The Networking Group is Up and Running!

True Confession Time:

When Bill Barto, Jon Boulet, and I first met to discuss the possibility of setting up a networking group for employment opportunities, I was pretty nervous - I mean, it sounds good, but what if nobody shows up? What if those who do aren't interested in participating? What if it all falls flat?

So, I put up the post, sent out a couple of e-mails, posted on facebook, linkedIn, and twitter - and the next thing you know, I'm getting e-mails from people saying they're planning on coming - then the meeting is featured in the News Journal and on WJBR radio - and then the meeting time came.

About 50 people packed the room.

And for 90 minutes a spirit of pure energy and generousity permeated the room - people shared their experiences, talked about exciting ideas, and connected in ways I don't think any of us expected. While the formal meeting ended at 8:30, the sharing and networking continued for another hour.

So, what's next? I'm glad you asked!

The next meeting is scheduled for this Friday morning, February 20, at 9:30 AM - the good people at Hockessin Baptist Church have agreed to host this group.

I'm also excited because a number of people contacted me after seeing the article in the paper and let me know they've either just started a similar group or are getting ready to start one - I see some real potential for networking among the neetworks coming up!

If you are curious, want to help, want to see what this is about, please come out Friday and stay tuned - there's going to be a web site created soon -- I'll keep things updated here as well.

Let me just say this to everyone who was there last night and to everyone who couldn't make it but called or e-mailed: THANK YOU!!! You have already played a significant role in making this group a huge success!

P.S. Big thanks to Libby Foester for the great photo - check out her stuff here: http://libbyportraits.com/

Net - Working

I would dare argue that there isn't a person reading this post who doesn't know someone who has been impacted by the recent economy - be it someone who has been laid off from a job to someone whose small business is facing unprecedented challenges.

While the situation may seem overwhelming, I am confident that by combining resources we can make a real difference. Personally, I'm a big believer in Teddy Roosevelt's admonition to do the best you can with what you have where you are.

So, here's the plan:

There is going to be a meeting on Wednesday, February 18, at 7:00 PM to explore ways to network together - this meeting is open to all who are looking for a job, may be looking for a job, may be looking for employees, feel as though they have something to offer to help those looking for jobs (resume writing, interview skills, etc.), or those who simply want to try to do something to help - in other words, if you're reading this post then you're invited. The meeting will be held at Hockessin Baptist Church - 505 Schoolhouse Road, Hockessin, DE 19707.

Here's just some of the ideas we'll explore:
1) Growing a support system
2) Networking - giving everyone a chance to share about opportunities (job fairs, openings, etc.)
3) Tool Share - help each other with resumes, social media, interviewing skills, etc.

If you can't make the meeting but have some advice, ideas, questions, or suggestions - please feel free to post them here. Hopefully this meeting will lead to several networking opportunities.

WHAT: Networking meeting for jobs
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 18, 7:00 PM
WHERE: Hockessin Baptist Church - 505 Schoolhouse Road, Hockessin, DE

Looking forward to hearing your ideas!

Has John Cleese seen my company's video?

Anyone who knows me knows all about the fun video our company put together a few months back:



So the question now is, has John Cleese seen this?

Here's the evidence I have that indicates he may have:

1) I sent a comment to his blog which needs to have approval before being published, after weeks of waiting, the submission is now posted - click here for exhibit A (scroll down to comment #12)

2) I just received a google alert showing that the video was added to the Cleese page on Funny or Die - click here for exhibit B (scroll down to the 9th video - feel free to give it a "funny" vote while you're there)

So, what do you think? Have you seen or heard anything that indicates he (or any of the other members of Monty Python) have seen this video?

I appreciate any thoughts/insights anyone can offer.

Coolest Family Around!

So, the other night my friend Terry from the Herman's Bridge project asked me over to meet a couple of people who were staying with him and his wife.

I had the privilege of spending the next couple of hours hanging out with this really cool family from Portland, Oregon who decided to sell their stuff, get into an RV fueled by used veggie oil and travel around helping different people and organizations.

Check out the Coulombe family by clicking here.

My son - the guitarist

It's been about a year since Justin got his hands on his very own guitar - and he rarely is seen without it, he's even taking a couple of guitar classes at school.

So, now he's got "gigs" lined up - OK, a "gig" - he'll be performing at a local coffee shop on Friday, Nov. 21 - it should be fun.

Return Day!

Return Day is a uniquely Delaware tradition - two days after Election Day, all candidates (winners and losers) - come to Georgetown, Delaware to participate in a parade, enjoy the ceremonial burying of the hatchet, and going from place to place for parties.

This year was kind of a mess - I appreciate the fact that Senator/Vice President-elect Joe Biden wanted to still be a part of this tradition (which he's done for the past 30+ years), but for the first time ever we had to deal with long security lines and limited mobility.

Regardless, we had a good time and even had some of our crew involved with the parade. Oh, our group included my lovely bride, Kristin, the best General Manager in the world, Steven Miles, a respected man-of-the-cloth, Dave Jones, a Sussex County native, Jim Carrey, and a couple of artistic geniuses, Brian Sowards and Chris Stout.

Meeting Christopher Buckley

Christopher Buckley is a great writer - some of you might be familiar with the movie that came out a couple of years ago - "Thank you for Smoking" - that was bsed on the book Christopher Buckley wrote.

Mr. Buckley writes great satire and his latest book, "Supreme Courtship" is a lot of fun - especially since he based one of his lead characters on our very own Senator/Vice President-elect Joe Biden (a cosmetically-enhanced U.S. Senator who has run for president in the past and has a habit of letting his mouth get him into trouble).

Mr. Buckley made an appearance at the Free Library of Philadelphia the day after Election Day, and Rick Jensen and I decided to go on up to see him - we heard some fun stories about Mr. Buckley's days as a speech writer for then Vice President George H.W. Bush, writing fictitious book reviews for the New Yorker, and the time he "Shushed" the director of the FBI.

If you are looking for something fun to read, pick up anything by Christopher Buckley - would especially recommend "Little Green Men" - which is apparently in the process of being filmed with John Malkovich.