Pawning my soul

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I went to a pawn shop with my father-in-law and brother-in-law. While they perused the power tools, saddles and firearms, I spent most of my time looking at musical instruments, amplifiers and electronics. As I didn't find anything that caught my fancy, I decided to look through the rack of CDs. I saw some old CDs that brought back fond memories (Real McCoy, Boyz II Men, etc.), as well as some Christmas CDs that I was trying to remember if my wife already owned or not.

Then all of a sudden a CD caught my full attention. I looked at the familiar spine with skepticism and carefully pulled it off the shelf from under the stack resting above it. This was the image on the front cover:

That's right - I found All I Fear, my own CD from 2001 sitting the EZ Money pawn shop in Burley, ID. I'm still not sure if I should be flattered or offended. But if you're in the money for a $2 Chris Hartwell album, now you'll know where to go.

Live, from Anchorage . . . it's Saturday Night!

What is it with Alaska that makes their constituents choose Saturday Night Live lookalikes as the head of their state government? I mean we all know the whole former Gov. Sarah Palin/Tina Fey comparison:
















Well, the other day, I got an email from Alaska's tourism department telling me that I should come visit the state. In that email was a message from the current Alaskan Governor, Sean Parnell, along with the following photo:













First off, he shares a surname with SNL alum Chris Parnell. But what struck me was the uncanny resemblance that he has to another former SNL cast member, Phil Hartman:














So, in a highly scientific study, I decided to take a look at a few other former governors of Alaska and see how they stack up with SNL alumni:

Frank Murkowski and Dana Carvey














Walter Hickel and Jon Lovitz














But one I have yet to place is Tony Knowles:














Any ideas for his SNL doppelganger?

GMAT Report

So, I took the GMAT yesterday. The main reason was to try and best the Quantitative Section score on my previously-taken GRE. So I barely even studied the Verbal Section and spent weeks studying the Quantitative Section. Come test day, I was still not feeling up-to-snuff on all of the theorems, formulas, and equations that are out there, but my brain was full and I was out of time.

First in the test were two 30 minute essay responses. Then I took a five minute break before going head-on into the 75-minute Quantitative Section. By the end of that section, I was fried, and I didn't even think I had really done too well. But I didn't want to take a break and dwell on it, so I went straight into the 75-minute Verbal Section. Almost four hours after starting the test, I finished and was given my scores on the way out.

The first thing I did was check the Quantitative Score. And the funny thing is that I scored at exactly the same percentile as I did on the GRE. So much for all that wasted effort!

Then I saw my Verbal Score. Somehow, my score was eight percentile points higher than my GRE score. And my overall percentile (Quantitative and Verbal together) was significantly higher than my GRE scores. So I guess taking the test was worth it after all.

I wonder what would have happened if I would have focused my studying on the Verbal Section instead. Then my Quantitative Section score might have improved, right? :-)

"Racing & Retracing" available on iTunes and CDBaby

My new album, Racing & Retracing, is now available at the following locations:

ChrisHartwell.com

(click on any of the above for the direct link to the album)

Happy 40th, Sesame Street!

My favorite character as a kid was definitely Count Von Count. In fact, he taught me how to count. 1 ah, ah, ah . . . 2 ah, ah, ah . . . 3 ah, ah, ah . . .

And then my parents had to teach me that I didn't have to say "ah, ah, ah" after every number.

(P.S. Snuffleupagus will always be Big Bird's imaginary friend to me)

And the winner is . . . (drumroll, please)

Brooke S.! Congratulations, you have won the Racing & Retracing CD giveaway! I will be in contact with you to get the information needed to send you the CD.

Thanks to everyone who entered.

Physical CDs are now available directly from me for $10 (cash/check/PayPal). CDs will also be available at CDBaby.com ($12.95) within the next week, and Apple iTunes ($9.99 full album or $0.99 per track) within the next couple of months. I will give you all an update when those services are available.

Feel free to contact me or leave a comment on this post with any questions.

(contest winner selected using random.org)

October books

Ender in Exile

Orson Scott Card

Being a fan of Ender's Game, I have read through all of the sequels and concurrent novels. This one just adds another layer to an already confusing landscape of stories that intertwine. I feel the same way about this novel as I felt about the latest Alvin Maker novel from the same author; I don't get to know the characters any more than I already do, which makes the entire book predictable. It's almost as if the author is trying to squeeze every penny out of a series that has been lucrative in the past, rather than coming up with something new.

Mafia to Mormon: My Conversion Story

Mario Facione

It was an fascinating read to learn about this conversion story and the complete change of heart and lifestyle that accompanied the conversion.

The Wednesday Letters

Jason F. Wright

An interesting premise (unfolding information written in weekly letters from a husband to his wife over the course of their decades-long relationship) is overshadowed by a dramatic soap opera story lines that makes it border on unbelievable.

Outliers

Malcolm Gladwell

This book delves into some of the anomalies that produced outliers like the Beatles and Bill Gates. From birth dates, to cultures, to practice time, etc., it is interesting to see how there's always more to a rags to riches story than initially meets the eye.

The Wizard of Oz

L. Frank Baum

This was a quick read, as it was meant to be a book for children. However, there are great descriptions and underpinnings of the book that adults can draw from as well. While none of the adventures of Dorothy and her friends is very inventive (for example, a giant spider-like beast that has long been terrorizing the forest is killed in its sleep by the lion in about two sentences), the imagery and fast pace make the book enjoyable.

