Yoo-Hoo!

On February 20th, I received a response from the folks at Yoo-Hoo.

I have been given a list of ten stores within a dozen miles of here that might carry the Yoo-Hoo I desire - the closest only minutes away.  

I shall report back on my quest. Perhaps with multi-media accompaniment.

I implore you to stay calm during this critical time.

Yoo-Hoo: The Conspiracy

Yoo-Hoo is a chocolate drink from my childhood. It's not chocolate milk or soda - it's in it's own special category.  It's mainly popular Back East - but you could find bottles of it at supermarkets or deli's, if you searched a bit. I don't think there's any food or drink I associate so closely with my New York childhood.  I remember drinking it on the beach on many a hot, humid summer. To some people, it's an acquired taste, but to me, it's an elixir.

I'm not sure why, but Yoo-Hoo seems to disappearing from Western shelves - it's now available only in those little drink boxes.  Bad marketing, I guess.  OR, maybe there's a run on the California inventory. Perhaps a California multi-millionaire with New York roots is buying up the stock, hoarding it for his own use.  I'll begin an investigation into some possible candidates.

I've been checking supermarket store shelves - but I've only found those boxes, in the local Ralphs.  There's something going on here - something sinister.

I've just sent an email to Yoo-Hoo.  

I'll report back with the results.

Parallel Worlds and Alternative Universes?

I was at a gathering a few weeks back hosted by one of my sometime collaborators. We've known each other for seven years or so, and have worked together in various ways - writing, editing, or co-directing projects.  As it turned out, one of his friends, by pure chance, has a connection with me that goes back decades.

At one of my friend's larger gatherings, one of his friends came up to me and asked me if I'd grown up in New Hyde Park, on Long Island, and went to Wickshire School.   I answered yes to every one of his questions, but strange as it may seem, it wasn't anyone I knew directly - but very likely, someone who lived a life parallel to mine as we were growing up.  A year younger, he lived probably 20 houses down the block and around the corner in my old neighborhood in New York.  We knew some of the same people - he even remembered Julie, our legendary ice cream man - and the nice guy who polished floors all over the neighborhood - we all knew when we were very young.  

We went to the same elementary school - but when you're a young kid, sometimes kids that are even a year younger than you are kids with whom you generally wouldn't waste time.  So, we lived lives that were very close - we probably sat near each other on the school bus, and we apparently shared some of the same teachers - but we never knew each other.  Nevertheless - we shared an experience - we shared a place, and we shared a time. We just operated in slightly different dimensions.

Social Networking II

Once you start with several sites, it becomes a challenge - there are people who look at my website, others who look at MySpace, others at Facebook, and now a growing list on Linkedin.com. 

Linkedin.com seems to be the flavor of the day for professional networking - a friend turned me on to that site a few days ago, and numerous other colleagues from other sources have also sent me invitations since then.  I have to admit some curiousity about this site - I'll be curious to see what it provides (and, like any other network - what I can use it for) as time goes on.   

Of course, the danger is that we'll spend more time managing our networks...then actually using them!

Branding

I read an article in the New York Times the other day entitled, "Creating Brand You."  It, in turn, discussed an article in the current issue of Psychology Today in which Psychologist Judith Sills suggests "becoming your own brand," explaining that "it is the professional identity that you create in the minds of others."

Your image - or, as the CIA dubs it, your "legend," is the first impression most people will have about you.  Taking control of that image is crucial if you're serious about achieving goals.  Taking control of your image, in turn, directly reflects how focused you are on your goals. 

Sills writes of three approaches that will work will if you want to be come a brand - I believe they come hand in hand with achieving goals:

-Speaking Professionally (conferences, events that provide visibility)

-Make your presence known at meetings (our industry thrives on creative input)

-Be consistent (a universal need across all forms of employment!)

All of these approaches reflect your public face - and your ability to reach the goals you set for yourself.  

If you don't know who you are, how will anyone else know?

Social Networking to Infinity and Beyond!

Join MySpace, they said. 

No, go to Facebook. Everyone's moving over there, now.

Hey, did you hear about LinkedIn?  Like Facebook, but designed for professionals.

Each has profile.

A blog. You can see how often THIS has been updated!  

Requires Maintenance.

THEN I have my website.

And now, my new Mac Front-End for my website (web.mac.com/richsamuels).

I have my profile on Kiva.org - check it out, it's cool.  But I have to keep an eye on that little profile, too.

I have my corporate profile with Freshi Films, LLC.

Soon, I'll be working full time just maintaining my Brand!