Let's Get Rocked

Even though the summer is almost over I still managed to fit in one more outdoor concert!  Tonight I went to see Def Leppard at the Usana Amphitheater with my cousin Megan!  It was so much fun!  The opening band was Heart and I had forgotten how much I really like them!  Ann Wilson can still belt out a power ballad and I was really happy to hear some of their earliest hits including "Magic Man," "Crazy On You," "Straight On," and, of course, "Barracuda."  Then they played "What About Love" and "These Dreams" from my very favorite album Heart.  Finally, they sang an incredible rendition of "Alone."  Wow!  Then the lads from Sheffield took the stage and I basically took a time machine back to the 1980s!  I absolutely loved Def Leppard when I was in high school and I played the album Hysteria over and over!  They came out with "Let's Get Rocked" and then proceeded to play all of the hits including "Animal," "Love Bites," "Foolin'," "Photograph," "Two Steps Behind," "Hysteria," "Rocket," and "Armageddon It."  I think my favorite part of the evening was an amazing acoustic version of "Bringin' on the Heartbreak."  It was epic!  They ended the show with "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and then came back with "Rock of Ages" for the encore.  I loved every single minute of it!  In fact, both Megan and I thought it went by much too fast!

Note:  I had such a great time with Megan!  We talked and talked!  I didn't spend as much time with my Johnson cousins as I did my Anderson cousins while growing up but Megan and I definitely want to change that!

There's No Cure For Paris

While on a study abroad trip to France I read A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway's memoir of his time in Paris during the 1920s, almost obsessively.  All of the characters in the book became real to me as I wandered through the streets of Paris but Hadley Richardson, Hemingway's first wife, fascinated me because she has very little dialogue in the book but plays a very pivotal role.  Hemingway wrote this memoir later in his life and the tone is very nostalgic for the life he lived with Hadley in Paris while he was still an obscure writer.  In fact, at the end of the book Hemingway wishes that he had died before he loved anyone other than Hadley.  Who was she?  I was thrilled when The Paris Wife was chosen to be the selection for August in my book club because it tells of the same events depicted in A Moveable Feast and The Sun Also Rises, the book Hemingway wrote while living in Paris, but from Hadley's point of view.  Hadley Richardson is a very sheltered child who then spends most of her 20s taking care of her invalid mother.  She meets Ernest Hemingway, eight years her junior, while visiting friends in Chicago and is swept off her feet.  Against the advice of friends and family, she marries him and soon finds herself in Paris.  An inheritance from her uncle allows Ernest to write full-time.  She feels that she is an old-fashioned woman caught in a life of modernity but does her best to fit in with the bohemian lifestyle Ernest favors with other expatriate writers and artists.  When he has a book of short stories published Hadley laments that he will never be unknown anymore and worries that they will never be as happy as they were while living in poverty.  Her fears are confirmed when a more stylish and sophisticated woman catches Ernest's eye just as The Sun Also Rises is published.  After they divorce, Ernest marries again and moves to Key West, Florida.  Ultimately Hadley decides that she is just Ernest's "Paris wife" but that she got the best he had to offer because he was his best self while living in Paris.  I loved this book because it gives so many insights into the character of Ernest Hemingway and I highly recommend it!  I agree with Hadley!  I think Ernest Hemingway was at his best while living and writing in Paris!  I only wish I could have been there!

Monday Motivator

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it."

- Buddha

Jordanelle Camping Trip

I survived the first week of school!  It is sometimes really hard adjusting to the routine again but I had a great week!  I really love my students (even the sophomores) and I am so much more relaxed this year!  The only negative thing was the intolerable heat!  I find it ironic that the hottest week of the summer had to coincide with the first week of school!  So I jumped at the chance to get out of the heat in the city and go camping for the weekend at the Jordanelle Reservoir!

My parents spent the entire week there in the motor home then on Friday Marilyn took a half day at work and joined them at noon and I left as soon as school was out (I packed my car the night before).  It was so much fun!  The temperature was perfect and the water was so relaxing!