For One More Day

Mitch Albom

Fitting that I finished this "ghost story" on Halloween night. Having read a couple of Albom's other books, this one seemed to fall right in line with The Five People You Meet in Heaven. That was both good and bad. It was still enjoyable to read and Ablom creates a good narrative, but the book didn't seem to break much new ground or be particularly thought-provoking.

Nov. 9 (Monday) - Closing date for drawing

I received the "Racing & Retracing" CDs in the mail today, and it made me realize that I had not stated a closing date for the drawing I had previously posted. So I have set next Monday, Nov. 9th, as the closing date. Add your comment to this post before midnight on Nov. 9th to be included in the drawing. Good luck!

Racing & Retracing - Enter to Win!

With the CD artwork completed (thanks, Brian!), Racing & Retracing has officially been sent off to be manufactured.

A couple of the songs are available HERE for your listening pleasure.

Within the next couple of weeks, it should be available for purchase on CDBaby.com and it will hopefully be available on iTunes by around Thanksgiving.

But lucky for you, you don't have to wait that long! I will be drawing for one lucky winner who will get an autographed copy of the CD sent to their doorstep (or at least to your mailbox). Just leave a comment on this post to enter the drawing.

Five Guys vs. In-N-Out

Five Guys:

• Peanuts while you wait in line
• Thick fries perfectly seasoned
• Enough fries to more than satisfy two people with one order
• A huge selection of ways to personalize your burger, including jalapenos and A1 sauce
• juicy, delicious burgers
• A board that tells you exactly where the potatoes come from for the fries (which is usually somewhere in Idaho)

In-N-Out

• A lot of gooey, delicious cheese on the burger
• Only limited selection of available burgers (even including animal style)
• thin, wimpy fries
• The ability to order milkshakes
• decent burgers, but nothing to write home about

Verdict: Five Guys wins HANDS DOWN. It's barely even a contest. The only thing In-N-Out has going for it is their milkshakes. But you get enough food at Five Guys that a milkshake would probably be overkill.

September Book

That's right, I said "book" - as in, a singular book read last month. But at least it was a good one:

Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back
Josh Hamilton

I've been a fan of Josh Hamilton's since I read his story in Sports Illustrated and then watched his unbelievable home run derby performance at Yankee Stadium. This book brought back memories of growing up playing baseball and how much a part of my life the game was. And to fully understand his story - from being a #1 draft pick, to becoming a drug addict, to getting clean and returning to baseball - is pretty amazing.

Thanks for the Happy Birthday calls

As I am sure you are all aware, yesterday (Oct. 8th) was my birthday. And I am also sure that all of you probably called and/or texted me to wish me a happy birthday. The problem is that my phone went the way of all the earth about a week ago, right before our trip to St. George. I am currently in the process of getting it replaced. However, that entails signing up for a new plan, getting Deidra and I on the same plan, and most likely changing my phone number. That means that I'll probably never see our hear any of the voicemail or text messages. So I just choose believe that everyone reading this blog post has already contacted me. And for that, I say thank you!

PS I'll keep you posted when I get a new phone/number.

It is finished!

26.2 miles completed in 4 hours, 12 minutes and 27 seconds

Foul ball fiasco

I have always thought that it would be cool to catch a ball at a major league baseball game. And I think it would be extra cool if I had kids and could share the moment with them. With my luck, it would probably end up like this:

August books

Who Moved My Cheese?

Spencer Johnson, M.D.

This follows the formula of similar business motivational books like "Gung Ho," in that it explains a business model (in this instance, it was "dealing with change") by telling a narrative story. The books does give some good ideas on not remaining stagnant, anticipating change, etc., but nothing earth-shattering.

"It" Happens

Julie M. Smith, PhD.

This book taught lessons on how to become change-resilient. Basically, it follows a very similar pattern to "Who Moved My Cheese?", but was twice as long and half as entertaining. The narrative is extremely contrived and the included puzzle and cards are fo

rmulaic and uninventive.

Leadership and Self-Deception

The Arbinger Institute

Finally! A business/self-help book written with a compelling narrative, instead of condescending childish story (i.e. "It" Happens, Who Moved My Cheese?).

This book really opened my eyes and I related personally to it with numerous facets of my life. The basic premise of focusing outward instead of inward is simple enough. But the understanding and realization of what it takes to get "out of the box" could take a lifetime to master. And he implications, behaviors, and outcomes that can result are essential to personal, interpersonal, and organizational success.

The Christmas Sweater

Glenn Beck

I was actually enjoying the book okay until the end and then it just all fell apart. I don't want to give anything away, but the ending of the book basically undermines everything that the book had been preaching up to that point. And it makes the whole book extremely unbelievable.

Fish!

Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, & John Christensen

This book describes how to add energy and morale to the workplace: choose your attitude, play, make the customer's day, and be present. It is based on the world-famous Pike Place fish market. It was a quick and entertaining read, with some good counsel and advice.

The Richest Man in Town

V.J. Smith

This book is basically a treatise on customer service. It's about an old man who ran a cash register at Walmart. He would always ask how his customers were doing, listen to their stories, shake their hands, and thank them for coming in. This personal touch made him almost a local celebrity. People would wait four deep in his line at times, even when there were other registers open. The book was somewhat interesting and inspirational, even if it was talking about an employee for the dreaded Walmart.

500 miles

The half marathon pushed me over the edge . . .


I should get another 100 miles or so by the time I finally wrap the Top of Utah marathon up on Sept. 19th. We'll see what happens to my running motivation after that.

Four years aplenty

Here's a toast to spending four years with the classiest, most beautiful, fun, smart, and amazing girl I know! We've only just begun . . .

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.