Tonights Video: Got the Funk?

Tip of the Hat to Kevin at Labov and Beyond for blogging about this:

25 Tips to be more successful

I'm in Michigan at the moment, attending an advertising conference. Here's some advice for all of us:

Dumb Little Man - tips for life

25 Simple Steps To Becoming Successful

Written by Ritu Pant. Ritu is the editor for Marketing Hackz and Net Hackz. Besides writing for blogs he is also a blog consultant and a social media junkie.

Photo Credit: *Zara

Who doesn't want to strive and become successful? Exactly, no one. Deep inside all of us, we have our own personal reasons for striving for success, and really, we all define success in very different ways whether it is for financial freedom or mere sense of accomplishment.

When you go to the bookstore, there is a reason that there are six thousand different books proclaiming to know the recipe for success; it's one of the most sought after things on the planet. Ironically, we tend to think that the most complicated solutions are the most effective and we subsequently ignore the simple facts.

Simplicity is what makes everything possible and with every great feat, there were hundreds of small, simple decisions that had to take place first. Look at Google and their simplistic homepage; did simple work for them?

In this article I am not going to break some earth-shattering news or reveal a 10-step program to success. Instead, I want to refresh your brain a little, tip some simplistic approaches and get you back to basics. The simplest things are easily forgotten, have some of these fallen from your scope?

1. Let go of the past. Act and apply in the present and shape up the future


2. Utilize your failures as a guide towards success


3. Do not try. Just do it.


4. Make a list of your dreams. No matter how hard they might be to achieve, just sit down and write all your dreams down.


5. Make a list of your goals and think how you can achieve them
   


6. Use negative feedback and criticism to your advantage and better yourself


7. If you want to be successful in someone else's game (if you have a boss), play by their rules or create your own game.
   


8. Make a list of your values. What do you value most and build your success upon them


9. Keep personal time separate from business time.


10. Your success depends on your failures as well as your achievements.


11. If you are in doubt let someone else do it. Doubtfulness is saying I almost believe it. If you don't fully believe it, leave it for someone else who does


12. Avoid interruptions during your productivity time. Whatever it might be, work or family or some alone time, interruptions can throw you off for whatever it is you are doing.


13. Determine your peak performance hours. Work at a point in day when you feel like you are most effective.


14. Breath deeply and let go off any stress.


15. Rest and relaxation plays as much an important part as exercise itself.


16. Do not worry. All it does is gets you ready for negative outcomes.


17. Think happy thoughts and there will be positive outcomes.


18. Do not step back from the job at hand when fear subsides in you.


19. Use your brain not only your heart.


20. Eliminate emotions by letting go off the past and thinking about the present.


21. What has happened in the past will most probably stay the same; you can't change it. Instead focus on the present and live today instead of yesterday.


22. Don't let the time control you. You control the time.


23. Time management is the most effective tool you can utilize and become successful.


24. Create strategies and build credibility among your peers.


25. Once again, forget the past and live it up in the present.

Ritu

Tonights Video: Boston Legal/Star Trek

I was never a "Trekkie" but have enjoyed the ups and downs of Denny Craine and Boston Legal. Monday night it was announced that this will be their final season.

Becoming a Better You

When this pops up on your screen, I'll be in the car traveling to a conference in Michigan.

Good advice from DLM:

Dumb Little Man - tips for life

How to Master What You Undertake

Posted: 30 Sep 2008 11:44 AM CDT

Written on 9/30/2008 by Mike Solara. Mike uses a common sense approach to post life tips for normal people at his website mikesolara.com

Photo Credit: infomatique

There are all kinds of reasons people do not try their hardest when they do something. Laziness, fear of failure, lack of time, energy, you name it.

The problem with this practice is that you will never know your true capabilities and everyone around you will conclude that you are only capable of the half-ass effort you usually put forth.

Here are some easy ways to ensure you master what you undertake.

Do Things that Excite You
The most common reason people do not do their best at something is because they are just not all that jazzed up about it. If you are not really that excited about doing something, maybe you should not be doing it in the first place. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. I do not expect you to get excited to take our the garbage, but what we are talking about here is discretionary things you do. For example, you are training for a 5K race. Why not train you hardest to get your best time? If you are excited about the race, chances are you will train hard and do your best. Translate that into all other discretionary acts you take.

Ignore the Downers
Many people in this world do just enough to get by. They blend into the background and go through life as spectators and not participants. Stop listening to these people complain to you about things. They will only motivate you to do less than your best work.

Set Goals
I am a big proponent of goal setting to achieve results. Without goals, you are just blindly doing your best and whatever result you get is okay. That may be a good attitude once the task is over with, but when undertaking to do the task you should set an ambitious goal and attempt to reach it. This will further motivate you to work that much harder meet that goal. Additionally, there is something very satisfying about meeting a goal and knowing it was the result of a 100% effort.

