Wicked

So amid all the school work that I've had to do, I managed to read Wicked by Gregory McGuire. Hmmmm... Not a huge fan. It was an interesting read. The plot focused around trying to define what was really wicked. It gave a new dressing to the story of the Wizard of Oz portraying the Wicked Witch of the West as a victim of her upbringing and of society's odd treatment of her because of her green skin. It was a mind-broadening take on the original story, but perhaps I'm far too romantic to appreciate the message the author was trying to get out.



I did find it interesting how the author implied that evil is manifested when someone pretends to be good or puts forth a good front but has selfish or less than virtuous intentions. But I wasn't won over by the stoic and martyr-esque persona of Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West). Yes, at times I felt pity for her, but I didn't identify with the person who had become skeptical and even cynical with the world. Maybe I have rose colored glasses on, but I believe that the Aristotlean mean of moderated virtues (not heroic dramaticism and not pessimistic cynicism) is of more benefit to man to emulate than of making a statement through extremes. And I just can't accept the proposition that people are to a considerable extent a product of their enviroment. I say, only if they choose to be. I choose not to and I've changed, so I can't agree with McGuire's point. Then again, I don' have green skin.

In addition, the Babylon-esque level of morality was a turn off. Sure sex is a part of life, but I have no interest in reading about others' experiences with it, thank you very much. And it was pretty base descriptions -- not just uncomfortable descriptions. Worth skipping a few pages.

I've heard some of the music from the musical Wicked, and that sounds somewhat interesting. I'll have to listen again after having read the story to see what I think. I'm not sure how true to the book the musical is.

So yes, the world doesn't have a happy ending to every story. Still, I'm not convinced that reading stories with tragic endings makes me an incrementally better person than reading stories with happy endings.

So there you have my opinion. Take it or leave it.

Fall Family Outing

This past weekend we spent the entire day on Saturday out at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. We started off the day at their display gardens. It was the perfect time of year to go. We saw maybe 10 other people the entire morning, the roses were still in full bloom (they love warm sunny days and cool nights), and the trees were all in full color. The girls had a great time feeding Koi in the lake, smelling roses, racing to the top of the "lookout hill", playing princess in the Italian garden, and exploring the secret garden. There was so much room to roam that we definitely strayed off the path to kick up some leaves.

After lunch, we headed over to "Farm Country" for some animal petting. The girls were completely captivated by the goats who would lick and nibble the corn right out of their hands. They were interested in the peacocks and the rabbits, but nothing could top the pony ride. Two times each just wasn't enough. After looking at all the animals, we decided to head over to the Fall festival in the field next door. Cornbelly's had a huge hay stack with slides, a giant "air pillow", cow train, and pig races. It was a great time. Steph and I even ventured into the Creature, but it was a bit too scary for the girls inside (loud noises) even in the daylight. Didn't even try the corn maze -- too big for a stroller.

After a great day, we had to finish up with a McDonald's run. We were all pretty tired and the girls were asleep before we got home.

To finish up the night, we caught the highlights of the BYU vs San Diego State game on TV. Awesome! 4-2! Go Cougars!!