Portland Adventures

The last day of our trip was spent enjoying the city of Portland.

We started out the day with a fancy breakfast at a french restaurant called La Provence.

I should note that I have eaten at fancy, expensive restaurants like La Caille, in Utah.  La Caille is good, and it has a beautiful atmosphere, but there was something about this restaurant that made me feel like I was in Paris.  They brought us a croissant with jam and a fancy brie cheese.  We were seated in the outdoor seating, and between the outdoor atmosphere, the gentle breeze and the taste of the croissant and cheese, I had Deja Vu to when we were in Paris.  I have never had that strong of a feeling that takes me back somewhere, but this restaurant really brought that to me.  I know that the restaurant is actually trying to emulate Provence, France and not Paris, but I haven't been there, so for me it took me back to Paris.

After the croissant, they brought me my omelette filled with stretchy cheese.  Sooooo goood!

The first major landmark of the day was the Portland Temple.  As most of you know, we have been going on a tour of all the LDS temples near us and we love to make the temple part of many of our vacations.  This temple was really beautiful.  I wrote a little more about it on my temple blog.

After the temple, we headed in to downtown Portland. The first and most important landmark we wanted to hit was Powell's City of Books.  I can't express to you how awesome this place was.  I tried to get a picture to show how big it was, but there isn't one picture that captures it.  It has about a dozen "rooms".  Each room is roughly the size of the Barnes and Noble in my hometown.  Here is a view looking down on a small portion of one room.

I wandered around for a bit, I looked at the rare books room which was super cool.  It was fun to look at books that were being sold for thousands of dollars.  Finally I came to the important room which had science fiction and fantasy.  Robyn and I had separated to look at different genres, but she knew exactly where to find me when she was done.  She snapped this picture (below) of me perusing the excellent selection of stories.

When we got out, we had to snag a picture of us in front of the store.  I didn't buy tons of books, I limited myself to books that were either out of print, hard to find elsewhere or were cheaper because they were used.  (They had both new and used books in the store.)  Below is a picture of me with one of my spoils.

After Powell's it was time for dinner.  We asked Foursquare where we should go and it suggested a place called Oven and Shaker.  It was a pizza place and I figured the title was for the oven where they cook the pizza and a shaker for parmesan cheese or something similar.  It turns out that the shaker part was for mixing drinks.  Apparently, they are very famous for their alcohol.  The waitress was kind of blown away that we ordered water.  Who drinks water at a place famous for its alcohol?

Mormons.  That's who.

Robyn posing with delicious pizza. 

Me with delicious pizza.  (And my pitcher of water.)

Finally, it was time for dessert.  We had heard of a super famous ice cream place called Salt & Straw.  It's somewhat of a Portland icon, so of course we had to head there.  When we got there the line wove around inside the building and then went out the door and wrapped half way around the block.  I have never seen such a long line for ice cream.  That's what happens when the place is super famous.  We decided to wait in the line and I was super impressed with how fast it moved.  I looked at my watch and there were only 22 minutes from the time we got in line to the time I was holding ice cream in my hand.  Not bad!

Showing off my delicious find.

Look at that cutie and her ice cream.

After ice cream, we decided we had experienced enough of the city and headed back to our hotel room for the night.

The next morning it was time to begin the long drive home.  We stopped off at one last landmark on the way out of town.

I wanted to go to Multnomah Falls.  It's been on my bucket list for a long time.  We had tried a few days earlier when we were done backpacking, but the parking lot was so packed that we would have had to park miles away.  We figured we'd give it a go early in the morning in hopes that there would be at least one parking spot.

We got there pretty early and the parking lot was less than half full.  So we got to make the super short hike to see it all.

By the sign on the way in.

Looking up at the falls

Of course we hiked up to the bridge.

Selfie on the bridge

The waterfall from the bridge.

An animation from Google

A fancy version from Google.

Our total time at Multnomah Falls was probably less then 30 minutes.  After that, we got back on the road and drove to Boise.  Our final landmark of the trip was the Boise Temple.

Here's a fun silhouette of the temple.  You can see more pics on my temple blog.

We spent the night in Boise and then completed the road trip home.

Unfortunately, that meant our trip was over.  That also means I'm done blogging about our trip.  I know that saddens your soul.

Reviewer of the Future

I like books.  But one thing that is even better than books is free books!

So I'd like to share the story about how I became the reviewer of the future.  A position that receives infinite books in exchange for reviews.

