This is way off topic, but Dr. Shades Choro, why've you been dissin' on me so much in your Missionary Journal, bro?

.

Okay, so I read the board rules AFTER I posted my comment, and I am WAY off topic, but G... er... "Dr. Shades", surely there are exceptions for old missionary companions.

Wait a second. . . WAIT A SECOND. . . COULD IT BE??

I only had one companion named "Wayne," so are you really, truly. . . Elder Wayne Van Cleave, one of my two missionary companions from the M.T.C.??

If this is really you--and please correct me if you aren't--but HOW THE HECK ARE YOU?? In the years since I've sometimes wondered how you're doing or whatever became of you. Gimme a run-down on what's happened since your return, eh?

And c'mon, bro., I've been nothing but respectful to and about you in the pages of my missionary journal. You were the counterweight to Elder Gibson and the only person who kept me sane during the M.T.C. Why do you think I've been "dissin' on you?"

Also, I'm supremely curious--how did you find "Elder Shades' Missionary Journal?" Does anyone else know about it that you know of?

Once again, WELCOME ABOARD if it's really you, and IT'S GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN!! Thanks for joining us on this little ol' website of mine.

--Elder G*********, a.k.a. "Dr. Shades"

Yes, indeed it is I, Van Cleave Choro.

And no, you have never "dissed" on me. It was just a lame attempt by me at being funny. I'm doing very well. I've been married for 16 years with two kids, and currently living in Santa Monica while my wife finishes a pediatric dentistry residency at UCLA. I'm an elementary school teacher, but currently on hiatus - being Mr. Mom, for now.

Regarding your missionary journal, it's quite funny actually. Yesterday, I was home sick from church, and your name just popped into my head and I couldn't shake it, so I googled you. (Isn't google a wonderful thing?). And as far as I know, nobody else knows about your journal. To be perfectly honest, you are the only person from our mission I have had any contact with since then.

So, that about sums it up. BTW, do I HAVE to call you Dr. Shades? Because I only know you by your real name.

You know, Gibson was a real pain in the arse, but I always thought you were a real good guy who wanted to be the best missionary he could be. Sorry if I tempted you with my singing Depeche Mode and Oingo Boingo all the time.

(Postscript: In defense of Gibson, he had just graduated from HS. I had been out of HS for a year-and-a-half, and Shades, you were already in the Marines. But the fact is, we were ALL kids with varying strengths and weaknesses. I know that I had some companions later on, who thought I was a "real pain in the arse" as well. )

Due to Danite mobs, we maintain our anonymity here. Thanks for understanding.

Well, I guess I"M screwed.

VAN CLEAVE CHORO!!! A big double-welcome to you!! This is truly a great day.


Ah, gotcha. But I sure as heck dissed on Gibson, so I'm glad you're not him!!

Not too many months ago I caught up with President Smith and his wife at their home. She told me a pretty hilarious anecdote about him. Wanna hear it?


That's interesting. I tried the same trick, but my missionary journal never came up, since I don't use my real name on it. So how on earth did you find it after a google search?


Speaking of the journal itself, did you start reading from the beginning? If so, did anything I write jog your memory about things?

If memory serves, your first area was Inuyama, which was my third area and is the area I'm currently blogging about. Perhaps I mention some members or Eikaiwa students that you remember. Would you mind taking a look at this page--I know it's long, but please help a brother out--and tell me any first names that you still remember that I've since forgotten?


And it's been 17 years. Were you one of the ones who left a month early to attend the Spring semester of college? I think Gibson and me were the only ones who didn't. Even so, I ended up extending a month, and didn't get back home until February 14, Valentine's Day.


No, I suppose I can make an exception for you. I had to "unmask" when I gave my Sunstone presentation, and the fine (ahem) folks at FAIR published it to their wiki for all the world to see. So it's rather an open secret now.


Why thank you!


Nope, 'twas all good. I can see from your blog that you're still a Depeche Mode fan.

By the way, for another coincidence, the poster named "harmony" who posted two posts before this one has a son who went to Nagoya, too. He was there for part of the time that we were, in fact.

I hope you stick around for quite a while. It's GOOD to hear from you!

Welcome to the board, Wayneman!

Actually, when I googled your name, I found that your alias was "Dr. Shades" from the FAIR wiki website. Then I found this site, saw that Dr. Shades had a missionary journal, and because I knew it was you, well...



Yes, I started reading from the beginning, but I, in my infinite narcissism, stopped reading after the part where we got to Japan. Unlike you, I hardly ever kept a journal, but it was a lot of fun remembering those things from your perspective. I remember I was sick with the most wicked flu I have ever had, and was laid out for about a week.



