July books

The Crystal City
Orson Scott Card

The last book (so far) in the Alvin Maker series, I thought this was the least entertaining and intriguing of the series. All of the ideas seem like they are being rehashed from previous books and there is not much new stuff here. Supposedly, there is another book in the works, but it's been 6 years since The Crystal City's initial release. Hopefully it's taking so long because the author is trying to create some new, fresh ideas. Or maybe he's realized that this series is already overdone, and he doesn't want to continue beating the dead horse.

The Lightning Thief
Rick Riordan

Deidra got this book from the library after hearing good things about it. She had heard that some kids like this series better than Harry Potter. I liked the premise of the book - that the ancient Greek and Roman gods and goddesses are real and have moved along with Western civilization, so that they reside now in America. That mashing of ancient traditions in the modern world had great potential. But the author is too formulaic in his storytelling and the book parallels Harry Potter in so many ways (a "chosen one" who has to go off to a special school, and goes on a quest with his goofy friend and a really smart girl, only to find out that an ancient evil is threatening to come back, etc.) that I would say that there's not a whole lot of originality in the book. It was entertaining enough, but I wasn't too impressed.

Give 'Em the Pickle
Bob Farrell

Now that I have a full-time job developing and presenting training programs, you'll probably see a lot more business-style, motivational books (like Gung Ho last month) pop up on my list. This book was written by the founder of Farrell's Restaurants and Ice Cream Parlors. It is a fun and interesting treatise on customer service. The title comes from a story where he received a letter from a regular customer who was upset that he asked for an extra pickle one day (like he usually did) and was charged extra for it. So Mr. Farrell's mantra for customer service became "Give 'em the pickle!" In other words, make the customer happy. He tells some great story and makes some valid points about how to be successful in customer service.

Why NOT to force your kids to go to church . . .

I wish I could figure out how to embed this, but click HERE for the video of a 7-year-old in Utah leading police on a car chase because he didn't want to go to church.

Cancel the moving truck!

We are no longer moving to Buffalo!

I got a job offer here in Logan doing development and delivery of business-related training programs. It pays more than the Buffalo job, and there is no moving required. What's more is that this job would be okay with me leaving after a year to pursue a Ph.D. The job in Buffalo was "informally" expecting a three-year commitment.

So there you have it! We're sticking in Logan for one more year, and then hopefully it's off to get a Ph.D.

It's a miracle!

Months ago, the inside screen went out on my cell phone. I could still see who was calling me from the outside screen, but I couldn't read any text messages that I received or tell who sent them. And I had to put the phone up to my ear and scroll down my contacts, listening to the automated voice tell me the names, in order to make a phone call.

Today I flipped open my phone and - viola! - the screen works again! I went through the 20+ text messages that had been sent to me since early April. (Thanks for inviting me to play basketball every week, Nate!)

Hopefully, it continues to work. I quite like having a fully functioning phone.

(P.S. Deidra had a similar problem happen with her phone, but she was without a screen for much shorter than I was. We're now both happy to have phones that work.)

Shuffle off to Buffalo

Feel free to press play and listen to the song as you read this post, since there's no video to go along with it.

We have finally resolved the last hurdle to accepting the teaching position I was offered at Trocaire College in Buffalo, NY. So it looks like we're officially moving! The job will start mid-August. I will be initially working on developing an Associate's Degree program in Human Resources, including getting approvals, getting it accredited, and writing course syllabi. Depending on how long that takes, I would start actually teaching classes in either January or next August.

I'm sure we'll need helping packing up, so we'll keep you posted as it draws closer and our moving dates get set. And if anyone has any leads on apartments to rent in the Buffalo area, let us know.

(minor tangent ahead)

A number of years ago, when I was playing shows as a solo singer/songwriter, I played a show in Alexandria, VA with Seth Horan, another solo singer/songwriter. He had previously recorded and toured as the bass player for Vertical Horizon. He was initially from Buffalo, and wrote a song about the city, entitled "Anonymity." Here are some of the lyrics:

• Why live where no one wants to be? / There's nothing left here to discover, and nobody I'd want to discover me.
• Everyone's tomorrow looks the same as yesterday / In a city meant for nothing more than anonymity.
• Everybody's days are filled with animosity / And never meant for any more than anonymity.

Our initial introduction to Buffalo when we visited for the interview was pretty similar to these sentiments. But hopefully we'll find more in Buffalo than meets the eye originally and end up having a great experience.

(end tangent)

Anybody who wants to visit us in Buffalo is certainly welcome. We've got the Buffalo Bills (NFL) - now with the additional entertainment of Terrell Owens, Buffalo Sabres (NHL), and Buffalo Bisons (a minor-league MLB team). Niagara Falls is a mere 30 minutes away (make sure you have your passport if you want to go over to the Canadian side), Toronto is less than two hours away, and - for all you Mormons (or those interested in Mormon history) out there - Palmyra is only 90 minutes away. So there's plenty to keep you busy.

Anyway, there's our big news! We will keep you posted as this all develops.

(a Lawrence Welk version - just for you, Deid!)

Fantasy Football Fever '09!

It's that time of year again, and I know you're excited!

I have set up a fantasy football league through Yahoo! and currently have six teams registered. We are looking to have up to 16 total teams.

If you are interested in joining, just follow these instructions:

1. Go here.

2. Click on "Join a League". (You will need to sign in with your Yahoo! ID. If you don't have one, you will need to create one.)

