I May Take a Holiday in Spain, Leaving My Wings Behind Me, Drink My Worries Down the Drain and Fly Away to Somewhere New

I arrived back in Abilene today after a very enjoyable trip to Colorado with the parents. Fishing was very enjoyable although what I did would probably fall into the realm of casting since the fish did not want to cooperate. I cannot complain though. At one point I looked up from the creek, saw my Dad standing downstream, glanced over at my Mom reading her book, gazed at the peaks rising above me, and I knew that even if I did not catch any fish the entire trip I would be filled with something beautiful.

I finished reading "A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide" by Samantha Power during the drive back today. It was very eye-opening for me to see a gathering of the U.S. response to genocides that have occurred around the world dating back to the Turks' terror against the Armenians during World War I. I would recommend the book to anyone who is interested in human rights or anyone that is concerned with the rolethat the United States plays as the de facto "world police officer" in the current era of a lone global superpower.

I began reading "Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith" by Jon Krakauer as we approached Abilene and I have already become engulfed in the story. Krakauer begins by examining the grisly murder of a woman and her daugther by Mormon Fundamentalist relatives who claimed that they were acting in accordance with a mandate from God. He uses this tragic event to examine the concepts of devotion, faith, and fanaticism and how they interact in our lives. I'll leave you with this review of the book from Newsweek:

"Scrupulously reported and written with Krakauer's usual exacting flair, Under the Banner of Heaven is both illuminating and thrilling. It is also the creepiest book anyone has written in a long time-and that's meant as the highest possible praise."