Start Small
This sounds like an easy proposition. Just try my best at what I do, blah, blah. However, it practice, it is daunting to all of a sudden go from doing things at less than full capacity and then try your best at everything.

Pick something you do at work and something discretionary you want to do outside of work. Set your goals and resolve to do your very best at those things. I guarantee if you do, the feeling and response you get will be so great you will soon be mastering everything you undertake and reaping the benefits.

Think About the Pay Offs
You are not just doing your best to impress and satisfy yourself, although those are nice perks. By mastering what you undertake, people will view you as a super intelligent, capable and energetic person. I do not know about you, but I love to be around people like this, it is contagious.

The problem with people who are seen as lazy and incompetent is that they try too many things they cannot master and do not try hard enough. Imagine that you only did things you knew you would master and do well at. You would be viewed as an expert at all things you attempt. Success comes to those viewed as competent and energetic. Be one of them.

Mike

Tonights Video: Close Calls, Falls & Basketballs

Not for the faint of heart...

La chance compilation
by bunch11

Johnny Appleseed would be ashamed

I have heard the moans, groans, and everything else this afternoon regarding this story about our beloved(?) baseball team.

I think they should have called them the "Road Apples".

This is from Business Weekly:

The Fort Wayne TinCaps will play baseball at Parkview Field next spring as the Class A affiliate of the San Diego Padres.

Staff members of the former Fort Wayne Wizards announced today TinCaps, a nod to folk legend Johnny Appleseed, will be the team's new name. The new logo features a grinning apple wearing a cooking pot on its head.

The team's owner, Hardball Capital, solicited ideas for a new team name from fans. Jason Freier, CEO of Hardball Capital, said historical names seemed to be most popular among fan suggestions. Apple-related names also were popular.

"We started to look at the tin pot on (Johnny Appleseed's) head, and it looked like people wearing a baseball cap backwards," Freier said.

Johnny Appleseed, according to lore, was known for wearing his tin cooking pot on his head. He planted apple orchards in the area and is buried in Fort Wayne.

The team's new colors are red, brown and green. A mascot and uniforms, hats and other merchandise have not been designed yet, Freier said. An alternative logo depicting the letters "FW," for Fort Wayne that potentially will be used on player caps, also was unveiled.

Freier said the colors and apple theme reflect the team's goal to create a park-like atmosphere at the stadium. While the name was selected before the team inked its deal with Parkview Health for the stadium's naming rights, Freier said he was pleased the name fits with the health care provider's sponsorship of the stadium.

The TinCaps' first home game will be April 16. Parkview Field, the centerpiece of the downtown Harrison Square project, is expected to be completed in time for the game.

Are You that ONE Person?

Words of wisdom from one of my mentors:

Harvey Mackay's Column This Week

USA basketball's real slam dunk

A leader may sometimes climb to unparalleled heights in perhaps a single sport and in just one competitive arena. Doing it in two is extraordinary, and my friend Jerry Colangelo did exactly that by winning the World Series as chairman of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 and now the Olympics. Virtually single-handedly, he assembled "The Redeem Team" that won the Olympic men's basketball gold medal in Beijing.

In the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, I saw the USA team barely capture the gold, but the handwriting was on the scoreboard. En route to defeating France, we barely eked out a win against Lithuania 85-83, the first time a squad of U.S. professionals couldn't score a double-digit win. In 2002, the USA ranked a pathetic sixth in the World Championships. By 2004 in Athens, fellow Americans and I witnessed past USA dominance at the Olympics hit a brick wall as we mustered only a bronze. USA Basketball was reeling. In 2005, the outfit in charge of U.S. international competition put Jerry at the helm.

Jerry knew why the excellent USA coaches and All-Star players were having their heads handed to them. It was the absence of team play. From the moment Jerry took command, you could go to the bank and borrow knowing we would capture the basketball gold at the 2008 Olympics.

Jerry picked Mike Krzyzewski of Duke as coach. What folly, many thought, to tap the college ranks considering the NBA's wall-to-wall coaching talent. Jerry knew collaboration was key to a USA comeback. Coach K's philosophy: The winning go-to guy is Team! Already in 2006, the USA had inched back to third place in the Worlds.

Jerry rivals a New York Philharmonic maestro when it comes to picking talent. One at a time, he quietly CAT-scanned the NBA superstars to find those 12 who had skills-plus, including the work ethic, team attitude, and sportsmanship to represent America on and off the court. These are all the traits Jerry admires in his book How You Play the Game.