About a year ago, I discovered the Goodreads First Reads program.  It's basically the greatest thing ever.  The way it works is that there are authors who would like reviews of their works.  These authors are willing to give away a free copy of their work in exchange for an honest review.  (I'm sure they would prefer a good review, but I think the fact that they ask for an honest review lends more value to good reviews.)

They list on Goodreads that they are giving away x number of copies.  People like me sign up saying they are interested in a copy, and then they select who they give the books to.  (I assume there are any number of factors that help them decide, everything from what type of reviews the individuals have written in the past, to complete randomness.)

When I discovered this program, I started signing up for books like a madman.  It took a while to be selected.  But once I got selected for a few and read them and wrote reviews quickly, I think that increased my karma in the eyes of future authors doing giveaways.  I began getting a lot more.  I became so inundated with free books that I completely stopped signing up because I wanted to catch up on all the books I'd received, and I also had other books I was interested in reading.  (I still pay for books, crazy I know.)

But it turns out, there comes a point where you don't have to sign up for giveaways in order to receive giveaways.  Last year, one of the books that I won and reviewed was Writers of the Future Volume 29.  I gave it a rave review, not because I was trying to flatter anyone in response for getting a free book (I have given several one star reviews, even from free books) but because I really thought it was that good.

I had never been exposed to the Writers of the Future contest before, but it's really a great thing.  It is a contest for amateur authors.  If you have never published a novel, and have published less than 2 short stories, you are eligible for this contest.  The contest is ongoing, with winners every 3 months.  The winners get a cash prize and get the opportunity to be published in the annual Writers of the Future collection while still retaining complete ownership of their story with its copyright privileges and control of future publishing.

So I read a great collection, loved it, reviewed it, and discovered an awesome program that helps fledgling writers.  If that was the end of the story, it would be a happy ending.  But it's not.  (I know you're on the edge of your seat waiting to know what happens next.)  (Okay, not really, I recognize I can't make a story about a book review that interesting.  Thanks for sticking around anyway.)

The following year, I was contacted by Galaxy Press, the publisher of the Writers of the Future collections.  They were getting ready to publish Volume 30, and they enjoyed my review so much the previous year that they said they'd like to send me another free copy.

Of course I said yes!

Doesn't it look so fun?  It's even more fun when it's free!

It did take me a while to get to it.  I was busy reading Hugo nominated works.  But, I did finally post a review.  Fun fact:  I loved it just as much as the previous year's collection.  After posting it, I was contacted by Galaxy Press.  They said they appreciated the detail I put into it, and I'm on the list to receive next year's collection.  Booya!

So I have named my new position the Reviewer of the Future.  I don't know if I will retain this position for all eternity, but I'd like to let Galaxy Press know that I am willing to review these collections as long as they are willing to continue to send them.

Also, I'd like everyone else to know that the Reviewer of the Future is also willing to review other things besides the Writers of the Future contest.

I do recommend sending me things that are actually good.  I do have this problem where I'm honest, so I'm more than willing to say that something is garbage if it actually is.  But that honesty means that I will fawn over your work like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, if it actually is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  (Which is difficult, because sliced bread is awesome.)

Do you have anything I need to read?  The Reviewer of the Future is ready.

The Asimov Shelf

I love books.

I own a lot of them.

I own more books than I do shelves.  This is a big problem.

We've lived in our house about 3 years.  Our old house had built-in bookshelves so that I had plenty of places to put all of my books.  They were organized by genre, and then within genres, they were organized by author.  The highly structured organization was pleasing to my brain.  Not to mention, it was super easy to find what I was looking for if I ever wanted to refer to something I had read, or just to go back and read a favorite passage.

Then we moved.  I love our new house, but one thing it lacks is the built-in bookshelves.  While we do own shelves, we do not own enough to make up for our lack of built-ins.  When we moved, things went into boxes not by genre, or by author, but by size.  If we had room for one more paperback in a box, it went in that box.  It didn't matter if it was a zombie novel next to a historical fiction, they just went in together.

When we unpacked, we just unpacked what we could, and things went on the shelf next to what they had been packed next to.

It was chaos.  Books on finance next to space operas.  Fantasy next to religious books.  Economics books hiding among zombies.  I know you're understanding the horror.  It's not pretty.

I tried to organize, but since half of our books were in boxes, it seemed that to have everything organized would require to take some things out of boxes while putting other things in boxes.  They wouldn't be on shelves but at least they'd be together.  It seemed like too much work, since the end result would still leave it difficult to find a particular book inside a box.  I never made the effort.  The horror continued.

