BOOK REVIEW: The DaVinci Code

Last night I finished reading the DaVinci Code for the first time. I finally got some time for some leisure reading and decided to start with this book. The book was a gripping read, had a good pace, kept me interested enough to stay up until 3 am to finish, and had good resolution. I though Dan Brown was an exceptional author for moving through a story quickly while giving you the necessary details and without stalling out on elaborate explanations, etc.

That aside, I felt that the author was pushing an agnostic point of view, which I don't agree with personally. I didn't understand why the "divine feminine" or "goddess" was set up in the book to be the 'true religion' and Christianity was explained away as a creation of Constantine and the Catholic Church. I guess I don't understand what Nature worship is entirely -- it seemed that worshiping the "goddess" meant simply glorifying sex, especially the woman half. To me that doesn't seem like religion, it seems more like a fetish. In contrast, religion's purpose in my mind, is to acquaint us with higher laws and the eternal nature of man's soul, not to dwell on they physical desires of the natural man.

Mixed in with that was the seeming contradictory theme that Mary Magdalene and her descendants were to be protected like they were sacred or royal. What made Mary Magdalene important in this book was her marraige to Jesus and her role as the bearer of his royal bloodline. I understand that both of them descended from royal jewish bloodlines, but if Jesus wasn't divine as the book proposes, what make his and Mary Magdalene's progeny any more important than the rest of humanity? I don't get it.

The purpose of the message of the book seemed to be to discredit Christianity and uphold pagan worship of mother nature and women (the "goddess"... I still don't undersand who she really is). I can't reconcile the great story telling with the message told either, so I don't know how to recommend this book to anyone. I think I'll pass on further Dan Brown novels even though he is a great story teller. He seems to be more interested in 'exposing' weaknesses in Christianity than in making sure that alternatives he proposes actually make sense.

216 and falling

Last night I weighed in at an impressive 216 pounds. Heh heh heh. I think this is the first time I've been over 200 lbs that I can remember. Being 6' 3", I don't look incredibly pudgy, but I can feel it when I try to put on my pants.

I outweigh Quinn by 2 lbs, so we're pretty evenly matched for our starting points. Of course the wives didn't share their starting points.

I started the diet last night with a HUGE piece of rum cake with strawberries, bananas, and whip cream icing (mom's b-day).

The Biggest Loser -- Taylor edition

[I think I've proven that this is going to be more of a hit and miss posting rather than a persistent effort, anyone surprised?]

I've had two and a half weeks (or three, I've lost count) off of work for school projects, baby being born, final exams, sickness, visiting family, projects at home, and general relaxation. Soooooooooo nice. I was definitely in denial, until I got my $60 paycheck. I'm back at work today.

I realized today that my heart is Texan. I'm excited to get back to the land of hospitality, country music, open spaces, and the place where I met my closest friends and made my favorite memories. It's too bad that Texas isn't where we got our internship; I would've loved that!


Today we begin "The Biggest Loser -- Taylor edition". Quinn (little bro) and I have gotten pretty soft and chunky and our wives want to loose some baby weight. We weigh in tonight, and I'm guessing I'm at 214 or so.

One thing I realized is that I'm a social aerobic exerciser. I don't like to work out by myself if it's running, bicycling, etc. But when it comes to lifting, I don't want anyone watching, which doesn't exactly work -- no spotter.

I can already tell I'm going to lose -- It's only day one and I'm already tired of drinking water and SlimFast. He, he, he... At least tonight is my Mom's birthday and we'll have a rum cake for dessert!

'Final'-ly, Done

Today I completed my last final at 7:15 pm. Hallelujah! It never feels quite like a celebration moment for me, more of a "I can't wait to crawl into bed and finally sleep" moment. Plus, I'm getting a cold from my daughters. A dripping nose isn't fun to go out with.

But tomorrow, with no work and no school, I'm going to enjoy some sleeping in, some sunshine, and some time with my family!

Thinking about another semester ending, I find it's really difficult to get closure to another semester of school when I've been going for six years now with one more left to go. College has become part of my life, as natural as getting up and eating breakfast. Which makes me wonder, am I going to go through withdrawals when I am finally done? I shudder at the thought. I've been in school WAY too long. I don't want to miss it.

Avery is 9 days old today and is doing great. Her face is filling out a bit. She is a good eater and sleeper, which makes things easier for both us parents, but mostly for Steph. But I can't shake this erie thought that's in the back of my head: we're outnumbered by our children! More people to play with!

Tonight, I will sleep without stress. (Now if only Britta would stay in her bed all night, I'd stand the chance of waking up without my back being in knots.) And good riddance to carrying around a 30 lb book bag! I'm taking a VACATION!

Short-term leases

I've been looking for the past couple of hours for an apartment in DC for my family, and it has become apparent that very few apartment complexes are interested in short-term leases. While I can appreciate that a short-term lease is more expensive, why not charge a little more to cover the cost? Holy moley! Someone should be looking at that end of the market.

What happens if I can't stop?

Starting a new 'hobby' or beginning a new 'habit' always comes with a big question mark: "What happens if I can't stop?" I'm asking that to myself now as I begin writing my first-ever blog entry. Is this something that is going to consume a lot my time, or is this something that I'll do once or twice and then forget the URL. I don't know. It's too soon to tell. But I can tell that I already like writing my thoughts out, but for who to read? Maybe just for me.

I suppose the only worthwhile things I have to share right now are that (1) our third girl Avery was born (hence the blog title "Out-numbered 4 to 1" -- my wife and three girls to me), (2) finals finishing up, meaning I only have one more year of college, and (3) moving to Washington D.C. for a summer internship.

(1) Avery was born on April 17th at 10:02 pm at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center here in Provo, Utah. She was 8 lb 9 oz and 19 1/2 " long. She's got a BIG mouth, but doesn't cry a lot. Cute, cute, cute. I like being a father of girls. Stephanie is doing fine as well -- just a little tired.

(2) Somehow I've gotten through four of my five finals with the last one tomorrow night. It's been nice to have my mom (aka 'Charlene' for those of you who don't know her,... LOL! Was that only funny to me?) out here helping. (*sigh*) So I really should be studying right now instead of 'blogging'.

(3) Starting May 22nd I'll be working for KPMG (one of the 'big four' international accounting firms) in their Washington D.C. office. We still haven't figured out where we'll be staying or what exactly we're taking and what we're leaving behind, but given items 1 and 2 above, I haven't had much time to think about it. We're excited to go, and we'll likely start full-time out there next summer after I graduate. Whoo hoo!


So, will there be more interesting things to blog about? I suppose so, but will I think to 'blog' them? By the way, sorry for the lack of pictures; I'll add them shortly -- my brother has the digital camera right now, and I haven't uploaded the Avery pics yet.

For now, I know there's one thing I started that I can't stop: gardening! I think I've spent about $100 this year on new plants (flowers and vegatables) that will just be left behind when we go to DC. However, we have a good sprinkler system, and it's been theraputic for me. It has gotten my mind of the stress of school when I needed it most. And it's been fun to have my girls out there with me. I always knew I'd have a "garden of Eden". (was this technically topic #4?)