Sometimes you just have to make your own stuff. Or at least, figure out how to modify it. I hate the idea of paying 30 bucks for a Blackberry holster.
Thirty bucks? Are you kiddin' me? That's my allowance for an entire month. That's more than I spent on my phone. For a phone pouch you wanted how much again?
These people don't realize we are in a recession. Look, if the U.S. Government is giving national banks billions of dollars (well, okay, loaning) wouldn't that give you a clue we are in distressed times? And you want me to give you 30 frog skins for a leather pouch the size of a postage stamp. Come on people!
There's a friendly guy at my local shoe shop where I get new soles for my penny loafers. I took it to him. I showed him what I wanted (see sketch). A day later I picked up my new holster for $12. Now that's service.
I think these malls need to mark a few things down. Their prices are higher than a helium balloon. They all need to deflate their prices and come back to earth.
...dave
You can survive a stroke but the high prices for medication can give you a heart attack. - Berni Mac
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
a lake, colors, and communication
Sometimes I just have to stop and smell the roses, literally.
Before the leaves fall and winter arrives, we decided to take a ride up to Blue Ridge. It was a little early for the color but we did manage to find many trees changing.
On the way up we drove through a burger place and treated ourselves to some onion rings and a shake, something I rarely have. Then we went to Vogel park. While Ruth slept in the car I sketched some paddle boats.
But the time we enjoyed the most was just talking on the way. Oddly, we didn't even turn the radio on. We just enjoyed laughing and talking for eight hours throughout the trip.
I think we get so busy that we forget to communicate. it's important to turn off all the noise and just talk to each other.
...dave
Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Before the leaves fall and winter arrives, we decided to take a ride up to Blue Ridge. It was a little early for the color but we did manage to find many trees changing.
On the way up we drove through a burger place and treated ourselves to some onion rings and a shake, something I rarely have. Then we went to Vogel park. While Ruth slept in the car I sketched some paddle boats.
But the time we enjoyed the most was just talking on the way. Oddly, we didn't even turn the radio on. We just enjoyed laughing and talking for eight hours throughout the trip.
I think we get so busy that we forget to communicate. it's important to turn off all the noise and just talk to each other.
...dave
Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Thursday, October 23, 2008
golden fries
McD's fries are the best. I've had fries from almost every dinner but it really comes down to the crunchy brown golden fries at McD's.
I try not to eat them often but where there is a choice between McD's and some other, it's McD's hands down.
And so I sat and chewed them while watching the traffic outside. All those folks in a big rush to get home before the sun got lost beyond the horizon. The rain didn't slow their pace when the light changed.
But I had yet another meeting to go to. It was too late to return home for a meal and so it was McD's for dinner.
And as I ate my burger and fries I thought about all the folks bunched up at the red light. Then the red light turned green and glowed in it's reflection on the wet blacktop. The red taillights dimmed as the drivers moved their feet to the accelerator. And they went off. Rain water spraying behind their rubber tires.
Tables near the kid's gym cried rain water onto the patio below them. There were no children playing on them.
Beeping noises from the fryers interrupted my thoughts and made me realize I had only minutes to get to my next meeting. I'd have to cross through the commuters to get there.
I tossed the hood of the Northface jacket over my head, tucked my coffee cup into my chest and headed out the door.
Golden fries and hot coffee warmed my tummy.
...dave
You have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by. - James Matthew Barrie (Scottish Novelist best known as the creator of Peter Pan, 1860-1937)
I try not to eat them often but where there is a choice between McD's and some other, it's McD's hands down.
And so I sat and chewed them while watching the traffic outside. All those folks in a big rush to get home before the sun got lost beyond the horizon. The rain didn't slow their pace when the light changed.
But I had yet another meeting to go to. It was too late to return home for a meal and so it was McD's for dinner.
And as I ate my burger and fries I thought about all the folks bunched up at the red light. Then the red light turned green and glowed in it's reflection on the wet blacktop. The red taillights dimmed as the drivers moved their feet to the accelerator. And they went off. Rain water spraying behind their rubber tires.
Tables near the kid's gym cried rain water onto the patio below them. There were no children playing on them.
Beeping noises from the fryers interrupted my thoughts and made me realize I had only minutes to get to my next meeting. I'd have to cross through the commuters to get there.
I tossed the hood of the Northface jacket over my head, tucked my coffee cup into my chest and headed out the door.
Golden fries and hot coffee warmed my tummy.
...dave
You have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by. - James Matthew Barrie (Scottish Novelist best known as the creator of Peter Pan, 1860-1937)
Sunday, October 05, 2008
A #2 with an attitude
I found these great pencil clips on eBay. I bought 12 for $8.
These are sort of old fashioned I think. At least, I can't find them in any of my big modern office supply stores.
But I think they're a good idea that's been lost.
I've tried keeping pencils behind my ear but they pop off when I put on eye protection or a hard hat. I've tried keeping them in the leather tool bag but don't like rummaging around poking my fingers while searching for them in a bag of screws or nails.
Even the little pencil pockets on the tool pouch don't work for me. The power tool cords are always hanging up on the them and eventually they break in half just at the top of the pencil slot. Then I'm trying to fish them out of the slot with a pair of needle nose pliers.
But clipping them upside down inside my T-shirt sleeve works great. If I break a #2 in half, I get two stubbies for the price of one. And if I sharpen both ends I can just flip the pencil end-for-end to get a new clean point. If I clip two of them to the sleeve, I'll always a have sharp point the entire day. Besides, it's a fashion statement. I think everyone will be wearing them soon.
The retro look makes them fun to draw. The subtle curves and shiny metal parts present a good drawing challenge.
