We’re Number 6

Here’s some facts showing how Bloomingtonians are still being “raped” by big business.

In todays newspaper, an article states how Forbes has ranked B-Town the sixth best place in the country for business and careers among smaller metro areas.

If you notice, “business” is the first listing there, as this is why we were ranked 6th.  Here are the complete listings.

Bloomington was sixth overall. It ranked ninth in cost of doing business, 19th in educational attainment, 25th in cost of living and in culture and leisure, 44th in crime rate, 80th in colleges, 90th in income growth, 92nd in net migration and 115th in job growth.

There were 179 other “small metro areas” in this study.

Such a great place to live, but I am by no means proud.  The rankings in income and job growth disturb me deeply.

The Last Shift

Tonight as I sit here I am trying to figure out an ingenious way to say “goodbye.”

I am due to start at Sternbergs on Monday, and didn’t have time to give an official notice.

I left many, many jobs as a teenager by interesting means.  When I was a landscaper, I really wanted out.  I called my mom and told her to come where I was and tell the supervisor that I had a doctors appointment.  She came, we left and I never looked back.

I feel as if I need to “leave my mark,” but I’m not sure how.  I thought of leaving the manager a note.  It would read:  I wanted to write a poem, I wanted to write a letter.  In the end, f*** you sounded much better.  Thank you for the 5 months that I appreciated so.  I have come to find that my family means more to me than any job.  Of course, you don’t have to worry about such things.

What repurcussions might I face?  This place is a customer of my new employer.  Could I be “haunted” from beyond?  That’s the only thing holding me back from performing this deed.

Free At Last, Free At Last

Those very famous words, spoken by the immortal Dr. Martin Luther King are exactly what I’m feeling now.

Today, I accepted an offer for a new job.  I finally get to leave my horrible work hours, days and conditions behind.  Thank God!

The new position is at Sternberg, an International truck dealership.  They are headquartered out of Jasper Indiana, with locations in Evansville and Bloomington.  The position isn’t glamourous by any means, I will be simply cleaning up the shop.  The best part is I can have a life again, as it is Monday thru Friday (with some Saturdays) and 7:30 to 4:30.  Small world, my wife’s hometown is 10 minutes away from Jasper!

It is in a place with the same atmosphere as where I’m currently working (a truck shop), but there is room for advancement within the company and other “normal” benefits.  What’s normal you ask?  Try holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving.

All I feel is joy, I never realized how better I would feel about a new job.

The person hiring me has done a very quick job.  I applied to the position last Thursday, had an interview Monday and was offered the position today!  He called here and spoke with my wife first thing this morning and said “he wanted to talk to me.”  She immediately called me and told me to call him.  I was still at my soon to be old job, so I went and hid and started calling.  Their automated night time system was still on and I couldn’t get a hold of anyone for a while, once I did I told him I would be there asap.

I will miss my co-worker CJ, as he has become a dear friend.  I told him this morning about everything before I left, as I am on my weekend now and wouldn’t see him again until Sunday night.  He gave me his digits and told me to call him.  I told him the same.  I’ll miss you CJ!

Things at FirstLease were getting to a breaking point, and I’m glad to be gone.  I was a temp there the whole time, 2 months after I started they hired another temp.  Just a week or so ago they hired him as a permanent employee, but didn’t mention a thing to me.  The climate there is very hostile, and discrimintory.  There are a select few who can do no wrong (but do all the time) and then the rest are always “on notice.”  CJ has a picture and sign on his toolbox, that are quite funny.  The picture has 3 people figures of different colors and it says, “equal what???.”  The other is a sign made out of cardboard, it says “Discrimination Lane.”  I think that paints the picture of how he sees the place.

Thank God Almighty I’m Free At Last.

Bugz

Tonight, my daughter had a musical program at her school.  It included the entire 1st grade class.  The name of the program?  Bugz, and each child was one.

There were ladybugs, army ants, butterflys, a praying mantis, a stinkbug and a maggot.  My daughter was a beautiful butterfly.

I recieved some news while at this program.  It has been announced where my daughter will be moving, Ft. Cambell, KY.

It is the closest solution possible, which should be good news.  I’m just not taking it well.  Was it the fact that I was “stuck in the middle” of 2 very strong personalities? (my ex and my wife)  Or was it that I am so tired of this job and can’t wait for this vacation?

Anyways, I enjoyed seeing my daughter up on stage having fun with her soon to be ex-classmates.

The teachers are fun to look at too! 🙂  Especially my daughters’ teacher, Mrs. P

Doing More

After deciding on replacing our energy hog of a heat pump, it has made me take a deeper look at what I can do (within my means) to make our home as energy efficient as possible.

I have been teaching myself about many “green” technologies.  The big ones, solar and wind turbine mainly.

Right now I am looking at the major energy users in our home, I have 2 in particular picked out.  Our attic fan and water heater.