Jerry screened out the ones who had heart from the ones who didn't. He demanded each give a three-year commitment from the 2006 Worlds through the 2008 Olympics. When I saw him at the Olympics, Jerry's confidence knew just one limit. "Harvey, there's only one force that can defeat us," he confided, "and that's ourselves."

When John Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891, he designed a team contest. Not a showcase for pampered NBA glory hounds with chapped lips from kissing the mirror too much. International basketball is a totally different sports species from the NBA version. NBA icons have to adjust to excel in it. Ours did:

• Referees made pathetic calls, but each time USA players just got on with business. The whining, hanging heads of past years vanished.
• USA players extended helping hands to our opponents who were knocked down on the court.
• At time-outs, USA players jumped off the bench as if their pants were on fire to offer words of encouragement to their teammates.

Coach K and his staff steered the ship with a steady emotional keel. During the game and time-outs, you couldn't tell whether the USA was up by 30 or down by 30. Through seven undefeated games en route to the championship duel, the USA played ferocious defense as if each contest was an NBA final.

The USA had trounced world champion Spain by 37 points in the preliminaries. Facing the Spanish team again for the gold, they could have easily buckled in the closing minutes. Outside a sprinkling of Americans, 18,000 screaming fans rooted for the Spanish underdogs. With four minutes to go, no one on this planet could tell you who would win. When the USA triumphed 118-107, that win owed as much to the gruelling years of preparation as it did to inspiration on the court.

When the horn sounded, I zeroed my binoculars on Jerry Colangelo. Make no mistake: tears were trickling down his face. Notwithstanding his All-Big Ten play at Illinois, building the Phoenix Suns into an NBA powerhouse, bringing Major League Baseball and a world championship to the Valley of the Sun, and earning a reputation as Phoenix's most able and charitable businessman . . . this still had to be his finest hour!

Mackay's Moral: One person can make all the difference.

Miss a column? The last three weeks of Harvey's columns are always archived online.

More information and learning tools can be found online at harveymackay.com.

Tonights Video: An advertising classic

In real life, I work in advertising and marketing and yesterday an email newsletter included a link to this old commercial which I've never seen before. Have you?

Perspective and a challange

Yesterday morning I drove a different route to work. Actually I vary my route often. But Tuesday I took the route as charted.

When I got downtown, I took a trip down Harrison, starting where at Jefferson where they are building the ball park.

I traveled south and saw poor neighborhoods, boarded up houses, and then some better neighborhoods.

Harrison Hill, followed by another neighborhood with no curbs, and more poverty. One street, so many stories.

The condition of the street itself, from clean and manicured to abandoned and overgrown.

This reminds me of Meridian in Indianapolis.

When I go to Indy, I usually take US 31 from Kokomo and follow Meridian to the center of town and then continue south of downtown Indy. The same contrasts that we have on Harrison they have on Meridian.

What will it take to revitalize downtown? What will it take to revitalize the whole city?

How about a cooperative effort between the city and county to stop the suburban sprawl and instead of escaping from the city, rebuild the neighborhoods? Can it be done?

Take a drive this week or weekend and see what we have, see what we have forgotten, and see what we could do.

Tonights Video: September

Okay, I should have posted this on September 21st, according to the song, but I just discovered this last night...

Say WHAT?

I have a confession. Back when my kids where babies, I told my wife that we should invent our own family language. We could use regular words, but they would have different meanings. Like,
"Doorknob please stop green bucket," in our language would mean "Did you lock the door?" Fortunately I was overruled. Check this out though:

The Art of Manliness

Are You Hep to the Jive? The Cab Calloway Hepster Dictionary

Each generation has their own slang and lingo, a language that defines them. Each generation also has a purveyor of cool who creates a language that only the initiated understand. During the 1950s and 60s, Frank Sinatra created a personal lingo that influenced a generation of swanky and swaggering men.

But before Sinatra, there was Cab Calloway.

Calloway was an energetic singer and bandleader during the 1930’s and 1940’s. His big band gained fame at Harlem’s premier night club, The Cotton Club. Cab Calloway and His Orchestra became a nationwide sensation with their weekly radio broadcast on NBC and their nationwide tours. Calloway wrote such hits as “Minnie the Moocher” and “Jumpin’ Jive.” He was also one of the first jazz musicians to make use of “scat” in his performances. Here’s Cab Calloway and His Orchestra performing Mini the Moocher.

In addition to writing and performing great swing music, Calloway created an entirely new lingo. He never took his hepster slang too seriously; it was all about having fun and being unique. Soon lots of people wanted to speak just like Cab. To help facilitate this, Calloway produced a Hepster Dictionary in 1940 that accompanied Cab Calloway sheet music.

Below are the definitions of Cab’s jive. You’ll notice that we still use many of them today. Learn a few choice phrases and try peppering your speech with them. Just like Cab, you’ll get a kick out of the reactions you’ll get from the ickies. Plus, using slang your grandpa might have used is a cool way to connect with Gramps.

