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.

Mission Memoirs: Lost in New York City

Day 330

New York is a big city. I grew up in Edmonton, a large city in its own right, but New York is huge. I felt like I had an advantage when I was called to serve my LDS mission to New York City because I grew up in a city and I was used to the vast diversity living in a city offers.

It still surprised me how large this city was. My first area in New York City was in Brooklyn. I served in the Bensonhurst/Coney Island area and my trainer was Elder Neilson. It was a nice area of Brooklyn and it definitely was diverse but I felt comfortable there. Our area was so large that we had to have a good bike. So we went to this bike shop that caters to missionaries and I plunked down $388 for a Mongoose Alta bike. I do admit that it was fun to ride a bike again. This was the same bike that was I mugged for.

It was P-Day, my first one in the mission field. In the morning we did our wash and grocery shopping and went out and played some pool with some members. In the evening, Elder Neilson and I went out to do some work. We grabbed our bikes and headed out to our appointments and that was when the fun started. Elder Neilson is quite a large guy and when we started to ride our bikes he just took off! I tried to keep up but it was hard and then I soon lost sight of him. He never stopped to see where I was, he just kept going and going. Then I realized that I was lost.

Lost in Brooklyn and lost in New York City!

I decided to stop, thinking that he would come back. It didn’t make sense that I should keep going since I didn’t know where I was going in the first place. I waited for about an hour and no Neilson. So I walked with my bike and I noticed that I was on Norstrand Avenue right by the projects.

At least I knew where I was. Then another hour went by and still no sign of Neilson. I sat on my bike and just waited. A member of the Church just happened to walk by and he saw me and said “Hi”. I said “Hi” in return and he stopped because he noticed that my companion was no where near me. He asked me where my companion was and I told him I had absolutely no clue. He stayed with me for a little while and asked if my companion was tall and blonde and I told him he was. Apparently he has seen my companion blocks and blocks away. I decided then it might be best if I headed home. He asked me if I knew how to get home and I didn’t really know. I said that I would look for Avenue P and then go south until I got to my apartment building. He looked at his watch and it was 8:30 (I had been lost for almost 3 hours) and said I should go home and that this neighborhood would not be the best to hang around in. I got on my bike and found Avenue P and headed home.


View Larger Map
Where I am? I wish Google had been invented then!

At least I knew some of my area and I knew how to get home. I finally got home and I had no way to get inside of the building so I parked my bike and played with the neighborhood kids that were outside. They knew we were missionaries; I parked my bike in the inside of the building where it was safe and hung out with the kids. About twenty minutes later Elders Howard and Jeffries got home. I told them what had happened and Jeffries freaked out! Jeffries hopped on his bike yelling that we had to find Neilson now! Howard and I disagreed with him. Howard said that Neilson knew the area better than us and probably was heading home or going to the Dietze’s (a Senior couple) home so they can help look for me.

They argued about it and finally Jeffries just took off. Elder Howard looks over at me and says, “What an ***hole!” and walks up the stairs. Howard said we should just go upstairs and see if maybe Neilson called. We went upstairs and I was feeling so bad. Not only did I get lost, I also caused Jeffries and Howard to fight. There were no messages so we went downstairs to wait for both of our companions. Howard was so ticked off at Jeffries and went off on him. I was so uncomfortable. Another twenty minutes passed and Jeffries came back with no Neilson. Howard asked if I would go inside so he could speak to Jeffries and I knew the poop was going to hit the fan big time! I could hear the yelling and the cursing and around 10:15 Neilson strolls in with his bike and asked if I was okay. I said that I was just fine and then he asked what was up with Howard and Jeffries. We went upstairs and we laughed about it. Neilson said that he was sorry and I told him no harm was done. We called the Dietze’s to let them know that I was just fine. Sister Dietze was crying the whole time and Elder Dietze was making the whole thing like a secret war mission. I never felt like I was in danger, maybe it was because I am naïve but I think God was watching over me. They even called the cops to find me. The thought did cross my mind about calling President Child and ask for a transfer but we all ended up as friends. Even better than before.

Weekend Update

Day 205

I feel like I am still a little hungover from the weekend. I didn't sleep all that much and I had a huge head-busting headache. Must be all the driving, NOT sleeping in my own bed, almost five hours of Lost and the late nights.

But it was all worth it.

