Busy week posted by Brian @ 8:47 AM

Wow, okay. I have a lot going on this week.

1. I'm feeling a bit better now. Not 100%, but better.

2. I have some trim jobs this week. Not too hard, but time consuming. Probably a rough-in later in the week.

3. I'm seriously considering making a couple radio ads and spending $1500-$1700 a month to play them. I figure if I get 1 job per month from the ads, they pay for themselves. But I need to pull the trigger today in order to get them rolling.

4. In order for the radio ads to work I need to have a good professional website up and running. Because I'm not in the yellow pages yet, I need to point the people somewhere. And that place is my website. Which means I need to have it up and running by the end of the second week of next month or earlier.

5. I'll also need a pretty good idea of what I want the ads to accomplish. I know my targets, but I'm not 100% sure what I want to tell them. Then there's the whole decision of if I want a jingle, or a catch phrase, or a special identifying sound or what. Something to keep some consistency across all radio ads both now and into the future.

6. Then there's this whole Trendwest thing. Not sure if you guys have heard of it, but it's a kind of timeshare deal. It's actually a club where you buy a membership (a partial ownership) and you get credits that you can spend on vacations around the world. If you're going to travel it's one of the best ways to do it. If you're not gonna travel, it's a waste of money. The problem is, the product is good, the company that sells the product (that company is actually separate from the product itself) is made up of a bunch of fast-talking salesman (i.e. crooks).

I'd done research about 6-8 months ago into timeshares. There's a website called Timeshare Users Group. You can get all sorts of good info and advice about timeshares. I found out there that when you buy from a developer you typically pay about 2X the real value of the product because you are paying for their commission, the "gifts" the you and everyone else receive, and who knows what else. So I went into this figuring that unless there was some serious reason why I HAD to buy from these guys, that I just wouldn't and that I would buy on the resale market.

Anyhow, during the presentation they tell us that there are two products. They call them the standard membership and the premium membership. The major difference is the standard membership isn't an ownership, it's what's called a Right-To-Use membership. That means you can use the resorts like an owner for 40 years. Then it goes away. You have no rights, you can't vote, and there are other perks that you can't use. Basically it's a crummy product masquerading as the real thing. The premium membership is the ownership and you get all the perks and it never expires.

Here's the key. They told us that the ONLY way to get a premium membership was to buy there and that day! I pressed them on it and they kept saying the same thing. If you come back and call us tomorrow, we can't sell you anything but the standard membership. So then I asked specifically, "If I were to buy a premium membership, and then someday sell it, would it revert to a standard membership?" The guy said, "Yes."

I thought, "Crap. They've figured this thing out and have set up the rules in the club to cover their butts and force people to pay the 2X premium."

So we go through the rest of the presentation and I asked tons of questions and had trouble understanding things (because I was sick and a little fuzzy) and eventually decided that we would purchase the cheapest premium membership. Keep in mind that Idaho has a 3-day right of rescission. That means that if we change our mind within 3 days we can get out of the deal. That played a BIG part in our decision.

So we go home, I feel like garbage (from the sickness) and go to sleep. I called Dad who thought I was insane and out of my mind for buying into a timeshare, I tried to explain to him but I'm not sure I did a very good job. (Dad, really I'm not insane!) Anyhow, I had already decided that I was going to do a lot of research in the morning to find out if there was a way around this rule that causes premium memberships to revert to standard memberships when sold.

So the next morning I wake up and log onto the internet. I start searching for any and all information about premium an standard memberships and selling and buying them. Well, pretty quickly I find about 10 or so listings in different places for Trendwest memberships. In every one they specify whether they are premium or standard. That sets off a warning bell in my head. Why would they specify what they are if they all revert to standard memberships after the sale?

So I email two of the sellers and ask if they do in-fact revert to standard memberships. The first one replies, "No, that is not true. Sue". Oh oh. I then decide to call the other person who is a broker I found through the TUG (see above). I end up talking to Angel and ask her the same question. She confirmed that the memberships stay the same. Then she invited me to call the Trendwest transfer department and ask them. She gave me the 1-800 number and I called. Sure enough, I get the same answer from the transfer department.