So are you ready to get hep to the jive?

INSTRUMENTS

• Guitar: Git Box or Belly-Fiddle
• Bass: Doghouse
• Drums: Suitcase, Hides, or Skins
• Piano: Storehouse or Ivories
• Saxophone: Plumbing or Reeds
• Trombone: Tram or Slush-Pump
• Clarinet: Licorice Stick or Gob Stick
• Xylophone: Woodpile
• Vibraphone: Ironworks
• Violin: Squeak-Box
• Accordion: Squeeze-Box or Groan-Box
• Tuba: Foghorn
• Electric Organ: Spark Jiver

JIVE TERMINOLOGY

• A hummer (n.) — exceptionally good. Ex., “Man, that boy is a hummer.”
• Ain’t coming on that tab (v.) — won’t accept the proposition. Usually abbr. to “I ain’t coming.”
• Alligator (n.) — jitterbug.
• Apple (n.) — the big town, the main stem, Harlem.
• Armstrongs (n.) — musical notes in the upper register, high trumpet notes.
• Barbecue (n.) — the girl friend, a beauty
• Barrelhouse (adj.) — free and easy.
• Battle (n.) — a very homely girl, a crone.
• Beat (adj.) — (1) tired, exhausted. Ex., “You look beat” or “I feel beat.” (2) lacking anything. Ex, “I am beat for my cash”, “I am beat to my socks” (lacking everything).
• Beat it out (v.) — play it hot, emphasize the rhythym.
• Beat up (adj.) — sad, uncomplimentary, tired.
• Beat up the chops (or the gums) (v.) — to talk, converse, be loquacious.
• Beef (v.) — to say, to state. Ex., “He beefed to me that, etc.”
• Bible (n.) — the gospel truth. Ex., “It’s the bible!”
• Black (n.) — night.
• Black and tan (n.) — dark and light colored folks. Not colored and white folks as erroneously assumed.
• Blew their wigs (adj.) — excited with enthusiasm, gone crazy.
• Blip (n.) — something very good. Ex., “That’s a blip”; “She’s a blip.”
• Blow the top (v.) — to be overcome with emotion (delight). Ex., “You’ll blow your top when you hear this one.”
• Boogie-woogie (n.) — harmony with accented bass.
• Boot (v.) — to give. Ex., “Boot me that glove.”
• Break it up (v.) — to win applause, to stop the show.
• Bree (n.) — girl.
• Bright (n.) — day.
• Brightnin’ (n.) — daybreak.
• Bring down ((1) n. (2) v.) — (1) something depressing. Ex., “That’s a bring down.” (2) Ex., “That brings me down.”
• Buddy ghee (n.) — fellow.
• Bust your conk (v.) — apply yourself diligently, break your neck.
• Canary (n.) — girl vocalist.
• Capped (v.) — outdone, surpassed.
• Cat (n.) — musician in swing band.
• Chick (n.) — girl.
• Chime (n.) — hour. Ex., “I got in at six chimes.”
• Clambake (n.) — ad lib session, every man for himself, a jam session not in the groove.
• Chirp (n.) — female singer.
• Cogs (n.) — sun glasses.
• Collar (v.) — to get, to obtain, to comprehend. Ex., “I gotta collar me some food”; “Do you collar this jive?”
• Come again (v.) — try it over, do better than you are doing, I don’t understand you.
• Comes on like gangbusters (or like test pilot) (v.) — plays, sings, or dances in a terrific manner, par excellence in any department. Sometimes abbr. to “That singer really comes on!”
• Cop (v.) — to get, to obtain (see collar; knock).
• Corny (adj.) — old-fashioned, stale.
• Creeps out like the shadow (v.) — “comes on,” but in smooth, suave, sophisticated manner.
• Crumb crushers (n.) — teeth.
• Cubby (n.) — room, flat, home.
• Cups (n.) — sleep. Ex., “I gotta catch some cups.”
• Cut out (v.) — to leave, to depart. Ex., “It’s time to cut out”; “I cut out from the joint in early bright.”
• Cut rate (n.) — a low, cheap person. Ex., “Don’t play me cut rate, Jack!”
• Dicty (adj.) — high-class, nifty, smart.
• Dig (v.) — (1) meet. Ex., “I’ll plant you now and dig you later.” (2) look, see. Ex., “Dig the chick on your left duke.” (3) comprehend, understand. Ex., “Do you dig this jive?”
• Dim (n.) — evening.
• Dime note (n.) — ten-dollar bill.
• Doghouse (n.) — bass fiddle.
• Domi (n.) — ordinary place to live in. Ex., “I live in a righteous dome.”
• Doss (n.) — sleep. Ex., “I’m a little beat for my doss.”
• Down with it (adj.) — through with it.
• Drape (n.) — suit of clothes, dress, costume.
• Dreamers (n.) — bed covers, blankets.
• Dry-goods (n.) — same as drape.
• Duke (n.) — hand, mitt.
• Dutchess (n.) — girl.
• Early black (n.) — evening
• Early bright (n.) — morning.
• Evil (adj.) — in ill humor, in a nasty temper.
• Fall out (v.) — to be overcome with emotion. Ex., “The cats fell out when he took that solo.”
• Fews and two (n.) — money or cash in small quatity.
• Final (v.) — to leave, to go home. Ex., “I finaled to my pad” (went to bed); “We copped a final” (went home).
• Fine dinner (n.) — a good-looking girl.
• Focus (v.) — to look, to see.
• Foxy (v.) — shrewd.
