Grand Teton National Park

My friend Rich teaches a class called the American West at Hunter High School.  During the summer, he takes a group of students from the class on a camping trip to Grand Teton National Park.  This year I went along as a chaperone.

I have been to Yellowstone many times but I have never camped at Grand Teton National Park and it was beautiful!

We stayed in the campsite by Coulter Bay in tents that were almost like cabins because they had reinforced walls and a roof.  They were pretty nice but it was very cold at night.  There was a wood-burning stove but we let the fire go out the first night.  I was vigilant about keeping the fire going the second night!  I was with the girls in this cabin.

On the second day we went rafting on the Snake River.  The level of the river was higher than anyone remembers it ever being and the guides were even nervous about the conditions.  They gave us a safety briefing that was comprehensive, to say the least.  After that I didn't know if I wanted to do it any more!  To be honest, I was pretty terrified.  I had gone river rafting once before on the Athabasca River in Canada but that was a bit tamer than the Snake River.  They made us wear wet suits because the water was so cold.

Here we are in our raft before we started down the river.  Notice that I am in the back in the middle.  Our guide wanted the two bravest people in the front as the lead paddlers and the most scared person in the back!  Ha ha!

Rafting the river was amazing!  We hit some really big rapids and we all got drenched but it was a thrill!  It felt like the biggest roller coaster you can imagine but it was completely out of control.  I loved it!  Our guide took this picture of us on a calm portion of the river!

On the third day we went on a hike around Jenny Lake which gave us spectacular views.

This was such a fun trip and the students were so great.  Some of my favorite moments were sitting in the bathroom charging our phones, making s'mores by the fire every night, an epic Monopoly game, and the Hootenanny in Moose.  I hope I am invited to go again next year! 

Summer Reading: Small Great Things

The next selection on my summer reading list was Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. My former book club read My Sister's Keeper, House Rules, and Leaving Time, all of which I enjoyed to varying degrees. Jodi Picoult can always be relied upon for a thought-provoking read and this novel certainly delivered. Ruth Jefferson is a well-respected labor and delivery nurse with twenty years of experience. She is also African-American. She is assigned to assess Davis Bauer, the newborn son of Brittany and Turk Bauer, who happen to be white supremacists. They make a request that Ruth not be allowed to care for their son and a note is placed in his file. On a busy night with many deliveries and an emergency C-section, Ruth is the only nurse available to monitor Davis after a routine circumcision. When he goes into cardiac arrest, she tries to save him but, fearing for her job, immediately stops ministering to him when others arrive. When the baby dies, Turk and Brittany hold Ruth responsible and she is arrested and charged with murder. Kennedy McQuarrie is the overworked public defender who is assigned Ruth's case. It is her first murder trial and she hopes to win in order to advance her career. The narrative alternates between the perspectives of Ruth, Turk, and Kennedy and I found all of them to be compelling and believable, although Turk made me extremely uncomfortable. Of course, this novel explores the overt racism of the white supremacists which we would all agree is utterly reprehensible but Picoult also explores the subtle racism of Kennedy, a good person who asserts that she doesn't see race yet makes decisions about Ruth's case which silence her voice. This also made me very uncomfortable as I began questioning my own implicit bias. Some of the most powerful scenes in the novel are when Kennedy tries to experience what it is like to live inside Ruth's skin. While there are some aspects of the novel that I questioned, especially the transformation at the end which was not entirely believable, I highly recommend Small Great Things for bringing up important and timely questions about race.

Have you read Small Great Things?  What did you think?

