Pop Tarts

OK, I've found a recipe that looks so simple even I can pull it off. I think I'm going to give homemade pop tarts a shot. I'll let you know how they turn out, but it's hard to type with my mouth full:)

Rant and Rave

You know, a blog is a good platform to air one's opinions and feelings to the rest of the world (in my case, 4 other people), just in case not everyone is aware of your stand on an issue, or there's a social injustice that needs to become public. I don't have any one particular topic in mind, but I find myself taking issue with several different topics in everyday conversation. Today was no different. I got on the subject of human and child cruelty forced upon individuals within the nation of China. There happens to be a job I'm working on, where all the tile selected is from China. The foreman disagreed with me and pointed to the label that said, ' Made in Italy'. I pointed out another label written in Chinese. Of course, neither one of us can read Chinese, but it's widely known among tile installers, this particular tile is made in China, probably by children no older than 14. The Chinese company makes the tile in China, maintains a factory in Italy, where the tile is shipped and packaged with the 'Made in Italy' label, then shipped to the 'blind to the fact' consumer in the US. They bought the company so they could use the Italian company name and label. Everyone knows the Italians and Spaniards are leading the industry with quality tiles and product, so acquiring the name alone is a very savvy, yet sly marketing move on the part of the Chinese company. Another issue is, the country of China is not under the same strict EPA laws enforced in the US and other countries somewhat conscious of the environment. Since human underage labor is cheap or forced, laborers are an endless commodity, thus the cheaper price for goods sold. Obviously we can't monitor every single item we consume, but if we knowingly purchase things produced under such conditions....? Sadly, if we were to make a difference in the world, some other opportunist would pick up the ball, and exploit another group of people in another part of the world. I just wish I could get paid by somebody to rant and rave endlessly on various subjects that stroke my fur the wrong direction! Exploit the exploiter, so to speak.

Should I or Shouldn't I?

This weekend the Nebraska Cornchokers and the Baylor Care Bears go head to head. Neither team seems to be able to get the lights on the scoreboard to work in their column. Can't quite figure that electrical problem out. Previously, I lamented about getting emotionally involved with my beleaguered Cornhuskers. It seems when I get fired up about an upcoming game, one that I think in my mind should be winnable, my 'faithful' mate steps outside the marriage and disappoints me devastatingly. When they traveled to Columbia, and the weather was less than hospitable (much like a Tiger fan), my hopes were not on a solid foundation. I still begged and pleaded for my beloved team to pull it out just for me, and much to my surprise, they did! Our matrimony was on the mend. I felt the love flowing from Lincoln. I had renewed faith that my team was going to be faithful for a long time. Boy did that change in a hurry! I actually took precious time, and spent hard earned money to go visit my wonderful team the following week in Lincoln. Apparently our relationship didn't mean that much. They played as if they were all hungover and in slow motion. They let Texas Tech use and abuse them. How could they after all we've been through?! Afterwards, they seemed so sincere in their apology for lack of performance and asked those of us in Husker nation to forgive. So I dug down deep, swallowed a huge 1000mg pride pill, and said 'yes' I forgive. Now let's get this train back on its tracks and moving North and South! Then that little tramp, aka Iowa State came to town, and my Huskers, in their weakened condition, caved in under the pressure, and hurt my feelings again. So my hesitation this week I feel is well founded. Do I waste more time, watching my emotionally scarred team from afar (on TV), or do I play hard to get, find something more worthwhile to do (work), and make them prove to me that they truly love me, and are going to bring home flowers (a win)? Oh what the hell! Cut my finger and Nebraska red flows! Of course I'm going to watch the game. All I've got to say is, this is the game to slap some people around and treat them with some disrespect! Teams in the lower half of a conference actually expect that. It's time to get off the pot and 'man up'! The whole state is willing and expecting mature, responsible, monogamous football (not exactly sure what that means). Please don't disappoint us this weekend.

