StainlessDeal

Expert is a term made up of two parts: "X", a scientific denotion for unknown; and "spurt", a drip under pressure. Therefore: An expert is an unknown drip under pressure.:lgsideway (Perhaps particularly apt for our chosen field of endeavor) To be more serious, quantifiable expertise is a difficult thing to believe in. Like religion, it requires faith, but believers know it when they see it. I imagine that the same debate will rage as does between the riligious and the irreligious. I do believe there are experts, but that they rarely claim the title for themselves. It is an honorific granted by acclaim within a community. I also believe that an expert can lose that status by losing touch with the field, and new developments within it, and in the outside world beyond that affect that field. Not staying current will make you irrelevent, and sticking your head in the sand, even if you are in good company there, won't substitute for keeping track of current events. Experts and the people they advise would do well to remember that there has never been a group so well versed in the judicial, effective application of violence and warfare as the Samurai. Yet they ceased to exist in a period that didn't represent a thousandth of the time they had held sway. Generations of tradition and expertise made absolutely moot in a few years by the arrival in their culture of a new methodology and new equipment. If that example is too removed from your personal experience, just answer this question: Have you spoken with any good Betamax repairmen lately? Or farriers? Keypunch operators? Shorthand stenographers? Typists? Experts are sources to be consulted by people capable of critical thinking. Blindly following anyone is dangerous for both of you.

Well put Neil, we all should remember we work to live, not the other way round. A little peace can be powerful medicine.:)

That's my personal favorite self-preservation tool. I'd think a little bigger than .380 myself, but I used to burn more than 1000 rounds/weekend year round. (I still would, hadI the time) Jon is absolutely right though, what fits you best will serve you best. As a side note, research bear bombs. They are fire extinguisher-sized mace canisters intended to take the starch out of bears in the woods. I've been told they aren't incredibly effective on grizzleys, but can attest with 100% certainty that they will remove all will to tango from any human, or dog, cat etc. exposed to the business end. Police routinely use them to quell riots, I've seen the effects up close. (PM or call, this doesn't get posted! lol) Additionally, I know that actual Tasers are effective at short pistol ranges, hand-held stun guns, which are similar to cattle prods require you to be in a phone-booth-like proximity to your target. Two other methods, one lethal the other only painful: Bang-sticks (like divers use on sharks) and actual cattle prods. These are not good deterrents, as the perps rarely realize what you have. They look a lot like improvised clubs, neither gets my vote. Guns also should not be thought of as any sort of deterent: They are last ditch, lethal response tools only. Brandishing a firearm will get you killed.

A buddy of mine saw this product touted "pretty hard" on HGTV's coverage of the national hardware show. http://www.biopreserve.com/index.aspx His wife is sold, and is now ready (with her friends) to tell me what a great future in wood restoration these visionaries are handing me. I've been reading a bit, but started at the MSDS. Methyl Esters and Polystyrene? That's what I need: a laminated, food-grade deck. Read up, Woodies! The future is now!:rolleyes:

I'm glad to hear your boy is going to be OK. Luckily we heal well! By the time I was 18, I had broken: 2 toes, 2 tarsals (foot bones behind the toes), ALL of my fingers and 1 thumb, 4 knuckles, 3 ribs, numerous teeth, both tib and fib in my right ankle, and my nose (5 times). I had never broken a bone or been stitched before turning 12. Seldom did any two of these injuries happen together, I can't even remember the times I've been sewn. I got to know one doctor at the nearest emergency room so well, that we fished together.:rolleyes: All that, and look how well I've turned out. (insert joke here) LOL Listen to the AFLAC advice.:)

Those ads make me very uncomfortable.:lgbugeyes I've alwys worked outside in th e worst weather on the continent, and then I play in the same weather, and I've found that Cold Eze does work for me. I've also used the honey, lemon, whisky toddy to cure a cold. I've found liberal over-application works best. Then I use alka-seltzer plus orange flavor to cure the flu-like aftercold that often shows up the next morning. Tastes a lot like a foot dipped in Tang, but will ease your pain!

John, I always suspected there was something I liked about you. When Herbie Brooks brought a large portion of the "Miracle" team to NYC, I was sold on the (then) new, faster-paced, more-shooting style. I've been a Ranger junkie since. I remember guys like Nicky Fotiu and Reijo Routsalainen and Barry Beck and Ron Dugay, these guys were heroes to me! Do you remember little Robbie Ftorek? MSG Sports with Esposito and Trautwig showed almost every game, and I missed maybe two in six years. I love that club! I freely admit that I cried like a baby, and still choke up thinking about when "Captain Courageous" Messier guaranteed victory...and delivered! What a team, and what a final series! Here's a last story to indicate the mania I have for hockey: In 1984, during the Serajevo Olympics, I went out to hunt with some pals. I was a freshman in high school, and we had thawed a bit in Omaha, so I was walking in mud. About a mile from my house, I jumped into a hole about three feet deep and turned my right ankle so badly that I broke the tips of my tib and fib loose. Now, people will tell you that it is impossible to walk on an ankle that badly broken, but I am here to tell you that they are wrong. It's only impossible for those that lack the proper motivation! I knew that if my mom knew how bad my foot was, she'd never let me stay home, we'd go straight to the emergency room. So I walked hom, unlaced my boot and told her it was a sprain. I wasn't about to miss the Pat LaFontaine-led olympic team play, nor was I about to miss the two NY teams playing after. I put my foot in a bucket of ice and gritted through both games, then went to the hospital, where I was treated for a badly broken ankle and badly frostbitten foot! That stunt cost me an extra two weeks in a splint, and then an extra three weeks in a cast. It also spelled the end of skating and biathlon for me. I did get to see two very good games though!

