Joy to the World

What a wonderful holiday which reminds us of one of the most important events in history: the birth of Christ. I heard a man speaking on the subway yesterday that reminded me what Christmas is all about and why Christ's birth was important. In a nutshell, it was a neccesary step towards his death and suffering. Most importantly his birth, life and death paved the way for his universally conquering death and sin. That's what the man on the subway was talking about (though a bit too loudly, it almost drowned out the message). He was a self-proclaimed crackhead for 7 years, who said he would do anything for his next hit, including steal from his own mother. He somehow caught a glimpse of his own potential and was able to change his life so that he has been clean for many years, and he gives the credit to Jesus Christ. Could he have transformed his life if Christ hadn't been born? Perhaps, but what would have been the motivation? Where would he have drawn hope? How could he possibly face anything but punishment at the judgement day? He related it well, that he was so humbled and grateful that his mom was able to take him back and forgive him of everything; she was thrilled to have her son back. That's how Christ feels towards us, and since he has already borne the penalty for our sins, we can be forgiven and overcome. That's why I love this picture, it's a depiction of him coming out of the tomb. It's as if He's saying to me, "See Dave, I conquered and overcame everything and I'm inviting you to do the same. It'll be hard, but you can toss your unwanted baggage in this empty tomb and I'll help you overcome." As a missionary, I helped people with drug, alcohol and tobacco additions, inmates, people suffering from sadness, loneliness, depression, fear, anxiety, abuse and every other kind of difficulty, overcome these troubles because of their faith and the hope they drew from the life of Jesus Christ (often with professional help of course). That's why the angels rejoiced at his coming, because they knew the impact his life would have on the world. This is what Christmas means to me.

Sunset on the hudson

I got off work early today and got home in time to enjoy the view of this sunset over the hudson river from outside our apt window.

There's no place like home...

I'm so relieved that the subway strike is over, so I don't have to deal with a commute like today's ever again. I left the house with my mom at 6am, at which point we drove up to the Bronx to pick up one of her colleagues. The three of us drove down Broadway and Amsterdam Ave to 113th st in Manhattan, to St. Lukes, one of the hospitals she works at. We couldn't get to Roosevelt on 57th street, the other hospital she works, because of police checkpoints preventing vehicles with less than 4 passengers from going south of 96th street. Our plan was to catch the 7:15 hospital shuttle bus taking passengers from St. Lukes to Roosevelt, but we missed it by 5 minutes. While getting breakfast across the street, one of their colleagues walked in and noticed us sitting down to eat. She had a car, but no passengers, and we were three people needing a ride, so the four of us teamed up and drove past the police barricades and got dropped off at Roosevelt around 8:05. At that point I strapped on my rollerblades and skated approx 5.5 miles down to the southern tip of Manhattan, where I'll be working for the next two weeks (it's the same place I worked at in July, so you can check out the archives to see pictures of it). After missing yesterday, and after 2.5 hours of traveling, I finally showed up to work this morning (let's not forget that it's winter!). I heard the strike has just ended, so I should be just fine tomorrow. What a relief. However, I must admit that the exercise and camaraderie with other New Yorkers rollerblading down the Hudson River Park was exhilarating. It was also great to revisit so many NYC landmarks, like the Empire State Building, where Jon Stewart films the Daily Show, the Intrepid, the Statue of Liberty, Wall St. and Battery Park. Here's a picture of me in front of the NY Stock Exchange on Wall Street. There's no place like home.

A la prochaine

Je veux dire a Montreal, "je t'aime, merci, au revoir." It was an emotional experience to leave Montreal yesterday, driving out on the same bridge I came in on more than 6 years ago. It's humbling to think about how much I've grown and how much I have accomplished in that time. Sincere thanks to everyone who helped make that possible. I am now back in NYC, and it feels nice to be be here voluntarily for a change! I joked with my dad that it feels like I've stepped a month back in time weather wise. Unfortunately my plans are completely messed up by the illegal strike waged by the transit workers. Can you imagine NYC without the subway and buses? I physically cannot get to work today, since it's past Wall St. and I'm up on 186th st, more than 20 miles north. The union has been fined $1 million per day for the strike, and it's not enough if you ask me.