So now I'm a bit ticked off. I was lied to! So I decide to call Trendwest and get to the bottom of this and figure out how to cancel my membership. I had to wait until 2:30 because they come in late and work late. Eventually I talk to a jerk named Dave and I end up going to the office with a letter. Dave continued being a jerk while we were there, but in the end he had the letter and we were gone.

Now I only hope that Trendwest doesn't try and get fancy and try and force us into the contract. It would just cause a lot more trouble and grief than I need right now.


So that's my story. Interesting eh? In the end I remembered that salespeople who want to force you to make decisions right away are doing so because of a reason. And that reason is never in the best interest of the buyer.

Oh yeah...

7. I forgot about our new Sunday School class that we're helping start. That starts a week from this Sunday so we have a lot to do to get ready for it. For instance, I need to make sure we'll have some divider walls because we are meeting in the chapel behind the main sanctuary at First Church and that room is HUGE. So we need the divider walls to help make it feel smaller and hopefully block some sound from filtering in and out.

8. Upwards Soccer is gonna start next week too. I'm a coach and have to start preparing for a team of 7-year-old girls. Aaaaaack!

uuuugh posted by Brian @ 4:56 PM

No pictures today, just an update. I'm sick. Nastily sick. No, I don't think it's West Nile, but it might as well be. In fact, tell people I have West Nile, it'll make a good story.

Anyhow, I've been home all day. I was home all day yesterday. Well except for a little excursion in the evening. I'll write about that in a few days or so after I start feeling better.

Okay, that's enough for me now. I think I'm gonna go hit the sack.

Ugh.

Can't get enough posted by Carol @ 12:30 PM

We just finished an incredible weekend with Sally and Lonnie visiting the cabin. For Lonnie, it was his first time. We visited Tamerack, Ponderosa State Park, Charlie's Garden, an Art and Craft fair in McCall, and went to dinner at The Mill to celebrate the Diller's wedding anniversary. Friday afternoon, we all climbed on ATVs and headed for Kennally Creek. It was a beautiful day and nature was at her best. I couldn't help taking more pictures at Charlie's garden. Since the flowers that are blooming are always changing, there are more subjects each time I go.

Daylilies
Clamatis
Columbine
Old rusty wheelbarrow 

Aunt Becky Day. posted by Bec @ 4:53 PM

Today I took Ally and Parker to the Nampa Fish Hatchery. This is something that I promised to do when Ally was either three or four. I am a bad Aunt! So we thought we should go before school starts next week. We even got to feed the fishies!

 
 
 
  

Aunt Becky Day 2. posted by Bec @ 4:48 PM

We also went bowling. Ally had at least four spares and Parker had two.

 
 
  

Paved road and ??????? posted by Carol @ 4:01 PM

Well, the road around Simpco Estates is finally paved. It has been a long process, but the result is great. This was taken on the way back from the attempt to pick Huckleberries this morning. You could pretty much say that the season is over. I did get a pretty good workout. I trekked up and over the hills looking for berries. All to no avail. I can't complain though. I have a goodly stash in the freezer, ready for yummy desserts.....if I have help eating them. Hmmmm!



Below are two pictures I was able to take this morning. I am guessing this is a hawk of some kind. It was perched on the post for quite a while. Sorry they are such poor pictures. I was afraid I would scare him off. He had a funny head movement that reminded me of a parrott. Angie, can you figure out what this is?


I pulled the shade gently aside to sneak this picture. Too bad the house is the same color so there isn't much contrast.


Pretty nervy of the little fellow, I would say.

More Project Pics posted by Carol @ 3:57 PM

I can only post 4 pictures without cutting and pasting, so I am just going to post three different times. I have more important things to do than to fiddle with this, since Todd and Katie are coming early in the morning to clean house and wash windows and I have tons to do to get ready for them.




Here are the two tree-islands. I have wanted this to happen for several years. My plan was to use the cement block wall units, but Byron came up with this idea and Dad liked it better than the blocks. I think in the long run, it would have cost less energy to do the blocks. These ties were so heavy and hard to cut. Poooooor Dad, but he finished the job and they are all filled up with sandy dirt. However, I think the ties fit the rustic area much better than cement and I love the effect. Thanks Byron! You have great ideas.


