While my partner was checking the bank account for the business he found a charge for $6.95 that we couldn't account for. After talking to our banker he discovered it was a fee for depositing over $10,000 in cash for the month and the bank charges a counting fee. Now I love Chase Bank but really? We're being charged for putting too much money in the bank? Any time you make a cash deposit they have to count the money anyway and I'm sure they have to double check everything regardless.
It's a bit silly if you ask me. We get charged if we don't have enough money in the bank, we get charged if we put too much in...
Take your six bucks if you want Chase but I no longer feel guilty about taking those suckers you have at the tellers desk.
Take it!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Cinco de Mayo
Earlier today I was walking out of my bar when I ran into a friend who was on his way to get a margarita. Why drinking so early in the day? It's Cinco De Mayo that's why! After I left the bar I went to the bank to make a deposit and when I was filling out my deposit slip I had to ask the bank teller what the day was "May 5th - Cinco De Mayo", she said. I've never gotten why everyone in the state's celebrates Mexican Independence day till I learned a few minutes ago that it's not Mexican Independence day, it's the day an army of French bread carrying Frenchmen got beat by the Mexican Army. According to Wikipedia:
"(Cinco de Mayo)... is a holiday held on May 5 that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over FrenchBattle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.[2][3] It is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla and in the United States.[4][5][6][7] While Cinco de Mayo sees limited significance and celebration nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed nationwide in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.[8]"
The article even states that Cinco de Mayo isn't even really celebrated in Mexico. So half of you are thinking "wait...so all that happened on Cinco de Mayo is that the Mexican Army beat the French? Who hasn't? (Well besides the United States - we've never fought the French)." The other half is too drunk because it's Cinco de Mayo, another half knew all along why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated, and the remainder of you are questioning my math.
But back to Cinco de Mayo. Not to take anything away from the brave Mexican force that beat a larger, better equipped French force but well...they were French. Beating the French in combat is like litter training a cat. You just throw a kitty in the litter box and they pretty much take care of themselves. Maybe a bad analogy but what I'm trying to say is it doesn't take much, you just really have to be there.
Course it didn't matter too much that the Mexican army beat the French at Puebla, the French still ended up occupying Mexico a year later. I guess it's like Nazi's celebrating the defeat of...well the French of World war II.
Of course Cinco de Mayo isn't just about the French getting their ass kicked for the upteenth time - it's about celebrating Mexican culture and heritage. It's also a chance for Americans to practice one of their most sacred cultural rituals - taking a foreign holiday and using it as an excuse to get absolutely wasted. It's just like St. Patrick's Day except no one says "On Cinco de Mayo everyone is Mexican!" Maybe it's a racial thing. Personally I'd rather claim to be Mexican than ginger but that's just me. Either way young adults across American regardless of heritage drink Cuervo and Corona to celebrate MexicanIndepen...whatever. What better way is there to honor the brave men who died on May 5th, 1862, then to be completely ignorant of their struggle and drink margaritas. Speaking of which, I got to finish my marg' and watch more King of the Hill
on Netflix using my Roku
player. Happy Cinco de Mayo.
"(Cinco de Mayo)... is a holiday held on May 5 that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over FrenchBattle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.[2][3] It is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla and in the United States.[4][5][6][7] While Cinco de Mayo sees limited significance and celebration nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed nationwide in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.[8]"
The article even states that Cinco de Mayo isn't even really celebrated in Mexico. So half of you are thinking "wait...so all that happened on Cinco de Mayo is that the Mexican Army beat the French? Who hasn't? (Well besides the United States - we've never fought the French)." The other half is too drunk because it's Cinco de Mayo, another half knew all along why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated, and the remainder of you are questioning my math.
But back to Cinco de Mayo. Not to take anything away from the brave Mexican force that beat a larger, better equipped French force but well...they were French. Beating the French in combat is like litter training a cat. You just throw a kitty in the litter box and they pretty much take care of themselves. Maybe a bad analogy but what I'm trying to say is it doesn't take much, you just really have to be there.
Course it didn't matter too much that the Mexican army beat the French at Puebla, the French still ended up occupying Mexico a year later. I guess it's like Nazi's celebrating the defeat of...well the French of World war II.
Of course Cinco de Mayo isn't just about the French getting their ass kicked for the upteenth time - it's about celebrating Mexican culture and heritage. It's also a chance for Americans to practice one of their most sacred cultural rituals - taking a foreign holiday and using it as an excuse to get absolutely wasted. It's just like St. Patrick's Day except no one says "On Cinco de Mayo everyone is Mexican!" Maybe it's a racial thing. Personally I'd rather claim to be Mexican than ginger but that's just me. Either way young adults across American regardless of heritage drink Cuervo and Corona to celebrate Mexican
on Netflix using my Roku player. Happy Cinco de Mayo.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A Colon Cleansing Mishap at Hodi's?
