New York, New York

About a year or so after my return from my LDS mission to New York, I took a buddy of mine and we went back to New York City to spend some time in the Big City.

I made a few phone calls and I was able to find some accommodations in Queens with Pat and Christa. There was only two catches. We had to hit some clubs at night with Shirley and Christa and Joel and I unfortunately had to share a couch bed. But the less said about that, the better!

So Joel and I planned what we wanted to do and saved some money so we could go in the summer. My mom took Joel and I down to the airport (stopping first to grab some Stewart's sodas for the ride) and Kristy was to pick us up from the airport when we returned. Kristy and I were not married at the time, we were still dating and much to my surprise she met Joel and I at the airport before we took off. Right before I hopped the plane to New York, I stopped and turned back to Kristy and dropped to one knee and proposed.

Yes, this is how I proposed. Well, at least this is the official story we tell people. Kristy said "Yes" and I grabbed my bag and headed back down the terminal to catch my plane. I was excited to get back to the city and do some stuff that I couldn't as a missionary. I was also looking forward to seeing people I have not seen and spoken to for a long time. The plane lifted in the air and we were off.

We had a brief funny stopover in Dallas. Now I am not an avid flyer. I don't know how things go, I am not familiar with transferring and stuff like that. All I know is that we only had a brief window to get off our first plane and to grab our second flight. As Joel and I were speed walking to our second flight we came to the realization that we do not have our bags! So we ran back to the terminal baggage claim and waited and waited. But our bags did not show up! So we panicked and contacted the airport lost and found. And they were of absolute NO help. Little did we know that our bags are automatically sent to the new plane. Quit giggling folks. We had no clue how things went! So we ran back to our second flight and headed to New York.

We flew into LaGuardia airport in Queens and waited for Christa to come and pick us up. It was so good to see her. Christa and I really bonded when I served in the Jamaica area of Queens on my mission. We became fast friends and we always kept in touch when I served in other areas, in fact she probably knows more about my mission than anyone else. She was the first one to call me when I arrived home from my mission. So it was good to be around her again. We had a nice dinner with them that first night and it was a lot of fun to share my mission with my friend and to catch up.

The next few days were super busy. I do not remember how they all flowed together so here are some highlights of the trip.

• Most of the nights/early mornings were spent going to dance clubs. Now I am not a big dancer but I did want to experience some of the nightlife that New York has to offer. We stayed up way late, most nights mornings coming in around 4 or so. Usually we would grab some breakfast before going home to catch some sleep. We went to this four story dance house called Webster Hall and it was pretty amazing. Each floor had different music to it and it was packed. One of the floors which played a lot of metal had this one old grey-bearded gentleman wearing all leather on stilts dancing away. I had a good time but I think the club life is just not for me. One night is one thing, three nights in a row is another! The last night we were there I did have a girl come on to me which made everyone in our party laugh. I thought for sure that what I had felt was just incidental bumping. But when it happened again and again and I turned around to see the girl looking right at me, I knew there was more to this story!

Joel and I didn't have cool enough clothes to go so we had to borrow these very tight shirts to go. That is Shirley, Christa and me and Joel.

• Wednesdays are a great day to see a Broadway play. They have cheaper matinees on Wednesday and I wanted to see Rent. I ordered my ticket before I got to New York. Joel wanted to see something else so he went and saw Beauty and the Beast. I have to admit that it was fun to sit with a bunch of strangers and see a musical. The musical was fantastic, almost all of the original players were still there. So all of the voices I knew from the CD recording were live to see. It was great, there is nothing like seeing a Broadway play live and in person. It was well worth the money. 

• Joel got addicted to eating the nuts that vendors sell right on the street. He must have bought 3-4 of them on one Manhattan trip alone!
• Since we were poor we didn't eat out a lot at expensive places. We did eat at the restaurant right next to David Letterman's. We decided that we should eat out at a fancy known place at least once so we chose this spot. But boy was it expensive. We only ate (and could afford) the appetizers and they were not happy about it. As soon as we were done they asked us to leave. We thought about ordering one dish and sharing it but I am sure they would have physically thrown us out if we did.
• Since Joel and I are comic book geeks, we had to go see the offices of Marvel and DC. Marvel was a big disappointment aside from seeing Stan Lee's office. But DC really treated us well. They took us on an impromptu tour and let us take pictures. And of course we picked up some applications. And then we went to a few of the large comic shops and picked up some loot. 

Joel and Batman. And this was one of the actual costumes worn in the movie. DC had the coolest things to see.

• We also went to the top of the World Trade Centers. This is the second time I have been there and it still took my breath away. You really felt like you were at the top of the world there. You could see forever being up so high. And I warned Joel that the elevator took you up at an unbelievable pace. Seriously, in seconds you were up like fifty floors. 

You can see the tall shadows the WTC's leave.

• One evening Joel and I went out at about midnight or so it take Christa's dog out for a walk. As we were walking around the block we passed this guy in this dark hoodie. The dog about took his head off barking and growling at him. I yanked the dog back and walked past thinking about it. But then I got this funny feeling in my gut. I turned around and saw this guy coming back towards us. I grabbed Joel and we got back in the building and the dog went nuts again. I honestly think that this guy was coming back to mug us.
• I also had to stop at a sports shop to look for some Jets gear. I found an old shirt and a Keyshawn Johnson jersey so I snagged them both. 

