Spoiler warning, you have been warned..

So I finished the LIfe of Pi.  The book takes a twist on par with the 6th sense.  It turns out that all those animals with whom Pi spent his days at sea are representative of people or people’s personality.  I liked it.  It made me think.  But it also left me confused.  Pi concocts an elaborate story of animals on a boat to explain the savagery of man vs man in extreme circumstances.  When his questioners reject his account of events citing physical impossibilities, such as orangutangs floating on a bunch of bananas for miles, Pi delivers the truth of his mother’s murder at the hands of a crazed survivor and his justified killing of his mom’s murderer.  After revealing the horrific facts, Pi asks his questioners which story they prefer.  They report the former story.  I was so confused I ended up at Wikipedia to decipher the ending.  If you have read this far, I don’t recommend you read the book as I have just robbed you of it’s ending.

MobileMe broke.  For many apple fans, myself included, this morning was to be a special early present ahead of the US iPhone launch tomorrow morning.  Apple planned to unveil MobileMe, the evolution of .Mac this morning by 2 am PST.  However, only intermittent access lingers.  And by intermittent I mean mostly dead, some reports of a pulse now and again.  It’s driving us mac nuts crazy.  Where is the Push e-mail, the new galleries for movies and photos, and our iDisk? It’s all kind of silly but if you are part of the mac cult this is toruture!

[Update] As of 4:51 am 11 July, it is working.]

Wow.  The book has gotten really good.  Like most books, you have to commit to 100 pages or better to get into it.  At page 180, I am hooked.  It is a good read.

Immigrating to Canada from India, Pi and his family boarded a shipping vessel loaded Father’s zoo animals (*note foreshadowing*). The ship sinks and leaves Pi stranded on a life boat with a host of animals, including an injured zebra, a hyena, and a tiger.
I love the author’s pacing.  He doesn’t insult the reader by dragging out suspenseful moments.  For example the boat sinking chapter starts with, “The boat sank”.  These abrupt lines pack a punch.  The author then steps back and walks you through the moments before the ship.

All is not perfect wtih the book in my opinion, but it’s just a pet peave of mine, not a real literary flaw.  That is, Pi portrays the animals as good and evil.  For example, when the hyena kills the zebra for food he is described as a viscous animal killing a beautiful creature.  However, when the orangatan hits the hyena, the ape is described as a nobel creature putting up a good fight.  That crap drives me crazy.  Beautiful animals are protagonists while ugly animals are antagonists.  I suppose as an outdoorsman more familiar with wildlife I see it differently.  Every creature on that boat wants to preserve its own life.  It is neither evil nor good, it is natural.

But aside from that rant, I want to stress, this is a great book.  I read it more frequently and I can’t wait to read it again tonight.  Thanks to VD for the book suggestion.

Friday, 4 July 2008

5:45 am
‘“Mark, turn off your alarm.”  I stumble out of bed, kill the alarm, and settle in front of the computer with a bowl of cheerios.  It’s my first decision of the day, climb Pfeiffer Horn or go back to sleep.
6:14 am
I quickly scan Google Earth to map my route.  I’ve decided to do my favorite hike with a twist. The “twist” will cost be 4 hours of pain before the day is over.  I decide to hike from the White Pine Trailhead to East Grove Street in Alpine, Utah.  Alpine is the twist.  Rather than climb from WP Trailhead to Pfeiffer horn and back, I will do a one-way trip and have my wife pick me up in Alpine, Ut.

7:18 am
I pull into the White Pine trailhead.  I am carrying two filled bottles of water, three more empty bottles of water,  a multi-tool, a Glock .45 (with an extra magazine), a SweetWater filtration pump, 5 zone bars, a compass, GPS, headlamp, extra batteries, extra socks, a long sleeve shirt, two Ace bandages, and a cell phone.