If you google Hodi's Half Note and then hit the map tab and check under reviews you'll find this:
Feb 22, 2010
Tim found this and showed it to me on Friday. My first thought was as weird as it sounds, it wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen at Hodi's. And the whole part about the staff laughing and pointing sounds right - we're all well intentioned people but we are kind of dicks. And a grown man defecating in public may be pretty sad, but it's also hilarious. In a sad way.
"Very Rude!
Feb 22, 2010| I had been colon cleansing for a few weeks and had a little accident in the bar, you know, like, I thought I had to fart but it was just watery poop water that came out... and once it starts there's no stopping it from coming out at that point, ya know? Well, being stuck in this predicament I would have expected a slightly more professional attitude from the staff toward the situation... but when I brought it to their attention, all those jerks did was point, and laugh, and point it out to the other customers. VERY unprofessional! Will never hang out there AGAIN!!! |
maps.google.com "
Tim found this and showed it to me on Friday. My first thought was as weird as it sounds, it wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen at Hodi's. And the whole part about the staff laughing and pointing sounds right - we're all well intentioned people but we are kind of dicks. And a grown man defecating in public may be pretty sad, but it's also hilarious. In a sad way.
Turns out it was all a hoax though. The same complaint was made about a few local bars and Best Buy of all places.
The whole thing got me thinking though what garbage the whole cleansing thing is. Here's a passage from Aviva.com:
"In our modern 21st century lifestyle we have the misfortune to be exposed to many toxins on a daily basis through our environment, from overexposure to toxic chemicals at home and at work, and even contained in foods, consumer electronics, cosmetics, many synthetic fabrics, new carpeting, and your new car. Environmental toxins seem to be a prevalent by-product of the frantic lifestyles our technology and economy have forced us to live."
This is cute and all but a certain Latin phrase comes to mind - petitio principii. I found a good definition for it at Dictionary.com
Petito Principii: "a fallacy in reasoning resulting from the assumption of that which in the beginning was set forth to beproved; begging the question."
Firstly, what toxins are we overexposed to and how do they effect our health? How much do we need to be exposed to before they start to effect our health? In one of my favorite books, Bjorn Lomborg's The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World
, Lomborg has a chart of actions which increase your chance of death by .000001 (one-millionth) such as living 150 years within twenty miles of a nuclear power plant or spending 3 hours in a coal mine. So maybe my nice, comfortable t-shirt made from synthetic material is drenching my beautiful pecs in toxins,while my feet absorb toxins from the carpet, I'm building up mercury in my system from all the McDonalds Filet-o-fish, and my shiny new Ipad
sitting in my lap is lowering my sperm count and giving me cancer and all these things (cancer, toxins, etc) are making me feel unhealthy and lethargic and I just need to take some detox pills and have water pumped into my rectum to feel better. Or maybe these things are just increasing my chance of death by .000001. Maybe even .0001. I don't know the answer but no one selling a detox kit do either.
I'm not saying that we aren't exposed to harmful things from our environment - there is mercury in fish and coal miners don't have the cleanest lungs. But if you're trying to sell me this expensive detox kit or treatment you have to be able to tell me what it's clearing out and how it's doing it. Are there any kits out there that can purge mercury from your system after eating too much fish? And speaking of fish they can be pretty good for you. Maybe for a healthy adult the benefit of eating fish a few times a week outweighs the adverse health effects of the tiny amount of mercury you'll absorb from the fish.
The whole thing got me thinking though what garbage the whole cleansing thing is. Here's a passage from Aviva.com:
"In our modern 21st century lifestyle we have the misfortune to be exposed to many toxins on a daily basis through our environment, from overexposure to toxic chemicals at home and at work, and even contained in foods, consumer electronics, cosmetics, many synthetic fabrics, new carpeting, and your new car. Environmental toxins seem to be a prevalent by-product of the frantic lifestyles our technology and economy have forced us to live."
This is cute and all but a certain Latin phrase comes to mind - petitio principii. I found a good definition for it at Dictionary.com
Petito Principii: "a fallacy in reasoning resulting from the assumption of that which in the beginning was set forth to beproved; begging the question."
Firstly, what toxins are we overexposed to and how do they effect our health? How much do we need to be exposed to before they start to effect our health? In one of my favorite books, Bjorn Lomborg's The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World
, Lomborg has a chart of actions which increase your chance of death by .000001 (one-millionth) such as living 150 years within twenty miles of a nuclear power plant or spending 3 hours in a coal mine. So maybe my nice, comfortable t-shirt made from synthetic material is drenching my beautiful pecs in toxins,while my feet absorb toxins from the carpet, I'm building up mercury in my system from all the McDonalds Filet-o-fish, and my shiny new Ipad sitting in my lap is lowering my sperm count and giving me cancer and all these things (cancer, toxins, etc) are making me feel unhealthy and lethargic and I just need to take some detox pills and have water pumped into my rectum to feel better. Or maybe these things are just increasing my chance of death by .000001. Maybe even .0001. I don't know the answer but no one selling a detox kit do either.I'm not saying that we aren't exposed to harmful things from our environment - there is mercury in fish and coal miners don't have the cleanest lungs. But if you're trying to sell me this expensive detox kit or treatment you have to be able to tell me what it's clearing out and how it's doing it. Are there any kits out there that can purge mercury from your system after eating too much fish? And speaking of fish they can be pretty good for you. Maybe for a healthy adult the benefit of eating fish a few times a week outweighs the adverse health effects of the tiny amount of mercury you'll absorb from the fish.
