THE BEST LAID PLANS ...

So turns out the parents can come up today to continue my kitchen home improvement. This involved more crowbars and removing the pressboard on the walls. Well, the ones we could remove without taking out the current countertops.

Having decided with out sample piece from Home Depot yesterday that putting new countertops on the existing countertops wouldn't work, it was measurement time. And then back to Home Depot, because as every do-it-yourselfer knows, no project is officially complete without at least 2 trips to the hardware\home improvement store of your choice.

Cancelled my meeting (again) w/Hawke because I wanted more than 10 minutes to pick out the kitchen counter I will likely have for the rest of the time I'm in this house. :)

Decided on a countertop and masonite\tile board that will replace the old pressboard. I get my waterfall edges and the custom order takes 3 weeks to show up, which should put it around my Thanksgiving vacation, so that works out well. It'll be delivered to the Home Depot store, and the parents are going to use their trailer to get it to my house and then we'll install it.

Next was a trip to Sears. I thought I was just getting a countertop for Christmas, but it looks like that has expanded to include an over (both units on mine have finally died and I don't think the company that made it exists any more), and a dishwasher (mine has broken parts and is so low-end you can really only 1/2 pack it and expect everything to get clean). Very nice saleslady who's first day on her own was a bit intense. Going to get both items delivered on the 12th, when I had conveniently taken the day off work to get ready for our Browncoats table at Itzacon.

Then everyone needed a break so I treated to lunch at la Madeleine. Parents went home and Tonbo & I went to our home. In spite of the time change, it was still nap time which also helped out my head a bit.

We had a bit of trick-or-treaters come by, mostly the 13 and under set. Tonbo was very generous with his light sticks to the little skull and ceramic jack-o-lantern were pretty cool and much safer compared to being flame-lit. Patryn showed up in his friar outfit and we watched the last episode of Stargate SG-1 Season 6 as an intro to the Season 7 Stargate SG-1 DVD box set he brought with him. Lots of Ramune and Kitkats and my head was a little better.

Massive downpour at one point, which, as always, makes me feel better. As long as there is a reason my head hurts, I can deal with it. Otherwise no obvious reason for so much pain is scary.

WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING TILE

Last FG of this project which means it's the last time for this project I'll have to come into the office on a Saturday. And there was much rejoicing [little flags wave in the air]...

Ended early and I went home to keep putzing in the office some more before meeting the parents at Henk's for lunch. Tonbo was free so he also came along, which was really nice. There's bad weather moving in and my head wasn't responding to any of my standard fixes, so it wasn't going to be a happy afternoon.

After lunch, we all came back to the house. Tonbo and I went over to the neighbor's house to inquire what the large inflatable blue and purple thingy was taking up there entire driveway, but no one was around. Coming back to my garage, Mom was standing there looking a little sheepish.

"You really wanted to get rid of that tile, didn't you?" she asked. At this point, I had a flash of Dad and his sledgehammer and was wondering how much had already been destroyed. Turns out Mom was the culprit since she was checking out part of the countertop and a piece of tile came off. Well, that pretty much did it.

A few hours later most of the white tile that had previously been my kitchen counters were now in random boxes. Turns out everything was just plaster-of-parised on top of the original 1970's honey yellow counter tops. Actually a good thing, since it made getting the tiles off a lot easier.

By then it was time for the parents to leave, saying they would call when they could next come by.

I'm pretty much a drone by this point due to the intense pain in my head. Fortunately the party next door (never did find out what was with the big inflatable thingy) didn't last much past midnight. And I'm once again thankful for Tonbo who helped me out by bringing in dinner and cleaning up afterwards.

SHORT DAY

Well, didn't make it to Asel because I had to go by the post office to send the return. $8 learning experience.

Still juggling 3 projects and have to show up on Saturday for the last of the focus groups. Had to actually (somewhat) clean up my desk because the piles had become so intertwined that I couldn't tell what belonged to what project any more.

Going home "early" to have dinner w/Tonbo (Pizza Guy time!!!!). Cable guy is due next Monday, so that'll take care of the late hours as well, since I'll be able to surf at home at speeds faster than a doped up snail. At least that's the theory.

Need to finish moving stuff off the Win95 box to Atlantis so I can hand it over to Patryn on Sunday. Apparantly these new fangled machines run to fast for some of his favorite games so he want my old box. Don't have too much on it, but since wiping the hard drive really isn't an option, I need to clean it out pretty good. Kinda sad to see it go - it's been with me since college (13+ years) and has created the majority of my anime music videos. But I know it's going to a good home, compared to the land fill, so that helps. :)

Returned left-over BlueSun Shirts today, and he has some great designs lined up that will hopefully be ready by Itzacon so we can have some at our Browncoats table.

