News and Winter...

First, I am yet again sorry for not keeping up with this blog as I have and should. I will try to address the reasons below.

As most folks probably know, Pam is being laid off from Dell on Nov. 11th. They are shutting down the call center here so there will be over 500 people out of work and there is very little other work available anywhere close. She has been going through a lot of anguish about all of her friends dealing with some very bleak times ahead, which has taken a toll on her.

Pam is starting in a week and a half, so I have also been working on getting that all setup. I think the current office will be the guest room and the upstairs will be all business, including the computer upgrade/repair sub-business. We are still planning all of that and it will happen after Pam is working here and the changes become more obvious as to how it will all work best.

The timing really couldn’t be much better from my side. This big partnership I have been working on with Shimano will all be released on Jan 1st and that will generate a lot of calls and new business – both from the dealers and also the customers that buy the combination product of their new line and our needles.

Between her leaving Dell and the end of the year, I have to train her on how this all works and all of the details that she will need to know to deal with all the projected new business. Then, in her spare time, she will be calling on new dealer prospects to bring in more new business. I can handle a lot of business now and this should all work out great.

And, during all of this ‘fun’ my lower back and left hip have been going crazy. I have only been able to go about 50 to 100 steps at a time until I have to sit down and rest. It just hurts too much to go on. So, I have been pretty much an 'invalid' and have to really limit my activities. And, to deal with all the pain, I have been on a lot of heavy pain meds which are not compatible with planning or keeping track of stuff very well.

Last week I went to see a new spine surgeon. He had me get another back shot, but in a different place, and also a bone scan. The shot took me back to my pain management doctor that has been giving me shots for a year and stopped as he said that I had had too many. Anyway, the shot went great and I have been feeling better than I have in months or even years. The bone scan thing was a day long ordeal and I don’t even want to think about it, Not any fun at all…

That is the main reason that I have not kept up this blog lately. I am sorry I haven’t written much. But, I am feeling much better now. I will find myself in a large store, like Home Depot and stop and think that I am there and hadn’t even thought about my back pain problem. I haven’t been able to do such things for a while now.

The winter continues to try and figure out if winter is here or not. It will go from daily highs in the 30s to highs in the high 60s. Halloween night was about 60 deg in the dark. Pretty amazing stuff.

I have been trying to keep up in my pool league. I have been playing really crappy, but with a little luck I have been about to keep a decent rating - so far. Last year, I had 8 or 10 table runs and so far haven't had one this year. Not good, but its hard to concentrate much when you cannot think too clearly.

I spend most of my time and thought on the business. Having Pam here, or more correctly not having 'free' health insurance and all of the other details that Dell helped to provide, is very taxing on my mind. It will all work out, but it is still very concerning during this time.

We are going to start up the Computer Consulting business also. We now are working with a local funeral home to install a network and work on a bunch of their PCs. It is sort of weird being around them as the only times I have been in the past is when some family member past away. I have yet to get a tour of the back room. I have worked for a lot of unusual businesses, but never for a funeral home before...

Well, I have got work to do and places to go. But, I will really try to keep this current for all of you readers. Things are getting better all around here in DaHo...





Love from DaHo,