• Frame (n.) — the body.
• Fraughty issue (n.) — a very sad message, a deplorable state of affairs.
• Freeby (n.) — no charge, gratis. Ex., “The meal was a freeby.”
• Frisking the whiskers (v.) — what the cats do when they are warming up for a swing session.
• Frolic pad (n.) — place of entertainment, theater, nightclub.
• Fromby (adj.) — a frompy queen is a battle or faust.
• Front (n.) — a suit of clothes.
• Fruiting (v.) — fickle, fooling around with no particular object.
• Fry (v.) — to go to get hair straightened.
• Gabriels (n.) — trumpet players.
• Gammin’ (adj.) — showing off, flirtatious.
• Gasser (n, adj.) — sensational. Ex., “When it comes to dancing, she’s a gasser.”
• Gate (n.) — a male person (a salutation), abbr. for “gate-mouth.”
• Get in there (exclamation.) — go to work, get busy, make it hot, give all you’ve got.
• Gimme some skin (v.) — shake hands.
• Glims (n.) — the eyes.
• Got your boots on — you know what it is all about, you are a hep cat, you are wise.
• Got your glasses on — you are ritzy or snooty, you fail to recognize your friends, you are up-stage.
• Gravy (n.) — profits.
• Grease (v.) — to eat.
• Groovy (adj.) — fine. Ex., “I feel groovy.”
• Ground grippers (n.) — new shoes.
• Growl (n.) — vibrant notes from a trumpet.
• Gut-bucket (adj.) — low-down music.
• Guzzlin’ foam (v.) — drinking beer.
• Hard (adj.) — fine, good. Ex., “That’s a hard tie you’re wearing.”
• Hard spiel (n.) — interesting line of talk.
• Have a ball (v.) — to enjoy yourself, stage a celebration. Ex., “I had myself a ball last night.”
• Hep cat (n.) — a guy who knows all the answers, understands jive.
• Hide-beater (n.) — a drummer (see skin-beater).
• Hincty (adj.) — conceited, snooty.
• Hip (adj.) — wise, sophisticated, anyone with boots on. Ex., “She’s a hip chick.”
• Home-cooking (n.) — something very dinner (see fine dinner).
• Hot (adj.) — musically torrid; before swing, tunes were hot or bands were hot.
• Hype (n, v.) — build up for a loan, wooing a girl, persuasive talk.
• Icky (n.) — one who is not hip, a stupid person, can’t collar the jive.
• Igg (v.) — to ignore someone. Ex., “Don’t igg me!)
• In the groove (adj.) — perfect, no deviation, down the alley.
• Jack (n.) — name for all male friends (see gate; pops).
• Jam ((1)n, (2)v.) — (1) improvised swing music. Ex., “That’s swell jam.” (2) to play such music. Ex., “That cat surely can jam.”
• Jeff (n.) — a pest, a bore, an icky.
• Jelly (n.) — anything free, on the house.
• Jitterbug (n.) — a swing fan.
• Jive (n.) — Harlemese speech.
• Joint is jumping — the place is lively, the club is leaping with fun.
• Jumped in port (v.) — arrived in town.
• Kick (n.) — a pocket. Ex., “I’ve got five bucks in my kick.”
• Kill me (v.) — show me a good time, send me.
• Killer-diller (n.) — a great thrill.
• Knock (v.) — give. Ex., “Knock me a kiss.”
• Kopasetic (adj.) — absolutely okay, the tops.
• Lamp (v.) — to see, to look at.
• Land o’darkness (n.) — Harlem.
• Lane (n.) — a male, usually a nonprofessional.
• Latch on (v.) — grab, take hold, get wise to.
• Lay some iron (v.) — to tap dance. Ex., “Jack, you really laid some iron that last show!”
• Lay your racket (v.) — to jive, to sell an idea, to promote a proposition.
• Lead sheet (n.) — a topcoat.
• Left raise (n.) — left side. Ex., “Dig the chick on your left raise.”
• Licking the chops (v.) — see frisking the whiskers.
• Licks (n.) — hot musical phrases.
• Lily whites (n.) — bed sheets.
• Line (n.) — cost, price, money. Ex., “What is the line on this drape” (how much does this suit cost)? “Have you got the line in the mouse” (do you have the cash in your pocket)? Also, in replying, all figures are doubled. Ex., “This drape is line forty” (this suit costs twenty dollars).
• Lock up — to acquire something exclusively. Ex., “He’s got that chick locked up”; “I’m gonna lock up that deal.”
• Main kick (n.) — the stage.
• Main on the hitch (n.) — husband.
• Main queen (n.) — favorite girl friend, sweetheart.
• Man in gray (n.) — the postman.
• Mash me a fin (command.) — Give me $5.
• Mellow (adj.) — all right, fine. Ex., “That’s mellow, Jack.”
• Melted out (adj.) — broke.
• Mess (n.) — something good. Ex., “That last drink was a mess.”
• Meter (n.) — quarter, twenty-five cents.
• Mezz (n.) — anything supreme, genuine. Ex., “this is really the mezz.”
• Mitt pounding (n.) — applause.
• Moo juice (n.) — milk.
• Mouse (n.) — pocket. Ex., “I’ve got a meter in the mouse.”
• Muggin’ (v.) — making ‘em laugh, putting on the jive. “Muggin’ lightly,” light staccato swing; “muggin’ heavy,” heavy staccato swing.
