Greg Hartnett

I refuse to buy into the adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. That statement assumes that we are a particular person. In reality, we are not any one particular thing, or any one particular way. We are constantly evolving. You are not the same as you were yesterday, you won’t be the same person tomorrow. Hell, you’ll even be a little different after you read this post - both mentally, and physically.

Nothing is. Nothing has been written in stone about how you can act. You haven’t been prescribed a standard by which you must adhere. Every moment of life presents an opportunity to make a choice. Each time you meet somebody new, each time you speak to your child, each time you get something to eat, each time a coworker asks you for help. All of these scenarios provide you the opportunity of choice. How will you choose to act?

Throughout the course of my marriage, there have been times when my wife will lament over a particular trait I may have - maybe how it takes her three times to get me to act on taking out the garbage, or putting the toilet seat down. To which I usually reply, “Don’t try to change me - that’s the way that I am”. But is that the way that I am? Lazy? Unresponsive? Generally, I would say no. I like to think that I typically choose to act in a productive and/or quick manner. But hey, sometimes I am lazy. And unresponsive.

So where I am going with this? Nowhere in particular. Sometimes a journey is worth taking just for the sake of it, with no destination in mind. I am trying to work on changing some of the things in my life that have become habitual. For the time being I am content in the knowledge that I am free to choose as I please, and be the man that I aspire to be. Maybe I’ll even start to like Bruce Springsteen or low-fat salad dressing.

My wife and I have been together since 1994. For those of you mathematically challenged, that’s 12 years. If you have ever been in a long term relationship, you’ll know it takes a lot of work. Compromises, biting your tongue, providing support, listening when you don’t feel like it - all the little things that go into making a relationship last. It’s not easy.

On my drive home last week from SES San Jose, I was reflecting on how good life can be when you make good choices. People seem lucky or fortunate - usually they are not. They just make good choices. Choosing Lily as my wife was probably the best choice I ever made.

So as I am thinking about all this, the perfect song comes on the radio. A song that I always enjoyed, but never fully appreciated. If you have a love that has stood the test of time, perhaps it will ring true to you as well.  Still the One, by Orleans:

We’ve been together since way back when
Sometimes I never want to see you again
But I want you to know, after all these years
You’re still the one I want whisperin’ in my ear

You’re still the one I want to talk to in bed
Still the one that turns my head
We’re still having fun, and you’re still the one

I looked at your face every day
But I never saw it ’til I went away
When winter came, I just wanted to go
Deep in the desert, I longed for the snow

You’re still the one that makes me laugh
Still the one that’s my better half
We’re still having fun, and you’re still the one

You’re still the one that makes me strong
Still the one I want to take along
We’re still having fun, and you’re still the one

Changing, our love is going gold
Even though we grow old, it grows new

You’re still the one that I love to touch
Still the one and I can’t get enough
We’re still having fun, and you’re still the one

You’re still the one who can scratch my itch
Still the one and I wouldn’t switch
We’re still having fun, and you’re still the one

You are still the one that makes me shout
Still the one that I dream about
We’re still having fun, and you’re still the one.

How many jobs have you had? How many jobs or tasks have you taken for which you were completely unqualified?� Back in the day, I was the king of “fake it until you make it”.

Until I started my own company, I made the rounds working for the man. I tried my hand in various industries, mostly white collar, though I was no stranger to menial labor.  I always had high aspirations. I knew that there was no way that I was going to be working in the mail room for a living, and without the fancy Ivy League degree, I was looking at a low ceiling in corporate America. So, I learned pretty quickly that in order to get ahead, I’d need to do a little bull-shitting.

Fortunately, I was born with the gift of gab - a talent further developed by my love of reading. I mastered the art of the interview, and was able to quickly identify the qualifications that I needed to possess, and subsequently portray, in order to get the job. You need somebody with software experience? I got it. Team player? That’s me. Sales experience? You betcha. Supervisory talents? Out the wazoo. Got some puzzles or problems? Bring ‘em on.

By listening intently to what the other person says during the interaction, you should be able to identify what they need to hear in order to close the deal. Nine times out of ten, if you listen properly, they will tell you exactly what they need to hear, and feel, in order to give you what you want. By focusing in on those factors, and manipulating them to your advantage, you should be able to snag the prize.

