It's funny how things can change in a day...
Word spread like wildfire that I was eyeballing the store's inventory and looking to start my own location. Several regulars who have come to like me more than the current owner have pledged their support to my goal, and a number of the wargaming regulars showed up in the shop yesterday with the sole intention of helping me conduct my inventory. Thanks to this extra help, I've done as much of the inventory as I needed to do to confirm that, yes, this is probably a smart option.
Steady work will not be an issue, as I'll be running the store full-time (likely 55+ hours a week MINIMUM!). I should be able to keep most or all of the existing regular customers if I can negotiate a favorable lease in the same location (and given that 2 stores in this plaza have been empty for over 2 years, I think I can get this spot for a fair bit less than the current store is paying for it). And, most importantly, I'll own a business - something I can take a stab at making my life's work.
Moreover, Bree and I want to do this.
The wildcard now is the asking price. One of the store owners laid out the initial price for the inventory... but I don't think he went over it with the other store owner (his wife). The bad news - this means they may try to ask for more... the good news: she's more desperate to walk away from the shop than he is... so this could pan out. I should know by Tuesday-ish.
That said, it's not all sunshine and lollipops. Apparently, my landlord is losing the house Bree and I are renting. So over the next few months, we need to be looking for a new place to live. Of course, if we're going to buy the store and stay in the area we can just lok for something near our new business... but we need to make sure our deal goes through first.
New home... new business... at a time when I felt the need to just throw out everything from my old life and start over... looks like I'll get my chance.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
My Store-y
I apologize for being absent from the blog for a little bit. There's been a lot going on during the last week or so.
First up was Bree's birthday week. Since I've met her, I've been able to enjoy her family tradition of having a week long birthday. During that entire week, you're sprinkled with presents and taken out to dinner any number of times. The birthday week led to a number of events that kept me nice and busy.
There was the night out at the Alehouse that left Bree so hung over that she spent most of the next day vomitting everything she'd eaten over the last month. Charming, I know.
A trip to Sea World with her parents occupied another day - a very pleasant day, I might add.
Simon's Bakery for dinner on her birthday was an occassion of note - a charming little bistro here in Sarasota that is just delightful. Food of note: Sesame Tuna with Seaweed Salad appetizer. To die for.
Since Bree's birthday, I've started to find time for myself again (she's too obsessed with the Nintendo DS I bought her to notice the universe around her). Item of note there is my store-y of the week.
It looks like it would be entirely feasible that I may be starting my own business within the next couple of months.
The owner of my local comic and game shop is looking to close down by the end of the year or so, and is willing to sell me his entire inventory and fixture set for a seemingly low cost. Bree and I have both wanted to own a comic shop to call ours for some time now, and we've got dozens of ideas just pouring out on how to run a successful shop (they range from expanding the miniature gaming section to video games to reintroducing the anime crowd from the area, as they currently have nowhere worth going).
We've projected that we'd need about $50,000 worth of startup capital to get the ball rolling in a serious direction. And the funny thing... we've got it! Just have to cross the 't's and dot the 'i's and the money is ours. This is where the questions come up...
Are we absolutely serious about this? Can we put in the time to make it work? Can I put in the time to make it work? I'd be the primary handler of the store - Bree would remain working at the hardware store while I did this.
But I guess the biggest question is this: is the store worth what the current owner wants for the inventory? There is a good deal of product that hasn't turned over in years... but it's hard to tell whether or not a change in marketting strategies would remedy that.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be doing a complete inventory of the store to see if the viable product outweighs the currently inviable product, and just how much of the "worthless" product I'll be stuck with in the end. If the decent product is at or close to the asking price, this would be worth my time... if it isn't... well, we'll see what happens.
Hopefully, in a few months time, I'll be posting about what it's like to own my own business.
First up was Bree's birthday week. Since I've met her, I've been able to enjoy her family tradition of having a week long birthday. During that entire week, you're sprinkled with presents and taken out to dinner any number of times. The birthday week led to a number of events that kept me nice and busy.
There was the night out at the Alehouse that left Bree so hung over that she spent most of the next day vomitting everything she'd eaten over the last month. Charming, I know.
