Started playing Words With Friends last week and it may have been a mistake, but it is a fun game. Obviously, it's a blatant Scrabble rip-off and it surprises me that the folks at Mattel haven't gone lawsuit on this thing. However, there are some substantial differences.
The main one is that you can't play a fake word. The computer stops you and tells you to play something different. In Scrabble, of course, you can play fake words, too, and it's up to your opponent to challenge them. This does dumb down the game a little bit. I will say it doesn't change the character of the game, though. Both players get the same advantage.
It makes the game a little less serious, because you can try adding an "S" to "OXEN" and the machine will just tell you if that's legal or not.
I've been getting whipped pretty badly by a handful of people on a regular basis. In no particular order, the honorable mentions go to: Laura, Stevie, Tom and Matthew. Other folks can beat me and have, but I can either play them evenly or beat them.
Part of the problem is that I was playing with an old word list. Stevie helped me discover that my 2nd edition Scrabble dictionary and 1998 Official Word List were out of date. They were both updated in 2006.
So, I'm changing my game. They added the words, "Qi" and "Za", which I think are both questionable, but those two words, alone, change the character of the game, substantially.
That's an interesting thing about Scrabble. It is the only board game that literally, continuously changes the rules to reflect popular culture and the society in which it is played.
Yes, I know how crazy this Scrabble talk sounds to non players. I was there, too. When I was getting my MBA, I met a tournament player. I also heard some stories on NPR by Stephen Fatsis (the author of "Word Freak"), describing this bizarre game and the wierdos who play it. Thing is, once I got into it, I understood. It is commonly regarded as the greatest of the 20th century board games. Not on a level with go, chess or backgammon, but at the top of the very next lower strata.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Amazing how quickly bad advice travels on the internet...
http://www.theahaconnection.com/2012/01/21/20-things-to-share-with-your-high-school-and-middle-school-student/
I've seen this list published a few times and frankly, the advice is so utterly bad in a few cases that I can't believe anybody would pass this thing on. So, being that I'm shy and quiet, here's my take on the list:
"1. Yes, your freshman year counts towards your GPA for college entrance. Screw it up and you’ll work for crap wages your whole life."
Yes, your freshman GPA counts for college entrance. The rest of it isn't particularly useful. There are kids out there who, upon graduation, will apply to highly competitive colleges. Most won't. To say that if you don't get in to Harvard or Yale, that you will "work for crap wages your whole life" is about the stupidest thing I can imagine an adult saying.
There are so very, very many things wrong with this that it's hard to even find a place to start. What if your child isn't going to college right out of High School? What if they're going to do 2 years in a Junior college first? (Most JCs don't care what your GPA is.) What if they're applying to a school that isn't that hard to get into? Honestly, that covers, what, 99% of high school graduates?
How about scholarships, etc? Yes, go ahead and study hard. It would have been reasonable to say, "get great grades, even as a freshman, it may save you thousands of dollars when you compete for scholarships."
Crap wages your entire life? That's something so stupid that it's hard to believe a sentient mammal would believe it. Most jobs, frankly, aren't that competitive GPA-wise. Most careers, your GPA is inconsequential after you get your first entry-level job at graduation. Most people never go to graduate school. There are a whole heck of a lot of rich people who never had a good GPA, anywhere. In the real world where most of us live, a lot of a person's lifetime earnings have to do with soft skills: the EQ type stuff that GPA doesn't measure.
So, there's a kernel of truth in there. However, at best, this statement is 10% truth, 90% absolute falsehood.
"3. Join every sport, every club, every after school activity no matter what the cost. It’s cheaper than bail."
Ummm... so... every kid who isn't a joiner is a criminal. Got it. Not only do I not take such a dim view of young people, I also realize that some kids are just going to take a little while to come into their own. The nerdy kids who aren't comfortable in High School groups sometimes don't hit their stride, socially, until college, where cleverness, kindness and sense of humor are starting to be recognized and sought after.
Plus... ummm... what if a kid just doesn't want to do any after-school activities this semester? I'm all for doing every available activity IF YOU WANT TO. What if you don't? Your only alternative is jail? Frankly, the number of after-school activities joined is probably a good indication of extroversion, and thus, a good measure of how a person would do in careers that involve the public. I also believe that participating in activities makes the High School experience more enjoyable.
However, if a kid wants to sit in their bedroom and practice guitar 4 hours a day, then good for them. More important than badgering kids to join activities, I'd place a higher premium on them finding wirthwhile things they really enjoy and pursuing those. If that doesn't involve joining glee club and the lacrosse team, then so be it.
Again, a kernel of wisdom, then 90% crap.
"6. Don’t ever get a credit card and go into debt. Ever. You earn it or you live without it."
Actually, this is pretty much like telling a kid to be Amish so they won't get AIDS. You don't want to teach them absolutes. You want to teach them moderation. One of the life-lessons a kid should get sometime is the ability to use and manage credit wisely. Carrying debt on a credit card? Hey, great if you can avoid it, but prudent use of credit is something they will have to do when they buy a house. Most kids will have to use debt prudently to buy a car. (And if you buy a car with cash instead of using 0% manufacturer financing, you're a fool.) If you have a business, it won't be much of a business if you can't use credit.
Using a credit card to make a purchase, then paying off the balance is a GREAT lesson to teach kids, especially teens under your care, before they go off to college and figure it out by trial and error.
Still, it's wise to warn kids about the dangers of credit card debt. So, this one isn't totally bad. I'd advise more that kids use moderation.
So, maybe 50% truth on this one, and 50% crap.
"7. If I yell at you, it’s because I love you. And also, because you pissed me off. To avoid the latter, stop being an idiot."
