Andrew McGrath

If you're trying to find your way out of the matrix, you may consider joining a group of computer hackers on Jne 7th at 7:00PM.

The group OC Hackers is meeting at the microsoft store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA to make plans for the annual Hackathon. The specific purpose of this non profit is to provide technological solutions to real world problems through advancements in mobile computing. They are a nonprofit corporation operated by volunteers for the benefit of their members and will hold training seminars for the general public.

The vision for this group is to meet, network, learn and share ideas to build a community of people from all backgrounds, entrepreneurs, business strategists, accountants, legal attorneys, contractors, marketers, fundraisers, directors, producers, journalists, artists, coders, bloggers, tweeters and creative thinkers that are interested in advancements in web/mobile computing and whether it be video games, serious apps, or a nice to have type of apps. From novices to experts or people who just want to be part of the next wave, they welcome anyone who is passionate about what they do. Current platforms are iphone, ipad, Android, Blackberry and Symbian.

This is an incubator for anyone who wants to be at the cutting edge of mobile/web technologies, whether it be video, audio, web, mobile, social media, information content.

Keep in mind that Hackathons are used by vendors and creators of up and coming technology to identify software faults that lead to safer usage for the average consumer. Other Hackathon projects have included high paced development of new software, and even disaster risk management software for groups involved in relief of human suffering.

Follow the white rabbit....

Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra takes us on an Eastern European journey. First to Russia and Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet "Swan Lake." Then, on to Sibelius' tribute to his Finnish homeland in "Finlandia." And finally "Hora staccato," a virtuosic showpiece by Romanian composer Grigoraş Dinicu.

This season marks the 18th anniversary of Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra. Formed in 1993, PSYO was the first Youth Ensemble offered to young musicians throughout and beyond Orange County by Pacific Symphony. Much like Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings, PSYO uses rotational seating at rehearsals and assigns three co-concertmasters and various co-principals in various sections which are rotated throughout the season. Members of all three ensembles are provided opportunities to meet guest artists who perform with Pacific Symphony, work closely with professional musicians of the Symphony, and are given exclusive access to Symphony rehearsals. The Youth Ensembles strive to provide not only an excellent educational experience to the youth of Orange County, but also a professional environment in which young musicians can learn life skills that can be carried over in to various areas as they grow into adulthood.

Tickets to this performance are general admission(without reserved seating).
To purchase reserved seat tickets in the Box Circle, please call (714) 755-5799 (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm).

Enjoying the fine performances at the South Coast Performing Arts Center is just one of the many amazing experiences that are available to you in the South Coast Metro Area. For more information about home values in the area please be sure to contact me!

As many of you know, I am working towards my broker license (should be ready for the test this month!) and as part of my growth and learning I have been working with great broker to learn the trade. One of the more important areas of instruction has been in marketing homes and the brokerage.

Today we set up a table at the Costa Mesa Branch of US Bank. About a month ago my mentor made contact with their staff after noticing that a local clothing store had set up a table with a few shoes on display to help attract new customers.

We were scheduled in for the month of June and were just starting to talk about how we would like to set up our table when the US Bank rep let us know that we could set up for the month of May, just in time for selling season!

Keep in mind though that this was just last Thursday, which means that we had only a couple of days over the weekend to put the plan into motion and have it ready to set up today, Monday May 2nd. I don't know about anyone else, but it turns out that we have a lot of real estate related fun going on over the weekend in addition to getting some time with the family.

Well, we worked both days over the weekend to edit video, get the components together, print some property flyers and get together a few other decorative items to fill up the table. We finished out this morning by shooting a few more video clips to add to the video to help people remember who we are and how to find us and also a virtual tour for a great beachy bungalow that we just listed a couple days ago.

Our video is a little over 5 minutes repeats all day long. I really think the customers will notice it and get us and our properties some nice exposure, but after hearing our commercial for 8 hours a day all month long the employees may regret offering this to us! One thing I really like about the broker I'm working with is that she takes full advantage of the opportunities we find!!

We have some more trifold brochures that I'm dropping off in the morning that talk about my broker's fantastic success rate with short sales and her overall business approach.

For those of you looking to find a different way to get your community to stop and notice you, this may be a good way to do it. If you're in the Costa Mesa are be sure to stop by the branch on 17th and check out our display. Thank you US Bank!

--Andrew