My Young Men

After 2 years of volunteering as President of the organization for young men at my Church's local congregation, I was officially replaced yesterday. It was an extremely emotional experience for me, as I've grown to love the boys tremendously. They are some of the most impressive 12-17 year olds I have ever met, and I look forward to witnessing the force for good they will be in this world. I hope you enjoy these pictures of some recent activities. The pic above is from a sleepover on Dec 10th. I was the first one to fall asleep (at 4am!), and the boys were still playing ping pong at 6am (can you even see me buried in that pile?). The bottom picture is some of us singing Christmas songs on the metro platform with the missionaries. Lots of people took our photos or smiled as they walked by. The young men and women also handed out donated socks last week to the homeless people in the area. Ralph, the new President, overheard Kameron say "Wow, if we could bottle this good feeling, we'd be rich!" Many thanks to Ralph and all the other counselors I've had during these two years. I hope the boys enjoy seeing their pics on my blog, and know how much I love them. I'm gonna miss you guys!

Last Montreal Winter

I woke up this morning to my final Canadian snow storm (I'm assuming it will last the remaining 3 or 4 days I have left up here). I have been feeling nostalgic about leaving Montreal, that is until I opened my balcony door and saw that the snow had piled up well over a foot! That is not a reflection in the bottom picture, that is the imprint of my balcony door on the snowdrift. As for the top photo, I feel for sorry for whoever needs to get that car out. In unrelated news, I took my physio exam yesterday. Let's just say it was the hardest exam I've taken during my 9 semesters at McGill. The first question was so hard that one of the smartest people in the class passed out five minutes into the exam and was taken out in a wheelchair by paramedics after vomiting on the floor!! I'm not making that up.

What I've learned in Canada

I did well on my final yesterday and am now down to 3 more classes, 10 days left in Montreal. How can I sum up 4 1/2 years living north of the border in a blog entry? In no particular order, here are six things I've learned while living in Canada (specifically Quebec):

1) Americans are pretty funny and will say dumb things on tv. Thanks Rick Mercer for teaching me this! My favorite example is when Mercer asked the campaigning George W. Bush how he felt upon hearing that Prime Minister Poutine of Canada had given his endorsement. The response was something to the effect of, "I'm thrilled, he and I have always had a good relationship." If you didn't get the joke, then let me tell you another thing I've learned:

2) Poutine! This Quebecois dish consists of fries, cheese curds (squeaky cheese as they call it out west), and gravy. I personally love the poutine au poulet (chicken poutine) from the restaurant called "The Green Stop" au coin de rue Monk et rue Jolicouer. I know it looks disgusting, but trust me, it's disgustingly delicious.

3) While I'm on the subject of the Quebecois, I've learned that it's possible to speak French in such a way that even natives of France can't understand. "Ouais, c'est vrais, beh, la la."

4) Perhaps the stereotype that Canadians love hockey is a little understated! I love this promo for the Toronto Maple Leafs of a Toronto class photo. In case you can't guess, the kid on the left is a Montreal fan.

5) No matter what you're mad about, the solution involves going on strike. There is a revolving door of major strikes in this city. 2 years ago it was the metro system (imagine if the subways stopped running in NYC for a couple weeks), last year it was college students and this year it's been college teachers. This pic is taken directly in front of my campus.

6) I've learned what -40 degree feels like; it's a lesson I don't need to revisit. That's around the point that Celsius and Fahrenheit cross over and are the same. If you didn't know that, then consider yourself lucky!

More to come as I continue to think about it.

