Remembering the sting

Today I posted the follow on Facebook:

I had just finished some sprinkler work this afternoon and was putting things away when I was attacked by a swarm of wasps. Luckily I was wearing a long sleeve shirt, but two made it through, stinging me, one on each arm. I yelled for my daughter to get in the house and stormed into the garage. There I found several more walking in circles because their stingers were stuck in my shirt. I beat them to their respective pulps with my leather hat and a roll of packing tape then scraped by arms with a tape measure to clear the two stingers. I went inside to check on my daughter and took her into the bathroom to show her what stings look like. There another wasp (from my leg?) made an appearance. I shooed by daughter out and shut the door. We battled to his death and I flushed his broken body down the toilet. Twenty minutes later I was downstairs and pulled something out of my pocket and another wasp came with it. Again, we battled around the room. At last I pinned him between a towel and a pillow and I punched him to death against the wall. His body too was flushed down the toilet. When my son wakes up from his nap I am going to get a wasp trap and spray. This cowardly attack against my family will not go unpunished! I've felt the sting of wasps before and do not fear it! Cower before me, you who wear the colors of yellow and black for your day has come!!

I'm not normally this adamant against wasps. In fact I'm normally quite calm and collected. This in no way means that I like them or even tolerate them much, but rather that if they don't bother me, I don't bother them. In fact, the nest that houses this particular swam is built into my shed and I've not done anything about it because it wasn't a problem - until now that is.

I've always been under the belief that if you act calm and cool around bees and wasps that they will leave you alone. This has been my experience before. While serving a religious service mission in Russia my partner and I were helping straighten metal fence posts when we disturbed a hive of wasps. Munoz, my partner, took off running before I even realized that I was surrounded by wasps. He screamed at me, "ASA!" when I didn't understand he switched to English. "BEEEEEEZZZZZZZS!!!!!" I still chuckle about his reaction as I looked up, said, "Oh" and calming walked towards him away from the nest in the post. Granted, that is not always the case. I found out that bumble bees with quite literally bite you when I was weeding a flowerbed and happened to be next to the bumbler's hole. I ignored him for a bit figuring that he was brushing against my ear but that changed when I felt a very distinct chomp. The wound actually bled and was there for two weeks. Not fun.

I like to think that my reaction to bees and wasps is due to desensitization because of a particular, rather traumatic episode when I was about seven or eight. Muscles, one of her friends, and I had just returned from swimming somewhere when we noticed that our neighbor's horses were up by our back fence. We grabbed a bag of carrots from the fridge and ran out to feed them. I was still wearing my eighties bathing suit (short shorts) and I think I still had my towel. We fed the horses for a bit and then I remember screaming and running for the house. My mother was standing there in the open doorway and she just let me barrel on through the dining room into the living room where I smashed into the couch and saw what was attacking me. A wasp fell out of my hair and landed on the couch right in front of my face. I remember screaming even loader (a feat that I'm sure surprised my mother). She mushed it with a dish towel and I felt her swatting the towel all over my body as I crouched there and sobbed. I remember saying a prayer and then I remember paramedics checking me over. I was fine. My sister and her friend looked to be in worse shape and they had only been stung a half dozen times compared to my full body acupuncture session. We figure that I had stepped on a hive that the wasps had built in the irrigation ditch behind our house.

Since then, I've mentally told myself, "I've been stung a whole lot. There isn't much fear for me now." With that said, when I saw the wasps stuck to my clothes I was quite irate and there was some shock akin to that time the wasp fell out of my hair onto the couch. But otherwise when I was stung today I wasn't afraid of the stings, I was really made. Livid might be a good word as well. Indignant may be the best one yet. I had kept my side of the bargain  I didn't disturb them and they attacked me! It wasn't until after I got in the house that I remember about that particular nest and then remembered that in my cleaning up from sprinkler work I did in fact send some major vibrations through the floor of the shed. So, it turns out I did disturb them. However, when you have small children who like to play in the back yard it is better that you get stung twice and get the drive to remove the nest than your kids suffer for your hands off approach. The traps been hung and I've got two new cans of wasp killer. Nobody messes with my family. The trick will be getting to the nest and doing so when they least expect it.....

Audible Book Review - Deeper by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams

This is going to be a bit odd. Deeper is the second book in the series with Tunnels being the first. Angel got Tunnels from the library on CD and listened to it on her commute. As she picks me up on her way home (I ride the bus in) I got to hear various parts of it. When she got Deeper on Audible I decided to give it a try figuring that I had gotten enough of the plot of Tunnels to understand it. Apparently I did get enough because I enjoyed Deeper and didn't feel at all lost. It is important that you understand Tunnels before you start Deeper, but as the series has been quite fascinating I have no problem recommending it. Here is the link to Audible's page for the book. The book was narrated by Steven Crossley and while it took a little bit of time to get used to his voice, it fit the characters well and was well done.

Plot: In Tunnels, Will Burrows learned that there is a secret world underneath our feet. A society ruled by a thin, pale, haunting people called the Styx who are religious fanatics who believe that the surface world will be scoured clean and allow them to take their rightful place as rulers. They believe this so much that it doesn't matter if they have to create the scourge themselves. Will, his brother, Cal, and his friend, Chester, begin the book headed for the Deeps, the place were people are banished from the underground colony, and a dangerous place where heat, radiation, plants, and animals are all deadly. Will is in pursuit of his father, Dr. Burrows, who is bumbling around discovering that this underground world has a bigger history than anyone thought. They are met by Drake, a "top-soiler" who was kidnapped and escaped to the Deeps and Elliott, a young lady who he rescued from an unknown horror. With their help the three boys learn many of the dangers of the Deeps and try to stay one step ahead of the styx patrols that appear to be killing everyone they find. It appears that the styx are are cleaning house and their most powerful leader is set on hunting down Will, even if she has to use his mother to get him. Will finds himself the center of destruction and death as he and his friends try to survive. But what happens when it looks like everything that goes wrong is your fault? And where does the Pore go?

