We give many thanks and a fond farewell to both John Fowles and John Payne. We were happy to have them around and enjoyed their posts. In an effort to keep up our streak of powerful yet ubiquitous names, we welcome Ed Johnson as a guest blogger. Ed, who posts comments as “ed”, grew up a member of the Church in Riverside CA and Temple, TX. He served a mission to Munich Germany and then graduated from BYU in, as I recall, some form of engineering. After completing a Ph.D in economics at Stanford University he now works as a research economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in DC, which produces 43.2% of all interesting government statistics*.
Ed is fast approaching the one year anniversary of his marriage to his wonderful wife Nicole, which represents the successful culmination of one of the longest courtships I have ever witnessed. But this speaks more to my lack of experience as a witness than anything else. Ed is a good friend and is full of fascinating thoughts and information which we hope to pry out of him over the next couple of weeks.
* All of Ed’s opinions are his own and should not be construed as representing the opinion of the U.S. Federal Government or any branch, department, or bureau thereof. They should also not be construed as not representing the opinion of the U.S. Federal Government or any branch, department, or bureau thereof. Nor the reverse. Avoid construing. Fight the power.
Thanks for having me around!
Ditto! It’s been fun. Sorry that my posting dropped off– dumb old school keeps me from pursuing my hobbies with proper vigor.
And good luck to Ed. Excelsior!
Thanks John and John! Welcome Ed!
Ed – Welcome to T&S – hope you and Nikki are enjoying the DC area. (From your former hometeacher, Stew).
John and John – we hardly knew ye! Good thing you both have excellent solo blogs so the party doesn’t have to end here. Cheers!
Welcome, ed!
Ed Johnson is a pretty common name. I don’t want to make him feel unwelcome, but how can I be assured that he’s the real Ed Johnson?
Following up on DKL’s comment # 6, I don’t think it is unreasonable to ask for some evidence that these guest bloggers you are handing the microphone to are really who they purport to be.
One of your more recent guests passes himself off in the blogosphere under a variety of aliases, Juan Pena, Ivan Davidovich, Yohanna Ben-David, and Johannes Clerk, just to name a few. He probably is some kind of international man of mystery, but would you want your daughter dating somebody with that kind of background?
But anyway, it has been good to see both John and David at T&S, thank you both, and thanks to the Board of Directors for inviting you.
At least he never impersonated a Pink Floyd song.
For the record, gst, I never impersonated a Pink Floyd song either.
But I am concerned about the recent spate of mistaken identity that seems to have plagued Mormon Culture. Recently, for example, a school in Ogden booked Jon Stewart to MC at a gala there, thinking that they were hiring the host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” In fact, they got a former professional wrestler, also name, “Jon Stewart.” Check out the story here.
Not that there’s anything wrong with professional wrestling, but I do think that T&S has an obligation to make sure that we’re treated to guest posts from the real Ed Johnson and not the professional wrestler Ed Johnson.
John and John, it has been good to have you. Ed, if you really are Ed, welcome.
As for mistaken identity and impersonation, how are we to know that I am Jim F or that DKL is DKL, etc.? Perhaps sometimes I post responses over DKL’s name. In that case, however, the impersonation would probably quickly be found out since my posts would be witless in comparison. Perhaps I’ll give it some practice and see whether I can pull off posting as Nate Oman. It will require me actually to care about the law, but I might be able to fake that. I’m sure, however, that I could not impersonate Wilfried–unfortunately for me.
According to the CIA, Ed Johnson is as pictured here. In which case, he may not be a good guitar player (as opposed to this fellow), but he is even less likely to have a successful career as a professional wrestler.
But we cannot, at this point, rule anything out.
“Avoid construing. Fight the power.”
I want to get this on a t-shirt. It is that deep….
Yeah, but if there were a real DKL and a professional wrestler DKL, that would explain all the bombastic vitriol.
Speaking of pro rasslers and permabloggers, there actually is a wrestler named “Amazing N8”.
And for a long time I was confused when I say the initials KHH. I kept thinking of the Kentucky HeadHunters, a redneck country band with hits including Redneck Girl, Dixie Fried, and the very popular It’s Chitlin’ Time.
My welcome, Ed. An honor . . . !
Whispers: Shhh Ed Ed, did they ask you for a bishop’s recommend?
Frank, did you realize that that “other” Ed Johnson also lives in Palo Alto (or thereabouts?)
Funny story: there was a Christmas program at the Stanford church/institute building that involved, among other things, me playing the guitar as a “travelling minstrel.” Someone showed up at the church and asked the guy at the door if this was the place where “Ed Johnson is playing guitar.” So the guy goes and gets me and brings me out. But it turns out that he was looking for the other Ed Johnson, who apparently was giving some kind of guitar performance at another church on Stanford Avenue. True story.