Leaving a Man Behind

With all of the trips Evan and I have done together, he gets pretty disappointed when I leave him behind. In April I went to Florida without him. He felt jilted. Back in Boston we went at a munch-and-mingle after church and he was introducing himself to new people. We weren't next to each other, but definitely within hearing range. Evan went from person to person with this introduction:

Hi.
My name Evan.
Yours?
Where you from?
I from DC, St. Paul, Utah, and Florida.
Brigham went to Florida with Peachie and left me alone.

When? Where?

Some CES fireside speaker mentions Adam Ondi Ahman. Evan turns to me and animatedly says:

I went there.
You did not come.
Paige, Janney, and I were there.
Not you.
What year was that?

Weather Text

Evan loves to know the weather forecast. In Harvard Square, there are LCD screens that show the predictions for the next couple of days. He checks them religiously.

Evan saw a bad weather warning for Thursday evening, his normal temple night, so he texted me: "I not go temple bad thing about is big tuderstore night trueday."

Fettuccine Alfredo: EEEEH!

Evan loves fettuccine alfredo. It is his go to winner at Italian restaurants. Saturday we went out to eat to a family favorite local restaurant for Mom's birthday. After ordering our food, we went about our normal chit chat. Four out of the five of us chose the pan seared snapper. Evan was the only one to get something different. He got fettuccine alfredo. All of the fish came out at once. Then the server (who know us well) turned to Evan and said, Are you the guy who ordered the PB&J sandwich? With a quick response Evan horned, EEEEH. Wrong! and dismissed the idea with his hand in the air. Classic.

Why I Never Win at Scotland Yard

When we moved to Boston a year ago, Evan had a whole new city to learn. We practiced getting off the T at Harvard Sq., choosing the right exit, and walking to the chapel on Brattle Street. It is a confusing station with curving hallways and three exits. After doing it 2 times, he said he knew where to go and didn't need my help. The next week I decided to play James Bond and follow him.

I did a stakeout in the station and when I saw him walk near, I turned around to hide my face. He walked by, but took a wrong turn. Hoping it was a short-term error, I went another way to cut him off. Instead, I lost him.

I walked all over the station. In and out of every exit. Scanning my CharlieCard multiple times as I frantically searched. 

I called him once, and he said he was close to the church. So I walked to the church. He was not on the street. He was not at FHE in the church. 

I started calling too often, so he stopped answering. He didn't want to talk with me. He stopped answering texts. After 15 minutes unresponsive, I had my parents and siblings try to get a hold of him.

10 minutes later he answered and told me two cross streets he was near. Here was his walking path:

And showing why I am bad at Scotland Yard, here is my walking path: 

We finally made it to FHE, and I sat down next to my roommate. Not knowing of the previous 30 minute travails, he whispered to me, "Evan is much higher functioning than I thought!"

Winning an Argument

Evan sometimes disagrees with people. When an argument ensues, he applies two principles:

1. The most important task is to win
2. Logic is irrelevant

If a third person joins the conversation, it doesn't matter what that person says. Evan will claim that they are supporting his point of view, treat the statement as if it supports his point of view and finish the argument in his favor (even if it disagrees) with a "thank you." It's hilarious.

New TV Texts

While one of my goals in life is to never purchase a TV, one of Evan's big goals in life is to purchase a TV. Specifically a big black flat one bigger than he is to see every detail of every Harry Potter, LOTR, Star Wars, Michael Bay, and Jackie Chan movie ever made.

Our old roommate had a nice TV, but when he moved out, he took it with him. Evan was not pleased. How would he watch YouTube clips (he calls it Tribune)? How would he watch Wizards of Waverly Place? General Conference talks? Old N'YSNC and Backstreet Boys music videos?

He sent me a text a little before I went to bed: "Afater get back tiple we will get big new tv sep 2 buy at boston cocos."

We are planning on getting back to Boston from our summer trip at the beginning of September. Looks like the next day we need to stop by Costco.

Film Decorations

Evan loves movies. He watches at least one movie per day. Evan also loves decorating and reorganizing his room. He changes his decor at least once per day.

Evan also loves masking tape. Recently he went for the Hollywood look - he put up all of his movie posters and all of the DVD covers on one wall.

Ancestors While Waiting for McCullough

Evan and I stood in front of the Old Burial Ground in Harvard Square waiting for a speaking event by David McCullough. The gravestones were from the 17th-18th centuries but look like Dia de los Muertos.

Evan started asking me about the people buried there.

1. Any of our ancestors buried there?
2. What about Jared and Mary's?
3. How about Blair and Julie's?
4. What about Mom and Dad's?
5. What about our grandparents?
6. How about in Washington DC?

I need to go on FamilySearch and find an ancestor buried in Boston. If you know of one, let me know.

Respect

Evan can be a little glib in his requests. When it concerns food and dinner, he might even be a little demanding.

Evan: Brigham, give me bread.
Me: Please?
Evan: Give me bread, please, sir.
Me: Wo - too much respect.