Book Review: War and Peace

War and Peace

By Leo Tolsoy

This has definitely been one of the hardest books I've ever read. Four months later and One THOUSAND three hundred eighty-six pages later, I'm finally FINISHED! Woot! I'm patting myself on the back for this one :)

I've always wanted to try reading this book, mainly because it's such a huge classic that I wanted to know what it was all about. For those of you who aren't familiar with the novel, it was published in 1869 and is classified as historical fiction, my favorite genre. It covers the Napoleonic Wars with the French invasion of Russia, starting in 1805 and continuing through 1813 and an epilogue in 1820. The novel is seen through the eyes of five aristocratic families and chronicles their struggles and connections mingled with the history of that time period. Just this year War and Peace was #1 in Newsweek's Top 100 Books of All Time. So of course I have to read the #1 Book EVER written right?

So here is my opinion: I can see why this book is a classic. Tolstoy is brilliant in the way he describes his characters and events. He goes into so much detail that you really understand people's motives, feelings, etc. You meet hundreds of characters throughout the novel, so for the first half of the book, I had to write everyone's name's down so I could keep them all straight and figure out which ones were important enough to remember. However, I personally got lost in the details of the book. He goes on for pages and pages about war strategy, or describing a battle. And in the second half of the book, Tolstoy dedicates SEVERAL chapters to essays on the subject of war and Russian history, and I didn't care for these parts of the book at all. But I think the majority of the problem was that it is Russian history, which I don't really care about. If I were a Russian, and understood more about the war and the places, events, etc. that Tolstoy describes, I would probably appreciated the book more. Or if the book was centered around our own Civil War or Revolutionary War (something that I understand), I would be able to follow it better. But, I did learn a lot about the Napoleonic Wars that I didn't know before so I guess that's a plus.

As far as the fictional story of War and Peace, I really enjoyed that part. I grew to love certain characters, but even in that aspect Tolstoy disappointed me. He kept killing off my favorite characters and the book didn't end at all like I wanted it to. Consider Twilight for a moment (Tolstoy would probably roll over in his grave knowing I'm comparing his classic to a vampire love story) - How would you feel if Bella ended up with Jacob? You'd feel cheated right? Because she's SUPPOSED to be with Edward. Well, in War and Peace, Natasha ends up with Jacob...and Edward dies. At least that's my opinion. I always thought of Pierre (aka Jacob in this analogy) as kind of a dipstick, so I hated that Natasha ended up with him. But I guess she went a little nutty herself so I guess they were perfect for each other. And I cried when Prince Andrey (aka Edward) died (sorry, kind of a spoiler there but I figure nobody reading this - if anybody does end up reading this - will actually read the book- so no harm done!). ANYWAYS, So given all of that, I have to say War and Peace is not on my personal list of Best Books of All Time. I'll probably never read it again, but I am glad that I took the time to work my way through it.

So after I got done reading the book, I thought I'd rent the movie version and see how it measured up. There are a few movie versions out there; I rented the 1956 version starring Audrey Hepburn as Natasha. I have to say this is the first time in my life (that I remember at least) that I thought the movie was better than the novel - but don't read too much into that because the movie wasn't outstanding by any means. I liked that it captured all of the best parts of the book and it was fun to see the characters brought to life. Reading the book definitely made the movie much easier to understand.

I'm glad that I stuck with it and finished this book through (All one THOUSAND three hundred eighty-six pages of it :) but I'll probably never read it again. There are too many other books out there I need to get to.

Next project: The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott (should be interesting :)

Palisades

Last Friday, Brandt wanted to go on a day trip to Palisades Creek (up past Idaho Falls). So all week leading up to Friday he was trying to talk me into going with him. Neither one of us had been before. I had no desire to go; I just wanted to veg on the couch all day (I'm quite lazy on my days off). But he said we could go on a hike up to this pretty lake where he could fish while I read my book, the weather was going to be really nice, the leaves should be changing colors so it would be really pretty, etc. etc. So finally I consented to go.

The first half of the day was pretty great. The weather was absolutely perfect for hiking and everything was so pretty. Here are some pics we took along the way...