A trip to Sea World with her parents occupied another day - a very pleasant day, I might add.
Simon's Bakery for dinner on her birthday was an occassion of note - a charming little bistro here in Sarasota that is just delightful. Food of note: Sesame Tuna with Seaweed Salad appetizer. To die for.
Since Bree's birthday, I've started to find time for myself again (she's too obsessed with the Nintendo DS I bought her to notice the universe around her). Item of note there is my store-y of the week.
It looks like it would be entirely feasible that I may be starting my own business within the next couple of months.
The owner of my local comic and game shop is looking to close down by the end of the year or so, and is willing to sell me his entire inventory and fixture set for a seemingly low cost. Bree and I have both wanted to own a comic shop to call ours for some time now, and we've got dozens of ideas just pouring out on how to run a successful shop (they range from expanding the miniature gaming section to video games to reintroducing the anime crowd from the area, as they currently have nowhere worth going).
We've projected that we'd need about $50,000 worth of startup capital to get the ball rolling in a serious direction. And the funny thing... we've got it! Just have to cross the 't's and dot the 'i's and the money is ours. This is where the questions come up...
Are we absolutely serious about this? Can we put in the time to make it work? Can I put in the time to make it work? I'd be the primary handler of the store - Bree would remain working at the hardware store while I did this.
But I guess the biggest question is this: is the store worth what the current owner wants for the inventory? There is a good deal of product that hasn't turned over in years... but it's hard to tell whether or not a change in marketting strategies would remedy that.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be doing a complete inventory of the store to see if the viable product outweighs the currently inviable product, and just how much of the "worthless" product I'll be stuck with in the end. If the decent product is at or close to the asking price, this would be worth my time... if it isn't... well, we'll see what happens.
Hopefully, in a few months time, I'll be posting about what it's like to own my own business.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A Crabby Day...
As I've said before, I'm an ass. It works for me. But that doesn't change the fact that people are too sensitive these days.
I'm well known among my circles to be outspoken and, at times, abrasive. I tend to think of it as not being afraid to say what should be said.
Do I think you were an idiot for staying in a bad relationship with X?
Yes.
Do I think you look fat in that dress?
Probably.
I'm not going to hold back. That's not who I am.
That said, I'm not an ass in that "deliberately hurtful" sort of way. I'll tell you what I think - be it negative or positive... IF I'M ASKED. If you don't ask me, I probably don't care enough to tell you.
So it tends to grind my gears when a friend on mine, whom I did a hell of a lot of legwork for when it came to setting him up with his new girlfried, eggs me on into saying some quasi-offensive, then turns around an turns into a little bitch because what I said was 'out of line.'
Kind of funny... considering that (a) he should know me better than that and (2) even his new lady friend picked up on my personality type and wasn't offended by it.
Best of all - apparently, the only person who actually got in trouble here was him... because she didn't like that he bitched out on me.
Karma... you are a most powerful force, indeed.
In light of all this drama (that I never care to be a part of), I decided to treat myself this morning to a delightful little cafe here in Sarasota called Word of Mout. For anyone in the area, they have a location on the corner of Bee Ridge and Cattlemen, and you'd be foolish not to go.
The atmosphere is simplistically comfortable, with simple colored tables and little wooden chairs to match. Word of Mouth doesn't need to create a dynamic environment to lure people in, however, as their service is top notch and the food is unique and delightful.
This morning, I had a remarkably prompt cup of coffee, a fresh baked blueberry muffin (still piping hot from the oven), and a crab frittata. That's right, a frittata served with a heaping pile of real crab meat, cheese, spinach, and some other stuff I don't know the name of. I'm not a food critic, but I do get around and try a lot of things (still need to post about that low country boil)... and I can tell you that this was the best breakfast joint I've been to in a long time.
Best of all? I paid maybe a dollar more than I would have on a trip to the local Denny's.
If you're in the area, check out Word of Mouth Cafe. If you're not, do yourself a favor. Get out to those little food joints in your area. The smaller, the better - forget that chain nonsense. Let me know how you enjoyed them - we'll post some of your comments up here and start giving your local favorites some 'word of mouth' of our own.
