It came from out of the blue and happened quickly. A week before Christmas, I got a message through LinkedIn from someone I worked with at ADT (he was let go about a year before me). He told me that his supervisor asked him if he knew any software testers for a new opportunity at the company. He gave them my name and contact information. The next day, I got a call from the company's recruiter to set an appointment for a screening interview. It was scheduled for the next day. On the screening interview call, the recruiter told me that the hiring manager already wanted to interview me, but we still needed to go through the screening interview, which went well. The next day, which was Friday, I got a call from the recruiter to set an appointment to interview with the hiring manager and a few others. That interview was scheduled for Monday. The interview went well. On Tuesday, I received a call from the recruiter with a verbal offer, during which she said that the written offer was forthcoming, but that I probably would not receive it until Monday because of the Christmas holidays. I gave a verbal acceptance contingent on the written offer. To my surprise, on Wednesday, Christmas Eve, I received the written offer, which I immediately accepted. It's with a federal government contractor, so I had to go through an extensive background check. I was told the background check would take 4-6 weeks, so I expected a start date no earlier than the middle of February. Once I filled out the forms, made some corrections, and got fingerprinted by the DHS, I sailed through the background check in a week! I start the job on Monday, 02 February 2026. My work desk is ready, just waiting on the laptop(s) and overcoming my lack of motivation to put up some curtains in my office to keep the sun from peeking through the narrow openings in the blinds. What a relief! More than 150 resumes/applications submitted in over nine months resulted in one screening interview. Then in the span of a week from a recommendation by a colleague, I have a new job. Crazy!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Christmas / New Year giveaway. The support, comments, and overall energy in this community seriously mean a lot to us. Congrats to our two winners: 🎸 @Steven Berger 🎸 @David Ruby We’ll be reaching out shortly with next steps to get you your T-Shirt and OmniTune Guitar Pick. If you didn’t win this time, don’t worry. We’ve got more giveaways coming very soon, including another FREE guitar giveaway 👀🔥 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for Omni Guitars. We’ve got a lot of fun, exciting plans ahead, and we’re incredibly grateful for every single person who’s joined and helped build this community so far. Thanks again for being part of Omni Guitars. More to come soon 🎸❤️

I’ve been diving into some new gear ideas lately, and I’m curious where the community stands on smart guitars — instruments with built-in tech, apps, onboard effects, learning tools, etc. Some players love the innovation… others feel like it takes away from the raw, traditional guitar experience. I can see both sides, which is why I want to hear from you. Do smart guitars actually solve real problems for guitarists? Would you ever own one — or do you already? What features would make a smart guitar worth it? Drop your thoughts below. I’m really interested to hear the honest opinions from this group.

I realize this is a guitar forum, but I need to share some great news. I just received this beautiful cello FOR FREE because it was in need of some love. As some of you may know, I dabble in lutherie. I’m happy to fix this baby up and donate it to my son’s music school. They have agreed to loan or donate it to an underprivileged student who otherwise wouldn’t be able to pursue music. The why: this school is responsible for helping my 15 year old son gain confidence, not just in playing music, but also in life. I’m so glad to have the opportunity to pay this forward. 🎉

Practice what you can't play. If you sound good while practicing you are not getting any better.