Personal favorites: The story is well written and quite intense at times. All of the different points of view provided a good look at the situations going on and weren't confusing or problematic. I loved how they got me to hate some of the characters. The villains in the story are very well done and truly villainous. The reactions of the boys as they experienced different things was believable and I could accept them to be teenagers and wasn't annoyed by them. Considering the situation they were facing I thought they acted like their age and that their reactions were understandable. Elliot's character in particular was awesome without being too over the top - She was human and had her weaknesses. The story was intriguing to begin with and the characters just made it very good.

Considerations: In some ways these books are an example of the edgier side of young adult literature. While there are no graphic descriptions of gore, there is a decent amount of violence. The descriptions of the violence is somewhat minimal and is not gratuitous, but I do mention it for those that might be concerned. Also, the styx are really ruthless and their plots are both sinister and somewhat ghoulish. I can't say that the level of concern for these considerations is beyond that of many other young adult books. I would say somewhere between David Eddings' Belgariard  and Elenium series, both of which I read as a teenager. I only mention them for reader awareness.

A good listen and an intense story, Deeper, kept me engaged for the whole time. I've already got the next one downloaded, but am detouring through a non-fiction for a bit, just to break things up. Such is the result of juggling multiple books. That and I want to give Angel a chance to get a good start on Freefall before I dive in. The total length was just under 19 hours.

Book Review - Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

Much to my mother's delight I scooped up The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones at the library last week. It's another one that she has recommended to me that I've just never read - until now that is. Despite the title and rather foreboding cover the book is a great comedic fantasy with plenty of humor as well as some very touching and suspenseful exchanges. In some ways it reminded me of Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold by Terry Brooks but in premise only. Also, I liked Dark Lord better. Diana Wynne Jones has been a force in writing since 1970 and while I have not read her other stories I have known her name for years. It probably about time I did read one. I was not disappointed.

Plot: Every year Chesney Pilgrim Parties allows hundreds of people to experience what it's like to go an a classic fantasy adventure. Complete with wizard guide, attacks by bandits and evil spirits, large battles between the forces of good and evil, and the opportunity to vanquish the evil Dark Lord. Unfortunately, Mr. Chesney has enslaved another world to provide these tours. "Pilgrims" travel through a portal to the world, spend six weeks tramping around the country side through people's crops and sacking cities. Crops that these people need to survive. Cities where actual people live. And the rulers and leaders of this world have to arrange everything to Mr. Chesney's requirements or face the wrath of a horrible demon. Needless to say, they are no happy about this, but don't see any choice but to obey. But this year, many have decided to take a stand. They choose Derk, a quite nature loving wizard to play the part of Dark Lord. Derk would rather create a new animal, or simply enjoy his family of humans and griffins. Now he's been thrown into being the Dark Lord and his son, Blade, is supposed to lead the last of the pilgrims on their quest. Derk is not really cut out to be the Dark Lord, but things get even worse as it become clear that there are more plans the just Mr. Chesney's. Not to mention that everyone is getting gypped.

Personal favorites: I loved Derk and his family. You just had to feel sorry for the guy and then when you found out what was happening you had even more sympathy for him. The geese were great too. Scott Westerfeld on Twitter once remarked, "Geese... are just leftover velociraptors, and they know it." and Derk's geese only go to prove it. The plot was well paced and exciting. It had both great comedy (like the geese) as well as great emotional highs and lows. Mr. Chesney was an excellent villain just as Derk turned out to be a great hero despite himself. I could get behind Derk as a father and I was glad to see what could be referred to as a fairly normal family. It was a great book and I'm glad that I read it.

Considerations: Like most fantasy books this had battles and death, but they were never the focus and there were no graphic descriptions of violence. The Dark Lord's "army" was made up of violent criminals brought in by Mr. Chesney and they are well and truly criminal, but again, there are no descriptions. The magic in the book is never explained and seems to work as necessary. It may seem "too convenient" to some, but the magic really isn't important, so it doesn't get in the way of the story. I would have no problems in letting my children read this book as they get old enough to understand it.

The book was delight. I laughed and I was sobered. I cheered at the heroes and jeered at the villains. My reactions sound like a classic melodrama, and in some ways you can see this book as such, but not that simple. It was fun to read and I was excited to see how it would end. The total length was 518 pages.

Book Review - Reilly's Luck by Louis L'Amour

With the books that I picked out this last weekend at the library I realized that I was feeling a little bogged down. I needed some palate cleansers and while I still picked up a couple of books that I've been meaning to read, I also grab a trio of Louis L'Amour westerns. I was hoping to find The Haunted Mesa, his full length western novel, but they didn't have it. Instead I grabbed three of his "usual" paperbacks. I read the rest this weekend and enjoyed it like I always do. Reilly's Luck did have one thing that was new to me in a L'Amour - a dastarly villain-ess. Don't get me wrong, L'Amour has had hard women in his books, but the first scene of this story is a women telling her boyfriend to "get rid" of her own four-year-old son while he's in the room with them! That seemed a little extreme, but of course our hero rises above his genetics and goes on to much bigger things. It was an enjoyable read for a L'Amour fan.

Plot: Val Durrant was dumped on Will Reilly at the age of four. Much to Will's surprise. However, the gambler rose to the occasion and taught young Val everything he could, if not everything he knew. Not wanting the same life for his "nephew" Will encouraged Val to hone every skill he could and to learn everything possible. They traveled the west, the east, the south, and even made it to Europe before Val was even 16. However, Will made an enemy that wants him dead and when he falls in a deliberate ambush Val knows how to get out of town, but is not sure what to do from there. At first he seeks revenge on the three men that took Will away from him, but after the besting the first one in a gun battle, he decides he wants no part in it. He drifts, putting those skills that Will gave him to good use. But he doesn't gamble and he doesn't fight - at least not for money or in vengeance. However both come to him as he grows and establishes himself. He must deal with Will's and his own past in order to do that which he desires most - live a peaceful life.