3. Click on "Join Custom".

4. Enter the league ID: 114684

5. Enter the password: roxor

And you'll be all set. Good luck!

Leave me comments on this post if you have any questions.

June books

I know, I'm a slacker. But here are finally the books that I read last month:

Standing for Something: Ten Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes

Gordon B. Hinckley

I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot of lessons through it's teachings. Of course, it's hard not to like a book written by someone you believe was a prophet of God. :-) This book was very interesting, because President Hinckley uses personal stories, biblical scripture, and quotations from prominent historical figures, while refraining from using Book of Mormon scriptures or alluding to many references to the Mormon church. By doing so, he has created a book, based on true Christian principles, that is timeless and that reaches out to members of all faiths throughout the word.

Gung Ho!

Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles

This book is basically a treatise on organizational behavior and how to improve organizational effectiveness. But it is different than most organizational "help" books in that it is written in a story format. Basically, a manufacturing plant is close to being shut down, and they are able to save it by learning the "Gung Ho" style of business, which is taught to them by a Native American manager in the plant. This style is based on The Spirit of the Squirrel (worthwhile work), The Way of the Beaver (being in control of achieving the goal), and the Gift of the Goose (cheering each other on). I thought the basic principles behind the book and the narrative story were pretty engaging, though the reference points of nature and learning from animals just kind of reminded me of some cheesy Karate Kid type of movie.

Heartfire

Orson Scott Card

Despite a title and cover picture that make this book look like some sort of harlequin romance novel, this was probably my favorite book of the Alvin Maker series so far. It basically deals with themes of persecution, both with witch trials in the North and with slavery in the South. I thought the author did well in progressing the overall story line of the series, while also creating a book that could stand on its own.

Tuesdays with Morrie

Mitch Albom

After reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven, I was interested in reading this book, which is easily the most well-known book written by Albom. Like the other books, this one was an quick read, while being both poignant and heartfelt. It tells the story of a well-respected old man (Morrie) with a degenerative condition teaching a young man (the author) lessons on how to live best, even as he (Morrie) gets closer to death. It had a lot of great points and touching narrative, and it's easy to see why it is considered a classic.

These four books for June put me right at 25 - halfway done with my goal and halfway through the year.

As always, I welcome your input on other potential books. My initial list of books I wanted to read is getting close to being completed, so I am going to need some recommendations.

300 miles

As I get closer to the date of the Top of Utah Marathon, the miles start racking up faster. It took exactly one month to go from 200 to 300 miles.

I thought that was pretty good, but one of the books I recently read (my June reading synopsis is forthcoming) is a fiction novel about a competitive runner. He would run about 120 miles per week! Now, that's crazy!

Speaking of crazy . . . the night before Chod and I were supposed to go on a long run (12 miles I think), Deidra had a dream that Chod and I were running and we got arrested by the police. They told us that running that many miles was just plain crazy, so they had to take us in and have us evaluated or something.

I can't say I blame them. Even I think it's crazy!

Back from Buffalo

We made it back safely from our trip to Buffalo, NY. I was interviewing for a faculty position at Trocaire College. No news yet on whether I will be offered the job, but I felt good about the interviews.

We also got to see a bit of Buffalo, visit the church sites in and around Palmyra, and cross into Canada to see the Canadian view of Niagara Falls. All-in-all, it was a good trip, though I don't think either Deidra or I got attached to Buffalo at all. In fact, Deidra was rather perturbed by the Buffalo Bisons (She does have a point: the plural of bison should really still be bison). So if I do get a job offer, we'll have to definitely make it a matter of a lot of pondering and prayer.

We did take some pictures, and my guess is that Deidra will have those up on her blog before too long. She's cool like that.

May books

There is not a lot to report for reading in May - only two books:

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Mitch Albom

I really liked this book. It was an extremely fast read, but I thought it was thought-provoking and entertaining. I highly recommend it.

Alvin Journeyman

Orson Scott Card

This book follows the previous books in the series and leads to the books that follow. So it tells a good story, but leaves much of the story line wide open at the end.

I am currently in the middle of two other books, so hopefully I will have more to report next month. Otherwise, I have a lot of catching up to do if I am going to hit my goal of 50 books. After five months, my total is only 21 so far.

200 miles

It took about nine months to reach 100 miles, but less than two months to double that. Marathon training racks those running/jogging miles up pretty quickly.

Happy Birthday, Deid!

Now you're as old as Jack Bauer!

Way to go, Idaho!*

In Idaho, it used to be that you could get your driver's license as early as age 14. That changed to 15 right before I turned 14 (go figure), so I thought I was robbed because my older brother got his license at 14, but I had to wait until I was 15.

This article rated the drivers in all the U.S., and Idaho drivers came out on top. Maybe all states should lower their driving age to 15!

In related news, Washington D.C. drivers were #44 out of 51. That was where I was living when I bought my first car. When I moved to Utah and got married, Deidra definitely had to temper my driving, because driving in DC is a beast. I think they (we) deserve that low ranking.

* Name that movie!

Halfway committed

I won't yet say that I'm committing to run the Top of Utah Marathon in September, but I have started training using a marathon training program and am committed to at least runnning the Top of Utah Half Marathon in August. We'll see how it goes from there.

