United3dArtists Archive

usually its punished when someone does what state does (income taxes, VAT)

Made (ow!) more today (ow!) ... splinter in my little finger right where it hits the "a" key (ow!). Made more today than I've made in a day in a long time.

The county dump is closed today so I went to the city dump. They've gone crazy with rules. They wrote down my license number and gave me two pages of new rules. One noted federal and state laws requiring gates at bins and compactor. When I'm in the back of truck the tops of the gates are at my knees which is soooo much safer no gates and it is hard to get anything out. They have a scale to weigh trucks and intend to charge for some loads of trash (what happened to all that tax money?). Get this, soon they will require a utility bill and ID to show you live in the area.

An old customer can't afford lawn care this year but I might get a new one. Getting more one time and occasional things but season long mowing is where the money is.

We have an identification card like an visa card that you have to show when we go to the city recycling central with large things to throw away like things from the garden. furniture, tyres, old engine oil, batteries...... No papers but personell who guides you, sometimes in a brutal way, were to leave the things for recycling.

here in cz usually we get a big container on the street from time to time and everyone can throw big trash in there. When you want to throw away some dangerous trash like used motor oil, you go to a place where you can give it. If you are citizen of that part of city that the place belongs to, its free. If not, you pay. Comon citizen´s ID card (where your "place of live" is written) is used.

A old timer major lawn care guy in town is retiring. I hope to get some of his customers.

A customer gave me an electric edger.

Dumpster diving and dump scavenging were popular when I was a kid. Kids rich and poor would get into the trash dumpsters at businesses and scavenge things we could use or play with, poor people found useful things, and everyone got cardboard boxes from dumpsters when needed. Some would scavenge at the dump. Not allowed now.

Hey, it's 95 F in here. No wonder the computer's fans run all the time. Time to hook up the water to the evaporative cooler for the house. Scorchers expected soon. The heat is good for business. Now it will be 70 F or more at night and that is what the Bermuda grass likes. It has been cool at night and delayed the start of mowing season.

Wow 95 degrees? I am glad that is good for business Finis.
But phew! It may be a dry heat but it's still hot!
I hope you can get ALL of the retiring man's customers!

I got a big job cutting down dry plants, fire safety, around a house. Got a lot of that done today but 104 degrees F (40 C) and 20 to 30 mile per hour winds the last couple of hours didn't make it easy. Pays enough that I have a new chain saw. Gathering and hauling the stuff off will be most of the job.

It has been hot for long enough that the ground is warn down at the water pipes. So the water is comfortable for showers (no water heater) and that's more convenient than heating water on the stove.

The Bermuda grass is green but still not growing fast. It has what it needs now: warm nights, hot days, and the customers are watering it correctly. The 100 plus days with no precipitation earlier and the extended time of cool nights must have lasting effects. This is a end of la nina year (or is it end of el nino?) and those mess up the weather here. Usually it would have been growing 1 or 1.5 months ago.

Large lawn areas, parks, ball fields, cities and urban workers are maintained. Golf has its own crew, rarely hire new people. There are dog training school, a grass acres.Production directory and PPL can choose their favorite garden. Then you can let them choose their garden.

_________________
Tera Gold Cheap|Cartier Trinity Ring

Good news: I got 2.5 new scheduled customers. They need mowing every two weeks. One has a big yard that pays more per mow than usual and the other has another house that needs monthly maintenance. He also needs that one cleaned up (real mess) which I get to do as a separate job.

Bad news: I have half of the dirt from a customer's yard in my eyes. The devil wind has been blowing for months and won't stop.

I have to go to Las Cruces to bring a guy back from the hospital which messes up my schedule. I'm lucky enough that I have enough work now that it is hard to reschedule anything.

buy protective glasses :)

Bitkar, I wear safety glasses most of the time but anti-sand goggles are hot. Probably better than dirt in my eyes though.

My truck is making loud noises and strong vibrations in low gear. It goes to mechanics tomorrow for diagnosis. Probably can't afford to fix anything and I'll just fall behind on work. I haven't had many days off for a long time so falling behind and having to catch up won't be fun. I'm tired of having to fight everything all at once but if it can be done then maybe things will be better later. Still discouraging.

