The Year in Review

As I did last year and the year before, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2017.

Minimization

My 2015 focused on minimization, and I've tried to maintain that mindset.  I'm now fine with books- I'll buy a few each year but remove about the same.  The main progress in 2017 was Lego: I've finally relegated that hobby to my children, keeping a handful of favorite sets and turning over the rest to them (or selling some for a tidy profit).  It was hard, but maintaining a "use it or lost it" mindset is valuable.  Next up is board games (more on this below).

Personal Spending

I did reasonably well here, using only gift money (or proceeds from game/card sales) for personal spending.  I'm less materialistic than I used to be, but I'm not there yet; I still covet far too much.

Reading

My goals here were simple:
- Keep my "owned but unread" pile small (under 10 books)
- Read up on the Reformation, as this year marked 500 years since Martin Luther and his 95 Theses
- Read a few books I own but haven't read for years

I met all three goals . . . and it was fun, as always.  I read about 60 books and over 15,000 pages this year; I'm happy with that, but may read a tad less (40?) next year.  My post here recaps this year's recommendations.

Board Games

I played a lot of games this year, and the blog reflected that, with board game reviews featuring heavily (about one-third of my posts were game-related).  Check out the master game page here for an aggregate listing.

I see the trend in board games that I've seen in books, movies, and other problem areas in my life: I start a hobby by purchasing far too many things, then pare down and become more responsible as I learn my tastes and dial it down to acceptable levels.  I'm still in the initial phase of this hobby- buying too much.  I own "only" 60 games but have yet to play a quarter of them.  I hope to tackle that problem next year, playing them all and minimizing where appropriate.

Fitness

My goal was to lose 15 lbs and stretch more; I dropped only 5 lbs but met the latter, now stretching after every gym workout.  This noticeably decreased my back pain and is now a part of my routine.

My overall fitness levels stayed about the same as 2016, as shown below.  I had fewer runs than I would have liked; my 2-year-old decided waking up early was fun, so I had to back down running to give my wife a breather during the week.  I did the gym three times each week plus one run on weekends . . . I hope to get back to more frequent running next year, but that depends on how the little one does.  My distance increased, though, which was a good thing: I'm back to 5K (3.1 miles) as my standard distance.

2014: 51 runs for 104.6 miles, 98 gym workouts
2015: 47 runs for 103.0 miles, 81 gym workouts, 5 soccer games, 5 PT sessions

2016: 98 runs for 205.8 miles, 115 gym workouts, 4 bike rides
2017: 77 runs for 203.9 miles, 111 gym workouts

I also did 25 yard work sessions (mowing, raking, weeding, trimming), which definitely counts as exercise.

Blogging

I blogged more this year than I did the two prior, and continue to enjoy this hobby.  Though most of the posts (as always) were book reviews, game reviews were a close second.  Mid-year, I discovered this concept of "pages" vs. "posts," and made some changes.  Now, the sections across the top are pages, which are more visible (since they're not tied to date of publication, like posts are).  Most of my summary posts were so converted and are now easily accessed.

Spiritual

My relationship with the Lord still isn't where it should be. I need to figure out better approaches to prayer & Bible study within the realities of small children and early morning demands.  I did slightly better than last year, but much improvement is necessary.  On the plus side, we did family devotionals for about half of the year, at dinner time, and that went well.  Now to get back into those . . .

Parenting

This section is a verbatim repeat from last year (and the year before).  I'm not a great parent. I'm too quick to anger at home- I have to remember that I can't expect my children (ages 7, 5, and 2) to act (or reason) like adults. I also get uneasy when the house is a mess- which is all the time- so I have to dial back the OCD if I have any hope of surviving their childhood. Finally, I don't do a good job cherishing the time, frequently looking away to the future when the current challenges will be overcome. May I remember that current challenges will be replaced with other, possibly harder, ones, so I need to learn to enjoy each stage for what it is. Our kids actually like us now- so may I take advantage of that rather than view it as a burden that they're CONSTANTLY in our faces, even when we're in the bathroom.

Conclusion
This year, I was comfortable with progress in reading, weight loss, flexibility, family devotions, and blogging.  Next year, I need to lose more weight, improve personal devotions, and work on parenting skills.