And maybe being exposed to "toxins" from cheap clothes made from synthetic material is better then freezing to death.
Colon cleansing is pretty goofy too. The colon is pretty good at getting shit done, pardon the pun. From Webmd.com:
"Is natural colon cleansing needed? Are bowel movements enough to clear the colon? Or is it true that the only thing that can really clear the colon is a colon cleanser? It is likely the colon doesn't need this kind of help. Here are some reasons why:
- Natural bacteria in the colon detoxify food wastes.
- The liver also neutralizes toxins.
- Mucus membranes in the colon keep unwanted substances from reentering the blood and tissues.
- The colon sheds old cells about every three days, preventing a buildup of harmful material.
- The normal number of bowel movements varies from person to person. It may be as often as a few times a day or as little as a few times a week.
- Increasing the number of bowel movements doesn't improve weight loss. That's because the body absorbs most calories before they reach the large intestine."
"The body actually has a massive overcapacity to dispose of toxins. 'As for the need to cleanse the colon, it is constantly cleansing itself by renewing the mucus layer that protects the colon wall from being exposed to toxins. So, flushing pints of water through it with things like colonic irrigation is one of the more damaging things you can do to it."
When people lose weight from cleanses it usually has something to do with the fact during this cleanse they're cutting out unhealthy foods, restricting caloric intake and taking in more fiber. Weird how that might cause you to lose weight! Even stranger, somethings I don't eat till 5 in the afternoon, have a bedtime that ranges from 1am - 5am, work 50-60 hours a week, don't workout near enough and for some reason I don't always feel so hot. Maybe I should detox. Or maybe I need to keep a consistent sleep schedule, eat healthy meals at set times every day, and workout half hour to hour a day.
Of course it's a lot easier to pay $50-60 for some hippie pseudo science created detox plan than to make meaningful healthy changes to my lifestyle. And that's the kicker. Despite there being no real science to back this stuff up, people go for it because it's a quick easy fix.
Yep unfortunately the only way to be healthy is to live healthy. I'm not too good at that myself but I'm not sticking a hose up my butt to try to make up for a lack of sleep and high fiber breakfast cereal.
And finally I have to mention that my girlfriend was able to get a Best Buy credit card and helped me replace my laptop that just died with an Ipad.
. 
It's pretty niffty, I can do inventory at work without having to print out ten pages of excel spread sheets, email bands and set up shows, even stream netflix at the airport. The apple book store has a bunch of free books too. Totally worth the cancer - even ball cancer.
(For those of you who have cleansed and had some weird stuff come out of you go to http://rawveg.info/coloncleanse.html to learn about why that happens. Also if you find some evidence to support detox and cleansing hit me up - I'm all about the magic pill. That's why I played the lottery so much in the past!)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Snow in late April?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Real Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja Book
A customer brought me REAL Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja Book
a few nights ago. She thought I'd appreciate it and I do. It may be crude, infantile, and in no way factual there are still a few laughs to be had. Example:
a few nights ago. She thought I'd appreciate it and I do. It may be crude, infantile, and in no way factual there are still a few laughs to be had. Example:"Ninja's hang out in dojos (A lot). Dojos are kinda like bars where ninjas go to relax and/or meet babes."
It's the kind of bad you can enjoy especially after a few beers much like God's gift to cinema - Showdown in Little Tokyo
:
:(Sidenote: Dolph Lundgren is a gigantic Swedish man standing well over 7ft tall so jumping over a low riding car carrying short Japanese people really isn't quite amazing as one would think.)
Had a few great shows last week one of which was Chali 2na. Only got half the crowd we needed but you wouldn't know it listening to Chali 2na. One of the coolest nicest guys (hell the whole band was cool) we've had through Hodi's and played his set like he was in front of a sold out crowd. This is quite a contrast to someone like Anthony B who wouldn't even get up on stage and when a fan wrote him and called him out complained about how the rasta man has been enslaved by the white man for....yada yada. Anyway, like I said Chali 2na is a stand up guy, made sure to hang with the fans before and after the show, was very humble and a damn good act to boot. The openers were all good too, Heatbox
is one of my favorite acts to come through Hodi's. We lost a fair bit of money on the show but thats how things go sometimes.I'm off to practice my Japanese, got a childrens book from my tutor today.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
I'm freakin' beat
It's been a hell of a long weekend. Bar made good money though and we didn't have too much trouble. It's been a good month so far. I am exhausted but I feel good knowing I've got a few relatively easy days coming up. Taxes are getting done, I got plenty of work to do but after getting through this weekend things don't seem too bad. Going to go see Kick-Ass Tuesday with the woman, been looking forward to it for a while now.