Cheer up, it could be worse. It could be raining!

spacekdet wrote:Cheer up, it could be worse.

cudbrain.jpg

It could be raining!

lol, good one!

Raining ...

I can barely afford the truck repair but that's better than can't. The U-joints need replacing and the center something (joint?) as well. The center thing has a rubber ring which was almost gone. That was most of the trouble. The drive shaft has to go to a machine shop for the U-joints since they are permanently connected to it. Good that it wasn't the differential.

maybe sry but what kind of junk do you have?

I have a 1989 Nissan pick up. I got it new in 1990. It has at least 250,000 miles (odometer, mile-o-meter, stopped working at 180k). It has been in 5 collisions and hasn't lost one yet ... oh sorry, that's not a sport.

I also have a 1971 Dodge Demon (like a Dart or Duster) that I'm going to fix up and get running someday.

Nissan makes good trucks. Cars too.
I had a Nissan S/T back in, hm... 1986 for 5 years? I liked it.
Very good truck.

thats better, for that yrs and mileage, certainly not bad. Old nissans are welll made,unlike the new nissans (coz they are almost owned by Renault).

Finis, does your neighbor own a cannon?

Hey your truck gets you around but is it worth the price to keep it running?
For your business do you have a trailer too? You could always hook that up to a passenger vehicle with a hitch to keep you working. Whatever works for you.
Do you get lots of snow in the winter or was this a freak storm in the photo?
Poor birds.

Cannon? The wheels in the photo! Wagon wheels.

Y'all have never been poor have you? Well, poor by American standards. You have to consider every option and when you have, if you're lucky, you have 1/2 of an option that might work or maybe you're just s-o-l. I can't afford a trailer hitch. How would I afford a trailer? You''re right though, if I could get a trailer then I'd be able to keep working with any vehicle that can haul it.

Steinie wrote:Hey your truck gets you around but is it worth the price to keep it running?

Would it be easier to keep an even older truck running? What is the other option? If the repairs would cost enough that I could buy a cheap old truck instead then I'd be out of business and have no transportation (well I do have a bicycle that needs minor repair). I'll barely have a penny left as is. If I could get them, a regular size truck and a trailer would be good for more hauling ability. That won't happen.

One thing that does work on my truck is the air conditioner. To bad I can't afford to run it since it really cuts down the gas mileage.

Maybe Alamo Pulse will work out and things will be better. Contact from one potential writer so far.

Snow: We get a little snow most winters ... ah, the year-with-no-winter, ah ... basking in the memory ... what was I typing? Oh yeah, one or two snows that don't melt when it touches the ground. Maybe an inch thick. Every 3 or 4 years, I think, we get a heavier one like this.

A friend is loaning my his pretty gleaming unscratched truck, unless mine will be ready today, so it is time to catch up on work.

I hope everything improves for you quickly Finis.

i know how to be poor... but i thought you overcame the tough begining, coz it seemed like you have some more customers and some job. Anyway you seem to be fighter, so just keep fighting and doing your best. Maybe you will soon afford to buy some slightly newer truck.

Yes don't take my comments as insulting since I really don't know what "poor" feels like. You live in a difficult part of the Country where jobs are scarce. Even in good times making a living in your area would be tough.

BTW
Where is the url to your new site?

No insults taken or perceived! Advice appreciated and considered too (must consider every option and I'm not going to see them all myself). Sometimes I get frustrated not by advice but by my limited or absent ability to implement it. Sorry for the negative tone on that post. That was frustration with limited options not anything against anyone or any advice.

We Americans should put "poor" in quotes. I'm just not as rich as many other Americans. People in Ethiopia etc. are poor.

Bitkar: I do have more work than last year so things are better. Last year's goal was mere survival and this year's goal is to improve things so that hopefully I'll be able to get a trailer hitch, tools, repairs, etc. That doesn't mean things are good or ok, yet. Like you said, keep fighting!

Steinie: Alamo Pulse has a super interesting way off topic thread (like this one) in U3DA. AP is at http://www.alamopulse.com" . I think you have my hiking blog's new url but if not then PM or email me.

