Work - A four letter word

I've been contemplating a post venting about work.  But then the universe intervened and had other plans....

You know how it is.  You hit a point where you wonder why you do what you do.  You know you love your job, but then forces come along and chip away at that love.  Maybe it's a boss, maybe it's a client, maybe something else.

And then, just like that, it turns around again.  (At least *hopefully* in my case)

I've got a meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning, Tuesday - 4/26, at 9:30 am Eastern time.  If anyone has some extra good vibes to send my way I could sure use them!

AMW

Omaha - Day 4, Part Two

And so the ugly begins....

We're sitting in the Omaha airport waiting for our plane that will take us to our connection in Detroit. The flight is scheduled to leave at 5:45, so we figured we'd be boarding about 5:15.

5:00 rolls around, and there's no plane there.

5:15 rolls around, and still no plane.

5:20 the plane comes to the gate, and folks are hurriedly departing.

We see folks doing inspections, and getting the plane cleaned up. But it's taking a while.......

Meanwhile, my mom calls, and tells me what I've been dreading. My grandmother had passed away that afternoon. I knew it was coming, but it was still really sad.

Somewhere around 6:00ish, they make an announcement that they were waiting on maintenance, since the plane took a bird in the engine on landing, and they need to check it out.

Sucked a bird in the engine!

So, out comes maintenance. Let me just paint the picture for you... This man was easily in his 70's and walked with a limp. He struggled to get the ladder out of his van alone. But he managed to get it out and set up to evaluate the engine. He climbed up. Looked. Climbed down. Went to get paper towels, climbed back up and removed the bird. Climbed back down, got a squirt bottle of some sort, and climbed back up. Squirted the stuff inside, then climbed back down. Got his scrub brush, and climbed back up. Scrubbed. Climbed back down to get paper towels again, and climbed back up to wipe everything down. Honestly. Certainly not the most efficient, but we were hoping for the best...

All this is happening as all the passengers are watching out the window. I even took some video, and if I could figure out how to rotate it, so you wouldn't have to turn your monitor sideways, I would post it.

They made an announcement that they didn't "think" there was any damage, and they would board shortly. Didn't "think". I guess they were waiting to see when we took off???? I kept hoping and praying that Captain Sully was going to show up in the Omaha airport to make sure we got to Detroit ok. No such luck.

By now, we are over an hour late leaving, knowing we only had a 50 minute layover. We were assured in Omaha that since this was a mechanical issue, if we missed our connection, we'd be put up in a hotel for the night, and given food vouchers.

So, we finally take off, and are flying without too much incident. Some turbulence, but at least the plane works. The pilot assures us that he's going to make up time in the air, and we should only be landing about 20 minutes late at 9:15pm. Our connection is at 9:45, so there's hope!

We actually land about 9:20. Still holding out hope.

We pull within 10 feet of the gate at 9:25. And sit there. And sit there. And sit there.

Until 9:35.

A plane with 54 people on it, and 45 have connecting flights within a half hour. And they sit there.

And we were at the BACK!

Needless to say, we got off of the plane, and RAN to our gate. I did mention that we came in at the opposite end of the terminal that we were departing from, didn't I? Oh, yeah, we did.

It was about 1/2 a mile. We ran, walked, ran, walked. And missed our plane by about 5 minutes.

We found a representative. She scanned our stuff, and we had been re-booked on a flight at 10:15 the next morning. A voucher printed out for a hotel room, but it was a $59.00 rate that we had to pay. We asked her why we had to pay, since we were told otherwise in Omaha, and she just said that's what printed out.

So off we go to catch a shuttle bus filled with other angry Delta passengers to try to get a couple hours of sleep at a hotel that we now have to pay for. Without our luggage, without toiletries, without clean clothes. UGH! We get there about 11:00pm. Good thing we ate something at 4:30! So, we had ice cream....

We were able to catch our flight the next morning without incident, and got home early afternoon on Saturday. Tired, hot and stinky, but home! And really glad this happened at the end of vacation instead of the beginning....

And, in case you are wondering, I DID call Delta to complain about the fact that we had to pay for a hotel that should have been taken care of. They said it was coded at weather related (last I checked, birds had as much control over the weather as I do), and said they aren't required to pay for weather related issues. When I mentioned the bird issue, and the video I had, they managed to find out that it was in fact a maintenance issue, and issued us both $75 vouchers for future flights. Not too bad, since we had only paid $59 for our room.

And that concludes our Good, Bad, and Ugly series of vacation...

AMW

Quilt projects

A long time ago on this blog, I talked about some projects I was working on or wanted to work on. I've completed a couple (one on the list, and one not...) and have compiled some pics...

One little thing I mentioned was a "jar quilt". Now, fabric isn't cheap, and the thought of searching all over to buy lots of different fabrics for a jar quilt was a little daunting. Until I hit ebay! Not only did they have a variety, it was already cut, and would all come in a nice little package.

