One of my favorite things about working for Better World Books is the amazing people I get to meet from across the country who share Better World Books’ vision to keep books out of landfills and support global literacy.

Last month, I had the privilege of meeting Kristin Putchinski of the Baltimore based band ellen cherry.  I met Kristin while she was traveling through Atlanta following a performance at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, GA.

The singer-songwriter is one of many musicians using their talent to support and spread awareness of the noble efforts of Invisible Children to end the war in Northern Uganda.  I was happy to discover Kristin was already a fan of Better World Books and was eager to spread the word of  how students can support Invisible Children through the Book Drives for Better Lives program at her upcoming benefit concert.  Better World Books’ partnership with Invisible Children has brought in over 1.7 million books to generate unrestricted funding for Invisible Children in what is being called the largest book drive in history.

Two days after ellen cherry performed an Invisible Children benefit concert at Harford college in Maryland; I was contacted by a student group that attended the concert and plans to support Invisible Children through the Book Drive for Better Lives program!

Thank you ellen cherry for creating beautiful music and using your gift to support of the awesome work of Invisible Children.

One book, I currently see from time to time, is entitled Blink.  Blink examines the value of a quick decision.   One of the studies Blink discusses involves showing a group of people short clips of teachers giving a lecture (with no audio).  Another group is shown still photos of the same teachers from the clips.  Both groups are asked to rank the teaching ability of the teachers based on either the photo or the silent 30 second clip.

The results showed the ratings each teacher received based on photos and clips were remarkably similar to the ratings the same professors received from their full time students after a semester of teaching.   From what I have read so far, Blink supports the notion that a quick decision is often an educated decision.  Although I feel this study simply illustrates our species loyalty to superficial conclusions.

Some people have a natural fear of snakes and others have a natural fear of spiders.  These fears make sense considering the problems our
species has experienced over the centuries do to both species.  Perhaps these fears are based on the same instinctual knowledge that
allows us to make smart quick decisions.

The human brain is the product of years of learning things the only way us humans truly learn anything…the hard way.

I discovered my fear of electricity by touching an electric fence.  Twenty minutes later I discovered that it is impossible to touch a electric fence
twice.  My curiosity made me want to “make sure it was an electric fence” but my brain would not allow my hand to make contact.

Just as I learned not to touch the fence again perhaps the human race has learned from collective experience and perhaps there is something to that gut feeling that helps us make life’s quick decisions.  Although I have only read the fist 50 pages of Blink, I feel I am able to review the book with confidence using the “blink of an eye” decision making the book examines.

In the commercial the people could not believe they were eating pasta they could have delivered to their front door for a mere 12 bucks. They had no idea that their meal had been a ruse. I think that they should have had a clue when the fancy restaurant had macaroni and cheese with bacon on the menu. “What varietal of wine do you suggest I have with the macaroni and cheese with bacon?”

I once took a girl to a fancy restaurant and she broke the rule of expensive dining: You don’t complain until you get to the car.

Here is why:

1) It is expensive so you have to at least pretend to enjoy it, it’s called a sunk cost effect.

2) You never know, it may be a ruse and you could end up on TV if you say you like the food.

1) They had free wi-fi

2) I wanted to make some new friends.

My plan went sour when I was informed by the coffee house wi-fi server
that I was not allowed to go to my intended website.   Apparently, the
company is against online dating.  I like online dating.

Online dating saves money.  (That is if you use a free dating site)

I am a bit of a value fan.  Some people say I am cheap but I
am not cheap. I am efficient.  I’m not going to say what coffee shop I
was in but I’ll give you a hint.  It is everywhere.
Plan A to meet people didn’t work.

Plan B
I was forced to attempt to talk to the strangers in the coffee shop.
Complete strangers, not the good kind of strangers.

Not a dating website stranger.

Not cute strangers with similar taste in movies and books
and cute pictures they took of themselves with a phone.
Strangers are strangers in coffee shops but there are clues. You
shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but we all find ourselves judging
people by the cover of the book they are reading.