Finis,
Is there a writer's group near you? Maybe a meetup group or something similar?
If you could join a group for free, or start one, you may be able to network
with other writers, in person, and offer your site to them for writing. Meetup
requires a fee but it's just an example. Maybe start a group on facebook, or
Google+ ?

I've got enough work to do now that I've been a little sore at the end of some days. More clean ups with more labor. "Pain is weakness leaving the body."

The $35 blades are made of what? I'll take as many as I can, sell a couple and buy all the rest of them, sell those and retire to a life of luxury. Well, I'd keep a few just to say, "I'm so rich my grounds keepers use blades made of solid ...

(See features) http://hypro-diaphragm-pumps.com/Toro-R ... ce=froogle

That's tite, yo.

spacekdet wrote:That's tite, yo.

I guess a platinum blade would count as mower "bling". About 1.5 pounds ... that's $50k each.

Now my line trimmer (weed eater) won't start (pull cord not engaging) and my truck's driver's side door is very fussy about opening. Neither door will open from the outside since both handles are broken off. I have a new handle for one.

I'm tired of this. I can't afford it but I'm taking the truck to mechanics to fix the door and put the handle on. The trimmer is hard to take apart so it goes to mechanics too. Other things need fixing on it anyway. If I can get the borrowed trimmer to keep running then I'm ok.

I got the trimmer apart, didn't see anything wrong, put it back together and it works. Probably debris in there.

My water pipe, the main one, was leaking. Me and my neighbor fixed it. So I get my water bill. The pipe leaked approximately $150 worth of water during August. They have tiers for water use with each tier costing more per gallon. I got to tier 5! When we dug it up it had a good spray of water from the leak but I didn't expect that!

Now I found that the bathroom sink drain is leaking too. Always something and no time or money to fix it.

My grandfather, a retired railway carpenter, used to tear apart old lawnmowers and put them back together for sale.

He used to sharpen blades so much they were ridiculously thin. Of course, back then people were more frugal and probably not as safety conscious.

I can still see him in his shop grinding valves down on used lawnmowers. heh

James, I wish your grandfather was around to help me fix things.

My weed eater had a dirty spark arrestor screen blocking the flow of exhaust. No air out = no air in = no running. Use fire to clean an arrestor screen. I held it over a candle and then some solvent and a wire brush finished the job. Avoid the smoke and touching the stuff on the screen.You can remove it too, it isn't usually necessary, but this weed eater doesn't run right without it.

I'm unmotivated and seem unable to do things just because they need to be done. Too much work and still little money, no hiking and little time for creative stuff (Dragneye wrote something like, "I must create or I will melt") ... none of that helps. With the lunatics running the asylum there is little hope of reward for my efforts -- that I can make my situation better. That's not exactly a big motivator. But, all I can do is try ... ahem try ... ok then, work calendar in order tonight, bookkeeping in the morning, do all of Monday's work on Monday.

Cold. Well, afternoons are tolerable in the 70's but it is 40 something at night and there was a little ice on my truck windshield yesterday morning. Ok, it just seems cold vs. summer but it will be plenty cold soon. Another winter with little heat and no water heater for me. I guess I could scrimp somewhere to save money for heat/water heater ... I obviously have an internet connection that I could live without. They say another la nina might be starting. That will make it an ice box here like last winter and isn't so good for the mowing season either. Great.

I am unmotivated and cold makes it worse. The only practical thing I'm motivated to do is send bills and get paid but I have some strange "mental block" on that. Some switch isn't flipping somewhere between intent and action.

Laundry time. Touch water at less than 100 degrees. Now that's just foolishness.

Switch flipped. Work getting done.

Finis wrote:Switch flipped. Work getting done.