Personal favorites: I needed a distraction and this book certainly gave it. L'Amour will always give you a good story - not always a great or complex one - that has action, a taste of romance, and good solid heroes and villains. I also liked the time scale of this book. L'Amour is never opposed to having his short novels span five, ten, or twenty years and this one was about twenty years of time. I like the sense that we "grow up" with the hero. The way Val dealt with people and his problems was fun as well.

Considerations: This is a classic western so there is death and villainy, but like L'Amours other books, graphic or gratuitous violence is not part of the format. It is not a complex story, but there are some twists and turns. Like many adventure style books we have heroes that cannot be defeated. They may be beaten down but will never fall completely, but that is also a signature element of the genre, so if you choose to read this book, you already expect that. Like I said, not complex, not "great", but a very solid and good story.

After finishing this, I'm ready to dive into another fantasy. I just needed to clean my palate and break from my usual. I enjoyed the story and characters of Val and Will (and others) and was glad I grabbed this one. The total Length was 218 pages.

Laying up food for the winter

My mother has always canned and bottled food. Growing up we considered it a crime against the family if we bought jam or salsa as those were two of her more prolific stored foods. When we moved when I was ten my parents scouted out houses and found one with raspberries, boysenberries, strawberries, and apples and were were so excited about the jams, applesauce, etc that we could do. Peaches and pears are the two staple fruits she does and she often would do most of the canning while we were at school. Pears were the one exception. I have vivid memories of my mother telling us that our schedules were booked on the day it was time to do pears. Peaches, jams, salsas, and just about everything else she could do on her own. But pears were a group effort and we were all needed. My mother didn't "book" our schedules much, but pears were scheduled every year.

So you can imagine my trepidation when I decided that I was going to can pears this year. And not just any pears, but pears from our own tree. I originally thought of doing pear honey - a mix of pears, pineapple, and sugar (in equal quantities) that my father has done before - but I decided that I could can our modest crop and then have them all year round. Canned pears are one of my favorite fruit. Many times I even prefer them to fresh, but that depends on ripeness of the fresh pear.

We got quart jars from my wife's grandparents, as well as a bath canner cage - we had the bath canner. I looked up the instructions for canning in my Better Homes and Garden's cookbook (14th edition). I still have my 11th edition that I bought when I left for college. I tend to use them as my first "go-to" cook book for everything. The problem this time was that I basically said that I shouldn't can pears the way I've seen my mother do it for years. A quick phone call to my mother took care of that. After running to the store for some more lids, I saddled up to start canning.

 First I washed and peeled them, which generally takes the longest time. The common problem with working with pears is that it's hard to get a whole crop (or box) that's ripe all together. This was about how many pears I had to work with, but you'll notice they range in color from green to yellow. Depending on how ripe they are you can skin them by blanching them, but often you just have to take the skins off by hand, with a sharp knife. Then you core them and slice them. My right had is still feeling a little cramping.

 Next of course, you put them in jars, add a sweet syrup (we used a 2 C. water for 1 C. sugar), attach the lids and put them in the bath canner. Reading up on a few things I learned that you use water to better transfer the heat to the bottles and, consequently, the fruit inside. I learned from my parents long ago that canning is far more comfortable in warm weather when you have a Camp Chef stove you can put it on outside. I was glad that I didn't run out of propane partway through, but even had enough for our fire pit to cook dinner over.

 After you pull the bottles out, they cool and create a vacuum inside the bottle which seals the lids. We had one that didn't seal for some reason - so we're eating those pears, but in the end we got 10 quarts of pears for this next year. I'm also glad that we were able to preserve a lot of fruit that would have otherwise gone bad. These bottles were the first batch we did and they all sealed.

This picture was from earlier that day. Tigger and Kanga were playing with the neighbor's pets, a couple of dogs and a couple of cats. I like their cats. 1 - because they're not bad mousers. 2 - they're pretty friendly. and 3 - they aren't mine. 

Book Review - Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

My family are big fans of Jessica Day George. In fact my mother told me the last time they went to one of her signings she recognized them. I asked my mother to thank Jessica for me for teaching me how to short sheet a bed. This was after reading Tuesdays at the Castle. I thoroughly enjoyed Tuesdays and was happy to find the Dragon Slippers series at our library. It was very satisfying, so much so that I finished it in one day. While this isn't not always a hard thing to do it does demonstrate my interest and enjoyment in the story.

Plot: Creel and her brother have recently lost their parents and are living with her aunt and uncle. Sadly, her relatives are not really capable of supporting them. At least Creel's brother can work on the farm. That is when Creel's aunt decide to have her be kidnapped by the local dragon. The dragon hasn't been seen since Creel's grandfather's time, but that doesn't make a difference to her silly aunt. Creel takes it well, figuring that she'll just set off for Kings Seat, the largest town and capitol after the dragon fails to show up. The problems start when the dragon does show up and takes Creel into his cave. She convinces him that she can persuade the lord's son (who was convinced to come rescue her) to leave the dragon alone if he lets her leave. But she would like just a little something from his horde as payment. That is when she learns that all dragons horde things, but they tend to be a little selective in what they horde. Her town's dragon hordes shoes. Figuring everyone can use a good pair of shoes she selects a pair of fine looking blue slippers that fit her feet perfectly. The dragon seems rather upset to lose this particular pair, but as he gave his word lets her leave with them. Thus starts Creel's strange happenings. Set on becoming a seamstress and embroidery expert in Kings Seat the first thing she does is "attempt to assassinate" the dog of her future queen. Things get more interesting as she finds work, meets the crown prince's younger brother, and her feet start to itch. That and she learns a whole lot about dragons. All Creel's ever wanted was her own dress shop, but everything from harsh employers, spies, and even open war keep her dreams from reality. And why does the princess care about her shows so much?