Sounds to me like this parent is an idiot. Did your kid rape somebody? Did they kill somebody in a DUI incident? Why are you yelling at them? Bad grades? Get a grip. Do you yell at people at work? Why not? Because they'd fire your insane ass, that's why. If you're yelling at your kids just because they can't fire you, that means you're abusing your position and your authority.
Here's a crazy idea: don't yell at your kids. That way you set an example that you don't solve problems by yelling at people.
This advice seems to really be saying, "I'm a bad parent and a bad person. So, it's okay that I act insane. Sit there and take it."
This one is 100% crap.
"15. I’ve been there, done that on more things than you can imagine. I’m not stupid and I know what you are doing. I was once you (times ten)."
On a lot of things, yes, but on a lot of things, no. Remember when you got cyberbullied? Remember when your 14 year old girlfriend sexted you? Remember when you vandalized the neighborhood stop sign and somebody posted the video on youtube? Remember when your classmate came down with AIDS?
Yeah, me neither. Each generation has its own set of problems and they aren't all handled with the things we learned 20 or 30 years ago. Here's some crazy advice: don't pretend to know it all. Your parents didn't. Your kids don't. You don't. Some of this stuff, frankly, you and your kid will both need to figure out together.
"16. Work hard at everything you do. Anything worth doing is worth doing your best."
This, frankly, sounds like advice from a person who hasn't accomplished much in their lives and thinks that the way to get their kids to achieve is to give them unrealistic standards to meet. So, when you scrub the toilet, do you take 13 days and get bacteria strips sent off to a lab? Some things can and should be done with minimal effort. There's a name for the condition where a person does everything at 100%. It's called OCD. It's not pleasant and it doesn't lead to high achievement.
"17. Cover it. (Enough said.)"
I can't tell whether they're saying to use condoms or to not sneeze on other people.
"18. When I tell you to clean your room, do not point at my messy room and raise your eyebrows. I’m trying to raise you to be better than me."
Seriously, I genuinely pity the kids of this person. What sort of messed up mind comes up with crap like this. "I'm an crazy freak, but that's okay because I'm a grown up and you can't stop me." How about, "I'm okay and ya know, some stuff just isn't that important. I survived and so will you."
See note 7. Lead by example. If you can't or don't do it, don't expect your kids to.
"19. Learn to type; to budget; and to pray. All are very important."
Not trying to get into a theological debate here, but if you're telling your teenage kids they need to learn to pray, chances are they don't.
"20. Never be sedentary. Someday soon you will no longer be able to move like that. Enjoy it."
Umm... so... sitting on a couch and watching a movie... "never". Got it.
The following? I have no problem with. Some of it is just maudlin lameness, and some of it is genuinely good advice:
2. No means NO. In every possible circumstance.
4. Repeat after me: I am never in that much of a hurry…I am never in that much of a hurry. Now say that every time you get behind the wheel. It will save your life and that of your best friend in the seat next to you.
5. Don’t smoke pot. It ruins your short term memory. (Did I already say that?)
8. Make a vivid picture inside your head of every great moment of your childhood. You’ll need those to get through adulthood.
9. Make snow angels as often as possible.
10. Stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.
11. Be always benevolent. Yes, that’s a word. Look it up.
12. Call me for a ride even if you are so drunk you barely know my number. I’ll probably be mad for a while but I’ll respect you for calling and I won’t kill you. Riding with someone who is drinking will.
13. Be a leader, not a follower. Unless you are doing stupid things, then follow the kid with the highest GPA.
14. Love your siblings, even when you don’t like them. Some day you will be trying to get them to take care of me in my old age. If they are mad at you, you are stuck with me.
I've seen this list published a few times and frankly, the advice is so utterly bad in a few cases that I can't believe anybody would pass this thing on. So, being that I'm shy and quiet, here's my take on the list:
"1. Yes, your freshman year counts towards your GPA for college entrance. Screw it up and you’ll work for crap wages your whole life."
Yes, your freshman GPA counts for college entrance. The rest of it isn't particularly useful. There are kids out there who, upon graduation, will apply to highly competitive colleges. Most won't. To say that if you don't get in to Harvard or Yale, that you will "work for crap wages your whole life" is about the stupidest thing I can imagine an adult saying.
There are so very, very many things wrong with this that it's hard to even find a place to start. What if your child isn't going to college right out of High School? What if they're going to do 2 years in a Junior college first? (Most JCs don't care what your GPA is.) What if they're applying to a school that isn't that hard to get into? Honestly, that covers, what, 99% of high school graduates?
How about scholarships, etc? Yes, go ahead and study hard. It would have been reasonable to say, "get great grades, even as a freshman, it may save you thousands of dollars when you compete for scholarships."
Crap wages your entire life? That's something so stupid that it's hard to believe a sentient mammal would believe it. Most jobs, frankly, aren't that competitive GPA-wise. Most careers, your GPA is inconsequential after you get your first entry-level job at graduation. Most people never go to graduate school. There are a whole heck of a lot of rich people who never had a good GPA, anywhere. In the real world where most of us live, a lot of a person's lifetime earnings have to do with soft skills: the EQ type stuff that GPA doesn't measure.
So, there's a kernel of truth in there. However, at best, this statement is 10% truth, 90% absolute falsehood.
"3. Join every sport, every club, every after school activity no matter what the cost. It’s cheaper than bail."
Ummm... so... every kid who isn't a joiner is a criminal. Got it. Not only do I not take such a dim view of young people, I also realize that some kids are just going to take a little while to come into their own. The nerdy kids who aren't comfortable in High School groups sometimes don't hit their stride, socially, until college, where cleverness, kindness and sense of humor are starting to be recognized and sought after.