TIME FLUX

I truly believe time moves differently inside an arts & crafts store. I walk in at 7:10 pm looking for paint options for ceramics and suddenly they are announcing the store will be closing in 10 minutes because it's 7:50 pm. Walked out with beads for the BMB.

Need to try Asel for paint options, and also just someone knowledgeable to talk to. They have limited hours, but if I get up early enough, I think I can hit the one near me before work.

Have a Piggy at work with me. He's such a happy looking guy - no financial worries at all. I envy him.

PIGGIES

Got in more inventory for Fan Done and am very happy with the results. Well, 2 out of 3 anyway. Decided to send 1 item back because I can't think of a way to fulfill it the way I think it should be. Other 2 items are going to be lotsa fun to complete.

Searching for charms. Founds some great ones but am having trouble checking out. Sent email and got very nice friendly response, so hopefully will be able to get at least 3 hito accounted for.

Tonbo's brushing up 733+ skilz and learning new ones to go interviewing next week. I'm really proud of all the hard work he's putting in this week.

ONWARD

Back to work and little boxes.

Did update past blog entries w/links.

Need to clean-up the fallout from coming home from the con and dumping everything in the living room. Should probably turn on my "new" computer and see if it works. Obsessed with finding wholesale plush dogs and fowl. Not having much success so far.

Big rain storm with accompaning headache, but enough caffeine and Advil seem to have taken care of it (the headache, not the storm) for now. Looks like its going to rain all week.

Have uploaded DCC pics over at Fireflyfans.net, so feel free to check them out:
- me and our shiny Browncoats table
- Darth Vader and our shiny Browncoats table
- HotBunny and our shiny Browncoats table

DALLAS COMIC CON - DAY 2

Shorter day. Ech had his wonderful small-footprint big-viewing monitor to set-up at the table. BBee brought in lunch for me. Talked finances and am going to have her and her sister over for a CASHFLOW game, hopefully sometime this week.

Talked a bit with Paul Black, author of The Tels. Stayed up until 3:20 am reading it, and while only half way through, had to get some sleep to make it through the con today. Send Ech & BBee over to his table and they both came back with books, so I hope he felt his time at the con was worth it.

HotBunny told us about her Firefly appearance, and also talked to the guy who runs an Internet radio station and his guest plans, which might include some local Browncoats at some point. :)

Picked up an incredible Lara Croft print and got it autographed by Greg Horn. I'd loved to have gotten the larger print, but I'm being good and got the smaller one. Need to get it framed. I love the juxtaposition of the glamour of her swimsuit pose and the practicality of the gear that surrounds her.

BR came by again and stayed around to help break down the booth and help me carry things out to the car, which I really appreciated. Need to post photos to the Meetup board ... but not tonight. Dial-up acting well (so far), but I don't have the patience to deal with the upload times right now. Still need to get a sales total for today and take stock of the t-shirt inventory for BlueSunShirts so I can get him his money and stuff back this week.

Lots of fun, looking forward to Itzacon on Nov. 13-14, have a list of stuff to do differently\better. Overall, DCC was a good first effort.

Need to make time to get together w/Hawke re: S4DA and what direction its going to take. Especially since I want to spend time focused on Fan Done. And the fact that I've got hundreds of pages of eCommerce software documentation to read and process and act on before the new year. Before the beginning of December if I can.

So much easier to flow with the current than fight against it.

DALLAS COMIC CON - DAY 1

We have *the* *most* *awesome* backdrop created by Needleseye for our Browncoats booth in the Dealer's Room of the Dallas Comic Con. Pic on Monday.

Tonbo help a great amount with early monrning set-up and both watching until we got the backdrop and table arranged. Quite a bit of shiny stuff I'd like to have lying amongst the other dealers' booths, but I'm being good.

Spoke to people on and off all day. Had some come by who had heard we were going to be there from the Boards, about half 'n half between people who were fans and people who had never heard of it. Will email the con organizer on Monday to see if I can find out how many people attended each day.

At one point both Needleseye and myself were sitting in the booth with the Jayne hats on because they are pretty cunning and functional and kept us both warm as the temperature dropped in the afternoon.

Quite a few entries in the Guest Book, some stuff sold (many thanks to BlueSun Shirts for letting us have some of his inventory - the Slim's shirt designs are a big hit! ) Lots of fliers handed out. A member of the local USS Joshua won our costume contest with a very shiny Kaylee costume. Pic tomorrow.