• Christa allowed me to take her car and go visit people. So Joel and I spent Sunday going to see people. We first went to Rego Park and go to church there in my old branch. I recognized a few of the people and I was surprised when someone came in and sat beside me. The member had fallen away from the church and he had a bit of a falling out with me and my companion too. I didn't think I would see him again and in church no less. But it was great to see Auggie and catch up with him. After church we walked down to see John Libretto. I pressed the buzzer and told him that the missionaries were here and he told us to come up. He about died when he saw that it was me coming up. We had a great visit (and lunch of course) and then he gave us a ride down to Jamaica so I could see my old Richmond Hills branch. The Branch President recognized me in the audience and had me stand up. He said that I was a a missionary that would not give up on me and that is true. Kevin was very interested in joining the church but we could never get together although I called him at least every week or so. Now he is the Branch President of that branch. Afterwards we went into Brooklyn and saw Rose and then went to Jackson Heights and saw Ingrid, people I spent a lot of time with while on my mission. And it was great catching up with them. That evening Joel and I took the car and went to Staten Island and saw the Bowman's. They are a wonderful family that I absolutely loved. They treated us to one of Staten Island's famous pizza pies and we spent the evening with them. It made me miss my mission quite a bit. What I won't miss is the driving. It sure gets crazy there. 

Me, Linda and Steve with Tina and Jonathon Bowman

• I was going to show Joel some of the areas that I used to serve in. We stopped at a subway stop and we almost got out. But I have to admit that I didn't feel quite right, I didn't feel totally safe just walking in that area. So we stayed on the subway and headed into Manhattan. Funny how things can change when you are not protected as a missionary anymore. 
• Speaking of riding the subway, one of the funnest things that I like to do while in New York was taking the subway. I could spend hours just people watching. There are so many colorful characters that you will never get to see again anywhere that ride the trains. Joel had an experience that I don't think he will forget anytime soon. He was standing in the subway car when suddenly the car jerked a bit (which it does often) and Joel accidentally stepped on this guy's foot. The guy yelled at him and Joel said he was sorry but then it happened again and the Middle Eastern guy really let Joel have it. He was yelling at him to not stand so close to him and stuff like that. The look on Joel's face was priceless. Oh the joys of riding the subway. 
• Christa gave us a ride to the airport and it was sad to go. We only spent a few days in New York and barely was able to do what we wanted. There was just not enough time to do it all. But we had a fantastic time there. The plane ride home was something to remember as well. LaGuardia Airport has the shortest runway in the whole United States. During takeoff you would look down and see runway and then you would liftoff and suddenly you would see ocean! It was that quick and a bit nerve racking. But it was neat to see the city as you lift off from Queens. During the plane ride home we chatted and did some doodling. A stewardess noticed our artwork and asked if she could take them to the pilot so he could see them. She talked with us for quite a while on the plane ride home. It was on this plane trip that I first formed my ideas for my first novel, The Vessel.

Joel's cartoons

Mine

New York will always be a special place for me. It was a good experience while on my mission and it was a good experience going back with Joel. I wish I could go back again.

The Lost Mission Pictures

This new scanner is very, very cool. I was plum happy the way it scanned in old slides and I was eager to see how it handled old negatives. So I dug out my old mission negatives and looked and found some that I have never seen before! One of them I knew I had (I gave my only copy to my companion) but the other ones were brand new! At least I don't remember them at all and they did not come home with me when I returned from my mission.

This is Elder Browning looking calm with a snake crawling up his arm.

I have no idea where this came from. I am kinda glad this photo really never existed since I have a goofy look on my face. I don't remember this at all.

Now I remember this one. I gave my only copy to my companion Elder Hardy. But I have never seen it since then!

This was taken in my first area right outside of our apartment in Bensonhurst.

This scanner is really paying off. It is so cool that it can rescue photos from negatives.

Alien in Repose

Yesterday I had a little more energy so I decided to do some cleaning. I targeted a bookshelf that Kristy's dad built for her (which I have taken over with my graphic novels) and my purpose was to throw out anything that I have not used or even looked.

Kristy and I have stored some of our old college notebooks and stuff like that in there. I left all of hers alone and I plowed through mine. Going through that stuff did bring a smile to my face but most of the time I was wondering why the heck I kept this stuff. And for some reason we have hoarded binders. Just plain empty binders. So I chucked them all out along with most of my college stuff. I did keep some things, like the perfect paper (as was told by my professor) I wrote for my Political Science class and newspaper articles I wrote for the Herald Journal. But everything else got chucked out.

While going through my books I found my Missionary Guide. For those that served around the time I did, you definitely know what this book is all about. While serving an LDS Mission, you are to study this guide everyday with your companion. Now it is a good book and does a very good job in educating a missionary in how to be a missionary but personally, you go only read it so much. By six months out it became more of a chore and we had to change things up.

I ended up doodling all throughout mine. Yeah I know, not very missionary like but there were times when your companion is reading in monotone and you have to do something to keep yourself awake.

Have you ever seen a one-legged Alien? (His other leg is right behind the leg you can see; I found it funny how many times I had to explain that to my companions)

So when my kid goes on his mission and I give him my Missionary Guide to look at and read before he goes, this is the first thing he will see as he opens the book. I am such a strange geek.

The Confessional: Mariah Carey and the Mission

Since I no longer blog on Sundays, I couldn't have a Sunday Confessional on a Friday. So instead of waiting till Sunday to blog I decided to rename my Sunday Confessional blog to just The Confessional.

