PLD

http://www.biggreenegg.com/

I strain it and save it with the foolish idea that I'll reuse it before it goes bad. Which I never do.... A few notes about safety when frying. NEVER fry too big a bird. I did that one year (it's just a little too much...) and when I dunked it into the oil, the body cavity created an instant boiling oil eruption. It's only thick mitts, fast reflexes, and a healthy dose of luck that saved me from a really severe burn. The resulting fire was spectacular and frightening, but did little more than ruin the pot and kill alot of grass. My wife's boss was not so lucky. Same situation and he now looks like a patchwork quilt from all the grafting. He's not melanin deficient like me, so it's particularly noticible with all the different shades and skin tones that make up his hands, arms, belly, neck, upper legs, etc. Also, the fryers are quite top heavy. Stabilize and secure them to prevent tipping. I screw mine to an old pallet that also serves to catch the spatter.

Beth, Thank you (and the person who answered PM) for taking the time to actually formulate a response. The BBB reference was particularly helpful. I do have an additional question, but I'll post that in a seperate thread.

Carlos, I think alot of that self-defense and posturing is unneccessary and a horrible waste of time. Take my recent posts for example. Every time I ask the question "Why should I be a PWNA member?",the conversation deteriorates into a slug fest between the pro's and con's. I'm not throwing the question out as chum. I really want to know. So far, I have not yet heard a compelling answer. And IMHO, these common replies do not qualify as compelling answers: "Because it's good for your business" "Because it's good for the industry" "Access to the BBS" "Free magazine." "You spend $200 on o-rings" "discounts on certifications/conventions" "Join and you will see" "If you would talk less and do more for the org, you would know" "Show up at a convention and find out" Perhaps I'm asking too much, but what I want is meat and potatoes answers. Good for my business - How? Join and I will see what? Come to the convention and experience what exactly? Of the list above, the only moderately compelling response is "discounts on certifications". If that is all there is to it, that is fine. Just say so. But if there is more to it that that, please explain what I/we don't understand. The NRA, AARP, ACLU, GOP, DNC, et.al. can tell you in 10 seconds or less why you should become a member. IMHO, the PWNA needs to be in a position to do the same. In 25 words or less, convince me why I should become a PWNA member.

I pay my guys hourly, and it has posed some issues. Excessive work times, etc. I am considering paying by the job, but fear that it will make it harder to get/keep good people. So, I pose the question to you: How do you pay your guys.

Huh? Taking context into account, I assume that you mean the members get out more than they put into it? Ummm... Sitting down and writing a check for $200 is a little more than just talk. Down here, we call that "putting your money where you mouth is" Now, if we're talking about an all volunteer effort where our $20 annual dues cover the copies, the newsletter, and a PO Box, then you're dead on. The membership needs to pitch in or bow out. But we're not. We're talking about an organization that asks for $200 up front. And a legitimate response to that request is "what do I get in return?" To which I have yet to get a response that is consistent with the request. Now that we've defined the actions items for the membership, the next action item for the leadership is? I'll be glad to do my part. Please let me know what I can do to be of assistance that doesn't begin with me writing a check. Anyway, back to the original topic: What I expect from my org for $200 is more than this: Member rates to register for Annual Convention, Certification training and tests, boot camps Members only BBS (got it, TGS) Mentor program (got it, TGS) MGA Insurance program Networking (got it, TGS) On-line Member Search (got it, TGS) On-line Resource Service (got it, TGS) Savings programs - rental cars, shipping, credit card processing, business purchasing (can you say Amex/costco/sams?) Subscription to the PWNA Water Works Newsletter Subscription to Cleaner Times Technical Support Network (got it, TGS) Use of PWNA logo – on your business cards, bid packages, advertising Now let's distill that down to what I get that I don't already have for free right here at TGS: Member rates to register for Annual Convention, Certification training and tests, boot camps Subscription to the PWNA Water Works Newsletter Subscription to Cleaner Times Use of PWNA logo – on your business cards, bid packages, advertising That's not much for $200.... Don't get me wrong. I'm not down on the PWNA or to cheap to part with $200. In fact, I'd have no problem if TGS charged $200/year. TGS provides a real value proposition to my business. I am, however, weary of seeing the discussion turned back on the members/non-members whenever the topic of what I expect from a national org. Either the PWNA puts itself forward as a represenative of the industry, or it does not. If it does, then $200 is a bargain and we (members and non) have a right to expect certain things of it. If it does not, then please make that clear so we can begin looking for a group that does. However, if it does not then you can count me out because I can get cleaner times and a nifty marketing logo for a whole lot less money and effort.