Verstehen

On the eve of my classical sociological theory exam (my third to last final!) I find myself contemplating the words of 3 deep thinkers. Max Weber believed that as a study of society, sociology is well suited to provide "verstehen," in other words understanding/interpretation. I hope I have a little more of this by tom. afternoon! We've also studied the words of French theorist (do you know him Sarah?) Emile Durkheim who often wrote about the effects of living a religious life. I love what he said in his essay The Elementary Forms of Religious life, "The believer who has communicated with his God is not merely a man who sees new truths of which the unbeliever is ignorant; he is a man who is stronger. He feels within him more force, either to endure the trials of existence, or to conquer them. It is as though he were raised above the miseries of the world, because he is raised above his conditions as a mere man." That quote is out of context and doesn't accurately reflect the nuances of Durkheim's attitude towards religion, but I am inspired by the observation nonetheless. This connects well with another quote taken out of context, a thought by the third theorist on tom's final, George Simmel who opened an essay with the line "Knowledge of truth is a weapon in the struggle for existence." Perhaps acquiring knowledge of absolute truths is the goal of our existence, what do you think?

On the first day of Christmas...

Even more than the end of Thanksgiving and the commencement of finals, last night's devotional by the prophet of my Church symoblizes the start of the Christmas season for me. Every year, on the first Sunday of December, the three top leaders give an hour long devotional on the theme of Christmas featuring music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I was particularly inspired by the message last night that the most important question we should ask ourselves this season is not "What gifts did I get?" but "What gifts did I give?" You can watch the video of the event at www.lds.org.

World Aids Day

According to the World AIDS Day website AIDS claims the lives 8,000 people per day, and that 5 people have died of AIDS during the time you will spend reading this entry on my blog. There have been more than 3 million new cases of HIV this year making more than 40 million people living with this disease in total. There are apparently only 4 ways you can be infected and having unprotected sex with an infected partner is the number one cause. According to many articles by Nicholas Kristoff of the NY Times, this is also a major aspect of the Darfur genocide currently taking place in the Sudan. Women and girls are systematically being raped and infected, essentially receiving a death sentence because of who they are and where they live. What can we do? I honestly don't know, but you can protect yourself by being abstinent until marriage with a safe partner. At the risk of sounding preachy, that's been God's pandemic protection policy for thousands of years (read Ex 20:14, Matt19:18 & Alma 16:18). It is essential however that we reach out to those suffering from this disease in a spirit of compassion, love and understanding, without the slightest hint of judgment. You should also read this article about how the Church commemorated World Aids Day this year.

The Future

I spent an hour with the future on Sunday night. The premise was a meeting for the 11 year olds in our congregation, to introduce all the boys turning 12 soon to our young men's program. It was a chance to introduce myself more formally to the parents and boys, and to answer all their questions. It was a lot of fun and I was incredibly impressed by them. I think they were impressed by Ralph and I, and that I remembered their birthdays off the top of my head. In case you're wondering what the future looks like, it's bright, energetic and just a tad rowdy! Ggoing from the left on the back row: Ralph Durant (my new 2nd counselor), Mordecai Rodney (April 13), me, Simon (July 1), Bro Masse (with a french accent aigu). bottom row: Bishop Morales, Charles Masse (Jan 2) and Jordan Morales (Dec 6).

Canadian Politics

I don't know much about Canadian politics, but it's very interesting to learn their system and see the implications of our differences. Because it's a parliamentary system, they can call elections whenever they have the votes in Parliament, which is what happened on Monday night. While I think I like the stability the American system provides, knowing there are going to be elections every 4 years on the 2nd Tuesday in November, there is one thing I do like. The national elections will be in late January, so each party essentially only has less than two months to campaign. This balances the canidates out in terms of ability to use and generate resources, and it saves us from having to be bombarded by these issues for months on end. It seems to bring the democracy closer to home, since the current Prime Minster can be voted out after less than two years. Of course, if this was a mistake by his opponents, then they'll pay the price in January. My prediction, Paul Martin will still be the Prime Minister, but the margin in Parliament will be even slimmer. (This picture shows Paul Martin's biggest challenger, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper zeroing in on his target).

