8 necklaces I just can’t help drooling over

I don’t know about you, but I get tired of looking over the necklaces for sale at Walmart and Target. Yes, that jewelry is inexpensive, but it usually doesn’t strike me as very creative or unique.

Now Etsy, on the other hand, has some talented jewelry designers selling some delightful wares, some spendy, others not so much.


This lemon jade flower choker can be found at HandHeadHeart at Etsy and comes from Thailand. I love the elaborate ribbon wrapping used to make the stems look like wood. Be sure to check out the other products in this shop; HandHeadHeart is a prolific and skilled beader!





This is a polymer clay rose necklace by Simply Chic Lily at Etsy. So feminine, it’s perfect for weddings, Valentine’s day, or just one of those days when you feel extra girly.




This linen and pearl necklace is made by Cynamonn at Etsy. There’s something about this necklace that just grabs me. I think it is the startling contrast of visual textures. Shiny versus matte, round versus long strings. The rhythm of those pearls, along with their asymmetrical placement paired with the rhythm of the linen threads twisting into a knot. This isn’t just jewelry, it’s also art. This necklace makes me think of a barefoot walk on the beach in the morning. It's dramatic, yet somehow informal.





This eye-catching necklace of bronze, copper, and silver grape leaves is made by Connie Colton and can be found at her Etsy shop “inspired by nature.” It’s rather spendy, so it may be a good birthday or Christmas gift. I think it would be perfect for those times that you’re channeling your inner elf. Someone’s Lord of the Rings costume would get a major lift from this.





Here is a “Larimar” necklace from kiwawa on Etsy made by Vlasim in the Czech Republic. It's also a bit spendy, but the workmanship is amazing. I find it fascinating that the stone was set without glue. When I look at all those rich brown textures, I just want to go eat some chocolate or weed my garden like an Earth Mother.





Twirled Treasures sells necklaces made of an unexpected material—paper. This is her “Glistening Honey” necklace and here’s what she writes:

“This exquisite pendant is reminiscent of sparkling drops of honey dripping from a comb. Shimmering loops cascade gracefully, encased in a blanket of tiny gold crimps which perfectly blend with the antique gold chain that houses it. Made entirely of paper, this lovely quilled piece measures 3/4 x 1-1/2 inches, hangs from an 18-inch antique gold-finished chain, has been meticulously hand varnished to make it water resistant, and comes in a gift box. What a unique treasure!”





Here is a necklace called “Moonlight of Saturn” by Lisa Zamcho, who runs BrightFireBeads at Etsy. Right now she is making fabulous “steampunk” necklaces with a lovely mix of gears and crystal sparkle. (You can't see the red crystal very well in this picture, so you'll have to go to the necklace page.)




This raspberry leather necklace is made by Jess Amity at Etsy, as part of her Modern Pocahontas Collection. She writes, “The Modern Pocahontas Collection is my interpretation of the question "If Pocahontas was transported through time to today (and had a killer sense of style), what would she wear?" The answer is jewelry, bags and accessories in leather with both traditional and modern adornments. So, Pocahontas would totally rock!”

Make sure you check out Jess Amity’s other jewelry as well. She does things with old drawer pulls that you never thought were possible.





I know this isn’t a necklace, but it is so “wow” that I just had to include it at the end. These is the "Le Printemps Pearl and Filigree Art Nouveau Head Piece Headdress" offered for sale by the Raven Eve Etsy shop. This would definitely be a neat piece to wear for high school formal dances, for weddings (both bride and bridesmaids), and for high class shindigs. I’m trying to decide what clothes era it would belong better with. These diadems certainly have an art deco element to them, but there’s also a distinct “barbarian princess” look to it too. It could nicely set off renaissance garb, if you don’t mind being a little bit anachronistic. Are they gothic like Raven Eve says? You decide.

Okay, so now that we're all excited and calculating what our Christmas presents are going to be, I'll just leave you with this little thought to remember when you're enjoying new jewelry: it doesn't matter how good you look on the outside if you're not as beautiful on the inside. Let's be beautifully good as well as beautifully accessorized.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Reflections on "Content is the only advertising left"

Here’s a thought I ran across recently on the internet—“Content is the only advertising left.” What is this talking about? This is referring to the social media revolution and the explosion of blogging as a way to market a business.

I can see this explosion as I see the Craigslist ads that ask for highly skilled writers to write articles about ______ industry in 500 words for $20 or less per article. Businesses are hearing about how blogs can bring in business and they want that, but they may underestimate the time it takes a writer unfamiliar with the industry to gather all the needed information to make an article! They think it should be easy! Well, it would be easy, if the writer had all the expert knowledge of the industry. However, an industry insider is going to want to do their industry work business and may not have quite enough time to put together a witty blog post. (But if they were to take the time to start brainstorming some articles that represent their particular expertise, then they could probably improve over time.)