I have been thinking a lot about Christmas lately. Gee, I wonder why? But I was thinking of past Christmas seasons and I remembered what it was like to have Christmas while serving on my mission. Christmas in New York was magical. It seemed like the Christmas season even penetrated the people of New York. People were friendlier, there was definitely a good feeling that overcame the city. There was a lot of lights, there was a lot of decorations. The city was absolutely gorgeous when the snow would come and blanket the city. I loved Christmas in New York. Sure, I was a little homesick and I missed being around my family but the city takes care of their own. And I was happy to be counted among them.

My second Christmas in the field was the best one. I was serving in the Rego Park area and my companion was Elder Powell. My best friend in the mission field. We served in a nice area and we knew a lot of fantastic people, people that I still think about all the time.

Now I also love Christmas music. I love all Christmas music in all of its forms. Elder Powell and I wanted to get some Christmas music to play at the apartment so we stopped by a music store and bought some CDs. And I found a CD that I really wanted.

I still have this CD

Now I like Mariah Carey. I don't care for her new stuff, I really liked her first and older material. You know when she was pretty and nice. Not when she went crazy and went thuggy. Her Christmas music was absolutely fun to listen to, her rendition of O Holy Night is still one of my all-time favorite covers of that song. We listened to that CD every chance we could.

And then I found out from my friend John that she was giving a free concert downtown.

Mariah Carey is giving a free concert at Saint Patrick's Cathedral. John invited us to go if we wanted to and we would have really good seats because of his connections and maybe even get to meet her. I really pondered this, when would I get another chance like this? The only bad part is that Saint Patrick's is located in Manhattan and out of our mission. If it was just out of our area, I wouldn't even think twice about it, I would go. But it is out of our whole mission and that could lead to trouble. The last thing that I would want to happen is something to go wrong while we were out of the mission boundaries. President Bailey would be so ticked! But our Branch Christmas Party is the same night too and I didn't want to miss that either. But Mariah Carey! Powell and I decided it would be best if we just went to the Branch Christmas Party instead. I think I would rather want to regret missing Mariah than regret being kicked out of the mission or something drastic as that! On the other hand I would love to have seen President Bailey's face when he found out.

We ended up taking John to the Branch Christmas Party with us. It was a fun evening and I am glad we made the decision to go to this instead of seeing Mariah Carey.

So I almost snuck out of the mission to go see Mariah Carey. A small part of me wishes that I did it anyway. Like I said, it was a chance in a million to go see her and perhaps even meet her. And a small part of me wanted to do it to spite my mission president. We did not see eye-to-eye on a great many things. Luckily wiser heads prevailed and I went to the party instead.

And we spent Christmas at John's house.

Mission Memoirs: Elder Abuse

Day 337

In my last area in Brooklyn Elder Nielson and I used to pass this bus stop all the time.

I just HAD to stop and take a picture. There are many forms of Elder abuse.

Mission Memoirs: The Muffin Man

Day 316

On my mission I had all sorts of companions. Most of them I liked and got along with good. But there were a few that were a bit difficult to get along with. When I got to Staten Island I was paired up with a guy that was a very hard worker. I was not afraid of hard work at all, what I worried about was if the guy liked to have fun. I don't mind working hard just as long as we are having a good time doing it.

With this new companion, Elder Davidson, I was in for quite a ride. He did like to have fun but he was a strange person. He was not freaky or anything like that, he was just an odd duck.

April 25th, 1995

Today marked the 20th month that I have been on my mission! I cannot believe how the time really has flown. Today was DLZL so I was on a split with Elder Davis and Elder Anderson. We waited and waited for Davis to get ready so I called Reese and Powell (my former companions) and I got caught up with them. Reese was doing well in my old area but Powell was not having much fun out in Long Island. It seems like he has been taking a lot of flack from El' Presidente.

We finally left and went to our appointment with Angela and she juked us. This is not a good sign, she has been flaky the last couple of times we have seen, or at least tried to see her. Then we went and got some lunch at the mall and dropped in on the Mendez’s. Susan was not there, which is too bad because she was the one that was most interested but we spoke with Nilsa and Christina. After we looked up some referrals and we got back together with our companions around 7:00. Davidson and I saw Denine that evening for another long discussion.

 On the way home, my companion reminded me that he was such an odd duck. He was starving and after our appointment with Denine, I suggested we stop by and I’ll treat him to some muffins. (Sidenote: There was this bakery in Staten Island that made the best large muffins! They had all sorts of flavors like cherry crumb, chocolate chip, peach, apple and a ton more. They were baked fresh and they were 50 cents for two of them. We must have stopped in almost everyday.) Davidson was excited and so we headed over to grab some on the way home. I could tell he was tired as well so I was drove. We picked up some of those tasty muffins (I didn’t get any because I was not hungry) and we were driving home and he was digging into them. Then suddenly he asks me to roll down my window. I thought maybe he farted and was just being polite but I learned quickly that was not the case. Remember, this is Elder Odd Duck we are talking about here. I rolled my window down and he asked for me to roll it all the way down and so I did. Then he chucked the muffins out my window!

They looked like these. Only they were as large as your fist.

I turned to him shocked and he was smiling. “What did you do that for?” I asked him and he said he was just seeing if he had the willpower to throw them out. “I thought you were hungry?” I asked and he replied that he was really hungry but he had something to prove. I replied very sarcastically, “You proved something alright.” I don't know why that ticked me off but it did. I don't think that Davidson likes me anyway and here I am trying to be nice and he slaps me in the face. He then said that he was stronger for doing it. So I selfishly decided it would be best to make him feel guilty so I said, “You could have shared those muffins with the Spanish Elders or something. And are you going to eat something when you get home?” Davidson didn’t say anything so mission accomplished! What an odd, odd duck.