The Godfather

I have a confession.  Before last Sunday I had never seen The Godfather!  I know!  When I mentioned this to my movie buddies there was a stunned silence as if they couldn't believe it!  It is widely considered to be the greatest film in American cinema so when I found out that it was going to be screened as part of TCM's Big Screen Classics, I knew I had to get a ticket if for no other reason than to be able to say that I had finally seen it.  Now I know what I have been missing.  It is a masterpiece!  The plot centers on the Corleone family, particularly the relationship between Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the head of the family, and his youngest son Michael (Al Pacino).  Initially, Michael is a disinterested outsider but is drawn in after Vito is gunned down by a rival and eventually becomes the ruthless leader of the family.  I found the story to be utterly compelling and my attention never wavered during its three hour run time.  I was very impressed by the performances of Marlon Brando (who won the Oscar for the role), James Caan as the oldest son Santini, Robert Duvall as the consigliere to the Corleone family, and Diane Keaton as Michael's girlfriend and, later, wife.  However, it was a young (and extremely handsome) Al Pacino who absolutely captivated me by his intense portrayal of a man who becomes more and more hardened by events.  The scene in the restaurant, with a close-up shot on Michael's face as he decides to kill two of the family's rivals, is brilliant.  You can literally see the exact moment when Michael makes the decision.  I also found the christening scene to be fascinating with another close-up on Michael's face as he recites vows in a church while his associates assassinate the leaders of all of the rival crime families.  The juxtaposition is so jarring but effective!  I think what I appreciated most about this film is that, even though it is about organized crime and there are scenes of violence (there is that famous scene with a horse's head), it is not excessively gory and there is very little profanity.  I loved the use of light and shadow to convey a mood and the score is also incredibly atmospheric.  At the end of the film everyone in the packed theater applauaded enthusiastically because it is a masterpiece!  I am so glad that I got to see it on the big screen.

Note:  I found it amusing that Sofia Coppola played the baby being christened!  I am so looking forward to her film The Beguiled.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at HCT

My friend Scott, who teaches high school theatre, says, rather derisively, that Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is the most overdone musical of all time. He has a point, as I have seen it performed countless times, but it is so popular because it is usually so fun and entertaining. It tells the well-known Bible story of how Joseph rose to become the Pharaoh's second-in-command after his brothers betrayed him for being their father's favorite with songs that span every musical genre. Each production adds their own special touches and Hale Centre Theatre's version, which I saw last Saturday night, is no exception. In "Journey to Egypt" the Ishmaelites are portrayed as a motorcycle gang, in "Potiphar" the title character plays miniature golf trying to hit the ball into a Sphinx-like feature (which I thought was hilarious), in "Go, Go, Go, Joseph" the dancers emerge from psychedelic VW buses, "The Song of the King" is performed as a Las Vegas floor show complete with showgirls and waiters offering cocktails to audience members, and the "Megamix" is performed in a nightclub with Mrs. Potipher as the DJ spinning the tunes. These were all really fun touches and both Joseph (Zack Wilson) and the Narrator (Amelia Rose Moore) have incredible voices, but I didn't really like this production. Perhaps my friend Scott is right and it is overdone because I have seen much better versions. First of all, the lighting is way too dark, relying on colored lights and illuminated stars strung throughout the theatre to light the action. Sometimes I had a hard time seeing what was going on. Next, there was a lot going on. The stage at Hale Theatre is small and intimate and this is a big show with a large cast. There were many times when the action seemed to be a bit unwieldy, and even messy, with the moving on and off of set pieces and props and those set pieces and props were so completely over-the-top that they detracted from the action. Finally, I did not like the costumes at all. I thought they were dark, edgy, and a bit too avant-garde for my taste. In my opinion, they should be fun, colorful, and whimsical. My complaints all have to do with style; the music is, as ever, what makes this musical so popular and the cast does a fantastic job with all of the songs. I'm sure that most people will enjoy this production more than I did.

Another Saturday of Rugby

Last Saturday morning found all of us back at Murray Park for some rugby!  It is becoming a ritual just like football was in the fall.  I can't believe that I actually get up early on a Saturday!  Bountiful played Olympus, Hunter, and Herriman.  They barely lost to Olympus, they got killed by Hunter (I bet some of the players were little brothers of my students), and they beat Herriman.  Despite that win, Sean wasn't very happy at the end of the morning and could barely smile for me (but at least he did it!).  Here are a few action shots of him in the game against Hunter.

I overheard one of the Moms say that she had absolutely no idea what was going on.  Same!