Happy NIT, I mean, Thanksgiving

Since I was twelve, my dad and I always spent the day before and the day after Thanksgiving at Madison Square Garden, watching four of the best college basketball teams in the country battle it out. I can honestly say that this is my favorite Thanksgiving tradition , mostly because of the years and years of memories I've shared with my dad. So while I'm stuck at school during a regular day in Canada (remember my post from early October, that they had thanksgiving on Columbus day?), I'm getting nostalgic about all those years at the garden.

Nothing sums up the tradition better than a picture of AJ Guyton from Indiana Univ. I won't go into it, but dad will understand (Remember Indiana vs. Duke in 96? That was the first time we saw "my man AJ Guyton.") Some other memorable years include UMass beating the national champs UNC in 93 (despite being in a huge UMass cheering section, I decided to cheer for UNC who lost in dramatic fashion), the night we saw Marbury and Iverson as college freshman and that blind/drunk lion mascot that didn't root or correspond to any team! I can't keep a straight face while thinking of that lion, a mystery we never solved. Happy thanksgiving Dad, and to anyone else reading this. I'm glad they have a christmas season tourney at MSG so we have been able to start a secondary tradition (though the teams are never as good, the seats are always better).

Honorable Bob Rae

Today is one of those days I'll miss after I graduate. During the afternoon I gave a presentation in Sociology of Mental Illness to 75 students on supreme court cases affecting mental illness. I think it went really well, and best of all, that class is completely over now! So I'm down to four classes until I graduate, one of them being my independent research on cesarean sections.

After my presentation I went to the Law building and heard a lecture given by the Hon. Bob Rae, the former Premier (equiavalent to governor) of Ontario. He was recently an advisor to the Iraqi assembly as they drafted their new constitution. He gave incredible insight into the process, about the fear and isolation the consitution makers deal with daily. Check out this article about him in the Toronto paper. Today, he firmly expressed that he thought the US led invasion into Iraq was completely inappropriate, but that this is beside the point now, that we need to think about the future and find the best solutions to the many difficult issues. One of the most complex of these is the balance between state autonomy and federal power, especially since the Kurds in the north (I believe that's what he said) have been functioning autonomously for awhile already. He also talked about the need for constant reminders that making a constitution isn't about revenge on political enemies, but about putting that bitterness aside. He said this process needs a Nelson Mandela to step up and lead such a unified effort. He said a lot of other interesting things I'll be happy to talk about if you have any questions.

In the meantime, check out my furniture sale at www.gabloge.blogspot.com. Get it? It's a garage sale blog, ie gabloge. Let me know if you see anything you like.

I'm going to Boise, Idaho!

If you've seen the movie "The Singles Ward," then the next line in your head after the title of this post is "I gotta get a map..." Well, it's final, my last exam is Dec 19th, then I'll go to NYC for a few weeks, take the GRE for grad school on Jan 3rd and fly to Boise, Idaho on Jan 6th. I will be interning in the Idaho House of Representatives, working with various reps, probably mostly with Rep. Margaret Henbest, whose focus is public health policy (my interest), as well as with the House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet. I am really excited about this opportunity. I've even bought a car (I haven't sent the check yet, but it's pretty much a done deal). My first car! Oh and since I promised some political talk, I was glad the House voted against the proposal for an immediate pullout of Iraq, since that would be irresponsible and a disaster. More importantly, I'm also glad that the Senate passed a proposal to have comprehensive accountability for the White House on what they're doing over there. It doesn't feel like anyone has an exit strategy for the end of the war. Which reminds me, I saw a fantastic movie recently from the 80's called "Born on the Fourth of July" with Tom Cruise, about a Vietnam vet and his difficult transition after being paralyzed. Two lessons I learned from the movie: 1) We need to be very careful about why we go to war and make sure it's worth the sacrifice (I'm not in a position to judge about this war, but I have my doubts) and 2) We need to treat our vets with absolute respect for what they go through for us. They literally give their lives to answer the call of duty. Even if we don't agree with the cause, we should treat them like heros. This movie portrayed that well; it was the first time I've cried in the middle of a movie.