Plus... ummm... what if a kid just doesn't want to do any after-school activities this semester? I'm all for doing every available activity IF YOU WANT TO. What if you don't? Your only alternative is jail? Frankly, the number of after-school activities joined is probably a good indication of extroversion, and thus, a good measure of how a person would do in careers that involve the public. I also believe that participating in activities makes the High School experience more enjoyable.
However, if a kid wants to sit in their bedroom and practice guitar 4 hours a day, then good for them. More important than badgering kids to join activities, I'd place a higher premium on them finding wirthwhile things they really enjoy and pursuing those. If that doesn't involve joining glee club and the lacrosse team, then so be it.
Again, a kernel of wisdom, then 90% crap.
"6. Don’t ever get a credit card and go into debt. Ever. You earn it or you live without it."
Actually, this is pretty much like telling a kid to be Amish so they won't get AIDS. You don't want to teach them absolutes. You want to teach them moderation. One of the life-lessons a kid should get sometime is the ability to use and manage credit wisely. Carrying debt on a credit card? Hey, great if you can avoid it, but prudent use of credit is something they will have to do when they buy a house. Most kids will have to use debt prudently to buy a car. (And if you buy a car with cash instead of using 0% manufacturer financing, you're a fool.) If you have a business, it won't be much of a business if you can't use credit.
Using a credit card to make a purchase, then paying off the balance is a GREAT lesson to teach kids, especially teens under your care, before they go off to college and figure it out by trial and error.
Still, it's wise to warn kids about the dangers of credit card debt. So, this one isn't totally bad. I'd advise more that kids use moderation.
So, maybe 50% truth on this one, and 50% crap.
"7. If I yell at you, it’s because I love you. And also, because you pissed me off. To avoid the latter, stop being an idiot."
Sounds to me like this parent is an idiot. Did your kid rape somebody? Did they kill somebody in a DUI incident? Why are you yelling at them? Bad grades? Get a grip. Do you yell at people at work? Why not? Because they'd fire your insane ass, that's why. If you're yelling at your kids just because they can't fire you, that means you're abusing your position and your authority.
Here's a crazy idea: don't yell at your kids. That way you set an example that you don't solve problems by yelling at people.
This advice seems to really be saying, "I'm a bad parent and a bad person. So, it's okay that I act insane. Sit there and take it."
This one is 100% crap.
"15. I’ve been there, done that on more things than you can imagine. I’m not stupid and I know what you are doing. I was once you (times ten)."
On a lot of things, yes, but on a lot of things, no. Remember when you got cyberbullied? Remember when your 14 year old girlfriend sexted you? Remember when you vandalized the neighborhood stop sign and somebody posted the video on youtube? Remember when your classmate came down with AIDS?
Yeah, me neither. Each generation has its own set of problems and they aren't all handled with the things we learned 20 or 30 years ago. Here's some crazy advice: don't pretend to know it all. Your parents didn't. Your kids don't. You don't. Some of this stuff, frankly, you and your kid will both need to figure out together.
"16. Work hard at everything you do. Anything worth doing is worth doing your best."
This, frankly, sounds like advice from a person who hasn't accomplished much in their lives and thinks that the way to get their kids to achieve is to give them unrealistic standards to meet. So, when you scrub the toilet, do you take 13 days and get bacteria strips sent off to a lab? Some things can and should be done with minimal effort. There's a name for the condition where a person does everything at 100%. It's called OCD. It's not pleasant and it doesn't lead to high achievement.
"17. Cover it. (Enough said.)"
I can't tell whether they're saying to use condoms or to not sneeze on other people.
"18. When I tell you to clean your room, do not point at my messy room and raise your eyebrows. I’m trying to raise you to be better than me."
Seriously, I genuinely pity the kids of this person. What sort of messed up mind comes up with crap like this. "I'm an crazy freak, but that's okay because I'm a grown up and you can't stop me." How about, "I'm okay and ya know, some stuff just isn't that important. I survived and so will you."
See note 7. Lead by example. If you can't or don't do it, don't expect your kids to.
"19. Learn to type; to budget; and to pray. All are very important."
Not trying to get into a theological debate here, but if you're telling your teenage kids they need to learn to pray, chances are they don't.
"20. Never be sedentary. Someday soon you will no longer be able to move like that. Enjoy it."
Umm... so... sitting on a couch and watching a movie... "never". Got it.
The following? I have no problem with. Some of it is just maudlin lameness, and some of it is genuinely good advice:
2. No means NO. In every possible circumstance.
4. Repeat after me: I am never in that much of a hurry…I am never in that much of a hurry. Now say that every time you get behind the wheel. It will save your life and that of your best friend in the seat next to you.
5. Don’t smoke pot. It ruins your short term memory. (Did I already say that?)
8. Make a vivid picture inside your head of every great moment of your childhood. You’ll need those to get through adulthood.
9. Make snow angels as often as possible.
10. Stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.
11. Be always benevolent. Yes, that’s a word. Look it up.
12. Call me for a ride even if you are so drunk you barely know my number. I’ll probably be mad for a while but I’ll respect you for calling and I won’t kill you. Riding with someone who is drinking will.
13. Be a leader, not a follower. Unless you are doing stupid things, then follow the kid with the highest GPA.
14. Love your siblings, even when you don’t like them. Some day you will be trying to get them to take care of me in my old age. If they are mad at you, you are stuck with me.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Creaky, broke-down old man!
Got a brand-new bread knife and used it to slice some bread. It did a much better job than the big knife in the $8 set of knives I got at Wal-Mart. In fact, it sliced bread so well, it sliced right into the middle finger on my left hand! Yeeeouch. Oh well. Didn't take the tip totally off. So, it's band-aids and neosporin for the next few weeks while I attempt to fix my hand. Luckily, it's my left hand.
