On the Shelf

In this week's installment of On The Shelf, I am pleased to reveal the next book I will be discussing is Divergent, by Veronica Roth. This novel takes place in the future after our society is divided into four distinct factions. In an effort to eliminate evil, our society attempts to defeat the source by embodying the ideals that counteract the "source of evil". Each faction chose a characteristic that they believed would end evil in the world, these traits included bravery, selflessness, pursuit of knowledge, and kindness. Those who do not conform to these new standards are shunned and cast out with the other factionless. The story unfolds through the eyes of our adolescent protagonist, Beatrice, who belongs to the selfless faction of Abnegation. This coming of age thriller follows "Tris" as she struggles to fit in with her society and her transition into a new life with friends from the other factions. Tris doesn't understand why she has such a hard time fitting in or why she was labeled "Divergent" during her faction placement test, but she fights on to uncover the prevalent mysteries that keep appearing in her life.

On The Plate

Recently, someone suggested a new recipe to me which I thoroughly enjoyed. Peanut butter and honey sandwich. Essentially, the classic PB&J sandwich but with honey instead of jelly. The combination of the sweet honey brings out a spectacular contrast with the creamy peanut butter which is sure to bring a smile your plate. I highly recommend this small adjustment to anyone who enjoys the classic PB&J.

On the Shelf

In this week’s installment of On the Shelf I will reveal the final update of “Warrior Elite”. The remaining warriors for the Class of 228 had passed all of the certifications involved in phase 2. This entailed completing a rigorous underwater navigation test, modeled after real mission scenarios. The two leading officers of the class were tasked with swimming over 200m under water and attaching a placebo charge on an “enemy battle ship”.  The trainees moved onto third phase where team work and CQB arms training was practiced reverently. Class 228 was the first class in a number of sessions to have every trainee complete phase 3’s demanding marksmanship requirements. After the firearms training, the gentlemen move over to a private island where high ordinance explosives are detonated like backyard fireworks. While playing with these fireworks, the instructors take great care to ensure that the trainees follow the policy of “measure twice cut once” to a whole new level. Many explosions and combat simulations later, the author continues on to the graduation ceremony where he vividly describes the characteristics of the final 20 trainees. He then goes on to cite his valediction in which he essentially sums up the lessons learned while becoming a part of this warrior culture, emphasizing the values of the SEAL’s commitment to excellence and the ambition to win. The author then leaves us, the readers, with a jealous drive to become winners and the best of our own kind.

On the Shelf

In this week’s edition of on the shelf comes another update for the NAVY SEAL hopefuls of class 228 in "Warrior Elite". The boys in uniform had just finished up the inconceivably difficult "Hell Week" of training, leaving only ten percent of the original members of the class. After reading how incredibly intense the hardships of Hell Week were it was easy to believe that these young men were capable of anything. Phase Two then began and so did the many health complications following the long week of torture. Phase Two had the trainees studying the art of SCUBA diving devoutly, and the instructors continued their prescribed doses of physical training and underwater harassment. The combination of sickness and underwater training became too much for some of the trainees, and the group lost a few of their iron men. The strongest candidate, and leading petty officer, had a sinus infection that prevented him from equalizing his sinus pressure with the water pressure. This resulted in an excruciating pain and eventually the loss of a great leader. The resilient majority of the class was able to pull through their individual health complications and advance through the training. The tenacity of these young men is truly something to be admired. The drive of ambition to join the SEAL teams is so powerful that nothing will stop each of these men from achieving it.

On the Stereo

This week I have been listening to Throwdown a pretty good band that I do not think is known very well. Throwdown features a great mixture of multi-part guitar arrangements and heavy rifts base with a great drummer to top it all off. The band’s brings a great deal of energy to their music through their manipulation of volumes. They arrange their music to have a layered effect of different volumes, creating a high energy, fuller sound. If hard rock is something you are interested in, then “Scythe” on Throwdown’s album Deathless should be checked out.