Sometimes, it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t. If you are sharp, and learn quickly, you should be able to fake your way through the first steps. Most of the times, you get some slack for taking on the new role. However, you’ll need to get your shit together quickly, and follow through on your promises.

So don’t be afraid to reach for the golden ring. Go for that job or project that is completely above you. Start the journey- maybe you’ll try, fail, and even get fired. Better than wasting away in mediocrity.

Safe and sound in sunny California. Thus far, the move has been a success - the only hitch when my POD was delayed for a day. Regardless of my yelling and screaming at any rep I could get, the delivery of my worldly possessions arrived one day late - providing not much more than a minor irritation for me and mine.

With my phones scheduled for installation tomorrow, my new home office is up and running. Though I’ll still need to properly furnish it, after tomorrow’s visit from Sure West, I should be rocking and rolling. It’s nice to be able to catch up with work, and get back into somewhat of a routine.

My digital camera is still packed away in some box, so I have not yet been able to take any pictures of the new pad. Once I locate it, I will shoot away.

I am very grateful that the move went pretty smoothly, and I plan on not doing it again for at least a decade. I once read some list of the most stressful things in life, and I recall moving being on that list. Now I know why…

I have always been a pretty avid reader. Encouraged to read at an early age, I spent many a childhood afternoon laying around the house reading a good book. I always saw my mother reading, and at the age of 11 I started dipping into her stash. It started off innocently enough, with a taste of William Golding and the occasional dose of Stephen King. Before too long I stumbled upon classics ranging from Faulkner and Hemingway to Salinger and Orwell. For my twelveth birthday I received the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I was officially hooked.

Fortunately, I have carried my love of reading into adulthood, and I actively encourage my little ones to read as much as they can. I find that I feel better about myself, and my brain actually functions better when I turn off the idiot box and grab a book to read. Now a bit more than half way through the year, I have finished reading 15 books - an assortment of business and other non-fictional offerings.

Hopefully after my move is complete, I will be able to resume a less frantic lifestyle, and get back to my books. So what are you currently reading, and would you recommend it to others?

My move to Roseville approaches rapidly. Now officially t-minus 10 days, the vast majority of the move related work lays behind us, with only a handful of issues unresolved. If I could just find a buyer for my old Explorer, I’d be groovy. I have a couple of leads on the sale, and if those fall through, I believe I’ll donate it.

With most of the hard stuff behind me, I have had the opportunity to spend some time reflecting on my pending move, and my time spent here on Long Island. While I am very excited to be moving, I find the pangs of nostalgia hitting me in the gut more and more frequently. I have spent a lot of time living on Long Island, and my family has now been here for 4 generations. It’s going to take some time to get used to not being here, and calling a new area our home.

Now that I have only a few days left at HQ, I have definitely been getting more and more nostalgic. For instance, I have been driving the same route to work for the last four years, and I took the exact route to college for almost six years. I have now been driving for almost 19 years (damn), and I have been cruising along the same roads 50% of that time.

I’ll miss how the Meadowbrook opens up after Roosevelt Field, permitting me to cruise the rest of my journey. I’ll miss that long stretch of Rt 106 - a five mile run of lightly populated road past multi-million dollar homes in Brookville and Muttontown. I’ll miss feeling like a genius when I hop off the Northern State Parkway at Post Ave when I see a glut of brake lights. I’ll even miss the frantic, side of the highway piss-stops, when that extra cup of coffee just refuses to stay put.

I will definitely miss spending time with my boys at the office. I have been truly blessed to have people to work with that I both respect and enjoy being around. Brian and I have been sharing an office for three years, and the thought of not being able to easily bounce an idea off him will take some getting used to. I’ll miss the sarcastic banter, and the sophomoric humor. I’ll miss the lunches (but not the cafeteria), the office basketball games, and the boardroom meetings. I know that things with the company won’t miss a step, but I do feel a bit sad about not being able to spend time with Brian and Jared - my coworkers and my friends. Luckily, our conference schedule will permit us to get together a handful of times every year, and I am sure that we will continue to snowboard and vacation together as well.