I think Brandt said it was about a four-mile hike to the lake. But after hiking for about two hours, we were hungry so we stopped on this flat rock and had lunch before turning around. Not ten minutes later, we see this...

And I'm thinking, "Great. It's going to snow." And sure enough, it did. And it snowed hard. And we still had an hour and a half of hiking before we could get back to the car. At this point, I am just loving the fact that I came along on this little adventure. I'm walking pretty quickly so as to get out of the storm as fast as possible. We walk across this bridge and I turn around to make sure Brandt is still with me and he looks at me with these puppy dog eyes, looks down at the creek, and then back at me.

"You want to fish, don't you?" I ask him.

"Can I?" He asks me back.

"Do you not see that it is SNOWING out here?!" I throw back at him.

"Just 20 minutes and if I don't catch anything, then we'll go," he tries to persuade me.

"Fine." So I find a spot under the bridge to hide and keep dry while this crazy man does his thing...

(You can click on the pics to enlarge)

Lucky for me, he didn't catch anything and 20 minutes later we were on our way. Here's some pics of us as we trudge on through the snow...

That's me making the expression "normal" people make when there 57 degree perfect hiking weather suddenly drops to 35 and snow comes crashing down when you still have three miles to go. And, of course, there's Brandt giving his take on the turn of events.

Oh well, It's Idaho right? What more can you expect from this state? But even amidst the snow and sleet I still had a good time and was glad that I tagged along. Brandt didn't get to fish as much as he had hoped, but we still had fun. And, looking on the bright side, it could have been worse. It could have rained and we would have ended up a lot more wet than we did with the snow. And Brandt could have ended up catching a fish in those 20 minutes and we would have had to stay there all day while he tried for a second :) So it turned out pretty good for both of us. It was so pretty up there and so quiet and peaceful. If any of you have the chance to go up there, it's worth the drive, especially now when all the leaves are changing. Just check the weather forecast before you go and pack warm clothes. Just in case.

Polly-Dent

The ADHA (American Dental Hygienists' Association) hosted a YouTube competition for hygiene students where they had to create a short video that teaches 5-year-old kids how to properly brush their teeth. The general public then voted on the videos to select a winner. This was the winning video, and Brandt and I thought it was pretty funny (I think Brandt got a bigger kick out of it than I did). It's definitely better than the "fish porn" Brandt posted last week :) So enjoy!

p.s. You can go to ADHA's YouTube Channel to view other videos. We didn't really like the 2nd place video, but the 3rd place one is pretty good also.

The Obsession

Dani has informed me that it is my turn to update the blog of Hines. However, there has not been a lot of excitement around the home these days. I am quite excited that now it is October and officially Halloween season (my second favorite holiday after Christmas). That almost seems like an oxymoron. But, thus it is. But I am getting side tracked. I did think of a post I could publish and so here it goes.

A few posts ago I mentioned the love and appreciation I give my dear wife for a sometimes obsessive hobby. Fly fishing. The obsession began when I was a wee lad. I loved to fish but never actually fished the fly, instead I dunked the worm. I am not sure why, perhaps because I was young and intimidated by the beauty of the cast or the complexity of the sport. As I grew up I lost the loving feeling and became enveloped in other things such as school, sports, girls, and The Lord of the Rings. But the thoughts and feelings, though suppressed, lingered still and waited patiently for a time when life and decisions were more my own.

Enter marriage. Now, it may seem that this would be the least likely time when decisions and life are more your own and more than ever belong to someone else, usually the wife. For me, this is not true. A few years back, I am not quite sure how or when, I was hit again with the memories and passion for fishing that had evaded me for most of my high school career. I distinctly remember asking my dear wife one day if I might purchase the necessities and gear required for the adventures of such an activity. I also remember her asking if this would be a hobby I would keep with (I often have many a dream and daily change of interest in hobbies. Thus part of my problem choosing a career, but that is another story for another time)I assured her it would be worth while, and thus began the work of becoming a fly fisherman! (Little did she know what she was getting into.)

