Midday Catch-up with You (Valdivia), March 23, 2026

Midday Monday call. You were on your bunk bed, social battery empty after a "big huge sleepover" with all the hermanas in the zone the previous night.

Social battery empty after hermana sleepover

The hermanas in the zone had a big joint sleepover at someone's apartment to celebrate two birthdays. You are profoundly drained. The day ahead: joint-zone P-day with the neighboring zone, then intercambios with both zones afterward (a first - you got Mackay's permission). You: "I'm trying to process it so that I can do it because I'm a moderator. I have to be an example. I have to be able to talk to people. I can't be antisocial."

My coping tips for forced extroversion (from my bishopric days):

• Slip away to the bathroom; rinse face with water; reset.
• Reframe the energy drain: instead of "how can I entertain them?" ask "how can I help them?" The helping frame actually gives me energy.

You on the bathroom approach: "Everybody's probably going to think I have serious bowel issues - but at least they'll leave me alone."

Temple trip canceled by the area

The Concepción temple trip Mackay had approved last week - canceled by the area authority, not by Mackay. Mackay was on board with it. The area family / authority structure overrode. You: "We have a beef with the area right now."

The self-imposed mate fast

You have taken all your yerba (the dried herb base for mate / terere) downstairs and out of your workspace. Reason: "I felt like I shouldn't take mate anymore until I felt like I needed to stop drinking it."

Me: "So you got everyone addicted to all your new mate stuff then? You're like 'I know I shouldn't do this anymore - well, don't take it then.'" You confirmed you will keep your mug and bombilla forever (paid good money). Could repurpose for hot chocolate.

Old mission photos - year-ago you

You pulled up Punta Arenas-era photos for me. Highlights:

• You at the start of your mission "so little and so white" with very short hair.
• Hospital-scene photo I misread as a delivery room: "What is she delivering? What are you?" You: "Helping him deliver a baby" - a missionary helping a member.
• Juncker now wearing your clothes back-to-back: the dress you left in Puerto Montt that "an hermana uses now," the boots, the skirt, the sweater. "I gifted her half of my clothes and in all of her pictures she's wearing my clothes." You confirmed you and Juncker are the same size.
• Hair debate. You looking at short-hair photos: "The more I look at my hair being short, the more I think that maybe I look better with hair shorter." Me: "I think you look beautiful with hair short. I like how your hair is long, but you do whatever you want. You look pretty both ways."

My hair transplant consultation

I have a consultation scheduled for Wednesday. Don't tell anyone. Cost: $6-8 per graft, "I can only afford 20." Procedure: surgeon harvests hair from the back of the head (the region that stays even in old age) and transplants to the bald top; after 2-3 weeks healed; takes finasteride to block DHT (the hormone that causes follicle shrinkage in men in their 20s).

I emailed the surgeon offering myself as a free marketing case study - "I work in IT, I'm surrounded by fat, balding men, basically a walking billboard." No reply yet. You: "Yeah, but all the people here do - if they don't like us, they just block us. I've never been blocked so much in my life."

Mention that Bryson likely has DHT issues already as well; I have not yet talked with him about finasteride.

Family photo album walk-through

Long photo nostalgia session triggered by the Punta Arenas photos. I pulled up:

• Uncle Dave's mission homecoming.
• Grandma Heywood's birthday photo near the end of her life. You: "I don't think I realized how weak she was, how deteriorated she was."
• You at 16 getting your driver's license.
• Family BYU football game in the rain - everyone in waterproof gear, me in a trash bag.
• Me and Carl Malone.
• A 2016 stroke screenshot from Murray sent at 8:39 (I kept it because it was hilarious).
• Me at my actual office desk, mid-thought.

You on your own driver's license photo: "I remember feeling so old. That was when I was 16 and now I'm 20. That was four years ago. That's what I look like when I wake up in the morning." Me: "That's what I want to look like when I wake up in the morning. But it's too expensive."

Closing

You signed off to go to lunch with the zone, then prep for the intercambios. Sign-off included you offering "tell your team I say hi" and "tell them that if they want to get baptized to shoot me an email."

Cleanup Notes

• The temple trip cancellation is significant - superseded the Mar 16 plan.
• Hermana Artieda companion stress surfaced more in the Mar 23 family call (later that evening).
• Mate fast: Worth noting but only one source so far.