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The Good Life. |
I am a professional musician ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() But that's just my resume. My profile of qualifications is only one of the ways in which I am unique. Here I chronicle my personal and professional goals and my efforts to achieve them. Occasionally I fail. Mostly, I take daily baby steps toward all my long-term goals. Much like the stories I pen, the songs I compose, and the businesses I run, I am always a work in progress. |
This is my second blog post in twenty minutes, because I decided to do it right. Finally, after all my Dell troubles, I have recreated my blog template. Which is good, because I want to try an experiment regarding my Alexa rankings. Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: 162, which is surprising after all the manual labor. ![]() Meals: Coffee (2) NutriGrain bar (3) Skinny roast beef sammich (7) Coffee (2) Salad (3) Half bagel w/ham and cheese (4) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 21 (Goal: 25) W00t! |
Michelle Tuesday Music School ![]() Doors are hung, walls painted, electricity and lights in place, HVAC tied in, and ceilings installed. Now we need door hardware, baseboards, crown molding, reception counter, a thorough cleaning, steam-cleaning for the carpets, a final inspection, and certificate of occupancy. We should be done by Friday! We could have probably held our Grand Opening this Saturday as originally planned, but it's too close for comfort. If anything causes the final inspection to fail, the contractor will have to fix it, and that would delay our occupancy until Monday. Meanwhile, I need computers, a portable wall, promotional products, fliers to send home with the schools, and advertisements, all before next Sunday, which means the one-week delay benefits me anyway. I would say I need my security system in place, too, but I'm about to fire ADT. So I'll be starting from scratch on the security system. Maybe not from scratch - I did have another quote. I'm taking recommendations on security companies. And we've been taking calls and scheduling new students, which makes me very, very happy. |
...by a skinny little ginger-colored tabby whose name, we decided, is "Tiger." Penny and Dante are a tad bit disgruntled. I have pushed my Grand Opening back once again. Assuming the opening happens as planned, my entire start-up from the first call to a broker to finally cutting the ribbon took nine months. That seems insane to me, and I vow to make the next opening happen more quickly. If I have the funds to install a site manager before I open a new school, I may run the project myself (or have Keith do it) rather than hire a general contractor. In my typical I'm-Better-Than-You fashion, I'm positive that I could do a better job than my current GC. This may be all he does, but he's doing it for multiple simultaneous clients, and all Keith or I would care about is our project. It would be right. I do need to re-establish my goals and check progress, but my primary short-term goal is to host my Grand Opening by the end of September. Today, we move furniture. |
I can't believe how quickly the time flies. If I thought I was busy before, I had no idea what busy was. My last week: Friday: Played at Potbelly and was pleasantly surprised by the early arrival of Robert Waltz ![]() ![]() Saturday:Painting the interior of the studio all day. Ironically, the selected color was "Studio Taupe." ![]() Sunday: More painting. I had to ditch my volunteers to go sing at a wedding, which was good, because I earned more beer money. Monday: A temporary heart attack when, after swiping my credit card and signing, the Kroger cashier informed me that my newly-acquired Home Depot gift cards (purchased at Kroger to earn the fuel perks, but with the intention to use immediately after the Kroger visit) might take up to 24 hours to activate. Luckily, the cards were activated by the time we reached Home Depot, but not before the poor Kroger cashier and customer service counter got a piece of my mind. Painting at a much reduced speed, several return trips to Home Depot, construction of a kick-ass movable stage, teacher bio and ad copywriting by Waltz, and the sad subsequent departure of Mr. Waltz. Assuming Waltz can provide photos of the stage, those will also be uploaded shortly at Facebook. Tuesday: Meeting with the contractor to discuss crooked framing, unfinished sections of drywall, and colors for baseboards and countertops. Today, the electrician is installing lights, and the doors and trim are being delivered. ![]() My Grand Opening is postponed until 9/26. Today's Meals 8:00 Coffee (1) 9:00 Donut (7) 10:00 Coffee (1) 12:00 Quarter bagel (1) with cheese (1.5) 1:00 Granola bar (3) 3:00 Chips (3) and some other nibbles (1) Total Points: 18.5 |
