Halloween has come and gone (thank goodness). Here is some proof that my children aren't completely deprived of a fun mom come this much ballyhooed holiday.
Exhibit A. Family Home Evening on Monday night. We carved pumpkins.
If you can't tell it's my fault as I did a lot of the detail work. Essentially, it's a goblin with scary hands next to a bat and a coffin. It wasn't easy!
Sam picked a skull and crossbones pattern and did most of it himself.
Exhibit B. Went to Seth's school's Halloween parade, even though Sam was home sick.
Seth showing off his bump.
Henry literally screaming, "Don't take my picture!!!"
Big brother takes little brother on the parade route. Unfortunately, there was only one other Luigi costume in the entire school and he happened to line up right behind Seth.
Cupcakes in the classroom afterward.
Exhibit C. I took them to our neighborhood Halloween party.
Luigi, Mario and the cow.
Sam (aka Mario) waits his turn for a game.
Seth tosses some beanbags.
Sam pins the nose on the jack-o-lantern.
Exhibit D. I took them to the combined ward trunk or treat.
The elders dress up as secret service agents.
Cousin Derek patiently takes Henry around the parking lot.
Can you recognize Patty? Derek looked great in his old suit with a secret stash of lollipops.
I loved this costume. She took a yellow fleece and hotglued some brown ribbon on it to make a pineapple costume. So warm and cozy!
This is what this cowboy spent most of the night doing. Answering the phone from the hospital.
Yee-haw!
Exhibit E. Trick or treating around the neighborhood and passing out candy to our trick-or-treaters.
Seth handles the door duties with Henry and Sam (not pictured) help. Notice Derek hiding behind the stairs. He jumped out and scared people. Notice Henry no longer in his costume. He threw up all over it. Good times, people. Good times.
Earlier this year, before my goal to read twenty classics was set, I told myself that 2009 was going to be the year that I tried new things. One of those things was to read - not watch, not hear about - but read a Shakespeare play.
My parents, who have his full works on display on shelves in their living room, suggested I start with Romeo and Juliet, because it's the most familiar and would be the easiest story to get used to his language. If this is his easiest, then I'm in trouble.
Reading Romeo and Juliet ranks only slightly easier than reading a novel in french. I have enough background in french to recognize many verbs, most pronouns and my vocabulary is probably that of a 1st or 2nd grader, so a lot of the time, I can get the gist, if not the actual meaning. Sort of like, "He is ....something. Or....They went.....somewhere." O.K. So I don't read a lot of french (but I wish I could!)
I understood a lot more than that of Romeo and Juliet, but probably a lot due to the fact that I've seen Baz Luhrmann's movie where they speak the dialogue set in a modern day setting. Do you remember Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes? I love that movie! It's really the only movie I like Leo in. That scene, right after he kills Tybalt, after Tybalt had killed Mercutio - I loved his raw emotion! Oh..wait. I'm reviewing a book. Hold on.
See, this is what I did while I read. I'd read, remember the scene and then understand what was going on. I'm not trying to paint myself as stupid, but without help, whether in visual form or from someone who can give a little background or definition to some of the forgotten or unusual vocabulary, Shakespeare is hard to understand. The edition I read had footnotes and I used them. They definitely helped and by play's end, I felt like I had read it. Not skimmed it, but read and understood it. Mission accomplished!
In addition to the actual play, which isn't very long, I read a half dozen pre and post essays written by experts in the field of Shakespeare. Covering topics such as his own biography (men are never as good as I wished they were - even Shakespeare himself), the debate about his authorship, the source of Romeo and Juliet, the nature of trajedies and what the stage set-up would have looked like in Shakespeare's day, I felt at the end of all my reading that I had taken a hearty class about Shakespeare. Of course, I would much prefer the interaction you find in a class with a teacher, but I proudly admit to being educated by reading this. I'm better informed and now hold knowledge that I think will benefit me in life. Shakespeare's plays aren't only entertaining, but the phrases and plot outlines are used and recreated everywhere. For instance, did you realize The Lion King is an adaptation of Hamlet?