It’s pretty obvious when businesses don’t really want to put the resources into a quality blog. Firstly, the topics they choose are dumb. Secondly, the content is lifeless. Thirdly, the writing is bad.

What does it really take to have a quality blog for a business? The best blogs I’ve seen are ones that:

• Give answers to common problems
• Give away some trade secrets that help the customer help themselves, either with diagnosis or easy fixes.
• Tell the customer how to spot unscrupulous businesses in the industry and explain exactly why the offending practice is wrong
• Share a slice of life in a way that is both engaging and non-offensive (This is good for attracting people to the industry.)
• Divulge useful details of that slice of life without compromising sensitive personal information

What do the worst business blogs do? They:

• Make it seem like everything is a mystery--job security by obscurity
• Make it seem that the customer is not smart enough or not careful enough to do anything and only an expert is qualified enough (Seriously? If the customer thought that, why would they be reading blogs? They are reading because they consider themselves smart enough to educate themselves about their problem as much as possible!)
• Give the reader no real information that can help them help themselves
• Only contain text that markets the business (too self-satisfied) as a badly disguised forum for disseminating press releases (You think readers can’t tell? What, are you stupid?) or trumpeting corporate goals (Why should the reader care?)
• Burst with corporate rhetoric, jargon, and legalese disclaimers (permeated with covering-our-butt fear)
• Make all their employees comment on the blog, whether they have anything good to say or not
• Do not respond to real commenter questions and problems
• Do not look outside their own business at what the competitors do (self-absorbed)
• Bash their competitors (insulting)
• Bash their customers (insulting)

Have I seen good business blogs complain and yet be successful? Yes. When I see these complaints, they usually come in a situation when the expert is having to redo correctly some job that a previous idiot has made a blazing mess of out of ignorance and incompetence. These kinds of posts succeed and build trust with the reader when they show pictures/diagrams of the badly done job before and explain exactly what is wrong with it and then tell what is needed to do it done right. The right amount of moral indignation is needed. Just enough to communicate the bad previous job, but not too much to turn off the reader and make them think the writer has a bad attitude. The writer must preserve a good attitude about their own work and pleasure (but not arrogance) about doing their best to fix things. (Good example: The Floor Elf website. After reading everything I could find on this guy's website, I trust him.)

Can a business blog complain about customers? No, not in the strict sense of complaining. It has to be done in an extremely sensitive and professional way. So perhaps “complain” is not the right word. How to share stories of difficult customers:

1. Withhold their name.
2. Explain what the customer wanted.
3. Explain what company policy is so that the reader understands what the rules are and why the writer resisted unreasonable customer demands. Readers may not know what is reasonable or unreasonable behavior.
4. Explain how customer reacted to refusal.
5. Explain how writer felt (keeping it clean and professional) and then how the writer responded.
6. Explain how the interaction continued, how the problem was resolved, how the situation ended.
7. Describe any doubts and questions the writer had about their own part, or any questions they had about the customer’s attitude/behavior.

When I worked as a writing tutor, sometimes I had difficult sessions with certain students that I needed to gain perspective about. So I would talk to my boss about the session afterward in a way that very closely followed the above steps. I did not use names, I explained what happened on both sides, and then we had very fascinating, productive discussions about what I could do better to professionally handle that in the future. When I became a more skilled tutor, the conversations helped me see that I did all I could do within policy. This kind of model works well for business blogging.

What "problem customer" posts are useful for:

• adjusting future customer's expectations
• educating other customer readers about permissible behavior,
• educating customer readers about company policies and the reasons behind them (best when policies are rational and not merely company-serving)
• educating customers about extra services the company can provide in the context of an interesting story
• training future employees
  

Additional thought:
An internal business blog might be a good way for a business to create a corporate culture and spotlight various employees for the good they do. It might also be a good way for employees to communicate methods that worked or them. This ensures that valuable company knowledge base isn’t automatically lost when an employee leaves.

Is a home warranty right for you?

It seems that out on the web you get opinions on two sides of the spectrum. Either home warranties are harbingers of peace of mind, or they neatly chew spam with big teeth. (“neatly chew spam” is my way of saying “they suck” but, I have always hated the expression “they suck”, so I take the liberty of coining an expression for greater comfort and humorous possibilities.)

I am here to bring some clarity to this decision, speaking as a thoughtful customer.

