the jumpseat

Authored wholly by a CFI based in the Sandhills of North Carolina.

[the-jumpseat]

Assuming I'm one of the few who's political views lean more to the right than others using Tumblr, I'd like to include a disclaimer: while there are many negative connotations out there about Mr. Romney--both true and false--I'm curious to know just how much people actually know about the man. What he started, how he did it, what his father went through, and his view on taxes.

If you're reading this, can answer each of those questions, and still look negatively on the man, I commend you. You'd be one of the few who actually have knowledge of him at which point you're entitled to any opinion you'd like.

[the-jumpseat]

Facts are the center. Facts. We don't pretend that certain facts are in dispute to give the appearance of fairness to people who don't believe them. Balance is irrelevant to me. It doesn't have anything to do with truth, logic, or reality.

Charlie Skinner [Sam Waterston], The Newsroom

[the-jumpseat]

It's only fun when you're trying to get it in your grasp. It's like, you know, once you catch it, throw it back in the water and catch it again.

John Mayer (on succeeding in the music industry)

[the-jumpseat]

A Simple Matter of Fact

It’s funny, but you know what? I love making the drive up here. Always have. Partly, I’m sure, because I know you’re right here in 33, But it’s mainly because it’s 100 miles away from home And yet less than 30 if I were to run, swim, and walk to your door. It’s fun to dodge the cops, Do 80 on the bridge. But don’t get me wrong; traffic on 95 isn’t what I wish for. All I know is that once I see the sign that says: “Conner St, ¼ mile” I know I‘m almost there ‘cause that’s my half-way marker. It's just science: Once you cross the bridge and you see the sign, You’re 50 miles in. What’s half of 100? 50 miles. It’s easy math. It’s well-put logic. It’s just a simple matter of fact. Now I know we have our differences, And I know we both look at this differently, But I have no reason to lie to you: I’m upset. I’m not disappointed, I’m not crying about it, I mean, it hasn’t even got me down. It’s just a thorn that plays the stratchies on my back And I’ve yet to find I way to pull it out. What's worse is that I wanna leave it there. I wanna push it in a little more, maybe twist it a little, And then pour gallons of ointment on it to protect it against infection. But I can’t do that. I’ve done it before and it just doesn’t end up well. I think any bio major could tell you that. So, I'm here to tell you that I don't know what's supposed to happen next. I know I have self-respect, And I know we both don't know where we're headed now, But I think it's best we call it a day And I try doing the backstroke home.

[the-jumpseat]

Studying Anthropologie

I don't understand why people say it's a problem-- Long-term separation. I'm not having a problem with it. We're not having a problem with it.

I mean, she's under 300 miles away, which might not compare to two-thousand, but I trust her. I know I can.

The only thing that gets me is why I don't loose sleep over it. I know she wishes she could see me more, And to an extent, I do too, But it doesn't bother me.

I can remember each season. I get it: I have a better long-term memory than most, But it's not what happened during those seasons that matter-- It's just the fact that I remember.

NOTE: The correct spelling of "anthropologie" is actually "anthropology." Anthropologie refers to a women's apparel and accessories chain which has 130+ stores throughout North America.

[the-jumpseat]

I featured the Simpson Brothers Band a while back playing out on a John Mayer tune two years ago. A lot has happened since then, and if you listen to that clip from 2010, off the bat you'll pickup on Rich's voice and talent.

I come to you today with a new video of theirs--an original piece. Not often, but often to say seldom, can anyone stumble across a decent musician on YouTube, and although I thought SBB might have just been ecent(at first), they're nowhere near it. Having already been featured on CBS (Canada) and receiving the "Best of British Columbia" prize, this band is destined to make it big one day.

I, alone, shouldn't be enough to convince anyone with my lack and inexperience in the music industry that these guys are any good, however. So, have a listen. And when you're done, drop a line in the comments down below. I'm really curious to see what everyone thinks of these guys. And if anyone's heard of them before.

[the-jumpseat]

Understanding someone's attention span is not thinking they're dumb; it's working within somebody's mindframe.

John Mayer, Berklee Clinic 2010

[the-jumpseat]

I stumbled upon this short clip of John Mayer playing on Guitar Shop TV on YouTube this morning and figured it'd be worth a shout after watching the key pieces of his performance throughout my day.

He makes a fair point about the value in things that we pick up, get excited about, drop, and then return to. As he explains it in this video, it's something that we all do--not just artists. And if we think it's bad at one point, we might think it's treasure years, decades later.

It's really about motivation, is what it's really about. 

[the-jumpseat]

the back of the instagram icon.

Some "weekend tomfoolery" by Cole Rise.

[the-jumpseat]

God, I wish airlines did this. (Too bad TWA's no longer with us.)

[jhnmyr]

Listen to Entire Born and Raised Album for Free

[johnmayer]

click here to go to the iTunes store and stream the record now. Pre-order if you dig it.

I listened to the record last Wednesday on my flight to Los Angeles. Gave it one more go round before it went out into the world… one last little listen as being just mine. It’s brought me so much joy and company and peace, and I hope it will do the same for you.

JM

[cnbc]

No Job? No Problem. Why It’s a Good Time For Grads

Findings from a new AP report have worked college students, grads, their parents and, frankly, the entire country into a frenzy. It seems one in two new college grads—1.5 million total, or 53.6 percent of all bachelor’s degree-holders—are either jobless or underemployed.

To that I say… Great! Sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime.  The job market might be a bust, but, right now, it’s never been easier, faster or cheaper to start a business. I should know — I did it myself. 

These 10 pointers may help get you and your business off the ground:

1. Leave your ego at the door.

2. Remember that boring is better than sexy.

3. Use your age to your advantage. 

4. Bootstrap. Ramen is good for you.

5. Think small.

6. Don’t write a phone book-sized business plan.

7. Skip the office. 

8. Cut your “worst-case” financial scenario in half.

9. Avoid the wrong partners like the plague. 

10. Expect—and embrace—failure.

Full Story

[the-jumpseat]

History is never worth reading until it's fifty years old.

President Richard M. Nixon, 1992

[johnmayer]

The “Shadow Days” video is here!

[the-jumpseat]

The tech sector has always been marveling around the heat that mergers and acquisitions have always fueled the industry with, but this week we heard some big news. Many of us have heard about the $1 billion deal Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made with Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom last week. There’s been a lot of hype over how fast Instagram’s growth has been increasing, and there’s always been hype over Facebook’s, so the news of these two firms joining hands isn’t difficult to see. But, what about Tumblr? CNBC makes some great points about just how quickly social media start-ups are taking off (don’t think I forgot about Pinterest), but Tumblr doesn’t get a lot of attention and I don’t think many will refute that. Sure—the company’s target market is high school and college students between the ages of 12-24, but that’s a generation that makes a lot of dough. Take Facebook for example. If that company didn’t start out with college students, what would happen? Would Facebook even be around? I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone will know because we already know what happened. All I can say is that if I had to put my money on the next acquisition, I’d put it here.

[the-jumpseat]

I don't think anyone's going to be able to argue with any of the points that Baskas makes in this article, but what can we do about it? Is there any way to make the passenger experience at an airport enjoyable? I can't picture an airport ever being a place where my mom or my girlfriend could come with me to the gate to say goodbye before I'd walk onboard. But then again, maybe I'm too young to realize that there was once a time when that was actually possible.

[the-jumpseat]

[higher education] can’t be a luxury; it is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.

President Barack Obama during his State of the Union Address, January 24, 2012