Even though we plan on staying in touch as much as possible with my mother and sister, I know that all of us will miss them dearly. My mother has played such an important role in both of my children’s lives, and I am sure that they will both miss her very much. Moreover, it will be difficult to know that my god-daughter Kiera will be so much bigger the next time I see her. Being so far away from my family will indeed be the most difficult part of our move.

Though I feel this growing sense of sadness, I am fully aware that it shall pass. My sadness is brought upon by my fear of the unknown, coupled with the inclination to grasp onto the things that you leave behind. I understand that all things must change - that change is the only true constant. Our move is just such a change, as are the emotions associated with the move. And both of those states will surely change in the months and years to come.

For the remainder of the time that I will call Long Island my home, I plan on carrying along as usual - spending time with friends and family for the upcoming holiday, and tying up as many loose ends as I can at work. I have a couple of special events planned before we get out of Dodge, and then the next chapter begins.

I cranked up my iPod this weekend to help with the tedium of packing. I have been exploring a bunch of different bands lately, but have neglected some of my favorites. Yesterday, I spent the entire day listening to the Beatles and the Grateful Dead - my two all time favorite bands.

While listening to some live Dead circa 1990, I caught a really good version of Throwing Stones - a Bob Weir composition examining the human condition. The lyrics are insightful and the music is vintage Dead. Check out the recently updated Official GD Site, and the home of GD Radio - 24/7 streaming Dead.

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Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free
Dizzy with eternity.
Paint it with a skin of sky, brush in some clouds and sea
Call it home for you and me.
A peaceful place or so it looks from space
A closer look reveals the human race.
Full of hope, full of grace, is the human face.
But afraid, we may our home to waste.

There’s a fear down here we can’t forget hasn’t got a name just yet
Always awake, always around singing ashes to ashes all fall down.

Now watch as the ball revolves and the nighttime calls
And again the hunt begins and again the bloodwind calls
By and by again, the morning sun will rise
But the darkness never goes from some men’s eyes.
It strolls the sidewalks and it rolls the streets
Stalking turf, dividing up meat.
Nightmare spook, piece of heat, you and me, you and me.

Click, flashblade in ghetto night. Rudies looking for a fight.
Rat cat alley roll them bones. Need that cash to feed that jones
And the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes all fall down.

Commissars and pin-striped bosses role the dice
Either way they fall guess who gets to pay the price.
Money green or proletarian gray, selling guns instead of food today.
So the kids they dance, they shake their bones
While the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes all fall down.

Heartless powers try to tell us what to think
If the spirit’s sleeping, then the flesh is ink.
History’s page, it is thusly carved in stone
The future’s here, we are it, we are on our own.
If the game is lost then we’re all the same
No one left to place or take the blame.
We will leave this place an empty stone
Or this shinning ball of blue we can call our home.

So the kids they dance, they shake their bones
While the politicians are throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes all fall down.

Shipping powders back and forth
Singing “black goes south while white comes north”
And the whole world full of petty wars
Singing “I got mine and you got yours.”
And the current fashions set the pace.
Lose your step, fall out of grace.
And the radical he rant and rage, Singing “someone got to turn the page”
And the rich man in his summer home,
Singing “Just leave well enough alone”
But his pants are down, his cover’s blown.

And the politicians are throwing stones
So the kids they dance they shake their bones
Cause its all too clear we’re on our own
Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free
It’s dizzying, the possibilities.
Ashes, Ashes all fall down.

With my move to CA just 40 days away, I have been trying to get stuff done at a more hurried pace. Unfortunately, I still need to sell my Ford Explorer and arrange for transportation of my Caddy, and Lily’s Sequoia. I had hoped to use uShip for the shipping, but I didn’t get the response I had expected from them, so I think I’ll have to look elsewhere.

We have made some headway on packing, and should be ready to begin loading our POD when it arrives in a couple of weeks. The most ominous task I face is sorting through all the stuff we have been storing in the garage - old clothes (which I donated this weekend), furniture, outdoor equipment, toys, etc… If I can pour through that this weekend, I’ll feel a lot better.