The fact is that home warranties have limits. They have advantages and disadvantages just like any other product or service. They are the red-headed stepchild of the insurance industry. And they are misunderstood by those who purchase them. The more you are aware of where misunderstandings are likely to occur and where the warranty limitations are, the better you will be prepared to decide whether a home warranty is right for you, and the less your frustrations will be if you buy it and then have to use it.

Misunderstanding #1 The home warranty will cover everything in my home.

No, it won’t. You are mistaking a home warranty for home insurance. This is when you have to look carefully at terms and conditions and pay very close attention to limitations. Take note of whether pre-existing conditions are covered or not.

Misunderstanding #2 The home warranty will cover all costs of repairing/replacing covered items.

No, it won’t. Unfortunately, this is one of the things that home warranty companies could be a little more up-front about. The fact is, home warranties (H.W.) have dollar coverage limits, just like other insurance companies do, and if the costs of repairing/replacing go over those limits, then you will have to foot the rest of the bill. It would be very nice if customers knew this before they need the warranty rather than during the stressful process of requesting service to fix/replace a failed appliance or system.

Here’s a recent example. I have a H.W. with a company that will remain nameless (I’m using them as a typical example, neither bad nor good). My air conditioning unit broke down and the H.W.-sent service person declared it needed replacement. When I spoke with someone from the H.W. authorization department, she told me that replacing the 25-year old AC unit would require making a lot of modifications to our home, depending on how codes for AC had changed over 25 years and that although the H.W. would pay for the replacement of the unit, there would be additional costs that might be over the warranty coverage limits, and we should be prepared for out-of-pocket expenses. This information about coverage limits was news to me. Being the realistic person that I am, I realized that it would be best for me to know what those limits were and what typical costs were so that I would not expect more from the home warranty than it was obligated to deliver. (I’m trying to save myself aggravation, you see.) I also wanted to know how high those out-of-pocket expenses could get so that I would not be surprised or resentful when it came time to pay them. If those expenses turned out less, then I could count myself fortunate. She shared those expenses with me, and I was very appreciative.

I would like to expect amazing things from every person, service, or product, but I know that is not realistic. People, service, and products can only do so much, so I have to learn to manage my expectations. In the case of home warranties, if the companies that offered them would communicate clearly the dollar amounts of coverage limits, that would go a long way towards managing customer expectations. People are happy when they know exactly what to expect and they get it. Trouble happens when they expect home warranties to cover everything and then they have to be disappointed. People will understandably feel gypped.

Misunderstanding #3 The home warranty company should, can, and will repair/replace my __________ today or tomorrow.

No, it shouldn’t, can’t, and won’t. This can be the most disappointing thing for people to discover, so understanding this ahead of time is very important. The trouble is, when people find out home warranty companies shouldn’t, can’t, and won’t fix their appliances/systems the same day or the next day, they jump to the conclusion that the home warranty company is deliberately cheating them and putting them through misery. This is not true.

They shouldn’t repair or replace your _____ today or tomorrow because it takes time to figure out what is wrong and what to do about it. Since they don’t live in your home, they require the service person to act as their agent and determine what is wrong and pass that information along. It is just as foolish for a company to act without the facts as it would be for you to act without the facts.

They can’t repair or replace your ________ today because they have many customers to help. You aren’t the only one. If you were the only one calling for service, they could devote all their time to you. They are taking calls all the time.

They won’t repair or replace your _______ today because their decisions have to go through channels and be rubberstamped by the proper people.

Here are the hard facts of the matter. With the purchase of a H.W., the task of choosing a service company, diagnosing the problem, determining what should be done, and how much to pay has been outsourced from you to the H.W. company. Essentially you have paid a fee to relinquish speed of resolution and control of the process to the H.W. company in the hopes that it will cost less to do so. Homeowners must realize that instead of being able to call a repair service immediately, they will have to call the H.W. company to request service (takes at least one day). Instead of being able to call the repair company of their choice, they will have to accept whoever is sent by the H.W. company to diagnose the problem. Instead of being able to make the decision themselves to fix or replace the appliance or system, the H.W. company will make it. Instead of being able to ask for the repair to proceed immediately while the repair person is there, the homeowners will have to wait for the repair person to communicate with the H.W. company and for the H.W. company to make the decision. (This can take several days.)

As you can see, there is a real tradeoff of freedom and speed involved in obtaining a H.W.

It is true that the homeowners can still do an end-run around the H.W. company and call the service person themselves and pay for it themselves, but they should not expect the H.W. company to automatically reimburse them. The H.W. company is very cost-conscious and are inclined to look with disfavor upon service companies who are not in their preferred network.

