Audible Book Review - Dodger by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett leads the pack of my list of favorite authors. I generally buy at least three of his books a year, but have read almost all of his novels one way or another. Dodger is the third one I've listened to and as with the others I enjoyed Stephen Briggs' performance. Pratchett was a way of weaving a story so it is both entertaining and insightful. This novel is a stand-alone story set in our world (not the Discworld) and is done as an slightly tweaked historical fiction. Mostly adventure, part mystery, and a good part social commentary, Pratchett takes period figures and spins a story around them that makes you want to become a Dodger yourself. Here is the link to the audible page for the book.

Plot: Dodger is a tosher, a person who spends his days crawling through the sewers of Victorian London picking up coins and valuables that find their way off the street. He is also a geezer, someone that everybody knows and that knows everybody. He is a boy of 17, but is a man of the street and knows his way around by the very smell of the sewer. So what happens when he watches a young women leap from a moving carriage and try to fight off two men who try to get her back into it? Leaping to her rescue leads Dodger right into the way of "Charlie" Dickens, a writer for the Chronicle, and Henry Mayhew, a social researcher. It turns out that the young lady's is the hinge pin of international events and if she is not returned to her abusive husband, the country may face war. Dodger is bound and determined to see that Simplicity, the alias given the young women, will not be danger from others. He soon finds himself in the presence of Sweeny Todd, Benjamin Disraeli, Angela Burdett-Coutts, and Sir Robert Peel. Dodger is clearly out of his element with all of the knobby folk around him, but rises to the occasion and when those in power cannot keep Simplicity safe, Dodger shows them how they do it on the street.

My personal favorites: Dodger is a capable young man who seldom questions if he can do something, just how to do it. This make him a hero automatically. He is authentic and likable. His interactions with Charlie are particularly fun as Pratchett plays them up as possible sources for some of Dickens' book ideas and titles. There are really no fools or incompetence in this book which makes Dodger's victories all the more sweet. Like the vast majority of Pratchett's other books, Dodger has moments of insight into the human condition and points out things that should be thought about. Soloman Cohen, Dodger's mentor, is particular in this yet while he is preachy, he doesn't come across as such. It was fun to guess who were the characters Pratchett pulled from history and which were his own invention and I was surprised by many of them.

Considerations: I did not find anything offensive in this book, but I will mention some things that may be of interest. Pratchett uses some terms at the beginning of the book that he does not define until a little way in. Tosher and geezer being two of them. This can make it a little odd to read, but at the same time it is done in a way that the usage and definition don't usually pull a reader out of the story. Also, the money system at the time was very convoluted as it is not based on a decimal system. This can cause some confusion as to the price of things, but as it becomes clear what is worth more than / less than what fairly early this obstacle can be overcome easily. Pratchett has a note of both of this point at the back of the story. The book also describes, in some (but not graphic detail) the sense of living in Victorian London and how unpleasant, nasty, and poor it was. The total length of the book was 10 and a half hours.

Camping and memorializing

This weekend I am going camping with my family and my wife's family up the North Fork of Ogden Canyon. Sadly, I don't have any pictures yet. As I won't be back from camping before this goes up, I thought I would tell you about one of my most memorable camping trips. It was actually a backpacking trip that I did with my father and some friends. My friends and I were in our early teens and very excited to go. I was particularly excited because we were going to Stanley Lake, ID, a favorite camping place of mine when my family lived in Boise.

This picture is from the east end of the lake and does a decent job of showing the rugged mountains that back it to the south. This particular trip was to be a three day, two night, approximately 10 mile trail. It would take us around the McGown Peak (that tall mountain in the photo) into the interior of the Sawtooths, and out the other side. We were very excited.