Better yet, I think the look of this little stubby with it's metal pencil clip projects a sort of attitude:
"I'm ready for business, get out of my way."
...dave
The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism was dead. - Robert Brault
我 找到了这些 好的铅笔夹子。 我买了十二。 他们费用8美国 元。
他们非常老态， 因为不在我新的大商店找到了。
These are sort of old fashioned I think. At least, I can't find them in any of my big modern office supply stores.
But I think they're a good idea that's been lost.
- They prevent the pencil from rolling along the workbench.
- They work well on stubbies, such as golf pencils.
- They are very sturdy, nearly indestructible.
- They look so retro, which is to say "old" in a cool sort of way.
I've tried keeping pencils behind my ear but they pop off when I put on eye protection or a hard hat. I've tried keeping them in the leather tool bag but don't like rummaging around poking my fingers while searching for them in a bag of screws or nails.
Even the little pencil pockets on the tool pouch don't work for me. The power tool cords are always hanging up on the them and eventually they break in half just at the top of the pencil slot. Then I'm trying to fish them out of the slot with a pair of needle nose pliers.
But clipping them upside down inside my T-shirt sleeve works great. If I break a #2 in half, I get two stubbies for the price of one. And if I sharpen both ends I can just flip the pencil end-for-end to get a new clean point. If I clip two of them to the sleeve, I'll always a have sharp point the entire day. Besides, it's a fashion statement. I think everyone will be wearing them soon.
The retro look makes them fun to draw. The subtle curves and shiny metal parts present a good drawing challenge.
Better yet, I think the look of this little stubby with it's metal pencil clip projects a sort of attitude:
"I'm ready for business, get out of my way."
...dave
The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism was dead. - Robert Brault
我 找到了这些 好的铅笔夹子。 我买了十二。 他们费用8美国 元。
他们非常老态， 因为不在我新的大商店找到了。
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Sanding boards
This day was a board sanding day.
Mission: sand a stack of boards for reuse on the remodel. Why buy more wood and kill more trees when I can simply sand, nail, caulk and paint? So that's what I did.
I always forget just how rough the sandpaper is on my hands. Days later, when my hands have dried and the loose skin of my fingers flake as barbed wire, I wish I'd worn gloves. My fingers snag the material of my silk ties and create pills.
And when I shake a hand at a business meeting, I receive a questioning look, from the person who doubts my office profession. "How can this be," they wonder, "his hands feel as rough as a sanding block"? I feel an impostor. Business by day. Laborer by night. I choke back an excuse.
Truth is, I love wood. I love working with wood. Especially oak. White oak. Specifically while plying the wood with a plane and sander, it's fragrance is wonderful. Wood shavings snow the workbench and my work boots are dusted with a golden glow of oak sawdust.
I sand beyond the paint and wonder over the insanity of painted wood. I sand to see the grain, I sand to feel the texture, I sand to reveal the beauty of the natural tree.
I often have wanted to plant an oak tree in the backyard. Watch it grow to a full height. Cut it down and build something. A table, a chair, a rocker. Someday maybe. I hear oaks take years to grow.
Perhaps I'll plant some grape vines nearby. After building the table and oak barrels, I'll pluck some grapes and make some wine. I know I'll need lots of time for this. I wonder if it's too late to start now. Maybe I ought to get started. Tomorrow.
For now I'll draw trees and oak boards and stacks of wood sanded down. It's what I have time for.
...dave
Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. - Warren Buffett
Mission: sand a stack of boards for reuse on the remodel. Why buy more wood and kill more trees when I can simply sand, nail, caulk and paint? So that's what I did.
I always forget just how rough the sandpaper is on my hands. Days later, when my hands have dried and the loose skin of my fingers flake as barbed wire, I wish I'd worn gloves. My fingers snag the material of my silk ties and create pills.
And when I shake a hand at a business meeting, I receive a questioning look, from the person who doubts my office profession. "How can this be," they wonder, "his hands feel as rough as a sanding block"? I feel an impostor. Business by day. Laborer by night. I choke back an excuse.
Truth is, I love wood. I love working with wood. Especially oak. White oak. Specifically while plying the wood with a plane and sander, it's fragrance is wonderful. Wood shavings snow the workbench and my work boots are dusted with a golden glow of oak sawdust.
I sand beyond the paint and wonder over the insanity of painted wood. I sand to see the grain, I sand to feel the texture, I sand to reveal the beauty of the natural tree.
I often have wanted to plant an oak tree in the backyard. Watch it grow to a full height. Cut it down and build something. A table, a chair, a rocker. Someday maybe. I hear oaks take years to grow.
Perhaps I'll plant some grape vines nearby. After building the table and oak barrels, I'll pluck some grapes and make some wine. I know I'll need lots of time for this. I wonder if it's too late to start now. Maybe I ought to get started. Tomorrow.
For now I'll draw trees and oak boards and stacks of wood sanded down. It's what I have time for.
...dave
Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. - Warren Buffett
Friday, October 03, 2008
Beer Thirty
Got hooked on that "How Do They Do That?" show. Very cool. The beer one was cool. Which reminds me of an investment story going around:
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you would have $49.00 today.
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you would have $33.00 today.
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you would have $0.00 today.
But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you would have received $214.00.
And then of course there is the punch line:
Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the 401-Keg.
...dave
The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not. - Mark Twain
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you would have $49.00 today.
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you would have $33.00 today.
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you would have $0.00 today.
But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you would have received $214.00.
And then of course there is the punch line:
Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the 401-Keg.
...dave
The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not. - Mark Twain
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