Had a couple of guys come by who hadn't seen the show, but had friends at Zoic who were working on the Serenity SFX and the guys we talked to had just been out there and seen some footage from the BDM!!! Unfortunately, they weren't FF fans so we couldn't pump them for information.

Have a very shiny picture of Darth Vader in front of our backdrop. Pic on Monday.

MoonOtter & Co. showed up and were great to talk to. Possible source of merchandise for kit. Gave me an invite over to their place for a movie day and for me to show them Stargate SG-1. And with 3 cats, Tonbo won't be visiting anytime soon.

Another Plano Browncoat stopped by to help sit the table in the afternoon which I really appreciated. It was nice being able to take a break, walk around a bit. Talked with Paul Black and picked up his book The Tels. Hope to have a chance to read some of it tonight so if he's at the con again on Sunday, I can talk with him more about it.

Also want a chance to talk to the autograph guy about some of my items. I assume the autograph has less market value if it is addressed to someone specific, but that's just my assumption. He had a Sean Connery for $500 and a Richard Dean Anderson & Michael Shanks for $300something. Also a very nicely matted Nathan Fillian for $75 which was tempting, but I'm being good.

Left most of the goods there along with the other dealers'. Figure someone's going to run off with the $100+ comic figurine before they decide to root around under our table for a BlueSun t-shirt. ;)

Came home, had pizza, watched a Wolf's Rain and went to bed. Woke up just before Tonbo called at midnight, wondering when Tonbo would call. Got up and did the QshopGuru, Fireflyfans.net blog, this entry, checked email, etc. Going to read the Tels for a bit and sleep again.

Throat is sore, and am very tired from talking all day (something I do very rarely), but it was much fun and am looking forward to tomorrow.

DONE VS. DONE RIGHT

This week came way to fast and was way to short. Still have much to do for the Browncoats table at the Dallas Comic Con tomorrow, but it'll all work out.

I'm just having to focus on what needs to be done compared to doing it "right"...

The for sale items need 'thank you' tags. The tags do not need to be printed on special paper.

The for sale items need to be displayed. They do not need to be displayed in an intricate jewelry box that has yet to be constructed.

I do have to be there at 9 am for set-up. I do not need to stay up until 2 am making sure everything is perfect.

Little things like that ... ;)

INTO THE 20TH CENTURY

Ordered high-speed internet from Comcast since I seem to be beyond the reach of any DSL carrier at this point in time. Modem on order, and once that is in hand, I can call and set up an installation time. Should probably actually turn on my new computer and make sure everything works by then as well.

Sent pics of the kitchen to Mom as she and Dad are contemplating having my Christmas gift be new counter tops to replace the tile I currently have and despise. Have I mentioned lately how cool my parents are?

Prepping for the for the Browncoats table at the Dallas Comic Con this weekend. Cooper will have a pattern to me for the orange Jayne hats, some of which I'll have at the table for sale along with all the other stuff. Have also re-contacted BlueSun Shirts and once we have a chance to meet in person, I'll have some of his inventory as well.

Think I'm going to go with Miva Merchant for the eCommerce part of Fan Done. I just need to sit down and read through the (literally) hundreds of pages of documentation.

But not this weekend.

2.0

Changed to a different template since comments and email ability weren't working. This blog was old by Internet standards anyway, so you get new functionality and a new look & feel in the same update - what a bargain!

TRAVEL ENVY

A friend is vacationing in Colorado and is rubbing it in by posting a travelblog with pictures. Check out the Dumping Grounds.

And if you're a Stargate SG-1 fan, check out Travel Day #3 for a pic of Cheyenne Mountain.

ps. he's right, Google holds the answer to all questions, like how to make mochi

INSANE THOUGHTS

Read the latest Blogger news item about NaNoBlogMo and am contemplating signing up for NaNoWriMo ...

I found out about National Novel Writing Month last year and was too busy.

This year I'm wondering what year I won't be too busy to try it.

like i really need another time-intensive project

OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL

Another early day, but Fan Done now has a sales tax license* so I'm officially official to sell stuff at the Dallas Comic Con this weekend. Makes me feel so much better because I am the detail-oriented type who frets over such thinks.

Have decided to go with a Comcast cable modem and the difficulty now is finding a time when I can stay home for the installation. Meetings, meeting, meetings throughout the week and they aren't always scheduled ahead of time.

* getting which apparently took a bit of effort on the part of the very nice lady helping me out. She asked if I already had a tax ID number and I said no. Then she said the computer said I did, based on my SSN. The only thing I can think of is when I started a club in college a (long) while back, somehow that created a sales tax ID (?). These days there are a lot more restrictions on what they can use your SSN for, but back then, a lot of times they didn't bother asking your name, they asked for your SSN. Anyway, that permit is no longer valid, and neither is the one she initiall started. #3 should be good, but she highly recommended that I come and pay it in person the first time, and not to wait until the due date of Jan 20th either.