That was not the first time he did something strange nor was it his last time. I think I liked Davidson more than he liked me. He did things his way and I did things my way. Unfortunately at this time while on my mission, I did not see eye-to-eye with my Mission President and I got a bad reputation. Looking back I would not change a thing of how I worked. If Davidson contacted me out of the blue I would be happy to speak to him again.

Mission Memoirs: The Subway Ride Home

Day 302*

I still find it difficult to imagine that the World Trade Centers are gone. I was fortunate enough to visit the World Trade Centers before they were cowardly destroyed. I remember that day like it was just yesterday.

Dec 22nd 1993

Manhattan Day! Every three months we are allowed on a P-Day to go out of our mission and go to Manhattan and spend the day. This was my first one and I unfortunately was sick as a dog! But I could not let such a great opportunity pass me by so I forced myself to get my laundry and shopping down so we could run to Manhattan.

It is such a cool place to be! We first went to the World Trade Centers and we spent most of the morning there. It is cool and you are so high in the air. The wind was blowing strong so we did not get the chance to go to the roof and be outside. But it was amazing being up so high and seeing the city below. At the top floor we met Santa Clause and even though I was feeling so horrible, I had to sit on his lap. 

I am not completely sure but I believe that is Queens on the other side of the river.

That is upper Manhatten. You can kinda see the Empire State Building.

Ugh.. I can tell that I don't look so hot.

Elder Moyes in front of the World Trade Centers.

Merry Christmas '93!

Looking down...

I started to feel even worse than before so we stopped in at the Roy Rogers and had lunch. I felt a little bette so we explored the Village in search of this store called Discorama. We finally found it and we bought a couple of very cheap CDs but I could barely keep my head up, I was feeling so sick. We left the store and explored more and we had to stop in the McDonalds so Moyes could use the bathroom. While I was waiting he was nice enough to buy me a Sprite. The Sprite helped a little but as soon as we left McDonalds, I found the first wastebasket and dry-heaved for about ten minutes straight. Moyes must have sensed that I was really sick so we decided to go home.

The subway ride home was awful. We must have waited for what seemed eternity. We finally got on the train and we headed home. It was the middle of rush hour and the train was packed. Usually people will fight for a seat and we as missionaries would give up our seats (if we had them) for other people to sit. This time I was in the mood to fight for a seat. When one opened I quickly jumped for it and sank down feeling terrible. Moyes watched where I was and made sure that I was all right. I was feeling so sick that I was finding it difficult to stay awake. After a couple of stops I must have decided to stop fighting the sleep and I was gone. 

I guess I was really out of it because when I awoke my face was pretty much perched on top of this older ladies's chest who was sitting next to me! It startled me so bad that I jumped up and immediately apologized to her. Moyes was laughing his head off sitting across from me. The lady looked at me and said that I looked very sick and she did not want to disturb me when it looked like I was comfy! I am glad that there are real nice people out there! I do not know what I would have done if I were in her place. I was so embarrassed! We got home and I fell asleep right away.

Even today, many years after that happened, I still blush!

For those that live in the Salt Lake Valley or are familiar with Salt Lake City, this is what it would be like if the World Trade Centers existed in downtown SLC.

One day I will have to blog about 9/11. But not today. I am just thankful that no one I knew was hurt and I am also thankful that I was able to see the World Trade Centers twice. Once on my LDS Mission and the other when I went back to New York City with my friend Joel. I'll have to blog about that later too.

*thanks Andrea for making sure I get my days straight... That's two I owe you  junior!**

**Anyone get that reference? The saying is actually "That's two you owe me junior."

Sunday Confessional: My "2-Year" Mission

Day 295

The month of August will always be linked to when I served my LDS mission to New York City.

I left for my mission on August 25th 1993. That means it will be 17 years since I left for my mission which mean it will be 15 years since I have been home. That is hard to believe. It seems like it has only been a few years since I have been back.

They say that these 2 years are the best 2 years of your life. I don't think they were. They may be the most memorable but I have had happier years. But then I didn't serve a full two years.

I came home August 16th, 1995. A little more than a week earlier than my full two years. Sure, I could have extended my mission out another month but somehow I don't think my Mission President would have approved that. We didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things but I'll blog about that sometime later.

On July 2nd, 1993 I received my mission call in the mail.

“WOW! My mission call finally came! I had a ten minute break from work (Pepperidge Farms) so I came home and called my mom and opened my call. After I told her where I was going, I called probably my best friend Damond. It was a little disappointing that I wasn’t going foreign but New York New York South is going to kick butt! I’m really excited!”

I was leaving on August 25th and that was just next month, I couldn’t believe it. I had also called my dad and asked him where he thought I was going. He said as long as it wasn't a big city like Los Angeles or New York he would be happy for me. Too funny.

I had actually prophesied that I would be in New York so it should not have come as a surprise. During my Freshmen year in Seminary (for those that don't know what Seminary is, it is basically church classes you could take every day like you would at a public school) I was posed the question "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" I wrote down "New York City." And sure enough, five years later I was in New York City. I thought I still had this piece of paper but I cannot find it anywhere for the life of me.

Anyway, I enjoyed my 2-year mission even through all the difficult times where I truly thought I was on my own. I'll save those maybe for another time.

Mission Memoirs: The MTC

Day 281

Seventeen years ago this month I began my 2-year LDS mission to the New York New York South Mission. It is hard to believe that it was that long ago that I left my family to go and serve the Lord.

I entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on August 25th, 1993. Here is an actual excerpt from my mission journal:

The drive to Provo was a long and quiet one. I really had nothing to say at all. In my mind I was contemplating what was ahead and what I was leaving behind. Was this the right decision for me? I don't know, and that is scary. My mom and I arrived at the MTC and we were ushered into this large room. After a very short presentation the parents were asked to leave, and the missionaries were instructed to follow someone else. That was it, time for my mission to begin. My mom went out one way and I went out a different way. I tried not to cry but I admit that I did. I found my room after being inspected from head to toe. I also got my dork dot (a large green sticker on my name tag) on my mission tag and it shined brightly to all other missionaries letting them all know that I was an idiot and a newbie.

After finding my room, I really didn’t know what to do next so I decided to go back downstairs and poke around, hopefully finding some sort of instruction. Coming down the stairs I met some guy coming up with his luggage. He had a goofy smile on his face and really long hair. “Please don’t let that guy be my companion.” I thought to myself. After I returned upstairs from a short jaunt that same guy was in my room and he asked if I was Elder Platis. Sure enough, this guy was my new companion, his name was Elder Powell. The first thing we did together was go get his haircut.

Elder Troy Daniel Powell is from Rexburg, Idaho. He was born just two days before I was. He seemed a little cocky at first but you really cannot judge someone that has been thrust into a new situation like this. One of the first pictures we took of us together was with the camera lying on the ground face-up and we would lean over it. This trick would happen a lot more times on the mission. This did break the ice pretty quickly.

Look how young we are!

I can’t believe that I have started my mission. Leaving my mom was sad but I can cope. There are a couple of other missionaries that lived close that were going to New York as well. We were put into a district with 6 other Elders, (4 of them going to NY) and 2 sisters with one of them going to New York too. Tomorrow we have a ton of meetings to attend and I hear is the hardest day for new missionaries.

Alphabetically Elder Powell and I were put together as a companionship. But it was inspiration. We served together in the MTC for a month and we were the only companionship that got along. Later on in my mission I got the opportunity to live with him even though we served in separate areas. Than we were lucky enough to be companions for a second time and I served 4 months with him. In total, we spent right about six months together.

Elder Powell was my best friend in the mission. We were extremely close and worked well with each other. We had a lot of things in common. Elder Powell influenced me quite a bit. I don't think I would be the same man as I am today without his influence. He taught me to be outgoing and to be friendly and to have fun. When I joined Facebook he was the first guy I looked up.

One of my favorite stories of Elder Powell was this one when we served together in Elmhurst.

After our meeting we called Judy and she came and picked us up and we had our usual dinner appointment with her. Elder Powell sure makes me laugh. I wish I could be as witty as he is. We went to Judy's for our dinner appointment and she was not in the mood to cook so Elder Powell said he would make dinner. I sat myself down on the couch and played poker with Judy and talked about her job. Powell called us in for dinner and Judy and I sat down to eat. Judy then asked Elder Powell to bless the food. You know how in some prayers you say the same things automatically? Well, Elder Powell did that tonight. He got to the part where he normally says "and bless the hands that prepare...". He got to that part and paused, knowing it would be silly to say that since he was the one that prepared the food. But that didn't stop him so he continued. "And please bless the hands that prepared this... ...bless them with strength, wisdom, courage, patience and love." I about died laughing, Judy was not pleased with it as much but she laughed anyway. After we said "amen" Judy reached over and slugged Powell in the arm. I sure hope God has a good sense of humor.

 

Sadly this was the last time I saw Troy when we left the mission field.

Thanks Troy for being a part of my mission and being an example for me. I still reflect and laugh when I think about serving those times with him. Good times indeed.

Mission Memoirs

Day 260

Again I have been debating about including mission stories on the blog here. I included one about my mugging a few months ago but I have not shared much of my LDS mission here. I just don't want to flood this blog with a ton of mission stories.

But I am stuck. I have no clue what to blog about today and I am a little pressed for time. I have choir practice shortly and I won't have much time after church since I just want to hang back and relax. I am excellent at justification and since it is Sunday, maybe sharing a mission story would be alright. I promise I will do these in moderation!

I couldn't decide which mission story to share. This one was the only one that immediately came to mind.

MARCH 21st 1994

Something pretty funny happened today while Hardy and I were on one of our marathon tracting days. We were clear up to the northeast part of our area where there are a ton of apartment buildings. We were knocking on doors to some success and we got to this one door and it was my turn to knock.

This attractive young girl answers and I give my spill introducing us as missionaries and she says "Would you like something to eat?"

Now under normal situations this would be a strange thing to ask but after working for three months in this area I have found that most people are willing to share food or drink with missionaries. Most of the time we get orange juice or water and butter cookies and so this request was not strange at all. My companion Elder Hardy must have felt that this was strange because I could immediately tell he was not a fan of going inside. We had already been asked to come in and have something to drink a couple of floors above us so I was not sure why Hardy acted the way he did. I said sure and we entered her apartment.

I wanted to have a picture of us tracting (knocking door to door) so I quickly snagged this. I look horrible in this picture. Another missionary cut butchered my hair and I must have gained 15 pounds.