I would like to bring up some of the wonderful compost from some of the dead tree stumps down on Gary's land and mix it in with the dirt here. I have plants to plant as soon as we do that. It is a race between the grass hoppers and the deer, who will eat more of the plants. Sigh!


This is a surprise for Dad while he is away in California. This is a rubbermaid system and works great. I found it at Home Depot.


There are a few more hooks I would like to get. It sure holds a lot of stuff and gets it up off the floor. A good thing!! Hello, Martha.

The cupboards on the left now hold the vast quantities of boots that used to clog up the laundry room closet, also a few motorcycle helmets, a box of gloves, mittens and winter hats. Now all is tidy and out of site.

Update on projects posted by Carol @ 3:55 PM

Here is a picture of the new slate we added to the entryway plus the rocker that has been languishing in the garage waiting for a cool staining. I love it. It is so comfy.

Here is another closeup. The only thing missing are the tons of grasshoppers that now live here.

Here is the inside view of the slate tile. Really rich colors with the sealer applied.


The new office area.....moved out of our master bedroom. I couldn't believe that the little prayer bench that we got several years ago at an auction....up until yesterday having resided on the landing of the stairs, now fits so nicely, making a bridge between the two hutches. The legs are exactly the right distance apart. The bears and moose wanted to continue sitting on the bench, so I let them. Hee! Hee! Now there is an empty space in the middle of it all which I think calls for a lovely quilt of some kind. Hmmmmm! have to give that some thought.

For Bec posted by Brian @ 9:42 PM

Just wanted to put something up here for Bec to read. Right now my life is pretty boring. Just working every day. But that's actually good news because that means I'm earning money every day.

Um, let's see... Yesterday I mowed the lawn and decided to mow right up next to one of the sprinklers that sticks up a bit on the edge of our lawn. Well the brakes on the lawn mower don't work so good, or they have some sort of delay, and BOOM! Crunch goes the sprinkler. Grrrrr!!!

So today during my lunch break I stopped by and bought a replacement. I actually bought a couple replacements just in case something like that happens again.

During my free time I'm working on a new brochure for Egghead Home Media. It's gonna be so cool! Know why? Because I'm totally copying a layout of another brochure I got in the mail. It'll have the same look and feel.

I've also figured out what might be a key to this whole brochure writing thing. I think it's better to keep the text nice and succinct. Hit the high points and move on. Too much text just makes people's eyes glaze over and they don't read it.

I might even call up a design firm that Debbie gave me the name of and see what it would cost me for them to develop my web site. Basically what I want to do is have this brochure that hits the high points and gets people wanting my stuff and wanting to know more, and then get them to visit the website where they can get more details about everything.

So that's my life. Pretty exciting eh? Anyhow, time to go water Angie's plants. Cya!

New Granite posted by Carol @ 9:45 AM

It has been a while since I have posted to this blog. Mostly routine stuff has been happening. Nancy and I have picked Huckleberries three times with fairly good results if you don't count tired backs. I still have to process the last batch. There are still tons out there getting more ripe every day.


The biggest news is the installation of the new granite countertops. Dad has been busy finishing the job since the installers arrived around 2pm and because of encountering unforeseen problems, left at 9pm without fully finishing stuff like caulking, hooking up the stove and sink. On top of that was the granite dust everywhere. The last item was expected and I am gradually doing some deep cleaning. There are two drawers that don't fit under the counter and will have to be cut down, but the good news and the reason for the discrepancy is that the installers were able to save the tile backsplash. So we will put up with some tweeking here and there.


It looks gorgeous, almost like glass, as you can see in the reflections in the picture.


Here are the two drawers that don't fit. If they raised it up, the granite wouldn't fit under the tile backsplash.


We were able to add a few inches to this bar section, so there is more room to actually eat here.


There have been some requests for me to post some pictures of my new "do", so here they are:



Great mug shots....Huh! Anyway, it is already time for a haircut, if 6 weeks is the time to get another haircut.....I am still liking how it handles, so I will probably wait a few more weeks.

Rodeo Pictures. posted by Bec @ 7:16 PM

Here are two pictures I took at the Snake River Stampede Rodeo. The others were all blurry. I need to take Photography from a sister of mine in order to use my camera properly.