FAN DONE DBA OFFICIAL

work, project lunch at cool river, work, meeting, race across down to court house to file dba for Fan Done (no ones else has it, it's all mine, my precious ;), 75 is a parking lot, not enough time for tax permit, conference call on cell phone, nap, dinner, work, dial-up sucks, quixtar shopping guru, dial-up sucks, KFF entry, dial-up sucks, more work, hopefully to bed by midnight

life is good

TERRIFIC CUSTOMER SERVICE

Working my way down the process of starting another business, I called the Texas Sales Tax office this morning at 7:30 am. Talked to a great guy who answered all of my questions and walked through a form with me literally line by line. Very friendly (especially for that early in the morning :), and while I'm pretty sure I had some stupid questions, he took every one in stride and when I didn't have any more, asked some for me and gave me even more info that I didn't even know to ask about.

Best customer service I've experienced in a long time.

Kudos to the Texas Sales Tax office!!!

ACORN SEASON

The oak tree in my back yard has begun its yearly shedding of acorns. Natural part of Nature and the changing of the season. Tends to sound like randomly fired shots (or a machine gun if there is a strong, constant wind) due to the fact those little oak-trees-to-be are falling on the sheet-metal roof of my neighbor's shed.

Didn't notice the first year I moved in because I actually started living in Tora-kun at the end of November and the majority of acorns had already fallen by then. The following year, when it first started to happen in early October, I'd be awakened in the middle of the night by something - I had no idea what, because it didn't repeat itself. Then I had the brief delusion of fireworks being set off when I heard the noise during the day. I figured out what it truly was fairly quickly. And now, it's confirmation that indeed Fall (pun intended) has begun.

That and it's getting to be kinda cold when I get out of the shower in the morning. :)

DEEPER REALITY

2nd of 3 focus groups at work today. Got good feedback, especially since the participants were able to write the majority of their responses down, compared to open group discussion.

That finished on time, then I stayed around taking care of stuff using the T1. My dial-up is seriously getting on my nerves, although so far, no provided seems to make it to my house, which means a cable modem may be my only other option. Still searching.

Then I was running late to get down to the parents house and then out to a meeting with Hawke to review my biz plan for FD. When I finally got there, Mom wasn't home so I dropped off everything and put away the paper towels (all part of the home delivery service you see ;). Called Dad at the shop saying I had to go to a meeting and would catch up with them later. Left a note for Mom, pet the dogs, and took off.

Driving along, I had the feeling I should stay, spend some time with them. My mind was full of everything I wanted to get done today, rushed but mostly coherent, and filled with the feeling that I should stay. I had talked to Mom for quite a bit the previous day - Dad, the move, the sibling, the fun that is going to be the family together in the spring, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hadn't mentioned that today would be a short visit, but we hadn't agreed to go out to eat or do anything specific either, so there was no logical reason to stay.

Except it felt wrong to go.

I pulled over onto a side street and called Hawke to cancel. He was very nice about it, and I'll make it up by taking him out to dinner or lunch when we do get together. Then I headed out to the shop.

Dad had something on the lathe, so I waiting to yell I was there until it looked like he didn't have any appendages near the spinning sharp bits. He was pretty happy to see me. Mom had just called, and when I called her back, she was also glad I could stick around. We went home and then out to eat "lunch", the current time being a little after 4 pm. Cafe China was excellent as always.

Then over to the craft mall to find something for the parents' house. Mom had a specific item in mind. We walked in, and Dad immediately started making the male I-don't-want-to-be-here noises, so we agreed he go off to Cox Farms and get his ice cream, take it home so it wouldn't melt, and come back and get us. All of which should take about an hour, in which case the craft mall would be closing.

We didn't find exactly what she was looking for, but I got a very shiny box for the Browncoats table at Dallas Comic Con next week, and she found a set of 3 rustic butterflies and a little iron fence that may do the trick.

We headed home and discovered that the butterflies were pretty much perfect for what she wanted to do. Got a call from Tonbo that he was with his family watching Firefly. We originally had plans to meet for dinner, but changed that so we could each spend some more time where we currently were.

Dad made his (current) famous dessert and we sat around in the living room talking for a couple of hours. It was really enjoyable. I am going to miss them when there move north, but it will also be exciting to visit them for vacations. They have graciously allowed me to keep my (as yet unpurchased) kayak and snow shoes at their place. :)

Very glad I listed to myself. Need to make a point of doing it more often. It is so much easier to go with the flow than to wade against the current, but you have to find the streams that will take you where you want to go, even if it means a slight winding off the direct way every now and then.

