Man In Progress

Yeah, I know, still working on the roof cleaning debacle.  I found some good information though at this roof cleaning page, which seems to verify what I suspected all along (ie that non-pressure roof cleaning with bleach is the way to go).  I have seen those roof stain removal products all over that you use with a pressure washer, but, I’m sorry, I’m not going to hit my roof shingles with 3000 psi.  That would be stupid, in my humble opinion.

Still trying to narrow down some local non-pressure roof cleaners to give me some numbers, but there are so few in this area.  I am surprised that there aren’t more roof cleaning companies out there…seems like a burgeoning industry.  I mean, I see these black roof streaks everywhere.  I would say half of the houses in this city have them, yet there are only a handful of contractors that specialize in it….seems like an opportunity for someone.

Looks like it will be an unusually warm December day today so I plan on hopping up on the roof to take a closer look.  Yes, I’ll be careful.  Let you know how this works out.

It’s so frustrating when you’re just going along, enjoying your day, and then a great business idea just pops right into your head, but then you’re so busy that you can’t take the time to write it down so, snap,  it’s gone like a flash.  In one side of the brain and out the other.

What’s more frustrasting is that I remember thinking that it was a brilliant idea for a business, but for the life of me I cannot remember what it was!  Am I going crazy!  I was driving to work in heavy traffic so I didn’t have the ability to just whip out a piece of paper and pen to write it down, but I’m kicking myself that I didn’t do something to try to record it…some kind of scribble what have sufficed.

Now I’m left wondering what it was that popped into my head and hoping that it comes back to me at some point.  Perhaps it was something along my ride to work that sparked this huge business idea that will jump out at me again tomorrow morning on my way.  Or perhaps it was a song on the radio.  I simply cannot remember, and I’m ticked about it.  The brain is too fallible.

Okay so another friend got jealous that I hadn’t mentioned his blog, so here’s one more to take a gander at.  Sorry for the delay, Bud.  It’s called Ideas To Rock You.  Rock and roll!

Interesting little blog of my buddy is under way called Mind Cleaning Express, where he says he’s just going to riff on whatever ruffles his feathers.  Please take a look, my friends.

This whole cornhole game craze has gotten out of control, folks.  Now I like a good, alcohol-driven game of cornhole as much as the next guy, especially when some good barbecue and a pool are involved, but cornhole when it’s 30 degress outside?  These people must be nuts.

Yeah, so I get home from work today, go inside, start making some hot chocolate because it’s freezing, and look out my window to see some neighbors pitching cornhole bags like it’s the Fourth of July or something.  And yes they were in short-sleeves, and yes they were shivering like dogs.  All I can figure is that they had a bet going or something.  Why else would someone do that?  Of course these are the same people that jump off their roof onto a trampoline in the summertime so perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised.

Maybe later I’ll go over, knock, and ask just what the dickens is going on.  If they’re going to be out there on a regular basis maybe they can pick the sticks and leaves out of my yard when they’re fethcing cornhole bags.  Sheesh.  I’ll report back what I find out.   This should be good.

So I’ve got black roof stains but there are so many roof cleaning products to choose from, it can be overwhelming.  The thing I’m concerned about is that most of them seem only to be effective when used in conjunction with a pressure washer, and I’m not comfortable blasting my shingles with high pressure.  Others say you can just spray their product on the roof a few times over the course of a month and then within six months to a year all the stains will be gone, but, seriously, who wants to wait six months for something to come clean?  I’m hearing good things about non-pressure bleach application, though, so I’m looking more into that.  Seems that there are more and more roof cleaning contractors popping up these days so I plan on talking to a few of the bleach guys and getting some numbers.  Besides, I don’t much fancy hopping up on my slippery, chemical-covered roof anyway.

Saw this great post about how to become a contractor, and really got me thinking about how relatively easy it is to start a business in this country, which of course can lead to eventually dumping the desk/corporate job and actually working for yourself in a tangible way.

You know everybody says when you’re growing up that you know you’ve made it when you’ve got a cushy office job but I think most of us now know that it’s not what it’s cracked up to be.  Sure, you get to wear the suit and tie and maybe even have your own secretary and a reserved spot in the parking lot but at the end of the day you’re trading your time for dollars and working for “the man”, which usually amounts to “the shareholders”.  Your salary will never advance beyond a certain level and based on how the economy is going or the stupid decisions your superiors might make you could get a pink slip at any given time.  Loyalty to employees is a thing of the past, as we’re all now seeing.

