Dead Wake

Several years ago, my good friend Jim recommended the book The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I'm not a big fan of nonfiction so I put it aside, eventually picking it up when I had nothing else to read. I should have known better because Jim has never yet disappointed me! I loved the story about the search for a mass murderer during the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and I loved how Larson was able to bring these historical characters to life so vividly, almost like a fictional narrative. I immediately read In the Garden of Beasts, Larson's account of U.S. Ambassador William Dodd and his daughter Martha in Berlin during Hitler's rise to power, next and it was so riveting I couldn't put it down. (I just learned that a film adaptation is in the works starring Tom Hanks and Natalie Portman!) Larson is a brilliant storyteller so when my book club chose Dead Wake for its May selection I was thrilled (I had already pre-ordered it from Amazon)! Larson's latest offering is an enthralling account of the sinking of the Lusitania which precipitated the U.S. entry into World War I. After conducting an almost staggering amount of research, Larson uses numerous primary sources to present the perspectives of Captain William Thomas Turner (of the Lusitania), Kapitanleutnant Walther Schweiger (of the German U-boat, U-20, which sank the Lusitania), executives from the Cunard Line, President Woodrow Wilson, Winston Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty), secret intelligence operatives in Britain's Room 40, as well as passengers aboard the ship (both famous and lesser-known).  He gives a thorough day-to-day account, from the preparations for the voyage to the aftermath of the sinking, and I was particularly struck by the descriptions of life on board a German U-boat. Much has been written about the purported conspiracy that the British failed to protect the Lusitania to hasten America's entry into the war and, while Larson alludes to that, I appreciated the fact that he presents certain facts and then lets readers come to their own conclusions.  Absolutely fascinating!  Dead Wake is definitely not some dusty scholarly tome but a suspenseful thriller that, despite knowing the outcome, had me on the edge of my seat.  I highly recommend it!

Note:  I highly recommend The Devil and the White City and In the Garden of Beasts as well.

I Heart Road Trips

Recently, I took my car to the dealership for some routine maintenance and the technician recommended that I replace all four of the tires.  Since I replaced all four tires less than two years ago, he thought that they would certainly be under warranty...until he looked at my mileage!  The poor man was incredulous that one person could put so many miles on a private vehicle!  I wasn't surprised in the least.  I absolutely love going on road trips.  There is something so invigorating about taking to the open road for an adventure.

In the span of one year, I've driven to southern Utah three times (for a spring break trip to the national parks, for a leadership conference at Dixie State University, and for my annual trip to the Utah Shakespeare Festival), to Denver twice to see the Colorado Avalanche play the Boston Bruins and the Calgary Flames, to Las Vegas to see the Cirque de Soleil show Love, to Montana for an incredible week at Yellowstone National Park, and to South Dakota to satisfy a whim to see Mount Rushmore, not to mention all of the weekend trips here and there.

I suppose my love of road trips stems from my childhood.  My Dad thought nothing of making a few sandwiches, playing the Beatles as loud as he could, and strapping us in for extended adventures.  Just about every summer we would drive to Canada (it takes three days there and three days back) to visit my Dad's family and we would always stop anywhere my Dad thought noteworthy (Devil's Tower in Wyoming, Wall Drug in South Dakota, the Corn Palace in Nebraska, just to name a few).  Oh, the memories and the stories I could tell (ask me about the Canadiana Motel).  I guess my thirst for adventure was inherited!

The school year is almost over (seven days, but who's counting?) and my car will soon have four brand new tires so I am itching to get out on the road.  I have a trip to Denver planned (to see a U2 concert and the Colorado Rockies), I've registered my new SBOs for the leadership conference at DSU, and I just bought tickets for the Utah Shakespeare Festival.  I may have a few more trips in the works and I couldn't be more excited!  Now, can anyone give me a good deal on tires?

Memorial Day Weekend 2015

Over Memorial Day Weekend, my family went camping at Jordanelle State Park, which is one of our very favorite camping spots (see other camping trips here, here, and here).

Marilyn and I stayed at one campsite in her cute little trailer.

My parents were at another nearby campsite in the motor home.

Some views of the reservoir from our campsite.  There weren't many boats on the water this weekend.

I think the reservoir looked incredible after a rainy night. (I loved listening to the rain on the roof of the trailer while we watched movies and ate microwave popcorn).

Even though it rained a few times, we were able to have a fire every night.  I think sitting around a campfire is my favorite part of camping!

This is how we spent a lot of our time:  sitting around the campsite reading and relaxing.

Packing up!  Marilyn's trailer is seriously cool.  It took her about a minute to take it down and then the two of us were able to hitch it to the Jeep by ourselves (if you knew the backstory on this you would be amazed).   It was such a wonderful trip!  Where are we going next?

Tomorrowland

Late Thursday night (early Friday morning?) my sister and I took our parents to see the movie Tomorrowland.  Marilyn paid for the tickets and I paid for all of the concessions.  Usually the concessions cost more than the movie but Marilyn got us IMAX tickets so I totally came out on top!  We all had so much fun!  I love the atmosphere at first screenings and my parents were positively giddy (My Dad took a nap so he could make it all the way through).  The movie itself was also a lot of fun.  It didn't get very good reviews but all four of us really liked it!  Frank (Thomas Robinson), a young boy, is given a pin by a girl named Athena (Raffey Cassidy) which takes him to a world of innovation, imagination,and invention.  Many years later Casey (Britt Robinson), a precocious teenager, is also given a pin which gives her a glimpse of the same utopia.  She wants to return and eventually finds Frank (George Clooney), now a disillusioned and bitter man.  When they return to Tomorrowland with Athena, Frank reveals that he was exiled for inventing a device to travel into the future where he learned the exact date that the world will end.  Athena believes that Casey is the one who can change the world's destiny, but can she?  This movie is visually stunning, especially Tomorrowland itself.  There are some great action sequences and I particularly enjoyed the secret way back to Tomorrowland through the Eiffel Tower and the sequences where the young Frank explores Tomorrowland  via his own new and improved jet-pack are incredible!  I loved the message that hope and optimism can save humanity but I sometimes felt that I was reading an Ayn Rand novel about objectivism.  Director Brad Bird definitely emphasizes the superiority of certain individuals and that nurturing such people should take precedence over the needs of the rest of society.  However, I do think that the world needs more people willing take action today to secure a better future tomorrow.  Tomorrowland is a great movie with a positive message and I definitely recommend it (Don't listen to movie critics!).

SBO Luncheon 2015

Just like last year, the administration took the Student Body Officers to a special lunch at the Little America Hotel downtown yesterday afternoon.  It is a beautiful hotel and my students looked so nice all dressed up for the occasion!  I really loved listening to the students reminisce about all of the fun they've had this year.  I think my favorite memory is when we ordered a really expensive red carpet for our Hollywood-themed Homecoming Dance.  It said "some assembly required" but we assumed that meant we had to snap some pieces together.  As we were decorating for the dance, we opened the boxes and discovered that we basically had to put the entire thing together and that we required some specialized tools, including a bolt cutter.  I have never been more frustrated in my life but we somehow got it put together (it did look quite spectacular as students arrived to the dance) and we can laugh about it now.  Also, whenever I hear the song "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea, I will always think of them and their over-the-top dance routine for the Hello Assembly!  There are so many fun memories!  It has been an incredible year and I am glad I had the opportunity of working with this amazing group.  I will miss them but I know they will all go on to bigger and better things in the future!