Personal favorites: Creel's attitude and spunk were delightful. Also her relationship with the various dragons she encounters was just charming. I liked the take on the dragon hordes. It was new and refreshing. I also enjoyed the character interactions between Creel and her friends at the shop and Luka, the younger brother to the crown prince. The ending was fantastic with a very satisfying finish and while it could have ended where it did, I'm glad that I'll be able to get the second book (as soon as the person who checked it out is done with it). Side note: I went to the library the day after I finished this just to grab the 2nd one and it was already checked out. Frustrating!

Considerations: Like many young adult books I wasn't sure of Creel's age and how "appropriate" her actions where for that age. Again, I accept that people in that particular time/circumstance tended to mature more and act older than their contemporary equivalents. Beyond that, I really had no problems with it. There is death in the book, but it happens "off screen" and is appropriate for younger readers. My mother told me that they gave all of the books in this series to my 6 year old niece. I might read them to my daughter soon.

All in all, a very, very good read. It reminded me a bit of Dealing with Dragons, by Patricia Wrede, but was very original. I liked the world, the details of the dress shop, and the characters. There were plenty of times I laughed and cheered. Again, a very good read that I heartily recommend. The total length was 238 pages.

Book review - Beauty by Robin McKinley

I can't remember why, but a few months ago my mother asked me if I had read Beauty by Robin McKinley. I had not. I know my sisters have and if I remember M said it was her favorite version of the Beauty and the Beast story. So when we finally made it to the library I check to see if they had it. Originally written in 1978, I agree with my sister that it is my favorite retelling of a classic fairy tale. It had all the right components and flowed well. It was a perfect story for a middle grade or young young adult reader. Even as an adult i enjoyed it very much. I think that this book will be a gift for Kanga when she is old enough.

Plot: As I mentioned this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and so most are already familiar with the plot. The particulars are quite interesting however. Beauty is actually our heroine's nickname and is rather an ironic one at that her two older sisters are both very beautiful while Beauty is quite plain.Their  mother died in childbirth. When their wealthy and doting father falls on bad times they relocate from the city to the country. They establish themselves well there and have been living there for two years when their father hears of one of the ships that he thought was lost coming into port. He leaves to finalize his business. Upon returning he tells of being caught in a blizzard and finding himself at the doors of a castle where he was fed and rested but where no one was seen. Upon leaving he saw a rose garden and he thought to bring home a bud for his youngest child. Upon removing the bud, however, he was confronted by a horrible beast who told him that for taking what he prized most he would have to remain. When the beast learns that he has three daughters he says that any one of them can come in his stead. Beauty's father is given a month to spend with his family before returning either alone or with one of his daughters. Beauty volunteers to go as she is the most expendable and because she feels some small need to. Upon arriving she meets this new hideous beast and so begins her stay in his enchanted castle.

Personal Favorites: I particularly enjoyed how unfailingly polite the beast was. He was chivalrous, kind, gentle and considerate. He is continually telling Beauty not to fear him and except for the first few times she sees him, she doesn't fear him. As a freshman in college I had a media class where we talked about the "Good girl with Bad guy" image and how many it seems to support girls getting and staying in relationships with abusive men. This story had none of that. The beast was a most gracious and caring host and she did not have to "tame" him at all. I also want his library.

Considerations: There are a few things at the end that didn't seemed completely explained, but it's a fairy tale so I can accept that. Beyond that I had now qualms or concerns.

The book was quite wonderful and, along with The Ordinary Princess, and The Little Princess will be among the books I present and read to my daughter. The total length was 262 pages.

Book Review - Shadow Raiders: The Dragon Brigade by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes

I was at the library when I saw a new book being displayed, Storm Riders by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes. It had a great picture of a dragon breathing fire on a ship. As I was reading Dragonlance, also by Margaret Weis, and liking the cover I scooped it up. Upon reading the prologue however, I realized that I was missing a who bunch of information. I had grabbed the second book in the series. I returned it but was unable to grab any new ones for while. First thing I did was find The Shadow Riders and check it out. The book was a delight with, as Amazon puts it, "swashbuckling epic fantasy." I loved the way the world blended traditional fantasy with Renaissance era technology and ideas. Also there were dragons, so that is generally a plus in my book.

Plot: The Breath of God causes the land to float upon it. It provides the power to perform magic. And once magic has been performed it cannot be removed for it is the power of God. But it appears that someone has been removing, obliterating, magic and with almost every thing using magic this presents a very big problem. Stephano leads a group called the Cadre of the Lost: two gypys, a mercenary, a dandy who got bored with magic, and himself - the retired (forcibly) leader of the now disbanded Dragon Brigade. He receives an assignment from the Countess - the person who does all the thinking in the King of Rosia's court - to investigate a missing journeyman who claimed to have combined the Breath with metal. Such a process has been banned by the church for theological reasons, but apparently it can be done and it can do incredible things. At the same time, the personal agent of the Grand Bishop, Dubois, has returned home. When questioned why he replies that Sir Henry, the Freyan spy master and a cunning assassin, is no longer in Freya and Dubois expects him to be back in Rosia - especially since he is lounging outside of the house of a recent apparent kidnapping. Just as Dubois is watching Stephano enter the home of the missing journeyman, Father Jacob, his bodyguard, and his secretary are tracking down a depraved man who calls himself the Warlock when he receives word that an abbey of nuns has been destroyed. Father Jacob belongs to a monastic order that is responsible for uncovering plots and crimes against the church and he is the best in the business. What Stephano, Dubois, and Father Jacob and their associates learn will cause them all to fear that the gates of Hell have opened up and take each and every one of them to the bitter end of their ropes. And don't forget that Sir Henry, the greatest spy and assassin the world has seen, is loose somewhere in Rosia and he wants not more than to see it burn.