I'm glad I made certain strides, but 2018 needs to see improvement in many areas.  This will always be true, I suppose, but it's important to keep striving.

The Lego Ninjago Movie

Just seven months after The Lego Batman Movie, Lego released a Ninjago flick, based on its long-running brick theme.  Here, teenage ninja Lloyd Garmadon is shunned by the world due to his lineage (his father is the evil lord Garmadon), though his Master Wu and fellow ninjas accept him.  He dedicates his life to working to defeat dad's evil schemes, but events and forced interactions with dad force him to re-think his life.  But he doesn't have long . . . Meowthra (a giant cat) is loose in Ninjago City and will destroy them all if the team doesn't act fast.

This movie is . . . decent.  I couldn't quite figure out the theme (reconciliation and finding your place, I think), but I may have been hampered due to distractions (watching with two chatty 5-year-olds).  The film retains the flavor of The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie, with witty asides, cultural insights, and surprisingly poignant moments interlaced with action and intentional silliness.  Though it doesn't quite reach the heights of its brickfilm predecessors, it's worth a look.

Rating: B

Thus Concludes 2017

Another enjoyable reading year "in the books." This post recaps the year and presents what I consider the best of the bunch.

According to my spreadsheet, I completed 54 books this year, but read a percentage (10%-50%) of 6 more works.  So let's make it 60 books read, and those totaled 15,792 pages- about 43 pages a day. That takes less than an hour- it's not nearly as imposing as some think, especially when ~1,500 of those pages were listened to on my commute into work.

Of the 60 books, 3 were audiobooks, 3 were eBooks, and 22 came from the library or friends. I rated 31 a solid 'A' or higher, and 6 a 'C' or lower. By category, I read 10 history books, 7 religion, 5 fantasy/mythology, 3 literature, 3 Arthurian, 19 graphic novels, and a smattering of other genres.

Here are my top ten reads from this year:

Christopher Morgan: Fallen: A Theology of Sin
Alister McGrath: Christianity's Dangerous Idea
Stephen Ambrose: Undaunted Courage
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Hobbit
Various: Batman: Year One
Various: The Long Halloween
Stephen King: Carrie
Charles Dickens: David Copperfield
Alexandre Dumas: The Three Musketeers
Bruce Metzger: The Canon of the New Testament

And three honorable mentions:

C.S. Lewis: The Screwtape Letters

Susan Wise Bauer: The History of the Ancient World
Tristan Donovan: It's All a Game

Happy reading in 2018!

The Five Love Languages (Gary Chapman)

What is love?  True love is concerned with fostering the growth of another person.  "Love is something you do for someone else"  It's a choice; an attitude that chooses to look out for another's interests.  You do things for their benefit, and in so doing, reflect the fact that "life's deepest meaning is not found in accomplishments but in relationships."

Loving is our responsibility; and on the flip side, we need to know that we belong and are wanted.  "At the heart of mankind's existence is the desire to be intimate and to be loved by another."  "Our most basic emotional need is not to fall in love but to be genuinely loved by another, to know a love that grows out of reason and choice, not instinct.  I need to be love by someone who chooses to love me, who sees in me something worth loving."  And we each have what Dr. Gary Chapman calls an "emotional love tank," which (when full) makes us feel loved.  His book, The Five Love Languages, looks at how we're wired.

We all have different ways of feeling loved (our "love language"), and we need to know our own (and our spouse's) to effectively love each other.  Chapman argues there are five categories that make us feel loved:

Words of affirmation: kind, encouraging, and humble words (making requests, not demands)
Quality time: spending focused time with someone (togetherness, quality conversation, quality activities)
Receiving gifts: (not just physical gifts and money, but also the gift of self)
Acts of service: doing things you know your spouse would like you to do.  Seeking to please by serving.
Physical touch: back rub, holding hands, embracing, sex, and more

There are different 'dialects' within the five, so an two people who both love acts of service (for example) may desire very different ones.  But the bottom line is to know your spouses- and your own- and act accordingly.

How do you determine your own language?  Ask yourself the following questions: "What does your spouse do (or fail to do) that hurts you most deeply? What have you most often requested? In what way do you regularly express love?" Reflecting on this may help you understand what resonates with you.