I've never seen this kind of problem myself, but what kind of work does the contractor believe you can do to this? I'd get ahold of Jim Carroll here and see what he says. I'm guessing that some sealer or overlay might balace the colors somewhat, but that is really a WAG. Maybe Celeste has an idea or two for you. I'm willing to bet the cure is going to be expensive, I'll be curious to find out more on this one.:lgmoneyey Keep us posted.

I won't live in a country run by librarians! I'll never submit to the Godless Dewey Decimal system! "Alphabetize or begone!" is my battle cry!:lgsideway :lgbounces Philip, are you that big a fan of Ayn Rand? Maybe I'll have to dig Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead up again. I read them years ago, but revisiting them might be nice this winter.

God has blessed you, Tony: You have a lovely family, you shopuld be proud and thankful. (I'm sure you already are!) What an exciting time for you all, I'm happy to hear you made it without bawling, I'm sure that was tough.:)

Just a little overworked! I've been busier than a one-legged butt-kicker lately, which is a nice problem to have! August is the busiest month in my life. Besides StainlessDeal, there is my anniversary (Our first!), my sister's anniversary, my wife's birthday, my mother's birthday, another bro-in-law got married, we took a long weekend to tank on a river, and some other distractions along the way. If I ever become the PWKON, I'm going to need a passel of underlings to sleep for me! Looks like things are really coming along for you, I hope that continues and you get moved in ontime and happily. You gotta love this business!:lgbounces

The PWKOMB comes through! Nice job, you have to love it when the customer says, "Go nuts. If it is cleanable, clean it." Those are my favorite days.:)

Great life, that is! My wife says, "Cool house, we're on the way for a visit!" What do ya say? Roundtable at Jeff's?:lgkick: :lgbounces

Scott, first of all, I'm sorry for the loss last year of your mother. I remember that time, and I'm not sure I ever passed condolences along. Now, about being tested: It sounds to me like a good idea. Diabetes runs on both sides of my family, so I have always kept an eye on myself in this regard, more so because I was an OTR driver for so long. You can lose a CDL if you become dependant on insulin. Diabetes wears your body out, by leaving large molecules unbroken (and therefore unusable) in your blood. This means your blood becomes thicker, and harder to pump. That raises blood pressure, and works the heart harder. It also makes life tough on your filtering organs (Liver, kidneys, spleen) and in the smallest blood vessels, clotting can become an issue. This all can lead to strokes, ulcerations and necrosis of tissur, and blindness before death. Not a pretty picture, I have watched it take both of my grandfathers an inch at a time. I know you know what that is like for family and friends. Control is pretty easy, and relatively painless these days, so get tested and get old. We'd hate to see something happen to you, Scott. Keepin' you on the prayer list...:lgangel:

John, "Best of luck," is my wish for you, and this advice: Think of yourself as unemployed each morning, and know that you have to get hired today. It was my mantra in the very beginning, and has served me well. After saying that, also remember to give yourself a break every now and then. You and your support network will thank you for remembering that! You need to act as support for them, too. Let us here know how we can help, that's what TGS is all about. Congratulations and get cleaning!

Good for you, Beth! And good for the PWNA. It will be good to see the PWNA communicating with the rest of the industry, as well as with members. I'm sure you will bring a diplomatic and informative hand to this. This sounds like good news.:)

http://gethuman.com/us/ I can't remember who originally posted this, but Thanks, whoever you are!:lgwave:

Jesse, put anything in the flyer that you want to. Since you do some more handy-man types of services, you might want to use some more generic terms that the public might be more used to. Terms like: Light carpentry, general yard clean-up, roofing and siding go together and are familiar. Not so true for pw services, these you may want to list separately. I sent out a letter this year detailing spring cleanup as well as basic pw work, and included pet waste just hoping to get on some properties where the homeowners might be likely to hire odious tasks done. No bites on the pet waste, but plenty of decks, fences, and housewashes. And, strangely, several retirees looking for garage door installation to rubbish removal to lighting installation. Just be aware that some of the responses will be price shopping, and may assume you are desperate if you list too many services at once. I now try to aim more at things that go together: Different kinds of wood jobs for one flyer, concrete and gutter-cleaning with housewashes, you get the idea. Congrats on jumping in, having a good support system in the house will be invaluable. Here's to you and your wife! Now go clean something!