The issue of this tradeoff should be very carefully weighed. In theory, it sounds great to pass the risk of substantial repair/replacement costs on to a H.W. company. However, in practicality, the slow speed of resolution can cause real human suffering in proportion to the importance of the system that fails.

For example, it would be great if our air conditioning system failures could be detected in the wintertime when we aren’t depending on it, but such is not the case. Instead, failure of air conditioning systems occurs or is discovered at the times when it is most needed and during the time when a slow resolution of multiple days is the most uncomfortable and inconvenient. Not only this, but it may happen that a freak accident causes widespread failure in a locale and then the H.W. company is inundated with service requests, which delays resolution even further. As I type, the air conditioning in my home has been out for six days as I wait for my H.W. company to authorize my A.C. unit’s replacement. It took me five days to learn that an exploding transformer in the Mesa area led to a fire, which led to a number of other people losing their A.C. units. This is during the monsoon season with temperatures above 100 degrees. My H.W. company has been absolutely swamped with service calls. I am not miffed about this. This is just part of having a H.W. To expect the H.W. company to service ME immediately when so many others are in the same position of need would be rank selfishness.

In short, before you buy a home warranty, you need to think carefully about how you will cope for multiple days if:
• your air conditioner fails during a heat wave
• your heater fails during a cold snap
• your water pipes burst
• your roof leaks
• your toilets overflow
• your refrigerator fails
• your dishwasher fails
• your clothes washer or dryer fails

A home warranty is not for you if you can’t cope with the loss of functionality of these items and systems for more than a day. This applies to families with very small children (Small children may not understand why they are so uncomfortable and protest loudly and at length.) It may apply to families caring for elderly parents in their homes. It may also apply to landlords who have to meet tight deadlines.

Who might a home warranty help? A home warranty might be for you if you recently bought a house and are short on cash to pay for expensive repairs. That time just after purchase and before you can save a tidy sum for emergencies leaves you particularly vulnerable to discovering problems that didn’t show up during home inspection. A home warranty can bear a good portion of that risk for you. Just remember the tradeoff you are making and be prepared to cope for multiple days in the event of sudden loss.

Review: The Prophecy by Hilari Bell (contains spoilers at the end)

The Prophecy, by Hilari Bell

Genre: fantasy fiction--contains unicorns, dragons, prophecies, and magic. Set in an undetermined kingdom somewhere in medieval times.

This appears to be the Hilari Bell’s fourth book. In a very broad sense, it is similar to Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown in that the misfit royal progeny goes out to save the kingdom from a gigantic dragon that is wreaking havoc upon the land.

Summary without spoilers: Prince Perryndon (informally called Perryn) is a scholar-prince who is loved by the palace servants, but mocked and maligned by his father, the arms master, and the palace guards. Studying to find a way to help rid the kingdom of an enormous marauding dragon, he finds a prophecy listing three things that should defeat it—a unicorn, a true bard, and an ancient sword of power. But his father won’t listen and locks him in his room. When he discovers a plan has been laid to assassinate him and betray the kingdom to their enemies, Perryn must find the strength of will and act on his own to fulfill the terms of the prophecy.

The main character, Perryn, is a weakling that becomes irked when he finds out early in the story that his enemy considers him a weak-willed boy who can’t do anything on his own. The criticism goads him to exert himself in all cases, even when others might think of giving up.

Readers are also introduced to some fascinating characters who help Perryn along, once he has bargained them into cooperating. We meet the bard Lysander, a skeptical worldly wise song-spinner who doesn’t believe Perryn is really a prince, Prism, a dirt-averse unicorn with the tendency to faint when confronted with danger, and the Sword of Samhain, which has a penchant for reminiscing loudly about glorious past battles.

At the beginning of each chapter, Bell has a little blurb that summarizes the chapter’s events. As a reader, it was strangely refreshing to have a little hint of what was coming, and I suppose if her readers were nervous people, they might find it comforting to know what was going to happen before it did. (In a way, these blurbs acted like a prophecy for readers, leading them along through the book, just as the prophecy leads Perryn to his heroic destiny.) It must be noted that this also makes the author’s job that much harder to deliver an interesting story that holds the reader even when the reader knows what will happen. I think Bell succeeds. So while the book never became really suspenseful, it still aroused in me a feeling of pleasant curiosity. And there is just enough of the unexpected—plot twists and quirky characters—at the right time keep me engaged.

One of the refreshing things about this story to me as a reader was that its tone remained earnest and sincere, rather than depending upon snark and sassy dialogue to maintain engagement in the story.

Another of the ways Bell has made this slay-the-dragon story different is to by making it into a quest that glorifies brain and creative problem-solving more than raw brawn. There is a deep current of respect for science and learning behind this story, even with unicorns, legends, prophecies, fire-breathing dragons, enchanted forests, ghosts, and magic swords.