• Murder (n.) — something excellent or terrific. Ex., “That’s solid murder, gate!”
• Neigho, pops — Nothing doing, pal.
• Nicklette (n.) — automatic phonograph, music box.
• Nickel note (n.) — five-dollar bill.
• Nix out (v.) — to eliminate, get rid of. Ex., “I nixed that chick out last week”; “I nixed my garments” (undressed).
• Nod (n.) — sleep. Ex., “I think I’l cop a nod.”
• Ofay (n.) — white person.
• Off the cob (adj.) — corny, out of date.
• Off-time jive (n.) — a sorry excuse, saying the wrong thing.
• Orchestration (n.) — an overcoat.
• Out of the world (adj.) — perfect rendition. Ex., “That sax chorus was out of the world.”
• Ow! — an exclamation with varied meaning. When a beautiful chick passes by, it’s “Ow!”; and when someone pulls an awful pun, it’s also “Ow!”
• Pad (n.) — bed.
• Pecking (n.) — a dance introduced at the Cotton Club in 1937.
• Peola (n.) — a light person, almost white.
• Pigeon (n.) — a young girl.
• Pops (n.) — salutation for all males (see gate; Jack).
• Pounders (n.) — policemen.
• Queen (n.) — a beautiful girl.
• Rank (v.) — to lower.
• Ready (adj.) — 100 per cent in every way. Ex., “That fried chicken was ready.”
• Ride (v.) — to swing, to keep perfect tempo in playing or singing.
• Riff (n.) — hot lick, musical phrase.
• Righteous (adj.) — splendid, okay. Ex., “That was a righteous queen I dug you with last black.”
• Rock me (v.) — send me, kill me, move me with rhythym.
• Ruff (n.) — quarter, twenty-five cents.
• Rug cutter (n.) — a very good dancer, an active jitterbug.
• Sad (adj.) — very bad. Ex., “That was the saddest meal I ever collared.”
• Sadder than a map (adj.) — terrible. Ex., “That man is sadder than a map.”
• Salty (adj.) — angry, ill-tempered.
• Sam got you — you’ve been drafted into the army.
• Send (v.) — to arouse the emotions. (joyful). Ex., “That sends me!”
• Set of seven brights (n.) — one week.
• Sharp (adj.) — neat, smart, tricky. Ex., “That hat is sharp as a tack.”
• Signify (v.) — to declare yourself, to brag, to boast.
• Skins (n.) — drums.
• Skin-beater (n.) — drummer (see hide-beater).
• Sky piece (n.) — hat.
• Slave (v.) — to work, whether arduous labor or not.
• Slide your jib (v.) — to talk freely.
• Snatcher (n.) — detective.
• So help me — it’s the truth, that’s a fact.
• Solid (adj.) — great, swell, okay.
• Sounded off (v.) — began a program or conversation.
• Spoutin’ (v.) — talking too much.
• Square (n.) — an unhep person (see icky; Jeff).
• Stache (v.) — to file, to hide away, to secrete.
• Stand one up (v.) — to play one cheap, to assume one is a cut-rate.
• To be stashed (v.) — to stand or remain.
• Susie-Q (n.) — a dance introduced at the Cotton Club in 1936.
• Take it slow (v.) — be careful.
• Take off (v.) — play a solo.
• The man (n.) — the law.
• Threads (n.) — suit, dress or costuem (see drape; dry-goods).
• Tick (n.) — minute, moment. Ex., “I’ll dig you in a few ticks.” Also, ticks are doubled in accounting time, just as money isdoubled in giving “line.” Ex., “I finaled to the pad this early bright at tick twenty” (I got to bed this morning at ten o’clock).
• Timber (n.) — toothipick.
• To dribble (v.) — to stutter. Ex., “He talked in dribbles.”
• Togged to the bricks — dressed to kill, from head to toe.
• Too much (adj.) — term of highest praise. Ex., “You are too much!”
• Trickeration (n.) — struttin’ your stuff, muggin’ lightly and politely.
• Trilly (v.) — to leave, to depart. Ex., “Well, I guess I’ll trilly.”
• Truck (v.) — to go somewhere. Ex., “I think I’ll truck on down to the ginmill (bar).”
• Trucking (n.) — a dance introduced at the Cotton Club in 1933.
• Twister to the slammer (n.) — the key to the door.
• Two cents (n.) — two dollars.
• Unhep (adj.) — not wise to the jive, said of an icky, a Jeff, a square.
• Vine (n.) — a suit of clothes.
• V-8 (n.) — a chick who spurns company, is independent, is not amenable.
• What’s your story? — What do you want? What have you got to say for yourself? How are tricks? What excuse can you offer? Ex., “I don’t know what his story is.”
• Whipped up (adj.) — worn out, exhausted, beat for your everything.
• Wren (n.) — a chick, a queen.
• Wrong riff — the wrong thing said or done. Ex., “You’re coming up on the wrong riff.”
• Yarddog (n.) — uncouth, badly attired, unattractive male or female.
• Yeah, man — an exclamation of assent.
• Zoot (adj.) — exaggerated
• Zoot suit (n.) — the ultimate in clothes. The only totally and truly American civilian suit .

