We will never attempt to dine at Tortilla Jo’s again.¹

Last Wednesday, I went to the House of Blues (Anaheim) for Scream It Like You Mean It featuring Silverstein and Emery. We got there a bit early to grab dinner before doors open.

We randomly chose Tortilla Jo’s.

There weren’t many customers, so we were seated quickly. The host gave us menus, someone else brought us chips and salsa, and…that’s it.

About 5-7 minutes later, the host that sat us asked, “Are you done looking at the menus?”

“Yes,” I replied.

He took them and walked away. There wasn’t an employee that offered us water or took our order. I counted at least twenty times where an employee or manager² walked by our table. Nobody acknowledged us.

After being there for 23 minutes, we left. (I know the photo shows 18 minutes, but we were there for about five minutes before I started my stopwatch.)

I didn’t want to say anything because of principle. We waited until after the concert for In-N-Out (La Mirada) on our way home — six hours later.

We will never attempt to dine at Tortilla Jo’s again.

I use Zenfolio for my portfolio, selling prints, and client proofing (which aids in processing select photos). They have a lot of features.

Between now¹ and July 31st, use my referral code², then 1) you’ll receive $10 off your plan, and 2) I’ll receive a $10 credit to my account. Win-win!

Even if you aren’t a professional photographer, get an account for backups and on-demand printing/sharing.

Get to it! Zenfolio. Yeah.

Do you truly respect people and their time?

While working at a law firm for last five years, I learned that everyone uses a physical and/or digital calendar. That calendar is sacred. If it’s not on there, it doesn’t happen.

I get annoyed when something gets planned or bumped at the last minute. I’m not talking about randomly, but on a regular basis.

I’m not calling you an idiot for not having a calendar. I just think you’re foolish to keep your schedule in your head. Additionally, if people rely on your calendar to schedule things involving you, what other incentive do you need to create and maintain a calendar accessible to others?

It’s alright. They can just text/call me and I’ll let them know.

What if you’re off the grid for a few hours, or your cell phone battery is dead? Do you really want the back-and-forth exchange one person has to undertake with several people?

How about if someone is asking me on the spot?

Tell them you’ll check your calendar and get back to them. Or, keep a paper copy on hand with the next few weeks.

Can’t I just keep it on my basic cell phone calendar?

What if your cell phone breaks or it’s lost? Where’s the backup?

Alright wise guy, so how do you keep your calendar?

I love Google Calendar. Look at its features! I’m sharing my calendar for potential customers¹.

• I don’t have a smartphone (e.g. BlackBerry, iPhone), but I have a data plan, so viewing [a few weeks of] upcoming events through their mobile site is simple.
• I can add items via SMS (text message).
• Even though I check my calendar daily, I can choose to receive reminders via SMS.
• Customers looking at my calendar shows when I’m busy – private, yet effective.
• Tip: I can export my private ICAL (.ics) file², then copy it onto my Apple iPod (3G). It’s not painful to do this every few days and it forces me to have a backup on my computer. If you have a newer iPod or iPod Touch, you could do this, too.

Convinced? Setup your own Google Calendar now!

While I’d like to think I have plenty to say and share, my fear is to sound mediocre.

Fortunately, your encouragement (in the form of visits, comments, referrals) keeps me motivated. Thanks!

I have about twenty drafts that need additional thought. I’ll look into those.

Downsides:

• New users don’t realize that you need to input the exact username.
• Spammers know they can flood your @replies tab. (Of course, you can easily block and report them as spam.)

Tip: I understand that many Twitter users have difficult names to spell. Don’t rely on your memory. On the website, hover over the message you want to reply to and click “reply.” (End tip.)

At the time of this writing, the last four pages of my @replies tab only has nineteen legitimate @replies to me. (Well, technically fourteen because five are mine.¹)

Each page has twenty (20) Twitter updates. So, if I use fourteen in my math, 17.5% of 80 @replies are from Twitter users who don’t know how to @reply their friends correctly.

I’m leaning toward blocking repeat idiots offenders, but that’d take a lot of work. Maybe I should block anyone who can’t @reply properly. Is that too harsh?

How do you deal, if at all?

If you’re in your RSS reader, please click through to vote in my [unscientific] poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comments. (If your URL seems suspicious, I’ll remove it.)

Update 2010-07-07: Derek Powazek wrote “Press the Magic Button” the same day I wrote this. I feel like he was reading my mind.

