Thursday, June 30, 2011

Scorcher!

Yesterday was a scorcher as temps nearly hit 100. I began work at 7:00 am to complete a deck, but the heat still caught up with me. I drank over two gallons of water and still dehydrated which resulted in really bad leg cramps last night. Whew! Sometimes I think I am an idiot for going out and working in the heat. I really had no choice as my customers expect timely completion of the job and my schedule also demands completion.

This is a strange year. My business had one of the slowest starts ever in the winter and early spring, but it is my busiest summer ever. I am currently booked two weeks ahead and have been booked as much at four weeks. This winter things will come to a screeching halt. That's just the way this business is.

But the heat is a killer! Slows things down and tires a guy out! It makes me wonder why I didn't go into banking or something like that. Oh well, it is what it is and I do what I have to do to get done what must be done.

With all this said now, I will enjoy my Starbucks.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Big Week!

Today is the beginning of the biggest week of the year for me. I have two job start-ups this morning, both of which need to be wrapped up by Wednesday. I also have a basement remodel that needs to wrap up on Wednesday and a bathroom remodel that needs to wrap up on Friday. Then on July 5th I have two buildings to paint and a deck to stain.

This all adds up to time pressure. But things usually work themselves out. :-)

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Ever Wished You Had?

Have you ever had one of those brain storms in which you had a great idea which would have made a great invention..... but you never followed through? I had that happen a few years back and every time I see a fiber optic Christmas tree I rue the day that I thought of it. It was actually an idea I had about three years before we saw them on the market. That doesn't mean that someone else had not thought of it, or even patented it by then. But there is a possibility that I might have been the first. But I let that idea slide. Then one day I saw them appearing at Christmas time and I realized that it was a good idea. I wish I had followed through.

Another thing I wish I had done was hang on to my Ford Motor stock back when the market was crashing. I had bought 5,000 shares at about $3.00 per share. Sold them at $1.32 a share. It looked like the government was going to take over Ford Motor along With GM, which would mean the stock would be worth nothing. I got what I could get. Then Ford bottomed out at $1.12 per share and announced that they would make it on their own. Since then the Stock has been over $20 per share and has become one of the premier car companies. Well, do the math. I just wish I had.....

I think life is full of those incidents. If we could see the future a little clearer we would do a lot of things differently. And doing those things could lead to a different future.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Not in a While

Well folks, I haven't blogged in a while because life has been too hectic.... which translates "business has been really good." I usually have two jobs going concurrently and it keeps me busy with supplying them, quality control, and then bidding new jobs and getting them set up. I haven't even had the time to have coffee with my friend, Cory. And soon Cory will be going to his new job in another part of the city so I am afraid that that will be the end of our two man coffee club. This morning it is coffee alone on my back deck.

I know that it's not that you missed me so much, but I still felt the need to explain my absence.

While I am writing this page I want to warn you about a Facebook item. One of my friends by the name of Mikan, who is no longer my friend posted an item. It turned out to be pretty smutty. Unfortunately it showed up on my page that I had posted it. I had to go in and delete the item. I deleted Mikan as well, and reset my security. I have some real doubts about being a member on Facebook.

Anyway, that house keeping item is taken care of on this page. I don't know if I will write on Facebook or not. Now that I have blocked most of the world from my Facebook page I am wondering whether it is worth it to continue to blog. I'll decide later.


Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Black is Still Beautiful

Ordering coffee at Starbucks is one of the more frustrating things I do. I love their coffee but I hate saying "no room." It used to be if you wanted black coffee your ordered "black."

Here's the frustration. Ninety percent of their employees either cannot hear the word "no," don't understand what "no" means, or won't take "no" for an answer, as in saying "no room." "Black" means you do not use cream. Therefore when you order black coffee you get a full cup.

This morning I ordered coffee with "no room." She said, "One coffee with room coming up." I said "no room." She said, "What?" I said, "No room." So I got my coffee with "room." So I said, I wanted my coffee "black." That means I "do not" want room for cream.

And this isn't the first time I have had to go through this. So either Starbacuks needs to furnish hearing aids to their help, teach them to read lips, or change their terminology. I'm a good customer who deserves a good listener behind the counter.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Read My Lips, No New Jobs

Ever since the depths of the current recession, (yes, current recession) I have said that there will be no economic recovery with the creation of jobs. Jobs is the key! And jobs have not been created faster than they have been disappearing.

The sense of recovery that we have had up till now has been a false recovery. It has come from the government printing money, bailing out corporations, and overpaying unemployment. The stock market has gone up because the government has given corporations billions. Mean while the private citizens of this country have spent their nest eggs, used up their savings, and have refinanced their houses to survive. All of us know people who have lost their jobs and can't find one.

A few months ago a rating agency lowered the United States debt rating, which basically means that our ability to pay back our loans is being called into question. Today the Wall Street Journal carries and article that Moody within a month could also be reviewing our debt rating if congress does not strike a deal on the debt ceiling. If Moody downgrades our debt rating the recession will deepen and more jobs will be lost.

Stocks are suffering now as smart investors are now pulling money out of the market bracing themselves for what they believe is coming. This means that your IRA or 401K will take another hit. Retirement is getting further away, which mens you will have to work longer at jobs that will soon cease to exist.

The fools in the White House and Congress do not seem to understand this. But why should they care, they live off from government checks, which are paid for by the taxes that you will soon not be paying if your job goes away. But I guess the President and lawmakers will always get paid even if it means..... more borrowing.

We need less taxes, not more. For example, I run a small business which means I am self-employed. Which also means that I pay 16% of my net pay in self employment taxes regardless of how much or little I make. Then we add federal and state taxes. If I net $60,000 per year, I could easily pay up to 40% of that in taxes. That's $24,000 leaving $36,000 for me. Of course that figure does not include property tax, sales tax, licensing my vehicles, a special tax when I buy tires, taxes on my phone, cable, electricity, and gas.

The United States has taxed itself poor. Our industries are at a disadvantage on the world market because of excessive taxes. This means that our jobs are going someplace else. Some argue that these are low paying jobs that are going overseas. Well, not all of them. And right now there are Americans that would like even a low paying job.

The number one job our our government is to provide an atmosphere desirable for businesses to start up and grow. Business will provide the jobs needed.