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.

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.