I'd been bothering Robyn to authorize a bookshelf purchase for quite some time.  I just wanted some place to put books.  She wanted something that was beautiful and glorious that would change our lives forever.  I have nothing against beautiful, glorious, life changing items, but it's just hard to find them.  So 3 years went by and the horror of my book collection only grew.

Then a friend had a bookshelf for sale for $10.  I asked Robyn, expecting her to say that it wasn't life changing.  But she approved!

This means I now have room to start putting books in an organized fashion.  It's sort of like the game Freecell.  You need those extra free cells to organize all the cards.

So the great change has begun.  I figured I'd start with my favorite author.  I went through all our boxes and all our shelves.  (I still haven't found them all, there are some hiding elsewhere, but I've made progress).  I now have a shelf dedicated to Isaac Asimov!

It's only 1 shelf, but it's the beginning of the organization that will spread throughout my house.  Very soon, I will be able to tell you where any book I own resides.

Because of that, this new book shelf really will be life changing.

The Best Books

A friend of mine posted on Facebook asking for people to list ten books that have moved you or touched you.  I thought for a few moments, named a few books that had been important in my life, listed them and moved on.  It was no biggie, just a fun little Facebook game and a chance to share the names of a few books that I have enjoyed.

A few others shared their lists but then a stranger commented and said the following:

The Book of Mormon, The Holy Bible, The Pearl of Great Price, The Doctrine and Covenants, The Book of Mormon again. Lather, rinse, and repeat = 10. Who really needs more than the word of the Lord?

That's a valid question, I suppose.  I'm certainly an advocate of the word of the Lord, but I wholly disagreed with this person's message.

I wanted to reply.  I wanted to say something.  But, I didn't want to argue on a friend's wall, especially with a stranger.  I also wasn't sure if this person was fully serious, and I didn't want to unnecessarily cause hurt feelings.  Finally, I didn't feel like Facebook was the forum to share my thoughts.  I didn't want to be misunderstood or misconstrued due to trying to share my feelings briefly enough to be read in a Facebook post.

Luckily, it turns out that I have a forum right here where  I can share my thoughts and be as long winded as I like, in order to fully convey my feelings.

I'm sure that person will never read this, but I wanted to answer their question anyway.  It's something I want to say, not for it to be heard by that person or any person in particular, but just because I feel it needs saying.

So to answer the question, "Who really needs more than the word of the Lord?"

I do.

I guess that's the simple answer to the question, isn't it?  I could just stop there, and I would have answered it.  But I want to be clear about why that is the answer.  First, I want to be clear that in saying that I need something besides the canonized scripture, I'm certainly not disparaging scripture in any way.  I can honestly say that if I were only allowed to keep one book from my collection, it would be The Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon remains the book I have read cover to cover more times than any other book.  The Holy Bible, I will admit, I have only read cover to cover twice, but I have spent countless hours studying specific topics or specific sections.

I read Luke chapter 2 every Christmas Eve, so I've read it at least 32 times. (But I know the number is much higher than that.)  The story of the birth of our Savior still touches me.  I also love to read 3 Nephi chapter 1, to get the story from the perspective of the people in the Americas.  I particularly love the words of  the Savior whispered through the Holy Spirit on Christmas Eve: "Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets."

I imagine what it must have been like, for both sets of peoples as they gazed upon the star, realizing that the God they had worshiped was coming to earth to pave the way to forgiveness from sin.  That He would be a mortal man, a baby even.  I marvel at the feelings they must have felt, the emotions that must have run through them.  The stories are powerful and poignant.

I tell you all that, just so that you understand my perspective.  I love the scriptures.  I cherish the word of the Lord.  But that doesn't diminish the fact that I have a need for other stories, other words.  I have a need to learn from other mortal men and women, from their victories, from their defeats, from their thoughts, from their myths and from their tales.

The scriptures themselves even say that we should seek words of wisdom from the best books.  I challenge anyone to watch an entire session of General Conference and see if you can find one session that never quotes from literature outside of canonized scripture.  Certainly, the prophets and many men of wisdom agree that there are treasures to be found in books.

I want to share with you a few books, a few stories that have been transformational in my life.  These books may or may not touch you if you read them.  I fully expect that the books that touch you will be different in many cases.  Your personal experiences and needs are different from mine.  I'm so glad that there is a whole world of books to teach us all the things we need to know.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

This book did not have the most interesting story in the series.  There are other Narnia books I enjoyed more.  However, there was one scene that was so profound for me.