I have found a great solution to ease the electrical drain of our attic fan, a solar replacement!
Many new homes have passive solutions for attic ventilation (just vents on the ridge of the roof).  This may seem ok, but isn’t reliable.  Ours, like many older homes have an active solution, a fan.  It runs constantly in the summer, as the heat builds up inside the attic.  It has a good sized motor, even though I am unsure of it’s exact energy use, I’m sure it’s not small.  Our current fan is in good shape, so we are not going to replace it immediately.  It’s days are numbered.

Typical “tank style” water heaters are just a waste of space and energy.  Why must we constantly heat water that we might not use for hours?  I understand the reasoning behind them, it’s in their simplicity.  New “tankless” or “on demand” water heaters are great, but there are no electric options with these.  They are all gas powered, and even though I like the prospects, I’ll just pass on the gas.

There are other options though.  Ever heard of solar water heating?  I hadn’t until a few days ago.  It’s quite interesting, but still mysterious to me.  There are many ways to set it up, and it seems very complex at this time.

If I can find a way to set up a solar system to power a hot water heater I would be on board in a minute.

So on with the research.  From what I currently know, to accomplish the results I desire I will need:  1 PV (photovoltaic) panel, a battery array, an inverter and then a way to feed the power into the circuit that feeds the water heater.  It can be accomplished, and at a decent price.

I have seen way too many articles lately about how the United States is falling way behind when it comes to energy use statstics.  I read one the other day stating that we haven’t even kept up with some standards WE created 10 years ago.

Never being a statstic, I would like to eventually live off the grid, but I cannot afford the initial 20k or so investment.  With baby steps we might eventually be able to.

 

Doing Our Part

After becoming a homeowner, one thing became very clear to me.  We all need to do what we can to save our energy use.  One reason we decided to purchase an all electric home.  Thus, no confusion or systems to worry about.  I have issues with gas appliances as one of my close family members was almost killed by a gas leak.  Most electric in this area is produced by coal or natural gas.  So I use natural gas, just differently than others.

With a 33 year old home most, if not all items need updated to todays standards for efficiency.  We have replaced many items which help, and are in the process of replacing the largest energy hog, our heat pump.  If you’re unfamiliar with a heat pump, it’s simply an air conditioner that also works in reverse.  Contrary to popular belief, there is heat in the coldest air.  Utilizing that heat is the trick.

Our first sign was our electric bill.  In a 2 month period, our bill increased by almost $100, no the rates didn’t increase, our usage did.  We installed an expensive programmable thermostat almost immediately after moving in, and I have to say it has helped.  We have it set very low.  For example during “day” hours it is set for 64 degrees, and we bump it up a little bit in the evening to 67.  This is the heat only mind you.  We have it set for the upper 70’s for cooling.

After deciding to “price” replacements, I also did some research on heat pumps.  As you would imagine, many advancements have been made in 30+ years.  To my surprise, the “upper end” heat pumps are actually energy star compliant!  A few even claim to use as much energy as a refrigerator.  Our estimates came in between $4000 and up to $12000!  Ouch…

Our old system isn’t broken, but on the verge.  It’s installation is a sham at best, and it uses more energy than needed.  Those are the only factors I need to say replace.

After weighing all of our options, we have decided to go with a Trane system.  We found out that our existing system is essentially a Trane, and the company has an excellent reputation.  They are also one of the leaders in heat pump technology.

Our unit, the XL14i is energy star compliant!  We will also be purchasing an air filtration system that rivals systems I have seen in the pharmaceutical industry (it filters out 99.98% of particles 3 microns and larger!)  The icing on the cake is the air handler, it has 12 speeds!  It is not the best, but it is what we can do.  Preliminary estimates say this unit is at least 50% more efficient than our current unit.

Due to it’s efficient use of energy, we will be recieving a tax credit and a credit from our electric company.  Thanks.

If you don’t know, you can receive tax credits for many things you might be doing to your home right now.  For instance, if you’re re-insulating your home, you can receive a tax credit for up to $300 for the cost of the insulation!  All of this information and much more is available at the Energy Star website.

We are also using compact florescent lights as much as possible, and other little things that help.

To quote Star Trek, “The Needs of The Many Outweigh The Needs of the Few.”  If we look at this when it comes to energy conservation, our world can become a much, much better place.

 

The Date Draws Near

My lovely daughter, will more than likely be moving away from me in around 3 months.

When I was first told of this, I took it in stride.  Now is a different story.  Since I have to work on the weekends (when I generally have my daughter) I don’t get to spend the quality time I used to with her.  That’s all she really wants.

2 of the nights I work, I am alone.  I’m all alone right now.  I could be washing a tractor or trailer, but I’m not.  I’m contemplating my life right now.

I don’t know how much I could go on about how I’m pissed off at the “system.”  My hands are tied when it comes to anything regarding keeping her here.  I try to think of myself as a good parent, but I have my self doubts.

Through what my daughter tells me, the environment she has at home is not kind to her.  She thrives on attention and participating in creative endavors.  I like to call her my “little helper.”  She enjoys helping me around the house.  She even helped me with demolition of my garage.  It makes her feel like she’s a part of something, that’s one thing she doesn’t feel when she’s at home.  She just feels in the way.

I was raised in a similar situation and I really feel for her. 