The map above is a rough approximation of our path. We started at A, parking the car at the trail head and starting out all fresh and cheerful. We enjoyed the relatively flat trail for several miles before it turned and went almost vertical. We ate lunch not long after we started our assent and that is when Dad started to get a little worried. He had not anticipated exactly how much four 13 year-old boys could eat. While he knew we wouldn't starve in the mountains, he also knew that we would not be able to perform at our peak levels because of a below optimum calorie levels. The only time my dad counts calories is when backpacking and then the more the merrier. You need the energy and don't have to worry as much about as you tend to burn it off quickly. We continued on and stopped a few hours before nightfall in the vicinity of B.

It was a beautiful valley between the peaks with a lake near by and others visible in the high hanging valleys up the slope. It got cold, but we were prepared and slept well. The next day, being teenage boys, we played stupid games around and on the lake. This included one friend making a raft to try to float in the ice fed water. Others of us figured we could do better and so pushed a felled tree out into the lake, with ourselves on it. Using our hands, feet, and branches to paddle we ended up about 75 feet out from shore and slowly make our way across. The water was freezing, as was to be expected considering the altitude and early summer. I don't remember how we were able to get back to shore, just that it took a big chuck of the day. One of the things two of the guys from shore did was see if they could hit us with rocks. We only had one person get hit and it was in the leg below the waterline, so it was tempered by the water. I don't know how we didn't have more injuries. Like I said, stupid games.

W had planned to take that day to relax and anticipated covering the remaining 5 miles easily by noon the next day and be home by 6 pm. However, as we went, we began to realize that something was wrong. By the time noon came we realized that we were not even close to our van. Somehow, we had misread the maps and rather than being 5 miles, it was closer to 10. What was worse those extra five miles would be over a group of ridges that were of very respectable altitudes. That's the ridges there in the area bracketed as C. Ultimately, it took another 6 hours to get back to the car. Home at midnight. Our mothers were quite worried about us as we didn't have a cell phone among us.

As Dad had predicted, the less then optimal calories left us very hungry. When we pulled into the Stanley McDonald's we were dirty, hungry, and armed with a decent collection of knives worn openly on our belts. We were not impressive in our physical appearance, but we were intimidating enough for the new guy behind the cashier that when he looked up when we approached that he took a step back. When he asked what he could get for us all four of us said together, "FOOD!" Dad had us order almost double what we would normally eat. And we ate it all.

I hope to put up some photos from this weekends camping trip later this week. I'm looking forward to enjoying some time out of doors and time with my family. We'll see how Kanga and Tigger do at night.

Audible Book Review - Citizen Soldier: The U.S. Army from the Norman Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany by Stephen E. Ambrose

Today I finished Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Norman Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany by Stephen E. Ambrose. I currently own three of his books, D-Day: the Climactic Battle of WWII; Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne, from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest; and Pegasus Bridge: June 6, 1944. Ambrose is a master of weaving a story that is not his own. He tells the histories of the actual men who fought in World War Two and gives the war names and faces. My mother first introduced me to Citizen Soldiers, ironically, shortly after I picked up D-day in an airport bookstore. She shared some of the stories that Ambrose relates and they were both entertaining and inspiring. Like Clancy, I enjoy reading Ambrose, but have difficulty completing him. Of the three books I own, I have finished just one, but have read at least half way through all of them. Listening to Citizen Soldiers was wonderful as George Wilson, the narrator, was able to make it clear which words were Ambrose and which were the stories he was telling. He even used slight German, British, and Russian accents when the story was not an American's. The book was inspiring and I provided me with an insight to the Western front that despite my years of interest in WWII history I had not had before.