Friday, my treadmill arrives. I can't wait. I've really missed it. I know we shouldn't attach emotion to inanimate objects, but it does sadden me a bit that my old treadmill will, literally, be put out on the curb when Spring's unlimited garbage day rolls around. Still, this new treadmill is going to be awesome. Much longer deck, a wider belt, built-in speakers (for what those are worth.) I can hardly wait.
I really need to get back into running. I was derailed a few years back when plantar fasciitis flared up. Took me years to get past that. Now, I still have to watch out for it, but largely I can avoid it just by selecting the proper shoes.
My back is healing up. I think I strained my lower back with a set of bent-over rows that a trainer put me through last week. Little by little my back is feeling better.
I'm getting eager to start running. Would be doing the rower, but with back pain and now a bandaged finger, might be best to hold off. I am also going to hit the gym a lot more this semester. Need to wait for back and finger to heal there, too.
Friday, my treadmill arrives. I can't wait. I've really missed it. I know we shouldn't attach emotion to inanimate objects, but it does sadden me a bit that my old treadmill will, literally, be put out on the curb when Spring's unlimited garbage day rolls around. Still, this new treadmill is going to be awesome. Much longer deck, a wider belt, built-in speakers (for what those are worth.) I can hardly wait.
I really need to get back into running. I was derailed a few years back when plantar fasciitis flared up. Took me years to get past that. Now, I still have to watch out for it, but largely I can avoid it just by selecting the proper shoes.
My back is healing up. I think I strained my lower back with a set of bent-over rows that a trainer put me through last week. Little by little my back is feeling better.
I'm getting eager to start running. Would be doing the rower, but with back pain and now a bandaged finger, might be best to hold off. I am also going to hit the gym a lot more this semester. Need to wait for back and finger to heal there, too.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
I've got snu. What's "snu"? Not much, what'snu with you?
The ping pong robot arrives tomorrow. My son will be pretty pumped. It'll also be the first step towards he and I achieving ping pong mastery. I will have to ask, but he had a friend over the other day who is pretty good at table tennis and had been consistently beating him before. I think he may have won. He does love him some ping pong.
My treadmill is at the freight handler, but he can't deliver the thing until Friday the 20th. I am tempted to grab a truck and go get it, but I'll let him deliver. I can live without it for another 10 days. I am really eager to try it out, though. It's a huge step up from the last one I had. Wider belt, longer deck. I'm really looking forward to it.
I've had a lot more energy the past few days. I've been hitting the gym a lot more regularly. I think on days without Logan, I'll try and get there for at least a half an hour. That accomplishes a lot. Once the treadmill arrives, I'll start doing some work on there, too. Plus the rower. I really have no excuse to be out of shape. I have the resources I need to get in the best shape of my life.
I actually cleaned the floor for the first time in 2 years. I'm also continuing on my quest to make the ulitmate pizza. Been working with different dough recipies.
Got some A/R in and getting close to getting caught up. As I detailed in my biz blog, I'm going to see if I can come up with $10,000 in cost avoidances for 2012. That's just real money no matter how you slice it. The first two ideas: cheaper cell phone plan and cheaper trash service, are sorta easy. Should have done those a long time ago. The rest will be a little tougher, but I'm hoping that by being focused on it, things will occur to me.
School is in gear again and this weekend, I'll get current on all the reading and get my head straight for the upcoming semester. I'm still a little disappointed that my grades weren't better, but it could have been worse. All in all, I can live with this. I'm actually a little bit fired up to see if I can't do a little better next semester. I'm not sure if/when they publish our class ranks, but I should at least be in the upper half, but not by all that much. It'll be interesting to see.
I also noticed that my two highest grades are in the classes that I'm not taking Part II of right now. Torts, and Civ Pro. I can take Civ Pro II next year, but right now, I'm taking constitutional law instead.
I think I will visit the two other profs and go over my exams with them in case they can point out something that could help me get a better grade this time around.
I really am not sure how this will go, but I would like to try and get a good enough GPA to keep my scholarship. I need a 3.2 at the end of this year. As of today, I have a 3.088. So, anything over about a 3.312 next semester and I should be able to keep it. There are a lot of ways to get there. It's hard to do, though, unless I pull an A in one of my classes. I didn't manage to do that this semester. So, we'll see if I can do it next.
If not, I'll probably just keep trucking along at sticker price.
My treadmill is at the freight handler, but he can't deliver the thing until Friday the 20th. I am tempted to grab a truck and go get it, but I'll let him deliver. I can live without it for another 10 days. I am really eager to try it out, though. It's a huge step up from the last one I had. Wider belt, longer deck. I'm really looking forward to it.
I've had a lot more energy the past few days. I've been hitting the gym a lot more regularly. I think on days without Logan, I'll try and get there for at least a half an hour. That accomplishes a lot. Once the treadmill arrives, I'll start doing some work on there, too. Plus the rower. I really have no excuse to be out of shape. I have the resources I need to get in the best shape of my life.
I actually cleaned the floor for the first time in 2 years. I'm also continuing on my quest to make the ulitmate pizza. Been working with different dough recipies.
Got some A/R in and getting close to getting caught up. As I detailed in my biz blog, I'm going to see if I can come up with $10,000 in cost avoidances for 2012. That's just real money no matter how you slice it. The first two ideas: cheaper cell phone plan and cheaper trash service, are sorta easy. Should have done those a long time ago. The rest will be a little tougher, but I'm hoping that by being focused on it, things will occur to me.
School is in gear again and this weekend, I'll get current on all the reading and get my head straight for the upcoming semester. I'm still a little disappointed that my grades weren't better, but it could have been worse. All in all, I can live with this. I'm actually a little bit fired up to see if I can't do a little better next semester. I'm not sure if/when they publish our class ranks, but I should at least be in the upper half, but not by all that much. It'll be interesting to see.