I'm well known among my circles to be outspoken and, at times, abrasive. I tend to think of it as not being afraid to say what should be said.
Do I think you were an idiot for staying in a bad relationship with X?
Yes.
Do I think you look fat in that dress?
Probably.
I'm not going to hold back. That's not who I am.
That said, I'm not an ass in that "deliberately hurtful" sort of way. I'll tell you what I think - be it negative or positive... IF I'M ASKED. If you don't ask me, I probably don't care enough to tell you.
So it tends to grind my gears when a friend on mine, whom I did a hell of a lot of legwork for when it came to setting him up with his new girlfried, eggs me on into saying some quasi-offensive, then turns around an turns into a little bitch because what I said was 'out of line.'
Kind of funny... considering that (a) he should know me better than that and (2) even his new lady friend picked up on my personality type and wasn't offended by it.
Best of all - apparently, the only person who actually got in trouble here was him... because she didn't like that he bitched out on me.
Karma... you are a most powerful force, indeed.
In light of all this drama (that I never care to be a part of), I decided to treat myself this morning to a delightful little cafe here in Sarasota called Word of Mout. For anyone in the area, they have a location on the corner of Bee Ridge and Cattlemen, and you'd be foolish not to go.
The atmosphere is simplistically comfortable, with simple colored tables and little wooden chairs to match. Word of Mouth doesn't need to create a dynamic environment to lure people in, however, as their service is top notch and the food is unique and delightful.
This morning, I had a remarkably prompt cup of coffee, a fresh baked blueberry muffin (still piping hot from the oven), and a crab frittata. That's right, a frittata served with a heaping pile of real crab meat, cheese, spinach, and some other stuff I don't know the name of. I'm not a food critic, but I do get around and try a lot of things (still need to post about that low country boil)... and I can tell you that this was the best breakfast joint I've been to in a long time.
Best of all? I paid maybe a dollar more than I would have on a trip to the local Denny's.
If you're in the area, check out Word of Mouth Cafe. If you're not, do yourself a favor. Get out to those little food joints in your area. The smaller, the better - forget that chain nonsense. Let me know how you enjoyed them - we'll post some of your comments up here and start giving your local favorites some 'word of mouth' of our own.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
De-Cluttering to Expose the Simple Joys
I’m a gatherer.
I collect and store and keep and save almost everything.
I’ve got a closest full of cards from defunct games that I’ll never play again. Video games that won’t ever light up another console pack a storage chest in my front room. Books I’ve read a dozen times are crammed between bookends on my coffee tables. I’m actually beginning to think that I’m running out of space to store things.
And you know what?
I don’t need most of it.
Here’s what I need: to start going through all this junk and start trashing the worthless crap, and cataloguing the decent stuff for sale.
I was a bit bored last night, so I started de-cluttering by emptying out a closet in my game room. What I found was a whole lot of new storage space, and what turned into an evening of fun. I uncovered Bree’s old collection of LEGOs from her childhood. We busted it out and went LEGO crazy… building a LEGO boat… and a LEGO research station… and all that other good stuff.
It was good, old fashioned, thoroughly entertaining fun. Exactly what we both need to get our minds off some of the menial stresses of the weekend. And we’ll probably do it again another night when we just need to unwind.
Take 10 minutes today… clear out drawer, or closet, or a crawlspace… see what you find. Make you can use it to make a couple bucks on ebay to spring for a nice day out, or maybe you’ll just find something good and wholesome to play with and recapture just a little bit of your childhood.
I collect and store and keep and save almost everything.
I’ve got a closest full of cards from defunct games that I’ll never play again. Video games that won’t ever light up another console pack a storage chest in my front room. Books I’ve read a dozen times are crammed between bookends on my coffee tables. I’m actually beginning to think that I’m running out of space to store things.
And you know what?
I don’t need most of it.
Here’s what I need: to start going through all this junk and start trashing the worthless crap, and cataloguing the decent stuff for sale.
I was a bit bored last night, so I started de-cluttering by emptying out a closet in my game room. What I found was a whole lot of new storage space, and what turned into an evening of fun. I uncovered Bree’s old collection of LEGOs from her childhood. We busted it out and went LEGO crazy… building a LEGO boat… and a LEGO research station… and all that other good stuff.
