Monthly Archives: January 2013

Budget Your Time?

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Redbookmag.com has a nice short article by Christina Breda Antoniades on making a “time budget”.  During my years as a Congressional Aide, time was my most valuable asset.  There was never enough of it and it’s misuse was very expense – late night work catch-up and work all weekend.

Now, at 64, I find time is still my most valued asset (besides my husband).  I want to write every morning while my brain is fresh.  I need to open our Gallery/Gift Shop at 9AM.  There’s Jewelry to create, sales to record, merchandise to stock, cleaning, government reports to finish and the list goes on.  And at 64, I don’t multi-task near as well.  Sigh!

Christina’s brief but succinct “daytimer” reminded me of the value of “budgeting time”.  I used to do it very well, what happened?  Last year I felt behind the 8 ball all the time .  Why do I have to plan every part of my day?  At my age I should be retired and do what I want.  Instead I’m just tired and not doing anything I want.  I fought using my old habits all the way.  I did it all those years and I don’t want to.  Yet, I want to write; I want to read; I need to run the store; I need to make more jewelry because I enjoy it; I like knitting hats and giving them away; I need to clean the house; I need to do the laundry;  I need to budget my time.  Ick!

But, if I want to do all those things and get the things done I have to do I need to budget my time  It wasn’t hard to fall back into the habit, especially when I want “me time”.

So here’s my days –

  • 7-830 AM write
  • 8:30 – 9  get ready for work and plan dinner – including getting the slow cooker on
  • 9-Noon –  Beadweave and make jewelry – husband takes care of customers and makes lunch
  • Noon – 4PM  Do whatever needs doing in the store (consult list from night before to be sure I get it all done – dust, stock, reports, internet orders, etc and wait on customers
  • 4-6 PM  run errands, make dinner and clean up
  • 6-bedtime – Husband time, talk, read – In the season the store is open until 8PM so I’ll go back in and help him or do laundry because we’re open 7 days a week.

Just before bedtime I’ll write out 6 projects – both work and home – that need attention the next day.

When the store gets really busy during our April through October season, it’ll get harder to “budget” but at least there will be some “me” time.  Thanks Christina for a perfect reminder.  You can read it yourself  at www.redbookmag.com.

Oops – time to go!  Even though it’s Sunday and I get 3 hours to sit in my PJ’s and write –  the laundry awaits!

 

 

Woman In White – Book Review

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Woman In White    By Wilkie Collins

Published by Bandon/Dell  2008 Reissue

First Published 1860

ISBN 978-0-553-90466-6

 

I kept asking myself  “Why is this a classic”?  Because the way it’s written, there’s something for everyone.

  • The fairytale love story of Walter & Laura;
  • The sisterhood and Marians love for Laura;
  • The villain, Count Fosco, evil until the end;
  • And the intrigue, carefully crafted throughout.

The technique of using letters, journal entries and personal memories was clever and kept you reading.  Even through the rather verbose sentences (which didn’t appeal to me) did provide instruction on the Victorian language  Every chapter presented a fresh face or a new twist to keep you reading until the end.

I did have the same dislike for the quick ending that I see in others writing.  Little was said about Laura being pregnant or surviving child birth – other than delivering a son.  And when I thought about it, little was said about Laura’s personality – her likes and dislikes, etc.  The reader is led to believe  whatever they choose based on the scene written.

And there is no discussion on the ultimate love affair between Walter and Marian.  One that developed through adversity.  A partnership that included ultimate trust, and the kinship of being certain Laura was well cared for and loved.  Marians sisterhood devotion was the glue that kept it all together.  Without Marian there would have been no story.

I purchased the Kindle version of this book and look forward to hearing the comments about the book from the  book club members.

 

Paul Bowmar – He Made A Difference

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In 2006 I started attending Escalante City Council meetings because of our need to get permits to modify our commercial building we had purchased.  In March there was a public meeting about the Escalante Health Clinic and its unusable condition because of a fire the previous August.  I offered to help Mayor Porter get the funding for the Clinic and a new Firehouse.  Not too long after that I started writing for the local newspaper about the council meetings.  That’s how I met Paul Bowmar.

Paul was obsessed over issues with the Escalante Municipal Airport, owned and operated by Escalante City.  He was a pilot, owned several planes and was very frustrated with his treatment by City Council members and others.  His passion and persistence led him to Tracy and I that summer.  He wanted revenge instead of progress and it took a long time for him to get beyond where he was.  He couldn’t get the City to give him help with another Pilot and let him rent part of the City’s hangar.  Eventually, Glen Caudill came to Escalante, bought land, leased lots at the Airport from the City and had 4 hangars constructed.  Paul purchased one of those and proceeded to enjoy his passion for flying.

With Tracy’s help, two of the local scouts adopted the airport for their Eagle Scout projects, replacing the power room and building steps to the Pilot’s Lounge.  The City helped with some heavy equipment and operator time.  Then in 2010 Tracy coordinated the necessary materials and labor to crack-seal the runway.  Paul was so determined to make a difference and have Escalante Municipal Airport an asset for the community, he not only helped Tracy with his own hours of labor crack sealing – he paid his own employees to come out and help.  Without his efforts the resulting runway replacement project from FAA would never have happened.

I hadn’t seen Paul in many months, but had the opportunity to visit with him at the Post Office in late December.  We chatted about life, family, and business and he told me he was at peace with the whole issue and delighted the runway had been replaced.  With pet Parrot on his shoulder, he crawled back into the old white truck and made his way back to his manufacturing plant with a smile and a wave.

He worked tirelessly in making sure the airport was considered an asset, including hosting several fly-ins at his own expense.  He continued to operate his small manufacturing operation providing jobs for many in the Escalante community.  His partner, Linda, was always by his side and spending the last 5+ years together in a most remarkable relationship – until his last flight, Saturday, January 19, 2013.

Thanks for letting us help you make a difference, Paul.  I know you’ll be missed by your loved ones and friends, and I hope everyone will remember Paul and that he made a difference.

#2013CES

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Is Vivitar  really as bad as Polaroid?  I’m not sure at this point, but I do know I wasn’t at all impressed with their customer service standards.  Evidently Vivitar owns Polaroid? – since the bankruptcy of the original company.  We’ve been trying to get Polaroid to stock us with camera accessories for the past two trade shows.  At least this year I understand they won’t be responding and that’s better than the unfulfilled promise of last year.

We needed a price list and some basic company buying information and we stood around for 15 minutes in the Polaroid booth while the mid-executives chatted.  Tracy finally asked for some help and they found us a sales rep.  But she couldn’t give us a price list.  “Can you give us some prices on Point and Shoot Polaroid Cameras?”  No , that’s not part of Polaroid and they didn’t send a sales rep to the show but you can get the information at the Vivitar booth because they own it?”  Really!!

Okay, so we went down the hallway to the Vivitar booth.  We sat for almost 20 minutes waiting for someone to talk with us.  The clerks offered us water but no one else spoke to us before we left.  Obviously, we won’t be offering Polaroid products in the store this year.  But we will be offering a nice line of Circular Polarizer’s, lens caps, point and shoot cameras, battery chargers, and several misc. items including small packable tripods from another company.

We found almost all the products we wanted, walked most of the show and we’re ready to move on to the Rock and Gem Show in Quartzsite – until then we’ll leave the 240,000 people at this convention to enjoy long lines, crazy traffic and 3,240 booths.  Yikes!  It generates $20.3 million dollars for Vegas each year.

Later –