Download Your Free Guide to Being a Gentleman in 2008.

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Tonights Video: Commercial Time

First saw this a couple of years ago, I posted it here for you to enjoy too. Or you may think it's just stupid:

How to REALLY Make Money On-Line

From the Dumb Little Man Blog:

3 Legitimate Ways To Get Paid Online

by Monika Mundell. Monika Mundell is a passionate freelance writer and pro-blogger. Her blog Freelance Writing helps new freelance writers to get started in this exciting industry. If you like to work with Monika, feel free to visit her Portfolio site.

Photo Credit: Odalaigh

The Internet is loaded with opportunities to find work. Many of you dream of earning a little bit extra to supplement the family income, or even start your own home business. I know that it is possible to run your own business and it isn't that hard or expensive to get going. I think the biggest problem people have is to over-analyze an opportunity before they get into action. We seem to over complicate situations instead of just giving things a go.

This is called "analysis to paralysis". Perhaps you might have heard this saying before.

Believe me, I've been guilty of doing this myself many times in the past. We tend to find excuses for all sorts of reasons. Don't worry though, it is human and we all do it at some stages in life. Once you know where you tend to be more hesitant and why, it will be easier for you to overcome those hurdles. Often procrastination is based on fear alone. Fear of the unknown.

If you are in the market for some extra income, you will enjoy the following resources. They are all a good start as individual income earners. You can pick your favorite or try them all.

• Get Paid To Write Articles
  MPAM is a great website to become cash flow positive pretty much from the moment you go with article writing. The first month is free and if you write only 4 articles, you will be in the plus. When I left them late last year they were paying $10 per 400 word article, which is a good place to start. They do offer way more than just payment for articles, but I suggest until you earn some decent money, skip their extra opportunities. They will only confuse you.
  
  Also, whatever you do, don't bother with their hosting. It's crap, because the space you get is very limited and once you upgrade from the basic plan it becomes very expensive. From memory, their membership is around $30/month.
  
  Job sites like Guru, ScriptLance and Elance allow you to sign up for free and create an account to bid for job listings. While some of them (mainly ScriptLance) don't often offer high paying article writing jobs, you should still be able to find some good starting deals to get you going.
  
  These are only a start as there are many more job sites available to get you up and running fast. Most newcomers are a little unsure on how to proceed with these platforms. My advice would be to sign up, then create an profile that looks decent enough by listing your abilities. After that, spend some time (ten minutes) watching the current going bids to get familiar with the site. Then start bidding. At this stage only use the free options. You can always upgrade later on once you earn money to score even better paying jobs.
  