Wonder Woman

I am in full summer mode now and it is glorious!  I went to see the movie Wonder Woman in the afternoon on a weekday (with my Mom) just because I could!  To say that I was excited to see this movie would be an understatement!  After all, I have been eagerly anticipating its release since I saw Batman v Superman.  I tried to keep my expectations in check, so I wouldn't be too disappointed if it wasn't very good, but I have to admit that I didn't do a very good job of it!  Now that I have seen it I can report that it exceeded my expectations in every way!  In my opinion, it is the best superhero movie, ever!  I absolutely love the character of Diana (Gal Gadot) and the story of her journey is told extremely well.  We first meet her on the island of Themyscira as a warrior-in-training.  When a pilot crash lands near the island, Diana saves him and learns of the world war raging all around her.  She believes that the god Ares has returned and it is his influence that has caused mankind to slaughter each other.  She decides to leave with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) to kill Ares and stop the conflict.  Even though there are Germans (Danny Huston and Elena Anaya) working to create an even deadlier form of mustard gas, I love the fact that the real villain of this movie is war itself and mankind's inclination to evil.  The ultimate lesson that Diana learns about mankind makes me feel more positive and hopeful than I have felt in a very long time and I love that she learns this lesson through her relationship with Steve Trevor.  I had a tear in my eye during a key moment between them.  In fact, I found this story to be incredibly emotional.  I love the fact that Diana is a strong woman but she needs the help of both Steve and the gang of misfits recruited for the mission in order to succeed.  There is a strong feminist message but it does not put men down in order to deliver it.  I think changing the source material from World War II to World War I was a brilliant decision because this conflict has often been called the war to end all wars and that is what Diana tries to do.  Gadot gives a wonderful performance highlighting both Diana's naivete and strength and I also enjoyed her chemistry with Pine.  This movie is very dark in tone, a oft-repeated criticism of the DCEU, and while I liked and even defended Batman v Superman because I feel like the subject matter warranted a dark and gritty treatment, I think Wonder Woman does a better job because there are also moments of levity, particularly Diana's fish-out-of-water scenes while trying on clothes, and moments of tenderness, especially after the group liberates a village from the Germans.  The special effects are amazing.  I could not look away from the screen during an epic battle scene where Diana takes the full brunt of Germany's fire.  I cannot say enough about this movie and how much I loved it.  I am especially thrilled that it is getting such glowing reviews because, in my opinion, it deserves them.  Definitely go see this movie!

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at the Eccles

Thursday night I went to the Eccles Theater to see the Broadway touring production of Rodger's & Hammerstein's Cinderella.  After watching this musical I can definitively say that I prefer the Disney version of this story.  I really didn't like the commentary on class structure and the fact that Cinderella is now a social reformer who must rescue the prince from everyone in his court deceiving him about the conditions in his kingdom.  I also didn't like the portrayal of the stepsisters who are merely silly instead of mean and end up as Cinderella's sympathetic conspirators.  I'm sure that this is an attempt to make the story more up-to-date for modern audiences but I yearned for the traditional fairy tale because it is so much more magical and romantic.  Having said that, I did love the gorgeous costumes and I was especially impressed by the quick changes from rags to elaborate ball gowns in the blink of an eye all while Cinderella is singing.  I also really loved the choreography, particularly during the "Cinderella Waltz" which is amazing.  Both Tatyana Lubov, as Cinderella, and Hayden Stanes, as Prince Topher, have wonderful voices and my favorite songs were "In My Own Little Corner," "Ten Minutes Ago," "A Lovely Night," and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"  Joanna Johnson, a Utah native, is hilarious as Charlotte, one of the stepsisters, and I really enjoyed her in the song "Stepsister's Lament."  There were a lot of little girls in the audience, wearing tiaras that you can buy in the lobby, but if you are planning to take your little girls you should know that this production is very different from the one that they are probably familiar with.  However, the performances, costumes, and choreography make this a fun night out.  It runs at the Eccles Theater through June 4 (go here for tickets).

Note:  The theater was evacuated in the middle of the ball scene because of a fire, which turned out to be a false alarm.  I was impressed that the cast was able to pick right up with the same energy as before the alarm.