We chatted for a little while and I told her more of who we were and what we wanted to share with her. She finally said that she will be back with something and to wait just a sec. I had no problem with this but Elder Hardy was freaking out. He was saying stuff like "I cannot believe we are doing this" and "why are you doing this" and similar remarks much to my surprise. I guess Elder Hardy worked differently than I did. If the lady wants to feed us, I say we accept. It is a kind gesture and we should honor them for trying to honor us. I told him to relax and that I did this all the time. Hardy was incessant that we leave.
"We gotta get out of here!" He told me forcibly. But I was not having it; I thought it would be disrespectful to just leave.
"What is your problem?" I asked impatiently.
"I cannot be part of this." he said right back to me. I was getting a little hot under the collar. What was Hardy's big problem?
"This is how I do things. If you don't like it, that's too bad! If she wants to give us something to eat, we should respect that!" I whispered back.
"Eat?" Hardy replied.
"Yeah, she wants to feed us something and it is real nice of her to do so!" I about yelled back, I was soooo mad. Hardy looked at me with his eyes wide open.
"She didn't ask if we wanted something to eat!" He said with a tinge of panic in his voice.
"What did she say then?" I asked.
"She asked us if we wanted to smoke some weed!" He whispered angrily back. What? There is no way she said that.
"What?" I asked back.
"She asked us to smoke some weed with her and you said yes!" She came back in and sure enough, she had these two joints all rolled up nicely. I laughed, not just because it was funny but because I was a little nervous. She said 'smoke some weed' and I heard 'something to eat', how ridiculous. She looked at me because I was laughing and I explained to her what I thought she said and she quickly kicked us out. I swore she said 'something to eat'. No wonder Hardy was ticked. What did he think of me when I was saying that I did this all the time? He didn't think it was as funny as I did.

Looking back I feel a bit bad for Elder Hardy. What must have been going through his mind when I told him I did this all the time? Poor fella about had a heart attack.

The Mugging

Day 211

I have been debating whether or not to include stories and experiences from my LDS mission here on the blog. About a year ago I went through my mission journals and compiled all my experiences and made them into a book and scanned in all my pictures. This is my official Mission Journal and I am quite proud of this accomplishment.

But I have been going back and forth on if I should publish some of those stories here on the blog. On one hand, I have so many of them that I could easily fill the remaining 154 days with mission stories. On the other hand, am I being fair? I have already written my mission journal and isn't this cheating in a way? But then some of you readers may not have heard these stories and more than likely wouldn't have a chance (or would want to) read about my mission.

After a couple of weeks to think about it, I have decided to only share a few stories from my mission. If you are interested in reading my full 2-year account send me an e-mail and I will hook you up with it.

The experience that I am going to share is probably my most requested story to tell. It was the time that I mugged in Jamaica, Queens. Now I am going to warn you about my mission writings. I tell it like it is. If my companion is acting like an idiot, I say so in my journal. I wrote down exactly what I was thinking and feeling at the time. This is right out of my journal. To give you some background, I was serving in Jamaica, Queens. I was going on my second month with Elder Hardy and my fifth month in this area. Elder Hardy was a Canadian like myself and very humble too. He would not hurt a fly and was always concerned about how I was doing.

APRIL 4th 1994

I will always remember this day. The day started out all innocently enough. That morning we taught a discussion to this guy who called us prophets. Then we visited Judy and she still wants to be baptized, she just feels like this is moving quickly. We resolved any concerns she had and she is still as strong as she was before. That was the good part of the day, the rest of it quickly went downhill.

Elder Hardy and I during our best times.

Elder Hardy and I were heading home on our bikes and and there was a group of teenagers (about 10-12 of them) crossing the street. They were yelling at us to stop but we passed right by. Elder Hardy passed by first and I came up behind. One of the boys ran up to me and shoved me off my bike while I was riding. I crashed on the road and rolled a few times. They were all laughing at me and I turned to them and said “It isn’t funny picking on a church boy.” I put my bike upright and tried to get on but the bike seemed heavy. I looked down and saw another guy holding onto my back tire preventing me from taking off. He yelled “Gimme your bike!” and I yelled back “NO!” He said it once again louder, “GIMME YOUR BIKE!” and I screamed like a frightened old lady “NO!” I finally yanked it out of his grasp and as I was getting on, I saw something on my right. I turned my head and a big black teen came over and punched me right in the face! My head flew back all bloody and I let go of the bike and they all took off laughing.

I got up and watched them run off. By this time, Elder Hardy finally realized and watched what had happened (he was about 1-2 blocks away at the time) and he speedily rushed to my side. Only he didn’t stop. He muttered “Wait here a second” and flew off to the guys. There were only 2 guys, one on my bike and one running with the guy on my bike, the others scattered like cockroaches. Elder Hardy was a tall guy and his legs were pumping and he was also on a small decline. The kid running with the bike saw that he was coming and thought that he would be an easy target as well. He walked cockily over to Hardy and Hardy just ran him over!

Seriously. HE RAN HIM OVER!

All I saw was that poor guy’s legs fly straight up in the air! Hardy then almost lost control of his bike because of the collision and the kid on my bike jumped off and ran after Hardy. Hardy escaped and right when I was about to go get my bike, some other guy came and picked it up and ran with it. One of the neighborhood ladies saw what had happened and she came and asked if I was okay. I wasn’t hurt, I was just angry. She cleaned me up and said something like “I cannot believe Rodney would do that”. I asked what his name was and she didn’t want to tell me anything. I don’t blame her, she has to live in this neighborhood and I wouldn’t want to become involved if I was her either. I found out where one of the kids lived and that was good enough for me.

I bought a Mongoose Alta bike. We wrapped it with electricians tape so it looked more junky and unappealing to thieves. Guess that didn't work as well as I thought it would.