Guess I’d rather have my own contracting or service business where I have an opportunity to grow the company and see a direct impact in my bank account, even if it means people look down on me for doing “blue-collar” work.  Blue collar or white collar, all I care about is earning good money for myself and my family and having a stake in what’s going on.  You can sell a business for a nice chunk of change when you get bored with it - but how do you cash out when you get bored with or fired from the desk job?

photo credit: drp

Well, back in February I issued myself the challenge to lose 42 pounds in 21 weeks, but I have fallen far short of the goal. In reality, I’ve lost about 20 pounds, which is respectable considering my occasional (okay, frequent) lapses in motivation. If not for the guidance and encouragement of Paul (that awesome guru of personal training in Cleveland), I’d probably have lost nothing. So at this rate I’m losing less than a pound per week, but at least I’m losing. Progress is being made. Blubber is retreating.  Perhaps I have stumbled onto a universal weight loss (and life) truth. Huge sacrifices need not be made, only small and frequent sacrifices combined with the passage of time. You don’t have to give up chocolate or mayonnaise or tortillas, you simply need to spend time with them less often, and you need to be in it for the long haul. That’s it! Just make some small adjustments, give it a year, and you could be amazed by how much weight you’ve lost. I have 20 pounds more to lose to reach my goal, but I now know that I can reach it without taking drastic measures. Patience.

photo credit: Nicholas_T

Okay, so I pretty much suck at this weight loss thing.  At this rate I’ll be slim again just in time for my teeth to drop from my gums and liver spots to set up shop all over my shiny, bald head.  In all seriousness, I guess some weight loss is better than no weight loss, and I suppose I should be thankful that at least I’m making some semblance of progress.  I owe it not to a better diet, not to running, not even to a better mental outlook (because I have yet to incorporate any one of these things into my life).  Alas, I owe it simply and entirely to the fact that the earth’s orbit around the sun has once again placed it in a position whereas North America receives a greater amount of direct sunlight thereby allowing a warming of the air and a renewal of all plant and animal life.  In other (less pretentious) words, Spring is here (and is already damn well over), and the warmer weather has allowed me much more time to get outside and actually utilize my muscles.  Just getting out and working in the yard a few times a week is doing wonders.  I’m also trying to glean more wisdom from my friend up north who is a beacon of hope to millions on the Cleveland personal training scene.  He is the fitness Jedi Master and I am doing my best to learn from him.  Will I still lose 40+ pounds by July?  Common sense would say no.  But with the force all things are possible.

photo credit: Oliver Ingrouille [ mr oji ]

Recently a blogger that I follow wrote an inspiring post called the “Top 10 Ways To Kill Your Spirit“, and I came up with the notion to produce a sequel. So with his blessing, here goes:

1. Think about the past as much as possible. Your mistakes. Your most embarrassing moments. Live in that world for as many minutes of the day as you can squeeze in, because replaying it over and over is paying such wonderful dividends. Not only do you get to relive the pain every day, but thinking about it really cuts down on the time you have to create new experiences and meaningful relationships in the here and now. Bonus!
2. Don’t think about the past at all, EVER. The past is for losers and sentimentalists. Taking a glance back every once in awhile is to be avoided at all costs because it might make you realize that you were wrong on some things. And being wrong means apologizing. And apologizing is a sign of weakness. Maintain the cold war between you and your sick, aging mother because that is preferable to being seen as weak.
3. Compete with friends and family. They are the testing ground for achievement in the real world. Rubbing their noses in your accomplishments is not a matter of your arrogance, it’s a matter of their insecurities. You must make them feel as small as possible and then, only then, will you truly feel good about yourself. And feeling good about yourself is what really matters in relationships.
4. Watch reality TV.
   
5. Refuse to tolerate weirdness. People that act and think differently from you are to be shunned, ridiculed, and corrected. They offer nothing of value to a decent society, and give you these occasional, uncomfortable feelings that you might be less intelligent than they are. Eccentrics like Albert Einstein and Salvador Dali could have really been groundbreaking if only they had been normalized at a young age.
6. Work as hard as you can to be liked. You must learn to amputate from yourself any and everything that shows the slightest inkling of originality or independence. Just be like everybody else around you and things will be easier. When the boss tells a racist joke, laugh. When your friends start picking on a co-worker, join in. When your spouse tells you you’re looking old, get a face lift. What’s most important is not the quality of your relationships but the quantity. What matters is not that you dig yourself but that others dig you (or at least that they dig the pretend you).
7. Drink. A LOT. There’s nothing like a nightly 12-pack to take the edge off. Never mind that you can no longer distinguish your dreams from reality, or that your kids’ most vivid memory when they grow up will be of you, face down on the floor, unconscious. The point is that it helps you to cope. It gets you from day to day, and a day to day existence is all most people can hope for. Right?
8. Look for the worst in people. You have a gift for quickly identifying others’ flaws, and so it behooves you to point them out to anyone that will listen. Not only does this make you feel powerful and perceptive, but it gives you that much-needed daily confidence boost. After all, if someone else has problems, maybe yours aren’t so bad after all.
9. Make the pursuit of money your primary goal in life.  So you’ve had to burn a few bridges, stab a few backs, and miss a few school plays to secure your financial future…big whup.  It’s a dog eat dog world and sometimes you have to be ruthless if you want to make a lot of money.  Besides, there’s still a 50/50 chance that your estranged son will show up for your funeral, and maybe then he’ll finally be sorry for refusing the lavish gifts you’ve tried to buy his affection with.
10. Forget to laugh.