March 2, 1997 - Sunday

Well today is also weird - well not weird - just a little slow.  We had church, came home and ate some more borscht [борщ] that Ст. Woolverton made.  Its really good.  We also had some melted cheese sandwiches.  Then we planned for a half an hour or so and Ст. Larsen called.  So we went up there and he [Larsen] cut our hair.  On the sides mine is pretty short. 

While I was there I was talking to Ст. Larson, notice the o, about surfing.  I asked him if he knew any professional surfers.  He said who and I asked him about Joel Fisher.  He served a mission in Boise, Idaho and was in our ward for a while.  I told him a couple of stories about him and he said he used to be in his ward and they surfed at the same places. 

Now we are back at the house chilling.  And I'm watching "the Rain Man."  I'll have to go now to watch it.

[Post journal chat - Larsen & Larson had been companions the same amount of time that Woolverton & I had been.  Larsen was from UT (I think) and he was companions with Woolverton when Ст. Barnes & I tracted them out on my first full day in Russia.  Larson was from Cali and had been companions with Ст. Paige while I was with my trainer.

When Larsen was cutting my hair he would get to the cowlick at the back of my head and it wouldn't be to his liking so he would cut it shorter.  Then he would have to cut the rest of the sides to be the same shortness.  Then he would go back to the cowlick and cut it shorter again.  He did this a couple of times and I wanted to stop him after the first time.  That's why I mentioned in my journal that "On the sides mine is pretty short." 

This was back before missionaries had to have a discernible part in their hair - so it was dang, dang, short!!  The only other time that I had a really short hair cut was when I had about 2 1/2 months left in my mission, and I buzzed it.  3 weeks after that I had my interview with the President and he said I had a nice short haircut.  I said thanks, and told him that I got it cut 3 weeks ago.  Yeah...he didn't like it that much.

Now let's talk about borscht [борщ].  This was probably one of my earliest times eating it, most probably my first time helping make it.  All through my mission I loved to make and eat it.  In Russian борщ is just so much shorter than in English...here is why.  бор is bor.  A ш has the sh sound, but notice that борщ has a щ.  Its a ш with a tail.  The tail gives it a little shch in stead of the sh sound.]