Plot: The best way to describe this book is, as Ambrose puts it, "A biography of the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations (ETO)." This is because from the very beginning to the very end he tells the individual stories of the soldiers who fought the battles. He provides enough background to give you an understanding of events surrounding the story and even dedicates several chapters to aspects of ETO such as: medical personal and experiences, life in the foxholes, prisoners of war, and even the "jerks, sad-sacks, and Jim Crow" that existed in the army. In addition, he tells many of the German veterans' stories, providing a counterpoint to the U.S. troops experiences, often showing the differences and similarities between the sides. The stories told include: tales of heroism - men recounting unarmed medics rushing into harms way to get wounded men out of it, individuals who risked and sacrificed their lives for the good of others; moments of awe: men watching the combined might of air and artillery power raining down on enemy positions, celebrating Christmas and Easter with enemy troops and civilians; moments of desperation - fighting in conditions so terrible men hoped they be wounded so they could get some rest, the experience of being taken prisoner; elements of hope - receiving from others regardless of whether friend or foe, waking up in a hospital bed way from the front; occurrences of depravity: killings of POW by both sides, watching comrades die, the fate of those in concentration camps; humorous improbabilities - the first solo flight in a jeep, two German soldiers convincing one American soldier that since there were two of them and one of him that he should take them prisoner; and many, many more. Ambrose invites the reader to watch as the U.S. Army grew up and challenged a force more seasoned and experienced then itself and how it did so without leaving a legacy of hate, revenge, or fear. The final part of the book relates how many American and German veterans became friends in the years after the war. Ambrose ends by relating a comment made by a  German soldier, Herpst (spelling?) by name, "I only want to add when I am with Americans we are friends. They tell me that I am lucky to be alive. I tell them that I'm lucky that they are such poor shots."

My personal Favorites: The stories are simply wonderful. Ambrose tends to keep himself out of it and just tells the stories of the everyday, citizen soldier. This is refreshing from usual historical commentaries where the author will postulate if decisions were right or wrong, describe what conditions were like, and generally speak about the generals. Ambrose does this through the everyday soldier. Many of the stories are humorous and the ones that aren't are insightful and meaningful in ways that no "commentary" ever could be. While he is unable to provide a comprehensive view of the army, like any biography provides insights that few who were not there could have experienced. In addition to my innate interest in the historical aspects of this book, my great uncle was a scout in Patton's Third Army and this book helped me understand some of what he experienced. It is well written and flows between chapters and sections well.

Considerations: Ambrose does not censor the stories of those that served. Like in Red Storm Rising there are several accounts that the speakers use blunt and offensive language. I did not notice it as much as I did in Red Storm Rising, and was actually surprised when it would crop up as there are long sections of the book where no offensive language is used. Also, as this is a book on war, some of the stories are rather disturbing, particularly when talking about wounded and dying soldiers, some of the atrocities committed by both sides, and also in relating the liberating some of the prison camps. As the book relates real soldiers' experiences, many of them recalling them from many years afterwards, there is little graphic description. Men who have experienced such things do not wish to recall them in great deal. While descriptive of the experience of these nightmares, there is little visual imagery beyond what is needed to narrate the scene. Even with these considerations, I recommend this book highly to anyone who is interested in the citizen soldier of World War Two. The book was 21 and a half hours long.

I can knot

One of my favorite scenes in the newest Winnie the Pooh movie is when all of the friends (except piglet) is at the bottom of the Bacson trap and piglet has just cut their only rope into six pieces "so they can all get out." From there is a wonderful dialog using such lines as: "Can you knot?" "I cannot knot." "Oh, so you can knot." "Knot what?/Not what?" "It's all for not." The whole movie is delightful and well done for both children and adult audiences.

I bring this up because I was up late this week finishing this:

It was a lot of work figuring out which knots, how to arrange them, tying them in ways that shows how they are tied, and mounting them on the board. It is far from perfect but I hope the Cub Scouts that I meet with will find it useful. I used nylon para-cord and it work out alright. I used hot glue to attach the ropes and screws for the dowels (for the hitches). I remember learning many of these knots when I was young. I always had problems with the taut-line hitch down. Still can't most of the time, but then I always liked two half hitches better.


I actually learned a number of these knots when I was eight. The year that we turned eight my father would take us on a backpacking trip. I remember feeling a little gypped because Dad took me along on with a whole troop of scouts. We went to Gabe's Bathtub, and the scouts tried to do some fishing, but there was nothing biting. We debated whether there was anything in the puddle. When we didn't catch anything we went over to Blue Lake, which was just down the road a small ways.