Please read “Stop adding me to your email newsletter” by Chris Brogan.

When you’re done, setup an account with MailChimp. Then, you’ll have a legitimate email newsletter with a subscribe form for your website, an unsubscribe link in your emails, and keep your recipients’ email addresses safe.

Now, onto the post.

*****

On Wednesday, I met with a Citrus College counselor. This is where I stand:

• I have several Cs which are bringing down my GPA to about 2.57.
• A few years ago, my GPA would be acceptable to CSU schools. Because of our recent budget crisis, that’s not the case.
• It’s not possible to retake classes in which I received a C since that’s technically passing.
• I’ve retaken every class possible. There aren’t any Ds, Fs, or withdrawn classes on my record. Academic renewal isn’t needed.
• I have my Associates Degree. (Associate in Arts: Social & Behavioral Sciences)

My friend, PJ, tells me I should try Pitzer College or any of the Claremont Colleges. (He graduated from Pitzer.) To paraphrase his advice to me or anyone in college: take classes you’ll actually enjoy or be miserable. Another friend, James¹, suggests to look into the University of La Verne.

They’re private colleges, so funding [is] a lot better than CSU and UC colleges. At La Verne, Undergrad Adult (25+) Tuition and Fees are substantially less expensive – that’s very cool. Regardless, I shouldn’t worry about money because financial aid should help. (See Student Loan Network – no affiliation.)

You already know I love photography. But, people seem to suggest that a major in business or marketing would be more helpful. My internal conflict is committing to a program for a couple of years that I actually like.

I’ve been subscribed to Rangefinder Magazine for almost a year now. I also follow several photographers online. What I’m finding is that a lot of them didn’t major in photography.

• Scott Bourne was a Political Science major.
• Scott Rinckenberger said, “Not one of us have an education in photography. We had college majors like English, French, Philosophy. You know, those subjects that inevitably prompt your parents to ask just exactly you plan to make a living with that degree. But what we lack in formal training is made up for in a blue collar work ethic, a disdain for convention, and a never ending search for new creative outlets.”
• Jessica Claire was an English major.
• Sam Abell majored in English and minored in Journalism. He said, “I have given many talks at universities across America to students studying photography. I’m often asked the question ‘What’s the most important thing a photographer can do to prepare for this life?’ and I always say ‘Learn to run a small business.’ John Harrington‘s book is that curriculum. You don’t have to go to college. You don’t have to major in small business administration, but you do have to read John Harrington’s book. This is the bible of running a successful photography business.”
• Chase Jarvis didn’t major in photography: “As with all things Jarvis, he took a very roundabout route into photography. He attended college on a soccer scholarship, and though he was majoring in philosophy and premed, it was the passing on of his grandfather that became a life-changing event for him. Jarvis found himself the beneficiary of his grandfather’s camera, and he took it and three accompanying lenses on a postgrad tour of Europe with his then-girlfriend Kate, who’s now his executive producer and his wife. They spent a great deal of time there, living out of bags and traveling from country to country, all the way from Portugal to Sweden to Moscow. Along the way, he taught himself to shoot, and once he returned from Europe, he immediately bailed out on postgrad med school. He had planned to be a doctor, but instead ended up living in Colorado for three years where he started taking pictures of his friends out on the slopes. These friends, as it turned out, were to be the future athletic stars of the extreme-sports lifestyle.”

I have friends with degrees which don’t apply to whatever they’re doing now. They essentially went to school for the experience, friendships and growth of discipline. Nothing wrong with that. I still have a lot of respect for them. (They have a Bachelor’s Degree, while I don’t.)

So, I’m at a crossroads.

After talking to James, I’m highly considering the ULV. For transfer students:

The application deadline for students applying for the fall semester is April 1. Students applying for spring semester should submit their applications by December 1.

My GPA is a bit short, but maybe I can talk to the Dean of Admissions about that. I have several months to think about it, but I’ll be pursuing photography no matter what – you knew that already. (Well, unless the band makes it. Then again, I think “making it” is a different beast than it was before.)

Ultimately, I want to be a Linchpin.

If you have any thoughts or encouragement, please leave a comment or send me an email. If you’re a Debbie Downer, don’t be surprised if I delete your comment. After all, this is my house. Thanks!

Linchpin

Seth Godin. Portfolio Hardcover 2010, Hardcover, 256 pages, $13.45