Got money to deposit in the bank, I'm about to drink a beer and watch a bad movie, the woman is in bed with the dogs, and we've kept the doors open and drinks pouring for another day. Life could be worse.
Till Tomorrow...
Got money to deposit in the bank, I'm about to drink a beer and watch a bad movie, the woman is in bed with the dogs, and we've kept the doors open and drinks pouring for another day. Life could be worse.
Till Tomorrow...
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Great Commercial
Sitting round the house firming up show details, and working out. Saw this on TV and had to share.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
my doodle and was today a good day?
I haven't blogged for awhile, I need to get better about doing it every day. Someday's though, even when things are going right there just isn't much to talk about. I get lucky now and then when some idiot in Boulder has his energy crystals mailed to the wrong address but some days are just boring.
Today was one of those days. I got a bit of work done, had a good jujitsu class, maybe broke a student's toe when I threw them (honestly I think he broke it - I didn't step on it, it just got caught on the mats), made a walmart trip and got a blender with the girl, and watched bit of Seinfeld while studying Japanese. I worked out a little today but not quite enough. So in some respects today was good, I did almost everything I want to do everyday - exercise, jujitsu, work, and got some healthy food, didn't eat out or spend money I didn't have to (well except the blender). It doesn't feel like enough though and I have a hard time not getting frustrated. There is just so much more I could be doing and I get a bit depressed when I feel as though I wasted a bit of the day.
While studying I came across a doodle I drew so I took a picture of it and cleaned it up with photoshop to make it look more artistic and less like it was drawn by the kid who passed art by the skin of his teeth. I wish I could draw I think it would be a good creative outlet. If I could take all my ideas and put them to paper I think it'd be a nice release. Instead I get an overwhelming feeling in my head much like a can of coke must feel like when it's been shaken.
Strangely enough sometimes the cure for restlessness is sleep. It's a good way to reset. I leave you with my doodle. Prints are available for $1,000 a piece and a certificate of almost authenticity and poor taste. The bridge represents a very basic way of teaching jujitsu. Set and go, set and go, set and go. I'd like to think thats deep, instead it's just bit silly.
Today was one of those days. I got a bit of work done, had a good jujitsu class, maybe broke a student's toe when I threw them (honestly I think he broke it - I didn't step on it, it just got caught on the mats), made a walmart trip and got a blender with the girl, and watched bit of Seinfeld while studying Japanese. I worked out a little today but not quite enough. So in some respects today was good, I did almost everything I want to do everyday - exercise, jujitsu, work, and got some healthy food, didn't eat out or spend money I didn't have to (well except the blender). It doesn't feel like enough though and I have a hard time not getting frustrated. There is just so much more I could be doing and I get a bit depressed when I feel as though I wasted a bit of the day.
While studying I came across a doodle I drew so I took a picture of it and cleaned it up with photoshop to make it look more artistic and less like it was drawn by the kid who passed art by the skin of his teeth. I wish I could draw I think it would be a good creative outlet. If I could take all my ideas and put them to paper I think it'd be a nice release. Instead I get an overwhelming feeling in my head much like a can of coke must feel like when it's been shaken.
Strangely enough sometimes the cure for restlessness is sleep. It's a good way to reset. I leave you with my doodle. Prints are available for $1,000 a piece and a certificate of almost authenticity and poor taste. The bridge represents a very basic way of teaching jujitsu. Set and go, set and go, set and go. I'd like to think thats deep, instead it's just bit silly.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Slow Money
This weekend was pretty damn good. We made a lot of money, it was the FocoMX event this weekend. Close to 200 bands at a dozen or so bars and venues around town for two days. It did really well for us last year and was also quite good this year. There is a base amount of money we need to make every week to have a good month. We made our weeks money in 3 days (Fri-Sun).
What was interesting is that because we had the FocoMX event Friday and Saturday is that our doors were open at 6 instead of 8. We were pouring drinks at 630 instead of the usual 930-10. We never got really busy either night but we had great nights, it just goes to show you how important the early money is, if you can pour an extra 100-300 a night because people show up earlier than they would for most shows it really adds up. We can't get people in early every night but as I think of new ways to make the bar money I'll have to look into taking advantage of times we can do that.
I was cleaning up my desktop and found a few pictures of foreclosed houses in Japan I was looking at. I can't afford one now but I still like to look and found a few places I liked. This one had a pretty low minium bid and was really cool looking. It was pretty small house on a small plot of land but it's got a very isolated and unique look to it.