It was good, old fashioned, thoroughly entertaining fun. Exactly what we both need to get our minds off some of the menial stresses of the weekend. And we’ll probably do it again another night when we just need to unwind.
Take 10 minutes today… clear out drawer, or closet, or a crawlspace… see what you find. Make you can use it to make a couple bucks on ebay to spring for a nice day out, or maybe you’ll just find something good and wholesome to play with and recapture just a little bit of your childhood.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Rays Lose, But Fans Still Win... and a Perspective on Family
Last night, I sat in the stands surrounded by fans who flocked to Tropicana Field not to watch the floundering Tampa Bay Rays, but to wait eagerly through the ball game for a live performance by the Beach Boys.
The game, itself, was a disappointment on the Rays' part - but this is something to be expected of the team (so much so, that it seemed that almost everybody there was either waiting for the Beach Boys, or went solely to cheer on the Detriot Tigers).
While the final box score was 8-6, Tigers favor, this was a larger gap than it seems. The loss was only salvaged by Rays 'savior' Evan Longoria, who pounded a 3 run homer in the first inning. After this at-bat, Longoria, like the rest of the team, acheived little for the rest of the night. I recall no 3rd base plays, and I watched him either strike out, or had any of his plays cut short by the Tigers' first baseman on each of his subsequent at-bats.
This was, sadly, the highlight of the game.
The real joy last night came at about 11 o'clock when the Beach Boys made it on to center field. Mike Love and Bruce Johnston failed to disappoint, drawing tremendous cheers from the crowd as they, and the newest generation of replacement Beach Boys played up that same ol' routine that's thrilled for years, and left everyone leaving the stadium with a smile on his or her face.
I may hate the beach, but I don't thin anyone could hate the Beach Boys.
And, like they reminded up at the end of their show, everyone have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day.
As for me, I'll be spending Labor Day with the missus and her family, partaking in some kind of something-or-other boil thing... I have no idea what it is - though, I'll let you all know sometime next week.
Happy Labor Day!
The game, itself, was a disappointment on the Rays' part - but this is something to be expected of the team (so much so, that it seemed that almost everybody there was either waiting for the Beach Boys, or went solely to cheer on the Detriot Tigers).
While the final box score was 8-6, Tigers favor, this was a larger gap than it seems. The loss was only salvaged by Rays 'savior' Evan Longoria, who pounded a 3 run homer in the first inning. After this at-bat, Longoria, like the rest of the team, acheived little for the rest of the night. I recall no 3rd base plays, and I watched him either strike out, or had any of his plays cut short by the Tigers' first baseman on each of his subsequent at-bats.
This was, sadly, the highlight of the game.
The real joy last night came at about 11 o'clock when the Beach Boys made it on to center field. Mike Love and Bruce Johnston failed to disappoint, drawing tremendous cheers from the crowd as they, and the newest generation of replacement Beach Boys played up that same ol' routine that's thrilled for years, and left everyone leaving the stadium with a smile on his or her face.
I may hate the beach, but I don't thin anyone could hate the Beach Boys.
And, like they reminded up at the end of their show, everyone have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day.
As for me, I'll be spending Labor Day with the missus and her family, partaking in some kind of something-or-other boil thing... I have no idea what it is - though, I'll let you all know sometime next week.
Happy Labor Day!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Giving Myself Some Credit...
Like most Americans, I have some credit card debt.
Unlike most Americans, I'm proud of that credit card debt.
All the debt I've accumulated via my credit cards is a symbol of my independence. It was all garnered helping me get through school.
Don't get me wrong - I still had a job in college, and I still had scholarships and student loans... they just weren't quite enough. And I didn't really have family to fall back on. As I've hinted before, my family doesn't exactly recognize me as family 99% of the time, so my mother was too busy paying for most of my older sister's schooling and purchasing brand new cars for her husband and my younger sister.
So with no money left for me, it was time to fall back on some credit cards.
