Books I Took on Vacation

I'm not much of a vacation reader, preferring to be "doing" on trips like this. But I took a couple books along this time and surprised myself at the progress I made without sacrificing doing.

Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owen
You'll find this one in the teen fiction section at your bookstore. I bought it partially out of jealousy of my wife's now (thankfully) concluded Twilight series binge. I felt I needed a book written for someone half my age, too.

It's a great idea executed competently. That alone makes it stand out on the bookshelf. I can't help but think that I would have enjoyed this book a great deal more if I'd read it in junior high, but it was a decent plane read. I don't want to say a whole lot about it, and I caution you against reading synopses or blurbs about the book, as several I've seen give away some fun stuff.

The set-up is this: three Englishmen during World War I come into possession of The Imaginarium Geographica, an ancient book of maps of all the lands of make-believe, myth and fairy tale. A sinister force wants the book, and the men find themselves on a great adventure to protect it and the lands it details.

Owen has put his imagination to work here, and there are certainly payoffs. Unfortunately, the story is populated by flat characters. It's the first in a series, but I doubt I will pick up the next volume.

The Blue Latitudes by Tony Horwitz
I picked this one up a couple years ago at a bargain sale and it's been on my list ever since. I figured what better time to read it then on a trip to Hawaii? Cook was the first Westerner to visit the islands, and it's where he met his eventual doom.

The book is written by Pulitzer-winner Tony Horwitz, who retraced Cook's three Pacific voyages, interviewing the modern peoples of the lands Cook visited to get their take on the man who mapped the unknown parts of the globe in the late 1700s.

Horwitz's take on the present state of the South Pacific is a bit depressing and disillusioning. While interesting, I have to say I'm finding the book somewhat one-note. Horwitz alternates between his experiences in the South Pacific and the tale Cook and his men left in diaries and other accounts.

Horwitz's description of present-day Hawaii (Big Island) is especially dismal, and that's his description of the scenery, which I couldn't disagree with more. This alone casts his take into question for me.

Regardless of this slant, it can't be denied that the South Pacific has been exoticized and romanticized while the often low quality of life of the original inhabitants is hidden behind the shimmering images put forth by the tourist industries. This pattern seems to have begun shortly after the Europeans arrived. Even Cook lamented the effects he saw on later voyages.

But the book doesn't slight Cook's genius. Charts he drew while exploring the coast of New Zealand were in use until 1994. While his journals don't reveal a man given to emotion or excitement, the trajectory his life took makes him a remarkable character.

Vacation Hangover

We are back from a great week in Kauai with Diana's parents, sister and brother-in-law.

We landed in LA at 5am yesterday, and tonight I'm finally alert enough to put some thoughts down.  We both went to work yesterday after we landed.  Aside from the sleep deprivation, I suffered all day from Vacation Hangover.  My first day back, all I can think are thoughts like "Eight hours ago I was looking at swaying palm trees...Twelve hours ago I was having a mai tai on the beach...Fourteen hours ago I was in the warm Pacific Ocean looking up at verdant green cliffs all around me...Twenty-four hours ago I was filling up my rental car at the Lihue Costco..."  Ah, exotic Hawaii.

But today we are back in body and mind.

I'll spare you the blow by blow account and share a few pictures.


Jump or rope-swing off the top of Kipu Falls, the waterfall featured at the beginning of "Raiders of the Lost Ark."  Awesome.



Kalalea Mountain.  The Paramount Logo dissolves to a shot of this peak at the beginning of "Raiders."



Tiramisu at family-owned Pomodoro in Kalaheo in celebration of Diana's birthday.  Pretty darn tasty.



The in-laws at Pomodoro.



Roaring Wailua Falls.



En route to the bottom of Wailua Falls.



Denied further passage due to a flooded trail.



Sign we passed at the trailhead.  Really, it's more like a guideline.



Out of use sugar mill in Lihue.



Target practice.



Frolicking in the crystal-clear, still waters of Hanalei Bay.



Fish swimming in the Bay.



Diana at Hanalei Bay.



Me at Hanalei Bay, wearing my Kauai fishing cap.



Zac looms high over the waves at Lumahai.



Waiting for expensive drinks at the Hilton.



Zac and Christi rockin the Aloha look.



Part 1 of Zac and Brice's surf fishing saga.



Part 2.



Part 3.  Mmmm...



A couple of mai tais for the road -- or flight.



Duke's cheddar burger and mai tai on the beach a couple hours before departure.



And a Hula Pie.  Lovely Hula Pie.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Finally saw this last night.

Wow! I loved this movie.

I've wanted to watch it for a long time, but kind of always thought I would be lukewarm about it. How good can a movie be that is shipbound for two hours? But it's a great story with solid performances (from Crowe and Paul Bettany, especially), great writing, directing, action, amazing sound and some very memorable moments.

I'm still thinking about it the next day.

Shared Items

I thought I'd draw attention real quick to one of the side bar features to the right.  It's called Brice's Shared Items.  These are blog posts and websites that I've found interesting, provoking or appetizing. 

You can click on the title of a post and be taken to the web page, or click on "Read more..." at the bottom of the white box and you'll see a blog style compilation of all the posts generated by Google Reader, Google's RSS aggregator.  If you choose to view my shared items this way, you'll see that on many posts I add a quick note with my reactions at the top. 

Google Reader is a great app from the team in Mountain View.  If you're not using an aggregator to subscribe to the blogs you read, I highly recommend it.  If you are on Reader, let's be friends!

Saturn Hyperdrive

I"m not a huge fan of our Saturns, but this feature does come in handy. Thanks, Chris.