This was the first bundle of pieces, the sweets!

And then came the fruits and veggies.

And after some working and tweaking - came the quilt!

When the dining room table is clean, it's a table runner.

Oooops - didn't think to take a picture of it on the table!

The next quilt was a test of ability, patience, and speed. Let me set the story....

A large group of my friends participate in something called "MMC" or "Make-My-Christmas". I've only been around this group of folks for a couple of years, but this tradition has gone on for 16 years or so. Everyone who wants to participate puts their name in a hat, then everyone draws a name out. Whoevers name you draw, you must MAKE them a present. There are about 30 people who participate, including a couple of kids. Sounds simple enough, right?

What about if you draw someone's name that you know nothing about??????? Don't even know who she is????

Names were drawn on November 1st, and the exchange party was December 19th. Just a tad under 7 weeks. I had to learn about this woman, and design something, and make it in that time.

What I learned was that she was a HUGE Boston Redsox fan, that her favorite colors were green, orange and yellow. (I learned other stuff, too, but it wasn't relevent to this post... LOL!)

I knew I was going to make a quilt, but now was undecided to go with the green/orange/yellow theme. Or the BoSox theme.

As you can see, the Bo Sox theme won out.

Although the BoSox fabric didn't.

I managed to find some scraps of VINTAGE fabric, but all other BoSox fabric is discontinued.

So I went with the Boston Red Sox colors, and held my breath.

(Just a shot of the back and some of the quilting...)

I decided on a simple pattern that would most highlight the few logo scraps that I had, and went from there.

And made it lap size. Big enough to curl up with on the couch.

But most importantly, I think she liked it! I was terribly worried. It's a bit nerve-wracking to make something so personal for someone you don't know. From the design, to the fabric shopping, to the assembly, and presentation.

Although I've watched and attended MMC before, this was the first time I participated. I really had a good time, and will do it again for sure. I had a TON of comments, and really felt good about my accomplishments. Not just that I made this quilt for someone, but it's also the fastest I've ever completed a quilt.

So now I know I can....

Are you working on any projects??? Like what???

AMW

Ever have one of those days?

Yesterday was one of those days for me.  It was a Murphy's Law day, to be sure....

It started when I jumped in my car to head to work, and it wouldn't start.  I was about 90% sure it was the battery, because we'd been saying for months that we were gonna check to see how old it was, and replace it if it was near it's expiration.  You know how that goes, though...  Time gets away and you don't check until there's an issue.  Like yesterday morning.

So, I decided to take the Jeep.  Which is still dressed for summer (the top and windows are off), and I knew it was gonna be a chilly ride, but I was thankful to have a spare car at the house.  First I had to get the cover off which had filled with a TON of water from the rain.  I was already dressed for work, and didn't wanna change, so I used a bucket to get most of the water out before removing it.  Only got a little wet, so it wasn't that bad.

Made it to work, only about 1/2 hour late.  But as is usual for the last two weeks, my computer wouldn't start.  It finally started and stayed running about 3 hours after I got there.  I've had this issue for a while, and was offered some IT support recently, so I took them up on it, only to find out that the IT guy was out for the day.  Oh well...

I made it home without incident!

I stopped by our local mechanic shop to talk about the dead battery issue, and David gave me a battery pack to take and jump my car.  No problem.  As I'm standing in front of my car to hook everything up, I realize I'm standing on an ant mound, and they are crawling  all over my legs!  YUCK!!!

Got the car jumped, take it back to the shop, and confirmed that it was, in fact the battery and not the alternator.  David suggested I run up to Advance Auto, since it would be cheaper and they would install it for free.  It's only a couple miles up the road, so off I went.  I turn off the car to go in (not in the best neighborhood) and proceed to buy a new battery.  The service guy said he'd be right out.

I went outside to wait, and that's when I realized that sometime that afternoon, my bra strap had broken, so there I was hanging out (literally) with one boob covered and one boob uncovered under my t-shirt.  And my strap was hanging out the bottom of my t-shirt.  I have no idea how long it was like that...

After 30 minutes of waiting for the guy to "come right out", I went back inside.  Seems he had forgotten about me.  Nice.  He made it out, and 45 minutes after buying my new battery, I was on the way...

I made it home again without incident, and proceeded to dress the Jeep for the winter.  Put the top, doors, and windows all back on.  This was extremely difficult to do with one person, since everything had sat for most of the summer rolled up.  So it wasn't expanded for easy installation.  It took almost all my strength to get it all attached, but I got it done...

I sat down for a few minutes to check my email real quick, and hadn't been sitting for 2 minutes, when the dog decided that was the best time to go ahead and get sick.  On the carpet.  She's usually pretty good, and will go toward a room with no carpeting, but not today.  So of course I cleaned that up.