Finis you live in a country where I thought the people had making money in thier blood.......
you do nice renders and if I look at your bridge you do some nice architectural work.......
I have an idea for you that cost only your time and some devotion but could end up prosperative for you.
Download the free version of Sketchup from Google..... download Kertkythea and download the Sketchup importer for Kerkythea (works with the free version too !)
Get yourself a floorplan of a house and start tracing the walls inside sketchup .. its easy and you will be able to get up learning it in no time.
Install the plugin for export to Kerkythea and export the model you created from the floorplan ...... learn how to render it in Kerkythea and make some
pictures on glossy paper..... take the floorplan and your renders and go from architect to architect in your region and show them....
You will see in no time that you can make a lot of extra money.....
As soon as you got your first clients together you can invest it into the pro version of Sketchup and Thea ........
You could then spread your clients to different professions too ! including planning of gardens etc...
Its good work for the cold season !
Positive sideeffect where there is a new house there is also the planning of a new garden coming with it and maybe a lot of gardening work in the future......
Peter

I just might do that Rayman. It is often said that it is best to do what you like as your work. That would take care of some of the motivation problem. I'll have time to learn and practice this winter.

Finis wrote:I just might do that Rayman. It is often said that it is best to do what you like as your work. That would take care of some of the motivation problem. I'll have time to learn and practice this winter.

Yup thats what i did I love photography and went from company to company with my work....i can now live from my hobby ...

Now that I sent the bills I have a few payments due from customers. Some have to wait until payday. I found a guy who will work a day here or an hour there. Not confirmed yet but the retiring old timer might recommend me to his customers.

Everything piles on this time of year just as my income dwindles. The city let me out of the extra for the water leak but now I owe it to the state for taxes. I'm too poor to owe any income tax though I gripe plenty about it (not time for that anyway and the top few percent pay almost all of the income tax collected) but ... plenty of taxes and bills anyway and many things need repair.

Two retiring old timers are recommending me to their customers. So far I have 3.5 new customers for scheduled repeat service and 2 more possibilities too. Some stuff to do for them before mowing season too. One is leaving in a few months.

It has been warm for January. 60's in the day and above freezing most nights. There are weeds and some cool season grass turning green. Maybe mowing season will start early but it might go back to normal in February. I hope there is no record setting (I think) cold like last year.

I need a pep talk*. I don't want to do my work, my bookkeeping, or anything else I should do. There are opportunities to get more customers for lawn care and improve Alamo Pulse's chances of getting started but I just don't seem to care.

* English/American not primary language folks: "pep talk" is slang for encouragement or giving positive motivation.

Times are tough Finis ... there is no doubt about that at all. When I get down I focus on the fact that there are things that I do that help others and that helping them is what I am all about.

If I can keep my eye on that ball I find the others easier to pick up again over time.

Finis, sounds like you need to do something for *you* for a day. Even if that's just staying at home relaxing.
If you have opportunities for customers go for it!

I'm out of business! Well, I neglected to pay the protection money ... I mean the fee for my business license and it expired. Guess I should do that.

4.5 new customers and I talk to a prospect tomorrow. Three old customers confirmed for this season. Various occasional customers too.

I got mostly organized. Bookkeeping up to date. Ready for scheduling mowing season. Still warm so it might be an early Spring. State wants their taxes but they'll have to wait until I have money.

My line trimmer needs a bearing. Part and labor $80. The good stuff is good but the price and maintenance costs are no fun. Blower won't start. I think it is not getting spark. Work on that with my neighbor tomorrow. This economical blower is good enough but I'd get a Stihl if I could afford it. I wish I could get two of every thing.

Got a medium to bad cold. Either can't see from watery eyes or can't stay awake from cold medicine. Little better tonight.

Six new customers plus two more probably. If I get all of last year's back then I think I've got a full schedule now. That's repeat scheduled mowing and stuff for the mowing season customers. Several for occasional work too. The retiring old timers are sending a lot of their customers my way.

That's good to hear Finis!
I hope you don't have what I / we had. I thought it was a cold but it was a nastier virus. I had it 'bad' for 2 weeks. Then residual coughing and irritation.

Let's hope no renegade grass-eating sheep decide to 'horn in' on your business.

Sheep! Hmm, I could be the trained animal lawn guy. Sheep to mow by eating grass low, dogs trained to sniff out weeds and dig them up, and birds trained to eat weed seeds!

I've got all the customers I can handle now. Maybe too much to do with the one-time jobs too. The phone is driving me crazy. Everyone calling for weeds etc. plus more referrals from the old timers who I have to decline now. I can't stand phones since I worked at the call center of misery and suffering whose name cannot be spoken that sells flowers.

