A Clockwork Orange

I just got done reading A Clockwork Orange and I have to tell you that it is not what I had expected. You see I have seen the movie a few times (pre-mission if you will) and so I thought I knew what this book was about.

In short the movie is about a hoodlum that terrorizes the streets at night with a gang that he is the leader of. One night he gets caught and is thrown in the state penitentiary. He is there for a couple years before he is picked to try a new type of rehabilitation. The rehab is horrible but seems to work. He is set free and sent back to his family. The problem is he is not choosing for himself rather to be bad or good. He eventually tries to kill himself and in so doing the rehab is broken and he is back to being himself.

As a teenager I thought that this movie was amazing, ultimately thinking that you couldn't rehabilitate someone because it took away their ability to choose for themselves.

I did get the English version which had chapter 7. Now as a grownup I really got chapter 7 and everything that comes out of it. The basic story is still the same but in chapter 7, which was not released in the US, the story takes an interesting turn. Alex (the main character) decides to turn away from a life of crime to grow up and become a husband and a father.

The more I think about this book the more I love it. Sitting here blogging about this makes me think about my own life. How when I was a teenager A Clockwork Orange (the movie) held a "teenage anthem" for me. It didn't wrap things up and it said that the bad things you did in life were someone else's fault. Now after reading the book and having that last piece, I see that I wasn't ready for that at the time. I am older and hopefully wiser then I once was. I see the error in my ways and see that growing up is not a bad thing, just something different and in most ways better for me.

If you get the chance to read this book, do it. It is a great read. It is tough because Anthony Burgess makes up his own language which is hard to get use to. The book is a good one but maybe it means more to me because it patterns my life so closely.

Quotes

"When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man."

"Does God want goodness or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses to be bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him?"

"Choice. The boy has no real choice, has he? Self-interest, the fear of physical pain drove him to that grotesque act of self-abasement. Its insincerity was clearly to be seen. He ceases to be a wrongdoer. He ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice."

My Baseball Team is Better Than Your Baseball Team

I know that they lost last night but I won't stop believing. This video is great and I am totally stoked for the game on Saturday. Go Freak, Fear the Beard and Playoff Thong BABY!

My Mom is Way Better Than Your Mom

This past weekend we were able to travel to Twin Falls to be at church with my parents as my mom was put in as the Relief Society President. It was a great experience to be there with her while she was set apart. Over that last couple of years I have noticed a change in my parents. A change that you all have probably noticed as well. A change that I hope that my children will notice and follow in their lives.

As dad was put in the bishopric a few years ago I started to notice this change. I felt this change again as my mom called and told me that she was the new Relief Society President. Both my mom and dad have become the Lords leaders, instruments in the Lords hands. I have never known my parents to rush back from a trip to be to church on Sunday, but last year we ran down to a BYU game. We made it to SLC late and then headed down to LaVell Edwards Stadium to be there for ESPN GAME DAY. Afterwards we drove back to SLC to get some sleep before the game. We all got about an hour of sleep before driving back down to BYU to be to the BYU vs TCU game. After which we turned back around headed for home so that my dad could take care of his Sunday responsibilities. What a great example that was to me. I have since tried to emulate that same example by taking care of my Sunday and Wednesday night activities.

After receiving the call that my mom was going to be the Relief Society President I thought for a moment about how mom would fit into her new calling. She has been prepared for this calling for sometime. She has what it takes to make a great RS president. I have caught her reading her scriptures in the morning, I have seen her preparing for a Sunday school class and I have seen her be an excellent example for the Lord.

A couple or years ago I marveled at my father and how he was prepared to take on the responsibility of being in the bishopric. Last Sunday I stood in awe of my mother and her preparedness and humble attitude toward this calling. What a great example she will be to my daughter as a leader of our heavenly father. What a great example she will be to our family in this time of uncertainty. Thank you mom for being that example, thank you for being the strong daughter of God that you are.

My Weekend Was Better Then Your Weekend

Lyric and Scott called me this past week and asked me if I would like to go to the BYU game with them. I jumped at the chance to and what was even better the seats were Scott's grandpas seats so we were able to sit right behind the opposing team on the west side of the stands. It was amazing! I was able to ride down with my dads young mens group who were also going to the game. I stayed with Lyric and Scott at their place in Salt Lake. We had a great time catching up and gossiping. The next day we headed down to Provo to check out the homecoming festivities. I had never been to Legacy Hall before which turned out to be the most amazing place in the entire world. We saw the National Championship Trophy and the Heisman Trophy among a lot of other great memorabilia. As we headed up the stairs to the second level Scott motioned to me that Coach Anae was walking by. We got to the top of the stairs and Scott eeked out "Good luck to day Coach". I was surprised since I was totally speechless. We hung out on that floor for a good 30 minutes before Coach Anae walked out again. This time I was determined to get a picture with him. I asked him if Scott and I could get a picture and he said yes. We were totally stoked at the opportunity. After that we made our way to the third floor. On the third floor we found a case with memorabilia from the 1958 BYU baseball team. This team had made it to the college world series but because it was played on Sunday they forfeited their spot. The cool thing about this is that I work with a guy who was on this team. Stan Jackson played second base for the the 1956-58 Cougars. In the picture he is on the bottom row second one from the right. Marc and Ashely showed up after that and we went and had lunch with them and then headed to the stadium. Sitting in LaVell Edwards Stadium is almost a spiritual experience for me. The smell of the grass, the sight of the mountains in the background, the sound of the crowd makes this place just come alive for me. I love it there and I always love making it down for a game. BYU ended up winning that game and Scott and I were so happy. It was so loud and we both yelled till we didn't have voices anymore.

I am so thankful to have family that thinks of me when things like this come up. Lyric and Scott were awesome to think of me, Dad was awesome to get me a ride down there, Marc called to make sure that I already had a ride and Ariane drove dad and I around making sure that we made it to the church on time so we could leave with them. Lastly my wife was so awesome to let me go and to stay with her family for two nights so that I didn't have to worry about them driving down without me. Thanks for all you do for me, I really appreciate it.

National Championship Trophy

Heisman Trophy

Scott, Coach Anae, and Myself

Trophy case about the 1958 BYU Baseball Team

The story about the 1958 baseball team

1958 BYU baseball team

Stan is the second one from the right on the bottom row

Hour before kickoff already in our seats

View from a sky box which Kevin let us use
View from our seats in the 4th qtr

View from our seats in the 4th qtr

I LOVE OCTOBER!

October is my favorite month. The leaves are changing, it's getting cooler, and sports are abounding. October means college football, baseball playoffs, NFL and hockey. This year is even better as my Giants have a chance of making it to the post season. They are looking great and might be peaking at the right time. As for the 49ers that is a different story. 0-3 start to a promising year, hopefully they can right the ship. BYU on the other hand is not doing as well as I had hoped. I thought that this would be an 8-4 team with losses to UW, FSU, TCU and Utah. As of right now the Y is sitting with 3 losses to UW, FSU and Air Force. They can still hit the 8-4 mark but they are going to have to get better. As for the Penguins, it is still too early to tell what will happen in an 82 game schedule. A lot of the same faces are back and of course there is Sidney Crosby. I am looking forward to a great for the Pens.