I loved this tree in the middle of our campsite so I made Marilyn pose in front of it!

My Dad is being goofy while eating some watermelon (which tasted wonderful).

We barbecued burgers and brats!

Of course we had to have a camp fire!

Marilyn is just chillin' in front of the fire!

I am just chillin' by the fire.  Why yes I do read Dostoevsky while camping in the great outdoors!

I think you are legally obligated to roast marshmallows any time you sit in front of a fire!

Mmmmm! S'mores!

The best s'mores of the summer!

The water was absolutely gorgeous on Saturday!  It was such a lovely camping trip!

Note:  I had a few tender moments this week at school!  One of my very favorite seniors from last year came to visit me with a card from his Mom thanking me for believing in him.  It seriously brought a tear to my eye.  One of my new sophomores (who will probably become one of my favorites) said that all his jr. high teachers told him high school would be really hard and that the teachers wouldn't care.  He then said, "They were wrong!  I like this class and I think you are really nice!"

Monday Motivator

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn."

- John Cotton Dana

Watermelon Treats

Summer is starting to wind down but there is still time to enjoy some summer treats.  I found these watermelon treats here and just had to make them.

Simply make two batches of rice krispies treats and add some lemon lime drink mix to the melted marshmallows of one batch and some cherry drink mix to the other batch.  With a buttered spatula place the green mixture around the edge of a spring form pan until it is about one to two inches in thickness.  Work with it until it is as even as you can get it.  Then add the red mixture to the center.  After it has completely cooled add some miniature chocolate chips to the top of the red mixture for the seeds (this is an important step because the chocolate chips will start to melt if it is still too hot).  Remove the outside of the spring form pan and cut into cute little wedges!

They are so cute and they have a tangy flavor like a Laffy Taffy!  Give them a try!

Linking here and here.

Sing Your Praise to the Lord

Tonight I went to the Amy Grant concert at Abravanel Hall!  I absolutely love Amy Grant, a Christian singer-songwriter who also crossed over into pop and contemporary music.  At one point in my life I listened to the album The Collection in my car over and over again.  I loved every single song, but I especially loved "Stay For A While" which I played incessantly.  I was so excited for this concert because I had never seen Amy live before.  She came out with three incredible musicians and immediately established a wonderful rapport with the audience.  After several songs she took off her shoes which has become a tradition with Amy!  She played a mixture of songs spanning her career, including her newest hit "Better Than A Hallelujah," and invited the audience to shout out any songs they wanted to hear.  She even played some of the suggestions!  My highlights of the evening were when she sang "Angels" because I truly believe that I have a guardian angel and when she sang "Lead Me On" because I know that God is directing my path!  It was an inspiring concert that I got to share with my parents and my sister!  Here is just one more "Hallelujah" Amy!

Change Begins With A Whisper

This week I have been back at good old Hunter High School attending meetings and getting ready for the new school year.  This time last year I was a complete mess!  I was teaching two classes that I had never taught before and I was so stressed out!  This year I feel so calm and centered that I decided not to go in for the optional work day today!  Instead I went to see The Help.  I absolutely loved the book and, while I almost always like the book better than the movie, I thought this adaptation was pretty good!  There were a few really great scenes that were left out but, overall, I thought the filmmakers were true to the story of an unlikely friendship between an aspiring writer and her friends' maids.  In my opinion the casting was spot on!  I thought Emma Stone was endearing as Skeeter, Bryce Dallas Howard was suitably snooty as Hilly, Viola Davis was compelling as Aibileen, and Octavia Spencer was absolutely hilarious as Minny.  I also loved Sissy Spacek as Hilly's mother and she provided some of the most entertaining scenes in the movie!  I laughed out loud and I also cried several times, especially when Aibileen is fired and Mae Mobley cries through the window as she walks away!  Definitely go see this wonderful movie about doing the right thing (and read the book).

