VBS

This year's VBS, Outrigger Island, was awesome. It was the best ever. The teachers and the rest of the VBS leaders spent a ton of time over a couple of months working to prepare for this one. We spent all most of the day on Saturdays and Sundays. We also worked until midnight almost every night the week before VBS started. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. They thought it was better than previous ones too. It was a great success.

Fortunately, all my pictures did not get erased. I had a CF card memory error and I thought all my pictures got erased. Fortunately, it worked again when I got home to upload them. I think I need to get a new camera soon.

Sam was my T.A. He helped out a lot not only with me, but with all aspects of VBS.

Deception Point

NASA discovers a meteorite with fossils of insect-like creatures in it. Well, that's what NASA would like for you to believe. NASA has been using over $15 billion dollars a year in tax payer money without much results. U.S. Senator Sedgewick Sexton is using NASA's inefficiency as his campaign platform to run for President.

As in all Dan Brown's novels, this one starts off with a mysterious murder as well. This time it occurs in the Arctic. Senator Sexton's daughter, Rachel Sexton, a National Reconnaissance Office liaison, is called by the current President of the United States to confirm the veracity of the meteorite finding. At first, it seems that the meteorite is real. It has fossils of alien bugs that look like insects on earth. This seems to validate the panspermia theory which hypothesizes that life on earth was originally seeded by life existing elsewhere in the universe. The rock also had a fusion crust, a burnt outer layer, that shows that it got fried as it entered earth's atmosphere. Chondrules, molten minerals that are formed by rapid heating, were also found. Thus, NASA believed they had conclusive evidence of a meteorite that had fossils.

It would be amazing to say the least if this discovery was actually found. The billions of dollars spent on NASA research would all be worth it, if man had discovered life outside our own planet. Unfortunately, Rachel Sexton and her friends soon discover that this was an elaborate hoax. The guys who set this all up now want to keep Rachel and friends from telling the world.

As in all Dan Brown books, there is a twist or two at the end. And just like his other books, the male and female lead characters end up in bed together at the end of the book.

The technology and military secret ops discussed sound like something out of a Tom Clancy novel.

The fossils found are just like creatures found in the bottom of the ocean. Due to the buoyancy properties creatures have in water, creatures can grow to be larger than they would be on land.

A liquid hydrogen engine would also be capable of making a fusion crust on the rock.

There are rocks on the bottom of the ocean near underwater volcanoes that also have chondrules that are like those found in meteorites. The nickel content is also in the range of what rocks on earth are composed of as opposed to those found in meteorites.

If geologists like those found in the book were able to discover the fake meteorite, then it would only be a matter of time before other scientists discover the fraud. This just seemed like an implausible idea from the start.

Ultimately, it was the NRO director who masterminded the whole plan. He did not want NASA to be privatized. He feared that privatization of space exploration would undermine U. S. intelligence.

The Highs: Fast paced, fun, interesting read.

The Lows: The whole fraudulent meteorite scheme just sounded like a bad idea from the start. I can't believe the NRO director thought he would ever get away with it.

The Verdict: "Intelligent sounding" thriller for the masses.

B+, 89.

Angels and Demons

This is my book review for Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons".

This is Robert Langdon's first adventure. He's the protagonist in Dan Brown's most famous work, "The Da Vinci Code". The book's tone, plot, and theme is so similar to The Da Vinci Code that it should have been called, "The Bernini Code." That's what it's called in some other European countries. Instead of focusing on Leonardo Da Vinci, this book reveals the secrets of Bernini's hidden messages in his art and architecture.

Someone is brutally murdered. Robert Langdon is awaken once again by a phone call in the middle of the night. The same way the Da Vinci Code starts off. In fact, there are so many similarities to the Da Vinci Code, it's better to highlight some of the differences. Instead of a pentagram on the dead guy's chest, there is an Illuminati ambigram, an inversion that can be read the same way upside down. I thought the ambigrams were pretty cool, especially the Illuminati Diamond.

The Illuminati appears to have come out of hiding and are planning on taking over the world by taking over CERN's anti-matter, an energy source that could be incredibly destructive in the wrong hands.

This 712 page book reads very quickly. It's probably the fastest reading 700 page book I've ever read. The whole incident takes place within a 24 hour span and I've probably spent about half that time reading it. Dan Brown must have had an easy time writing the Da Vinci Code since he practically plagarized his own book, Angels and Demons. Nevertheless, it was a pretty fun read.

The Illuminati is a secret society that has been made increasingly popular over the ages by zealous conspiracy theorists.

I've heard that there is a going to be another movie starring Tom Hanks about this book. Hopefully, they can make the movie more interesting this time even though it will seem like an exact replica of the Da Vinci Code.

