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I love the line in Juno where Ellen Page says something like “Naaah…I’m already pregnant, what other kind of shenanigans can I get into?”

I’m going to type in a P-day experience of my mission that I think qualifies as “shenanigans,” and the point of this post is to inspire you to share your P-day experiences (read “follies”) with us.

Before I do, a word of explanation. I was a real Mormon goody two-shoes throughout high school. I wouldn’t even say “darn” because it was just a euphemism for “damn,” that sort of thing. Well, every boy goes through a rebellious period, and mine was on my mission. There weren’t many rules I didn’t break at some time or another. Nate has talked about how this can be a safe kind of outlet, because usually such rule breaking involves things that are not a problem in regular society and only rebellious in the context of the heightened missionary experience. That’s exactly how it worked for me. I was the James Dean of my mission, but when I came home the rule breaking was pretty much out of my system and I went back to BYU and being a good Mormon again. So please keep that in my mind and be charitable as you read this account, which records events that occurred on March 13, 1978. I have changed the names to protect the innocent.

3/13 Evening– Ha! Today was a great P-day! In the morning we did our laundry at Smith’s and watched T.V. (Gong Show, Father Knows Best, Mayberry RFD, and an old Mata Hari movie). It was great! Then in the afternoon we got into some full-on 4 on 4 basketball action at the Stake Center (including Elder Brown and Elder Jones). It felt soooooooo good. Then we messed around at Sandoval’s for awhile. The evening was a real crack-up. Elders Cheech and Chong had invited us out to go see “Beyond and Back.” We were supposed to try and get an investigator to go see it with us, but we couldn’t. So we go to the movie and sit down, and who shows up? Paris, Britney and Lindsay Diaz. I sat next to Paris (she sat next to me) and the D.L.’s never did show up. We talked almost the whole time–it was almost like a date! After the movie (which was real good, except for re-incarnation and a few minor points), Sis. Diaz gave us a ride in their new Dodge Colt (with me and Paris plastered together in the back seat), and Britney kept pushing Paris against me (and Paris didn’t care-ha ha). What a laugh! I loved it. It was even more of a coincidence, since Paris had made dinner (meatloaf, I think) for us, but we weren’t home all day so they couldn’t get a hold of us. Oh, well, I still can’t believe it–I thought dancing was bad enough, but my first “date”! How will I ever make the C.K. now? I suppose I’d better stop writing–if the dead are to be judged “out of the books,” then my journal will be “exhibit A” against me! Later…

OK, so let the tales of P-Day follies commence!