Sibelius and Tchaikovsky

Tonight the Utah Symphony performed a farewell concert for associate conductor David Cho featuring his favorite pieces of music.  The first piece was Symphony No. 3 by Sibelius.  I was first introduced to his music while on a trip to Finland and I have been a fan ever since.  I absolutely love Sibelius because I think his music is so complete and his themes are so well-developed.  The Third Symphony is a particular favorite of mine, especially the second movement which is very romantic, so I really enjoyed the performance.  After the intermission we heard a piece by Tchaikovsky.  The orchestra, along with soloist Serhiy Salov, played the instantly recognizable Piano Concerto No. 1 and it was nothing short of spectacular!  I had goose bumps from the opening notes!  It is such an amazing piece full of emotion and energy!  I thought Salov played it with a great deal of passion and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him!  It was a wonderful evening!

Monday Motivator

  "The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times."
 - Paulo Coelho

Utah Shakespeare Festival 2011

On Thursday Marilyn and I drove down to Cedar City for our final adventure of the summer at the Utah Shakespeare Festival!  We have been going to this festival together for quite a few years and it is a good way to say goodbye to summer before school starts.  This year was the 50th Anniversary so we decided to see all six of the plays!

The first play we saw was a matinee of A Midsummer Night's Dream and I loved it.  I teach this play to my sophomores every year so I wasn't sure I would enjoy it but it was really funny.  I thought the actress who played Helena (Bri Sudia) was absolutely hilarious!  Her interpretation of the character as a clueless and accident-prone nerd chasing after the popular boy was ingenious!  Max Robinson, a popular actor with PTC, played Nick Bottom and he was as brilliant as ever!  I was also completely captivated by the actor who played Oberon (Elijah Alexander).  He was such a physical presence on the stage that it seemed as if he really made all of the magic happen!  Oberon and Titania's costumes were spectacular!  A really fun production!

In the evening we saw Romeo and Juliet in the outdoor Adams Memorial Theatre.  I love this theatre because it is just like seeing a play during Shakespeare's day!  Romeo and Juliet is not my favorite Shakespeare play and Marilyn and I debated about whether or not to see it.  In the end we decided to because it was directed by David Ivers, one of my favorite actors at the festival.  I am certainly glad that I did!  I loved it!  The actress who played Juliet (Magan Wiles) was absolutely superb!  She was the best Juliet I have ever seen!  I usually hate the character of Romeo because I think he is so arrogant.  Christian Barillas, however, portrayed Romeo as a sensitive and vulnerable young man in love with being in love and I liked that characterization.  I thought David Ivers made some very bold choices.  First, he cast a young and handsome actor (Conrad Ricamora) as Paris, Juliet's betrothed.  Every time I have seen this show Paris has been played by an older man because he is a friend of her father's.  This casting decision emphasized that Juliet really loved Romeo.  She was not just rushing into his arms to avoid a marriage with Paris.  Next, at the beginning of the play Juliet was dressed in white with a little bit of red.  As the play progressed she had more and more red in her costume.  When she was buried she was dressed all in red.  I think the red emphasized her loss of innocence and it was very striking!  Finally, Lady Capulet dramatically slapped her husband when they discovered Juliet's body.  I interpreted that to mean that she blamed Capulet for what had happened which gave her character a lot more dimension.  Very powerful!  Both Marilyn and I really loved this production!

Friday we saw a matinee of Noises Off which was about a dysfunctional cast trying to rehearse a British farce called Nothing On on the eve of opening night and then perform it later in the run.  It was absolutely hysterical!  I have seen this play several times and it is always so funny, especially during Act 2 when the audience sees the actors backstage.  Lots of fabulous physical comedy!

In the evening we saw The Glass Menagerie.  A Southern woman living in the past thinks all of her family's problems will be solved if she can find a Gentleman Caller for her crippled daughter.  This production was wonderful and all of the actors were superb, especially the actor who played Tom Wingfield (Ben Jacoby), but I find Tennessee Williams to be very depressing.  I don't think I appreciated this play as much as I should have because of the subject matter.