As helpful as the movie adaptations are (I love Hamlet with Mel Gibson, Much Ado About Nothing with Emma Thompson and Henry V with Kenneth Branagh. I even like a more modern retelling like 10 Things I Hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew)), I think toiling through the language of Shakespeare is worth the effort. Hard to understand? Yes. Lacking the emotion that comes with the intended acting? Definitely. But sometimes, you need to put the scripture readers down and pick up the scriptures. The stories are nice and important, but getting the spirit from the original source, along with all the text, will remind you that even four-hundred years ago, the same prejudices, ignorance, mob mentaility, rivalries, young love and 20/20 hindsight existed. In Romeo and Juliet, he just used a different and more extensive vocabulary to describe it all.
I think Shakespeare performed a great service by commemorating 14th and 15th century life through plays. By doing so, he connected generations of humanity.
Me: Oh. We never had those when I was in school. What did you do during your lockdown drill?
Sam: We just have to move away from the windows and door, into a corner and stay quiet until the principle says over the speakers that we can talk again.
Me: Huh
Sam: It's for if there is ever something scary at the school. Like if a deer got inside.
Oh....if only that were true.
Wouldn't it be great if elementary school could get back to teaching math with an occasional fire drill?
Well, of course I loved it. Have you read it? It's fabulous.
My problem in writing a review is wondering what, if anything, matters. Did Dumas write this for pure entertainment? If that is the case, then the novel is an out of the ballpark success. Drama, intrigue, suspense, revenge and subterfuge all craftily woven together that make every one of its twelve-hundred plus pages worth it.
However.
If this is supposed to be some great lesson in morality, particularly about the existence of God, the effects of vengeance or revenge, or even the great balance between justice and mercy, I think there could be some bones to pick.
Before I pick, I must admit to wondering if reading the book was even necessary. I am a fan of the James Caviezal as Edmond Dantes movie version and for the first couple hundred pages, felt the few differences between the movie and book were inconsequential. Of course, as is always the case, there were more details, more depth to the characters, but the set up was the same. Edmond was a stand-up guy, engaged to his beautiful Mercedes and happy and lucky in love and life. Then, jealous rivals and a situation of unfortunate coincidence remove him from his simple bliss and he spends the next fourteen years locked up for made-up crimes without any possibility of recourse or explanation. It nearly drives him insane, until he meets a fellow prisoner who, mistakenly thinking he was digging a tunnel to escape, digs a tunnel between their own two cells. As the passageway enables them to enjoy each other's company, the elder prisoner spends years passing on his vast knowledge to his eager student, eventually including information about a mammoth undiscovered treasure. All that is left is for Edmond to find a way to escape, collect his treasure and decide what he wants to do with his freedom and fortune.
All of that happens as the movie explained it to me. It is clever in the movie and just as clever in the book. At this point of the story, however, the book becomes a maze of plot development compared to the movie's much simplified stroll-down-a-lighted-main-street approach. I liked the maze. I appreciated Dumas thinking I could handle the maze. Because, let me tell you, it gets a little disorientating throughout the last eight-hundred pages, or so.
Now for the picking - I have heard that this is a great story about revenge. Certainly, that is true. It is a great story. And it is about revenge. What is unclear to me is if the revenge is great. I don't think so. I'm not sure we're supposed to think so.
Something that always bugged me about the movie was how Edmond, or The Count of Monte Cristo, got all of his revenge and then, when everyone was dead or ruined, he had a change of heart and could get back to the business of being a good guy. Well......yeah! When everything is going your way, being forgiving and kind and compassionate is not a very hard thing to be.
The book doesn't go quite as far in making everything hunky dory for Edmond in the end, as there are a few unforeseen consequences he didn't count on bothering him when he set out to ruin those who ruined him, but neither book nor movie bothers to really ask the question if Edmond had the right or responsibility to become the Count of Monte Cristo; if he could have received the peace he deserved without spending over a decade playing a covert, and, might I add, one-sided, game of chess. Of course, had he taken his large fortune and settled into the quiet life of a fisherman, there wouldn't be much of a story:)
The other thing that make the story even more unlikely is that all of the original characters still seem to be connected. Sons are marrying daughters, everyone lives in the same town, and everyone associates in the same class-level, which happens to correspond nicely with The Count's own unlimited wealth. Again, I concede that without this set-up, the revenge would have taken even longer to enact. Having everyone's story interact made the fall-out go down like an intricate design of dominoes. It took a long time to set-up but once the inital push was made, everything came crashing down.