April books

Just a few books this month - the middle one took most of the time:

Angels & Demons

Dan Brown

Even though 90% of the book is so far out there that it makes it almost too much to take, I enjoyed the action and adventure in the book and will probably see the movie that is coming out soon based on the book.

The Yankee Years

Joe Torre & Tom Verducci

I don't know what I was expecting out of this book, but I found it both interesting and somewhat frustrating. It didn't focus on Joe Torre as much as I though it would, and took some distractingly long detours in the narrative to talk about things such as steroids in baseball and the increased value placed on statistical information. There was one part where the author even uses virtually identical quotes from the same source within six pages of each other. So the writing wasn't as good as I was hoping it would but the subject is interesting enough to keep me reading.

Prentice Alvin

Orson Scott Card

The third book in the Alvin Maker saga, and I have liked it the best so far. The action is finally getting moving and the reader is able to start seeing where the series is headed, as Alvin grows into adulthood and begins to realize his future destiny to a greater extent.

Keep the F in KFC

Do not - I repeat - DO NOT fall for KFC's grilled chicken. The other day was their "free piece of grilled chicken" day, so Deidra and I gave it a shot. It was SOOOOO greasy and nasty. It wasn't worth standing in line for five minutes to get it free, so it's definitely not worth paying money for.

No PhD this year

I officially heard from the last school today and I am not going to be starting a PhD program in the Fall. So I am now fully immersing myself in the job hunt. I will probably try to get some experience under my belt, and might take and retake the GMAT and GRE (respectively) to boost my chances for acceptance next year. In addition, I will be able to more fully study PhD programs and find those that are the best fit for me. So, all in all, it may not be a bad thing to have to wait another year.

Woohoo - 100 miles

It took about nine months, but today I finally hit the 100 mile mark running/jogging/walking with my Nike+.

I know . . . I'm a nerd

So, I've been reading the book Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. A lot of the action revolves around ambigrams, which are words/images that are the same right side up and upside down. So I decided to see if I could make one. The results are as follows:

Right side up:

Upside down:

Not too bad for a certified non-artist, wouldn't you say? :-) (By the way, it says "Hartwell," in case you couldn't tell.)

Bicentennial Post

It took just under a year for me to hit 100 posts.

It has taken nearly two more years for me to add another hundred.

At this rate, I'll have 300 by the year 2013.

March books

Month number three of my book goal did not find a huge amount of progress. I completed only three more books, mainly because the first one took me so long to get through.

Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

Richard L. Bushman

I started this book in early February, and it took me until late March to finish it - over six weeks. It is an extremely thorough and thought-provoking book on the life of Joseph Smith. The author is meticulous in his research and fairly portrays the man that some followed as a prophet of God and others scoffed as an egocentric fraud. Bushman himself belongs to the LDS (Mormon) church, and the book is somewhat apologetic in favor of Joseph Smith, but he does not shy away from the little-known, controversial parts of Joseph Smith's life. All in all, I think the book gave me a greater respect for Joseph Smith and confirmed my faith in his calling as a prophet. It did, however, also give me more understanding of how people outside the church view him, and where some of the ideas they get about him come from.

Seventh Son

Orson Scott Card

I decided to start reading the Alvin Maker series from Card after reading a short story that goes along with the series in Card's book of short stories that I read last month. And when I found most of the books in the series on my dad's bookshelf, they jumped ahead of the other books on my list. 

The series could be considered "historical fantasy," as it takes place in the early history of the United States - complete with references to founding fathers and other historical figures. It is based around the idea that the superstitions, belief in magic, and rituals of some early settlers (as well as Native Americans) could actually work. For example, Alvin (the main character) is the seventh son of a seventh son - which some view as an evil thing while others hail him as a miracle child.

The book itself is somewhat slow-moving, and has the feeling of an exposition to a much larger whole. Knowing it was the beginning of a series of books, I was not surprised when Seventh Son left a lot of openings at the end.

Red Prophet

Orson Scott Card

The second book in the Alvin Maker series, this book continues where the first book left off. In fact, it retells a portion of the first book through a different set of eyes - a tool that Card also used in the Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow series. As mentioned, the book contain accounts of historical figures that interweave with Alvin's life. This book contains characters such as Tecumseh, William Henry Harrison, Andrew Jackson, and Napoleon. 

The author is a good, descriptive storyteller, and the plot of the book is very interesting. The downside to his descriptive storytelling is that there was not a lot more movement in this book than there was in the first. And, of course,  he leaves plenty of directions for the series to go in  the next books.

Next on my "to read" list:

• Angels & Demons - Dan Brown
• Prentice Alvin - Orson Scott Card
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey
• The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
• The Stand - Stephen King
• Dune - Frank Herbert

And for anyone counting, that's 13 so far for the year. Pretty much right on track to hit my goal of 50 by the end of the year.

Honest Scrap

I got tagged by my friend and former co-worker, Brandy, to take part in this. It is called the honest scrap award and these are the rules...A) First list 10 honest things about yourself--and make it interesting even if you have to dig deep.B) Pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of Honest Scrap...