Let's Talk Business

Relax, I'm not trying to sell you anything. I just need to clear the air on the subject of business ownership. Many people, friends included, think that because you happen to own your own business, you must be rolling in it. If they only knew the 'it' I was rolling in, they'd probably keep their distance. I don't understand the notion where they think I'm pulling money in hand over fist. Let's take a moment and analyze the situation. Let's play the 'observation game'. Look, first, at Kevin's house. It happens to be rather small, with practically nothing for closet space, AND only one bathroom. Plus, I reside in South Omaha, on a piece of property the size of a postage stamp. Folks may rationalize, maybe he just likes it that way. Simple and unassuming. They're not far off. I do like simple and unassuming, but with slightly more , well thought out, space. Let's now focus on the house itself. If you look closely at the windows, not all match. There happens to be three new windows, and the remainder are the originals. There are about three or four more that need to be replaced, so why doesn't Kevin take care of that? He shouldn't be such a tightwad and dip into his Swiss bank account, and replace those worn out windows. Then there's the siding. I think 35 years is pretty much beyond the life expectancy of the siding that's been through several hail storms, and that freak October snow storm. If Kevin would just part with some of that money, he could single handedly spark the economy! Oh, let's not forget the crumbling front porch steps. He does concrete work for a living, why hasn't he replaced them? What a lazy turd! I think what people fail to realize, even though I'm a business owner, all the money taken into the company, is not mine. In fact, a rather small amount actually stops in my account. Easily 50% (that number can climb based upon the material picked) of all jobs goes right back out the door to pay vendors. Well maybe all the profit is built into the over inflated price I charge? All jobs, I make 15 - 30% based on the size of the job. Smaller jobs - 30%, larger jobs - 15%. Commercial jobs are even less. So let's base a hypothetical, Kevin type, smells of money, equation, with one hundred dollars. $100 - $50(material) = $50. $50 - 70%(labor) = $15. Let's not forget Uncle Sam, he likes money too! $15 - $4.50(taxes) = $10.50. There are also overhead costs that a percentage can't really be factored in, because it changes from job to job. It's a big guess on my part while working up the estimate. Some jobs are more profitable than others, but some may say, ' Surely you make more than $100 dollars on your jobs'? Sometimes. My whole reason for going into business had very little to do with making HUGE amounts of money. For years, I was a company man. I worked my tail off for unthankful employers. They would scream because you finished the job a day early, rather than two days early. They would promise you perks, and then take them away. Some had never even set tile, so the mistakes would get passed on to you, along with the blame. Homey was tired of playin' those games, so he went into business for himself in 1997, and hasn't looked back. I do make a little more for my efforts, but my efforts are twice as much as they used to be. I often tell people, "I'm the proud owner of a multi hundred dollar business", and "I get really excited when I see a comma in my bank account".

21 Years!

Yes, 21 years ago today, My wife and I started our life long goal of putting up with one another. She does more putting up than I do. I'm just testing her integrity. Can she actually go a lifetime without a murder charge? We'll see. Unfortunately for her, I have no intentions of straying. She, not only tolerates me, but she actually spoils me. I don't understand. But I'm not going to question it, I'm just going to go with it until she becomes senile and comes to her senses. Another reason I would never wander from home, that would be cruel to disappoint and frustrate two women in my lifetime. Besides, I now have baggage. Yes, she 'blessed' me with two children who would make another woman's life not worth living. Oh, they're good kids, they just don't know it yet. I'm sure some day the goodness will leak out, and I won't have to be fearful of them eating their young. The thought of replacing my wife (sorry for the analogy hon), would be like getting a new baseball glove, breaking it in over the years, playing numerous innings - too numerous to keep track, occasionally fixing the stitching, winning game after game with the perfect fit for a ball glove, and getting a new one someday, after I'm too old to play the game anymore. What's the point? She knows every fiber of my being. She's knows my likes and dislikes (and then does the opposite), but 99.9% of the time, we're pretty good buddies. Time to start working on year 22.

Hibernation

I want to say right up front, I don't like the fact that daylight savings time was pushed off til November. I have definitely turned into a bear. I come home from work and I can hardly keep my eyes open until 9:00 PM. I'll usually doze for a couple of hours, get up, get ready for bed, fall asleep fairly soon, and not wake up until my alarm goes off. It's not over yet! Instead of hitting the 'snooze' button, I'll turn my alarm off at 6 and sleep another 30 to 60 minutes. So for the last two weeks, I've been getting about 9 - 10 hours of sleep per night. Hopefully I can change up my sleep addiction when daylight savings finally arrives. Mentally, I know I'll be gaining an hour of sleep, so that will make me want to stay up a little later, knowing I have sleep hours in the bank. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, can cause one to feel grumpy and agitated. I'm not sure what my excuse is there. Maybe I am really turning into a bear.

I've Seen It All!

Yesterday I took some time out of my personal chaos, and went to Lincoln to see my Husker team taken advantage of by Texas Tech and the officiating crew. Sometimes I wonder why I even get emotionally involved. On to the real reason for blogging today. The friends I happen to be with are a very even keeled bunch, who don't let petty things get in the way of life. That's one quality I try to incorporate in my life. They also seem very grounded, and when a crisis, or seeming crisis arises, they just deal with it and move on. Once again, my philosophy. Well, after the game, we sat and had beer and pizza at a joint called Yia Yia's. Check it out, it's a great place. So my buddy and I are talking about getting older, because that's what you're supposed to do when you get older, and one perception we've both had is, nothing really seems to rattle us anymore. We feel like we've seen it all. For instance, the other day I had to enter the Walmart zone. Now if you're going to Walmart be sure to bring your Walmart bingo card. So as we walk into the store, one of the first people I see in the checkout line, is a transvestite. My reaction was, "Huh, he sure makes for an ugly woman". Then I went on with my shopping. Apparently, over the years I've become desensitized. I don't know if that's good or bad. So I'm in my forties now. I wonder how my view on things will change in my fifties and sixties? I guess if I look at my relatives older than myself, that's probably indicative of my future. There'll come a time when I'm going to complain about the cost of living, the weather, and health care, and wonder if the money I'll receive in my golden years will allow me to exist. These are legitimate concerns. I can't wait until the age, where my internal editor retires, and I start blurting out what other people are thinking, but too afraid to say. Of course it will embarrass those who are closest to me, but the nice thing is, they'll just blame it on my age:)