I'm so glad I read the book. Instead of scratching my head about whether or not anyone, even someone grossly wronged by evildoers, has the right to seek vengeance, I will simply enjoy the time I spent learning about the unstable french government surrounding Napoleon's reign, the dazzling style that The Count of Monte Cristo infused into everything he did and, yes, some head scratching about who was who. Here's help.
This came to me as part of the mail exchange bookclub I've just joined. According to the cover, this is the story of an actual woman in history who rose to become the pope while living in disguise as a man in the 8th century. Never having heard of the book, or the historical figure who was the inspiration behind it, I looked forward to reading something that stretched me.
Almost immediately, I found myself disliking the book. I'm not sure why, but I can't deny the eye rolling or negative comments that found their way from my pen to the page. Things were not looking good. Joan was obnoxiously smart and good and quick to understand and everyone else around her, save a non-religious priest and non-religious midwife, were superstitious, ignorant or, like her own father who was a priest, just plain mean. It's the black and white of it all that drives me crazy. Surely Joan (later to be known as John) had a bad habit. Surely her father had some redeeming quality. It couldn't all be beatings and head shavings, could it? Why, yes it could, according to author Donna Cross.
Whenever I read about the dark ages, I'm frustrated with the lack of...well...humanness portrayed. Were people fundamentally different then? Life obviously wasn't good. No one could read. The catholic church and aristocracy were corrupted and made life miserable and dangerous for anyone not protected within its sphere. All things considered, labeling the time as "dark" is probably better than the centuries deserved.
Still, any existence must make room for some goodness. It's impossible to extinguish entirely, I believe. Its scatterings must have been found in more than a handful of people. All of those people who couldn't write, couldn't leave records - I bet some of them were good. In books like these, however, they are always relegated to the background, chanting, "Witch!" or taking their kids to see the local hanging. I simply can't understand that atmosphere.
Back to the book, Cross more than allows Joan to be good. More accurately, Joan hovers around saint level. She is everything to cheer for and nothing to root against. Which makes me wonder.
I'll try to not ruin anything for future readers, but according to the author, there are historical facts upon which the story is based. While discounted by the catholic church as mere anti-papal legend, Cross asserts there was a pope referred to as John that legitimately shows up in some histories but not in others due to attempts to cover-up the scandal. In the histories that exist, this Pope John was only discovered as a woman when "he" miscarried after falling off a horse on a public street.
From there, there is only conjecture of how this could happen. To become pope, she must have been learned. She must have had an education, which was forbidden for girls during this time. She must have had help infiltrating the male world. Lastly, she must have had sex in order to have a miscarriage.
Cross's Joan is noble and brave, always trying to do the right thing, and only becomes pope because she is so smart and good and the good people put her in position to thwart the bad people from gaining power.
That's one possibility.
I kept going back to the "facts". The woman who would become pope was a known liar. She pretended she was a man. She was also pregnant. Hmmmmmm. Maybe, just maybe she wasn't that...good.
It doesn't really matter, but the characterization of her and her lover, who was equally brave and good, bothered me enough to keep me from liking this book. But, it is not without merits.
Cross does a really good job of placing the reader in the dark ages. It felt like the year 900. The lack of opportunity for women was horrific. The injustice of the courts was maddening. The threat of a viking attack and need for fortification were all aptly defended.
If you love historical fiction, this is probably right up your alley. Pope Joan takes you to a different time and entertains with a complex story. It's just not a road whose view I particularly appreciated.
While painful to read a book as slowly as I have been managing to read the Fablehaven series with my older boys (I bought the series last Christmas and we just finished book #2), it is worth the slow pace to discover right along side them the ever increasing complex magical world of Fablehaven.
I liked the first book well enough, but the series really got going for me in this second book. With most of the background story and characters already sketched, a much more interesting story was made possible. New magical creatures, more peril and a deeper cast of supporting characters were all enjoyably introduced. Brandon Hall must be very pleased with the imaginations that are going hogwild in his increcible fantasy world.