Saturday we saw a matinee of The Music Man with Brian Vaughn as Professor Harold Hill.  I am a huge fan of Brian Vaughn (I always try to see any play he is in at the festival) and he didn't disappoint me in this over-the-top role as a salesman trying to dupe the good folks of River City into buying band instruments.  I think this was the first time I have seen him sing and dance and he was incredibly charismatic, especially in "Marion the Librarian."  Max Robinson was, once again, outstanding as the bumbling Mayor Shinn and all of the little kids were adorable.  Wonderful choreography!

Our final production of the festival was Richard III in the Adams Memorial Theatre on Saturday night.  Richard III is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays and this production was absolutely incredible!  The actor who played Richard (Elijah Alexander) was simply amazing!  His portrayal of the deformed prince who murders everyone in his way to the throne of England was brilliant!  I had goose bumps in the scene where he wooed Lady Anne over the coffin of her dead husband who he killed!  I also had goose bumps when he awoke from the dream in which the ghosts of everyone he killed haunt him!  His despair was palpable!  The actress who played Queen Margaret (Leslie Brott) was also incredibly powerful!  I don't think anyone in the theatre was breathing during the scene where she curses the House of York!  I cannot tell you how much I loved this show and I am glad that we ended the festival with it!  Both Marilyn and I want to see it again!

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is always so much fun!  I really enjoyed the Greenshows before every evening performance and I definitely enjoyed all of the tarts (I had one in every flavor).  It was a wonderful weekend!

Dostoevsky Owns You

I am currently obsessed with Fyodor Dostoevsky, a novelist who wrote about human psychology amidst the turbulent social, political, and spiritual life of 19th century Russia.  To say that he is a genius is a gross understatement.  His books take hold of you and don't let go until you finish the very last page.  He is difficult, at times, to read and you must be totally engaged with every single word to understand his themes.  Every scene in every book is so excruciatingly intense that you oftentimes have a physical reaction to the words on the page.  I feel like I am holding my breath when I read Dostoevsky and many times I have had to stop reading because I have become completely overwrought!  Several years ago I was introduced to Dostoevsky and this summer I have read four of his most well known novels.

The Idiot was, perhaps, the hardest book for me to finish.  Prince Myshkin returns to St. Petersburg after living abroad for several years trying to cure his epilepsy.  He seeks out a distant relation whose family represents the decay of society compared with Myshkin's goodness and purity.  He is torn between his romantic love for Aglaya, the daughter of his relative, and his compassionate love for Nastassya, a fallen woman.  Even though Myshkin is morally superior to every character in the novel, he is ultimately unable to save Aglaya or Nastassya.  The major theme of this book is the clash between goodness and the real world.  It is very intense and there is an amazing scene about capital punishment that had me thinking for days and days.

I loved Crime and Punishment because it is an absolutely brilliant psychological study of alienation from society.  Raskalnikov is a penniless student living in a garret in St. Petersburg.  He considers himself to be morally superior to the rest of humanity and believes that he can break laws if he deems it is for a higher purpose.  He decides to kill an old pawnbroker because she is cheating money from the poor and is forced into killing her sister as well.  After the murders, Raskalnikov is tormented by his actions and is paranoid that others know what he has done.  He is ultimately unrepentant but confesses for the sake of Sonya, a woman who has become a prostitute to save her family.  He realizes that he loves Sonya and her love is what gives him redemption.  The scene where Raskalnikov confesses to Sonya is so incredibly intense that I had to stop reading for several days!

Demons is an incredible chronicle of the political chaos of Imperial Russia in the late 19th century.  Pyotr Verkhovensky uses a small town and a group of five residents to test his powers of disrupting society and order.  He is a truly despicable character who lies and manipulates all around him, to their destruction, but justifies his actions because he is rebuilding society.  Stepan, Pyotr's father and one of the more ridiculous members of society, has an epiphany at the end of the novel where he states that the radicals are "possessed."  The men themselves are not demons, but the ideas within them are.  It is brilliant and, to me, this novel more than any other expresses Dostoevsky's true feelings about political upheaval.

