Yeah, that's right, it's Tuesday, and I'm doing e-mail. Why? 

Veteran's day was observed yesterday, so due to the new guideline of 

Preparation Days not occuring on national holidays that also occur on 

Mondays, and instead being held the immediate day after the holiday, 

it being a Tuesday, that is the reason for me writing this e-mail on 

the 13th instead of the 12th. Understand? Just be thankful I didn't 

do it yesterday--the library was closed.



Anyway, now that I've thoroughly confused all of you, I have a few 

things to say about the pictures my parents sent me: 1) Cody's cake 

is absolutely the ugliest cake I have ever seen, looking like a blob 

with a really bad frosting job; 2) Cody is a really messy eater; and 

3) Cindy's lost a ton of weight! She looks almost like Liz Bates! 

Unfortunately I won't be able to see Cody for some time, so be sure 

to put pictures of me up in his room so that he can join in with the 

kids assaulting me when I get through security in the airport in 348 

days (Just kidding. I don't really know, and I'm not counting the 

days down. I however did realize last night that I will be calling 

home exactly 10 months before I get home, with an additional phone 

call in the middle. Just one of those odd statistics that don't 

really matter and no one cares about that I typically throw out.).



Lately I've been having Christmas rock songs pop into my head, like 

the Smashing Pumpkins' "Christmas Time," Jimmy Eat Worlds cover of 

"Last Christmas," and just a few seconds ago, =W=eezer's Christmas 

song, which I forget the title of, but very well remember the lyrics: 

"Here I sit waiting beside the tree all by myself."



My plans for Thanksgiving? Well, transfers, which would normally be 

next Friday, are going to be next Tuesday, on Thanksgiving Adam. 

Rumor has it that this is because President Seal wants the 

missionaries to eat Thanksgiving dinner with their families. Rumor 

also has it that most missionaries are pretty ticked--everyone had 

plans to eat with their favorite member family, but now everyone is 

going to spend Thanksgiving with a member family they don't know at 

all. Elder Hause will be leaving, details will be released next 

Monday (stay tuned!), but we might be in Winona. I am currently 

unsure, as on Thanksgiving we aren't to actively proselyte (mostly in 

the way of tracting, but I doubt we're going to find too many people 

that will be on the streets wanting to talk to us in a town of less 

than 2K people). So, we may not be able to do much good in Winona 

with only a Thanksgiving Eve to work with. Maybe we'll stay an extra 

day and work down there the day after Thanksgiving (I need a better 

term for that--Thanksgiving Abel?).



Mom wrote: "I guess this will be the last time we will be writing you 

on November 11." Actually, it's the only time you've written me on 

November 11th. I got in Fort Smith on the 9th, a Friday, which would 

have made the 11th a Sunday. That Monday would have been my first 

time e-mailing, and you would have had no way to e-mail me. But, all 

technicalities aside, let's not get trunky now!



Right now we're teaching a really interesting character by the name 

of David. He's apparently a druid. He has some beliefs that have 

underlying truth, but are slightly off. He says baptism by the proper 

authority is essential, but the druid council is unsure if they have 

it or not (which logically means that they don't). He also speaks of 

a book that the druids lost that ended up being buried in a hill in 

the "land across the sea." I dunno what to think. He's bringing it up 

with the druid council, and he's thinking our churches might "merge" 

or something. I dunno. I don't think he's completely nuts, but this 

is odd for me.



We also taught a sweet couple on Sunday night. Jodi and Rob we're 

pretty attentive, and I think the lesson went really well. I feel 

like my teaching is a whole lot better. I'm not just teaching the 

gospel now, I'm teaching people how to understand the gospel. It's 

quite an enjoyable experience--to feel that you can help someone 

understand the truths that can change their lives for the better.



Anyway, I can't think of anything more to say, so I'll be signing off 

until next Monday.