1. After six rejections, I only have two potential schools to be accepted to this year - and I am on the waiting list for both of those (Purdue & Minnesota). I am starting to wonder if I am going to get into a PhD program this year. I have started applying for full-time, long-term work all over the U.S., in case school does not pan out. If I don't get into school this year, I'm not sure if I will re-apply next year or not.
2. I do almost anything I can do get stuff for free. As of right now, I still have a number of free Nabisco cookies/crackers coupons and recently cashed in a coupon for a free 12-pack of Diet Mountain Dew (even though I rarely drink carbonation, and even more rarely drink caffeine). We also went to Einstein's to get a free bagel numerous times last month (we had a "free bagel on Fridays in March" coupon). We also have free coupons for eating at The Factory, ice skating, going to the movies, and Aggie ice cream.
3. I have had an extremely difficult time getting a CD cover together for my latest CD. My most recent disappointment in that regard will probably be blogged about within the next week or two.
4. In addition to this current CD (my second), that will hopefully be finished for release this year sometime, I already have enough material to record a third CD and would also like to record a CD of cover songs.
5. I am currently living in one of the happiest and most care-free times of my life. I get to work from home for more money than I could probably make working anywhere else in Logan. Deidra doesn't work (except tutoring a couple of times per week), so we get to spend a lot of time together. I'm not even in school, so I don't have to worry about homework, tests, papers, etc. But come the end of April, my current contract runs out and the company is not sure they will have funds to continue my employment. So I'm just trying to enjoy this stage in life while I can.
6. When Deidra and I got married, we both came into the marriage saying that once we were done with school, there was little chance we were going to continue living in Utah. But we've since come to the conclusion that Utah (particularly Logan) is a fairly nice place to be, and having tons of family close makes it even better. So we've backed down on that pledge, but we're still open to live pretty much anywhere work/school takes us.
7. For April Fools Day, I wore a three-piece sky blue denim suit for Stake Bishopric meeting, hoping to get a good reaction. But few people even mentioned it at all, so I hope people don't think that was my normal business/church attire.
8. We've been in out current apartment for almost three years, and are itching for a change in scenery and/or new neighbors.
9. I'm temporarily returning to a job I left two years ago to help out as a former co-worker heads off on maternity leave.
10. I love watching Primetime in No Time on Yahoo!, so I get to stay up with what's happening in the primetime TV land without actually having to watch the shows myself.

(I did a similar thing a while back, but with 100 things, so I tried to not repeat myself.) 

As for tagging people, I think it would be great to hear from some people who haven't blogged in a while: Patrice, Warren, Tameka, Whitney, Chod, Kamilah, and . . . anybody else who has something to say and wants to give this a try.

Phatdippin'

Rhett and Link have outdone themselves with this one. I personally like the Obama cameo.

Eagle Eye vs. Wall-E

I watched Eagle Eye earlier this week (which I found utterly unbelievable and unneccesarily laced with gratuitous profanity) and thought "Isn't the ami computer in this movie (ARIIA) basically the same computer as the movie WALL-E (Auto Pilot)?" You be the judge.

ARIIA - a round structure, suspended from above, with a glowing red eye in the center, trying to override human commands.

Auto Pilot - a round structure, suspended from above, with a glowing red eye in the center, trying to override human commands.

Aspiring to the honors of men

I finally put up these frames in our spare bedroom (a.k.a. my office) after receiving my Master's diploma in the mail. It's supposed to help Deidra and I feel like we're smart or something.

The Golden Oreo conclusion

Remember the Golden Oreos debacle?

Well, I received a letter in the mail that told me that they had analyzed the cookie and that the discoloration was "product residue," whatever that means.

There were three more free Nabisco coupons in with the letter, so that works for me! :-)

SNOW!

This was the scene as I unburied our car yesterday morning after 24 hours of straight snow.

PhD program status

Some of you read last year about my plans of applying to PhD programs. I thought I should give you an update as to what I have heard back so far:

• University of Minnesota - I have been placed on their waiting list and should hear back by mid-August at the latest about whether or not I am accepted.
• Purdue University - I interviewed with a professor at Purdue over the phone last week. I am on a "short list" of eight potential PhD students. They will be extending offers to two of the eight. I should hear back in the next couple of weeks.
• Michigan State University - I got a rejection letter from MSU in the mail. I emailed the professor who sent the letter and inquired about why I had not been accepted and what I could do to strengthen my application for the future. He responded by saying that they had only received my electronic application, not any of the supporting materials (references, transcripts, etc.). I told him that I had sent the information in, and gave him the address that they were sent to. Come to find out, MSU has two HR PhD programs - half of my application materials went to one (in the Management school), and the other half went to the other (in the Labor and Industrial Relations school). I have since had everything transferred to the Management school, and they are re-reviewing my full application.

I have not heard anything from the other five schools (UCLA, U. of Michigan, Indiana U., U. of Illinois, and U. of Maryland). I'll keep you posted as I get more information.

February Books

Continuing my goal from last month, here are the books that I read in February (much shorter than my January list):

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

by Jeff Kinney

The most recent of the Wimpy Kid novels, it continues with more humorous stories of a middle school nerdy kid. I found this book enjoyable and fresh, even after reading the previous two books last month.

Keeper of Dreams

by Orson Scott Card

I saw this book in the New Books section at the library and, being a fan of the author, I thought I would give it a shot. It is an 800-page series of short stories (between 5 and 50 pages each) divided by category (fantasy, science fiction, etc.). While some of the stories were less than memorable, I thought it was worth reading overall. Interesting concepts behind the stories (such as Santa Claus being a spirit in a purgatory-like existence or God and Satan's Job-like bet that has brought about the world's views on socialism vs. capitalism) form the foundation for good storytelling. There is even a Mormon Stories section, where I found the author's introductory explanation of Mormon culture particularly interesting.