Elder Hardy still had not returned so I thought it would be best to start walking home on Jamaica Avenue. Jamaica Avenue is a busy road so I thought it would be the safest place. I thanked the lady and I started to walk over when Elder Hardy finally caught up with me. His bike was a mess. Both of his tires had large dents in them (probably from the kid's head) and his handle bars were bent forward from where he hit that kid in the waist. I asked him what in the world he was thinking when he took off after the gang. He said he was so angry and all he could think of was getting my bike back. He said he closed his eyes and kept going when he saw that one kid coming up. When he hit him he said it felt like running over a speed bump. This made me laugh, Elder Hardy didn’t think it was so funny. He felt so bad about hitting another person and I think it made him feel worse when I applauded him for doing it.

We walked home, I was angry and Hardy was shaken. We called President Child and he was glad that we were okay. He said to call the police and also recommended that we don’t share this with our parents. I called the police and they sent a car over.

I told them what had happened and that I have a name and address and we went over to crime scene. By this time, it was getting dark out. I ran into one of the girls that helped me out and spoke to her. I again thanked her for helping me and I reassured her that I was not going to mention her to the cops. I didn’t want to make life hard for her, it was only a bike and I was going to be alright. The cops searched the area for clues and then we went to the kid’s house. When we got there, there was already three other cop cars there knocking and beating on the doors. Unfortunately no one was home. The cops apologized and gave us a ride home. There really is nothing more they can do and it was just a bike, they have bigger fish to fry. I thanked them for their help and we walked inside.

Elder Williams and Geisting (another missionary companionship we lived with) laughed and laughed when I told them what happened. Hardy truly felt bad about it all and it was too easy and fun to make him feel even worse by saying stuff like, “Hey Hardy! I bet that kid will never pick on a tall white guy again! He is probably still at the hospital moaning!” Deep down, I hoped he was. What really burns me is not only did I lose my bike, I basically lost almost $400 which I paid for at the beginning of my mission. 

It was not the last time that I was mugged but it was the last time that I was assaulted on my mission. It took me a long time to finally forgive those kids. In looking back, I can say that at least I have quite a story to share with people. And I never told my family until I came home from my mission.

I'm Blogging in Sick

Day 133

Ugh. I am not feeling that great today. I was not feeling good last night so I went to bed early hoping that I would feel better today. And I didn't have any chocolate last night either.

I am not feeling like blogging either. So in honor of being queasy and not feeling good I present one of my favorite sick stories. This comes from my time serving an LDS mission to New York. I have been back and forth about sharing mission stories on the blog. I have already chronicled my time on my mission in a separate book and I don't want to use mission stories because it seems redundant. But maybe just this once...

BACK STORY!
December 22, 1993Manhattan Day! Every three months we were allowed on a P-Day to go out of our mission and go to Manhattan and spend the day. This was my first one and I was sick as a dog! I could not let such a great opportunity pass me by so I forced myself to get my laundry and shopping down so we could run to Manhattan. It is such a cool place to be! We first went to the World Trade Centers. We spent most of the morning there. It is cool and you are so high in the air. The wind was blowing strong so we did not get the chance to go to the roof and be outside. I was feeling horrible, even sitting on Santa’s lap at the WTC didn’t cheer me up.

I started to feel worse than before so we stopped in at the Roy Rogers and had lunch. We then explored the Village in search of this store called Discorama. We finally found it and we bought a couple of cheap CDs. We had to stop in the McDonalds so he could use the bathroom. While I was waiting he bought me a Sprite. The Sprite helped a little as I dry-heaved over this wastebasket in the middle of the Village. Moyes must have sensed that I was really sick and we decided to go home.

The train ride home was awful. We must have waited for what seemed eternity. We finally got on the train and we headed home. It was the middle of rush hour and the train was packed. Usually people will fight for a seat and we as missionaries would give up our seats (if we had them) for other people to sit. This time I was in the mood to fight for a seat. When one opened I quickly jumped for it and sank into it feeling terrible. Moyes watched where I was and made sure that I was all right. I was feeling so sick that I must have fell asleep between stops. Our stop was the last one that the A train made so I gave in and fell asleep hardcore. I guess I was really out of it because when I awoke my face was pretty much perched on the boobs of the older lady sitting next to me! It startled me so bad that I jumped up and immediately apologized to her. Moyes was laughing his head off sitting across from me. The lady looked at me and said that I looked very sick and she did not want to disturb me when it looked like I was comfy! I am glad that there are real nice people out there! I do not know what I would have done if I were in her place. I was so embarrassed! We got home and I fell asleep right away.

Luckily Moyes didn't take a picture of me taking a nap on that lady's chest.

Pic of the Week: Domingo, Art and I

Day 112

One of my dreams when I get wealthy (ha!) would be to collect art. I would of course get art submissions of my favorite comic book artists but I also would nicely frame some high quality replica paintings.


A man that I met while serving my LDS mission in New York name Domingo gave me a gift that I absolutely treasure. He was an artist and when I mentioned that I loved art he gave me this book called A Basic History of Art and it meant a lot to me. I kept this book throughout my mission and would refer to it many times. Sadly, and this is definitely my fault, I lost contact with Domingo and I regret that I was not a better friend to him. He did make an impact in my life. He made me appreciate art in all its forms and every time I read this textbook, I think of his friendship and I value the little time that I was able to spend with him.


When people find out that I like art they usually will ask me what my favorite painting is. I have a few that I would love to have a good copy of but there is one that definitely sticks out in my mind. Maybe sometime this week I will do a List-Mania column about my top favorite paintings but I will reveal the one that I would love to have the most.