Now that I'm "all grown up" and looking to jump into freelance writing (a field that can be extremely PUNISHING in the first two years to people without the barest of bills), it's time to hit my debt. Up until now, I'd been making moderate payments above the minimum for my two credit cards, my student loan, and my car payment. But I really want to start hammering chunks of this debt out of the way.
I've been reading about a debt elimination plan known as "snowballing" over at Get Rich Slowly.
Basically, the idea is that you pay the minimum payments on all your debts, EXCEPT for the one with the lowest payoff amount. Put all the other money you've got towards hitting that small debt, then move up the line when you pay it off. The psychological boost is supposed to help you overcome the daunting task of paying off debts and getting that monkey off your back.
Give it a try - I know I will. Hopefully, in a year's time, I'll be close to debt free.
Unlike most Americans, I'm proud of that credit card debt.
All the debt I've accumulated via my credit cards is a symbol of my independence. It was all garnered helping me get through school.
Don't get me wrong - I still had a job in college, and I still had scholarships and student loans... they just weren't quite enough. And I didn't really have family to fall back on. As I've hinted before, my family doesn't exactly recognize me as family 99% of the time, so my mother was too busy paying for most of my older sister's schooling and purchasing brand new cars for her husband and my younger sister.
So with no money left for me, it was time to fall back on some credit cards.
Now that I'm "all grown up" and looking to jump into freelance writing (a field that can be extremely PUNISHING in the first two years to people without the barest of bills), it's time to hit my debt. Up until now, I'd been making moderate payments above the minimum for my two credit cards, my student loan, and my car payment. But I really want to start hammering chunks of this debt out of the way.
I've been reading about a debt elimination plan known as "snowballing" over at Get Rich Slowly.
Basically, the idea is that you pay the minimum payments on all your debts, EXCEPT for the one with the lowest payoff amount. Put all the other money you've got towards hitting that small debt, then move up the line when you pay it off. The psychological boost is supposed to help you overcome the daunting task of paying off debts and getting that monkey off your back.
Give it a try - I know I will. Hopefully, in a year's time, I'll be close to debt free.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
State of the Union Address...
Let's start today's post with a bit of a shout out. Conventionl Cognizance got its first comment yesterday from either Patrick or Melody over at He and She Reviews. Can't be more specific than that, since I don't actually know which one of them wrote it. Come to think of it... I don't actually know ethier of them, anyway. Which is great, by the way. It means that somewhere on the Inter-Webs out there, at least one person is reading Conventional Cognizance.
So a big thanks to Patrick or Melody (or both) for reading and commenting! And, apparently, those two crazy kids (I have to use the term loosely, as they're both older than I am) are to be wed sometime in the future - so congratulations to them on that!
If you've got some time, you might want to check out He and She Reviews. It's a nice little blog from what I've read so far, despite the lack of a review for Batman: Arkham Asylum (although, let's face it, any review for that game should read "Greatest game ever... can't keep reviewing... must play more Batman"). So go check it out, I know I will.
Okay, now that I've have my 'up' for the day, here comes the 'down.' I came across an article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune today. Check it out.
Done reading?
No?
I'll wait...
Okay then... are you kidding me?!
I've said this before to my friends, and I'll say it again here: Teachers' Unions are the worst thing to happen to America... EVER. PERIOD.
And that statement, ladies and gentlemen, is by no means a knee jerk reaction. I spent the last 2 years of my life working for the Sarasota County School Board as a teacher. As far as the classroom work is concerned, I loved absolutely every minute of it. I loved exciting the kids' imaginations; I loved when I drew them into a topic enough to get them asking questions and thirsting for more answers; I loved when parents felt the need to come and meet me because their kids just couldn't stop talking about what I taught them; I loved the calling.
That's what teaching is. A calling. Rather... that's what teaching should be. That's also why I got out of the teaching game.
I was surrounded day in and day out with other teachers (in many cases, I have to use the term very loosely) more concerned with how far their parking spaces were from their classes than the progress of special needs students. More concerned with how much of a financial bonus they could earn from AP testing than making sure their students truly understood the material. More concerned with getting that full half an hour for lunch or leaving right at the end of the paid duty day than giving the extra 15 minutes to a student who was struggling.
