Monday, October 25, 2010

As I grow from boy to man.


Boy, when I was a kid it seemed like all of my friend’s rooms were littered with sports trophies. My room, on the other hand was littered with my brother’s sports trophies.
I was more of an artistic, imaginative child than a jock. I didn’t have a lot of interest in playing sports. I mean, it’s not like I would have hurt myself playing kickball. I could still hold my own when I had to, I just wasn’t that into it.  Still I have to admit a smidge of jealousy when I saw all of those sports trophies and plaques with my friend’s names on them and I had none.
Perhaps that I why I strive so hard in the work place now to obtain as many corporate awards as I can, I’m still jealous of the sports trophies and plaques that my friends had and I didn’t. 
Is that a sign of my inner child trying to come out?  Am I trying to overcompensate for the awards that I didn’t win as child? Who knows? Maybe I’m over analyzing myself.  Now, with all of my corporate awards,  I can totally see where my friends were coming from  and why getting those sports trophies was so important to them.
I guess you’re never too old to be proud of your awards.

Friday, October 22, 2010

2011 medicare supplement insurance: Why is the government involved?

What is the deal with all of these health care debates? There are so many changes, now I have no idea what to expect with my 2011 Medicare supplement insurance. I heard that some parts of Obama care have been passed and that my 2011 Medigap plans might be done away with. What’s the deal with that? Why don’t they just leave well enough alone. Can’t the industry fix the problems by themselves and save my 2011 Medigap plans for next year. I mean, isn’t that the point of capitalism? Shouldn’t the market fix itself? I guess this brings us on to the larger argument of what is the role of government. Is it just to keep us safe from terrorists or is it supposed to make sure that I have (or don’t have) my 2011 Medicare supplement insurance? I just wish we could find a way to satisfy both sides. We should be able to have the companies themselves fix the majority of the problems without the government getting involved, and consequently my tax dollars being spent on things that are probably going to be made worse (I mean have you heard of the post office?). Anyway, I had better just be able to keep my 2011 Medicare supplement insurance or there will be troubled times ahead.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

If You Start A Painting Company

Surface protection. That's the name of the game when you have a painting business.
I started one a few years back to help pay my way through college. I bought a nice paint sprayer so I could knock places out in a hurry with a quality job. It was great during the economic boom. Especially with people that were buying houses for rentals that needed work. It kept me very busy and made my pockets very deep. 
Being a self-taught painter I found out the hard way what happens with poor surface protection. When you have poor surface protection and use a paint sprayer, the over spray gets everywhere! Anything that is not covered beforehand, will be covered in paint dust when you are done. 
I have found it to be even more important to have good surface protection and covering skills in this bad economy. People are more picky and pay less because they have less to spend, so the job is more competitive. If you do a good job, you will likely get referrals. If you do a poor job, you will lose out. 
If you are thinking of starting your own company, you should make sure you are very meticulous when covering things that you don't want to get paint on.  Like I said, surface protection is the name of the game if you want to make some good money.