When you know your (and your spouse's) love language, proceed accordingly.  Love them the way they feel loved, even when it's hard (our actions precede our emotions), and watch your relationship grow.

Review
This is an excellent book.  A fast read, it helped me understand my own language (and that of my wife's), and it explained how some of my efforts don't resonate with her (and vice-versa).  I look forward to applying some of these principles.

Aside: though geared towards spouses, the principles apply to our children, friends, coworkers, and all in our lives.  So this book has value regardless of your relationship status.

Rating: A

The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers is Disney's 1993 film based on Dumas' book (see previous post for that review).  Here, D'Artagnan helps the recently-disbanded musketeers save the king from the cardinal's overthrow plans.  Can they prevail against hopeless odds?

I need to stop watching movies immediately after reading the book on which they're based; it's invariably disappointing.  I enjoyed this when first released (and I was thirteen) . . . it has some humor and action/adventure.  But now?  It's cheesy (in all facets- acting, dialogue, humor, plot) and, unforgivably, deviates dramatically from the novel.*  And, something I didn't pick up on earlier: it bears striking resemblance, in places, to 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, no doubt hoping to copy its success.**  It is a product of its time . . . and one that need not be revisited.

Rating: C

*I don't expect movies to follow books to the letter- but they should maintain the spirit.  This one does not.

** It didn't come close, grossing about a third of Robin's $165 million (according to boxofficemojo).

The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas)

Set in the 1620s under the reign of Louis XIII in France, The Three Musketeers follows four companions as they serve his majesty and grow in friendship with each other.  They are:

Athos, quiet stoic with an unknown past
Porthos, flamboyant with an eye for the limelight (and the ladies)
Aramis, fighting until he can no longer reject his inner desire for the monastery
D'Artagnan, young Gascon eager to prove himself, and the central hero in the tale

They find themselves in a France wrought with tension.  The King's chief minister, the Cardinal Richelieu, has considerable power, and the country is divided between Royalists and Cardinalists (frenemies is an apt description).  The foreign-born Queen is distrusted, and the Cardinal seeks to use that to his benefit as external perils (from England, Austria, and Spain) loom.  The Musketeers, as Royalists, battle against the Cardinal's schemes and allies, including the dangerous Milady de Winter, all while fighting for King and Catholicism against the Huguenots at the Siege of La Rochelle.  "All for one, and one for all," can they prevail against such powerful foes?

This "historical fiction"* is a classic for a reason.  It's full of suspense, comedy, tragedy, and adventure.  It also reflects  aspects of the society of that era (to include the common extramarital relationships practiced by "good guy" and bad alike).  Overall I liked it, despite the number and magnitude of coincidences or "right place at the right time" situations, which seemed excessive.  (And I wasn't a fan of the morals of the age.)  But the characters, humor, and suspense were top-notch.  It's not as good as The Count of Monte Cristo, but it's close.

Rating: A

*the main personalities existed, but Dumas uses them with no attempt at historical accuracy.  Historical fiction is probably an incorrect term as a result . . . 

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Picking where The Force Awakens left off, The Last Jedi follows Rey, Finn, Poe, and the Resistance.  Fresh off the heels of their defeat of Starkiller Base, they have little time to celebrate: the First Order's remaining forces are hot on their heels, with Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren leading the charge.  Meanwhile, Rey has finally found Luke Skywalker . . . but will it make a difference?  I'll say no more to avoid spoilers.

This film is different.  Like The Force Awakens, it's funny, suspenseful, fast-paced, and action-packed.  But where Episode VII looked disturbingly like an Episode IV reboot, The Last Jedi is full of fresh twists and unexpected events (while still paying homage to the originals).  As I watched, I cycled through thinking "this is weird, this is cool, this is surprising, this is good, this is different, this is too much, this is right on."  In the end, the film wins because it leaves the viewer both satisfied (the plot moves the overall story forward nicely) and wanting more (so much remains to know).  I have no idea what to expect for the next film- and that's a good thing.

Rating: A-

December 2019 update: I re-watched this film with my children.  I was disappointed; it's more like Episode V than I originally realized, and though it has some new material, what it introduces is conflicting, confusing and bizarre. 

New rating: C+