Now I am no professional but I do enjoy the occasional outing. This is what brings me to the obsessive part. Such as last week when I had to work all night from 10 pm to 5 am and still went fishing the next day without any sleep.
Did I have to slap my self in the face while driving to stay awake? Yes. It hurt too.
Did I suddenly become wide awake whenever stepping into the water? Yes (not only because it is around 50 degrees.)
Did I get sunburned on half my face and neck? Yes, and only half. Due to the sun strangely only shining from the east early in the morning.
Did I have to eventually sleep in the car with windows that don't roll down? Yes.
Did I wake up not only an hour later with a pounding headache and a smell that can only be described as un-showered sea otter baked in a 100 degree car? Sadly, yes.
Am I thinking of making that smell into a cologne? Perhaps.
Did I have to work at 6 am the next day? Yes.
Did I catch any fish? No.
Was it worth the sleep deprivation, sun burning, headache bringing, new smell sensation day? You bet.

I was going to try again a couple days ago but sadly succumbed to the 30-50 mph winds, rain, and occasional snow, and getting up at 5:30. After finding this video trailer I was disappointed in myself. Such videos and images are romantically known amongst anglers as fish porn. Watch it and perhaps you t0o will understand the obsession. If not, it's your loss. Enjoy.

The Shortest it Has Ever Been...

I'll miss you Ponytail. You have been my friend for a long, long time.

Get Excited!

I will admit it, and I am not ashamed. I am a huge Twilight fan. Notice that I used the word "huge" and not "obsessed." Because I am not obsessed. At least I don't think so. The books are great, but I wasn't a huge fan of the first movie, but movies based on books I love rarely live up to my expectations (example: Harry Potter). But this next movie looks awesome! Watch the newest trailer for "New Moon" posted below and you will be excited too.

Awesome right?! I have always been die hard Team Edward, but I don't know...with this next movie I may be switching over to Team Jacob. I'm not a big fan of Rob Pattinson as Edward, and Taylor Lautner seems like the perfect Jacob, and it helps that he is a hottie (don't worry Brandt, you're still my Number 1). So...November 20, 2009...mark it on the calendar...and Get Excited!

Island Park: In Search of The Big One

For Labor Day weekend we had the pleasure of attending a Hines family reunion. It was a lot of fun. Dani has asked that I author this post as it has been a while for me and as it is my family. I would also like to take this opportunity to let you all know that I most likely will not be writing the post about my trip to New York and my cursed travels across the country. It seems the moment is gone and not fresh enough in my mind. Thus, try as I may to put humor into the tale, I find it lacking and my desire to write it dwindled. Therefore, you will have to make due with this one.

My parents rented a very nice cabin up in Island Park for the weekend and Dani and I had the opportunity to go up a day early. We left Thursday morning and headed up to get in contact with nature and the natural man. The first day was fun. After unloading the car and taking a little break Dani and I headed off to fish the famed glory of blue ribbon trout fishing that is the Henry's Fork. My emotions were high and blood pressure higher as we got into the car and headed for said river. My plan was to try a spot I hadn't been to before. Thus, Dani had to trust me as we headed off some dirt road away from the main path. We saw a sign for a campground and Dani said something about "Shouldn't we be turning here?" (I don't really know what it was I had visions of trout dancing in my head much like sugar plums) "No." was my reply. "We are taking a different path look here at the map." I said, pointing to the map I printed courtesy of Google. "We want to skip the turn and keep going straight until the road ends." "That is where we are going to find our trophy fish." "OK" she replied. So, we continued down the dirt road and soon it came to an end. But, not the kind of end I had expected. Instead there was a stop sign and a paved road crossing our path. "Well this is unexpected" I thought to myself. But, acting as if I knew what we were doing I continued on and took a left. (If unsure always take a left. Trust me.) Soon we passed a sign that looked quite familiar advertising some real estate company. "Didn't we pass that sign earlier?" My wife asked. "No." I said confidently." "It must surely be another advertisement."
We quickly discovered that it was not a different one but the same; and that I should have taken the first turn as the dear wife suggested. What I had managed to do was send us in a big circle and back very close to where our cabin was when we had first left to go trout hunting. But, don't feel bad for us. Oh no! On the contrary this was quite a useful shortcut in the future. (just not so much the first time around) Anyway we finally made it to where we, or I, wanted to go and this is what we saw...

