The Amateur Enthusiast: 2010 Year in Review, and The Case for a Downtown New Year's

The Amateur Enthusiast: 2010 Year in Review, and The Case for a Downtown New Year's

Patron Saints

I was thinking about saints tonight. I often wonder about their lives and the things that do not end up in the story. How often did they transgress? How often did they confess their own sins. How often did they condemn? How often did they forgive? How often did they truly try to understand as opposed to crusading for their own position. I wonder. I hope that with study and contemplation to understand more.

Bed and the lack there of...

Lately I have been doing the 40+ medical crap. When you pass 30 everyone wants to poke, prod, bleed and test you. Not fun, but strangely interesting.

Quality, Work Ethics and Landscaping

In college I spent a couple of years doing landscape work for Cal-Trans. This experience got me into the habit of pulling weeds. My weeds, your weeds and the weeds of a local business.

Recently I was speaking with a relatively new hotel owner about landscaping. His hotel falls into the 2 to 3 star range and has been well landscaped, but neglected in recent months. I gave him a few tips on how to get weeds under control and the need for a schedule of care. Hopefully these tips were appreciated.

I would imagine that this is a tough time to go into the hospitality business. I wish him the best of luck.

Quality: This company came to my attention today.

http://www.colonellittleton.com/

I saw a belt made by them at Orvis. Wonderful craftsmanship and about $83. You do pay for what you get. Admiring the belt led to a fairly involved 5 minute discussion with Blair, who works at Orvis, about the belt maker and their relationship with Orvis. It made me think of other companies like Woodstream and Old Mother Hubbard. Google them and explore their histories. You might even want to throw in W.F. Young, the makers of Absorbine.

Of course you cannot discuss quality with going into work ethics. It takes a good work ethic and pride in your work to produce Quality. I will end there and suggest the following book for further reading.

Quest for the Best by Stanley Marcus

http://www.amazon.com/Quest-Best-Stanley-Marcus/dp/1574411373/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1279039986&sr=1-3

muscle shirts, Larry the Cable Guy, ball caps, swim trunks, grilling, sweat

So my wife says to me that I look like someone that would hang out with Larry the Cable Guy and it is kind of scary look for me. Hm... That is not a look I would normally cultivate.

All I did this morning was throw a ball cap over my messy hair.

I was already wearing the muscle t-shirt, swim trunks and flip flops. I went outside and did some yard work and made breakfast on the grill. This got me a bit sweaty. So how does this make me look like a friend of Larry the Cable Guy?

If it does, I am OK with it. I would like to be friends with Larry the Cable Guy and hang out.

Canned Heat and Fireworks

This is what I was doing last night. Fun, a bit loud and hot in that garage. I am on the drums.

First Official Post. Oh Boy is this going to turn out to be a bad idea?

Well OK. I guess I will get started by posting something I wrote somewhere else.

Wondering why my cheese has gone moldy before someone could move it and now it has melted in the sun into a stinky greasy puddle of scary dairy stuff.