Personal favorites: I think I mentioned the dragons, so I won't repeat myself. The thing I liked most about this book was the characters. Father Jacob was Sherlock Holmes with a sense of humor, Stephano was comfortably predictable, much to his own detriment. Dubois was the perfect spy catcher. And best of all, the supporting characters were well flushed out. The Cadre of the Lost was a delightful group of delinquents who had their share of surprises. The relationship that Father Jacob had with his bodyguard, Sir Ander, and secretary, Brother Barnaby, was touching and refreshing. In short the interactions between the characters made the story a wonderful look at people trying to do what they saw as the best thing in the worst situations. The action was fun and the world building was impressive. The mix of magic with more "modern" technologies (muskets, rifles, cannon, airships, etc.) was neat and gave it a fun feel.

Considerations: The book didn't have any language to say. I there were some brief (very brief) comments of a sexual nature, but nothing explicit or that caused me concern. There were a number of what can only be termed atrocities. The Warlock is a truly depraved individual and the scene at the abbey is gruesome. With that said, the description of the Warlock and the abbey convey the horror of the circumstances but do not go into graphic detail about the events. I think it would be appropriate to describe the description as similar to David Eddings' Diamond Throne and Domes of Fire trilogies. I probably wouldn't recommend the book to a teen under the age of 14. With that said, the two instances mentioned above were just about the only ones that would be of concern in this regard.

The book was of decent size, but was a quick read. It flowed well and the characters were believable and real. Their motivations, desires, feelings, and thoughts felt organic and made them people I could relate to. The total length was 698 pages.

Origins of a daily ritual

This morning as I was getting ready for church I thought of something that has occasionally crossed my in the last ten years. It was about how I shave. Years ago when I was about the same age as Kanga is now I was playing in the space under the stairs. There was a odd collection of stuff that my parents had stored there. Some of it I had no interest in but this day I came across my great grandfather's straight edge razor. Well, I came across one of them (I found out later he had two). I was fascinated with it. I remember opening it up and looking at it and then not cutting myself. Ironically, despite my fascination with this old, archaic, wicked-looking implement of facial deforestation I only ever cut my finger on one of my own father's "safety razors." I remember dad being a little upset with me for disturbing the storage area and exposing myself to a horrible cut (if I hadn't been careful). He told me to stay out of there and moved the threat somewhere else. I didn't see them again for twenty years. But I never forgot that razor.

Years past and as I got facial hair (not that it was worth mentioning) I got an electric razor to help me "manage it." My mother, despite my best efforts, felt that I should make sure to shave regularly. I can't say I ever felt like there was much point to it. My facial hair has always been very light and didn't grow very thick. I often questioned if anybody could even see it. I always did shave before a date though, and tried to be mindful enough to make sure it had a semi-regular trimming.It wasn't until I was in college and living on my own that I realized that I could shave when and, more importantly, how I wanted to. It was then that I located a beauty shop supply store and bought a straight edge razor. Actually is was a hair thinner with disposable blades but if you took the little comb off you ended up with a suitable substitute. That was the start of what became my preferred shaving method. The disposable was merciless. I remember almost take a button sized chunk of my lip off once. I'm surprised it didn't scare, but the cut was really clean. Sometime in the ensuing months my dad, with help of our barber, had tracked down a knife and scissor store and gave me a really, actual straight edge razor and strop. I found a sharpening stone on eBay, my only eBay purchase, and felt equipped to never by another razor again.

I've used that razor ever since. Several years ago my father relocated my great grandfather's razors and his finishing stone. He offered me one razor and the stone, giving the other razor to my brother. I've also received a shaving brush as a gift for my birthday. So now I am fully equipped with a full shaving kit of a 19th gentleman. I've had my share of cuts and slices. But while few men actually ever enjoy shaving, I do find the method preferable to others. For one, I don't have to buy razor blades and if it's feeling dull I just sharpen it. Second, my hair can never "gum up" my razor. Third, the blade is quite wide so I can clean large patches of my face very easily. Also, it doesn't pinch or pull the hairs like some other razors I've used. And lastly, I just like the feel of it. It's a great way to wake up and requires me to take deliberate thought and planning into shaving.

One other cool thing about straight edge razors - They become heirlooms. My father has had a handful of electric and safety razors. However, electronics fail and razor blades are disposable and are constantly updated to new styles with more blades. Whereas my great grandfather's razors still hold an edge and can still shave my face as well as they did his. I found the date Aug 27, 1918 on the cardboard case that his razor came in. Whether that is the date the razor was made or just the company was started, that razor has history. My razor is of more recent make, but it looks a lot like my great grandfathers. Perhaps my son, or grandson, or even great grandson will inherit my shaving kid and while the rest of the men are replacing batteries is laser blade razors he'll be sharpening his father/grandfather/great grandfather's razor for a deliberate and not unpleasant daily ritual.

My razor is the white handled one while great grandfather's is the black handled one.

Book Review - Test of the Twins by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

At last, after almost two months I've finished the Dragonlance Legends trilogy. The last book did not disappoint, even though it was the shortest of the three (by almost 100 pages). There is still plenty that can happen in the world, but the conflict around and between the twins, Caramon and Raistlin has been resolved. It was a story about loyalty, love, and peace. Not that is was a flower-power book - not by any means. The characters continued to behave like you would expect and while the descriptions stopped on the last page, the story goes on.