Summer Reading: Truly Madly Guilty

The first selection on my summer reading list was Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. My former book club read Big Little Lies and What Alice Forgot, both of which I really enjoyed, so I was really looking forward to this, Moriarty's latest best-seller. Like these previous novels, Truly Madly Guilty is set present-day suburban Sydney and involves a great deal of foreshadowing before finally revealing the conflict. It centers on three couples: wealthy electrician Vid and his "smoking-hot wife" Tiffany (who used to be an exotic dancer), their neighbors Erika and Oliver who are both accountants, and Erika's childhood best friend, Clementine, a cellist, and her husband Sam. Vid spontaneously invites Erika and Oliver to a barbecue in his backyard and, when Erika reveals that Clementine, Sam, and their two young children are expected at their house for tea, he invites them along as well. Then an incident occurs at the barbecue and the narrative alternates between the night of the barbecue and several weeks later as the couples deal with the aftermath of the incident. All of these characters have issues, to say the least, and the incident at the barbecue bring them all to the forefront of their lives and they all feel a tremendous amount of guilt over what happened. The incident is referred to constantly and information is revealed with brief, and sometimes maddening, little flashes of information about what happened. I must admit that I literally couldn't put this book down, often reading well into the wee hours of the morning, because I had to know what happened at the barbecue. However, unlike Moriarty's previous novels, when the incident is finally revealed, I found it to be utterly anticlimactic and, to be honest, I quickly lost interest in the resolution. I did continue reading and I found the resolution, given the characters' backstories and their traumatic reactions to the incident, to be much too neat and pat. All of the characters are pretty unlikable, which is usual for Moriarty, but this time I didn't find them to be quirky or humorous and I wasn't really invested in what happened to them. This novel was a pretty big disappointment to me and reading it to the end seemed like a chore rather than a pleasure. I would definitely recommend reading Big Little Lies instead.

Have you read Truly Madly Guilty?  What did you think?

My Entire High School Sinking Into The Sea

Last night I met my new movie friends for dinner and a movie and it was such a fun night.  We saw My Entire High School Sinking Into The Sea, a quirky movie that all three of us really liked.  Dash (Jason Schwartzman) is a nerdy high school sophomore who writes for the school newspaper with his best friend Assaf (Reggie Watts) and Verti (Maya Rudolph), the editor.  He decides to write a story about the new addition of an auditorium and finds evidence that the school did not pass a safety inspection because it is located directly on a fault line.  No one listens to his warning but when the school actually begins to sink, he tries to evacuate everyone.  Only Assaf, Verti, a popular girl named Mary (Lena Dunham), and the lunch lady Lorraine (Susan Sarandon) join him in climbing to the top floor to be rescued.  As they climb each floor, which amusingly correspond to each grade level, they encounter new obstacles to their survival.  There is a great message about unlikely friendships and teamwork but what I loved most about this movie is that it is a spoof of the usual teen high school movie, with the requisite stereotypical characters such as the stoner and the jock (I loved the scene where the sports hero is sitting on a throne with the other athletes and cheerleaders paying homage to him), combined with a disaster movie with all of those usual tropes (my friend described it as if Napoleon Dynamite and The Poseidon Adventure had a baby).  The animation is innovative and psychedelic.  The characters look like they have been drawn with a sharpie but there are lots of wild and trippy colors swirling around everywhere.  This movie is what might happen if Wes Anderson were to drop acid and get his 64 pack of Crayola crayons out (Dash reminds me of Max Fischer and the school is an almost exact copy of the Grand Budapest Hotel).  It is out there but I highly recommend it!