Between getting ready and keeping up with work, I have made an attempt at doing some things that I won’t be able to do in just six weeks - spending time with family and friends, and doing things that won’t be possible once I am three thousand miles away. Some of the highlights:

Teaching Téa to ride a bike in the same location that I learned, almost 30 years ago
Taking JR to a game at Shea
Going out to dinner with old friends that I haven’t seen in years
Watching JR play soccer with his friends (ok, this I’ll still be able to do in CA)
Going to the Yankees/Mets game with my sister and brother in law - I met Giuliani
Memorial Day on Long Island with my family

There are still a handful of things that I’d like to do before getting out of Dodge, but this was a good step. The clock is ticking and there is much to do. I can’t wait to be settled at the new house.

I got tired of having my hair long, so yesterday I went to a fancy hair cutting place and chopped it off. It’s now pretty damn short. The one thing I told the girl in charge was that I didn’t want to look like a banker. Seeing her tattoo sleeve and paperclip through the eyebrow, I thought I was in good hands. Unfortunately, it came out exactly as I had dreaded. Put me in some khakis, and I’m ready for an interview at IBM. Fuck! Luckily hair grows back…

After months of looking, and a handful of trips between coasts, we have finally chosen a house. It was a pretty exhausting ordeal, moreso for my wife and inlaws than me. My wife and my inlaws did a ton of the footwork - exploring numerous communities in the greater Sacramento area. We finally decided on beautiful Roseville CA. The schools are good (we can actually send them to public school), the location is awesome (a bit over an hour to Tahoe, and 15 minutes to Folsom Lake), and the community is great.

We anticipate closing on the deal, and getting the keys within a couple weeks. For the time being, we have our hands full with choosing new floors, counter tops, paint, etc… As the pictures show, the house is in great shape. With some minor modifications, we will be good to go. Only the first 16 pics in the set are of the new house - the remainder are other houses we looked at during the hunt.

Anticipated move date is Monday July 10. We’ll fly out, and hopefully find our cars and stuff waiting for us in front of the house. Instead of going with the traditional moving van, we have decided to use PODS. I can’t stand the idea of dealing with scummy movers - just talking to them on the phone trying to get a quote gives me the willies.

The house is large enough for me to have my own office, so the plan is that I will be working from home for the indefinite future. Fortunately, there is ample commercial space within a few minutes of my house, so if I can’t work out of home, I can easily pick up an office closely.

For the next couple of months, we will be pretty fixated on the move. We have a fair share of stuff to box up, an SUV to sell, and two vehicles to ship. All in less than two months. Big fun…

I spent the better part of my evening loading up some new pictures. I have taken a lot of pictures the last couple of weeks, and they were beginning to fill up my camera. I imagine that my picture taking will grow more fervent in the months to come - I am in the market for a new digital camera.

To view the latest photosets, see:

Additionally, I know that Brian loaded some PubCon pictures. See them here - BOTW Media PubCon Boston. I noticed that there are a handful of other pictures tagged “PubCon” - if you have a Flickr account, amke sure to tag your photos so that they get into the photostream. I even saw some in there from Vegas ‘05. Should prove to be a pretty cool collection of photos. At somepoint, I’ll tag all search conference pictures accordingly - that way we’ll be able to see pics from every show.

Postscript - I modified the permissions on the PubCon pictures to allow for anybody with a Flickr account to leave a note. Feel free to hop in and mash it up. Remember to play nice…

Google Video launched a new feature today, the Google Video Top 100. While I don’t normally try to report on breaking news, and I loathe the idea of regurgitating information, I will make an exception here. This instance is actually a bit self-serving.

The video of my son’s hockey fight debuted on the list at #27. When I shot it, I definitely thought it was funny. After inserting the music, I thought it was even better. I had no idea that so many people would agree. I knew something was up this morning after a pretty big spike in traffic, and upon investigation I learned that not only has the clip been added to the G Top 100, but somebody seems to have embedded the clip from YouTube, and it has been viewed a ton of times today.

The power of pictures…

StoptheNRA.com, a project of the Brady Campaign, recently launched their Campaign Against Illegal Guns. In short, it is a multiyear effort to curb the illegal trafficking of guns in America.