Best of all, it's more than just fairies, monsters and magic. Embedded in the fantasy are real-life applications about agency, obedience, trust and courage. Seth and Kendra, while still a tad predictable and flat, are characters that I feel comfortable introducing to my children. Their experiences, behavior and judgment, along with the necessary consequences are good lessons neatly disguised behind lifesize enchanted puppets, greedy satyrs, shrinking potions and traitorous narcoblixes. Sound interesting? It is.
. . . must be blogged about! What? Were you expecting a different ending for that sentence?
If I were to pick up where I left off, you'd find me sitting back at the gate with a breakfast burrito on my lap, my book out and my phone charging against the wall. You'd witness me glaring at the three passengers whose names were called out for standby and maybe even making a few audible "hrmmmph" noises as the door to the tarmac was closed.
Then.
They called for a very foreign sounding name to come check-in because they had one more seat available for standby and I watched as no one approached the desk. They called it once more and then...
they called my name!!!! They didn't pronounce it right. More like luh-key, but I gathered my charger, phone, book and two carry ons (I left the burrito) and ran, shouting, "I'm here!" They didn't even re-check my ticket or anything but just opened the door and I ran down the tarmac. There was one seat left unoccupied and it was near the front and next to a window. I did my best to hustle into my seat, despite being as jumbled and unorganized as I felt. Even though they had already insisted all electronics get turned off, I quickly called my sisters and said, "I'm coming!"
That stroke of luck, if you can call it that, saved the day. I'm not sure the rest of this post could have followed had foreign sounding guy still been at the gate to take the seat. The girls picked me up at the airport and we headed over to Sam Boyd Stadium to begin our epic wait in line to see U2.
For most of the day, we were super comfortable. At 10:00, when we arrived, there were approximately 600 people in front of us. I felt bad that I had delayed an earlier arrival, but, since rumor was that they'd let in about 2,000 into the inner circle, we felt good about our chances to be close to the stage. All of us had our own camping chair, a cooler full of food and drinks, and 85 degree weather to enjoy. It felt like hanging out beside the pool, only without any swimming. Or toe dipping.
At about 3:30, we put away the chairs, because they told us to, and stood in line for another two hours. We moved up as more and more people put their stuff away but didn't get inside the stadium until almost 6:00 pm.
Maureen was mostly anti-picture taking, but I did sneak this one off before the concert started.
Since the concert still didn't start for about an hour and a half, we sat down. It was dirty and uncomfortable, but all of our feet were hurting and we knew once the show started that we'd have about 4 more hours of standing. That isn't a really pale person between Emily and me, it's a cutout of Ang Sung Suu Kyi, the woman who was elected through a democratic process as leader of Myanmar who has been under house arrest for 14 years and was never allowed by the military junta to serve in her elected position. U2's song, "Walk On" is about her and we were each given a mask to wear during the song.
The Black Eyed Peas opened for U2. I thought it kind of a miss-match, which it was, but they are really good performers and I enjoyed their set. I think Fergie was looking at me. I had to shake my head that, no, I couldn't come up on stage and be her back-up dancer. I forgot to wear anything bedazzled and you need that up on stage.
Will.i.am and his key-tar.
The other members of black eyed peas whose names I do not know. Although, I was very surprised how familiar I was with their music. I was only expecting to know a song or two, but I was Boom, Boom Powing with the best of them.
Fergie sining her solo "Big Girls Don't Cry". I sang along to that too. I am much more hip than I thought.
Every girl needs to try going to a concert on a sister's weekend. If you don't have sisters, adopt some. I highly recommend these particular sisters. They are loads of fun.
All the suckers who didn't have as good of a spot as us. Of course, their feet probably felt a lot better too.
U2 show begins....
I took about 250 pictures during the concert. It was impossible to select my favorites so I just chose one of each of the band members. We were so close to the stage! If it hadn't been for my superfan sisters, I would have bought a bleach seat and been happy with it. I will confess that I was not at all excited about spending a precious day waiting in line surrounded by other superfans I had no genetic sympathy for. But, I can say it now. It was worth it. It was so fun. Beyond fun. It was an experience. I can't remember when I had that kind of energy to sing and dance and jump and scream. It made me young again. Even though I could barely get out of the car to get inside the hotel after the concert. Then...I wasn't feeling so young.
