Read A Book or Two, Or Twenty

David Foster's Wallace's "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" is one of the few modern American masterpieces out there. Through a non-fiction narrative of incredible descriptions, philosophical thought, and endearing revelations, David Foster Wallace takes readers on a tour of his impressive observation and writing skills.

A handful of his essays and 90's driven rhetoric is a bit harder to follow, coupled with the constant need for a dictionary/thesaurus/Wikipedia/bigger brain to read his work. But it is possible to sludge through some of his technical writing savvy, and when an essay hits you in the write way, it's the closest thing to teleportation (except teleportation).

These essays for me included two prime examples of a skilled writer let loose in familiar situations. The first, an essay chronicling the Illinois State Fair. DFW's detailed accounts in the 4-H building, the baton-nista competition, and human description acquired while people-watching at the Illinois State Fare is full of laughs and intriguing insights.

After his encounter and subsequent essay on the Illinois State Fair, Esquire sent him on a Mega Cruise Luxury Cruise Ship. And this, in my opinion, is the best and most reflective of his style and talent. This essay is consequentially the title essay of the book and also the very last 100 pages of the thick manuscript. Worth the ride the whole way, it will make you think differently on how you see and interpret the world, take it for a spin.

-Brad

Grand Canyon 2012

Cornfields to canyon lands, I spent the last week (and my birthday) traveling to the American Southwest along with some student peers to camp, explore, and rock out. It was an amazing trip and now that vacation mode is over, I can truly begin to appreciate the adventure that took place. Here is the short low-down on the journey that took a van full of Iowans across state borders and into one of the greatest holes on Earth:

Moab, Utah
After spending more time then I care to think about in a van, we arrived in Moab late into a starry night. After a few clutch hours of shut eye, we were welcomed to the Southwest with deep canyons, spectacular arches, and views far different from the Iowa landscape. 

After spending the day exploring these foreign terrains we continued onward, and under the cover of darkness we rolled into and set up camp at Gooseneck State Park, Utah.

We arrived in a darkness that's lost upon the city-scape, darkness that collaborates with the absolute silence of dormant surroundings, and a darkness that served as a canvass for a relaxing night under a sky full of stars. 


(^)The rising sun uncovered the sleeping Gooseneck landscape that lay carved by the San Juan River. Gooseneck was a spectacular sight that stretched the eyes, but it was only a preview for what was to come down the road.

Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

 The best advice given to us from the beginning, was that it is optional to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, but mandatory to hike back up. This was slightly put up to the test as we traversed the nine miles of the Hermit Creek Trail. Along the way (up & down) we learned about the joy of taking breaks from hard work, the funny side of optimism, and the beauty that is the embrace of mother nature and father time. 


Through its landscape seemingly painted to the sky, it seems impossible to imagine the intensity of the Grand Canyon, and for a moment ordinary eyes open to an extraordinary sight.

-BDL