Johnson, Ethan

There's an episode in season two of Atlanta entitled, “Woods”. It follows Al (played by Bryan Tyree Henry), colloquially known as his rapper name “Paper Boi”, as he gets mugged and is forced to flee into Southern foliage–present virtually everywhere in the South. Within this wooded hideaway, he proceeds to get lost as he meets a spiritually-inclined hermit, who professes to be his guide through the woods. After suffering from existential-anxiety because of the abnormality of what occurs within the woods, Al finds his way out of the forest, escapes the hermit–whilst inadvertently following his advice that turns out to be true–and stumbles onto the road in front of a gas station. There’s a moment of relief. A pause. A blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. He then walks towards the gas station. There's nothing in his pockets, yet an intangible experience in the forefront of his mind. The episode ends. This week felt like this episode of Atlanta. Within each day, my head was reeling...

Fields in Texas remind me of The Master (2012) when Joaquin Phoenix's character, Freddie, is running through the desert. It's almost as if we are the tracking camera and I can imagine the shot happening with my own eyes. Also Blood Simple (1984). I am living out Blood Simple (1984) everyday in Sealy (which is in Austin county which the film was filmed in). Not only because of the scenery but also because I am being tracked down by a private investigator.  Speaking of Blood Simple (1984), this week I found out how to get a marriage license and a lovely lady who works at the Austin County Court Office now thinks that I am getting married super soon because we were calling to find out how Anyerson and his wife can get married before their baptism.  Speaking of which, we have to move their date because they aren't married yet which sucks but I'm sure it will work out in the end. The ward is super ready to throw a wedding, but his wife, Angelica, needs to get better first. S...

Este domingo fue bendecido. Me encanta Sealy y me encanta la oportunidad de encontrar mi propósito en este lugar a través de la guía del Señor. Mi propósito es simple: establecer un grupo de Español y traer amigos nuevos a la capilla con miembros activos y miembros inactivos. El propósito es simple pero es muy difícil. Esta semana, la Semana Santa, fue difícil porque teníamos muchas cosas hacer pero ayer más de doce personas vinieron a la iglesia. Este fue un récord. También el miércoles, Elder Lawyer y yo preguntamos a nuestros amigos Anyerson y Kamila si quisieron ser bautizados. El primer día aquí en Sealy, yo conocí a Anyerson y Kamila.  Ok now I’m talking en English. So essentially the first day I came to Sealy, I met Anyerson his nine year old daughter, Kamila, and I knew they needed to be baptized. They had come to church before, his wife was a member, and they had the most powerful testimonies ever, yet they were unbaptized. We read Mosíah 18 with them and asked, “Que os im...

Because I missed sending out my email last week, you guys are getting fed today with not only a second email, but also some lackadaisical thoughts because I have not had a minute to think and these are the only things my turned-to-mush-because-of- over-exertion-and-under-slept- brain can think of and has thought of this week. Enjoy.  Water towers look like Minecraft mob spawn traps.  I just heard Astronaut in the Ocean and I haven't heard real music in so long I had to catch myself nodding to the bass, only because it was the first basa heavy song I’ve heard in so long. If that means I'm going to Hell, then I'm already burning. Update: I will now be posting real music on my FaceBook story so I am truly in Outer Darkness now.  What did we think about when we knew not our primary language or the formulation of words? And, is thought taught? A drunk guy was insulting my religion and then I asked him what he believed in and he said he believed the earth was flat and that we’d...