The Third of May, 1808 by Francisco Goya.

The painting commemorates the execution of a group of Madrid citizens. So much symbolism can be found in this painting. I find the man in yellow and white to be the most poignant. Having this figure painted so brightly almost convenes a sense that he is an innocent only wanting what is right for him and his countrymen. The look of loss on his face and with his arms stretched out portrays a feeling of helplessness and a willing to be a witness. With his arms and with what could be a stigma on his hand also could symbolize Christ. The faceless and dark soldiers have their own symbolism that to me resembles automatons only doing what they have been asked, no matter to what they may truly believe inside.

I could go on and on about this painting. The colors and figures certainly make me think and contemplate about my existence and how I contribute to society.

That is what I love about art. You take your own meaning out of it.

Sunday Confessional: The Musical Matt

Day 15

I love musicals. I absolutely love them. It combines my love of acting with my love of singing. I don't care if they are cheesy (and some of them are) I just find the whole genre captivating.

I discovered musicals while I was serving my LDS mission in New York. My first one that I started to listen to was Phantom of the Opera and I was lucky enough to see this musical while I was living in New York. I was swept away by the music and the lyrics, it was just magical. There is just something about seeing a musical live. I then purchased the Complete Les Miserables and loved it and I was lucky enough to see that musical in New York as well. And that is where I got addicted.

I quickly picked up various other musicals and CD compilations. I love to sing and would sing along all the time. I still like to do this even though I do not listen to them as much anymore. I have seen quite a few musicals.

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: Like I said, I saw this in New York. I was amazed at what was able to be done on stage. The music was absolutely beautiful and the set and costumes were amazing. So glad that I was able to see this live in New York. One day I would like to see this again. The great Tracy Shayne was Christine when I saw this.

LES MISERABLES: I saw this also in New York and was blown away. A very touching musical that really made me appreciate musical theatre. I saw this a second time in Salt Lake when I took Kristy while we were dating. I would see this again for sure. I have the complete recordings on CD and I have the whole thing memorized. I went on a date with a girl named Brenae and saw Gary Morris (he was Valjean on the Cd’s I had) in concert. After the concert was over, we were heading back to the car and Mr. Morris was outside of the building having a smoke. I wasn't about to go and approach him but Brenae made me do it. We went up and spoke to him. He was a very kind man and she even got him to sign my little libretto of Les Mis. Very cool.



You know what makes me feel old? I saw Lea Michele play the young Cosette. For those that don't know (and shame on you if you don't!) she is Rachel on the fun TV show Glee! Cosette's mother Fantine was played by Paige O'Hara who is most know for being the voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Both were in the New York performance.




RENT: I saw this in New York when I went back with Joel. Great musical, what I liked was that the band was on the stage the whole time as part of the background and set. I have not seen the movie but I want to check it out. Rent was still a new musical when I went and saw it so much of the original cast was still performing it. I am a fan of Adam Pascal who would eventually become Freddie in the recent Chess in Concert.

MUSIC OF THE NIGHT: This was a compilation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Greatest Hits. This was fantastic. It was in Ogden and I went with Kristy and my mom and Shirley Whitman. This was the first time that Kristy had met either of them. We ate at Maddox’s and all I remember is laughing and laughing. Very fun company indeed.



SWEENEY TODD: Jennifer saw this dark macabre musical and I borrowed the CD and LOVED it. Angela Lansbury (the old lady from Murder She Wrote) was on the CD. Basically it is about a man who seeks revenge‚ he kills them in his barber shop and she makes them into pies. Kristy, Jennifer and I went and saw a production of this in Ogden and saw it very recently here at Utah State. One of my favorite musicals. Poor Kristy, Jennifer and I sang the whole time down and back the first time we saw it and that will be a column all unto itself. The movie was great but unfortunately it didn't contain the ending ballad of Sweeney Todd, which is pretty creepy the way they all come back to sing in the end.

CHESS: My all-time favorite musical. I didn’t see this musical but I was extremely lucky that I was able to play in it. I played the main Merchandiser. I will cover this extensively in a separate column altogether.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLORED DREAMCOAT/THE SECRET GARDEN/FIDDLER ON THE ROOF: I saw all of these productions with Kristy at the StageStop Theatre. This is when I learned that Chess was in production. All of them were fantastic and very enjoyable. I really like local theatre and I am sad that the StageStop Theatre is no more.



STARLIGHT EXPRESS: This musical was FUN! I saw this in Las Vegas when Joel, Justin and Jonathon did our whirlwind temple trip. The fun thing was that all of the singers were on roller-skates. And we were also told to vote for "Greaseball" and cheer for me. I would have anyway, he was the best character in the whole show. One song we were watching and I had this feeling like I was being watched. I turned around and one of the cars with Electra was dancing and looking right at me. What a fun production, I would see this again in a flash.

MAMMA MIA: This was the last musical that I have seen. Kristy and I, mom, Jennifer and Justin went to Salt Lake to see this musical. If you are a fan of ABBA, I would definitely go see this musical. It was funny, had great music and was very enjoyable. After the show, the actors came back on stage in loud 70's costumes and sung more songs and invited the audience to sing along. Not sure if Justin liked it but the rest of us loved it!

There are a ton of other musicals that I have not seen in person that I listen to all the time. From Evita to Little Shop of Horrors to Grease to We Will Rock You; the list just goes on and on and on.

Now most of these shows have had movies made of them too. Most of them are pretty good but I highly recommend you see these shows as they were intended, on stage.