Too many teachers obsess over their contracts and want to run off to the union every twenty seconds. My own mother is one of those teachers. They care about the paycheck over the students, because "hey, they're not my children." First, if you became a teacher for the fabulous pay... you're an idiot. Second, they are your children. For a year of their life, you're going to have a great deal of influence on them. If you can't accept that, you need to get out of that profession, because you're hurting America.
And now I see that the union is willing to fight for the "rights" of a teacher who has abused what I consider to be a quasi-sacred trust?! Oh... did I mention that there's a chance the school district is going to pay for her legal costs?! Or that and other teacher in the county has a problem with this doesn't seem to be speaking up?! Who is protecting these children?!
I'm so disgusted by this chain of events that all I can is that this is why I'm done with the Sarasota County School Board. I spent two remarkable years with two equally remarkable sets of students who still contact me from time to time to let me know how they're doing. I made an impact on their lives. Hopefully, it was the positive impact I wanted to make. I don't want to risk becoming as jaded by the system. I don't want to forget why I did what I did. I don't want to become as much of a mockery and a humilation to the calling that these so-called 'teachers,' who hide behind their contracts and their all-powerful union, have become.
And that's all I have to say on the subject.
So a big thanks to Patrick or Melody (or both) for reading and commenting! And, apparently, those two crazy kids (I have to use the term loosely, as they're both older than I am) are to be wed sometime in the future - so congratulations to them on that!
If you've got some time, you might want to check out He and She Reviews. It's a nice little blog from what I've read so far, despite the lack of a review for Batman: Arkham Asylum (although, let's face it, any review for that game should read "Greatest game ever... can't keep reviewing... must play more Batman"). So go check it out, I know I will.
Okay, now that I've have my 'up' for the day, here comes the 'down.' I came across an article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune today. Check it out.
Done reading?
No?
I'll wait...
Okay then... are you kidding me?!
I've said this before to my friends, and I'll say it again here: Teachers' Unions are the worst thing to happen to America... EVER. PERIOD.
And that statement, ladies and gentlemen, is by no means a knee jerk reaction. I spent the last 2 years of my life working for the Sarasota County School Board as a teacher. As far as the classroom work is concerned, I loved absolutely every minute of it. I loved exciting the kids' imaginations; I loved when I drew them into a topic enough to get them asking questions and thirsting for more answers; I loved when parents felt the need to come and meet me because their kids just couldn't stop talking about what I taught them; I loved the calling.
That's what teaching is. A calling. Rather... that's what teaching should be. That's also why I got out of the teaching game.
I was surrounded day in and day out with other teachers (in many cases, I have to use the term very loosely) more concerned with how far their parking spaces were from their classes than the progress of special needs students. More concerned with how much of a financial bonus they could earn from AP testing than making sure their students truly understood the material. More concerned with getting that full half an hour for lunch or leaving right at the end of the paid duty day than giving the extra 15 minutes to a student who was struggling.
Too many teachers obsess over their contracts and want to run off to the union every twenty seconds. My own mother is one of those teachers. They care about the paycheck over the students, because "hey, they're not my children." First, if you became a teacher for the fabulous pay... you're an idiot. Second, they are your children. For a year of their life, you're going to have a great deal of influence on them. If you can't accept that, you need to get out of that profession, because you're hurting America.
And now I see that the union is willing to fight for the "rights" of a teacher who has abused what I consider to be a quasi-sacred trust?! Oh... did I mention that there's a chance the school district is going to pay for her legal costs?! Or that and other teacher in the county has a problem with this doesn't seem to be speaking up?! Who is protecting these children?!
I'm so disgusted by this chain of events that all I can is that this is why I'm done with the Sarasota County School Board. I spent two remarkable years with two equally remarkable sets of students who still contact me from time to time to let me know how they're doing. I made an impact on their lives. Hopefully, it was the positive impact I wanted to make. I don't want to risk becoming as jaded by the system. I don't want to forget why I did what I did. I don't want to become as much of a mockery and a humilation to the calling that these so-called 'teachers,' who hide behind their contracts and their all-powerful union, have become.
And that's all I have to say on the subject.
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