Big week for the blog

This has turned out to be a big week for the blog for two reasons: 1) I've finally added the counter, 2) I've decided to use it as more than just a travel log, but to share my opinions and reactions to world events and US politics. Right at the outset I'd like to say that I still don't consider myself a Democrat or a Republican, so this blog doesn't represent one particular political slant. For example, I support the health care proposals put forth by Sen. Hillary Clinton. Before any of my more conservative friends jump down my throat about that, consider that one of her biggest supporters on this issue is New Gingrich! Check out this article for example. On the other hand, I tend to agree with most David Brooks articles in the NY Times, I would've voted for republican Mike Bloomberg in the NYC mayor election if my absentee ballot would've come and my favorite Senator these days has been republican Arlen Spector of Penn. I guess I'm proud of being somewhat centrist and willing to learn about various sides of each issues.

I expect to write somewhat sparingly since I'm in the middle of my last 5 weeks at McGill University. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy reading my opinions and that you add your comments to what I've written.

Oh snow!

I know, I know, two bad puns in a row (see Saturday's post).

Seriously though, it is snowing right now in Montreal. This is the first time it looks like winter, though there was technically white moisture falling from the sky for a few minuteslast week .

Counter

I just added a counter on the bottom of the blog, so I can keep track of how many times my page is viewed as of Nov 15th. I wish I had done that back in April.

ICAN, can you?

Already there are two things wrong with this post: 1) I don't know exactly what the title means, but the pun was too good to resist. ICAN stands for the International Cesarean Awareness Network, an advocate group dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of the rising cesarean section rate in the US. As I've researched and written my papers about this important issue, I've become very impressed with this organization and the work they're doing. While cesareans can be lifesaving, there is no reason for the rate to be so high. 2) Cesarean Awareness Month is April, but since it's what I spend so much of my time thinking about these days, it might as well be November. Check out this article from the New York Times which quotes ICAN, as well as ICAN's website.

Pres. Belnap on the Today Show

Last week my NYC Stake President was interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today Show, discussing the recent Newsweek cover story on the Church. As Stake President, he is responsible for all the congregations in Manhattan and has been a positive influence on my life. He was the person who set me apart before my mission to Idaho and officially released me upon return. In his reply to my congratulatory email, he seemed pleased but wrote, "glad it's over though." Click here to watch the 6 min clip about the LDS Church.

Stuck in NYC-Back in Canada!

By now you've probably heard my story about being denied re-entry into Canada until my study permit problem was resolved. All in all, I was stuck in NYC for 12 days. In addition to studying at Columbia and trying to stay on top of my school work (which apparently was illegal to do in Canada), I enjoyed the unique vibrancy of my hometown. For example, I had the pleasure of seeing my name on the marquee in front of B.B. King's club in Times Square!

I stopped by Bryant Park on Tuesday as the Rangers were doing a promotional skate-around on the beautiful rink they just made in the shadow of the Empire State Building. I did see a few of the players, but I wouldn't have guessed except that they wore jerseys with their names on the back. Go Rangers!

5:50 am on Monday oct 24th - arriving into Newark. I had already been in airport/airplane for the last 11 hours, but little did I know that I'd end up back in Newark 9 hours later. I'm dissapointed this picture came out blurry, cuz I'm real close to the NYC skyline. This was actually the first time I've seen the Em. St. Bldg etc with all their lights out.

Weekend in Utah

My paternal grandparents just received a call to be missionaries living in Boston for a year. They started on Halloween, but on Sunday Oct 23rd the entire family gathered in Brigham City, Utah (1 hour north of Salt Lake City) to hear them speak in front of their congregation. No one expected my Dad and I to come from Montreal and NYC but we flew accross the country on Saturday, finally pulling up in front of their house around 10pm. My grandparents were so happy and excited and shocked to see us on their doorstep, I honestly thought Grandma would have a heart attack!