This next one has been my favorite so far. Decent sized plot of land, has 2 additional building, looks fairly big, and isn't around any other houses.
Lots of work today, but I'm excited because I'm feeling bit healthier and I'm ready to get back to work. I've got a pretty decent amount of shows to get booked and a strategy to develop and pursue for summer. Really looking forward to it.
Till next time.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
blehh....
Tonight was a good night. We weren't ever really slammed but it was consistent all night so we made good money. The only problem I had was my throat is still killing me. Trying to talk over the music to customers was not happening.
Going to be a busy weekend, just too much to do and not enough time to do it. Have to hit the bank early tomorrow, got a meeting, and early work again at 5. Class Sunday and early show Sunday night. Inventory Monday and much work to get done. I might get a break Tuesday.
Blehh....I'm sleeping all day Tuesday.
Going to be a busy weekend, just too much to do and not enough time to do it. Have to hit the bank early tomorrow, got a meeting, and early work again at 5. Class Sunday and early show Sunday night. Inventory Monday and much work to get done. I might get a break Tuesday.
Blehh....I'm sleeping all day Tuesday.
Friday, April 9, 2010
FocoMX
FocoMX tonight and tomorrow, like 180 local bands playing all the different bars and venues. Should be good money for both me and the bar. Looking forward too it. Can only do a quick update though, too much to do!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Mai Nichi Ichi Nichi Ju - Every day all day long
I remember in the few weeks before I got the business back telling my employees that I'd figure something out and save the bar. From time to time they'd ask me how things were going and I'd tell them don't worry about it, I said I'd take care of it. It was rough, not only did I have to find an investor but I had to find someone who would keep the business as a venue, keep my employees, and still have a spot for me. I didn't (and still don't) have any money, and my best sales pitch was "I'm pretty sure I can do this."
It was a hell of a lot pressure - I didn't want to to let my employees down and I didn't want to lose my bar. And to make things worse even if I did get the bar back I'd still have to turn the business around and make it a profitable.
I had a few moments where I thought to myself I should just give up and let it go. There was a buyer from New York who was ready to buy Hodi's. I could walk away find another job and be done with it. I'd still have some debt to pay off but I probably could find some decent work, I had a year's experience of owning and operating a bar, that should count for something right?
I stuck it out though and was able to find new partners and cash and kept the doors open. It was a hell of a feat. But sometimes I question whether it was worth it. I questioned it this morning. I was tired, sick, and sitting at the bar working on filling out forms and taking care of bills, the usual thing. It was early and I was grumpy.
The day got better though, I confirmed a few show details, all our deliveries for the day came in early, had a good talk with one of my partners, and got to leave the bar earlier then usual. It wasn't till I almost got home it hit me why I do what I do. It's not fun being part of a struggling business, but it is fun making a struggling business a success. As Truman Capote once said "Failure is the condiment that gives success it's flavor." And we've had plenty of failure at Hodi's. I'm due a big bite of a metaphoric hot dog covered in cheese, chile and ketchup. And for the all the dumb, drunk, asshole customers, there are so many more who are good people just out to have a good time - a great many of whom I'm happy to see every time they come in. Not only are there many more good customers who I enjoy seeing but they're good enough people that even if it were an equal ratio it'd still be worth working and owning Hodi's. The same goes for our industry people - our liquor and beer reps, etc, lot of good people.
So I've got a business that I get to decide whether we fail or succeed, I drink for free (and can have a beer at work), and most of the time I enjoy the company of great customers and an equally great staff. We have a lot of fun at work. As bad as things can be sometimes, I got things pretty good.
So I got a business who's fate is going to be decided by me and that requires me to hang out with a bunch of very good people, and I drink for free. Things aren't going to be easy for a very long time if ever. But it's not that hard either. Just got to keep at it. One of my favorite phrases I learned in Japanese "mai nichi, ichi nichi juu" - every day all day long. Just got to keep at it.
It was a hell of a lot pressure - I didn't want to to let my employees down and I didn't want to lose my bar. And to make things worse even if I did get the bar back I'd still have to turn the business around and make it a profitable.
I had a few moments where I thought to myself I should just give up and let it go. There was a buyer from New York who was ready to buy Hodi's. I could walk away find another job and be done with it. I'd still have some debt to pay off but I probably could find some decent work, I had a year's experience of owning and operating a bar, that should count for something right?
I stuck it out though and was able to find new partners and cash and kept the doors open. It was a hell of a feat. But sometimes I question whether it was worth it. I questioned it this morning. I was tired, sick, and sitting at the bar working on filling out forms and taking care of bills, the usual thing. It was early and I was grumpy.