Really windy today so there's little I can do outside. Dust. Can't see things 3 blocks away. Trying to get more organized and prepare for building a block wall and painting for customers.

All this new 3D software and no time to learn it. I especially want to learn Messiah but that will take a good bit of time.

I too want to learn Messiah badly so don't feel alone.
This is great news that you are booked for work. Maybe this is the start to good times for you.

When you start your Messiah learning journey just let me know. I'll join the fun.
I am sure RichLevy, Dele and others will gladly help us.

Finis,
that is a 'good' problem to have: the phone ringing off the hook with new customers. Don't make yourself sick but make as many customers happy as you can. It sounds like that type of work is 'feast or famine' so, work hard my friend but don't get hurt! We rent from a couple; the husband is a carpenter: he fixes everything in a house except plumbing pretty much. He works 5-6 days a week, and works on this house one weekend day. He gets it done. My point being, pace yourself but work as much as you can to make as much as you can. The 3d software will be there for you.
Cheers!

17 regular customers. 19 if I decide to work every other Saturday.

Steinie: Of course I'll let you know when I start Messiah. Looks like after mowing season with all this work. Rich, Dele, good help.

Froo: Yeah, not too much work. I can do 4 yards a day but I'm scheduling for 3. Major 3D learning is for the off season.

V3rd3: The helping factor helps. Some of my customers have medical problems and can't do physical work much. It is good to help them.

My truck's clutch hydraulics went out. Stranded at city hall. Should have renewed my business license while there. Me and another guy started pushing it to mechanics a few blocks away and fortunately a guy stopped and towed it the rest. Mechanic traded cutting his trees for fixing it. It goes back to the shop Monday for brakes. The squeal has become a grind with vibrations.

Well Hey Finis! Sounds like you got some good work and income ahead of you! And bartering is a good thing too! Get your truck fixed, cut down some trees.
Can you sell the firewood too? I am very happy for you my friend!

Froo: I'll probably give the wood to a customer unless the owner wants it.

Looks like I may have too many regulars. There's a couple, maybe 3, I neglected in making a mowing schedule.

I heard a pop and a clink on the way to work and no brakes. Mechanics have the truck now. Unknown time to fix. I needed time to do taxes, house cleaning, etc. anyway.

sounds like happy end... (no crash)

bitkar wrote:sounds like happy end... (no crash)

I was lucky there was no traffic around. Could have been much worse. Truck is fixed now but it was expensive even with the barter factor. After that and taxes it is a race to make enough to pay overdue bills and more taxes before deadlines.

21 customers on a reasonable schedule with most weekends off.

you have lots of customers, you work all the time... why arent you still rich?? You have so many taxes in US? i think in europe its still worse.

I wonder that too Bitkar. Why am I still broke with all these customers? Things are better though. The brakes would have been doomsday last year. Some is that bills and tax accumulated in the winter when I couldn't pay. Some is a drought even by desert standards that is preventing the grass from getting a good start with no April rain. So, I have all those customers but they don't need much work yet. More grass is starting so it will be better soon. We reportedly now have the highest corporate tax in the world (U-S-A Number one! Wait, um ..) but otherwise, yeah, I think Europe and other places mostly have worse taxes than here. I don't intend to expand the lawn care business beyond what I can do myself but if I ever become successful with Alamo Pulse or some other business I'll be plenty pissed to be punished for success. There are lots of welfare bums in my poor neighborhood and I resent my little bit of tax that supports them.

(In USA "pissed" = pissed off = angry. I heard it means "drunk" somewhere.)

edit: I just found out that my check to pay some tax "bounced" (insufficient funds). My fault. Thought I was keeping enough in the account. However, That made me think about what I would have had to do to have enough in there. While I think many other countries have worse tax that just means you're in a hotter part of hell. The total tax burden, not even counting the cascade of economic damage caused by taxes or the damage done when gov. spends it, makes it almost impossible to succeed here.

hotter part of hell :D thats pretty exact. If you have enought customers, maybe you can negotiate a slightly higher price. Not much, but if every customer will give "one more dolar"...

The blank blank blankity blanking blanks! The gov. tried to process the tax check again! That costs me $34 overdraft fee each time. I don't have enough to pay the tax until I get paid by some customers. Maybe some family can loan it to me.