The three main goals of the project are:

1. Strengthen law enforcement tools to crack down on corrupt gun dealers.
2. Extend Brady background checks to all gun sales.
3. Stop large-volume gun sales that supply traffickers.

To get involved, there are a few things you can do.

A. Donate a minute or two - simply fill out an quick form, or add your own personal message, and you can send an email to your two U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative pressuring them to support the Campaign.
B. Donate some scratch - as little as $25 helps to spread the word via advertisements, community forums, and internet advocacy.
C. Spread the word - in the modern era, there are many ways to help spread a message. Telling a friend or two definitely helps provide support for the Campaign.

The Brady Campaign has a track record of measures that help in the reduction of gun violence in the US. They have spearheaded hundreds of initiatives, and their grassroots mentality, and community outreach services really help to change America.

If you care about gun violence, or want to help in a solution to halt the illegal gun trade, please take a moment to read more, and possibly help with the campaign.

We live in tough times. So many of us walk around trapped in our thoughts and worries. We worry about things to come, and lament over the past. With the pressures to succeed and the persistent cries of fear from all sides, it is no wonder that sales of Prozac and other anti-depressants are at all-time highs.

The root of the problem is not living in the present. We spend time worrying about things outside of our control, or stressing about the minutae we feel bearing down upon us - but that is for another post.

I try each day to remember that it is now that matters. Live for the moment, and take in all that the world has to offer me. Celebrate the fact that I have been given another day to live. Another chance to experience the joys, and/or sorrows that make up the human condition. When I have trouble remembering this, I find that listening to Rare Earth’s I Just Want to Celebrate helps to properly align my focus. Great track - awesome lyrics. Head on over to iTunes and add it to your collection.

I just want to celebrate another day of livin’
I just want to celebrate another day of life

I put my faith in the people
But the people let me down
So I turned the other way
And I carry on, anyhow

That’s why I’m telling you
I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah
Another day of living, yeah
I just want to celebrate another day of life

Had my hand on the dollar bill
But the dollar bill flew away
But the sun is shining down on me
And it’s here to stay

That’s why I’m telling you
I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah
Another day of living, yeah
I just want to celebrate another day of livin’
I just want to celebrate another day of life

Don’t let it all get you down, no, no
Don’t let it turn you around and around and around and around and around

Well, I can’t be bothered with sorrow
And I can’t be bothered with hate, no, no
I’m using up the time but feeling fine, every day

That’s why I’m telling you I just want to celebrate
Oh, yeah
I just want to celebrate another day
Oh, I just want to celebrate another day of livin’
I just want to celebrate another day of life

Don’t let it all get you down, no, no
Don’t let it turn you around and around, etc.
Round, round, round, etc.
Don’t go round

I just want to celebrate
I just want to celebrate
Well, I just want to celebrate
Said I just want to celebrate (celebrate)
I just want to celebrate (I want to celebrate)
I just want to celebrate (I got to celebrate)
I just want to celebrate

Tomorrow marks a very special day for me. It will be the first time that I have both of my kids on the mountain. I have been dreaming of the day that both of my kids would be ready for a day learning how to ski. Téa dipped her foot into the winter sports pool a couple of years ago, with some ski lessons at Shawnee (good for learning and novices only). She loved it, but has been somewhat reluctant to go again. This time, she appears pretty jazzed about a day trip to Windham - perhaps it is the day off school.

This will mark JR’s first experience on the slopes. He has seemed tenative, at best, about going skiing, but I am confident that a few hours on the slope with his sister, and buddy Noah, will provide the perfect entrance to the sport. Now that he is 4, I figure that he is ready for a few lessons. I’d love to skip the skis altogether, and go straight for the board, but I have been advised repeatedly that it would be best for him to get comfortable on skis, and switch him over to a snowboard in a couple of years.

I am grateful to be able to get them on the mountain this year. Hopefully it will be the first of many, many days on the slopes with my kids. Our upcoming move out west should help - with Elk Grove only 90 or so minutes from Tahoe, I have high expectations.

I don’t plan on doing any boarding myself - tomorrow will be all about the kiddies. Expect to see some pics shortly.