The day got better though, I confirmed a few show details, all our deliveries for the day came in early, had a good talk with one of my partners, and got to leave the bar earlier then usual. It wasn't till I almost got home it hit me why I do what I do. It's not fun being part of a struggling business, but it is fun making a struggling business a success. As Truman Capote once said "Failure is the condiment that gives success it's flavor." And we've had plenty of failure at Hodi's. I'm due a big bite of a metaphoric hot dog covered in cheese, chile and ketchup. And for the all the dumb, drunk, asshole customers, there are so many more who are good people just out to have a good time - a great many of whom I'm happy to see every time they come in. Not only are there many more good customers who I enjoy seeing but they're good enough people that even if it were an equal ratio it'd still be worth working and owning Hodi's. The same goes for our industry people - our liquor and beer reps, etc, lot of good people.
So I've got a business that I get to decide whether we fail or succeed, I drink for free (and can have a beer at work), and most of the time I enjoy the company of great customers and an equally great staff. We have a lot of fun at work. As bad as things can be sometimes, I got things pretty good.
So I got a business who's fate is going to be decided by me and that requires me to hang out with a bunch of very good people, and I drink for free. Things aren't going to be easy for a very long time if ever. But it's not that hard either. Just got to keep at it. One of my favorite phrases I learned in Japanese "mai nichi, ichi nichi juu" - every day all day long. Just got to keep at it.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Mai Nichi Ichi Nichi Ju - Every day all day long
It's been a few days since I blogged so I thought I better throw something out there. It's been a tough few days I've been a bit sick but it's not all terrible. I got my Roku SD Player today and hooked it up. It's a little box that you plug into your TV and then you can watch Netflix on your TV. It was $79 bucks but I'm still saving money. By canceling my $20 a month Blockbuster membership I'll save $132 a year plus another $30 in gas a year by not driving to Blockbuster. So I should save $70 the first year after the Roku Player and bit more every year after.
In workout news I think I'm going to add squats, crunchs, pivots and shuffles to my workout routine. The shuffles and pivots aren't much of a workout but they're jujitsu movements I can and should practice everyday. I still feel very tired every day but I also feel a bit stronger.
Finally in terms of making money I'm not where I need to be but I think I've been able to clear things up a bit and I know have a better plan in place. I have six projects outside the bar that I'd like to make happen and that I believe will make me decent money. However all of these projects require capital to make happen. I believe $10,000 would be sufficient to get things going. That means I need to put away $28 a day in the dream jar for a year to come up with the $10,000 I need. It's not a whole lot of cash but I'm not going to find it under my couch every day for the next year. How to accomplish this I don't know but the more I can lower my living cost the easier it'll be. I can start there.
Well time to study - till tomorrow.
today and hooked it up. It's a little box that you plug into your TV and then you can watch Netflix on your TV. It was $79 bucks but I'm still saving money. By canceling my $20 a month Blockbuster membership I'll save $132 a year plus another $30 in gas a year by not driving to Blockbuster. So I should save $70 the first year after the Roku Player and bit more every year after. In workout news I think I'm going to add squats, crunchs, pivots and shuffles to my workout routine. The shuffles and pivots aren't much of a workout but they're jujitsu movements I can and should practice everyday. I still feel very tired every day but I also feel a bit stronger.
Finally in terms of making money I'm not where I need to be but I think I've been able to clear things up a bit and I know have a better plan in place. I have six projects outside the bar that I'd like to make happen and that I believe will make me decent money. However all of these projects require capital to make happen. I believe $10,000 would be sufficient to get things going. That means I need to put away $28 a day in the dream jar for a year to come up with the $10,000 I need. It's not a whole lot of cash but I'm not going to find it under my couch every day for the next year. How to accomplish this I don't know but the more I can lower my living cost the easier it'll be. I can start there.
Well time to study - till tomorrow.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Dogs and Sprinklers and juggling
For your enjoyment, the reason I can't water the lawn with the dogs around
And just cause I been on a juggling kick, Here I am juggling 5 balls
And just cause I been on a juggling kick, Here I am juggling 5 balls
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
1000 hits on the blog, 420 pushups
So yesterday I got all kinds of stuff done and it was great. I didn't have to go to work either so I could spend some time cleaning up the house, writing, and studying Japanese. I opened the back up of my 2nd year Japanese book and spent 2 hours memorizing words. I also met Miho-san for an hour so I got a lot of studying done. I also did a hell of a lot of finger push ups - 420 over the course of the day. I even did 40 straight after I passed the 200 mark. I was going for 1000 for the day to celebrate my blog passing 1000 hits but I didn't leave myself enough time. I think I could do it but I need a whole day to myself to get it done. Maybe I'll try to next week. Not today though that's for damn sure. I wasn't sore at all after doing sets of 10 finger push ups most of the day and thought that had I had time I could have hit 1000 easy since I wasn't sore. Today though my chest, arms, and even legs are sore from all the push ups.
Looking forward to taking care of some projects tonight
Looking forward to taking care of some projects tonight
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
This is why golf is the dumbest game on the planet...
As if golf wasn't lame enough check out this yahoo sports news story. After a terrible shot Michelle Wie let her golf club rest on the ground. Apparently this is called grounding and it's illegal because it can help you test the firmness of the ground or break sand up around your ball.