There are two things that irritated me about this story. The first was that it ended too soon without completing one of the story arcs. The second was that it diluted the power of the prophecy plot device in an attempt to add a twist. These two problems prevented me from completely enjoying the book. The first problem caused me to throw the book from me in annoyance after reading the last page. The second problem was sensed in my subconscious and gradually wormed its way to the top after a day of thinking about it. (I will discuss these problems more in depth in the spoiler section.)

In all other respects, this story is pleasant. Ultimately it is about discovering the ability to make things happen, using brains to solve difficult problems, and refusing to get discouraged. This book is for younger teens interested in fantasy fiction.

All in all, I give it a B.


WARNING! SPOILER ALERT!! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!




























Here I will more fully discuss the nature of the problems I found in this book. I do this for the benefit of the book’s author and any other authors who might stumble upon this post.

Incomplete Story Arc

As a reader, I wanted to see how relationship changed between the prince and his disappointed father after the dragon was slain, since the relationship was made into one of the important conflicts and motives in the story. I wanted to see the king’s initial disbelief, the slow trickle of proofs of Perryn’s valor coming in, and the king’s final acknowledgement that Perryn had something in him after all. The more messy and gradual it could be made, the more satisfying it would have been to me as a reader. It should have been in there. I was all set up for it. Near the beginning, on page 17, Perryn pleads with his father:

“How can I make you listen?”
“By making me,” said the king. “Come on. Give it a try.”

I wanted to see Perryn finally make the king listen, and when I didn’t get to see it, I felt cheated.

Prophecy Plot Device Diluted

As said before, I sensed this issue more on a subconscious level, but it gradually became clearer with thought that there was something wrong when the prophecy turned out to be false. It is a curious twist to be sure, but as a reader I felt betrayed. This is not a mere echo of the main character’s feeling of betrayal; it has basis in literature craft. Two of the literary purposes of prophecy are that it serves as motivation for great deeds, AND it intensifies the feelings of satisfaction (for both the book characters and the reader) upon achieving a difficult goal. There is deep satisfaction in fulfilling one’s purpose and destiny. Human beings deeply want to know that what they are doing is right, is meant to happen, and is part of a cosmic plan somehow. For a prophecy to accomplish its literary purpose as a satisfying plot device, the prophecy should not be found to be false and then be fulfilled anyway. This substantially dilutes the power of the device. Fake prophecies may be postmodern artistry, but it doesn’t satisfy the reader at the visceral level.

Parts I Liked

I don't believe in giving medicine without sugar, so here are some parts that I consider highlights of this story.

When the prince had his money stolen from him soon after his escape from the palace, I really started to get interested. I wanted to see how he would persevere without funds.

I was pleased when the prince bartered for the bard’s freedom by chopping wood. If the process of his learning to chop better had been stretched out a leeeeetle bit more, I would have been even more happy.

I appreciated the song the bard wrote for the prince. I was glad it wasn’t some stupid throw-away verse. It had really thought and sincerity in it, and the simple earthy truth of it touched me. “It’s the song of the ax/that’s the song of your soul.” Nice.

The fainting unicorn made me laugh out loud.

When the prince decides to go back to the palace to get more information, I was delighted. This renewed my interest substantially because it was the exact opposite of what was expected.

I liked that the book showed Lysander’s repeated exclamations of “I can’t believe you’re really Prince Perryndon!” when he realizes it really is true. This was so realistic and true to life it made me grin.

I enjoyed Perryn’s elaborate plan to kill the dragon after his friends are captured. I thought the actual method of killing the dragon was fitting and nicely scientific. I almost expected him to start singing the song Lysander had written for him as he did it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: The Queen of Clean Conquers Clutter, by Linda Cobb

The Queen of Clean Conquers Clutter, by Linda Cobb. Published by Pocket Books, New York. 2002.

The Queen is back and she’s at it again, this time with a book on conquering clutter. The domestic diva has her crown firmly on and goes from room to room with her duster.

In her introduction, Linda Cobb says that the key to get out from all the clutter is a matter of thoughtful elimination of time-wasting and space-wasting things, rather than adding things. She claims that the reader already has what it takes to conquer clutter and get organized.

In this book, Cobb goes through the most common areas of the house and uses a methodology to get organized, which focuses on five steps: Question, Unpack, Evaluate, Eliminate, and Neaten Up. This does a good job of breaking down the process of organizing for those who are unfamiliar with what happens mentally when organizing.

The most difficult part of the process for chronic clutterbugs is the Question and Evaluate stages, but Cobb doesn’t spend much time delving into the mental blocks that prevent people from successful overcoming their hoarding or accumulating habits.