The Gypsy Morph

by Terry Brooks

The culmination of the 5 Terry Brooks books that I read last month. The books follows the same somewhat predictable path as those preceding it, and weaves everything into a fitting conclusion to the series.

I have also starting reading Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. I have been reading it for about three weeks and am only around page 200 (out of about 700). It's definitely more dense than most of the fiction books I have recently read.

Also on the docket for next month: 

• The Stand - Steven King
• Seventh Son - Orson Scott Card
• Dune - Frank Herbert

As always, I am open to further suggestions for future books to read.

Gattaca

Ok, so I am somewhat obsessed with the movie GATTACA. It originally came out while I was on my mission, and the first time I heard about it was after I came home and I watched it with a group of friends. Maybe I'm just a big nerd, but the whole futuristic, scientific premise of the movie fascinates me. I recently had to do a research paper for my Employment Law class. I did my paper on the legalities of genetic testing and genetic discrimination in employment, and referred to GATTACA in the opening of that paper.

Ever since Deidra and I got married (and even before then), I have been passively looking to purchase the movie. Basically, wherever we went that had DVDs for sale (the supermarket, video stores, Bukoos, etc.), I would rummage through their collection to try and find.

Well, I am happy to announce that after years of searching, I finally found it this week at ROSS for $4! Deidra told me I had to buy it, just to finally be done with the whole ordeal. So now I am the proud owner of GATTACA!

(If you've never seen it, I would highly recommend it. Let me know if you want to borrow it!)

And the winner is . . .

NOBODY!!

The February 15th deadline for the CD design contest has passed, and there were no submissions. There are a few reasons I can think of that might help explain it:

1. My friends aren't really as talented as I think they are. (I doubt that reason could be true.)

2. The contest awards were not high enough to generate interest. (This reason is very possible, but it's all I could offer in my current situation.)

3. My friends don't think they're really as talented as I think they are. (a.k.a. you don't think I am referring to you as you read this.)

At any rate, I am looking into other options for CD artwork, including purchasing software (probably Photoshop) in order to do it myself.

However, if there's anyone out there who would like to try their hand at the design, shoot me an email at chris_hartwell_music@yahoo.com. Even if you are not working in a digital medium, we can work something out.

Golden Oreos - Santa's Gift that keeps on giving

I am a big fan of Golden Oreos, and Santa knows it. When I woke up at the home of my in-laws on Christmas morning, Santa had left a package of Golden Oreos with my stocking. Since we hadn't finished the package before we left to return to Logan, I took the Oreos with me.  Fast forward a week or two to when I grab the last two cookies out of the bag. I twist the top off of one of the cookies and see a grey-colored abnormality on both the inside of the cookie and the creme. Nasty!

I contact Nabisco/Kraft and they tell me that they will send me an envelope in the mail so that I can ship the cookie back to them. Along with that, they promise a couple of coupons. This was in early January, and I had not received anything in the mail by February. I contacted them again and was told that the original mail had been sent, but should not have taken this long to get to me. They resolved to re-send the package as certified mail so that I would have to sign for it.

Today there was a knock on the door. Deidra answered the door to see our mailman with the package from Kraft. She signed for it and we opened it up. It included a letter of apology, a pre-paid envelope so send back the cookie and packaging, and three coupons for free Nabisco cookies or crackers.

A short time later, I braved the falling snow to run across the road to our mailbox and retrieve the rest of our mail. Lo and behold, the original kraft mailing was in our mailbox with the exact same items (letter, return envelope, and 3 coupons). In addition to that, there was a regular letter-sized envelope from Kraft. That letter turned out to be identical to the other two, except for the signature at the bottom. It also contained one more coupon.

I contacted Kraft and told them about the situation and was told to keep and use all seven coupons. Sweet! 

I won't run out of Golden Oreos for quite some time now!

Two weeks remaining to submit. 1st prize DOUBLED!

Just a reminder that that submissions for designing my new CD are due on Feb. 15th - only two more weeks!

And GOOD NEWS! The 1st prize has been doubled from $50 to $100!

There are also a couple of questions that have been answered about the contest.

Full details available here.

Good luck!

The reading train sets off

After getting inspired by Sherpa's blog, I made it a goal to read 50 books this year. And I thought I would also copy her idea of listing those books on my blog. However, in order to try to keep up on my reading, my goal is to outline the books I have read each month (rather than waiting until the end of the year). I'm not claiming that I'm going to go for the 1,000 page Dickens Classics (I hated David Copperfield), but at least I will get to catch up on some pleasure reading that was sorely neglected during my Masters program. So here's the list of books read in January:

Armageddon's Children

by Terry Brooks

Back in high school, I got hooked on Terry Brook's Shannara series books, starting with The Sword of Shannara. They were similar to The Lord of the Rings books, except that it takes place thousands of years into a future. It's been over ten years since reading those books, and I found out while in Border's recently that there are a set of prequels. So I found this in the library and gave it a shot. It's an interesting look at a post-apocalyptic society where humans are threatened by demons and once-men (mainly humans who have mutated due to the chemical, nuclear, and atomic warfare). I like Terry Brooks writing style, even though the cliffhanger ending that continues in the next book was a little drawn out and predictable.