Saturday my family and I drove down to Salt Lake to visit family. We left about 3 in the afternoon and headed down. Traffic was good and we made good time. We originally were going to head to a birthday party for Kristy's cousins kid. But we looked at the clock and we were making real good time, I must have had a lead foot coming down. We knew Kristy's mom was waiting for us so we decided to do the dreaded drop-in and stop by Steven and Andrea's house. I hate popping over unexpectedly to people's homes especially since I absolutely hate it when it is done to me. But this was a special circumstance, we needed to use a phone to call mom and Steven's was the closest home. So we dropped in and woke them all up from a family nap. Oops, sorry guys.

But it was a nice visit. They were nice enough to let us in so we could call mom and we had a nice chat. Addy wasn't much of a fan with us visiting. She cried when she saw us (twice!) and finally came in to watch some TV while we chatted. Only she put her hand over her face so she couldn't see us. It was pretty cute.

Then we took off to the birthday party. And it was nice to catch up with Kristy's family. Mom and Dad were already there. Kristy's extended family is great. I chatted with Aunt Cindy for about twenty minutes and I was amazed about how much she remembered stuff about me. She asked about me and my dad's business and how my parents were doing. It was a nice visit with family and we took off down to mom's to pick up some stuff before we headed over to Renae and Gregg's house. Thanks guys for letting my family stay over.

We played games with them and Steven and Andrea's family that night and I must say that I kicked some major butt. I guess I am a fountain of useless knowledge.

Here is Ty in his cute little blessing outfit that Kristy's mom made for him. I love the little cumberbun.

The next day we awoke early to go to Ty's baby blessing. For those that do now know, in the LDS faith we have the opportunity to bless our infants. We take the baby in our arms and we bless the baby and officially name the baby. After the blessing we retreated back to Renae's home and had a nice brunch with family. And we spend the afternoon in the beautiful sunshine chatting with family and playing with the kids.

Addy was not sad to see us today. She even let me play with her without hiding her face.

I am not as old as I look. I can still slam a little Loganball.

After a quick stop back at mom's we raced home to be back so we could watch Lost. We were all very tired so Kristy went upstairs to take a quick nap and I blogged. After I blogged, I was going to take a nap on the couch and Logan was lying on the couch looking so sad. So I asked him if he would read to me and he quickly got a Dr. Seuss book and read me asleep. He finished and instead of getting another book he he said he would rather snuggle and then promptly fell asleep. He claimed that he was not tired but obviously he was lying.

Kristy snuck a picture of us sleeping. Logan didn't even twitch when the flash went off.

We woke up and ate some cereal for dinner and then Kristy and I put him to bed early and prepared to watch Lost.

And it was bittersweet and absolutely what I wanted in an ending. Something uplifting and open to interpretation. I'll have to blog about it later.

Lost Countdown

Day 204

We just got back from Salt Lake and I am really tired. While the rest of the family is taking a quick nap I thought I would get my blog out of the way.

I'll blog more about this weekend more in depth tomorrow but right now all my thoughts are focused on one thing.

I cannot wait until it starts and will be so sad when it ends.

I promise to have a better blog tomorrow. But right now I need to grab a quick nap so I will be awake and alert by 8:00.

T-MINUS 4 HOURS!

List-Mania: I Love Villains

Day 188

"The key to being a great good guy is being able to work with a GREAT bad guy."

    -Bret Hart-

I have always loved the villains. Villains are what makes the story. Whether it is a villain that redeems himself like Darth Vader or it is a villain that is just stone cold EVIL. Even when I was a kid, I loved villains. When I played Star Wars with my friends, I was the Empire. When I played G.I. Joe, I was Cobra. My favorite wrestlers are the heels, the ones that are bad like Ric Flair. Don't get me wrong, I like the good guys too but I find the bad guys all that much more interesting.

As a writer, I find writing the villains the most fun and productive. When I wrote my novel last year, I had the most fun writing Bailey and Lester (two of my main villains).

Zartan, Ming the Merciless, Soundwave, Professor Snape, Ozymandias, Dr. Doom, Mr. Sinister, Count Dooku, Green Goblin, Joker, Baltar, Kurgen, Bullseye, Mr. Freeze, Boba Fett, Plutonian, Ursula, Lex Luthor...   ...You get the picture, the list of interesting villains is far more impressive than the heroes.

So here are my favorite villains of all time!

5) Benjamin Linus
He is one of the biggest reasons why I love the TV show Lost. He leads through intimidation and he leads by manipulation. He uses everything as a way to further his own agenda. He is not afraid to take matters into his own hands no matter how horrific the act may be. Even when he is defeated and captured he never stops manipulating things and trying to exploit others.