Langdon is brought in because he's a Harvard professor of symbology. He meets Vittoria Vetra, the daughter of the murdered scientist. Vittoria is also a renowned scientist who has been working with her father to create anti-matter. Leonardo Vetra was a catholic scientist who wanted to show that science and religion can be reconciled. He and his daughter were able to create something from nothing, anti-matter, using a particle collider. His theory was that that was how God created the universe using the Big Bang Theory.

Somehow the Illuminati have discovered their secret experiment. They steal the anti-matter canister and hide it somewhere in the Vatican, where they can blow the whole place up. Along the way, Langdon and Vittoria, his first main squeeze, uncover the clues and try to stop the Illuminati as well as retrieve the anti-matter.

The dynamic duo discover that the famous sculpture and architect who was commissioned by the Catholic church was really the mastermind behind the Illuminati, a secret society of scientists who worked together to overthrow the church.

The love bird pair work together to save kidnapped 4 cardinals at a time when the Vatican is about to elect a new Pope. The Illuminati Hassasin, a guy comparable to Silas from the Da Vinci Code, cleverly brands each cardinal with ambigrams of the Illuminati elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. They look to clues in Bernini's work to find the next hidden Illuminati lair where the cardinals are tied up.

There are plenty of twists and turns. It's a great read with a surprise ending. I recommend it for everyone. The book may not be entirely accurate even though the author says all the facts are true. However, it does cite to some facts that are true that the church tries to hide or downplays.

The Highs: Fast-paced; exciting; ingenious combination of Bernini, the Illuminati, science, architecture, and religion.

The Lows: Da Vinci Code is a clone of this book; facts claimed as truth are in dispute.

Verdict: A must read for everyone...except for people who hated The Da Vinci Code.

A-, 90.

Mini Coopers

When they say that Mini Coopers handle like go-karts, they mean it! I got to test drive the whole line up on a closed track and they are tossable unlike any other car I've driven. I think they're the most agile cars next to the Lotus Exige and Elise. The track was really tight. I don't think any other cars would have even fit on their tight autocross course especially around the hairpin turns. Minis are a joy to drive. Other cars would have groaned and their tires would have screamed in protest if asked to do the same quick response lateral changes.

I drove the Mini Cooper, the Clubman, the convertible, and the "S" supercharged versions of each as well as the top of the line John Cooper Works. The JCW has 207 hp. It has the best handling too thanks in part to its high performance Continental tires. It was able to go around corners noticeably faster and with much less tire squeal compared to the regular Mini. It also has a nice growl to it when driven hard. The acceleration was much better than the regular car.

Even the regular Mini is a great handling car. I love the agility of these Minis. They are the most go-kart like of all the cars out there. They weight about 2500 pounds. If only they had about 300 hp, the Mini would be the perfect sports car. They would be fast and incredible handling. I do like a bit of neck-snapping acceleration with my lateral g handling. They also have a surprising amount of space, at least in the front 2 seats. I lot of people customize their Minis. Some of the Minis I've driven had pretty nice interiors.

Minis remind me of the time when I raced go-karts in San Diego. I was driving on a slick track and I was grinning from ear to ear as I drifted around corners. They gave me a driving sensation of the car being a part of me that I have not felt since then. I felt total control as I made power slides around corners. It was as if I driving was an art form. That's what I want my cars to feel like when I'm racing in and out of traffic.

Fortunately, the lines were really short when I went there in the morning. I was able to drive all the cars and still make it to the VBS meetings by 10:00 a.m. We were at church all freaking weekend and late into the night each night.

I've always wanted to drive a Mini and I'm glad I had a chance to drive it. Someone once told me that his Mini was more fun to drive than his Porsche. Now, I've had first hand knowledge as to why.

Sedona Arizona

We went to beautiful Sedona. Too bad it rained, because I wanted to camp there and stay there longer. From New Mexico all the way past Phoenix, Arizona, there was rain and lightning. That storm stretched for over 600 miles and lasted for over 8 hours while I was driving. I've never seen so much lightning before in my life. That was awesome.

We ate some delicious BBQ ribs in Sedona. That was a fun town to visit.

Sedona

After leaving New Mexico, we went to Sedona, Arizona. We were going to camp there, but it rained. We arrived in Sedona around 5:00 p.m. We drove straight to L.A. We got there around 3:00 a.m. After dropping everyone off, we got home at 4:00 a.m. After unpacking, I went to sleep at around 5:00 a.m. That was a long day and a long but fun week.

These are pictures of Oak Creek and Red Rock Canyon.

Heaven's Highway

A prayer garden in Glorieta. The Garden of Gethsemane was also in Highway to Heaven.

New Mexico

We had so much fun in Glorieta, New Mexico, we hardly slept. I think I averaged 4 hours of sleep a night.