I also noticed that my two highest grades are in the classes that I'm not taking Part II of right now. Torts, and Civ Pro. I can take Civ Pro II next year, but right now, I'm taking constitutional law instead.
I think I will visit the two other profs and go over my exams with them in case they can point out something that could help me get a better grade this time around.
I really am not sure how this will go, but I would like to try and get a good enough GPA to keep my scholarship. I need a 3.2 at the end of this year. As of today, I have a 3.088. So, anything over about a 3.312 next semester and I should be able to keep it. There are a lot of ways to get there. It's hard to do, though, unless I pull an A in one of my classes. I didn't manage to do that this semester. So, we'll see if I can do it next.
If not, I'll probably just keep trucking along at sticker price.
Friday, January 6, 2012
My craptacular mood...
Just got to go into the biz and find out that we've received exactly $0 this week. Not much last week, either. This is sort of natural. Nobody really works much over the Christmas break. Still... ouch.
This business thing is just a ballbuster. That's the price you pay for the extra freedom: the unpredictability.
Survive, man. Just survive. It won't last forever.
I really need that treadmill, too. It's warm enough now, though, that I'll probably just go out and run on the roads after my workout tonight.
This business thing is just a ballbuster. That's the price you pay for the extra freedom: the unpredictability.
Survive, man. Just survive. It won't last forever.
I really need that treadmill, too. It's warm enough now, though, that I'll probably just go out and run on the roads after my workout tonight.
Unemployment, Online Shopping, Pizza
Unemployment:
The 7 year anniversary of me being unemployed has come and gone. This is a bit of a running joke with me. I guess the correct term is really "self-employed", but that doesn't really describe my state. I'm a business owner and the business is one that employs a handful of people. So, I'm not just a solo craftsman hanging out a shingle. The term I prefer is "entrepreneur".
I cannot state forcefully enough how positive this change was for me. I am a franchisee of the Servpro system and although I have my issues from time to time (I'm not a mindless drone), my experience with them has been so overwhelmingly positive that I have nothing but gratitude towards the folks at Servpro. It is a top flight organization and I'm grateful and honored to be part of it.
I often say to people that folks who go into business for themselves are usually looking for three things:
1. The ability to do something they love every day.
2. More control over their lives (flexible schedules, etc.)
3. More money
That order, frankly, is exactly what I was looking for when I went into business. I really didn't like my job. That, first and foremost is what bothered me.
After 7 years, I've seen highs and lows. I've seen crazy annual paydays that dwarfed what I used to make, and I never felt I was poorly paid, before. I've seen years where I literally didn't make a penny, and on a cash-flow basis, I actually paid to keep the business running. Overall, I think I'm not necessarily ahead, financially, but I'm not behind, either.
However, running a business is an absolute joy, especially when you have employees as awesome as mine.
The thing that is really dramatic, though, is the degree to which I can be part of my son's life. He's ten, now, and I'm acutely aware that he's not going to be in the house forever. This is one of those things where, even if I did much more poorly, financially, it'd be worth it for the improvement of the quality and quantity of the time I spend with him. Life ultimately isn't about the money, it's about the quality of the interactions you have with people along the way. If I died poor, but could look back on a lifetime full of years like the past seven, it'd be all worth it.
So, here's to the past 7 years as an entrepreneur. Hopeful for many, many more, in this business and many others.
Online Shopping:
There are three more things coming from my Christmas Break shopping spree. Today one of them shows up. It's a Fender Standard Jazz Bass. I got it because my son is bass crazy. I'm sorta nudging him to learn a little guitar here and there, but he loves the bass. It's always been what he's been interested in.
It's funny because this was sort of an important lesson to me. I can remember being a little kid and, for instance, begging for Karate lessons or music lessons and the adults in my life deciding that those things were not worth the expense and effort. That's one of the things that sort of sucks about being a kid. Adults romanticize their childhood years, but there's nothing fun, for instance, about having a perspective that everybody automatically dismisses.
I can remember watching concet videos and when the bass player would step forward to do a solo, Logan would say, "I like that! What instrument is that!?"
Later, he heard some friends at school were starting a "band" and needed a bass player. He'd ask if I would teach him to play bass.
Every time he'd bring up the bass, in my adult mind, I automatically translated that into, "guitar". So, when he said he wanted to learn bass, my mind immediately gravitated towards, "oh, good, now I can teach him guitar."
This is just a classic example of an adult who isn't listening to a kid and who thinks he knows what the kid wants more than the kid, himself. It dawned on me in the past few weeks how unfair I was being to Logan. He didn't want to be a guitar player. He wanted to be a bass player.
Now, most bass players can play at least a little, and usually a lot of guitar. So, I'll teach him that, too. But the main emphasis will be the bass. Trouble is, there's only one in the house, which makes it hard to give him lessons on it. Hence, I ordered the Jazz Bass. I made it clear that this bass is his, but conditionally: he only gets it when he shows he's stuck to this for a while and has developed some skill with it. Until then, it's Dad's and will remain Dad's until the conditions are met.
There are two other Hugh Jass things that will arrive in the next few weeks. One is the ping pong robot that's really Logan's large, main Christmas gift. I'm looking forward to having it, too. This thing should be pretty awesome. The other one is my treadmill replacement. I hauled the old one out of the sunroom and now I'm waiting for the new one to arrive. Since I'm making pizza these days, I better start training for a marathon or my ass will be identifiable from the 20,000 foot view on google earth.
Pizza
Which brings us to pizza. Had some really good pizza when I visited my cousins in Tallmadge. My cousin Paul is a manager for Romeo's Pizza and the stuff is really good. Got me to thinking that, honestly, nobody here makes a pizza that good. Also, I buy a lot of pizza. If I could bake it myself, I could probably save myself $100 a month, conservatively. So, I'm doing the pizza thing. Got a Kitchenaid Mixer to mix the dough. Went to a kitchen supply place and bought a ton of stuff. I'm pretty sure I have what I need. Even got the big boat-oar looking thing to move pizzas around with. (It's called a "pizza peel", by the way.)