While that makes for excellent theater, the reality is not quite so simple. The relationship between and org and it's members is symbiotic and synergistic. When that relationship becomes imbalanced, the first thing that dies is the created synergies. In later stages, the org dies of starvation and neglect. And while it may suffer from opportunity lost, the member almost never dies as a result of the orgs collapse. I think a great deal of the discussion regarding membership (or not) in the existing org is that the non-members can clearly define the benefits provided to the org, but cannot clearly define the benefits derived fro the org. More specifically, what the org sees as a member benefit and what the potential member sees as a member benefit are not aligned.

We face this exact issue with the national rocketry orgs. And the answer is simple. If we could enforce or mandate members behavior (regarding legality and ethics) we would. However, we cannot. So, we have done the best we could and mandated what we could control. The registration of your business and the purchase of insurance.

Well, this org (TGS) works just fine for me and it's cheap too. My customers have never heard of it, but they have never heard of the other orgs either.

Drop the xjet below that 5ft point and let it prime. Once it has primed, raise it back to working position. Should be fine if you're only short 5ft. Keep in mind there will always be some height above which the xjet will not draw. If it will maintain an established prime with an open trigger, you have exceeded the x-jets draw height. Either raise the chems, lower the xjet, or pump the chems to the xjet.

I think if you check the label you'll find that it's a diluted butyl caustic. Try industrial butyl caustic undiluted, and you'll be repainting the gutters and likely the house. Buy concentrated, mix as needed, save $$ and your back.

I had some white gutters where the black streaks WOULD NOT come off. 3 rounds of butyl caustic solution and scrub brush, and they were not even phased. I don't know what had happened to make them this way, but they were permanent. Same solution that I just spray and rinse everyone else with. Anyway, the customer insisted that I try again, and wanted to know if I had anything stronger. I tried to talk her off the ledge, but she wouldn't hear it. So, at her insistence I went at the gutters with straight butyl caustic and a soft rag. After I rinsed about 2 feet to reveal shiny clean aluminum... She was PO'd, but couldn't do anything but fume. I said no several times, but she had persisted. I still think about that when I pass the house every so often. They have since painted the gutters, and it looks like crap.

Get a cup of coffee and start reading this forum. Dig deep and read old threads. There's more here than any 5 books you could buy, and the forum actually talks back.

Yes. You purchased a license, and you are now reselling that license to someoen else. The question is not whether you cost anyone a sale or not. If the vendor makes it available to you, and you take it without paying, you have stolen it. You can argue all you want about deep pockets, victimless crime, etc. But the fact of the matter is that stealing is stealing. In our profession a relevant example is taking water from a hydrant w/o a meter. Victimless: Arguably, yes. Stealing: Definitely, Yes. The content producers are working VERY hard to accomplish that now. HDTV is encoded and requires a special decoder to receive. Manufacturers of HDTV decoders that are placed into Tivo's, dish receivers, cable boxes, etc. pay a license fee to produce that card. In the end, you pay that license fee and it isn't cheap. That's why most 1st generation HDTV's were sold as "HDTV ready" (i.e. Hi-def screen, no decoder card). They were already expensive, and the cost of the decoder card made them above the reach of even the early adopters. Very early on as they were stabilizing standards and opening the market, anyone could produce an HDTV decoder. As of late 2003, it is illegal to produce non-licensed HDTV cards. And they are NOT granting licenses to manufacturers of products that can be used to save perfect copies to removable media. Take Tivo for example, Tivo (HDTV and non-HDTV) will now send your recordings to your PC. But it's in an proprietary encrypted format and marked with your Tivo ID#. Without breaking encryption (a violation of the DMCA), you cannot play that movie unless you have installed the Tivo software with the same ID#. The end result is that you cannot record a movie to archive unless you use their approved mechanism. And when you buy the device, you paid a license fee... What about VHS? It has already been announced that 2006 will be the last year that VHS movies will be produced. VCR's are expected to follow shortly thereafter... What about DVD recorders? Viable as long as analog signals persist. The end result will be that all future programing will be encoded and in order to get a HDTV decoder license, the manufacturer will have to comply with a list of standards. Among those standards will be denying the ability to record a program to removeable media unless the producer permits it. And HDTV signals contain the data to communicate that info to the recording device on a program by program basis. Even if permitted, the recording devices will likely be required to make the recording with Macrovision enabled so as to prevent making more than one copy. Anyway, I could go on much longer, but do a little google'ing and you'll see that the content producers very much want to stop you from recording CSI. They just don't have the means *today* to make that happen. Tomorrow, however, is a whole different ballgame.

Amen to that. There is something about your intonation when you use expletives that makes they *very* appealing to a youngster. We got ours a little play laptop so she could sit by daddy and play w/o killing my work. Imaging my surprise when out of the blue she stabbed her finger into the keyboard 2-3 times and shouted "Damnit"

Read the fine print... Rental price $3 = one time use license. Purchase price $15.00 = many time use license. You just stole $12, so why not go for $3 more and just swipe the disc and save yourself the grief of copying it. The reality of the whole thing is that the owner will ever know. But, does that make it right? Would it be wrong if I stole from you so long as you never knew? Something like stealing 1qt of gas from you car every other night. No. It's still stealing.