• Offer Your Coaching Services
  Many people underestimate their abilities to teach others. Regardless of what you know and where your experience lies, there is somebody out there who wants to learn what you know. Even better, some people want you to have their money because they are desperate for knowledge.
  
  Coaching can become a wonderful income stream for you. The only way to find out is by doing it. There are no rules and guidelines in what you need to or have to do.
  
  In fact, you can just wing it and see what becomes of it. The one thing you do need for better chances of success if your own website, preferably designed for this purpose alone.
  
  Naturally, you would have to promote this site. What most people often forget is their own circle of friends to get them started. Just listen to what people say around you. What do they wish they knew? If you are good at cooking for example and your friends suck at boiling eggs, you could offer private tuition.
  
  If you struggle to think of some ideas to get your started, here are a few. Music, sports, languages, cooking, personal development, health & wellness, etc.
  


• Become a Pro-blogger
  Pro-bloggers are bloggers who get paid for doing so by a vast range of clients. Think real estate, Internet marketing, lawyers, entrepreneurs, health, etc. These are all potential clients for you. You might even find a local company willing to offer you a go.
  
  Pro-blogging is big part of my own freelance writing business and responsible for at least 50% of my monthly income. I fell into this by accident, but have loved every minute of it because the work is so versatile. I never get bored writing for all my various clients.
  
  Not only that. As a pro-blogger you learn so much, you become an expert on many topics because of the research you have to put into your work. It's great fun and allows you to connect with the world.
  
  Isn't really that hard to find pro-blogging jobs. There are many job sites, such as Problogger's very own Job Board to get you started. Initially, the pay might be on the lower end until you are established, but who is to complain with cash flow? It won't cost you a cent upfront to become a pro-blogger and you could be up and running today with your first job. Other great sites to find a paid blogging job are Freelance Writing Gigs and CraigsList.

These three methods will pay you, if you are serious about earning extra cash flow. It is also important to note that you can't expect wonders overnight and certainly not riches either. But in all honesty, if you get started and stick with it you should be seeing a nice income after 3-6 months.


Monika

Tonights Video: A Tribute

Last night at my class reunion, I was talking to my old friend John and he mentioned that Paul Newman had died. I was taken aback, as I had not paid attention to the news Saturday.

Last year when my son told me he was going to the College of the Atlantic, in Maine, I looked it up and discovered that this is where his daughter Nell went to school. Nell is my age and runs Newman's Own. (That's Nell with her parents in a photo from about 5 years ago).

In my email today was the following tribute from the Art of Manliness Blog:

Saturday, the great American actor Paul Newman died of cancer in his Connecticut home. He was 83. I’ve always been a fan of Paul Newman. He’s one of the last of the great manly movie stars. Newman played some of the manliest characters in American cinema and played them well, infusing each one with a cool, manly confidence.

But Mr. Newman was more than an actor. He served in the Navy during World War II, directed and produced movies, raced cars, started a successful business, and became a generous philanthropist.

Dashing and handsome, Newman had the opportunity to hook up with any woman he wanted. Yet he was a devoted husband to his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward. When asked why he stayed faithful to his wife, Paul would respond, “Why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home?” If only more of today’s philandering actors would follow Mr. Newman’s example.

We’ll miss Mr. Newman. But thankfully, he has left us a catalog of films that show manliness in action. I know his legacy will continue and that his films will influence another generation of men.

Below, I’ve included a short list of Mr. Newman’s manliest movies and a film clip from each one. I hope you enjoy.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The Hustler

Cool Hand Luke (one of my all time favorites)

The Sting

Slap Shot

The Towering Inferno

Football, Sunburn, Reunions and Relaxing

Just a few random thoughts....

Balance.

Most of us crave a balance between 2 or more areas in our lives.

Giving vs. Receiving.
Work vs. Relaxing.
Excitement vs. Boredom.
Tried and True vs. New Experiences.

So over the weekend I sat through my first local college football game. Fun, but a combination of sunburn, relaxing, boredom and excitement. I guess I'm more of a basketball fan when it comes to attending live sporting events.

It was relaxing as I attended with a good friend that is back in town and yet I plan on giving away the rest of my tickets and wait for basketball season.

See, you have to stretch yourself and explore new stuff no matter how old or young you are.

When you are young, everything is new. As you get older, you have to look for new experiences to try. It keeps you young and alive. You get to decide which ones to try and which ones to decline.

Reunions can also be an interesting experience. Last night I attended my 30th High School reunion. Met up with a couple of old friends that came to town that I've stayed in touch with and saw many that I had not stayed in touch with. In two weeks I get to meet some of my wife's relatives at a reunion that parts of her family are having.

Reunions of this type are whatever you make them. I decide to have fun, be true and be myself.

Name This Weeks Local Website

I found this Tuesday. You can find it by clicking here!


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