Arrrrr!

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.

H.L. Mencken

This coming Sunday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Never heard of it? That's OK, it's still a pretty underground movement.

Every September 19 for the past 8 years or so people all over the world have made a point of adding an extra "arr" or "shiver me timbers" to their speech.

The celebration grew out of an inside joke among friends John Baur and Mark Summers, and really took off when newspaper humor columnist Dave Barry got involved (you can read the whole story on The Official Website ). Thanks to the Power of the Internet (tm), the fun has spread worldwide and, although I haven't seen official Talk Like a Pirate Day cards from Hallmark, gained some legitimacy.

It's pretty easy to celebrate, all you have to do is make a point of talking like your favorite movie cliche pirate for the day. If you want, you can visit one of the many TLAPD events that have sprung up around the world, including the Pirate Picnic in Highland Park, NJ, where I'll be performing this Sunday.

The point is, it's a fun, goofy thing to do. It doesn't cost anything (except perhaps a little dignity) and it will make you cooler, sexier, taller, richer, smarter and more attractive to the opposite sex, so why not try putting a little Pirate Slang in your speech this Sept. 19.

In fact, for those of you who do celebrate, I'd love to hear what you do for the holiday, and your best "talking like a pirate" stories. If I get some good ones I'll publish them here next week.

Till then, maties, ye be havin yerself a good weekend, and I'll see ye on th' Monday.

ARRR!!!

The Value of a Good Business Card and a Coupon for DD Readers

If you're a cool, creative type like me, you need some cool, creative business cards, right? After all, you're handing your new acquaintance a tangible reminder of yourself, whether it's to promote your blog, your band, your business or just because you thought she/he was cute and want them to friend you on Facebook. You want those little handouts to remind the person of you, not of Stock Design #12.

After all, just about any business is all about networking, and not everyone follows the oh-so-handy practice of carrying a pocket notebook around with them. Besides which, a misheard digit, or a too-sloppy-to-make-out letter on your handwritten email address can spell the difference between getting the job and being forgotten. It's so much simpler to trade cards.

Now, good cards can be pricey, and if you're like me you might have more than one thing to promote. Having a few different designs in high quality stock can run up a substantial printing cost. Personally, I do have a supply of fairly generic cards listing my contact information and music web page which I'll hand out by the dozen and leave next to the tip jar when I play shows. But for times I really want to make in impression, in a business or social sense I keep a small supply of nicer, flashier cards on hand.

I'm currently using the MiniCards from MOO printing as my special calling cards. One of the ways to make a solid, tactile impression is to vary the size and shape of your card from the standard business card, but going bigger or in a weird shape makes it a lot less likely that your tag will spend much time in your new friend's wallet. The MiniCards, on the other hand, are half the size of a regular card, making them supremely pocketable. In addition, you can have your cards printed with varying designs at no extra cost, which makes them a bit more "collectible." Personally, I'm using the "Venn That Tune" set, which shows off my somewhat geeky sense of humor, I think.

If you're freelancing, job hunting or networking, a good card can be a valuable tool. And if you like what you see over at MOO's web site, readers of The Daily DeBlass can get a 10% discount on MOO cards by using the promotional code E9TWHG.