Most of Cobb’s text consists of storage ideas and how to clean various locations and items. This is very helpful for people who need someone to question their need for possessions they've taken for granted are needed. Readers who have no problem staying organized will find a few more ideas of things they can get rid of. It is also helpful for people who want suggestions on more space-efficient ways to store things or more efficient ways to clean or organize. However there is not much help for people who need to learn the organizing principles and successful thought processes to use daily to maintain an organized lifestyle.

This book is more about organizing and less about decision-making processes for discarding. This book is for those who are looking for some inspiration to get started, but for those who truly need some of the psychological motive-exploring that is truly at the root of conquering clutter, look elsewhere.

I give this book a B-.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: The Quick-Fix Home Organizer, by Emilie Barnes.

The Quick-Fix Home Organizer, by Emilie Barnes, published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon. 2008.

This book is an attempt to look at organizing from the perspective of Christianity and Bible teachings. It is structured as little self-contained paragraphs that are easy to get through and easy to understand.

My biggest beef about this book is that it seems scatterbrained. It is structure of little self-contained paragraphs makes it seem shallow. Some of the paragraphs have a whole bunch of advice all squished together. This means that none of the individual bits get to be explained and explored. While the title says the book is supposed to be “quick fix”, but it seems too much like the author didn’t work very hard to distill the strongest ideas into the smallest space. I admit that I couldn’t finish reading this book.

The thoughts are good, but some seem to repeat. Other ideas seem to be in the wrong place, which indicates that the author didn't use an outline during the writing process. For instance, p69 “design secrets” in the organizing half seems to belong better to the second half of the book about decorating. I would suggest that to prepare for her second edition, Emilie Barnes should try to make sure all the subtitles for her paragraphs exactly describe what’s in the paragraph and then organize those paragraphs by topic. This would go a long way toward getting rid of redundancy, and creating a logical flow.

Barnes also does not give enough attention to the consistency of her message. For example, on p62 she says not to worry about tomorrow. Yet this strikes me as contradictory in a book about quick organization fixes. Part of organizing means planning, which means we have to think about tomorrow, especially if we are quickly updating our calendars. This needs some deeper elaboration so that we as readers can see how these ideas fit together.

There is a lot of process-focused instruction, but not much discussion of general principles that can be used to guide in a variety of situations, and there is no working through the many mental blocks a disorganized person has to deal with to become more organized.

For a faith-based book, I think it could be bolder and use scripture to back more things up.

This book is for people who will read one page a day. People who read straight through a book all at once should look elsewhere. I give this book a C-.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Musical Performance Review: East Valley Mormon Choral Organization and the premier of the oratorio “Messiah in America”

I attended the premier performance of the “Messiah in America” oratorio put on by the East Valley Mormon Choral Organization (EVMCO) at the Mesa Arts Center on March 5, 2011. I didn’t know what to expect, but at the end, I was extremely glad that I came and felt as though I had seen something that had the potential to become as famous and well-loved as Handel's "Messiah."

EVMCO is directed by Brandon Stewart, and “Messiah in America” was written by his brother, Brett Stewart, who is the director of a similar choral organization in Orange County, California.

Performance program

Brett Stewart made an interesting decision to prelude the oratorio with a selection of five hymn and primary song arrangements for choir and orchestra topically suggesting the history of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Oh How Lovely was the Morning” was followed by a “The Story of a Boy,” which described the heroism of Joseph Smith in simple terms and which sounded like it would be perfectly at home in the primary songbook. Then came an arrangement of “Book of Mormon Stories,” in which child soloists sang all the extra verses, after which came “Jesus Is My Shepherd,” “Hope of Israel,” and “We’ll Bring the World His Truth (Army of Helaman).”

At first it seemed odd to prelude the oratorio in this way, but I realized that there were several purposes served by it. First, it located the oratorio in the context of the restoration of the gospel, in the same way that a jewel is displayed in the context of a gold ring. Second, hearing some of these well-known songs performed in interesting arrangements by skilled performers with such a spread of ages showed what church performances of sacred music had the potential to become. (This is one of the stated goals of EVMCO.) Third, it softened the audience and helped put them into the frame of mind to receive and appreciate the oratorio. Fourth, it also served the valuable purpose of starting the audience with musical material that would be accessible with a common level of exposure to music in order to build upon that foundation. It is evident that Brett and Brandon Stewart are intent upon musically educating not just the musicians under their charge, but also the aesthetic sensibilities of their audience. They do this not by shocking the audience with something completely different, but by preparing and training them.

