Thursday Shout Outs

Mid-afternoon items:

1. About two weeks ago I received a package in the mail from Mr. Helpful. He was kind enough to send his readers a videotaped performance by The Jezebel Diary which features his son “The Pride & Joy” on drums. As a musician/roadie/video tech/music enthusiast, I could’t pass up the opportunity to check out the band and the video that was shot by Mr. Helpful. I have to apologize for not posting about this sooner, but let’s not relive my tech issues.

The tape provided me a nostalgic trip down memory lane back when I myself played hole-in-the-wall joints for tips that covered gas expenses. There’s nothing more exhilarating than being on stage performing. I miss it, I really do. Mr. Helpful tried to downplay the quality of the tape, but I know how difficult it can be to film live shows. I enjoyed the tape and the reminder of fun times. You can check out MP3s on the band site and if you live in the Washington area you might see if they’re playing in an area near you.

2. Sean Johnson must be a busy guy. Not only does he have the killer blog (go read it now), but he also has various side project including A Bright Red Package. Currently he is giving his book away for free. While the book targets college graduates, I highly suggest this book to anyone looking for employment. What impressed me the most was not the ideas presented (whatdoyaknow I actually used some of his techniques already), but I thought the packaging/arrangement/explanation of said ideas very useful. I’m certain his success will be reached once his concepts become the everyday mainstream techniques used by graduates everywhere.

Oh, and before I forget, yours truly is one year older today. Today’s update by Tony Pierce listed some famous folks celebrating with me. Who knew I had something in common with guitar legend Jeff Healey? Maybe that means I’ll get some cool gifts. The parents already hooked me up with a nice software upgrade. Now if I can only get out of school tonight.