On our way to our camping place, we stopped at a cave. Some old lady made some snide comment about us scouts being noisy, and Brother Milligan later called her a bitty (not when they were around of course). Mike Dolan also remarked that the cave formations looked nothing like what the cave guide said they looked like. We also drove past Bear Lake, which is the only time I've ever seen it. We drove up to some place in Idaho (or maybe it was Wyoming), a rather primitive camping site by a river. I'm not sure I would have gone if I had known how primitive it was, but I was glad I went. We set up our tents, and I was in a tent with Jordan Morley and Mark Millard. That first day, we played Scum with Morgan Smith's cards with the design of a $100 bill on the back.
I think on our second day, we went rafting down the river. I was wearing my yellow swimsuit and one of those Urkel-esque cords on the back of my glasses because I didn't want them to fall off. One of the days, Mark, Jordan, and I spent some time in the river making a dam. I was singing all sorts of songs, like "I am a rock, I am an island," "Climb every mountain that's in the stream," and "Home, where my cat lies waiting silently for me."
David and Wayne Christensen came later; I remember them saying they had had to stop on the side of the road for a nap because Wayne was really tired.
One day, we went on a hike, and being terribly out of shape, I was really slow and I was way behind everyone else. I think David Christensen had been walking with me (on the car ride, we had been assigning Gilligan's Island characters and we said David could be Mary Ann, and Andrew Jones was quoting some "celebrity Jeopardy" thing about the show), and they told me we needed to go faster. But I couldn't go faster, so I told them to go on without me. Wayne told me what to do if I saw a moose. When we got to the top, everyone got in a little pond, but I didn't. I made up a parody of the Gilligan's Island tune, but I don't remember all of it and I'm too embarrassed to share it here.
We played cards at camp a lot. One time, we were in Jaydon Bean's tent and he got mad at me for getting my shoe on his Snoopy pillowcase. Another time we were outside listening to Weird Al and eating the special M&Ms I had brought.
One day, we were going to Jackson Hole, so we got in our bathing suits and cleaned ourselves in the river. Going around Jackson Hole was nice. We were in one gift shop and I was surprised at the filthy souvenirs they had. Later, I was waiting in a park and saw a man with a cigar. For dinner, we went to see the Bar-J Wranglers. Brother Milligan had told us that everyone he had ever brought there liked the show. For dinner, the only drinks were coffee and lemonade, so of course we got lemonade, but I wondered about those who just wanted water. When the performers got up, they asked where everyone was from. A lot of people called out "Utah!" (and Brother Milligan knew some of them, and he said he always met someone he knew there). The performers asked all the Utah people how to pronounce the city that starts with T (Tooele) and they told a story where they went in someplace and said, "What do you call this place?" and the other guy said "Taco Bell." One of the pictures on the background of the stage was of a dog, but I thought it was a horse kicking its legs. The singers were talented, although I thought their jokes were a little corny. They did a portion of the show with more serious music, and they were able to have one person hum a note and pass it around from person to person. At the end of the show, everyone said they liked it, either for the comedy or the music.
I remember conversations with Mark and Jordan in our tent. I asked them what it was like being a ninth grader, and they said it was pretty much the same. In the yearbook, Jordan had been selected "Most likely to create a new candy bar," which he didn't think fit him, but I thought it did. Mark snored a lot, and after the Bar J Wranglers, I had a dream that they were doing their pass-along trick with his snoring.
One day, we needed to clean out Brother Gubler's van, and Mike Dolan found someone's Triscuit on the floor.
When I got back, I watched three hours of I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and Gilligan's Island while eating my leftover Wheat Thins.
For our 2003 trip, we met in the church parking lot one morning. I was wearing a blue polo shirt, and I said it made me look like the Skipper on Gilligan's Island, my obsession at the time. On our way to our camping place, we stopped at a cave. Some old lady made some snide comment about us scouts being noisy, and Brother Milligan later called her a bitty (not when they were around of course). Mike Dolan also remarked that the cave formations looked nothing like what the cave guide said they looked like. We also drove past Bear Lake, which is the only time I've ever seen it. We drove up to some place in Idaho (or maybe it was Wyoming), a rather primitive camping site by a river. I'm not sure I would have gone if I had known how primitive it was, but I was glad I went. We set up our tents, and I was in a tent with Jordan Morley and Mark Millard. That first day, we played Scum with Morgan Smith's cards with the design of a $100 bill on the back.
I think on our second day, we went rafting down the river. I was wearing my yellow swimsuit and one of those Urkel-esque cords on the back of my glasses because I didn't want them to fall off. One of the days, Mark, Jordan, and I spent some time in the river making a dam. I was singing all sorts of songs, like "I am a rock, I am an island," "Climb every mountain that's in the stream," and "Home, where my cat lies waiting silently for me."
David and Wayne Christensen came later; I remember them saying they had had to stop on the side of the road for a nap because Wayne was really tired.
One day, we went on a hike, and being terribly out of shape, I was really slow and I was way behind everyone else. I think David Christensen had been walking with me (on the car ride, we had been assigning Gilligan's Island characters and we said David could be Mary Ann, and Andrew Jones was quoting some "celebrity Jeopardy" thing about the show), and they told me we needed to go faster. But I couldn't go faster, so I told them to go on without me. Wayne told me what to do if I saw a moose. When we got to the top, everyone got in a little pond, but I didn't. I made up a parody of the Gilligan's Island tune, but I don't remember all of it and I'm too embarrassed to share it here.
We played cards at camp a lot. One time, we were in Jaydon Bean's tent and he got mad at me for getting my shoe on his Snoopy pillowcase. Another time we were outside listening to Weird Al and eating the special M&Ms I had brought.
One day, we were going to Jackson Hole, so we got in our bathing suits and cleaned ourselves in the river. Going around Jackson Hole was nice. We were in one gift shop and I was surprised at the filthy souvenirs they had. Later, I was waiting in a park and saw a man with a cigar. For dinner, we went to see the Bar-J Wranglers. Brother Milligan had told us that everyone he had ever brought there liked the show. For dinner, the only drinks were coffee and lemonade, so of course we got lemonade, but I wondered about those who just wanted water. When the performers got up, they asked where everyone was from. A lot of people called out "Utah!" (and Brother Milligan knew some of them, and he said he always met someone he knew there). The performers asked all the Utah people how to pronounce the city that starts with T (Tooele) and they told a story where they went in someplace and said, "What do you call this place?" and the other guy said "Taco Bell." One of the pictures on the background of the stage was of a dog, but I thought it was a horse kicking its legs. The singers were talented, although I thought their jokes were a little corny. They did a portion of the show with more serious music, and they were able to have one person hum a note and pass it around from person to person. At the end of the show, everyone said they liked it, either for the comedy or the music.
I remember conversations with Mark and Jordan in our tent. I asked them what it was like being a ninth grader, and they said it was pretty much the same. In the yearbook, Jordan had been selected "Most likely to create a new candy bar," which he didn't think fit him, but I thought it did. Mark snored a lot, and after the Bar J Wranglers, I had a dream that they were doing their pass-along trick with his snoring.
One day, we needed to clean out Brother Gubler's van, and Mike Dolan found someone's Triscuit on the floor.
When I got back, I watched three hours of I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and Gilligan's Island while eating my leftover Wheat Thins.
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