America: A Narrative History, Vol. 1 (Shi & Tindall)

America: A Narrative History, Volume 1, is a survey of United States history from pre-Colonial times to the end of Reconstruction (1877). I read the "brief tenth edition," which is 20% shorter than the regular tenth edition.

I wanted a refresher in American history. Years ago, I searched for a 'fair' survey text, as American history presentations can be wrought with agendas from the political Left or Right. I was seeking a middle ground- one that presented the events clearly (and gave sufficient/inclusive coverage to noteworthy events and personalities) but also interpreted the significance and motive of controversial episodes in a way that was fair to both sides. This text was recommended, and I think it succeeds. This is largely a political history, but covers some social aspects. The few events with which I was previously familiar were decently (though not perfectly) presented. And I especially appreciated their coverage of the "War of the Union" (what most call the Civil War). Of course it is a whirlwind, covering centuries in just 600 pages. But overall, I think the authors did a good job with this textbook. It was clear, informative, and fair. Recommended.

Rating: A-

Minor League Caps

I've blogged a few times this year about baseball- a consequence of being back in the USA. Today's focus is on the minor leagues and other non-affiliated baseball leagues.

For the unfamiliar, each Major League Baseball (MLB) team has a 'farm system'- affiliated teams at lower-level leagues for player development (and rehabilitation- injured MLB players often play a few games in the minors as they're working their way back). There are four leagues- Single-A, High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. These are collectively called the Minor Leagues- each MLB team has an affiliate in each league. (See here for a list for all 120 teams.) There are also are MLB 'partner leagues' (independent but associated, like the Pioneer League), as well as Collegiate Leagues (unaffiliated with universities). Regardless of league, they often have wonderful hats and team names.

These non-MLB teams are consistently fun and whimsical. I love it. We often take ourselves too seriously, but we can be absurd in so many ways . . . and these lower-league teams get that. So today I celebrate the amusing, looking at fun hats and team names (earlier this year, I looked at two here). 

The following ten hats, from left to right and top to bottom, are for the:

- Akron RubberDucks (their alternate hat; intuitively featuring a hot dog(?))
- Charlotte Knights (who became the "Charlotte Traffic Cones" for a game, hence the hat)
- Hartford Yard Goats
- Jamestown Jammers (a former minor league team; the current team in Jamestown is called the Tarp Skunks, in a Collegiate League . . .)
- Missoula Paddleheads (moose!)
- Modesto Nuts
- Montgomery Biscuits
- Norfolk Tides (not that whimsical, but they're the Orioles' AAA team, so they get a slot)
- Rocket City Trash Pandas

- Traverse City Pit Spitters

Some other fun team names:

- Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- Inland Empire 66ers
- Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
- Amarillo Sod Poodles
- Albuquerque Isotopes
- Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Biloxi Shuckers
- Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- Richmond Flying Squirrels

In the NFL, we recently saw the Washington Redskins become "Football Team" before settling on "Commanders" as their new nickname. How boring. They could learn a thing or two from these baseball leagues.

Midterm Report

image from here

The days are slow, but the years fly by.  We're halfway through 2022.  Each year, I set and present my goals for the year in January.  Today I look at how I'm doing.

Anyway, here are the goals and how it's going.

Spiritual
- Be disciplined in prayer/scripture routines (and keep tracking them to encourage it).
- Teach the family.
- Take a more active leadership role in church.
- Redeem the time. By which I mean wasting less of it.
- Overcome two besetting sins.

Hmmm . . . not great. Now I have more besetting sins. Just kidding (I think)- they've held steady at "far more than acceptable" levels. The above goals are all happening, but inconsistently. 

Nutritional/Fitness
- Get (and keep) weight under 185 lbs.
- Complete 240 workouts (run, bike, gym, soccer, hikes, etc.).
- Eat less sugar/carbs/food in general.

Losing ground. My weight shot up a few pounds in March and is now 194 lbs. It's getting harder to keep it down, though my workouts are steady and (to me) acceptable. Is this what aging brings? Ugh. Regardless, need to focus on the diet now. The workouts so far:
32 bike rides, 527 miles
46 gym workouts
16 runs, 33 miles

29 'other' workouts (mowing, shoveling, weeding, hiking, etc.)

Financial
- Get good budgeting system in place.
- Follow it.

Mild progress here. Our system is sustainable but not as granular as I like. 

Reading
- Read 40 books.
- Focus on fantasy (a number of series) and American history/literature.
- Pick another topic and 'get smart' (i.e. read a few books) on it.

Nailing this one- really enjoying the year in books so far. Though I haven't picked another topic, a focus has been minimizing my 'owned but unread' pile, and that's progressing nicely.

House
- Finish the basement.

Hahahahahahah. Maybe within 10 years? We did clean up the basement. Does that count?