The only thing I wasn't able to get, because every place was out of them, was a giant pastry board. (Basically just a big flat board that you use to roll out dough.) My grandma used to call them a breadboard. These days, that appears to refer to a cutting board with mitre points to slice bread on it and catch crumbs. So, I ordered a pastry board from Amazon. It'll arrive in a few days.
Oh, and two other things I could use:
1. A bigger oven. Mine is tiny and crappy. I bought a couple of cookie sheets, but they won't fit. Ended up giving them to Tessa since they fit in her oven and not in mine.
2. More counter space. I have this tiny, galley kitchen. It sucks. Not a cook's paradise by any stretch. Of course, I'm not helping myself by the clutter I keep all over the counters, either. I can see I'll need to put that stuff away.
If I keep up with this, I may get an actual oven/range, instead of the electric built-ins I have now.
So, the first pizza adventure actually went better than I had hoped.
First, I bought some actual yeast, but also bought some Fleischman's pizza yeast, which you don't have to let rise. I figured I'd try that.
Mixed the dough and I think I got it roughly right. For those who have never tried this, almost all the ingredients are measured out, but the flour? You literally just add flour until it looks and feels about right. Most recipies will give directions like, "1 and 3/4 cups to 2 and 1/4 cup of flour." Literally, it's up to your judgement.
So, I think I added roughly the right amount of flour.
I was making the pizza on my pizza peel since I don't have a breadboard. The shape wasn't even remotely round. Then, when I went to transfer it to my pizza stone, it stuck to the breadboard.
I panicked and pried it off with a spatula onto a little metal pizza pan I have. Thing is, in my panicked state, I forgot to spray down or oil the pan. I was afraid that once the pizza cooked, it would be welded onto the pan.
In the end, all was well. The pizza, surprisingly, came right off the pan. I used a pizza lifting spatula, specifically. Looked about like a mason's trowel. It only stuck in one or two spots, and that was it.
Logan and I tried the pizza and it was actually pretty good. Way better than, say, Little Ceasar's and Logan thought it was about as good as Papa John's. I think he got that about right. It really was better than most delivery pizza.
So, that was an encouraging first forray into the world of pizza making. We'll keep working on it. Plus, every time we have his friends over and need to make 3 different pizzas with different toppings, I'll save about $25. Although saving money wasn't my primary motivator, all in all, in spite of the rather substantial initial investment, this should save me a lot of money over the long haul.
I also will experiment with some whole wheat flour for the dough. Making pizza is about as far away from my goal of eating low carb as it gets.
The first pizza we made is called the $700 pizza since that's probably what I've forked out, all-told, for various pizza making and baking stuff. Here's a little video I shot on the process:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOOsPTCTx_o&feature=g-upl&context=G225012dAUAAAAAAAAAA
The 7 year anniversary of me being unemployed has come and gone. This is a bit of a running joke with me. I guess the correct term is really "self-employed", but that doesn't really describe my state. I'm a business owner and the business is one that employs a handful of people. So, I'm not just a solo craftsman hanging out a shingle. The term I prefer is "entrepreneur".
I cannot state forcefully enough how positive this change was for me. I am a franchisee of the Servpro system and although I have my issues from time to time (I'm not a mindless drone), my experience with them has been so overwhelmingly positive that I have nothing but gratitude towards the folks at Servpro. It is a top flight organization and I'm grateful and honored to be part of it.
I often say to people that folks who go into business for themselves are usually looking for three things:
1. The ability to do something they love every day.
2. More control over their lives (flexible schedules, etc.)
3. More money
That order, frankly, is exactly what I was looking for when I went into business. I really didn't like my job. That, first and foremost is what bothered me.
After 7 years, I've seen highs and lows. I've seen crazy annual paydays that dwarfed what I used to make, and I never felt I was poorly paid, before. I've seen years where I literally didn't make a penny, and on a cash-flow basis, I actually paid to keep the business running. Overall, I think I'm not necessarily ahead, financially, but I'm not behind, either.
However, running a business is an absolute joy, especially when you have employees as awesome as mine.
The thing that is really dramatic, though, is the degree to which I can be part of my son's life. He's ten, now, and I'm acutely aware that he's not going to be in the house forever. This is one of those things where, even if I did much more poorly, financially, it'd be worth it for the improvement of the quality and quantity of the time I spend with him. Life ultimately isn't about the money, it's about the quality of the interactions you have with people along the way. If I died poor, but could look back on a lifetime full of years like the past seven, it'd be all worth it.
So, here's to the past 7 years as an entrepreneur. Hopeful for many, many more, in this business and many others.
Online Shopping:
There are three more things coming from my Christmas Break shopping spree. Today one of them shows up. It's a Fender Standard Jazz Bass. I got it because my son is bass crazy. I'm sorta nudging him to learn a little guitar here and there, but he loves the bass. It's always been what he's been interested in.
It's funny because this was sort of an important lesson to me. I can remember being a little kid and, for instance, begging for Karate lessons or music lessons and the adults in my life deciding that those things were not worth the expense and effort. That's one of the things that sort of sucks about being a kid. Adults romanticize their childhood years, but there's nothing fun, for instance, about having a perspective that everybody automatically dismisses.
I can remember watching concet videos and when the bass player would step forward to do a solo, Logan would say, "I like that! What instrument is that!?"
Later, he heard some friends at school were starting a "band" and needed a bass player. He'd ask if I would teach him to play bass.