After this prelude, Brandon Stewart, the conductor, took some time to explain the history of the oratorio musical form and what was required of an audience to appreciate it. For those who knew about oratorios, this may have been old news, but for those of us who didn’t know, this background was appreciated. We were told that oratorios were simple stories put to music and that it featured musicians on stage rather than hiding them in a pit as is done in opera. We were informed that we would have to take ourselves out of the modern frame of mind of rush and impatience, forget about cell phones and internet, and pretend that this is our main form of entertainment and relaxation, as it was for those in Handel’s time. For me as an audience member, this was very enlightening, and I didn’t feel talked down to; instead, I felt this prepared me to appreciate the oratorio more fully.

The oratorio itself consisted of thirty-four pieces divided among seven sections.
It begins with the righteousness of the people as they have conquered the Gadianton robbers, it takes them through their descent into awful wickedness, through the destruction of the land at the crucifixion of Christ, and through the appearance and ministry of Christ. It ends with Christ’s ascension into heaven and a meditation on watchmen lifting up the voice together and the imminent coming and reign of Christ on the earth.

“Messiah in America”

“Messiah in America” is a high-quality musical work. It demonstrates a great range of compositional ability, with variety everywhere. It ranges in tempo from fast to slow, it ranges in style from classical to contemporary, and it ranges in emotion from triumph to dismay to dread to grief to reverence to exhilaration. Brett Stewart seems to have used whatever musical tools he had in service of the message of the text, and he was not afraid of changing styles several times within the same song, which could have left the music feeling fragmented, but somehow did not. I didn’t notice any particular musical leitmotifs, but the triumphant “Hosanna” chorus becomes a unifying element in the story, and a motif in itself.

One of the wonderful things about this oratorio is that it seemed to present a whole new way of understanding the scriptures and studying them. Brett Stewart seems to have worked very hard to ensure that the music would convey the emotional atmosphere of the text in such a way as to heighten the meaning and to even suggest thoughts and feelings that the words alone could not express. Following along in the libretto with the singing made it seem as though I was there in Book of Mormon times, experiencing those events myself. When the Nephites descended into wickedness, the music truly communicated how horrifying it was, and when they were visited by the Savior, the music underlined what a glorious privilege that was. A number of times I got impressions from the Spirit about the meaning of phrases in ways that I had never thought of before and I found myself jotting scripture insights in my program.

It seemed to me that Brett Stewart also did a very good job of assigning the songs between the adult chorus, the soloists, and the child choir. In most of the oratorio, these choices contribute much to the meaning of the songs and to the sense that the audience was present in Nephite times. It is only at the beginning of the second half that some of the choices seem ill-considered. “Behold my Beloved Son” is sung by the chorus, but I felt that it should have been sung by the Bass soloist instead, so as to give the impression of coming from God. Similiarly, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ” is sung by the chorus, but should have been sung by the Bass (or the Tenor) and possibly accompanied by the chorus humming. The excellent artistic choices of the whole made these places stick out by the contrast.

Quality of the performance

EVMCO is made up of six musical ensembles. Four of them are choirs for children and youth aged 4-18, and the other two are a professional adult choir and a symphony orchestra. It numbers at 1200 participants.

The children’s chorus was excellent. This wasn’t like your usual sacrament primary program in which unstudied delivery becomes part of the charm. Their delivery was both strong and unified, and they produced a high-caliber sound. The child soloists were very young—4 years old—yet they showed the same restraint with microphones that a performer two decades older would show. My friend and I were dumbfounded by how good they sounded and how well they acted.

There was only one place where the child chorus fell apart with half a second lag between different groups on stage singing, and that was the last verse of “Book of Mormon Stories.” It was obvious, but it didn’t last long since the song was just about over, and they regrouped valiantly for the next piece. Out of a three-hour performance, only one mess-up like that is extraordinary.

The EVMCO orchestra seemed very vigorous. I have heard ASU’s orchestra in performance, and EVMCO’s orchestra is superior. Its attack was distinct, and the strings never sounded muddy, even in the very difficult runs in “Now the cause of this iniquity.”

The EVMCO choir was also very good. Pronunciation was excellent, and there were only a few times when I had difficulty picking out what they were saying, mostly in the second part of “There arose a great storm.” I’m not sure whether this was because word stresses fell in odd places in the music or whether words on pick-up notes were too rushed for the listener to catch them. It was astounding how much volume they were capable of sustaining for so long, and when it seemed like they couldn’t possibly muster anything more, they found extra to give. Their passion and enthusiasm was almost tangible.

It is evident that EVMCO is living up to its mission to provide a way for individuals to refine their musical talents with more training and provide professional performance opportunities.