Those blanking blanks. Blank them.
Blank them hard, all the way to blanking blank.

Maybe you left the blanking extension form blank.

Funny how they never manage to 'oops' and send you two refunds.
Billing you twice, we can blanking do that!

Sister to the rescue. She'll loan me the money. Once prosperous she and husband have been taxed to death too.

Bitkar: I'll raise prices next year. Remember that if I should ever make significantly more they would just punish my success by taking more from me. I may start passing the gross receipts tax through to customers this year.

Spacekdet: I didn't need an extension since I had the money to pay. The problem started, my fault, with me not keeping the money in the account. I just didn't watch my spending closely enough. Scum gov. for running the check again after it bounced without contacting me. Probably would have been a good strategy to get an extension just in case.

This situation of success just out of reach makes me think of a skeleton two feet from the water at an oasis. Have to do a TS image of that.

This is a joke about a bank's action on bounced checks here in the U.S.

The bank can process that check, get an insufficient fund and process it two more times before a minute has passed.

Anything else a bank customer wants done, takes three days processing time.

Great. A cable broke on my mower. I can't find the part online. It is the cable from the safety bar to the engine.

A friend gave me another mower but it needs repair. It has a blade brake that is now permanently engaged and I haven't been able to disassemble it to remove the brake.

I guess I can rent one until one of them can be fixed. There's about a two week turn around time at the only repair shop that could remove the blade brake. Maybe I can rig the broken cable one with some available cable for other things or just to run without it. Then how to turn it off? Maybe I can connect something to the existing cable to fix it.

I'm sick of this. Why can't I make enough money to have two functioning mowers, considering that they were both given to me, so one could be in the shop when needed? Why do I have all the work I can do and I'm still broke?

Finis wrote:Great. A cable broke on my mower. I can't find the part online. It is the cable from the safety bar to the engine.

A friend gave me another mower but it needs repair. It has a blade brake that is now permanently engaged and I haven't been able to disassemble it to remove the brake.

I guess I can rent one until one of them can be fixed. There's about a two week turn around time at the only repair shop that could remove the blade brake. Maybe I can rig the broken cable one with some available cable for other things or just to run without it. Then how to turn it off? Maybe I can connect something to the existing cable to fix it.

I'm sick of this. Why can't I make enough money to have two functioning mowers, considering that they were both given to me, so one could be in the shop when needed? Why do I have all the work I can do and I'm still broke?

Finis because you are trying to live a whole year off of a few months of business....
I told you some time a go that you need to use your 3d skills and use them like lets say visualisation for construction work for the winter time.....
and your asking price is probably to low....
I know that pretty well because I fall into the same sheme as you some time and have to correct it from time to time...
I just paid 1800 $ for a new hot water boiler... so there you go the other professionists have very high prices and still you have to wait to get one almost for a week....
Finis your not alone in the boat... we all have the same problems from time to time..
Peter

Finis,
Mower name and model #?
Maybe we can all find you one fast.

Rayman: yep. I make most of my money in the warm season. Thing is I should be making a bundle now and saving for winter but expenses keep appearing. I'm going to give the 3D work a try like you said. Has to be a winter project due to time and I'm working on the online magazine now. I want to raise prices. Especially to pass the gross receipts tax (7.5%) through to customers but I think that needs to wait for next season.

It would all be better if I could improve things so troubles just mean I make less money that time. It is doomsday always around the corner that bothers me.

Steine: Thanks! I appreciate the help. Fixed. I got a cable used for something else and strapped it on with hose clamps. It works fine now. The other mower will go to mechanics sometime. Just missed two jobs so not much catch up this weekend.

Sprinkler parts to the rescue!

Finis, you may have to pass the expense on to new customers, now; not next season. Just a thought.

froo wrote:Finis, you may have to pass the expense on to new customers, now; not next season. Just a thought.

I want to charge a bundle and make tons of money. Of course expenses, all costs, plus profit so I have food (and mega computers, fast cars ... better settle for food right now), has to come from the customer. But they won't/can't just pay any price I say.