Plot: Raistlin has positioned himself to achieve his ultimate triumph and has made it clear to Caramon that he is not needed anymore. The book starts with them parting ways, but Caramon is not taken back to his time with Tas but rather hurtled forward, past his time into the future. He and Tas see first hand what the world holds should his twin succeed in his desperate plot. He sees what awaits should his brother not be stopped and now know what Raistlin is capable of. He also knows that he is the only one that can stop him. However, Raistlin's plans and plots are not the only ones taking place. Katiara, the half-sister of Caramon and Raistlin, is the commander of the largest army of evil creatures left in Krynn. While we didn't see much of her in the first books of the trilogy, she is set to support Raistlin in his plans - anticipating that he will reward her. But she, in turn, is being manipulated by a fierce undead knight, Lord Soth (who is considered by many Dragonlance fans as the ultimate villain). So there are plots within plots wrapped about plans. Good clerics must work with evil magi as the two brothers finally square off. And what of Crysania - the cleric that followed Raistlin and was integral to his plan. She still walks by his side, but the lessons she learns there will the hard learned and will leave their mark on her body and soul.

Personal favorites: The conclusion of the story was satisfying. The characters acted like real people and their motivations were strong. Tas was a delight, as always, particularly how his logic worked. It was good to see Tanis, one of the original companions from the first trilogy, again. The story dealt a lot with the love that people have for others, brother, wife, friends, ect. It was not extreme or sappy, but rather very understanding and believable. I was glad to see a resolution with Caramon and Tika (his wife) as well. It did a good job of tying up loose ends and completing the story while still building the world.

Considerations: Like the other books, there was fantasy related violence, but again, there were no graphic descriptions. Beyond that, I can't think of anything else.

I'm tempted to get a few more Dragonlance books after this triology - they can be quite enjoyable. As usual the world is rich and well established with good characters and exciting plots. Test of the Twins could have gone either way at the end and I would have found myself satisfied. I'm glad it went the way it did. The total length was 322 pages.

Book Review - The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

I had heard about the book The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb from a couple of places before my father picked it up and read it. I remember him telling me about it and finding the premise interesting. Several of the people who saw me with the book or heard the title asked me if it was the same as the movie with the same title - the one with Natalie Portman about the ballerina. It is not. The Black Swan is a non-fiction book talking about the impact of the highly improbable. It is part science, part philosophy, and part common sense. It was an enjoyable read, if a little slow to get through. This was not due to the nature of the prose, but the simply the type of book it is. It is not a novel and so cannot be read like one. You will need to focus on the material, but I think most will find it interesting, engaging, and entertaining. Teleb's style in this book is similar to a stream of consciousness narrative (although he would say it is decidedly not so). He moves smoothly between parts of his topic, interjecting personal events, and even the occasional jab at others.

Main Points: As this book is non-fiction, and does not contain a narrative, I had to change the label for this portion of the review. Taleb's ideas are pretty straightforward, but do require some additional contemplation to describe. Perhaps the best was to introduce it is to use his own example for the title. For centuries Europeans had only seen white swans. Black swans did not exist - so much so that they were not even thought of. Then the ornithological world was blown away with the discovery of black swans in Australia. Suddenly something inconceivable was standing there defying all previous knowledge. Granted, the discovery of black swans did not impact the world to any great extent in the long run (or even the short), but the point remains that there are events that do not forecast themselves, have no precedent, and are highly improbable that happen all the time. Sometimes these extreme events have little effect, like the discovery of the actual black swan, but many times these events have very, very, very large effects. The difficulty of these events is that our brains our not wired to naturally consider them, or are even wire to try to block them. Taleb goes on to talk about how we should consider things based on the idea of highly improbable, high impact events. He demonstrates that there are two different kinds of randomness. He refers to them as Mediocristan and Extremistan. In Mediocristan randomness is constrained - most often by physical properties. In Exteristan randomness has no bounds - this is the realm of black swan events. For an example, take 1000 people. Find the average height. Even if the tallest or shortest person of all time was in the mix the difference between them and the next is not going to impact the average to very much. Now take the same 1000 people and figure out the average yearly earnings. If one of those people is Bill Gates or the late Steve Jobs the average is going to have a large effect on the average to to point of removing any kind of validity from the results. The challenge is identifying what elements of life exist in Mediocristan and which are located in Extremistan. He points out that many in economics believe their field is planted in Mediocristan, limited by scientific laws and limitations. However, we have seen in the last decade that the economy is volatile and ripe for black swans. Often the reason we don't suspect black swans is because they are unpredictable. Take the example of the turkey. Everyday for 1000 days the turkey is fed and cared for. On the thousandth day the turkey, looking back on 1000 cases of data, has no reason to suspect that anything else is going to happen in its life beyond what has occurred - consistently - for the last 1000 days. However, day 1001 is the day before Thanksgiving and so the turkey's life is brought to a sudden, unpredictable end. Unpredictable at least for the turkey. Taleb's discussion flows well and leads through many different elements of identifying Extremistan country, how we persuade ourselves that black swans are not possible, and the common misconceptions about randomness and its impact. I read the 2nd addition which included some useful (and entertaining) footnotes and an essay he wrote three years after the 1st edition was published discussing some of the topic in greater detail.

Personal favorites: Taleb's logic, thoughts, and discussion were laid out very well and were easy to follow. While still a book with heavy doses of logic and philosophy it was entertaining to read as Taleb shares many personal insights which give the book a very personal feel. It was a very interesting read that exposed me to some excellent ideas which are useful in assessing different aspects of knowledge, learning, finances, and especially projections and models. As someone who loves to analysis data and look for patterns, it reminded me that anytime you are dealing with any kind of social interaction, or system controlled by humans, you are in black swan country and you have to consider that there might be one just over the next hill. Taleb makes it clear that he has no projections, will never have projections, and there is no permanent "cure" for black swans. However, knowing that there might be one often times gives you the tools to plan for the "impact of the highly improbable."