Here, the law changed from no sales tax on labor, to a rather complicated law that basically lists all the businesses that are required to collect and remit sales tax. It also has a series of qualifications for what the remittance schedule should be, based mostly on predicted monthly grosses. This law was written to go after lawn services and car washes, but they have added other businesses each time the opportunity has arisen. I've heard that if you ask for a determination, your business will have to charge. In other words, if you need to ask, you need to pay. This has been a bit of a burden, as people routinely ask if I have a cash price. I'm very tempted to offer one, but don't since it does nothing for StainlessDeal's credit, or for my declared income. It also negates my insurance policies, exposing my customer and myself to liabilities ad nauseam. I usually point out these problems and we go from there. I win some, I lose some. I just won't be illegitimate. Another strange thing: In Nebraska, the offending customer pays the fine if the contractor fails to collect the correct rate. (Each county may have a sales tax added to the basic state sales tax, and this also must be collected and remitted to the State Department of Revenue) My custy's despise hearing this. Generally, I try to avoid this topic by making the fact that I operate legitimately a major selling point, as opposed to any lowballers that may be bidding against me. I've noticed that some demographics seem to be more apt to ask for a cash price, or to mention a lowballer in the running. I'm more and more trying to raise the bar, and expend my energy in more "legitimate-minded" turf. Prequalifying my leads a bit more, has begun to weed out prospects shopping strictly on price, or who just can't (or won't) afford the service as offered.

I will agree that flatbeds are a great way to go for efficiency. You just can't beat not having to work through doors, but... What are your winter plans? I moved my equipment off a flatbed trailer pretty quick, and went for a stepvan because of the ease of dealing with winter weather. I also like the neatness afforded by being able to close doors on any mess, there are always those times when something arises and cleanup isn't as neat as I'd like. I'm looking for a larger stepvan or box truck right now, as mine is beginning to be too small. I'm still considering a flatbed setup, but winterizing everything, or dragging it indoors, is not something I look forward to when I remember how nice it was to just plug in a small electric heater. That is a pretty decent price for that old Ford, and having it serviced regularly will probably keep you out of trouble for quite a while. I have a friend that has a similar rig he is debating selling this next month, and he says he has had several offers near $3000. Remember, though, this is an old work truck: It will need some attention. Check out www.truckpaper.com , it has been a great resource for me whether I've been looking for equipment, or just looking for the market info I need to approach a seller or set a price. I have also considered having one of my buddies run my equipment on his days off, so I could get some time off. I trust this guy with my life, so the equipment is easy to let him at. We haven't actually done this yet, but this year may be the time to train him up for it.

You weren't fulltime before? lol I know you have what it takes to make this go, and you've helped so many of us around here in the past, you've stored up a raft of goodwill. Good luck, and, "Thanks," for what you've done before; my family will keep you in our prayers.:) :cool:

I sent a PM Dave's way.

Welcome to TGS! You've got mail.

If you got so busy you didn't get online for over five days, and then sat down and read 998 consecutive new posts on TGS, you might be a PWer (and need marriage counseling, and need to see a shrink about some online version of obsessive/compulsive disorder.)

I was born in a small town: Bismarck, North Dakota. If you look it up, you'll see that it is actually a small city, but it was smaller when I was a kid. It is also the state capitol. I was keenly aware of this, because my elementary school, Will-Moore Elementary, is only a couple of blocks from the capitol building and state museum. After school, in first and second grades, I was so well known on the capitol grounds that the governor and lieutenant governor both knew my name. Even more remarkably, they never threw me out of these buildings or even out of sessions of the Legislature. (Which only meets every other year) It may not have been as small a town as you meant, but in that small state, and as remote as Bismarck is, I'd say the experience was nearly unique. Looking back, it seems like we did what most kids did in the 20's, 30's, and 40's. There was a lot of freedom to be had. I'd go back, because I love outdoor activities, but there is little work to be had. And I like the things my little city, Omaha, offers. We have good hockey, baseball, college football, ballet, plays, and symphony. We also have some of the very best steakhouses and Italian and Bohemian restaurants in the country. Our schools and colleges are well-above-average, and crime is well below. People commonly say it is a good place to raise kids, and I agree. Jobs are plentiful, and generally pay well, and we get the worst weather on Earth. That is good for my chosen profession: We have lichens everywhere, because only lichen can truly appreciate our climate, and only I seem to be able to safely remove them from everthing under the sun.;) Generally, I'd say that people have to experience what they didn't grow up in, to find out what they prefer. There is great variety in city experiences, and that can be stimulating like a good discussion, or stimulating like a headlong run in terror. Nobody can know how it will be until they have seen it through a few seasons, I'd imagine. We used to have an expression in Omaha, when I was a young turk and someone would ask where a missing pal was: "Oh," we'd say, "He got bored and moved to California...He'll be back." Most often they were back inside two years.