It's is a catch 22. I have to make enough to get by but some customers will leave if it costs too much. Everything is cut so close that I may not be able to cross the gap from the initial customer/income loss to replacing them with higher price payers. Additionally, I just made the deal with the new ones so they would not like it if I want to change it so soon. They might be sympathetic though about passing the tax on. Everyone is getting killed by taxes now days and tax is normally part of a bill. I'll ask them about it and charge the ones who don't seem likely to leave.

Finis, I meant:
the next new customer you get, try to factor in your required charges to cover the costs. I didn't mean, go back to the new customers you just acquired, and tell them you have to charge more money. It's just an idea; I am not 'there' so of course you know the situation better than I do. So, I could be totally wrong about the idea.

I do hope you can turn a profit and not get eaten alive by these stupid taxes.

Froo, will do on charging new customers more. Also the occasional odd job ones.

My business license expired some time ago and renewing it was not a high priority for me. The code enforcement officer just came by and increased its priority so I renewed it. I think of the license fee as mafia protection money: I gain no benefit for my money other than the city doesn't "hurt" me if I pay.

Finis,
the guy at MicroCenter gave me an idea last night. He said many people want their computer stuff networked at home but don't want to do it themselves - wireless networks, wired networks. Is that something you could do as well? Just a thought.

Froo: Though I have a BS in computer science I never did know much about networking. Too long out of that field and my interests are different now. If I could though then it would be a job and still self employed (that's a priority). I'm thinking I'll keep trying with the online local magazine, try to turn 3D into a job as Rayman has advised, and consider trying to grow the lawn business with employees.

The Bermuda grass is still not growing much. It likes 70 F or more at night and even with daytime temps 100 F or more it is still 60 something at night. Usually 70+ a month or more ago. No rain in a long time. The grass likes the rainwater.

A powerful person said, "If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. " I feel so stupid. I did all that work when I could have just taken it easy while those other people built my business for me. Maybe they'll make my online magazine happen.

Well, just as I'm contemplating taxes I owe and the word "taxmageddon" came to mind, I get a letter from the IRS. They want me to pay my income tax plus a late fee. Probably do owe the small late fee. They think I didn't pay because the check bounced (my fault) but I paid it online after that. I'm tired of their incompetence.

Sorry to hear that Finis... the ... uhm... err "administrative" challenges in government are never ending it seems.

Hope this works out for you.

Paid one of the taxes on my land in Texas inherited from past generations of my family. When more paychecks for last month come in I'll pay the other one and be flat broke. The taxes go to schools, roads, and bridges.

My line trimmer broke yesterday. I have another one now but I hope to have two trimmers, mowers, and blowers for next season. Backups so I can work while repairs are done. A friend gave me a mower which is being repaired now so maybe I'll have two. I'll try to repair the trimmer this weekend. If I can't then it would cost more to repair than replace and I can't afford either.

While at the mechanics/store, dreaming of upgrades, I saw a trimmer that costs $40 more than mine and asked the sales guy what was different. It is the new "eco" model that is the same as mine except it has less power and costs more.

Finis wrote:It is the new "eco" model that is the same as mine except it has less power and costs more.

It took a government mandate to make that improvement; be grateful, citizen.

I'm mindless. Can't focus, no self discipline, no motivation. I need to try to fix my Stihl trimmer, fix the door on my truck, do lots of regular maintenance on other tools and bookkeeping. I can't even focus on fun things like rigging HearO.

Mechanics fixed the trimmer a friend gave me but now it leaks gas. I'll fix that but if they didn't reassemble it right then I'll complain. The mowing season will end within a month for most grass. Then a burst of work when the leaves fall. If I could think I'd work on the online magazine business and maybe that would get somewhere this winter.

If the work would get you loads of money you would be able to focus...... but the endless I´ve fixed this problem now comes that thing
is wearing you out.....I know very well how you feel because I´ve been in the same treadmill in the past too....
I´m a photographer and years ago I earned more money by burning cd-s lots of cd-s for clients... that was a aniche at that time.....
the burners were not in every houshold like nowadays...... thats just an example.... Finis you need to find some niches....
when the money flows from those you will get your motivation back....
It can be anything from architectural visualisations to clothing or props for the poser audience.... realy anything that gets you enough
headroom...I said that before didnt I....
Peter