The boy Eustace has been turned into a dragon, which is quite inconvenient.  He wants nothing more than to be a boy again.  But he needs Aslan's help.

"The water was as clear as anything and I thought if I could get in there and bathe it would ease the pain in my leg. but the lion told me I must undress first. Mind you, I dont know if he said any words out loud or not. 

I was just going to say that I couldn't undress because I hadn't any clothes on when I suddenly thought that dragons are snaky sort of things and snakes can cast their skins. Oh, of course, thought I, that's what the lion means. So I started scratching myself and my scales began coming off all over the place. And then I scratched a little deeper and , instead of just scales coming off here and there, my whole skin started peeling off beautifully, like it does after an illness, or as if I was a banana. In a minute or two I jsut stepped out of it. I could see it lying there beside me, looking rather nasty. It was a most lovely feeling. So I started to go down into the well for my bathe.

But just as I was going to put my feet into the water I looked down and saw that they were all hard and rough and wrinkled and scaly just as they had been before. Oh, that's all right, said I, it only means I had another smaller suit on underneath the first one, and I'll have to get out of it too. So I scratched and tore again and this underskin peeled off beautifully and out I stepped and left it lying beside the other one and went down to the well for my bathe.

Well, exactly the same thing happened again. And I thought to myself, oh dear, how ever many skins have I got to take off? For I was longing to bathe my leg. So I scratched away for the third time and got off a third skin, just like the two others, and stepped out of it. But as soon as I looked at myself in the water I knew it had been no good.
The the lion said - but I don't know if it spoke - 'You will have to let me undress you.' I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it. 

The very first tear he made was do deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know - if you've ever picked the scab of a sore place. It hurts like billy-oh but it is such fun to see it coming away.

Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off - just as I thought I'd done it myself the other three times, only they hadn't hurt - and there it was lying on the grass: only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly-looking than the others had been. And there was Ias smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been. Then he caught hold of me - I didn't like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I'd no skin on - and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I'd turned into a boy again. You'd think me simply phoney if I told you how I felt about my own arms. I know they've no muscle and are pretty mouldy compared with Caspian's, but I was so glad to see them.

After a bit the lion took me out and dressed me - (with his paws?) - Well, I don't exactly remember that bit. But he did somehow or other: in new clothes - the same I've got on now, as a matter of fact. and then suddenly I was back here. Which is what makes me think it must have been a dream."

Of course, Aslan is symbolic for Christ.  This scene was so profound for me because there are things we try to change about ourselves or weaknesses that we try to overcome.  We try and try and try to do it on our own, but we just cant.  Then we give it to Christ, and He changes us.  Sometimes it really hurts, but it's only through Him that it's possible to achieve what we really desire.


Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

The first time I read this book I was a scrawny little kid.  I had felt what it's like to be bullied by people bigger than me.  The idea of a kid who overcomes beings more powerful than him through his smarts was so appealing to me.  It was such an empowering story.

Then I read it again, years and years later, after I had gone through a period where I was no longer the little kid.  I went through a period where I took advantage of the fact that I was bigger than other people.  I became a bully.  Reading this book as an adult and looking back on those times makes me realize how powerful this book really is.  When I read it as a child, I glossed over the parts where Ender was terrified of becoming like his cruel brother.  I ignored his sorrow at having harmed others even if it was only to protect himself.  I felt his empathy and his sorrow for the harm that he committed.

The underlying theme of the importance of empathy for others, even when those others seek to harm you, is incredibly profound.

His Needs Her Needs by Willard F. Harley Jr.

I read this book on my honeymoon.  I had just entered a new phase of my life, and I wanted to be armed with the information I needed.  This book explained that my wife's needs are different from mine.  Having that information articulated for me has been foundational to helping me build a healthy relationship.

Your First Year With Diabetes: What to do Month by Month by Theresa Garnero

After being diagnosed with diabetes, I was terrified.  I had no idea what the next step was.  This book was the perfect comfort.  It started out with something I could read every day.  It was perfect for me.  Each day I would read the new information and just work on that.  At first it was things like, "stop smoking."  It was sure nice to know I was already doing some things right by not smoking.  It added things like, "eat more vegetables", but eventually got more complex, explaining blood sugar, what insulin is, how the pancreas works and various other things.