4) Scar
Having a family member betray the family is a villain staple. And Scar is the best one at it. He is not the strongest lion out there but he is by far the most sly. He teams up with his own enemies to further his cause and sets up a trap to kill his brother the King while pinning the blame on his own nephew. At first Scar looks like the hero saving the King from being trampled but then Scar sinks his claws into him and tosses him into the stampede. So not only does Scar succeed in killing his brother but that is the last thing his brother knows is that he was betrayed. And not only that but he puts the blame on his nephew and guilts him into leaving the Pridelands forever. Talk about being stone cold evil!

3) Magneto
It is hard to classify Magneto as a villain since his actions seem justified. He is a Holocaust survivor and doesn't want his fellow mutants to go through the horrors he faced when he was younger. He wants mutants to take over the world, in his eyes the only way mutants can live in peace. He is willing to sacrifice himself for his cause. But what makes him a great villain is that he is willing to sacrifice anyone to further his cause even his own kind! His actions have killed thousands and even in death can become a martyr for his cause. I have often wondered (since I am a geek) which side I would side with. Is Magneto right? Is mutantkind the next step in evolution and if so why should mutants care about normal people?

2) The Emperor
Star Wars is full of great villains but I find Emperor Palpatine the most vile and evil and that is because he doesn't feel the need to get his hands dirty. He slowly puts a plan in motion and is insanely patient waiting until his plans come to fruition. While he is a master of the Dark Side of the Force and can whip a lightsaber with the best of them, he calmly uses his words instead. It was his words that swayed Anakin, it was his words that swayed voters to put power right into his hands.

1) Dracula
He has you under his spell and you don't even know it until it is too late. He uses his charm and intelligence to seduce his way. But what makes him my favorite villain is that he is truly a monster in sheep's clothing. He is classy and takes care of his business in an orderly conduct. You would never guess that he is hiding a horrible secret. After you strip away his cold and calculating personality it reveals something that no longer acts human but his true nature is primal and animalistic. And by the time you figure that out, it is too late.

Who am I kidding? My favorite villain is really Mr. Burns.

U-Hauling the Wrong Way

Day 131

About six years ago, Kristy and I decided to move back to Logan. Kristy wanted to stay home to raise Logan and so she quit her teaching job at South Hills Middle School and we headed back up to Logan where my family is.

We found a fantastic apartment (which we are still living in) and we packed up our old apartment into a large U-Haul truck and headed north. Kristy and Logan left about an hour ahead of me and then I took off. I decided to take I-215 instead of I-15 because I didn't want to drive with a lot of traffic and road construction. That was a mistake and what could have been a MAJOR mistake.

I was not used to driving I-215 at all, I prefer to take I-15 and go straight to Logan. I-215 actually leads directly to the Salt Lake City Airport. I got a little confused and I missed my exit to I-15 and I drove straight to the airport. No big deal right?

That doesn't sound to terrible but let me remind you that this was only a year or so after 9/11. And here I am, driving a large truck into the airport, a truck similar to the one that blew up that building in Oklahoma City. So I started to panic a bit. I looked for any possible place to turn around but there was nothing, I could have gone into a parking lot but I didn't feel that was the best decision (not like my decisions so far have been good) so I decided to go through the passenger pickup and drive right around without stopping or slowing down. I sure got a lot of strange looks going around but I kept going. Suddenly I looked in my side mirror and saw a bright yellow airport security car following me close behind. Oh crap, I am going to get pulled over and have all my belongings checked out and confiscated. I kept in the same outer lane and waited because I knew I was going to be pulled over. That picture is an actual picture of the Salt Lake Airport. Now just imagine a complete jackass driving his U-Haul in the outer lane in that picture.

Luckily for me, it never happened. Thankfully they let me through and I continued on my way and took the right exit and headed to Logan safely. I felt like a complete doofus.

List-Mania: Favorite TV Shows

Day 69

Some of my fellow bloggers have covered some of their favorite TV shows and now it is my turn. I have listed my favorite TV shows along with my favorite episode too. They are in no particular order but if you asked me what my favorite TV show of all time is I would say either Arrested Development or The Simpsons.


Arrested Development "Pier Pressure"
This was the first episode that I watched and I was quickly hooked. This was the one with the one-armed man and the lessons that George Bluth taught his kid. I was so happy to see these lessons continue throughout the series. Kristy and I will watch all 3 seasons in a row a few times a year. And every time we start them again I find something new that is funny. I like shows that don't tell me what is funny, I like figuring it out for myself. I love all the characters but I think Tobias is the one that floats my boat.