I was reading cliffs notes so I suppose I appeared efficient. I used
to read cliffs notes because I was a lazy high school student.  I
read cliffs notes as an adult because I am efficient.

Since we do judge each other by what we are reading, I wish I had a
book titled “How to Stay Awesome” written in big letters on the cover.
Women would think wow that guy looks pretty awesome.

I recently ordered a book from betterworld.com.  I was proud to order from my company because I know that Better World Books erases carbon foot prints.

If you don’t know what a carbon footprint is… don’t
worry about it. I felt smarter before I tried to understand the
concept.  This is how I understand it. A carbon footprint is like
gingivitis and Better World Books is like Listerine but Listerine that
also raises funds for non-profit literacy partners.

Then on the way to get your flu shot you start to feel a tickle in the back of your throat and not a good tickle.  A tickle that makes you think, “Why should I spend 30 bucks for a painful shot when I may be sick already.”  Then you think of all the times you heard “flu shots make you sick.”

Is this true?  Was this ever true?  Or… are flu shots the best placebo ever created?  Perhaps a flu shot is just a shot of chicken noodle soup.  Why does chicken noodle soup make you feel better? Because Mama told you it would. Why would Mama lie?

I think flu shots are the most powerful placebo known to man.  Some people get the shot and suddenly they have flu symptoms and this actually convinces them that the shot works.  “That is how you know it is working.”  Working? That is like buying a winter coat that initially makes you cold which indicates “it is working.”

One year, Santa Clause brought me Choose your own adventure books.  When I used to read Choose your own adventure books, people thought I was a slow reader.  I am not a slow reader. I am a slow decider.  Imagine if The Great Gatsby asked you to participate, “if you choose to kiss Daisy go to page 34.”

I just started a audio book this morning while driving to work.  The book is pretty good so far except for the part where I remembered that I forgot my lunch at home.  It is hard to pay attention to an audio book while you are wondering if your ham and cheese sandwhich is worth turning around in the morning traffic.  This is my first audio book but it is not my first time drifting off while I am listening to someone talk.

Who will fully appreciate the brilliance of this book?  It’s not until someone says that right thing at that right time that it strikes me. You would appreciate this book. You have proven yourself worthy.  You deserve my book.

When I hear a guy go on about a girl, song, and movie in one breath, I know he deserves to read High Fidelity.  When some Dude says “I feel like the only manly thing I do is open jars and replace the water cooler jug in the office,” I say you deserve to read Fight Club.

Some people appreciate geysers. Some people are fascinated by geysers. I spent a summer working in Yellowstone National Park and I saw Old Faithful.  Watching Old Faithful erupt is like watching water shoot out of the ground.  It just didn’t appreciate the science and the reliability of the matter.

I had more fun watching the people watching Old Faithful, some people were amazed, some were texting their friends, and some were making out.  Later that summer a friend offered me his book on geysers. Based on actually seeing a geyser, I wasn’t sure about the book, but he insisted so I took it from him. Reading the book was as rewarding as reading a book about hot water coming out of the ground.  I didn’t deserve that book.

Two weeks later I had a cute friend come and visit me.  She was so cute I bought her a cute 700 dollar ticket for her to come visit me. At that altitude you don’t care about money.  As I took my cute friend to see Old Faithful I remembered those two making out as Old Faithful did his thing.  As I went in to kiss my cute friend she didn’t even notice; she was too amazed at this hot water coming out of the ground. I nearly fell in love with her as I watched her study the geyser.  I had a book she deserved.

Another friend of mine believed she was psychic.  She let me borrow a Silvia Brown book.  If you do not know already, Silvia Brown is one of the most successful psychics out there.  I accidentally left the book at the airport. When I told my psychic friend I lost her book she seemed surprised. Perhaps she isn’t a psychic.

It doesn’t take a psychic to see that Better World Book is going to continue to realize the value of used books and erase illiteracy one book at a time. Better World Books is like that friend that deserves books.