Do not underestimate the effect that sleeping in 2 hour shifts will have of your ability to focus, think, plan, etc. All nighters are no big deal, but sleep deprivation for months on end will affect you tremendously, and because of it's impact you may not even realize it is happening. To be honest, I'm not entirely certain that driving on month 0-3 should be legal.

This may be a little premature as I just found it today, but I wanted to get a jump start on it quickly. I found a large white fuzzy dog today. If it weren't for the snow white fur (minus dirt, tangles, and burs) I would say it is a labrador retriever. Anyway, It wandered up into my yard and took up with me. It was obviously lost, confused, and hungry, but still very friendly. I'm certain it is someone’s pet. If you know anyone who wants this dog, please call me ASAP. I can't keep him (4 cats and a snappy little dog) and he'll be headed to the pound tomorrow. Since this just happened, I cannot guarantee that the owner won't call me in the next few days and want him back. But, I didn't want to wait before posting this because once he gets to the pound tomorrow he has somewere between 3-7 days (depending on the # in custody) before he will be put down. Pic attached.

My squirrel ran away years ago. He looked happy to be free and I let him have it his way :)

I'm working up a bid for an office bldg. The bid is being requested by a large property management firm, and a good job/bid could open up a big opportunity future work. That said: The building is about 210x150 brick. Counting alcoves and courtyards, there is approx 1100 lin.ft. of wall. At various intervals up the wall, there are 5 bands of precast white concrete (contoured) varying from 6lin.in - 18lin.in. The bands are at located at approx 2ft, 4ft, 13ft, 15ft, and 24ft elevation. They want just these bands cleaned and sealed. Some rust, lost of black gook that looks like mildew. Bricks are "fairly" clean. Anyway, the total width of all bands is approximately 4.6sq.ft. per lin foot for a total area of about 4600sq.ft. I'm certain that a lift will be required as will masking. I was thinking of making a custom 10 ft spray shield for each band. Any suggestions for working and bidding this one? I'm thinking $2.50/sq/ft Pics to follow.

I tried to explain that to them, particularly since alot of the building has patches of effloruescence. Also, the masking wasn't for the cleaning, it was for applying the sealer. I'd hate for the brick to have darker shades from runs and the glass to be spattered from overspray.

At the risk of getting flamed... I'm not a hardliner or anything, I will download an old song that I want to hear once or twice, cannot locate the original (or it's on a dead media type like vinly), etc. Stuff that I would NEVER re-buy a whole album for a mere 3 minutes of entertainment. But downloading is stealing... And wholesale rip off of video's, CD's, etc is wrong. How would you like it if people found a means to steal your services... FWIW, I own a DVD burner and a DVD recorder. It's simply not worth the time and effort to buy blanks, buy cases, rip the DVD, burn a DVD, print a label, etc all to save $15.00.

Yes, she was. She only showed her strong side once or twice when I tried to walk away and leave her. She'd slowly walk broadside into my path and gently but very firmly push me back toward her area. Or, she'd stand beside me, hook her head around me and try to pull me backward like one of those big stage hooks they use when you suck on the open mic night. It wasn't mean or anything. It was actually very sweet. As for the heat, she was struggling when we walked the neighborhood looking for any info about her owner. The loop we did is only a half mile and that was all she could take.

I got that same impression. Not that they mistreated her, but not that they were particularly attentive to her either. Anytime my pets have gotten out/wandered off, I'm calling, putting up signs, patroling every street and neighboor hood with in 5 miles of home, etc. No one within several miles of my house could possibly overlook the fact that I was missing my dog. Them: 18 hours later and they hadn't even called the humane society to inquire.

Actually, I am a pitiful softie when it comes to critters. My wife is the pragmatist. If it were not for her, I would probably be broke as a result of various stray critters. Unfortunately, this one hit several pressure points that would have made fostering him really hard. My dog, my lack of a fence, this breeds size and need to roam, my need to ensure the safety of a tiny tot who plays in that same area, and let's forget a complete lack of time due to 3 struggling new business enterprises... Oh, and my wifes reaction to fostering a 100# new baby. So, I bit my lip and resolved to toe the hard line and cry later if I needed too... That said, this dog had a guardian angel watching over her. *She was a female so my super territorial dog ignored her. *She turned out to be great with kids (and small dogs) *She stayed on a tether without a problem. AND... *My wife was possessed by alien beings who took control of her mouth and suggested that we keep her till next week and wait for some calls. So, I moved her to the back yard, got a bigger water bowl, pulled 75ft of rope between two trees, attached a drop tether, built her dog house, and prepared to have a house guest for awhile. All this between 10 and 2 today. At 2:15 someone called to claim her... On the bright side, I now have a nice big 40x40x32 doghouse for my 8# indoor dog :)