Language
- Continue studying Spanish.

On track. And I'm pleased that I seem to have retained my German.

Games
- Play the 12 games in my 'owned but unplayed' pile.

- Minimize game collection to what I play regularly.
- Build a cube for Magic.
- Have more game nights.

Going well. Down to 5 'owned but unplayed' games; I've minimized my collection and built a Magic cube. Have had a few game days- need more.

Overall

The year is going okay. Need more discipline in some areas, but progress is there.

Grade: B-

The Children of Hurin (J.R.R. Tolkien)

"Long before Sauron forges the one ring, Middle-Earth lies under the shadow of the dark lord Morgoth"- from the back cover

Húrin has vanished during the Battle of Many Tears, and the band of brave Elves and men defeated. As Morgoth's orcs advance and darkness descends on the land, Húrin's son, Túrin, is sent south to live in Doriath among the elves. He grows mighty but is proud and restless, and seeks to strike back at Morgoth through any means. He leaves the elves and embraces a transitory life, living first with outlaws, then in Nargothrond, eventually rising to leadership in both places as they battle orcs and encounter the dragon Glaurung. He has many successes, yet tragedy and sorrow follow him wherever he goes. And after many years, his mother and sister (Morwen and Niënor) have finally come south to look for him. Can the children of Húrin defy with will of Morgoth?

Tolkien left many unfinished/abandoned tales that his son, Christopher, spent a lifetime editing and releasing. Some, like The Book of Lost Tales, I found too unfinished to be worthwhile. The Children of Húrin, however, appears to be the most polished/completed tale outside of Tolkien's main works (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion). Or, to be more accurate, Christopher was able to piece together a reasonably complete tale from the various iterations left by this father. I therefore enjoyed this more than I thought. The prose is eloquent; the style is of old. Like all of Tolkien's works, this is not a suspenseful, action-packed fantasy (there is no "narrative urgency," per Christopher), but a moving tale of valor and pride; of good and evil; of hope and tragedy.

Final thought: I see here how Tolkien's heart lay in the realm of Medieval literature (which, of course, was his passion and vocation as a Professor). This tale and its delivery reminds me of Arthurian literature.

Rating: A

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Season 1

*Mild spoilers below.*

Ten years after Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi lives a reclusive life in the sands of Tatooine, keeping a distant eye on young Luke Skywalker. Now known as Ben, Kenobi goes to great lengths to conceal his identity, knowing the dangers should he be exposed. Little does he know just how near danger is . . .

Leia Organa is being raised as a Princess on Alderaan. She lives a peaceful, idyllic life until her kidnapping . . .

Darth Vader terrorizes the galaxy as second in command in the Empire. He employs dark Jedi, called Inquisitors, to hunt down any showing promise of Force use. As they make their way through the galaxy, one gets a whiff of Kenobi's trail, and Vader's obsession comes to the fore . . .

Heroes and villains from across the Star Wars movies and television series will collide in this epic tale of bereavement, suffering, reflection, and resolve.

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Overall, I enjoyed this 6-part series. Seeing Obi-Wan struggle with the past and his present responsibilities is powerful. And that moment Obi-Wan realizes that Vader is Anakin . . . wow. The cinematography and style is good- I couldn't help think about how the prequel trilogy could have been improved (in delivery) with this director and film crew. Seeing young Luke and Leia is fun. And there were some good cameos. But it wasn't all gold.

Some of the characters and plot lines felt rushed or strange. More importantly, exploring this era diminished the mystique of A New Hope and introduced some inconsistencies. Two examples:

- In the original movie, you get the sense that Obi-Wan and Darth Vader had not met since their parting almost twenty years prior in Revenge of the Sith. We now know that wasn't true.

- Some of Leia's pleas to Obi-Wan (via hologram) don't make as much sense now. 

Ultimately, I think filling in all things mentioned or implied in the films messes with the impression of depth. And as Tolkien says, "to go there [investigating events only glimpsed] is to destroy the magic." There was new magic generated here, but at the expense of the old.

Rating: A-

Live Not by Lies (Rod Dreher)

Rod Dreher fears that America is sliding into a soft totalitarianism, the foundation of which he argues "is an ideology made of lies." In this sort of society (one predicted by Huxley), the focus is maximizing pleasure and avoiding pain, and as a result "the goal is to free the individual from any unchosen obligations." That means, in part, affirming what each person believes about the world is true- whether or not it is. And in some cases, doublethink is the inevitable result- for we cannot easily navigate a world where 1=1 for one person, and 1=0 for another. Yet today's "society prefers the false peace of conformity to the tensions of liberty."* How do we live in an environment like this?