7:25 am
After taking a photo of 4 friends, I start my hike up the mountain.  I expect the hike to take 7 hours; 4 hours to the summit, and 3 hours down the back side into Alpine.  The way up I know by heart.  Every climb and meadow marks my progress.  SLow and steady I move, keeping my pace slow to avoid lactic acid and to conserve my energy for a long day.
8:35 am
The first mile marker of the day: the trail forks a hard left to White Pine lake, and a soft left to Red Pine lake.  I stop to take a photo and head up to Red Pine.

9:00 am
It’s the 4th of July in the northern hemisphere and I am wishing I had crampons.  Each step is measured and augmented with my ski pole.  I encounter a lost woman trying to identify a trail beneath 3 feet of snow.  After making trail-side chit chat I discover her husband and son hiked on ahead to Red Pine and left her to find her way up.  She thankfully follows my lead (remember I’ve done this 4 times prior) to Red Pine lake where she is met with an indifferent husband’s “You made it!”.  I shake my head and make a quick pit stop at the stagnant, bacteria laden, Red Pine water’s edge, stopping only long enough to pump filtered water into two bottles.
9:23 am
I am feeling great.  My plan to start slow and finish strong seems to be working.  I feel great and look forward to having lunch at 1 pm with my wife and daughters in Alpine.  Maybe a picnic at the trailhead.  I visualize them meeting the triumphant hiker and showering my with praise for my accomplishment.

10:03 am
Progress slows.  The steep ridge leading away from Red Pine saps my energy.  Covered in snow and steep it forces me to take 4 careful steps and rest.  There is no trail.  I see novice hikers taking ill-advised routes.  Heavy overnight backpacks burden several hikers. More credit to them.  I struggle to pull my daypack to the top.

11:07 am
Payday.  Reaching the top of the ridge presents me a panoramic view of Utah county.  I see Eagle Mountain 25 miles to the east, Utah Lake, Alpine, the backside of Timpanogos, and the tram at Snowbird.  Having previously decided not to summit Pfeiffer Horn in favor of saving time on my long hike to Alpine I stop only long enough to take advantage of the line of sight with civilization to call my wife, eat a zone bar, and get a fellow hiker to shoot a photo of me. Oh, and I change my sweaty socks out in favor of my extra pair.  I should also note that I am wearing 7” Danner boots with 1000 grams thinsulate.  They are the best ankle support I own and I wish they were uninsulated for July hikes, but they are waterproof and my feet have stayed warm through the last 2 hours of waking in snow.

12:00 pm
Speaking of snow, I am sliding down it on my butt.  Going down is so much funner than going up. I wish I had a garbage sack to slide faster, but I am happy to be making such fast progress.  The quick descent brings warmer weather, less snow, and a chance to pump more water from the now exposed stream.  I also realize that like a bonehead, that I have been sliding down the lowest gradient, which was 3 feet of snow on top of a mountain stream.  Breaking through that snow would have been very cold and wet.  No matter, it could have broken, but it didn’t.  I bless my luck and proceed down hill.

1:16 pm
My toes hurt.  I stop and cut my toe nails.  Weird?  Yes, but effective.  I am Happy Feet.

As I descend further into the valley I see more big game tracks.  Elk and deer water here.  The lower eleveation also brings more vegetation.  It is here that I am faced with my first major obstacle.    Remember that snow I was happily trodding through one hour ago?  Well, that snow prevented me from finding the trail down.  So I was following that river.  That river now flows over a 20 foot water fall.  While beautiful, it forces me to choose left or right to go around the water fall.  Of course, I get photos of it, but I don’t realize how much trouble I am entering.
I take a moment to check my GPS and discover that both left and right lead in the general direction of my endpoint.  I choose the right.  I encounter thick vegeation: tall grass, large Lilly pads, and enmeshed  saplings.  The descent slows to a crawl.  I fight through the vegetation 3-4 at a time, stopping to catch my breath.  My arms are getting torn to pieces in this mess.  Now downstream of the waterfall, I fight my way back to the river to a surprise.  Gone are the open banks of the river.  They are now overgrown with trees and weeds.  It is impossible to walk along the banks.