Considerations: the book is non-fiction and so has to be read as such. I would be lucky to get through thirty pages a day on a 45 minute commute. My normal reading speed for novels is often closer to 80 pages an hour. It took quite a while to get through it (compared to most other books), but it was enjoyable while I was reading it.

It was a good book and I enjoyed it. It's one that I'll probably have to go through a few times to solidify the ideas and be better at implementing them. I feel like my field is prone to black swans (college campuses, education, student development) but I know that such ideas are not discussed. I'm looking forward to seeing how the ideas Taleb presents can be applied. The total length 300 pages with the essay adding another 72 pages.

Peach Days

Every year Brigham City holds a "day-off from the harvest and time to celebrate 'an abundance of the best peaches in Utah." [citation]. Started in 1904, Peach Days is a big deal. We weren't living here last year and so didn't make it to any of the activities, but this year we wanted to make sure we took part. I have actually attended once, but I was manning a booth for a company I wasn't particularly fond of working for, so there was little enjoyment and I didn't get to see anything that was going on. This year was different - and very nice.

Friday night we swung by after dinner and had just missed the children's parade. We parked by where the floats were off-loading the kids and walked the half dozen blocks Main and Forest where all of the activities were happening. They had carnival rides (and food) - quite a bit of both. The kids were real troopers because we walked everywhere and they were fantastic. At one point I put Tigger on my shoulders so he could see better. This worked out well until I found him trying to climb on top of my head from pure and utter, abject horror. One of the rides (a roller coaster that just went around and around, back and forth in a giant loop) had scared him and he was convinced that it was the end of everything. We worked our way back through the crowd away from the terror of the toddler and he started to calm down. We didn't go on any of the rides, but they did have some giant inflatables and Kanga enjoyed going to a large slippery-slide while Tigger watched. Both of them had fun. In addition to the carnival they also had booths set up for local (and non-local) businesses and merchants. We saw some wonderful pictures and paintings, fun crafts and restored antiques, and some great clothing designs. We enjoyed the walk around and the nice temperature before heading back to the car and home.

Saturday, after my piano lesson and a couple loads of laundry, the kids and I walked down just in time to catch the tail end of the morning parade. We had packed a picnic lunch and ate while a rock/blues band was warming up and started into their gig on the outdoor stage. It was good music and weather was still nice, despite it looking like it might rain. We walked around some more and saw the area they had with all of the food and saw the local Bikers Against Child Abuse chapters bikes. For both days they had blocked off about three blocks from vehicular traffic and had all kinds of entertainment set up. Music, rides, food, displays, booths, etc. It had been a while since we had been to the library, so we stopped by and resupplied our reading. The hard part was not even going into the basement where they had their used book sale. When we walked out there was a couple of women that had five boxes of books between them. One was keeping an eye on them while the other went to get the car. If that is a regular part of Peach Day's I'm going to have to save my shekels. We put the books in the double stroller (you thought I made my kids walk all 12 blocks didn't you), and started home. It was a good walk in all and I don't think driving would have saved us much time. It seemed that the closest anyone could park was five or six blocks away and the time spent loading/unloading would have just been wasted. Also, my sedan (since Angel took the van) can't hold the stroller and so the kids would have had to walk that fair. All in all it was fun.

Next year we'll be more prepared and hopefully Tigger will feel a bit more courageous.

Audible Book Review - Redshirts by John Scalzi

Yesterday I've finished Redshirts by John Scalzi. I've got rather mixed feelings about the experience. On one hand, the book was incredibly well written with excellent story and awesome characters. In fact it was awarded the Hugo for best novel just a few days ago - and I understand why. It is a gorgeous book. On the other hand it was riddled with language and had several sexual references. While I understand that my choice in language and lifestyle are in the minority and that many people feel that the full use of all of the language is considered literary, etc. I do not see the need to put so much offensive language into popular culture. I'll talk more on this later in the considerations so I won't dwell on it here. I cannot in good conscious recommend this book to my family, friends, or acquaintances because of the extent of the language. This saddens me greatly because the story and characters are so wonderful. Here is the link to Audible's page for the book. It was narrated by Whil Wheaton who did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life.

Plot: The Universal Union flagship, The Intrepid, has received five new crew members. They are to replace crew losses due to Away Mission. Andrew Dahl and his friends start to notice something really quickly. Things are seriously messed up. Everyone avoids the senior officers. Away Mission always involve some kind of disaster where someone is killed. Lt. Kerensky is consistently brutally injured, maimed, or otherwise harmed, but survives regardless. But worse yet, sometimes it feels like they aren't in control at all. As Andy and his friends start to look for answers they learn the truth about their situation. What follows is a risky attempt to stop those responsible and to get their own lives back. This will lead to kidnapping, breaking the laws of physics, confronting themselves, and ultimately saving someone they've never met but know very well. Starting as a comedy, expanding into drama, and ultimately ending in triumph and self-actualization for more than just the main characters of this story, you may know the story but you don't know the ending. Any of them.

My personal favorites: There was a lot here that I liked. Andy and his friends were a fun group to spend time with. They were their own people and I felt that their motivations and desires were realistic and well portrayed. The story itself is a huge callback to Star Trek (which I grew up on) and was delightful as it combined "nostalgic" images and feelings with great writing. The format was intriguing with an end to the story, but then three "codas" that address three loose ends showing a bit of the "after math" of the original story. It's not often an author wraps up threads that the reader doesn't think about. As I listened to the last coda I almost cried because of the emotion behind it. To quote Larry the Cucumber, "I laughed. I cried. It moved me, Bob." There are too many things I liked to even begin to think of them.

