Greg Hartnett

I am lucky enough to have been blessed with a child of both gender. My eldest, a daughter, and the younger, my son. Though I am sure that throughout their lives I will have plenty of tidbits of information for each of them, the following pearls apply to each, and cross the gender line.

My intent is to continually add to this list - whenever I come across something that I think will help them in the future. Whether I stumble across it online, read it in a book, or think of it myself, I will post it here.

1. Question authority - never accept what a figure of authority tells you at face value.
2. Your life is determined by the choices that you make. Each day you are presented with choices that will influence your future. Always try to think of the consequences of the decisions you make.
3. If you can’t afford to pay for something in cash, you can’t afford it. Avoid credit cards at all costs.
4. A person’s value is not determined by their socioeconomic status, the color of their skin, their religious beliefs, their sexual preference, or their gender.
5. Always remember that each person you meet has fears, goals, dreams, and insecurities. Each of us has the same desire to avoid pain and embrace happiness.
6. Do not smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol to excess, or use drugs.
7. Remember that television is for entertainment purposes, and should not be relied upon for news or the telling of truth in any fashion.
8. An automobile is as dangerous as a loaded gun. Each time you drive your car, you take your life, and the lives of other motorists into your hands. The only thing in life you should be conservative about is your driving.
9. Don’t let your fear of striking out keep you from getting into the batter’s box - everybody fails. The only way to succeed is to fail and learn from your mistake.
10. Stay away from trendy clothing.
11. Do not marry the first person you fall in love with.
12. If you are accused of doing something that you shouldn’t have done, keep your mouth shut. Don’t say anything, even if the authorities have to get involved.
13. When you meet somebody for the first time, try to use their name a few times, helping to ensure that you remember the name. Everybody loves it when you remember their name, and feels pretty slighted when you forget it.
14. Learn to spend time alone. If you are content in solitude, you will never find yourself bored.
15. Life is a rollercoaster. You will experience highs and lows. Things are never as good as they seem, nor as bad as they seem.
16. The quick and easy way NEVER works out. Every great task is a long process, and requires little steps repeated diligently.
17. Try not to get too caught up in fitting in. Being different can be tough, but you should celebrate your uniqueness - it is what makes you special.
18. Wear your heart on your sleeve - let people know how you feel, don’t bottle your emotions up.
19. When presented with a problem, attack it head on, no matter how difficult it may seem. Putting it off will only increase the difficulty.
20. Never let your fear of confrontation stop you from speaking up.
21. Seek the truth - oftentimes it will be elusive. Dig, poke, and query to find different perspectives on any situation.
22. Never leave somebody you love on bad terms. Don’t go to bed mad, or leave the house fighting.

As stated above, this is an ongoing list, to be added to in the days and months to come.

According to reports, over 100,000 people gathered in Washington DC today to protest the war in Iraq. I feel negligent in my civic duties by opting to tend to the needs of my family today. My daughter’s school had a parade that her class built a float for, and my son had a birthday party for a classmate.

Truth be told, I found out about the rally too late to make any plans to attend. I found some cool pics from the day courtesy of After Downing Street

More about the rally:

Democracy Cell Project
Protest videos at The Brad Blog
Blogcritics

Now Playing:

Sara Smile from the album “The Very Best of Daryl Hall and John Oates” by Daryl Hall & John Oates

Once again, Fox “news” anchor Bill O’Reilly lets his colors show. During an interview with the legendary Phil Donahue, O’Reilly does a lot of shouting, and some threatening when Mr. Donahue questions the logic of sending more Americans off to die in Iraq.

Watch Bill blow his top (again) at Crooks and Liars

For further examples of why Bill O’Reilly should be selling peanuts at Shea, see the transcript of the Jeremy Glick interview. To see the interview in its entirety, you should go out and rent Outfoxed. Better yet, buy it - MoveOn could use the money more than BlockBuster.

Now Playing:

Kaya from the album “Kaya” by Bob Marley & The Wailers

I’m getting ready for part deuce of my interview at WebmasterRadio. It is now my fourth interview, and I think I am getting better at it. At least there are no butterflies now…

Check out the archives here - RainMaker Episodes

If you happen to catch one of the shows, or listen to the archives, let me know what you think. I am open to all criticisms…

Now Playing:

Radio/Video from the album “Mezmerize” by System of a Down

<rant>I’m not a fan of the bling. Call it the Deion Sanders effect of the American psyche. Even as a youth, when I appreciated the spotlight more than I do now, still I maintained a modicum of humility. The rising popularity of excess has been hard to bear.

Last night, driving home from work, I gingerly passed a Range Rover on the Northern State. A beautiful new truck for sure. The image was ruined though, due to a big set of those ugly spinning rims. Nice way to ruin a $85,000 truck. I thought, “Doesn’t that guy realize that the Range Rover is the bling?” For Joe Public there, where does it end? How much do you need to scream “Look at Me!”?</rant>

Now Playing:

My Old School from the album “A Decade of Steely Dan” by Steely Dan

I have had to fire a couple of authors this week for blatant acts of plagiarism. I hate to have to do it, bit they definitely made it easier for me. We surely can not afford the potential liability that stealing content could bring. Additionally, it disgraces the project, and cheapens the work done by the other authors.

Shame on you guys…

Now Playing:

Hit That from the album “Splinter” by The Offspring

My son starts pre-k tomorrow. Though he has been jealous each morning of the last week as his older sister has made her way to school, the night before the big day, and I believe he has a case of stage-fright. Who can blame him? I definitely wouldn’t be looking forward to leaving the nest.

I hope that he learns quickly. I hope that he is safe. I hope that he remains happy. I hope that he retains his fire. I hope that he shines. Good luck JR. Another chapter begins…

Now Playing:

Easy from the album “This Is It - The Best of Faith No More” by Faith No More

This weekend winds up a hectic month of celebrations for me and the Mrs. Each year, we celebrate both of our birthdays and our anniversary over the course of a month. It makes for an expensive and somewhat exhausting few weekends.

Tomorrow, I score big. I am pretty sure that the Mrs. is going to enjoy the gifts I got her, and I’ve got a couple of activities/surprises planned.

If I weren’t such a sport, I could see how some people may begin to dread having to celebrate any occasion. Between birthdays, anniversaries, mother’s day, father’s day, christmas, hanukah, easter, valentine’s day, halloween, thanksgiving, and the other hallmark events, who has the time or the effort to get excited about each one?

I think the only occasions that should be recognized are birthdays and anniversaries. The rest is for the Jones’s. For years I have been threatening to stop exchanging gifts at christmas - maybe this year I pull the proverbial trigger.

Now playing:

Little Red Rooster from the album “Dick’s Picks Volume 13 (Nassau Coliseum - May 6, 1981) (Disc 1)” by Grateful Dead

The new publisher I downloaded, ecto has a button in the toolbar that says “iTunes” - I think when you click it, it somehow adds the song that is currently playing on your iTunes to load into your blog.

This is an example:

Spirit in the Sky from the album “It’s So Easy - The Sound of Gardena, Vol. 2″ by Norman Greenbaum

pretty cool….