This is what concerts look like now that cell phones and cameras are allowed. it's crazy. So much for bootleg copies of things:)
Bono is the consummate performer. I don't know how he does it night after night, but he makes it a show. He is very fun to watch and most of my really great pictures are of him.
I think I made eye contact with every member of the band except The Edge. He just never looked at me. He did very little running around and mostly stayed close to his spot, but, there is something so likable about him. He has kind eyes. Not to mention, fancy bedazzled jeans.
You think I'm joking, but I seriously think Larry is looking at me here. I was really close to the stage, and I'm tall, and I had a really big camera.
Adam's bass makes the songs complete.
At one point, Bono was on the bridge that connects the stage with the 360 degree circle that surrounds it (and we were between the two. Thus, the "inner circle." While he was on the bridge, it started moving directly over our heads. I had to take a picture to show how close I was. This is with no zoom and those are my fingers. Almost touching!
It was such a memorable night. I loved the concert and the chance to experience that with my beloved sisters. Such a highlight for year 34! I will post the rest of the pictures on facebook.
The next morning, after sleeping in until 9:30 (delicious), we went and did some minor shopping at some outlet stores. We weren't there long, but long enough for us to all spend some money. Afterwards, we went and had lunch at Cafe Rio. Not very exciting for those who live in Utah, but fantastic for those of us needing a hit of a sweet pork salad!
Maureen wouldn't pose as there is no forcing her, so here are four of us.
One of my very best childhood friends is also a live-and-die U2 fan and came from Seattle to see the show. We didn't see each other at the concert, but I did get to spend about 45 minutes with her at the Venetian Hotel before going to our Cirque de Soleil show. She manages a dermatologist's office so has flawless skin. After looking at this picture, I had a sudden urge to exfoliate! So, pretty, Lisa:)
Have you been to a Cirque show? I've been wanting to see one for at least a decade, and am glad I went. But.
They are really weird. Amazing. Powerful. Death defying. But.
Kind of like Siegfried and Roy without the white tigers. And more balancing. On top of each other. With little clothes on. You get my point.
Anyways...that is the stage.
After the show, we walked over to the Bellagio Hotel where every fifteen minutes, there is a stunning water fountain display choreographed to music. It was beautiful. One of the features that convinced me to buy the Nikon D5000 is that it had a video feature, but I was so disappointed to discover that the sound on it stinks. Still, you get a sense of the power, majesty and elegance that draw crowds of thousands.
I had such a great time. Hopefully, we'll do it again soon. Hopefully next time, we'll have Tara and my mom along too.
If you can't tell it's my fault as I did a lot of the detail work. Essentially, it's a goblin with scary hands next to a bat and a coffin. It wasn't easy!
If you can't tell it's my fault as I did a lot of the detail work. Essentially, it's a goblin with scary hands next to a bat and a coffin. It wasn't easy!
Sam picked a skull and crossbones pattern and did most of it himself. 
Seth showing off his bump.
Henry literally screaming, "Don't take my picture!!!"
Big brother takes little brother on the parade route. Unfortunately, there was only one other Luigi costume in the entire school and he happened to line up right behind Seth.
Cupcakes in the classroom afterward.
Luigi, Mario and the cow.
Luigi, Mario and the cow.
Sam (aka Mario) waits his turn for a game.
Seth tosses some beanbags.
Sam pins the nose on the jack-o-lantern. 
The elders dress up as secret service agents. 
Cousin Derek patiently takes Henry around the parking lot.
Can you recognize Patty? Derek looked great in his old suit with a secret stash of lollipops.
I loved this costume. She took a yellow fleece and hotglued some brown ribbon on it to make a pineapple costume. So warm and cozy!
This is what this cowboy spent most of the night doing. Answering the phone from the hospital.
Yee-haw! 
Seth handles the door duties with Henry and Sam (not pictured) help. Notice Derek hiding behind the stairs. He jumped out and scared people. Notice Henry no longer in his costume. He threw up all over it. Good times, people. Good times.