Every time he'd bring up the bass, in my adult mind, I automatically translated that into, "guitar". So, when he said he wanted to learn bass, my mind immediately gravitated towards, "oh, good, now I can teach him guitar."
This is just a classic example of an adult who isn't listening to a kid and who thinks he knows what the kid wants more than the kid, himself. It dawned on me in the past few weeks how unfair I was being to Logan. He didn't want to be a guitar player. He wanted to be a bass player.
Now, most bass players can play at least a little, and usually a lot of guitar. So, I'll teach him that, too. But the main emphasis will be the bass. Trouble is, there's only one in the house, which makes it hard to give him lessons on it. Hence, I ordered the Jazz Bass. I made it clear that this bass is his, but conditionally: he only gets it when he shows he's stuck to this for a while and has developed some skill with it. Until then, it's Dad's and will remain Dad's until the conditions are met.
There are two other Hugh Jass things that will arrive in the next few weeks. One is the ping pong robot that's really Logan's large, main Christmas gift. I'm looking forward to having it, too. This thing should be pretty awesome. The other one is my treadmill replacement. I hauled the old one out of the sunroom and now I'm waiting for the new one to arrive. Since I'm making pizza these days, I better start training for a marathon or my ass will be identifiable from the 20,000 foot view on google earth.
Pizza
Which brings us to pizza. Had some really good pizza when I visited my cousins in Tallmadge. My cousin Paul is a manager for Romeo's Pizza and the stuff is really good. Got me to thinking that, honestly, nobody here makes a pizza that good. Also, I buy a lot of pizza. If I could bake it myself, I could probably save myself $100 a month, conservatively. So, I'm doing the pizza thing. Got a Kitchenaid Mixer to mix the dough. Went to a kitchen supply place and bought a ton of stuff. I'm pretty sure I have what I need. Even got the big boat-oar looking thing to move pizzas around with. (It's called a "pizza peel", by the way.)
The only thing I wasn't able to get, because every place was out of them, was a giant pastry board. (Basically just a big flat board that you use to roll out dough.) My grandma used to call them a breadboard. These days, that appears to refer to a cutting board with mitre points to slice bread on it and catch crumbs. So, I ordered a pastry board from Amazon. It'll arrive in a few days.
Oh, and two other things I could use:
1. A bigger oven. Mine is tiny and crappy. I bought a couple of cookie sheets, but they won't fit. Ended up giving them to Tessa since they fit in her oven and not in mine.
2. More counter space. I have this tiny, galley kitchen. It sucks. Not a cook's paradise by any stretch. Of course, I'm not helping myself by the clutter I keep all over the counters, either. I can see I'll need to put that stuff away.
If I keep up with this, I may get an actual oven/range, instead of the electric built-ins I have now.
So, the first pizza adventure actually went better than I had hoped.
First, I bought some actual yeast, but also bought some Fleischman's pizza yeast, which you don't have to let rise. I figured I'd try that.
Mixed the dough and I think I got it roughly right. For those who have never tried this, almost all the ingredients are measured out, but the flour? You literally just add flour until it looks and feels about right. Most recipies will give directions like, "1 and 3/4 cups to 2 and 1/4 cup of flour." Literally, it's up to your judgement.
So, I think I added roughly the right amount of flour.
I was making the pizza on my pizza peel since I don't have a breadboard. The shape wasn't even remotely round. Then, when I went to transfer it to my pizza stone, it stuck to the breadboard.
I panicked and pried it off with a spatula onto a little metal pizza pan I have. Thing is, in my panicked state, I forgot to spray down or oil the pan. I was afraid that once the pizza cooked, it would be welded onto the pan.
In the end, all was well. The pizza, surprisingly, came right off the pan. I used a pizza lifting spatula, specifically. Looked about like a mason's trowel. It only stuck in one or two spots, and that was it.
Logan and I tried the pizza and it was actually pretty good. Way better than, say, Little Ceasar's and Logan thought it was about as good as Papa John's. I think he got that about right. It really was better than most delivery pizza.
So, that was an encouraging first forray into the world of pizza making. We'll keep working on it. Plus, every time we have his friends over and need to make 3 different pizzas with different toppings, I'll save about $25. Although saving money wasn't my primary motivator, all in all, in spite of the rather substantial initial investment, this should save me a lot of money over the long haul.
I also will experiment with some whole wheat flour for the dough. Making pizza is about as far away from my goal of eating low carb as it gets.
The first pizza we made is called the $700 pizza since that's probably what I've forked out, all-told, for various pizza making and baking stuff. Here's a little video I shot on the process:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOOsPTCTx_o&feature=g-upl&context=G225012dAUAAAAAAAAAA
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Guitars... what else... guitars...
I cancelled my order for the Dean Cadi when I logged on and saw that it had like a $10 price drop. I am not sure I'm going to get it. However, I'm watching the price on it. It's falling even further. This is a guitar with an $869 list price.
The way musical instrument list prices go is that those are suggestions, at best. Most people know that's not what you pay for the thing. Some of the better guitars are tough to get much of a discount on. For instance, the maximum authorized publishable discount on Fenders is about 36%.
When I taught guitar, I worked at music stores. Generally speaking, on most good name brands, the cost to the seller is about 55% of suggested retail. The lesser the name brand, the smaller the percentage of suggested retail represents the actual cost. For instance, a poorly regarded brand might cost 45% of the suggested retail. This gives the seller an incentive to stock the item because they have the potential for greater profit margin. Or, it allows them to give the appearance of a deeper discount to move the inventory faster.
So, when I see a guitar going for less than half of suggested retail, it sends up all sorts of (good) flags for me. Usually, this doesn't mean that the retailer is taking a loss. What it usually means is that the manufacturer got stuck with an overproduction and has to get them off their books. The Yamaha bass I have was a $700-ish instrument and it got blown out for a little over $200. If you keep your eyes open, you can get these deals where you're paying pretty much what the components would cost if you tried to build it yourself.