You are correct that my first area was Inuyama. I checked the list of names you have, and to be forthright, I remember very little of the Japanese names, but quite a few of the elders you mention. Again, I was not very diligent about my journal.



Yes, I left the mission a month early so I could get into the spring semester of college.



Most definitely.



Yup.

I also remember Gibson having a MAJOR obsession with Woodward Shimai.

Ah, gotcha.


I can't say I blame you. It's a long blog, and I'm only a bit over halfway through.


You were still pretty good about journal-keeping back in the M.T.C.


Okay, here goes: While we were flipping through photo albums from back then, I came across one of Gibson Choro. I said to them, "There's Elder Gibson. He was a trial of my sanity." She responded, "He was a trial of ours, too!" I of course couldn't pass up a gem like that, so I got her to tell me why:

She said that when he was laid up in the mission home after some injury, she'd go downstairs to their personal suite and catch Gibson there ALL THE TIME playing GameBoy with their kids.

I had to LOL at that one!

Now, for anyone who has been keeping up with Elder Shades' Missionary Journal, let me say that today is a frabjous day indeed, for none other than ELDER WAYNE VAN CLEAVE has shown up to grace us with his presence!! More proof that I'm not just making it all up.

Incidentally, I received an e-mail from someone else who was in Nagoya--and went to my same high school, as luck would have it--but his mission ended before ours began. You're the first person who's tracked me down from the journal who was actually in it.

Again, this is a great day indeed.

Yeah, that was one for the record books. What gets me is that, although she was a fantastic human being, she wasn't all that good-looking, in my humble opinion. Certainly not enough to account for his heart-stopping obsession, but what the heck, I guess there's no accounting for taste.

Although you stopped at our arrival in Japan, I'd encourage you to continue looking at the PHOTOS entries, since you appear a few more times after the M.T.C. for taikais and such. I'm sure there are a few of you in there that you don't have. . . may I suggest showing them to your wife & kids?

To get to those photos and other places where you're mentioned, click in the "Search blogs" field in the lower-left corner under the blog information section.

Hey, she was from Hollywood, so she MUST be hot, right? Well, I can tell you, living only a couple miles from Hollywood,... not so much.

She was pretty, but not my type.


Uh-Oh.


LOL. Now that IS funny.

Not on the main page, please. You remember the last time we had a huge debacle with "real names"?

Don't worry, Harmony, I won't.

But, am I under a mistaken assumption that this is Dr. Shades' website? Do you treat ALL newcomers with this sort of suspicion?

I am merely an old missionary companion who is enjoying catching up on things. Dr. Shades and I spent two months, and every waking hour together at a very impressionable age.

Now, whether you believe the church is true or not, there is a bond between old missionary companions that is undeniable.


My purpose here is NOT to re-convert, or convert anybody to my faith. Nor am I some sort of "Danite" who is eager to blow the cover on some covert, anti-LDS operation.

Too be honest, I didn't even notice the nature of this site until AFTER I made my first post.

Granted, I was a little disappointed, but hey, we're all human, and we all choose what route we think is best for us. Whatever Dr. Shades' or your beliefs are, so be it. I still would like to catch up with an old friend.

At least Liz3564 was kind enough to welcome me, for which I am grateful.

So Harmony, please drop the paranoia bit, and let's get on with it.

Hi Wayneman, good to meet an old friend of the Docs. I actually think you are in more danger of being accused of being an anti-LDS yourself given that you've been complimentary of Dr. Shades as a missionary. The apologists are going to be very suspicious now as they are inclined to believe that Dr. Shades "never really understood it" or that he "never had a testimony in the first places".

Any friend of Dr. Shades is a friend of mine, welcome to the board.

An enemies list?

Forgive my naïveté. Please explain.

I heard somewhere that the folks at FAIR are a bit uppity when it comes to Dr. Shades' forum. Perhaps if there is some animosity, then listing Dr. Shades by his real name was not a positive action on their part.

Do you think that should give you special status here? If I'm out of line, Shades will tell me.

Sorry I'm not falling all over myself with the welcome mat out and a cup of cocoa for you. Shades and I have been victims of some pretty nasty stuff over the years, and at times, it's spilled over into our real lives. So we try to keep our real names off the main page. There are those who would use whatever weapon they can against us.



I don't know you from Adam, and you come here with comments about Shades' real name. I'm not paranoid; I'm experienced. You wouldn't know, but there are those who would dearly love to see this board's owner and at least one of his mod squad hung up by the thumbs.

I am vulnerable in ways Shades is not. He's done his best to protect me; I try to return the favor. Carry on.

Oh, and I'm the one who had a son who served in Nagoya in a slight overlap to your own mission.

Vulnerable to what? The Mormon Mafia?

Give me a break.