The Elves of Cintra

by Terry Brooks

The second of the prequels in the series, this book talks less about human/demon struggle and more about elves. These elves have supposedly kept themselves hidden since man populated the Earth and are now needed to help man overcome the demons. I found this book more cheesy and vastly more predictable than the first book. But it was still entertaining, and left another cliffhanger ending to prepare for the last book of the trilogy. Unfortunately, all four copies of that book are checked out from our local library, so I will have to wait for a while before I get my hands on it.

Running with the Demon

by Terry Brooks

While reading the books above, I realized that there was another trilogy written before those prequels were written. So, of course, I had to read that trilogy while waiting for the other book from the library. This trilogy takes place before the apocalyptic events occur and kind of tell the story leading up to it. This book weaves magic into a normal, everyday small town middle America. because it deals with times and places close to present day, it is more realistic and graphically disturbing than his other books. But it kept my attention better than the other books.

Knight of the Word

by Terry Brooks

This book definitely wins the award for cheesiest cover. It takes place in modern day Seattle. The fight between good (the Word) and evil (the Void) continues. This book did little to progress the story of the previous book and was 100% predictable throughout. Probably my least favorite of the books I read this month.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

by Jeff Kinney

I saw this book one day at USU's bookstore and sat down and read the first little bit of it while Deidra was shopping. It was pretty entertaining, so I got it from the library and I was not disappointed. It recounts - in words and drawings - the story of a middle school kid and reminds us all of the some of the funny and ridiculous parts of growing up. It was extremely easy to get through and pretty darn funny.

Angel Fire East

by Terry Brooks

The last of The Word and the Void trilogy, this book wraps up the previous two and prepares us for Armageddon's Children (which, by the way, made more sense after I read this book). It was pretty good, but not anything too memorable.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

by Jeff Kinney

The second in this series, this book deals more with family relationships. Like the first book, the words and drawing come together to make an easy, entertaining read.

So there you have it - my first seven books of the year. As you can see, I haven't really branched out all that much yet. On tap so far for February are the following:

• Keeper of Dreams - Orson Scott Card
• Dairy of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw - Jeff Kinney
• The Gypsy Morph - Terry Brooks
• Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling - Richard L. Bushman

Now that I have almost caught up on the books I have been wanting to read, I certainly welcome any suggestions for other books to read. So let me know what books you've read recently or that you've heard are good. Perhaps I will add them to my list.

Contest: Design my next CD!

It’s been over seven years since I released my debut album, “All I Fear." My next CD is musically ready for release and all that is left is the CD design. I know I have a lot of artistically talented friends out there, so I decided what better way to come up with a CD design than to have a contest?

CONTEST DETAILS:

This contest is to design the front cover, back cover, and CD itself for my upcoming release “Racing & Retracing.” To get a feel for the music, you can listen to two songs (Leaving It All Behind & She Won’t Give In) on MySpace and two other songs (Home & Again) either directly on iLike or through the iLike application on Facebook.

To enter the contest, create a design using any artistic style. The artwork must fit the specifications listed on Kunaki’s website (where I will get the CDs made). Which basically means 300 DPI / RGB / 16 bit color with the following dimensions:









PRIZES:
One 1st Place Winner of the contest will receive the following:
* $100
* Four free tickets to the “Racing & Retracing” CD release concert (Date/Time/Venue TBD)
* Credit in the liner notes (along with any contact and/or website information desired)
* 5 autographed copies of “Racing & Retracing”
* 1 copy of all seven previous albums where my music has been featured:
- All I Fear (my debut album, 2001)
- From the Underground, Vol. 1 (2002 compilation album of acoustic musicians in the Arlington, VA/Washington, DC area)
- LDS Styles, Vol. 3 (2002)
- LDS Styles, Vol. 4 (2003)
- Summer Rain (Timpanogos Singer/Songwriter Alliance compilation album, 2004)
- LDS Styles 2006
- Swap Meet (Timpanogos Singer/Songwriter Alliance compilation album, 2007)

Depending on the number and quality of submissions, other entrants may be designated as Honorable Mention winners. Honorable Mention winners will receive an autographed copy of “Racing & Retracing” and two tickets to the “Racing & Retracing” CD release concert (Date/Time/Venue TBD).

TO ENTER:
E-mail your completed design, along with your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address, to chris_hartwell_music@yahoo.com. If you prefer to send your artwork through the mail (on CD, etc.), contact me via the same email address with a request for my mailing address.

Entrants may submit more than one entry with the understanding that each entrant will only receive up to one honorable mention or 1st place winner designation.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
To ensure full consideration, submissions should be received no later than midnight on February 15th, 2009.

FINE PRINT:
By entering the contest, the entrant gives Chris Hartwell non-exclusive rights to use his or her submission in the production, promotion, and distribution of the “Racing & Retracing” CD, this contest, and future performances, advertisements, and other promotions.

The 1st Place Winner and any Honorable Mention winners will be announced on http://goodned.blogpot.com no later than March 15th, 2009 and will also be contacted personally via email, phone, and/or postal mail.

QUESTIONS:
Questions can be emailed to chris_hartwell_music@yahoo.com or left in the comments of this post. General questions that may be beneficial to all entrants will be answered below:

1. Do the front cover, back cover, and CD have to be separate designs?

Answer: No. In fact, many CDs have a similar theme between the front and back covers. Some CD covers match the face of the CD. Keep it simple. If you do want to do different designs for all three parts, make sure they work well together, but I suggest saving your energy and using a  similar theme/idea throughout.