WFH

Had a FedEx notice waiting for me when I got home last night. Seems they tried to delivery my computer a day early. I called the number and gosh darn if that isn't a useless system for what i was trying to find out. I know it's already at the Dallas station because the guy tried to deliver it. What I wanted to know is if I could pick it up that evening, or when it was going to show up the next day. Tonbo wasn't able to stay home, and i didn't want to push it until the 3rd attempt on Saturday because I'm not going to be home. Which meant I was working from home today, waiting for the FedEx guy to show up.

And usually WFH is great ... when I plan for it. I was lucky I'd bothered to take my computer home so I did have access to all the files I needed. Worked, met, worked, had lunch, watched Wolf's Rain, worked, sat in the sun reading The Miracle is in the Extra Mile by Larry DiAngie, met, worked, stopped working.

Computer showed up, and I haven't actually gotten into it yet. I'm making myself finish moving stuff around in the office first, since it's still kind of totaled from the furniture moving that went on last week, and not all of the Mac parts are out of my bedroom yet.

Good things: Cooper's Jayne hats showed up and they are awesomely shiny. Temporary tattoo is still on and looking shiny. Got shipped-to-the-wrong-address package with selling stuff for the Browncoats table at the Dallas Comic Con next weekend and they are very shiny and had shiny oriental free gifts as well. Browncoats stickers showed up and while the second line is bigger than I would prefer, they are shiny. Passing off a Firefly tape to my former boss in hopes of conversion to the shiny side.

So basically everything that doesn't deal with work is shiny - imagine that.

Irritating things: my pathetic excuse for online connectivity known as 56k dial-up. The fact that SBC doesn't currently have DSL within reach of my house. Other houses on my street, yes. My house, no. Having to go to work on a Saturday for 3 hours. Probably being double-booked (or more) next week and until Thanksgiving. Lower oven not working. Upper oven went out months ago so now I am completely ovenless. Since I only use it about once a month it's not that big a deal, but still part of this list.

[I'll links to this page later since it would take way more time than I'm willing to devote right now]

FLASHBACK

Was client-side the past two days and after that 3rd meeting, I experienced an incredible flashback to January 2000.

When I was sick and on meds for a week because of stress.
When I decided I didn't want to be in the Rat Race for the rest of my life.
When I formed a 10 year plan to financial freedom.
When I gained focus.

which I haven't lost, but things have gotten a bit fuzzier

It's easy to rely on a direct deposit paycheck and get lost in the dailiness of life and bills and having to work for the paycheck and wanting to have fun and time to self and time for others and making time to work for the future is sometimes too often too much work.

But it's four years later and I'm not as far as I want to be.
Need to be.

So this last trip was a reminder.
Of things that are.
Of things that need to change.
Of where I am.
And where I don't want to be when I'm 40.

Time to get focused again.

"The Things to do are: the things that need doing, that you see need to be done, and that no one else seems to see need to be done. Then you will conceive your own way of doing that which needs to be done —that no one else has told you to do or how to do it. This will bring out the real you that often gets buried inside a character that has acquired a superficial array of behaviors induced or imposed by others on the individual."
        - R. Buckminster (Bucky) Fuller (1895-1983)

STILL HERE

As a friend pointed out to me, it's been almost 3 weeks since a post here.

So, here's a post. ^_-

It seems I can only keep up with a few "daily" events in my life. There's the normal personal maintenance stuff (shower, teeth-brushing, lunch & dinner, etc.), and after that I seem to have a limit of what I will consistently keep up with.

There's business email, personal email, work email (not necessarily in that order), the TTD (Things To Do) list, and for a while, this blog. Then I started the Quixtar Shopping Guru, which has to be daily, and this fell by the wayside.

Work has also kicked up considerably (all of my discipline are booked and my boss is out until Thanksgiving because of back surgery - which went well, thankfully), and the Dallas Comic Con (Michael Keaton is the Guest of Honor!) is now only 2 weeks away which means lots to do for our Browncoats table, and I'm developing a real business plan for Fan Done, and still have to complete processes and content for S4DA. And I started writing again, so there's another incomplete project in progress. Not to mention the music videos I've thought of doing once I get my new desktop.

All of which could be considered excuses, or reasons, but the fact is I haven't been posting here. But I've decided I do still want a record of what's going on, so this will be added to the TTD ... and hopefully won't slip to the bottom as much any more.

ps. why does the Blogger spellchecker not recognize the word "blog" ?
pps. why does the Blogger spellchecker not recognize the word "Blogger" ?!