This is when I first realize I am screwed.  Without a trail, there is now way I can make it through this jungle.  The valley is narrow and I am forced to fight through the river route, covered in vegetation, or to gain elevation and travel down the canyon along the mountain side.

2:05 pm
I call my wife from the mountain side and tell her I will be late.  My progress has slowed, give me two more hours.
4:30 pm
It’s been four hours and I have gone 1/2 mile.  For the last four hours I alternatingly fight my way through the thickest vegetation this side of Vietnam and try to climb the up the side of the mountain to find a clear route.  The side of the mountain is covered with cliffs, boulders, and steep terrain.  It proves dangerous (20 foot ledges and boulders prove deadly every year).  I encounter a rattlesnake at 4 feet.  He coils and I recoil.  We are happy to part as enemies, but unharmed.
I am on the phone with my wife and still, I tell her I am 2 hours away, but I am guessing.  I hear her concern.  For the first time I hear panic in my voice.  I ask her to pull up GOogle Earth and find me a trail.  She finds a trail by a waterfall 0.75 miles away and gives me the GPS coordinates.  I resolve to head straight for those falls whatever lies between me and it.

5:15 pm
Progress is slow.  I fall many times as the river has innumerable tributaries feeding into it.  These tributaries are only a foot wide, but they are 3 feet deep and covered in grass forming hidden pits.  The praying becomes more common and more fervent.  I start to bargain with God.  “Is that one of the stages of grief?”,  I wonder.  That’s a weird question to ask myself and I know that my mind is not sharp.  I am getting dehydrated, hungry, and fatigued.  The altitude is robbing me of oxygen and my cognitive thinking is slipping.  Not a lot, but enough that I know I am not quite right.  I resolve to press forward through the Utah jungle.  Thankfully, I am a fly fisherman and comfortable crossing a raging torrent of mountain snow melt.  I am wet all the way to my knees.  I debate running the river all the way down, but fear for my Digital Canon Rebel’s safety.
5:30 pm
I am low.  Very low.  But still fighting.  I drop to my knees one more time.  I won’t tell you what Father and I discussed, it’s personal.  But I learned my lesson, because 10 seconds after my prayer, I stepped onto the trail which had only moments efore been hidden from me.  I don’t celebrate yet.  THis could be a game trail, but optimistically I proceed.  WHen I discover “Steve ’02” engraved on an Alpine, I know I am home.  This is the trail that will take me home.  I call my wife and she rejoices with me and we coordinate the pickup.  I am two miles away, but this is a trail, and there will be no more bouldering, bushwhacking, or wading through white water.  I simply need to stroll down this easy trail.

6:01 pm
I meet a Good Samaritan and his son who recognize my bad shape.  I have no shame and tell them I am hungry.  Those “Kung Fu Panda” snacks were finer than any meal I ever had.  It’s the first food in hours and the first non-zone bar food all day.  I thank them, say a prayer for them and move on.

6:36 pm
Eleven hours after it began it ends.  I hug my wife and kids. To document my rough condition I ask for a photo.  I am home.  I apologize to my wife.  She lovingly gives me two chocolate milks and some chocolate.  That night I will eat a huge cheeseburger and cheese fries.  I deserve it, don’t you think?

If you are curious.. it was about 10 miles.  Here are some of the waypoints I used if you are interested in avoiding my mistakes and doing the same hike.