In the meantime - D was at the doctor for right shoulder-ish pain.  Turns out, there is probably a touch of pneumonia in the right lung.  So we made the decision to cancel our weekend away in the OBX since the doctor said to REST, REST, REST.

Finally getting a few minutes to chill out, the front door bell rings.  It's our new next door neighbor stopping by to introduce herself.  I can't even imagine what she thought if she noticed that my bra strap was STILL hanging out  of the bottom of my shirt.....

Hopefully it will be a relaxing weekend and it will be what D needs to start feeling better soon!

And the next time I see "Murphy" heading my way, I'm gonna run over him with my car!  New battery and all!

AMW

Completely Random Update

Well, I sure have been delinquent in my blogging, haven't I?  Have I lost all of my readers?  All 2 of you?  LOL!!  Kidding!  I hope there's at least 3...

This is likely to be a complete hodge-podge random update.  

It's been an extremely busy summer!  A friend is staying at our house for a bit, so there is the dynamics of a third person.  Kind of strange, as there have only been two of us in the house for 3 years.  We're adjusting.  I'm not sure if I've ever lived with someone that shows signs of ADD and OCD.  It certainly makes for an interesting combination.

Since it's summertime - there have been lots of "gatherings"!   Several have been birthdays with pool parties that have been fun beyond words.  There have been impromptu "porch" nights, dinner at friends houses, and a near-weekly breakfast at Paul's Restaurant.  (I promise a FULL post with pictures about Paul's in the not-to-distant future.)

Our ADD/OCD houseguest has an over abundance of energy, and has a list of projects she's working on at our house.  She just re-roofed one of our sheds, edged the front brick walk with a shovel, cleaned and re-organized the back patio, and has dug up an overgrown flower garden, complete with pulling out bushes with her truck.  Did I mention she's only been with us for 3 weeks???  For her next trick - she'll do cartwheels while simultaneously cooking a gourmet meal for 100 of our closest friends in between re-grouting all three bathrooms!  She moves too fast for pictures, so there will be no photographic evidence.  

Work has been a bit on the stressful side.  Without dwelling on it too much, I'll just say that even though I own my own business, I still have to do what others tell me to do.  The owners of the building that pay my contract have had some requests lately that are affecting business.  And since business is already slow due to the economy, well, let's just say that it's nearing the painful stage.  I'll get through it.

My Casey-Dog (who is 13, by the way!) has started having a little more issues.  Her hips are bothering her more, and she's taking to chewing herself raw in spots.  And this is a dog that doesn't take kindly to your trying to help her.  If you try to clean a sore spot, she's likely to turn around an nip!  I've never bathed her...  I've always taken her to a groomer.  And clean her ears?  No thank you!  They can muzzle her at the vet, or they can risk the nibble that she'll give them.  So imagine when we take her to the vet, and the vet says to clean the area twice a day, and apply this cream.  Oh, and don't let her lick it.   Hmmm....  This poses yet another problem!  We all know that most dogs dislike the plastic collars, but my dog FREAKS.OUT.  Yeah, having her die of a heart attack from the stress of a plastic collar kinda defeats the purpose.  So I've tried just about everything!  What works?  When we're home, we keep her on a leash, so we can monitor her every move.  When we go to work, I put a doggy diaper on her that covers her raw hip, with a piece of gauze under it for a little more protection.  That was after trying a t-shirts (put on her backwards), and soft collar, and self-adhesive gauze.  All of those were not pretty either.  She's not thrilled with the doggy diaper, but she tolerates it.  We go back for a follow-up visit today.

Overall, the summer has been fantastic!  There are still more parties to attend before the summer is over.  We got invited to THREE for this Saturday, alone.  We can only make it to one, which is a bummer, but there are more lined up!

And then......  BOWLING starts up!  I know you can hardly wait for the weekly bowling updates, can you?????

What summer fun have you been up to?  Leave a comment here for me!

AMW

Business ranting...

We interrupt the usual cheery posts for a rant.  Again.  Sorry.

As we all know, the economy sucks.  I've seen and heard about a lot of small businesses going under during these tough times.  I've considered myself fortunate enough to this point to  be hanging in there.  But I can see how it gets to the point it does.  I've wondered recently if it would be better if I got a "real" job with "real" insurance.  Why?  Where to start...