This summer I read The Brothers Karamazov for the third time!  It is definitely my favorite book by Dostoevsky if not my favorite book of all time!  Many believe it is the greatest novel ever written!  The story centers on Dmitri, Ivan, and Alexei Karamazov and the murder of their father Fyodor Karamazov.  To me this novel is about the conflict between faith and doubt.  Alexei is a novice at a monastery and represents faith in God.  The death of his elder at the monastery convinces him that belief requires no proof.  Ivan represents intellectualism and atheism.  He is brilliant but is tortured by the notion of human suffering, especially innocent children, and argues, very convincingly, against the existence of God.  Dmitri represents passion.  He has lived a tumultuous life torn between sin and redemption.  At the end of the novel Ivan's nervous breakdown represents the collapse of doubt while Dmitri's willingness to do penance for his sins represents the triumph of faith. Alexei represents the model of behavior most necessary for peace and happiness in juxtaposition against the conflict in the lives of the other characters.  I cannot tell you how much I love Alexei and this book!  While Dostoevsky is not for everyone, I highly recommend making the effort to read his novels.  You will be rewarded with some of the most beautiful passages about love, faith, and redemption that you have ever read!

Homemade Lemon Lime Soda

Of course we had to have a beverage for our Deer Valley picnic!  I usually don't like soda that isn't diet because it tastes too thick and sugary to me but I just had to try the recipe that I found here to see if it really tastes like Sprite.  It does!  It is actually lighter and more refreshing than Sprite and is so easy to make.

Here is the recipe:

3/4 cup simple syrup

juice of one lemon

juice of one lime

2 cups sparkling water

To make simple syrup combine one cup sugar with one cup water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Let cool and then combine with the other ingredients.

I found these bottles with a stopper at Ikea and they were perfect for transporting the soda to our picnic.  Definitely give this a try!

Lemon Strawberry Cake in a Jar

I found these cute little cakes here and thought that they would be perfect for our Deer Valley picnic.  Here is the cake recipe:

1 box lemon cake mix

1 box instant lemon pudding

4 egg whites

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

Preheat your oven to the temperature indicated on the cake mix.  Combine all ingredients and beat on medium speed for about two minutes.  Coat your 1/2 pint mason jars (I used 12) really well with cooking spray and flour then fill half way with the batter.  Place the filled jars in a 9X13 pan filled with 1/4 inch of water.  Bake for 30-45 minutes (after they have been in the oven for 30 minutes check every five minutes to see if they are done).

While the cakes are in the oven make the frosting:

1/2 cup shortening

1 stick butter

1 tsp. vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tblsp. milk

Cream the butter and sugar together then add the vanilla and milk.  You may need to add sugar or milk to get your desired consistency.  Put the frosting in the refrigerator while the cakes cool completely.

Once the cakes are cool you can assemble them.  Knock the cakes out of the jar and cut each one into three sections (I washed the jars at this point because they were really messy).  Place one cake layer in the jar and top with a spoonful of thick strawberry jam (I used my homemade jam) and then a dollop of the frosting.  Continue layering with the rest of the cake sections.  If you are going to transport them to a picnic you can place the lids on.  These are delicious but they are extremely rich.  If I were going to make them again I might substitute the frosting for whipped cream.  Give them a try!

Sandwich Ring

Over the weekend Marilyn and I went to Deer Valley for a concert and we took a picnic to eat before the show.  I decided to try a few recipes for the occasion and my very favorite was the sandwich ring that I found here.

You will need two cans of french bread dough.

Generously grease a cake pan and a small glass.  Place the glass in the middle of the cake pan and then use both cans of dough to form a ring around the glass.  Press the seams of the dough firmly together.

Bake according to directions until a golden brown.  Carefully remove from the pan and let cool completely.

Slice horizontally and carefully remove the top.   Layer with your favorite sandwich fixings.  I used sliced turkey, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayonaise, and mustard.  This sandwich was perfect for a picnic and I think it would be great for tailgating as well (football season is just around the corner).  Give it a try!