M*A*S*H*: "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen"
MASH is something that I can always watch no matter what and has had quite an effect on me. I have noticed that when I am writing and I come up with an idea it usually is because I have seen it already on a MASH episode. So many memorable episodes come to mind but the one where Hawkeye gets sick because he is reminded about a terrible family memory about his brother and Sidney comes to help him. That one struck a nerve for some reason but the final episode is one that bothered me as a kid and still does. I will never forget that Korean mother smothering her child to death to keep him from crying so the enemy soldiers do not discover them. I love this show.


The Simpsons: "Last Exit to Springfield"
The Simpsons are a mainstay here in the Platis household. Kristy and I are ALWAYS quoting it. In fact we don't even have to quote it, we just look at each other and we know exactly what Simpsons quote we are thinking of. This is my favorite episode, this has to be the closest to being the perfect Simpsons episode. I just love Mr. Burns. Dental Plan!

Seinfeld: "The Airport"
I got into this show after it was finished and I missed out. Few shows make me laugh out loud every time but this one gets me the giggles each time I see it. This is the one where Jerry and Elaine take a flight back home and Elaine gets stuck in coach. She was so awesome in this one. It seems like every time she is on a plane it is awesome.


WKRP in Cincinnati: "Turkeys Away"
This show directly influenced me in what I wanted to do in life. I wanted to be Dr. Johnny Fever. I used to play "DJ" and play songs off my stereo (I would use my double tape player and my sister's record player so I could play songs almost seamless) and I would have my own Top Ten lists of my favorite songs. And I had a HUGE crush on Loni Anderson. This is the one where they dropped live turkeys from a helicopter as a Thanksgiving promotion, not knowing that turkeys cannot fly. "Oh the humanity!"

Battlestar Galactica (original): "War of the Gods Part I and II"
Sundays were my favorite days to watch TV. This was on and then the Muppet Show. These episodes bothered me a bit as a kid because of the character of Count Iblis. He was some sort of devil and was really spooky. Surprisingly the stories are pretty good although they can be quite cheesy. I have not warmed up to the new ones just yet and I will always feel that the classic show was the best. I totally wanted to be Starbuck.


SCTV: Any Episode
I used to stay up late at nights and try to watch this program while my parents were sleeping. So many good memories here. The news with Floyd Robertson and Earl Camembert, The Great White North, Bill Needle, Monster Chiller Horror Theatre, Tex & Edna's Organ Emporium and my favorite, Pirini Scleroso. I could go on and on and on about this one.

Lost: "Deus Ex Machina"
I was already hooked to this show when this Locke-centric episode came up. This cemented my love for this show. I was shocked and saddened by how Locke's father treated him. This was the first we learned about Locke's dad. I really need to start watching them over again from the start. I cannot wait for the final season starting next month! I bet that Kate bites it.


Celebrity Fit Club: "The Zorb Challenge"
This is a big (no pun intended) guilty pleasure of mine. Nothing like watching celebrities melt down while trying to lose weight. This show does motivate me though, if pampered celebs can do it, then so can I. Season 2 was my favorite, Willie Ames and Gary Busey just stole the show. Willie Ames meltdown when Harvey sends a personal trainer early to his house was the best. Willie was not having it and he has this fit, I wish I could find video of it. And Gary's zen quotes always entertained. I'll never forget his explanation of what fear is.
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

All the seasons have been a lot of fun to watch and I cannot wait for the next installment.

The Jeff Corwin Experience: "Mexico: The Great Snake Hunt"
I love Animal Planet and Jeff Corwin is probably my favorite host. His show was much like the Crocodile Hunter but Jeff injected a lot of humor into his shows. My favorite one is when he hunted these poisonous snakes all through Mexico. I love snakes, I am fascinated by them and I love learning about them


Glee: "Mash-Up"
Sue rules. I watch this for Sue. This show is right up my alley. Extremely cheesy with cheesy music. And I wouldn't have it any other way. There is a ton of talent on this show, I was impressed with how fantastic they can sing. And the arrangements are done very well. This episode makes me laugh especially when all the guys are hyped on some cold medicine and they all sing with their eyes wide open and over excited. Fun show but it all comes down to Sue. Yes we cane!

The Office: "Dinner Party"
I felt like I worked here at times and I think we all feel like that at times. This episode is one of the ones that I hate to watch. The writers of the Office are so clever, at times I hate Michael and at times I feel bad for him and this episode really made me feel for Micheal. I love this episode because of that awesome CD Jan listens to and the way Pam and Jim try to get out of the party.

I think I watch too much TV...