Insurance.  First of all, when I bought the business, I lost my "traditional" insurance.  You know the kind.  You go to the doctor's office, pay your co-pay, and leave.  Not to worry about much else.  I had to try to find individual insurance, and was turned down several times before finding a plan that is extremely over-priced, and coverage is minimum.  I've only used it twice in the year that I've had it, once for my ankle debacle, and once for a dentist visit.  And I paid extra for dental coverage.  At the foot doctor, the insurance didn't cover the air-cast that I needed, so I paid a good amount out of pocket for that.  I then received a bill for the remaining balance after all the insurance was filed.  A pretty good chuck of change.  Then yesterday, the remaining balance of the dentist bill came in the mail and it was so high, that I wondered what the insurance covered, and why I was paying extra for dental coverage.  Then I get a letter stating that the premiums are going up.  With *all* that it covers, I'm considering canceling the insurance, and just taking my chances again.  I did it for a year before I got this insurance.  And financially, I may have to go back there again.

Income.  Somewhere along the way, I lost the memo that said if you own your own business, you'll make less money.  Yes, there are benefits of owning a business.  Income is not one I've seen so far.  When you factor in all of the bills, wages, insurance, and the cost of all the little things, well, that just leaves little money for the boss.  One thing I am proud to say, though, is that I am a 100% debt free company.  If I need something, it gets paid for in cash (or check).  I have no credit card debt (in the company name) and owe nothing other than normal monthly bills.  And taxes.  Taxes.  And more taxes.

Taxes.  When you own a business, taxes are a pain in the ass.  Period.  And as an LLC, it's just all kind of bizarre.  I don't get a paycheck anymore, so I don't have taxes taken out like normal.  Instead, I have to pay estimated taxes quarterly.  That would be fine and good, if I only had to pay taxes on what I actually paid myself.  But it doesn't work that way.  So, I'm personally making less money than I've made in the last 10 years, but paying more taxes than I ever have too.  Confused?  Let's just say that the company's profit for a given year shows $100,000.  But I only took out $50,000 in a "salary".    I have to pay taxes on $100,000.  {By the way, this is not even close to the correct figures.}  On my tax return, it shows my "Adjusted Gross Income" as $50,000, and shows the company gain of $100,000.   And yet, I still have to pay.  Gone are the days of tax refunds.  I wish there were bigger/better/other tax credits for people who own small businesses.

Employees.  Ok, I can't really rant here, because I am fortunate enough to have a great part-time girl that works just about any time I ask her to.  It's a fine balance on how much to have her work.  On the one hand - it actually benefits me a lot on taxes to have her work for me.   I can't have her work full time, because then I'd have to offer her benefits (which I couldn't afford) and there wouldn't be enough money left for me to take out the little I do now.   And there's all the ribbing from my friends about me taking time off again.  Yes, I LOVE having extra time off.  Especially in the summer.  But I also enjoy the tax benefits of her working.   If she wasn't available to me, then I'd be in the same position as a lot of other small business owners, and that is trying to find someone you can trust to work for you when you aren't there.  Not an easy thing to do.

I LOVE what I do, and think I'm pretty good at it.  I have some of the best clients in the world!  They truly make a difference.  I would hate to give it all up, but unless I can find some alternatives, I might just become another number in the sea of small business that don't make it.  

It certainly is not easy to own a small business.  I mistakenly thought otherwise.  And I certainly would have not been able to do it without a lot of forces in place to support me.  For that I'm very grateful.    

AMW

Small Business Challenges

Owning a small business has LOTS of challenges...  But first, let's define small business.  It appears that the government defines you as a small business if you have less than 500 employees.  500!  My first thought was that I would then be considered a micro business, but have since been corrected, and determined that I am a NANO business.  I do have one part-time employee.

A major challenge of a small business, is equipment failure.  If any piece of equipment fails, like say, your computer, that has your entire business on it, then let's just say you are in deep doo doo.  But you call the IT department, right?  Oh wait...  you ARE the IT department.  And if you can't fix it, then you have to pay to have it fixed.  And when you are a NANO business, sometimes money for fixing stuff isn't what you planned on.

Another challenge is invoicing.  OK, so the invoicing part isn't hard, but apparently the collecting part is harder.  I have never had a problem until recently, but my largest client  changed recently due to a sale of the building where I am located.  They had an invoice due Oct. 1, and another due Nov. 1, and neither one have been paid to date.  Yes, I realize that it's not quite Nov. 1 yet, but with 2 days left to go, and no sign of anything from Oct yet either, it's quite frustrating.  Their invoice is essentially my paycheck, so that means I've not had a paycheck since Sept. 1.  And that makes it even tougher to pay for things like, say, having a computer fixed.  See the circle here?  And yet, I'm still expected to provide services, with a smile on my face, not knowing when I'll get paid for it.  I can honestly say it's getting tougher and tougher.  I've checked, and both checks were cut over a week ago, and they are being mailed from 3 blocks away.  3 blocks.  I could have walked over there and back 100 times in that amount of time, considering it's STILL NOT HERE!

Fortunately, I love what I do, and things will settle down once the system has ironed out the kinks...

And I think this new company will have some opportunites for me that will be positive.  So that gives me hope.  As long as we can keep the billing situation under control...

AMW