The Dean is obviously in that boat. It's dropped another $16 since I first ordered it. There are 4 of them left and it looks like they're coming directly from the manufacturer. It's just one color, one model, and even the other colors of that same model are still retailing in the mid 400s.
If they give this thing away, I'll buy it. Otherwise, it's not a guitar I particularly need. I think it's an insanely good axe for this sort of money, but if I never got one, I'd live a perfectly content life. $300 spent on this guitar is $300 less to spend on a guitar I really do want. I wouldn't even be mildly interested at a price in the mid $400s, though. If this thing gets down to 2 units left, I may pull the trigger, may not. We'll see what the price finally settles on, but it looks like it's dropping by about $8 a day to try and get rid of the remaining inventory.
Now, the other question that this brings up is, how wise is it to buy guitars sight-unseen? Isn't playing the guitar a tactile experience? Isn't it risky to buy an instrument you've never played?
Well, yes, it is. But like most things in life, there's a cost tradeoff. The manufacturers were better off in the old days when they sold their products through dozens of little tiny mom and pop stores in your hometown. Those stores had good sales people who, usually, knew enough to try and help you get a really good guitar. Trouble is, you didn't get much of a discount when you bought. In fact, a lot of those mom and pops sold at full retail.
What's good for the manufacturer isn't always good for the consumer. The consumer wants to pay 36% less and the only way that's going to happen is with mail-order or internet sales.
The quality of most instruments these days is pretty good, which means your odds of getting a clunker are pretty low. Also, in the old days, you got your guitar and if it played poorly you had to take it to get it "set up" by a guitar technician so it would play well. These days, almost all guitars are set up pretty well at the factories and play well straight out of the box.
Also, frankly, most players aren't really that affected by a good, versus a great instrument. I know enough to appreciate a great instrument, like a Melancon. Most people aren't. Also, although I'm far from a great or even good guitar player, I'm pretty accomplished for a hacker (studied applied classical guitar in college, taught for 3 years.) Even though I can appreciate the good stuff, it doesn't really let me play any better. A $400 mexican stratocaster sounds about as good in my hands as a $3,000 Melancon.
People want cheap. Most players, it just doesn't matter. Most guitars are a good bargain for the money. So, mail-order / internet works just fine for most people, most of the time.
The way musical instrument list prices go is that those are suggestions, at best. Most people know that's not what you pay for the thing. Some of the better guitars are tough to get much of a discount on. For instance, the maximum authorized publishable discount on Fenders is about 36%.
When I taught guitar, I worked at music stores. Generally speaking, on most good name brands, the cost to the seller is about 55% of suggested retail. The lesser the name brand, the smaller the percentage of suggested retail represents the actual cost. For instance, a poorly regarded brand might cost 45% of the suggested retail. This gives the seller an incentive to stock the item because they have the potential for greater profit margin. Or, it allows them to give the appearance of a deeper discount to move the inventory faster.
So, when I see a guitar going for less than half of suggested retail, it sends up all sorts of (good) flags for me. Usually, this doesn't mean that the retailer is taking a loss. What it usually means is that the manufacturer got stuck with an overproduction and has to get them off their books. The Yamaha bass I have was a $700-ish instrument and it got blown out for a little over $200. If you keep your eyes open, you can get these deals where you're paying pretty much what the components would cost if you tried to build it yourself.
The Dean is obviously in that boat. It's dropped another $16 since I first ordered it. There are 4 of them left and it looks like they're coming directly from the manufacturer. It's just one color, one model, and even the other colors of that same model are still retailing in the mid 400s.
If they give this thing away, I'll buy it. Otherwise, it's not a guitar I particularly need. I think it's an insanely good axe for this sort of money, but if I never got one, I'd live a perfectly content life. $300 spent on this guitar is $300 less to spend on a guitar I really do want. I wouldn't even be mildly interested at a price in the mid $400s, though. If this thing gets down to 2 units left, I may pull the trigger, may not. We'll see what the price finally settles on, but it looks like it's dropping by about $8 a day to try and get rid of the remaining inventory.
Now, the other question that this brings up is, how wise is it to buy guitars sight-unseen? Isn't playing the guitar a tactile experience? Isn't it risky to buy an instrument you've never played?
Well, yes, it is. But like most things in life, there's a cost tradeoff. The manufacturers were better off in the old days when they sold their products through dozens of little tiny mom and pop stores in your hometown. Those stores had good sales people who, usually, knew enough to try and help you get a really good guitar. Trouble is, you didn't get much of a discount when you bought. In fact, a lot of those mom and pops sold at full retail.
What's good for the manufacturer isn't always good for the consumer. The consumer wants to pay 36% less and the only way that's going to happen is with mail-order or internet sales.
The quality of most instruments these days is pretty good, which means your odds of getting a clunker are pretty low. Also, in the old days, you got your guitar and if it played poorly you had to take it to get it "set up" by a guitar technician so it would play well. These days, almost all guitars are set up pretty well at the factories and play well straight out of the box.
Also, frankly, most players aren't really that affected by a good, versus a great instrument. I know enough to appreciate a great instrument, like a Melancon. Most people aren't. Also, although I'm far from a great or even good guitar player, I'm pretty accomplished for a hacker (studied applied classical guitar in college, taught for 3 years.) Even though I can appreciate the good stuff, it doesn't really let me play any better. A $400 mexican stratocaster sounds about as good in my hands as a $3,000 Melancon.
People want cheap. Most players, it just doesn't matter. Most guitars are a good bargain for the money. So, mail-order / internet works just fine for most people, most of the time.
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