It's freaking beautiful outside. So here's a track from the summerlicious "No Way Down" EP from Swedish electro-pop duo Air France. There are all kinds of adjectives you can use to describe it - whimsical, sunny, carefree, laid-back, charming - but my favorite one to use would have to be "wonderful." Put this on as you're heading to the beach, or the lake, or as you're skipping out of work early to loll around in the park for the afternoon.

1. Hey, it’s the fourth of July! Besides the fireworks and parades, you might want to check out any of the haps at the following places: the Bar Harbor Blues Authority on Pleasant Street in Bar Harbor plays host to the down n’ dirty blues rock of the Eric Green Party. Parker’s Bar and Grill in Ellsworth hosts local bar band extraordinaire the Climactics, and the Sea Dog Brewing Company on the waterfront in Bangor will rock with Overdrive.

2. The Lookout Pub on the waterfront in downtown Belfast has another killer lineup of Maine DJs set for Saturday, starting waaaaaay early at 2 p.m. and going until 1 a.m., featuring DJ DC, Elusid, Nocturnal, Illogik, Stryknine, 2 Toes, Manafest, Psydways, Databass, Serrato and Alchera. Now that’s a lot of techno! No cover, either, and it’s BYOG – bring your own glowsticks.

3. So unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past year, you probably know that Hollywood Slots in Bangor opened this past Tuesday. Go check out the newest addition to the Queen City – whether you plan to gamble or not. I hear they’ve got the biggest buffet this side of Vegas, and maybe you'll win that 10 grand they're hyping. Either way: welcome to the new Bangor, folks. There's no going back now!

4. The Camden Civic Theatre offers weekend number two of their production of the Tony-nominated comedy-thrilled “Deathtrap!”, playing at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Camden Opera House in downtown Camden. A down on his luck mystery writer will go to any lengths to find success – even if that means murrrrrrrrrder. Tickets are $12-$16 bucks at the opera house box office; for more info, go to www.camdenoperahouse.com.

5. If you want to get started early with your weekend, Club Fuzion on Franklin Street in Bangor is offering a two hour cruise down the Penobscot, starting at 7 p.m. tonight, tonight being Thursday. It’s 20 bucks, and there’s a cash bar. Call 942-3112 for tickets, or just show up at the docks on the Bangor waterfront before 7 p.m. and you can probably work something out.

While you are employed, before you leave your position and you have too, it is a good idea to think about what you want in your next job. Identify the type of position, industry, company, geography, size, and corporate culture you are interested in. Then do some research to uncover which organizations best match the descriptions of your dream companies and market yourself directly to those companies whether they have an open position or not. Reach out to your network to see if you are connected to someone who knows someone in that company and ask for an introduction. The goal is to build inroads into these companies before they need you and later leverage that relationship when they are in need of new talent.

Thank you to the reader who posted a helpful web address in reference to building an online presence, I have pasted their posting below:

Submitted by reddevils21 on Tue, 2008-06-24 17:59.
One of the tools I've used recently is VisualCV (http://www.visualcv.com/www/). Its similar to a social networking site (like Facebook or MySpace) but is only for professional usage. Its basically a Web 2.0 resume, with work samples, video of references, or even video of yourself. Below is the description:

The VisualCV reinvents the resume. It’s a better resume, online. The VisualCV makes a traditional resume come alive with video, pictures and a portfolio of your best work samples and other supporting documents. Informational pop-ups provide background data on the companies you’ve worked at and the colleges you’ve attended. You can securely share different versions with your own network of employers, colleagues and friends, and control who sees what.

Obviously its only as good as what you put into it, but helps to achieve that online presence that Lisa is referring to.

Thank you Reddevils21! Remember anyone can post responses or comments to my posts either through this blog or by emailing jobs@bangordailynews.net Happy Job Hunting!

Sometimes, special effects just kill you.

Like the time you got vertigo at the IMAX Theater.

But FX Dressed is special in a way that won't make you nauseous.

Using recycled vintage items, Orono seamstress (and fashion diva) Jessi Sader combines textiles to create something smashing. Like a light-as-air summer scarf. Or a hip tote. And, just in time for summer, she's come up with a line of ethereal dresses that are romantic without losing their edge.

She'll have trunk shows from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, July 4, at Macey's in Bar Harbor; and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 5 and 6, at Local Color in Northeast Harbor.

Don't you deserve something special?

1. Tonight, in a quite remarkable turn of events, Ofelia's will host a show at 77 Central Street in Bangor. Hey, remember last summer, when there were shows there every weekend, and they were basically totally amazing? Well, you've probably heard the story of the whole debacle as to why Ofelia's is no longer in that space (which I'm not going to retell here), but now, a year after Ofelia's first opened, the Maine Democratic Committee has moved into the space. And because the organizers there are so cool, they've partnered with Ofelia's to have live music in the big open downstairs space again. So, tonight, starting at 7:30 p.m., Huak, the Ryan Moores and Gromky Malchick will perform. $5, all ages. To quote Justin Timberlake, what goes around comes around.