10
40 28 58.2
111 45 01.1

12
40 34 31.8
111 40 51.9

13
40 32 05.0
111 41 45.5

14
40 30 45.5
111 42 45.7

15
40 30 45.5
111 42 45.7

16
40 30 36.4
111 43 02.4

17
40 30 29.4
111 42 56.2

18
40 30 29.1
111 43 10.1

19
40 29 55.2
111 43 38.1

20
40 30 11.3
111 43 18.8

I believe it was Paul who said he was all things to all men.  Since my last Pi blog, the protagonist, Pi, joined Islam and Christianity, all the while maintaing an active role in his Hindu faith.  While visiting the boardwalk with his Father and Mother, his three unknowing spiritual mentors converge on Pi.  My, isn’t this awkard?  In turn, each mentor claims Pi to their true faith.  After heated argument, they turn to Pi and demand he choose a faith.  “I just want to love God.”, he declares.  Pi was Obama before Obama was Obama.  Take no position, speak in generalities, and when cornered, make broad sweeping statements with whom none may disagree.  If pressured to take a position, declare that such demands stem from the corrupt tree of partisan politics, and you are above that.  As Andrew Wilow said this morning, you will then become a blank slate to which dreamers may assign their dogma. *I think I just derailed, but you get the point.*  Anyway, Pi is an innocent young man quickly realizing the world rejects such as he.  Stay tuned for more reporting…

It was a busy weekend, but I did get a chance last night to sit down with the book Life of Pi.  I have to admit, I am curious as heck where this thing is headed.  Unfortunately, the Life of Pi needs to compete with RockBand, the Wii, my family, and my abbreviated social calendar.

What story am I reading?  The story I think I am reading is Pi, a young Indian boy, is learning the zoo keeper trade with life lessons peppered throughout the zoo.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a well written book and if it continued to be simply a story of a boy growing up around the zoo that would be fine with me and a worthwhile read.  But, I know there is more of a philisophical context to this book.  So I flipped to the back cover of the book to reorient myself with the book’s intentions.  Sure enough, the marketing department for Publisher xyz decided to bill this as a journey of a boy’s soul on a raft with a powerful tiger.  Then I fell asleep.

Getting the Book I took my 3 year old daughter, Anna, to get an ice cream at McDonalds.  As we drove by the South Jordan Library, I remembered the library previously notified me that my copy of The Life of Pi arrived.  Anna and I pulled into the library, got the book (and a host of others), got the ice cream, washed the car, and returned home.  I had little intention of reading the book tonight, but a rare Utah thunderstorm caused me to pull the power on the computer and TV.  So as I sat here in what felt like the 1800’s (no computer or tv) I saw the book.  So I started it.  And so far, I can say I am excited.  The writing is good, and at least one of the points made by the main character “Pi” is one which I love to debate, but I will save that for another post.

I am only about 20 pages into the book, but so far we know that Pi had a hard life.  Kids teased him incessantly about his name in school.  Gee, I wonder what that would be like?  He worked at a zoo and he is a good student.  Oh, and there are one paragraph italicized chapters in the book that appear to be narratives of another story line (or a parallel universe?).  Anyway, if Vince, oops, I mean VD, recommends it, it has got to be good.  Stay tuned for more of my takes on The Life of Pi.

We watched Kung Fu Panda tonight.  I attended the movie expecting nothing.  Not only did my kids enjoy the movie I found it awesome.  I am a sucker for Kung Fu movies of all varieties.  From artistic movies such as House of Daggers to Jackie Chan to the Segal movies.  I love the choreography of martial arts.  The makers of this movie choregraphed this perfectly.  I caught myself just smiling as I watched the fight scenes.  The movie uses great pacing to keep you alternatley laughing and awed by the choreography.  I will definitely buy this for my home when they release it.

I actively maintain a list of the smartest people I know.  One of these people, we’ll call him “VD” recommended a book to me and refused to give me any detail.  I did ask if it was a smutty romance novel and he insisted it wasn’t.  I am still willing to read it and I gave my solemn word that I would read the book and report my progress online.  So it begins… reading the Life of Pi

From whence does mathematical ability originate? Genetics? Study? A mix? Are some blessed with math skills while others are damned to a life devoid of partial differential equations?

Why blame your lack of math acumen on DNA? For most people, your choices, not your parents’, determine your mathematical ability. While it is true that some people possess very real limitations on their cognitive ability, the vast majority of people who claim mathematical impotency really just preferred chucking a frisbee to their University library.

Maybe I am wrong. In that case, I should never travel outside the United States, after all, I am just not good at speaking foreign languages… what can I do about it?