During the weekend I got to spend some serious quality time with my cousins (remember my posts from August, that I have the cutest cousins in the world?) Some of us even played a game of football to work off the incredible meal we ate. Here's a picture of the losing team taken right before their football lesson began.

What do the Jones' do when we all get together? Gather around Wes' laptop and watch funny commercials about anti-theft systems involving monkeys throwing robbers off a bridge.

There was also a really nice moment when Wes gave Grandpa & Grandma a beautiful wood elephant he bought in Nigeria.

Ottawa!

I went with my boys to a huge dance in Ottawa on Friday the 21st. I gave Patrick the camera for 5 minutes and this picture is what I got! The top picture is with Kameron's jar of candy he won by guessing how many are in there. We had a great time, but I got home around 2am, a little late considering I was flying accross the country the next morning!

The McGill of New York

Perhaps you've heard McGill University described as the Harvard of Canada or Canada's Ivy League University. I love the t-shirts you see around Montreal for Harvard, describing it as the McGill of America. While I'm stuck in NYC, I've been given access to the McGill of NYC, the Columbia University Butler Library, and I have fallen in love. Unlike at McGill, which also has a beautiful campus and beautiful buildings, the inside of Columbia's buildings are just as beautiful as the outside. I feel like I'm in an academic holy place while studying here. Hopefully I won't be here much longer though; I'll keep you posted on my status.

Nightmare

Ever have those nights when you know you're dreaming and you even have some control over the course of the dream, but you are unable to wake yourself up? I am living such a nightmare right now, only I can't seem to convince myself that it's just a dream. The last four days have been the definition of surreal. I was in Ottawa on Friday, taking my young men to a dance, and getting home to Montreal around 2am. I flew to Salt lake City on Saturday and after meeting my dad drove up to Brigham City to surprise my Grandparents before they moved to Boston for a year. I flew back overnight on Sunday--> Monday morning, but was denied entry into Canada as a result of study permit problems. After sitting in a waiting area for four hours, running on 30 hours with no sleep and being denied breakfast and lunch, I was eventually escorted by two armed guards through the terminal in Montreal's airport, and put on a plane to NYC. In a 50 hour period, I was in an airport or on a plane for 30 hours. Now I'm stuck in Manhattan working to resolve the problem while trying to successfully complete my semester and degree. I am grateful for everyone who has gone so far out of their way to help me attempt to fix the situation, including Columbia University for granting me access to their library services. Special thanks are also due to my parents, Martine Blanc, Cedric Phan, Sarah Sacuto, Melissa Poirrier, Eva Stopa, Philippe Lemble, Michael Kane and the good people at Fedex on 59th street. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks Phil & Jay

For the last 2 years I have been leading the young men's program at our church's congregation in LaSalle, Quebec. I've worked with these three great men as mentors for approx. 15 teenage boys and have been incredibly grateful for their contributions. At Church this morning Jay (on the left) and Phil (2nd from the right) were officially replaced by two new men so they could pursue the new assignments they have been given. The boys clearly recognized the love we have for them, and responded with a spontaneous group hug for both Phil and Jay. It was very touching and I couldn't be prouder of my boys. I'm also looking forward to working with Ralph and Mike, and am glad Luigi (on the right) is still on board.

Happy Thanksgiving?

Don't worry, while the rest of Canada was busy giving thanks, deep inside I was celebrating Columbus and colonialism. To show my gratitude for the day off I took a trip to Quebec City with some friends. Since Sarah was one of those friends, it was gray and rainy just like every other time she's gone to Quebec. I hope everybody gets to see this beautiful town. From what my Sacuto-sister-french-road-tripper-colleagues said, it feels just like stepping into France.