Blue lake had lot better fishing (not that I had a pole to use, but the scouts appreciated it.) I found this picture and remember standing on the edge of the small overhang at the bottom looking out at the lake. The water level was a little lower than the picture shows because there was more of a path to the rock in the middle of the late. The scouts wanted to go out to the rock, and I thought it would be neat too, so I followed them. Unfortunately, on my way getting out there I got lost in reeds that reached over my head and mud that almost completely covered my shoes and feet. It was the most lost and helpless situation I have ever known. I was quite upset and started to cry. Luckily, one of the leaders saw me, (I'm sure my mother at home could hear me) and guided me out. Dad got me cleaned up and calm down. The rest of the afternoon he taught me boy scout knots including: the sheet bend, bowline, square knot, two half-hitches, and the lark's head. I felt elated as I knew knots that boys four years my senior were supposed to know.

Dad and I have bonded over many knots since then. We've used them for camping, hiking, and climbing. I remember flipping through his copy of The Ashley Book of Knots. We enjoy trying new knots and have often spent time together, each with a length of para-cord in our hands trying to learn new knots. It's a pleasant way to pass the time.

Just like old times

In addition to it being my birthday and Mother's day this week also marked a much awaited date in my life. I have finished another semester in my Master's program. Another down, two left (if all goes well). This semester was multicultural and career advising. Summer is students with disabilities and fall will be administration and college students and college environments. I'm hoping to complete my capstone project in the summer.

Anyway, my wife is wonderful. In a brief Mother's day tribute I present how lucky I am. In addition to Angel being beautiful, smart, and witty, she is also very patient with me. Saturday I had one final project due for my multicultural class - a personal portfolio that was designed to demonstrate my multicultural competencies that I had gained from the course. Because of a variety of things including: another final paper, my birthday, being ill, and really, really not wanting to do it - I found myself tackling the project the morning it was due. With 13 hours in which to do it, Angel kept our daughter, Kanga (because she mothers her brother and tends to hop all over) and our son, Tigger (for obvious reasons) occupied and let me lock myself in the bedroom to finish it. See, my wife is very patient and a very special woman.

It took me about 5 hours in all to write the 13 pages with sources. I was pleased with it when it was over. This is not the first time I've had to do this for my Master's program. Just the second. I did it once in my first semester when both the kids were younger. My undergrad had a few of these kinds of day, but not as many as some would think. I think I maybe had one a year. The most memorable one was an assignment to write a paper critiquing the Kyoto Protocol that the USA signed back in 2004 (I think). It had to be 4-6 pages with 5 sources and include a 15 minute presentation. It took me 16 hours straight and I finished it between 2 and 4 am. Clearly I was not thinking and so I can't remember the exact time - just that it was early! The professor gave me 93/100 and wrote "surprisingly good" at the top. When I asked him about it, he said that the first paper and presentation was usually the worst, but that my was, "surprisingly good." I told him I was a history major and writing papers, "is what I did."

In my defense, I try not to procrastinate papers and generally do a very good job of not. I can write a paper long into the night, if need be, as the thought process that engages when I write keeps me awake better than anything else.

I am glad that this week is over and very glad to be able to celebrate Mother's day with my wife, her mother, and my mother. I don't know how I got so lucky to be surrounded by wonderful women, but whatever I did to warrant such a blessing must have been huge. Each of these women have taught me valuable lessons. More importantly, none of them have "bumped me off." Heaven knows I've deserved it on occasion. Alright... I'll concede the point. I've deserved it most of the time. In addition to their much appreciated patience with me, they are all very intelligent, love their families, and are very strong in many ways. I can't even begin to describe them each in detail because it would take forever - and also because words don't even come close to describing my wife.

I hope that all of you women enjoyed Mother's day. This week we have Tigger's birthday. He's turning 3. I sincerely hope he makes it to 4. With the speed that he can pitch a fit and the violence of said fit you would expect him to be in professional baseball. We love him anyway. He enjoys anything with wheels so we thought that we might take him to Promontory Point, the location of the transcontinental railroad meeting. I'm going to try to figure out how to make a train cake.....