2. How many winners of the contest will there be?

The number of winners in the contest is completely dependent on the quantity and quality of submissions. There will only be a maximum of one 1st place winner, but there is no maximum (or minimum) number of Honorable Mention winners.

Word Verification Experiment

You know when you leave a comment on someone's blog and you have to type in a word verification that's not really a word?

Well, I think it's time that we conduct a little experiment. What you need to do is leave a comment on this post, and in the comment you need to use the word in the word verification blog in your comment. Just make up some sort of sentence that gives the word implied meaning.

For example, the last verification word I saw when leaving a comment was "noshinge." Therefore, if I left a comment on this post, it would probably look something like this:

Because I haven't been a good boy this year, Santa left me noshinge for Christmas.

Maybe not the best example, but let's see what those creative heads come up with. Come on - it will be fun! Leave a comment. You know you want to!

Applications complete!

I have finally finished last of my PhD applications.

Now comes the waiting game. I should start hearing back from schools by late March.

AT&T: The Reason I will never have an iPhone

(Warning: Long-winded rant ahead)

When I finally broke down and got my first cell phone six years ago, I signed up with AT&T. Almost the entire time I was with them, there was problem after problem - billing issues, dropped calls, horrible customer service, etc. As soon as I thought my contract was up, I canceled and switched to Verizon. Apparently, I was wrong about when my contract ended, and when I canceled (less than a week too early), I was hit with a cancellation fee of over $150  - even though I wasn't told that my contact was still in force when I cancelled my account. That just served to solidify my dislike of AT&T.

Fast forward four or five years. I've moved from DC to Utah, gotten married, and completed a graduate degree. AT&T became Cingular and then became AT&T again. Enough time and distance had passed by the time they became the exclusive distributor of the iPhone that I had almost forgotten the bad taste my last experience with AT&T had left.

My most recent contract with Verizon has been up for months, and I have not renewed the contact because Deidra is on AT&T and we keep thinking that eventually we'll get onto the same plan. Over Christmas break, we figured out that if I got onto a family plan with Deidra on AT&T, we could get an iPhone and, even with the added cost of the data plan, we would be paying roughly the same as we are for our two phone plans now. We have both been fascinated with the iPhone and had researched so many different ways that we could use it that it seemed a logical investment.

We went to AT&T a little over a week ago and switched Deidra's phone plan to a family plan and used the internet set-up at the store to purchase a refurbished iPhone online (still trying to save as much money as possible on the deal). The salesman was less than helpful and not at all accommodating, and the internet access they had set up was slow and, at times, unresponsive. We started to think that maybe this wasn't the best idea. My previous experience with AT&T came freshly to mind, adding to our doubts. But we continued on and finally left the store after completing the online purchase.

On the drive home, we both felt like maybe we had been pressured into a deal that wasn't as good as we had initially thought, and we were already thinking of way that we could back out. We couldn't really explain why, but it just didn't feel right. However, after that initial "buyer's remorse," we resigned ourselves to our new fate and awaited our iPhone in the mail.

This was on a Saturday - and Deidra had received an email that day from AT&T confirming the order. It gave us a confirmation number and told us that we should receive the phone in 3-5 business days. Figuring that Saturdays may not count as business days, we surmised that we should receive the phone between Wednesday and Friday of the following week (which was last week). Wednesday came - no phone. Thursday came - no phone. Friday came - no phone. We tried accessing their online order tracking system, but it did not recognize the order number that was given to us in the email. When we didn't receive the phone on Saturday, we determined to call AT&T first thing Monday to assess the situation.

When I called AT&T Monday morning, I first tried going through the automated system using our order number, to no avail. So I attempted talking to customer service, who could not seem to locate our order number either. The operator put me on hold while she got in touch with their electronic ordering department. When she came back on the line, she indicated that the e-order department had been able to find our order number and she transferred me to them. Finally, we were getting somewhere . . . or so I thought.

The representative for the e-order department explained to me that our order had be cancelled "according to routine procedure." When I asked him why the order had been cancelled, he could not give me a definite answer. I was told it was because either A) we had exceeded our allotment for the number of phones available to purchase online, or B) they were unable to verify some of the information we entered when making our order.

Since this was the first phone we had ordered online, I threw out option A immediately and asked the representative if he could tell me what information they were unable to verify. He said that they did not keep that information, so he couldn't tell me but that "I should be more careful to enter correct information in the future." That really got me riled up. I explained to the gentleman that I was certain that all of the information was entered correctly, and that I had double-checked it when making the order (what else was I supposed to do when the in-store online system was so slow?). He was unable to offer any more information.

I pressed him as to why we received a confirmation email after placing the order, but did not receive any sort of communication saying that our order had been cancelled. He responded that the confirmation email was simply an automated response sent out when an order came in, and should not be taken as confirmation that the order is complete. He was unsure if sending out communication when an order is canceled is standard practice or not.

I tried to summarize to him as best as my confused mind could. "You mean that the confirmation email we received with a confirmation number for our order, and instructions to allow 3-5 business days for the item to be shipped should not be construed as a confirmation that the order is complete? And if that is the case, that the email is automatically generated when the order is placed, AT&T does not have a system in place to automatically generate an email to inform customers when their order is cancelled? They just have to wait until they forget they even made the order or until they contact AT&T?"