Now I've never had any respect for golf and this story doesn't help. Watch the video and you'll see after Wie's craptacular shot her club comes to rest by her foot. Really? The ref or whatever the hell he's called probably had to nitpick because frankly he didn't have shit to do otherwise. What a stupid sport. Ever watched a real sport? Like hockey or baseball, basketball? I was at a hockey game on St. Patties day and watched a player penalized for beating the crap out of a member of the opposing team. Now that's a reason to be penalized! Resting your golf club on the ground, you got to be kidding me.
In case you hadn't figured it out I absolutely despise golf. You have a bunch of well dressed pretend athletes who despite being some of the best in the world at what they do can't take a shot without the crowd being quiet and have someone else carry their clubs around. They work up a sweat by walking. I remember how my grandparents stayed healthy - they walked too. I wonder if they'd be good at golf.
What's the saddest part of this story is the penalty cost Wie $90,000. Now it's not sad she didn't make as much money. What's really sad is that for there to be so much money in pro golf, that many people have to be watching it on TV. And the fact there are so many people at home wasting all that time just sitting around watching some prepped up loser hit around a little white ball into a tiny hole in the middle of a field of grass instead of doing something that's actually fun or productive is damn near tragic.
The only good thing that has ever come from golf is Happy Gilmore
. Period.
I remain,
Damon
Now I've never had any respect for golf and this story doesn't help. Watch the video and you'll see after Wie's craptacular shot her club comes to rest by her foot. Really? The ref or whatever the hell he's called probably had to nitpick because frankly he didn't have shit to do otherwise. What a stupid sport. Ever watched a real sport? Like hockey or baseball, basketball? I was at a hockey game on St. Patties day and watched a player penalized for beating the crap out of a member of the opposing team. Now that's a reason to be penalized! Resting your golf club on the ground, you got to be kidding me.
In case you hadn't figured it out I absolutely despise golf. You have a bunch of well dressed pretend athletes who despite being some of the best in the world at what they do can't take a shot without the crowd being quiet and have someone else carry their clubs around. They work up a sweat by walking. I remember how my grandparents stayed healthy - they walked too. I wonder if they'd be good at golf.
What's the saddest part of this story is the penalty cost Wie $90,000. Now it's not sad she didn't make as much money. What's really sad is that for there to be so much money in pro golf, that many people have to be watching it on TV. And the fact there are so many people at home wasting all that time just sitting around watching some prepped up loser hit around a little white ball into a tiny hole in the middle of a field of grass instead of doing something that's actually fun or productive is damn near tragic.
The only good thing that has ever come from golf is Happy Gilmore
. Period.I remain,
Damon
Monday, March 29, 2010
The Long Road to Sucess & The Quick Path to Faliure
Yukiyoshi Sagawa is quoted in the book Transparent Power
as saying that even with intense training it takes 20 years before your body is conditioned enough. 20 years is damn long time. You could be doing great for 5 years and quit and it wouldn't be near enough. I'm having a hard time sticking to pushups and moping and it's been a month. Training every day for 20 years, that's 7300 days.
The bar is a similar thing, it'll take 5 years of work to make it worth it. 5 years - 1825 days. Doesn't seem so long when compared to 20 years. But it's still a long time. And a bad day at the bar can end it for good. A minor drinking, some kind of accident, fire, flood, etc could put an end to everything and I'd spend the next ten years digging myself out of debt.
It pisses me off when people expect things for free, as if they deserve for me to spend another day or minute in debt so they can save a buck. The road to success is long and hard and a misstep can erase years of work. Some people just can't appreciate that.
Apparently some gamblers aren't addicted to winning or gambling so much as they're addicting to losing - they are hooked on having their back to the wall and having to fight to stay afloat. I've been a part of a failing business for 3 years - maybe I'm the same way. Maybe it's difficult to work too hard because I can't deal with being ahead. Hope that's not the case.
Today was not a bad day. I cleaned my room, worked and made some money. But I just got by, another day. I need to get more out of each day, I can't get a head just having a normal day. I can't get where I want to be just getting by.
Today was not a bad day. But tomorrow has to be better to succeed. Each day has to be better than the last.
Guess we'll see what happens.
On a more enjoyable note, I'll leave you with a picture of Bulleit. He's apparently crazy
as saying that even with intense training it takes 20 years before your body is conditioned enough. 20 years is damn long time. You could be doing great for 5 years and quit and it wouldn't be near enough. I'm having a hard time sticking to pushups and moping and it's been a month. Training every day for 20 years, that's 7300 days. The bar is a similar thing, it'll take 5 years of work to make it worth it. 5 years - 1825 days. Doesn't seem so long when compared to 20 years. But it's still a long time. And a bad day at the bar can end it for good. A minor drinking, some kind of accident, fire, flood, etc could put an end to everything and I'd spend the next ten years digging myself out of debt.