"Through interviews with and testaments left by Christians (and others) from throughout the Soviet Bloc who lived through totalitarianism," this book explores what it means "for us today to live not by lies." Part one "makes the case that . . . liberal democracy is degenerating into something resembling the totalitarianism over which it triumphed in the Cold War." Part two "examines in greater detail forms, methods, and sources of resistance to soft totalitarianism's lies." In the latter, he looks at the importance of cultural memory, family units, religion and the gift of suffering. 

In the end, "the ordinary man may not be able to overturn the kingdom of lies, but he can at least say that he is not going to be its loyal subject." In a sentence, Dreher argues that we fight lies by "accepting a life outside the mainstream, courageously [and prudently] defending the truth, and being willing to endure the consequences." And that may mean suffering . . . yet "to recognize the value in suffering is to rediscover a core teaching of historical Christianity . . ." For families, he encourages parents to "model moral courage," "fill their [childrens'] imaginations with the good," "don't be afraid to be weird in society's eyes," "prepare to make sacrifices for the greater good," "teach they are part of a wider movement," and "practice hospitality and serve others."

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While it felt overly alarmist and mildly unfair in places, there is some good here. Dreher does a good job explaining our current environment and the potential for serious upheaval, as traditional institutions are challenged and critics of the proposed new order can be softly persecuted. His talks with former Eastern bloc residents and their impressions of America today are sobering and scary. Though focused on the Left, he argues that the Right also has its elements who deny truth and try to conform the world to their desires. 

Ultimately, Dreher does well in his basic message: stand up for truth and suffer the consequences. That is something Christians are always called to do- even if it alienates them from those in their own church or political party. Despite a modern popular version of Christianity that is more 'feel-good therapy' than anything else, Jesus promised that the world would hate Him, His followers, and the truth. Christians must know that and be prepared to follow Him to the end- whatever end the Lord may have in store. 

I saw similarities here to both R.R. Reno's Return of the Strong Gods and Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. All three authors would agree: if there is a future totalitarian state, it will not feature the prisons or executions of Soviet Russia, but the god of pleasure, the abandoning of standards, and the strong rebuke of anyone who disagrees.

Rating: B

*For example, diversity and inclusion is in concept a good thing, but as applied in today's society, one result has been "excluding those who object to ideological uniformity." We'll include you- if you think like us. We see this in the news today, when celebrities can lose their jobs if they express a different opinion. Despite (largely implied) assertions to the contrary, we don't actually want diversity of thought. Just different people all saying the same thing. It is just one example of how we're in a society where failing to conform to the 'party line' may have serious ramifications. 

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Today's review is of the 2021 release, The Adventures of Robin Hood. For 2-4 players, it takes 60 minutes.

Overview

You and your friends live in Nottinghamshire, England, in 1193. The evil Prince John terrorizes the land; your goal is to evade him and his cronies and complete your adventures. Will you be successful?

Components; image from here

The Adventures of Robin Hood is played on an 'open map,' meaning there are no grids or hexes to guide movement. Instead, you use provided wooden pieces of varying lengths to move your character, investigate, and battle. The game is played in chapters, and the included book (212 pages!) guides you, driving the story forward, giving you objectives for that chapter, and presenting options for your turn (initially, your turn may be guided, but after laying the groundwork, your turn option generally is "take your turn," meaning move and investigate/battle as you like to try to fulfill the objective). It has a 'choose your own adventure' feel to it, and you may turn to different pages in the book based on the choices you make. A timer mechanism in the game adds suspense, having consequences if you don't complete the objective in time. I'll say no more to avoid spoilers. 

Review

This is a fun game. Suitable for families, it is simple and quite different than most I've played. The map is unique- not only lacking a grid to guide movement, it has tons of 'cutouts' that you flip over when instructed to change the layout or threats. That mechanism then preserves the board for the next chapter, as the intent is to eventually play through the entire story of Robin Hood. The map & book are of high quality. The initial stage of chapter one was pretty restricted in player choice, but that made sense- they used the opening to teach you the rules. Once through that, your turn options opened up. A cooperative game, it was fun to discuss among the players how each character should proceed. 

I 'ding' it mildly for two reasons:

- I don't know how replayable this is. I've heard you can play the entire story, then go back and make different choices for a wildly different experience. That's cool, but that means it is replayable only if you choose differently- if you make the same choices, you'll know exactly what to do and where to go, giving you a huge leg up against the game. (Of course, if you have a bad memory, you could play this and let it sit for a few years before picking it back up.)

- The map cutouts are done well, but still cardboard. Even flipping them once, you see signs of wear that would only worsen with repeated usage. 

Ultimately, I like this. Though unique, it does have echoes of Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth. What the latter does with an app (tracking board state and placing exploration/threat tokens), this does with the map cutouts and storybook. 

Rating: A-