He stammered through some sort of response.

Thoroughly frustrated at this point, I explained that I would not be reordering the phone and that I would like him to switch Deidra's plan back to an individual plan and not charge us the additional rate for the 10 or so days where we were on the higher rate plan while waiting for a phone that had never actually been shipped. When he responded that he did not have the information or permissions necessary to make any changes, and that he could not transfer me to someone who could, I simply lost patience and hung up.

Deidra and I walked into the AT&T store here in town and explained the situation. They changed Deidra's plan back and filled out a form to cancel the extra charges. We'll see if it actually worked once we get Deidra's next bill. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't.

So, in summary, I hate AT&T even more than I did before and will never be an AT&T customer in the foreseeable future. Deidra is even planning on jumping ship as soon as her contract is up. So most likely, we will never own an iPhone, at least not while they are sold exclusively through AT&T. But at least the order was cancelled so that I am not stuck in a 2-year contract with AT&T - that's the silver lining. The new Blackberry available on Verizon is starting to look pretty good.

(Image from Abrilon)

Christmas Tag

I guess when your wife tags you, you have no choice but to comply. So here goes:

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate. I'm pretty sure Egg Nog is against my religion. OK, it's not, but it should be.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa doesn't wrap (he doesn't really rap either). He always left presents unwrapped with our stockings on the couches.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White. Because my wife says so.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope - I don't deal with the decorations at all.

5. When do you put up your decorations? Whenever Deidra says "Go!"

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Pecan Pie, Ham, Peanut Brittle

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? My older brother (Ryan) and I had rooms right across the hall from each other, and we were both just down the hall from where Santa left presents. We would grab our blankets, pillows, and flashlights and try to stay up all night waiting for Santa while keeping each other company.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Ryan figured it out first and called my dad on it one time while we were driving somewhere. My dad didn't even try to deny it.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes. My dad went on a mission to Norway, and that is part of their tradition. One year, Santa even brought skis to us in his pick-up truck on Christmas Eve. Once we got older, we opened all our gifts on Christmas Eve so that my parents didn't have to wake up early on Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I don't really. I let Deidra take care of that. I'm more of a hinderance.

11. Can you ice skate? Definitely. I'm pretty much a pro . . .unless I have to turn or stop or anything.

12. Do you remember your favorite gift? I'm pretty sure I got a cool Chemistry set once year that was fun to play with, even though they didn't have any cool chemicals that would blow anything up.

13. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Christ and Family.

14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Peanut Brittle and Pecan Pie

15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? My family goes skiing together on Christmas day. Because everybody else is busy opening presents, eating Christmas dinner, and caroling, the slopes are usually pretty non-congested.

16. What tops your tree? Two glittery silver stars.

17. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving. It's fun trying to find the perfect gift.

18. What is your favorite Christmas Song? The Little Drummer Boy. My favorite versions are from Jars of Clay and from David Bowie and Bing Crosby.

19. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized? Not necessarily. I don't think it's difficult to center Christmas around Christ if you make it a point to do so.

I Made It!

I officially* graduated on Friday, December 12th with a Master of Science in Human Resources. Since then, I have been researching schools for a PhD and have decided to apply to the following (in no particular order):

Michigan State University

University of Michigan

UCLA

University of Indiana

University of Maryland

University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

Purdue University

University of Minnesota

So that is the next step. They all have deadlines between January 1 and February 15, 2009, so I better get moving quickly in order to get all of my information in on time. Wish me luck! I'll certainly keep everyone posted, but I am sure I won't hear back about any of these for a few months at least.

* by "officially," I mean that I went through the graduation ceremony. Final grades and diploma are forthcoming.

Get out the vote!

I know election day has come and gone, but don't let that get in the way of you making your voice heard! I have entered an online music contest at Mormontimes.com, and I need your vote to move on to the next level. Between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15, you can vote once per day per email address, but the catch is that you have to first register on the site in order to vote. 

Thanks for your support!

(Click on this link to access the site)

Mozart Requiem - Saturday, Nov. 15

I am excited to be a part of this concert and I think it will turn out to be a great show. As a member of the American Festival Chorus, I have been given four tickets that I am expected to sell. If anyone out there would like to buy any or all of these tickets from me ($10 each), please let me know.

(Tickets will also be available at the door on the night of the concert.)

Free Veteran's Day Concert

The case of the missing microwaves

When I started my graduate program at Utah State, I also started having lunch on campus once or twice a week with Chod and Tameka. We would meet in the Hub and have our lunch without incident. There were two microwaves available for our use.

In addition, most of my classes are held in the business building, and some of them are late afternoon/early evening classes. But there was a microwave in the basement of the business building that was available to use as well.

Fast forward to the beginning of this semester. The business building had been renovated and, lo and behold, all of a sudden there is no microwave in the basement anymore. Not only that, but at the start of the semester, all of a sudden there was only one microwave in the Hub instead of two.

What that meant to meant was waiting longer to heat up lunch in the Hub, and having to trek over to the AgScience building in the evenings to heat up dinner.

Then, as of a couple of weeks ago, the last microwave in the Hub vanished away without warning. I sense a conspiracy.

So now it's just too annoying to bring anything that needs to be heated up at all. From now on it's peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and dinner whenever I am on campus.

Whoever thought my life could get this rough.

I voted!

Just in case anybody was wondering.

And neither of these guys got my vote!