Update (May 23/2013): I got 99 out of 100 on the project.

Audible Book Review - Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy

I finished listening to my latest Audible book - Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy. It is one of my father's favorite books but I hadn't been able to finish it previously. Clancy is known for being very technical both in politics and military technology and tactics. I learned with The Hunt for Red October that while it was a real slog to read Clancy, I enjoyed listening to him. So with my new Audible.com account, I decided to give it a try. Here is the link to Audible's page for the book. The book is well narrated by Michael Prichard, complete with good accents for the different characters of different cultures.

Plot: A small independent group of radical Muslim decide to blow up the USSR's newest, biggest, fanciest refinery and oil production field - they succeed. The result of this terrorist attack is that the country will not have enough oil to be able to properly function upwards of three years. The leading members of the  Politburo, the governing body with absolute authority, comes to the conclusion that the only way to survive this crisis without the West and NATO ruining them through economic means requires war. They start the political machinations to cover the disaster and justify their attack. The west is not clueless, but is caught by surprise by the extent of the Soviet's actions. The story covers naval engagements, air strikes, land battles, submarine battles, men behind enemy lines, and the politics of Soviets that cause so many problems for everyone. The resolution of the story was a surprising, yet inevitable outcome which rights the wrongs and provide a future for the world. What does it mean when the only person you can trust is the head of the KGB?

My personal favorites: While the overall conflict is grave - the fate of NATO and Soviet oppression - I really got wrapped up in the character conflicts and challenges for characters on both sides of the issue. I cheered when the characters succeeded and grieved with them when they lost. The battles were compelling and annotated in Clancy's usual style, and the premise and setup were well done and believable. I was held in suspense until the very end about how the conflict would be resolved and Clancy didn't leave me wanting. There were times during the course of my listening to this that I would confuse events in the book with current happenings in our world. That is how involved I was. I would mention all of the cool things the individual characters do, but that would make for a long review.

Considerations: Clancy does not pull any punches with language. There are many people, most of them military (including many sailors), who express their discomfort, excitement, and anger using four letter words, some of them very strong. The language is properly used - not the same word every time for every character. The battles are violent and demonstrate how horrific it can be, but is not particularly graphic when it comes to specific injuries. There is also a scene where a young woman is raped. Again, it is not graphic, but is descriptive enough to be agonizing and uncomfortable.

I was very satisfied with the audio book. It was full of ups and downs and the pacing was well done. The total length was 31 hours.

How to ruin a life

Last night, I had a midlife crisis. It happens quite a lot. One minute I'm cruising along and then....Wham! Midlife crisis. Sometimes it works out alright. Most of the times it solidifies my defeat. I hate Life sometimes.

I'm referring to the game Life. My wife and I played a game last night. We got it for our wedding and have enjoyed it over the years. Last night was quite absurd though. Towards the end (5 pay days left to be exact) is a square that requires you to change your career to a randomly selected one and draw a corresponding salary card. I had got though the game as a computer technician pulling down $70,000 a pay day. Then I was able to swap salary cards with Angel and was pulling down $90,000. Two pay days later - WHAM! midlife crisis and I have to switch everything.

So, what did this computer tech become? An entertainer - earning a hearty $20,000 a year. What's better is that in my next few turns I ended up paying $100,000 to Angel, plus another $45,000 to a computer tech guy (a sum I would not have had to pay if I hadn't changed jobs). In the end, my career change cost me $45,000 as I only earned $100,000 from when I changed careers to when I retired. What's more, when I "sold" my house, I ended losing $20,000 on it. Angel didn't even sell her house. She had more then me in cash then all of my assets combined.

She said this was the first time she ever felt guilty winning. As I mentioned at the beginning, it seams like I land on that midlife crisis all the time, but this time was defiantly the worst.