She had a cat named “Polkadots,” her stepdad didn’t like Polkadots, so he went out a bought a dog to scare her away.  Which worked.  This theme seems to run it’s course through every aspect of my daughters life lately.

I’m not trying to blame here, nothing I say or do will change the end result.  Ever since I met her stepdad, I think he felt threatened by me.  Until he left for basic training, I couldn’t even talk with my daughters’ mom alone.  Now he will just have an inflated ego because he’s in the army.

Part of me feels that she would be better off to stay with us until her stepdad and mom get the big picture.  When you have children, your wants and some of your needs become secondary to theirs.  I don’t want to start that argument though.

I hope our upcoming vacation to Disney World will show Taylor that she is loved, and will always be loved by her daddy and Rachel.  I am starting to work on a present to give to her before she leaves.

This is hurting me worse than any thing I can imagine.  Compounded by the problem that I cannot fix it, I can only deal with it. 

2007, A Growing Year?

I am hoping to continue LML Video Services‘ growth this year.  The major problem is trying to figure out how.

I took the first step by making it an actual business, and start a business checking account.  I also have a UPS account now.  I am trying to account for all financial items as well, as I used to use money from the business for what seemed right at the time.  I am looking into using Quickbooks, but it’s somewhat expensive.

One problem is visibility.  I don’t have a whole lot.  When I have some free time, I hope to write a nice email to one of the reporters in the local newspaper.  I try to do business locally when I can, but I do work with online clientele as well.  If any one out there knows how to raise your visibility with little or no money, please let me know!

I know this business will not bloom overnight, but it would be nice to actually make enough to live off of in 10 years or so.  I think this is the best option for me as I have never had a good experience working for someone else.

I have been a self taught wiz when it comes to technology related items since I was a teenager.  I actually had some excellent programming skillz until Windoze 2k came out, that changed everything.

As my wife sometimes thinks, I’m married to the computer, I just have an on going affair with her.

I do love u babe (do-do, do-do) 🙂

The Never Ending Story…

This week I rewired one circuit in the garage.  Now I only have one more to go.  After that I will just need to redo the plumbing, cover everything, and we will have a new garage!

One item that is a hard, very hard decision is regarding our heat pump.  It is original to the house (33 years).  It is not efficient and quite loud at startup (I think the bearings in the blower motor are going out.)  Most people I’ve spoken with are shocked that it has lasted this long.

After receiving out electric bill, we were quite flabbergasted!  We keep our thermostat very low (between 64º and 67º).  It was $50 more than last months bill.  This brought up the discussion that we might be throwing a lot of money away due to this old heat pump that hasn’t been maintained very well.

I have contacted a few HVAC contractors in the area regarding replacement.  All of them say they need a look at our home to “size it up.”  Which seems fishy to me, I’m just wanting a price range.  So I have 4 people coming next week.

One piece of good news is about the efficiency of newer heat pumps.  One contractor told me that certain models are energy star rated, which I love to hear.  He also told me that those models use the same energy as a refrigerator.  It seems crazy to me, but I like it.  He said depending on the model we purchase, we could save anywhere from $600 to $2700 a year on energy costs alone!!!

I want a geothermal system, but it seems as if regular systems have caught up to them in efficiency.  I was told they are generally double the cost, and use the same amount of energy.

When we bought the house, we were hoping it would just go out, so our home warrantee would cover the costs of replacing it.  I think it will be a good investment in the end.  I just know it will be very hard for Rachel to spend this kind of money on this.  I’ve been told of some great financing options, so we’ll see I guess.

Money Won’t Buy You This!

I am not a big sports fan, per say.  I follow a little bit of this and that, but I ALWAYS watch the superbowl.  The Colts finally pulled it out, and won their first Vince Lombardi trophy!

This year was the one to watch.  The Colts vs. The Bears, with Bloomington native Rex Grossman as the QB for the Bears.  More on that later.

Luckily, my sister and brother-in-law were there in Miami for the game.  Or should I say unluckily?  It was raining cats and dogs.  It is the first time it has rained at a superbowl, this was SuperBowl 41.

I have been following the many stories the local newspaper has ran on Rex Grossman and his father lately.  These stories have been very “fluffed,” as they have done nothing but speak of how he was “destined” to do this.  Just read this line I grabbed from the paper: “Chicago prides itself as a city that works, so Rex Grossman, a blue-collar guy, fits right in.” Blue collar?  He doesn’t even know the true meaning of that term.

He is a member of one of the richest familys in the area.  Their home is called “The Grossman Mansion.”  Rexs’ father is a wealthy doctor and co founder of Monroe Hospital.  There is even a “Rex Grossman BLVD.”  The only reason Rex did so well while he played at Florida in my opinion is because his father donated 10 million to the school.  I think it is also the reason he lost the Heisman as well.

I am the same age as Rex, and even went to school with him.  I may not know him now, or ever really knew him, but I never agreed with his “upper crust” attitude.

I hope in some way this game has finally shown him that money doesn’t buy you everything.  It really doesn’t. 

 

Some may not agree with my stance, or statement.  But it is my opinion, not a fact.

Photos courtesy of The NFL