Bizzy in the Hizzy

Hey everybody. I know Megan is working up a big review of our week, so I know I'm not going to throw down the big weekend update on ya. But what I think I will do is throw some words out there anyway. I'll try to hit the bullet points of the weekend. As a matter of fact, I think I'll just give you a bulleted list. But inasmuch as I don't see anything that would allow me to make an actual bullet, I think I'll just throw down some asterisks (asteriski? asteriskum? asparagus?) and be done with it.

* Odd meetup of the decade on Friday morning, and no I'm not talking about meeting the self-proclaimed meanest sheriff in the country. I'm talking about running into the very first guy Todd and I ever moved in with: Davey Dave. Yes, I ran into Davey Dave for the first time in over six years. It was awkward, it was weird, I didn't know what to do. He said he's married and in our ward now, but I didn't see him on Sunday, so maybe he's in a different ward. At any rate, if I had to pick from a list of people I have known in my life that I did not expect to run into on the 4th of July, Davey Dave makes the top 5 every time.

* Speaking of running into mean sheriffs, yes I did get to meet the infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The lady who put together our 4th of July breakfast is apparantly very well connected. Anyway, I had several opportunities to shake his hand, but I have to admit I was legitimately terrified of meeting him. He had two bodyguards near him at all times. He just happened to walk right past me at one point and I mustered the gumption to stick my hand out. I have to say that he's every bit the curmudgeon he seems to be. He refused to smile in pictures, and he told us outright that this year's breakfast was sad compared to last year's. So there you have it.

* Another interesting Sheriff Joe point: when he gave his little speech, he mentioned the fact that even though illegal immigrants are a problem (and he wouldn't be the man he is if he didn't somehow tie patriotism to the illegal immigration issue, would he?) when they are taken into custody we do two things for them before sending them back 1) We teach them some conversational English and 2) We teach them how to sing "God Bless America." Now correct me if I'm wrong here. If our goal is to get these people out of the country with the hope that they won't come back, isn't it completely counterproductive to teach them a skill that would help them better adapt to life in the states and even more counterproductive to teach them songs about how great America is? I just thought that was silly.

* So the barbershop quartet sounded pretty good. We practiced it better than we performed it, but that's usually the case. It was good to be back singing in a quartet again, but it was also good to meet some of the guys in the ward I might not have met otherwise.

* On Sunday I had the opportunity to sit in with a primary class. We were teaching the 10 year olds. It was funny because even the kids who were paying attention the most were squirming and climbing all over their chairs. We had one kid who sat on the floor and refused to speak or participate in any way. It's a little different than sunday school in the singles ward where you can literally fill a whole lesson on comments from a single question. But it was fun to be helping out in that class. I learned quickly in singing time that they don't sing any of the same songs I sang. The songs that are still in circulation have had lyric changes, additional verses and whatnot. I didn't know what I was doing in singing time, but it was funny to watch the lady do the two-handed pitch poke (where you move your hands up and down as the notes go higher or lower).

* So Megan and I are apparantly completely nuts at times. On Thursday after barbershop practice we went over to the dollar theater (I persist in calling it a dollar theater despite the fact that it costs $3.00 to get in, which is still rediculously cheaper than what other theaters charge) to catch the late showing of "21" which was based off of the true story of the MIT card counting team. I saw the history channel special on the MIT card counting team, so I was really excited to see the movie. It wasn't a bad movie. There were things that could've been cut out, and they could have done the card counting sequences better, but all-in-all it was good. So after the movie, we dropped by Wal-Mart to pick up ingredients for our contribution to the breakfast. It was 1:30 or so by the time we got home, and we had to get up at 5:45. Needless to say, we really needed a nap when breakfast was over.

* I love glow sticks. I know I'm an adult and a married man, but I can't help myself. Mary and Konden brought glow sticks to the fireworks, and the kids went bananas with 'em. I couldn't help but get five or six of 'em for myself. Now that I'm an adult, I can buy my own glow sticks. So I think I will buy some for myself before too long.

* The fireworks were great. I've seen larger and more impressive displays, but we were on a blanket in the park not too far from where the fireworks were going up and it wasn't too crowded. I've never been a fan of the fireworks at Lyman Lake. I always liked it better on the football field. You're closer to the action and it doesn't take a billion years to park and another billion to get out. I'm just saying, if you can get a smaller and more intimate fireworks display it'll be better every time.

* 4th of July lunch was delicious. There were steaks, pulled pork sammiches, corn on the cob, multiple desserts, and I'm probably forgetting other edibles. It was good. In a related note: my wife is awesome for making me barbecue sammiches on the 4th. It just felt right.

* I haven't officially been given a home teaching assignment, but I'm the senoir companion of one of the young men in the ward. His Dad introduced me to him last Sunday. It'll be a little different to be the senior companion. I've been the same age as all my companions for a while now. It'll be fun to see if he can teach lessons as boring as the ones I taught when I was a junior home teaching companion.

Well, I think those are all the bullet points I can think of for the moment. Maybe I'll throw down an addendum later, but I think that's it for now. I think Megan's entry will be a little more substantial.