Oh yes! Our tyrant of trout, our ruler of the rainbows, the king of cutthroats, the baron of browns, the sultan of salmonidae would definitely be found in these waters. I was sure of it. All we had to do was hike down the canyon and it was ours for the taking. The climb was steep and treacherous but we made it and soon I was waist deep in cool clear water and on the trail of "The Big One."

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my dear wife for her unending support of my sometimes obsessive hobby. She makes a great companion. While I wade in the water she sets up the camping chair, holds the camera at the ready, and reads her books. It works out quite well for both of us. She is the perfect river and stream-side cheerleader that every angler needs. But back to the story...

So, I try my luck and have a few attempts. The fish are definitely there but I have yet to hook one of them. After quite some time (and more bites and chances than the normal fisherman should be allowed without actually catching a fish) I had decided to move up river a little and try my luck there. Dani was following and as we went along the trail I was struck frozen. There before us in the shallows of the river was the one we were searching for "The Big One" if you will. Shhhh! I said to the wife and pointed to "The Big One" in the water. Hands shaking I readied the fly rod and and stripped off some clothes. (Just kidding. I couldn't resist. Just making sure you're paying attention) I readied the fly rod and stripped off some line. Then very sneakily I crawled up on a large boulder behind "The Big One" and attempted to cast the fly to it. He went for it twice but my over excitement caused me to not be able to catch him and "The Big One" swam out a little further but didn't quite swim away. "Ahh, a game of cat and mouse." I said in a sly tone. "I accept the challenge." At this point Dani was laughing at me and probably frustrated that I had two opportunities and didn't catch "The Big One." So I climbed off the rock and got ready for a new attempt. At this point the wife asks "Can I try?" "Ha!" I think to myself while handing her the rod. "Why not let her try, what harm could be done?" "No way she can out-fish the great angler."

She did.

After a few casts "The Big One" went for it and Bam! he was on. It was exciting Dani exclaimed "What do I do?!" What do I do?!" "You don't lose the sucker!" I thought to myself. "That's what you do." Instead, I wisely suggested she reel it in. But, in the excitement, she wasn't sure which way to reel it in. Thus, it ended with me reeling in her fish but let the record show "The Big One" was caught by her....

You will have to ignore the cheesy expression. Though I did not officially catch this fish it was still very exciting for me.

However, I did officially catch this one (that is if you take officially to mean walking toward the bank with the line drifting behind you and then reeling it in to surprisingly find a small fish attached)...

Yes, you may have to zoom in but there is a little fingerling there, I promise. And, yes, it was my finest catch of the day thank you!

It was an exciting experience and a good way to close the day. As for the rest of the week we had a lot of fun with the family. We enjoyed "Footloose" at the Playmill in West Yellowstone, rafting the river, spending time with the family, being spit-up on by babies, playing games, and overall being out in the fresh mountain air. The following are some pictures of the our weekend. Enjoy!

This is Dani and me at Johny Sack's Cabin and Big Springs.

Here is a moose we saw while floating Big Springs.

This is my poor family having to pull their raft through the more shallow parts of the river. Dani and I were in our own little kayak and thus had the pleasure of watching these scenes play out from a safe distance.

This is one of our funny little nephews. He wanted to take a short ride in the kayak. However, when we stopped to see the moose the rest of the family couldn't quite maneuver the raft in time and thus kept on floating down river. Needless to say we did not catch up and his "short" trip in our kayak ended up being almost the "entire" trip. But, we didn't mind it was fun and he did good all the way to the end. Even when he suddenly got hit with nature's call he was brave enough to hold it. Or at least try. Eventually we had to pull over and have him water the plants along side the river. (Dani thought we could make it to the end but she wasn't the one upon whose lap he was sitting.)

And, here is the gorgeous lady-captain of our ship. This was taken on the reservoir. It was quite picturesque being on the water with blue skies and tall mountains in the background.

This is a picture of the parking lot at church. This was the busiest meeting I have ever been to. There were over 1200 people there just for sacrament meeting. We had to sit on the floor in the hallway. It was actually a pretty neat experience.