Mark Davidson and I hiked up to the entrance of the Ontario Silver Mine here in Park City found a couple old buildings filled with core samples from the mine. I even found one that looks like it has silver in it. We also found piles and piles of rat shit.

My big read this month was Richard Branson’s autobiography, which is titled: Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made A Fortune Doing Business My Way. The book is basically a play by play account of the larger moments in the entrepreneur’s life and career, but there are some good business lessons hidden throughout as well. I don’t want to reveal here the lessons that I learned from the book, but there were quite a few valuable pieces of information that I pulled from text and am applying in my own life and business at this very moment. If you are an entrepreneur, I highly recommend this book. It’s over 550 pages long, but it’s also a surprisingly quick read.

This month I also read Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer. I saw the movie version of this book a few years ago and was totally blown away by it on my first viewing. I was disturbed, but blown away at the same time… and I loved it! The story in both the film and the book is graphic and perverse, but there is something there that makes the book/film quite beautiful, magical and unique as well. Kind of like the book/film, A Clockwork Orange, the book and movie for Perfume are only going to appeal to a certain kind of person, but if you can get past the aberrant behavior of the book/film’s main character, then you too might just discover one of the most memorable stories you’ve ever been witness to.

Featured Books, Music & Films:

Each month I share with you the books I’m reading, the music I’m listening to, and the films I’ve viewed. The item I liked the most this month has been highlighted above and everything else is listed below. Books are listed on the left, music is in the middle, and movies are on the right. The items I really like and recommend have been bolded.

????? 2011 – timelapse from VIDIMA MAX on Vimeo.

After last month’s massive music and movie marathon, I dedicated a lot more time this month to reading. However, it was my experiences last month at the Sundance Film Festival that allowed me to discover Wendy Wang and The Sweet Hurt.

Wendy was one of two musicians assisting Alison Sudol of A Fine Frenzy during her live Sundance performances at the Music Cafe. After seeing A Fine Frenzy perform live (and being totally blown away), I went home and researched the two musicians who were helping Alison with her sets. One of these musicians was Wendy Wang, who has created my favorite media piece this month – an album called “The Sweet Hurt” (<—which you can listen to for free on this website).

Featured Books, Music & Films:

Each month I share with you the books I’m reading, the music I’m listening to, and the films I’ve viewed. The item I liked the most this month has been highlighted above and everything else is listed below. Books are listed on the left, music is in the middle, and movies are on the right. The items I really like and recommend have been bolded.

I went with my friend Jackie to see Nellie McKay perform at the Eccles Center in Park City earlier tonight. Nellie presented us (the audience) with a unique musical performance titled, “I Want To Live“, which was inspired by the 1958 film of the same name, starring Susan Hayward. I wasn’t sure if Jackie was going to like the show or not (because she was totally unfamiliar with Nellie McKay, while I have been a fan for several years), but she seemed to really enjoy it.

The first part of the show was the “I Want To Live” performance (which was a whole lot shorter than I expected it to be), and afterward Nellie performed a few additional songs (which I was happy to hear).

Nellie closed the evening with a memorable performance of her famous Caribbean Time, during which she asked the audience to repeat after her. For the next two minutes or so, Nellie would say a short sound or phrase and we attempted to repeat the sound or phrase back to her. As the song continued, the sounds and phrases she had us repeating became more and more ridiculous. After about two minutes of this, Nellie broke character and started laughing out loud as she attempted to close the evening with this fun and goofy sing-a-long. It was my favorite moment of the night.

I’ve been reminded of a major lesson this past week: If you want something, ACT FAST!

Saying that you want something is great, but taking the steps towards actually making that thing happen is what really counts. And the faster you can move toward that thing you want, the more likely it is that you will get it.

Waiting for a slow-mover is fine on occasion, just as long as you don’t wait around too long. By waiting, you rarely ever get what you want. Slow-movers tend to say they want something, but they rarely ever take action on their statements. Don’t let a slow-mover prevent you from going after that thing you want.

If you want something… great! Don’t just say you want it – PROVE that you want it!

It’s cliche, but true: Actions speak louder than words.

So, act fast!

I shot some random footage while skiing at Deer Valley Resort yesterday, so I decided to make a video.

Lana Del Rey released her first US album today, but I’ve been listen to her music videos for several months now and loving every bit of it. I suspect that February will be a huge month for Lana Del Rey, but I felt the need to mention her now, as this month is truly the time in which I fell in love with her voice, style, and general body of work.

This was a crazy month for me in regards to the media that I consumed. When I look at how many new movies I saw and how much new music I consumed (both live at the Sundance Film Festival Music Cafe and via digital downloads), I am a little shocked. How did I manage to do anything else this month?

The truth is, I did more this month than I have in the past several months combined – not only in regards to my media consumption, but in my general day-to-day life as well.

The main thing that made this month so fun and interesting was that the 2012 Sundance Film Festival took place between the 19th and 29th of the month, and I went out of my way this year to fully participate in the festival (something I have never quite done in the past).

What I learned from buying a Festival ticket pass this year is that money matters. While I’ve spent a great portion of my life trying to do as much possible with the least amount of money possible, this month made me realize that having money allows you to live a more fun, exciting, and interesting life. That kind of makes me sad, but it also motivates me in some strange way, because it makes me want to work harder and make more money so that I can lead a more interesting life.

Featured Books, Music & Films:

Each month I share with you the books I’m reading, the music I’m listening to, and the films I’ve viewed. The item I liked the most this month has been highlighted above and everything else is listed below. Books are listed on the left, music is in the middle, and movies are on the right. The items I really like and recommend have been bolded.