After a while, I just finished the book rather than delaying it with the month by month information, figuring I was ready to digest everything it had to offer.  I'm actually still in my first year but I've lost 65 pounds and dropped my A1C to 5.6.  This book really helped hold my hand along the way, especially in the beginning when I needed to be spoon fed and take baby steps.

The Foundation by Isaac Asimov

There wasn't anything in particular about this book that moved me or changed me, other than the fact that it was the book that truly started my hunger for reading.  I read this book and then devoured everything written by Isaac Asimov, and branched out from there to other authors.  So, this book made me a voracious reader, and that has changed me more than anything.

The Good Samaritan
I know what you're thinking, "Jeff, this is a Bible story.  I thought you were going to share books besides scripture."  Yes, you're right.  This is a story that comes from Scripture.  It's a good story too.  A story about how we should love our neighbor.  But there's more to the story that isn't in the Bible.  When Jesus asks, which of the three was neighbor unto the man that fell among thieves?  The answer is, of course, the Samaritan, the man that showed mercy.

But why did Jesus use a Samaritan as the merciful individual?  This story actually has undertones of being a lesson about racism.  The Jews hated Samaritans.  They were mud bloods. (Hat tip to the Harry Potter books for giving us the perfect term to describe how the Jews felt about Samaritans.)  Jesus was trying to teach that it's not one's station or race that makes you a neighbor, it's how you treat other human beings.

Do you know where I learned about the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans?  I can't even remember what book it was in, (thus why I put "The Good Samaritan" as the heading) but it was an essay by Isaac Asimov that I read when I was 13 years old.  Of course, I've studied ancient cultures much more in depth since then, but my first exposure came from an essay written by an atheist.   And, though I've learned that lesson a number of times in different books, and I've delved deeper in scripture study guides and other aides, I will always be grateful to Asimov for teaching me the importance of understanding the deeper context.

I guess the message I'm trying to convey is that I truly love books.  I see value in reading and learning out of any great literature.  I'm not saying we shouldn't study the scriptures, but I am definitely saying that we should study out of all the great books of the world, and glean truth from anywhere that we can find it.

I'm saying that there are much more than 10 books that have moved me or touched me.  I'm saying that I need much more than just the scriptures, and I'm completely okay with that.

The Barnes and Noble Date

Since Robyn and I have been together, we've made it a goal to do a "date night" once a week.  Back when we were just dating, I went out of my way to be super creative with date ideas.  I put together elaborate ideas that involved intricate plans, multiple locations, and some even lasted all day long.

Since we've been married, my creativity has definitely dropped.  Most weeks our date consists of going out to dinner.  It's certainly not the most creative, but we both enjoy the time together, and we both have a deep and abiding love for food.

However, there is one date idea that I think is at least semi creative.  We've done it several different times, and it is definitely one of my favorite activities.

I call this brilliant idea, the Barnes and Noble date.

Before I explain this date, there is something you should know about me.  I love to read.  As a teenager, I was a member of the Science Fiction Book Club.  Each month, I would get the little newsletter (that was essentially a book catalog) and I would pore over it, excitedly looking at what was new in the science fiction community.  As I got older, Amazon replaced the Science Fiction Book Club, and I have expanded my horizons to include other books besides science fiction.  (But don't worry, I still read plenty of science fiction.)

So here's the premise of the Barnes and Noble date.  Robyn often gets gift cards from her students, (or more accurately, their parents) for Christmas, or end of the year, or teacher appreciation day or whatever other reason students have to give presents to teachers.  (I personally think there should be more reasons for presents, but that's just me.)  One company that the cards often represent, is Barnes and Noble.

The date is simple.  We go to Barnes and Noble, we take the gift card, and we each get to choose exactly one book.

Robyn occasionally makes me go shopping with her for things like clothes.  On these occasions I usually weep and wail and gnash my teeth.  But shopping for books is totally different.  I love to stew over what book to purchase.  I use my Goodreads and Amazon apps on my phone to scan the ISBN number and then read reviews.

I buy books all the time.  But the Barnes and Noble date is different.  I try to come without any preconceived notion of what I will walk out of the store with.  I try to find something that I wasn't aware of before, that will bring me gladness.

It's like a treasure hunt, trying to discover that gem that you didn't know already existed.

Are you dying to know what gem I unearthed?  Well, what if the man who brought us John Carter and Tarzan wrote a book about a land filled with dinosaurs?  Wouldn't that be a fabulous gem?

I haven't actually read it yet, but it seemed like a gem.  So I made it happen.

What are some creative date ideas that you have tried?