It pisses me off when people expect things for free, as if they deserve for me to spend another day or minute in debt so they can save a buck. The road to success is long and hard and a misstep can erase years of work. Some people just can't appreciate that.
Apparently some gamblers aren't addicted to winning or gambling so much as they're addicting to losing - they are hooked on having their back to the wall and having to fight to stay afloat. I've been a part of a failing business for 3 years - maybe I'm the same way. Maybe it's difficult to work too hard because I can't deal with being ahead. Hope that's not the case.
Today was not a bad day. I cleaned my room, worked and made some money. But I just got by, another day. I need to get more out of each day, I can't get a head just having a normal day. I can't get where I want to be just getting by.
Today was not a bad day. But tomorrow has to be better to succeed. Each day has to be better than the last.
Guess we'll see what happens.
On a more enjoyable note, I'll leave you with a picture of Bulleit. He's apparently crazy
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Stupid Older Guys and Younger Smarter Girls Make Better Relationships
Found this video on yahoo or msn news. Apparently the ideal wife is 5 years younger and 27% smarter. This actually makes a lot of sense. Women for the most part are smarter and the only thing that keep us men ahead is our life experience and massively powerful upper body strength. Therefore it's in our best interest as men to find younger women who don't know any better. For example, today is my girlfriend's 22nd birthday(I'm 26). Had we met when we were both 24-25 she'd know she was way too good looking and intelligent for me. Over the past two years I've been able to slowly been able to stunt her emotion maturation to the point where she believes it's acceptable for a 26yr old male to sleep in till noon most days, Monday night is a great night to drink, having custom built 36 pound mops is cool, and my obsession with her breasts is very, very normal.
She will of course someday realize that she is (at least) 27% smarter than me but by then I'm hoping I'll have knocked her up, she'll realize she's stuck with me and we'll live happily ever after. She'll balance the check book and invest our money because she knows its better to buy stock than a PS3 and I'll move heavy stuff because of my massive superior upper body strength. A natural arrangment as God intended it..
This is what she puts up with...
In other news, I've discovered I can save the bar a $1000 a year by buying my limes and lemons from Sam's Club. $1000 in limes, thats a lot of cash! Going to see what other cost I cut next week both at the bar and in my personal life. Also hopefully starting a new project next week, more news soon.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Power Of The Mop!
I had my laptop at work this afternoon and while I was taking care of various things I watched Big Man Japan:
Freakin' weird man. Fun sometimes but very strange. I know the effects were poorly done on purpose but I haven't seen any movie from Japan that had what we would consider "good" stateside.
I've got class to teach and work.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
So much done, so much more to go
Looking back on the last two days I've got a lot done. I got inventory done, called in orders, took care of a wire transfer, updated show details for a few shows I booked, few other business things I been meaning to get done, took my dog to the pet store and had his anal glands expressed (Yep you needed to know), and took Old Town Jerry to the hospital for an appointment. Still a lot to do this week but I feel like I got a lot done.
Still way too much to do this week. But if I can keep this pace up I can be caught up and then some by next week. I wouldn't know what to do with myself it if that happened.
My girlfriend found a picture of me on the CSU rec center website from out jujitsu class in 2003. It's bit crazy it's been 7 years since I started. That was a long time ago. My girlfriend was 14 my first year of college. I'm robbing the craddle! Or as she put it she's "robbing the grave." As she matures so does her wit and me, slipping into senility am unable to respond quickly! 26 and I'm over the hill, maybe it makes sense I'm trying to retire by 30.
Speaking of which I took my sales sheet I use to track all my sales and expenses for Hodi's and modified it for home use. From now on I'll start to use it to track how much money I make and how I spend it. Hopefully it'll be helpful in reducing spending.
Well off to mop/workout, then Japanese, and finally work.
Jujitsu started at CSU last night, class went well, although it was small. Here's a pic of me about to be thrown by Banks Sensei few years ago
Still way too much to do this week. But if I can keep this pace up I can be caught up and then some by next week. I wouldn't know what to do with myself it if that happened.
My girlfriend found a picture of me on the CSU rec center website from out jujitsu class in 2003. It's bit crazy it's been 7 years since I started. That was a long time ago. My girlfriend was 14 my first year of college. I'm robbing the craddle! Or as she put it she's "robbing the grave." As she matures so does her wit and me, slipping into senility am unable to respond quickly! 26 and I'm over the hill, maybe it makes sense I'm trying to retire by 30.
Speaking of which I took my sales sheet I use to track all my sales and expenses for Hodi's and modified it for home use. From now on I'll start to use it to track how much money I make and how I spend it. Hopefully it'll be helpful in reducing spending.
Well off to mop/workout, then Japanese, and finally work.
Jujitsu started at CSU last night, class went well, although it was small. Here's a pic of me about to be thrown by Banks Sensei few years ago
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