To sum up, when I walked out of this concert, I really wanted a recording. (That's huge because a concert has to REALLY impress me for me to want to spend $15 for a cd.) Alas, there was no cd yet. They are recording in June up in Salt Lake this year though, and I can’t wait for it to come out. If you have a chance to hear this work in concert by the East Valley Mormon Choral Organization, make sure that you take that opportunity and clear your calendar! It is worth it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The author wishes to thank her friend Jan Ackermann for inviting her to come to this performance and for paying for her ticket. Jan is not materially connected to EVMCO in any way.

Book Review: Leadership and Self-deception: Getting out of the Box, by Arbinger Institute

All great self-help books have one thing in common—they are rooted in eternal principles and they provide incisive analysis and insight into the inner world of the mind, exposing errors, teaching true principles, and giving practical solutions, which are based in those true principles. This book is one of them.

It is written for a secular audience though, so it doesn’t use religious terms, but anyone who has a strong foundational understanding of certain principles--the dangers of hubris (pride), the need for humility in relationships, honesty in self-evaluation--will recognize them anywhere even when they appear under a different name.

In the case of this book, the major principle that it teaches is that of charity (Christian love). The condition of having charity or not having it is conveyed by the expressions “out of the box” or “in the box” respectively. (I suspect that this helps to market the idea to the business audience who are already familiar with the importance of “thinking out of the box,” and it does a great job reinforcing a moral value to being “out of the box”.)

One other term come in for the treatment too. The book uses “self-betrayal,” which is essentially “sins of omission.”

But if this book merely gave different names to eternal principles, it would not be a big deal. What makes it truly valuable is the psychological understanding that is brought to bear on how lack of charity toward others affects our attitudes toward them, then how it leads us to commit sins of omission against them—the book calls these acts of “self-betrayal”—and how we then seek for reasons to justify our acts and views and causes us to blame others.

The second thing that makes it so great is that the authors structured the book in the best possible way that would help the reader to recognize their own problems with self-deception and take responsibility for changing. They did this by structuring the whole book as a story written in first person. Tom Callum is newly hired at the company called Zagrum into a senior management position, and he goes into a one-on-one meeting with the executive vice president, Bud, knowing that these meetings are an institution in and of themselves and that he will learn how to solve “people problems.” Tom learns that he has a problem that he doesn’t know about and that he will have to solve it if he is going to make it at the company. Naturally, this is a bit of a shock to Tom, but he feels he has to learn what it is if he is going to do anything about it. The problem of being “in the box” is explained to him, and to his relief, Bud admits his own difficulty with the very same problem. The story is one of transformation as Tom learns the principles in great depth and tries to practice them.

The tone is very kind. This effect is created as Tom’s mentors show true concern for him and open themselves up to him by sharing with him how they had been “in the box” (uncharitable), the way that they had succeeded in getting out, and their continuing struggles to stay out. (In this way, they act as righteous leaders who do not endeavor to cover their sins or gratify their pride.) Other virtuous characteristics can be detected in the dialogue, such as humility, persuasion, meekness, and forgiveness. All of this encourages readers to examine themselves and apply what is learned to their experiences and relationships. It does this all without ever becoming preachy, a rare feat.

If you read this book, you may find one or two of the stories familiar. A few religion teachers and speakers in my church have used one of the stories told in this book. You may have heard of it. It is the story of a husband lying in bed with his wife. The husband hears the baby in the next room begin to cry and has the impulse to go take care of it for his wife and then proceeds to talk himself out of it and then tries to justify his choice by blaming his wife. When I first encountered it in this book, I thought, “Ah! That’s where it came from.” And as I continued to read, I could see why. It was very influential; various aspects of self-deception are exposed throughout the book using this story.

But just to give you an idea of the penetration this book has, my father-in-law told me as he handed the book to me that the LDS church had ordered one of these books for all the staff at BYU Idaho and said merely, “We hope you will find this book as interesting as we have.”

This book had an immediate positive effect on me, and as I finished it, I immediately started trying to change the way that I related to the people around me, which happened to be my husband, my 10 year-old brother-in-law, and my parents-in-law. I feel that I was able to be kinder and more thoughtful.

After a few weeks, however, my memory faded a bit and I think I slipped back into old ways, so it seems that this book and its contents will need to be reviewed regularly (at least once every two weeks) to make the change more lasting.

This book is for all leaders and teachers who want to learn what they can change about themselves to create an environment that will encourage those around them to do their best. Since it focuses on relationships, it will have immediate effect of making relationships more genuine and more fulfilling, which leads to improved performance. This book is not about manipulating others into improvement; it is about self-improvement to become a better leader. I give it an A+.