2. After that, mosey on down to the Red Martini and go see DJ Kadence spin drum n' bass all evening. The following night, Saturday, um, well, there's some girl DJing there, starting at 9:30 p.m. I guess she writes some column and some blog for the Bangor Daily News, and I guess she likes punk rock and classic rock and sweet electro jamz and what not. I mean, whatever. WHATEVER.

(Yeah, yeah, shameless self promotion. But hey, if you want to come out and listen to me play some cool tunes, I'd love to see ya!)

3. I've mentioned both these shows in my column the past two weeks, but they bear mentioning again: The Arootsakoostick Music Festival in New Sweden, and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at the Skowhegan Opera House. Rock. And. Roll.

4. The Perils of Peroxide! Why, goodness me! River City Cinema's annual outdoor film festival kicks off tonight in Pickering Square in downtown Bangor at sundown, with a screening of "She Done Him Wrong," featuring the indomitable bombshell Mae West.

5. Ameranouche, the killer gypsy jazz trio, play at the Bangor Opera House Saturday night. I can't recommend them enough. Seriously. Three of the best musicians you'll ever see on a stage in Maine. $10, 8 p.m.

6. Bonus! Bonus! Ding ding ding! Woodmans in Orono hosts its monthly "Slow Food" night on Sunday, featuring all locally grown and harvested foods. Starts at 4 p.m., and there's no set meal, so just come in and order whatever you'd like. It's all delicious. For more information on the slow food movement, visit www.slowfood.com.

Solution: Either lose a pound or two or buy bigger pants. I can't seem to do either.

Thanks for writing about Rooster Brothers -- I love that store. I love all the sale items but what I really love is their deli store downstairs. I am heading to my camp in Franklin and will be stopping there for treats.

Break out the whisk! Dust off the Kitchen-Aid! And by all means, whip up that souffle you've been putting off. It's been a long time coming, but The Second Story, the discount destination at Rooster Brother in Ellsworth, is finally open for the season! It's a cook's paradise, with closeouts, discontinued items and other random goodies. Hours are open 10 to 5, Monday through Saturday. So what are you waiting for? Get cooking!

So you have perfected your resume, it shows that you are an accomplished professional and a leader in your field. Yet when a hiring manager or recruiter puts your name in a search engine, either nothing comes up or they find others with the same name and can’t distinguish you from the others they see listed. (Or, oh the horror!, a drunken or explicit photo appears, I am not even going to go there if that's you, clean it up!)Many hiring authorities will want to research your candidacy and an online search is one of the fastest, easiest and cheepest, ways to do this. Make it easy for them to find you by creating a customized online identity. Some free tools to consider using are LinkedIn, and naymz as a minimum.

From my friend Anna, a simple equation:

Halter top + regular bra = ridiculous.

From me, today:

Wrap dress + stiff breeze = embarrassment.

What is your style equation? Post a comment below and remember there are no wrong answers (only bad fashion choices)!

"Scratch at any cynic and you'll find a disappointed idealist." - George Carlin

George Carlin is my favorite comedian of all time. Bill Hicks, Richard Pryor, Patton Oswalt, Sarah Silverman - they all come close, but Carlin remains my favorite. What I love about him is that despite all his anger, all his cynicism and righteously hilarious bile directed at all hypocrites, idiots, bigots and oppressors, he still retained an element of hope. He wasn't all darkness and bitterness - his misanthropy was borne out of frustration with how screwed up the world is. That's what made him awesome. That's what made him one of the greatest comedians ever.

I woke up this morning and checked the news and was truly shocked and saddened to see that he'd died. I remember watching his HBO specials with my Dad. I often put on one of his albums while I'm puttering around the house, and even though I've heard them multiple times I still laugh. The truth is funny; it has to be, or else it hurts. Thanks, George, for making reality bearable. We'll miss you.

Here are a couple of his classic routines.

The difference between Football and Baseball:

The Seven Deadly Words.

(Now, as the Supreme Court told us, this is obscene and can't be said on television or the radio. And this is the Bangor Daily News, which does not print such foul language. But this is also the Internet, and you're a person that's capable of making their own decisions, right? So: don't click on this if you're going to be offended by swear words. I warned you. Let it be known, however, that if you're the type of person that's offended by stuff like this, we will probably never be friends. And you should probably watch it anyway, if only for the fact that it's such an important part of both popular culture and contemporary society.)