One of the highlights is the majestic Chateau Frontenac at the top of the hill. This picture doesn't do it justice, you need to see it from below the hill.

Quebec is the only gated city north of Mexico and this is us in front of one of the entrances to the old part of town.

This is me at the start of the trip, completely dry and focused. I only included this picture to prove I had grown beard (which is already gone). There are tons of other great pics, like me kissing a Winston Churchill bust on the cheek, Sarah getting kissed by a strange clown in an alley and one of the two Christmas ornament shops in town. Oddly enough they do better business in the summer.

Breastfeeding

On a more serious note, last week I completed a paper which I'm quite proud of. It's about the importance of promoting breastfeeding in underdeveloped countries and the way in which companies who manufacture breastmilk substitutes (like Nestle) are undermining breastfeeding education through manipulative marketing strategies. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 million infant deaths could be prevented per year if mothers followed simple guidelines about breastfeeding. I'd be happy to send you a copy of the paper if you're interested. I'm currently doing research on the rate of cesarean births in the US compared to the other countries, and what needs to be done to lower the rate (I wonder where I got this interest?) I'd love to hear your comments.

The first round of the playoffs isn't going as hoped, so I have a request...if I don't mention the Yanks again on this blog until March, that's your cue not to bring it up.

Start spreading the news....

It feels like things have finally gone back to normal. October means watching the team that plays 20 minutes from where I grew up drenching each other in the locker room (here's Jeter and ARod). 4 months ago I honestly didn't think they'd be AL East Champs, but their win on Saturday over Boston locked it up. To top it off, they won game 1 of the division series tonight against the Angels while Boston lost to Chicago! The only thing that would make it better is if I could watch the games with my dad and feel the buzz around NY. 10 more wins left until we need a parade!

Best teens ever

Just imagine the title of this post said by the comic book guy on the Simpsons, "best teens ever." I'm lucky enough to be President of the Young Men's group at my Church, working with the absolute best young men in Montreal. I hope you enjoy the following pictures of some of our recent events.
Service at the Jensen's: you can see Jonathan, Jason, Zachary and Andrew behind me, helping Kris Jensen fix his collapsed retaining wall.

Me with the Morales brothers (Alex, Jordan and Chris) at the Montreal temple.

Jason, Jonathan and I bought videos at a yard sale while visiting people in my neighborhood of Verdun. They'd be happy to tell you some pretty funny experiences we had that afternoon.


On Saturday, the young men challenged the missionaries and the older guys in our congregation to a game of football (we did mix teams up a little, since me and Bill Kaufman counted as young men) Do I need to even spell out who won?

Oh, Rita

As Hurricane Rita was heading for Texas, so were my Mom, Step-Dad and step-sister Tiffany. Fortunately they're in Austin, which apparently is a 4 hour drive from Galveston on the coast, where another Step-Sister (Lauren) and her husband Chris live. Lauren said that this 4 hour drive took them 14 hours, and that by now it's at least a 24 hour trip. The hurricane hasn't even hit yet, and at least 20 people have died, due to the explosion of an evacuation bus. I'm glad my family is safe, though I'm sad that Lauren and Chris have to face the prospect that their house and possessions in Galveston are in serious danger.

Dr. Jones (soon enough)

Happy Birthday Dad.

6 Straight

The Yanks beat that Canadian team again this afternoon to win their 6th straight game. They're so close to the Sox and Indians in the pennant race with 2 weeks left in the season that there's great reason to hope. This picture is from 7 years ago, from the most exciting game I've ever seen. My Dad and I were sitting in the upper deck as Cone through only the third perfect game in Yankees history. The memory of that accomplishment still inspires us, as evidenced by the fact that we still have the cups we bought at the game that day in July 1999! Besides being able to share that moment with my Dad, one of the best parts was that my buddy Ithy and I got to meet Cone 2 weeks later in Boston. Below Cone's picture is the ticket stub that Cone signed for me. Go Yanks!