The Lovers

Yesterday was the first official day of summer vacation and I spent it doing all of the things I love to do when I have free time:  I slept in scandalously late, I spent most of the afternoon reading, and I went to a late movie.  The movie I chose to see was an indie at my favorite art house theater called The Lovers.  It was an interesting exploration of marriage anchored by great performances by Debra Winger and Tracy Letts.  Mary (Winger) and Michael (Letts) are a middle-aged couple whose marriage has become stale.  They are both involved in long-term affairs, Mary with an uptight poet (Aidan Gillen) and Michael with a neurotic ballerina (Melora Walters), and both of their lovers are pushing them to end the marriage to be with them.  Just when they are on the verge of divorce, they suddenly become physically attracted to each other all over again and, ostensibly, cheat on their lovers.  They actually sneak around to be with each other and lie to their lovers about what they are doing in some highly amusing scenes.  I especially liked a scene when they are with their lovers but surreptitiously texting each other.  I really enjoyed this movie because it explored familiar themes about the break-up of a marriage in a new and interesting way and the ending surprised me.  Neither character is particularly likable but, somehow, I was drawn into their relationship without a lot of tedious exposition.  I haven't seen Debra Winger in a movie for a long time and it was good to see her in such a great role.  Both WInger and Letts have great chemistry (in some pretty steamy scenes) and I laughed out loud several times.  I recommend The Lovers to people who like intelligent movies about relationships.

Note:  I hope to repeat this day often this summer!

Two Tries!

Once again Marilyn, my Mom, and I went to see Sean play rugby last Saturday and this time we actually got to see him play!  Just so you know rugby is incomprehensible (although I understand it better after watching a few games) and Sean is very good at it!  Bountiful played Copper Hills, West Lake, and Taylorsville and they won the game against West Lake!  Sean and two other kids on the team are over the height and weight limits for his age group so, unless the team they play is physically matched with them, they cannot tackle but can only touch the other players.  I think this is a little bit frustrating for Sean because, when he had the opportunity to tackle against West Lake because they were similar in size, he let loose.  At first he was a bit timid but then he started knocking kids to the ground!  He was always involved in the action and he was able to run the ball the entire length of the field for a try two different times!  It was so fun to watch and the three of us just about lost our minds cheering for him!  By the way, a try is a point in rugby which I think is dumb because he didn't just try to score, he actually scored!  One of the things I really like about rugby is at the end of the game all of the players link arms and bow to the crowd!  That is cool!  Here are some pictures of Sean in action!

This is the scrum.  It is used to determine who gets the ball (kind of like a jump ball in basketball).  Sean is always in the middle of the scrum!

Sean had this amazing tackle right in front of me so I was able to capture it!

The teams bowing to the crowd at the end of the game!

He was all smiles after his big win!

I sure do love watching him play!

Dead Men Tell No Tales

Last Thursday I went see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and I thought it was a lot of fun.  I loved Curse of the Black Pearl but I liked each successive sequel less and less (I hated On Stranger Tides) so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this latest entry in the franchise.  Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) is searching for the Trident of Poseidon as a way to break the curse that binds his father Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) to The Flying Dutchman.  He is helped by Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), an astronomer (who is periodically accused of being a witch) who has a map that can locate the Trident.  The two of them encounter Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), as he is trying to rob a bank, and the three join forces.  Meanwhile, Salazar (Javier Bardem), an undead captain in the Spanish Armada who was trapped in the Devil's Triangle by Jack Sparrow, vows revenge against him and enlists the help of Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to find him.  They all meet up for an epic confrontation on the sea for control of the Trident.  The story is kind of all over the place and there are a lot of characters to keep track of (every captain has a large crew and the British Royal Navy makes an appearance) but it has a similar tone and feel as the first movie in the franchise.  I loved all of the swashbuckling action sequences on land, especially one involving Jack Sparrow and a guillotine, and the sea battles are also pretty spectacular (although the sequence involving the Trident of Poseidon drags on a bit).  Javier Bardem is a great villain (I loved his hair) and Johnny Depp is always highly amusing as Sparrow.  I also enjoyed the (very brief) return of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley as Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann and I squealed with delight at the cameo of Paul McCartney as Jack's uncle (I guess Keith Richards and Paul McCartney are brothers?).  This movie is definitely not a masterpiece but it is a great summer blockbuster and it was a fun way for me to start my summer vacation.  If you are a fan of the franchise, then I suspect you will enjoy it.