Considerations: As I mentioned earlier this book had a lot of strong language. It was everywhere. Also there were several sexual references. Beyond that there was little to no gore or graphic descriptions, either of violent or sexual in nature. In fact there were very few descriptions of violence and none of sexual action, beyond the references mentioned earlier. However, the language was an issue. As clearly seen, I am familiar with profanity and have reviewed books with strong language before. I worked as a landscaper for several summers and so have been exposed to all kinds of language before outside of books. I understand that my views are not other peoples and I respect their right to express themselves how they wish after making my feelings known. As I mentioned, I don't feel that I can recommend this book to anyone because of the language used. It would be like taking a really nice dog who happens to have explosive diarrhea into a newly cleaned house. The disappointing fact is that I understand how an author will use such language to establish an emotion or a point. Shakespeare had Iago drop the 16th century equivalent of the F-bomb in Othello as his first word to show what kind of character he was - a villain and a crass one at that. This is what I've referred to when I mention in other reviews that an author "used the language properly." It was weighted, conservatively used to show the dramatic change that the character has experienced. It is a tool that is used sparingly. My disappointment is in the fact that I didn't see any of that taking place in Redshirts. The same strong word was used constantly in situations that didn't seem to warrant it. Things would escalate and I would expect to hear it, but then it wouldn't come. Only to show up at an unexpected moment when the tension had died down. It was used in all situations - with superiors, strangers, people the characters were ask for help - as if the characters were saying it just to say it. Spoken language has an effect and I saw non of that. It was desensitizing and didn't add anything to the story. I saw no use for it and am horribly, abysmally disappointed that such a well written story had to be marred by a torrent of offensive language that served no purpose.

As I've said - I'm very torn by this book. The story and codas were beautifully written and it was the perfect way to end the novel. It was entertaining and enlightening and just marvelous. And so very disappointing for the stupidest of reasons. The total length was just over 7 and a half hours.

So Excited!

You know the saying, "Simple minds, simple pleasures." That's a pretty good description of me most of the time. Those who know me understand that the reasons I get excited are not always the most exciting to others. You have been warned!

Last night we were enjoying the beautiful, post-rainstorm weather and I was playing Traffic Jam while sitting in the shade of our fruit trees. As I was sitting there it occurred to me and Angel that we had no idea when we should pick the fruit. She checked the USU extension site and started describing what the fruit should look like. I was thinking, "Hey! Our peaches kind of look like that. Hey! Our apple are about that color. Hey! The pears are kind of how they described them." So, we started poking and prodding (or rather pulling and gently squeezing) and ended up with a decent collection of peaches and apples. The pears were not quite ready to leave the tree, but they will be soon.

 We brought them in and made a fruit salad for dinner. I was also able to prepare the remaining peaches for freezing/lunches. We need to research additional ways of preserving fruit as we have limited experience and time to do it. Freezing is easy and we love putting the frozen fruit in smoothies for breakfast or milkshakes. I often silently thank Darpa and Muscles for their wedding gift of a nice blender whenever I make a breakfast smoothie. Darpa is quite the master of "blender" drinks and so felt that every couple should have a good blender. I'm looking forward to putting them in my drinks. We'll have to look into it a bit more, but I think we will need to thin the peaches early in the season. The largest we found on our tree is smaller than my fist (which is a decent size) but most are about the same size as a large apricot.

That is easy for the peaches, but the pears and apples don't freeze well. My father often makes (or helps my mother make) Pear Honey, a mixture of pears, pineapples, and sugar that you cook down and bottle. It's great on toast and other breads, and I imagine that it wouldn't be a bad marinade or dessert filling/topper. That is what I would like to do with our pears.

We happen to have three apple trees and they appear to be different varieties. We believe that one is a gala apple, but don't know what the other two are (one looks like a green delicious). Angel wants to do fruit leather and I would love to do apple butter or apple juice concentrate. We'll have to borrow equipment either way, so we'll see how many apples we get and what we can do.

We are very excited about having fresh fruit and have been hoping to get fruit trees in the past. Moving into a house with fruit trees was an added bonus. This weekend is Peach Days in Brigham City and it's kind of cool that we have a peach tree as well. So excited!

Back to school

Working at a university means that back to school is a big deal every year regardless of whether I'm taking classes or not. My schedule at work fills up, my office becomes more hectic and the bus and the parking lots become a lot more full. I was always excited about starting a new school year or semester myself, which is one reason I've wanted to work at a university. But this year Kanga started kindergarten, so we've had an extra reason to be excited. We live close to the school she goes to and we drive by it almost everyday. Since she turned five earlier this year every time we drive by the school she would ask if it was time to go to school yet. We had to placate her by saying that school had start before she could go.

We attended Back to School night on Monday and met her teacher. It was fun because I used to work for the university she graduated from and knew her advisors. It's her first semester teaching (after graduating) and looks to be a good teacher. I was filling out some paperwork and felt like I should be in kindergarten because I had to keep crossing things out because I would put the wrong information in the wrong place. They gave us a list of learning objectives that they will be working on during the school year. I was excited that with our regular nightly reading Kanga can already do some of them, and that with a little focus there were many others she would be able to do. It made me feel like a proactive parent.

Over the last couple of months, as we've been preparing Kanga for school, I've learned a horrible truth about myself. I am ashamed to admit that I am a helicopter parent. I hover, ready to help at a moment's notice and hoping that I can teach her something as she goes through life. Working with college students I've seen my fair share of helicopter parents, both good and bad. I was at a conference and one of the keynote speakers compared some helicopter parents to "armed blackhawks, ready for war. And you're the enemy." I've complained about, mocked, joked about, and generally lamented most helicopter parents and so when the realization hit that I was hovering I was quite shaken. As they say, the first step is realizing you have a problem. I just hope that I'll be able to step back enough that she can learn how to learn, but stay close enough that she doesn't feel alone or without help.

Ah, tis a narrow line we parents walk.