The Rite of Spring

Last night's Utah Symphony concert was the final one of the 2016-2017 season.  In my opinion it has been an outstanding season as it has featured so many incredible performances of some of my favorite pieces.  Last night was no exception.  The orchestra began with a piece by Tchaikovsky called Souvenir d'un lieu cher (Memory of a dear place).  It consists of three little vignettes which were originally intended for a violin concerto but they were abandoned and later orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov.  I thought all three of them were beautiful with a lovely performance by soloist Simone Porter on violin.  Next the orchestra played Ameriques by Edgard Varese and it was quite spectacular.  This piece was written when Varese moved to New York City after World War I.  He wanted to capture the cacophony of industrialization and one of the main themes involved a siren!  I was very impressed by the sheer number of musicians on the stage (there were 15 musicians on percussion instruments alone!).  After the intermission the orchestra concluded the concert with The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky and it was amazing.  This piece, as the same implies, is about a pagan ritual celebrating the advent of spring and I think it is wild and exuberant.  I really loved all of the themes played by the brass and the timpani and I could definitely see young girls dancing with abandon as I listened.  I really enjoyed this concert (especially since I am now officially on summer vacation) and I recommend getting a ticket to tonight's concert featuring the same program (go here).

Note:  The Utah Symphony will be performing concerts at various outdoor venues during the summer.  I am particularly looking forward to La La Land performed in concert at the Usana Amphitheater and to Leslie Odom, Jr. (from the original cast of Hamilton) with the Utah Symphony at the Deer Valley Amphitheater.

Summer Reading 2017

Today is the last day of school and you know what that means:  uninterrupted time for reading!  My summer reading list is back by popular demand (okay one person asked me about it).  This year's selections come from a list of the most popular fiction of 2016 (found here) and I think it includes an eclectic mix by authors I enjoy.  I'm looking forward to all of them!  I will be reading Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty, Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout, The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, The Girls by Emma Cline, Nutshell by Ian McEwan, Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley, All The Ugly And Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood, Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, and Commonwealth by Ann Patchett.  Like last year, I will review each of these selections here every Friday.  I hope you will join me and tell me what you think in the comments!  Yay for summer reading!

What I Want To Remember

Last week our principal took me and all of the SBOs to lunch at Little America, as he does every year, and it was a lovely afternoon.  It is always nice to be able to leave school for a few hours and go downtown for lunch at a fancy restaurant (the food at Little America is fabulous, especially the desserts).  Our principal had the officers talk about their favorite memories and that made me really happy.  We have had quite a bit of drama in student government this year and I've been feeling a bit negative about the year.  I'm glad I had the chance to be reminded of all of the good things that happened this year.  These are the things I want to remember.

Norman

On Monday night I went to see the dark comedy Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer.  Richard Gere gives an incredible performance (possibly the best of his career) as Norman Oppenheimer, a small-time hustler in New York City who does an enormous favor for Micha Eschel (Lior Ashkenazi), a low-level diplomat in the Israeli government, in order to get an invitation to a dinner thrown by Arthur Taub (Josh Charles), a high profile financier (the exchange between Norman and Taub is one of the most cringe-worthy scenes I've ever seen).  Norman's prospects change when, three years later, Eschel becomes the Prime Minister of Israel.  He does a few more favors for Eschel, such as getting his son into Harvard, and then attempts to use this connection to his advantage.  Will he pull off the biggest deals of his life or will it all come crashing down around him?   I enjoyed this often slow-moving film because of Richard Gere's sympathetic portrayal of a character who is pretty annoying, especially when he tries to hustle a woman on a train, but somehow you can't help rooting for him to succeed.  There is an especially poignant scene where Eschel essentially throws him under the bus to save his political career and it almost brought me to tears.  I liked how many of the phone conversations are portrayed as if the two people talking are side-by-side (there are many phone conversations because Norman is always hustling).  Finally, I also really liked the supporting cast:  Michael Sheen as Norman's much beleaguered nephew, Dan Stevens (who seems to be everywhere these days) as a financier, and Steve Buscemi as a rabbi.  This film is quite dark in tone so is not for everybody but I recommend it to those who like character-driven films about interesting people.