Have I seriously not blogged since Sunday? Sheesh. Although I have not been documenting my points, I *have* been keeping track, and I've been keeping it under 30. Go me. My week: Monday: Back from vacation. Keith took the week off to help at the studio, but they just started drywalling, so not much we can do. Worship planning meeting, Potbelly, biz planning, lessons. Meanwhile, my phone and email account were bombarded with queries about the school, because my (first-ever) Town Moneysaver ad ran in two towns. OMG, that advertising works. Tuesday: Prepared for New Employee Orientation all morning. Keith dropped me off at Potbelly and shopped at Home Depot. I met my photographer at lunch (I have PICTURES of Summer Recital!), then went to the studio and worked with Chris, the office manager, while Keith worked on the restroom floor (which kicks ASS, appropriately for a restroom.) Then I held New Employee Orientation over pizza Tuesday evening, and I certified all our new teachers. They're really awesome. Wednesday: Keith went back to work since they're still drywalling. I met with Chris before Potbelly, went to PB to play, then went back to meeting with Chris, and we worked until 9:30pm. We enrolled three students and have half a dozen other very strong potentials in progress. I ran payroll. ![]() Thursday: If I were still at Abbott, or Coca-Cola, or General Chemical, I would not be working today. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() We'll paint and finish the restrooms this weekend, and then the contractors will hang the ceiling grid and tiles, install doors, and button up the electrical and HVAC endpoints. If all goes well, we should be opening our doors to the public on 9/13. And that's all I got to say about that. |
I led worship, balanced a few accounts, and lay around on the couch watching movies. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: Dunno Meals: 7:00 Coffee (1) 8:00 Coffee (1) 12:00 Fiber cereal (6) 4:00 Pretzel bites (1) 5:30 Pretzel (1), pears (3), and almonds (1) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 14 (Goal: 25) |
This is so not fair! I'm (mostly) offline for an entire week, and the WiFi at the house craps out the second I get home. *kick* OMFGBBQ!!! At least my cat is happy. He's high on catnip and curled up on his back with his feet in the air. Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: 162 Meals: Buckle-down time. |
TBIF. On the other hand, you might see me more starting tomorrow. I've been doing some reading, knitting, and playing, but no writing to speak of. It crossed my mind once or twice to work on a song or flash fiction piece, but it turns out my Muse has nothing to say. I have no buried stories dying to get out. Apparently, my own story brings enough satisfaction to my life at the moment. Someday, that may change. So this article about traditional and electronic book sales ![]() Peace. |
So I'm pigging out. I'm getting next to nothing done. It's bliss. I may NaNo this year. I may not. I may write a new song or two in the next couple months. I may not. *shrug* I've had out the guitar, a camera, a book, a new copy of Super Smash Brothers "Brawl" for Wii, a couple fishing rods, a bikini, rope, a blow-up turtle, a variety of noodles, both laptops, and my old crashed hard drive mounted in a shiny new enclosure. I'm taking each minute at a leisurely crawl. For the curious, I've recovered all my files, but none of my software. All in all, it's not so bad. Right now, I'm tethered to a tree in a Kentucky forest, and I'm hoping the wildlife doesn't find me. Make of that what you will. If you're good, I may consider posting photos later. Because, yes, there are photos. So many photos. |
Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: ? Meals: TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 0 (Goal: 25) Keith is going to start asking. Which is good. |
Next week, our family is headed to Cumberland Lake in Kentucky, where we've rented a houseboat for the week. Should be a blast, and very relaxing, once I get over my Internet withdrawal. Unless, of course, I manage to find a broadband signal, in which case, I'll be shelling out the $20 or whatever it costs for one month of service. ![]() Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: ? Meals: 7:00 Coffee (1) a couple slices of apple with caramel sauce (0.5) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 1.5 (Goal: 25) Slacking on points reporting again. ![]() |
After three failed motherboards and two failed hard drives, the most recent of which has now failed again, Dell has agreed to replace my laptop. I expect to receive my replacement in 3-4 weeks. They could not provide me with a loaner (I'm sorry, we don't offer that service), so I have replaced the hard drive on my own to get by in the meantime. Risky, because obviously something the the design, configuration, or the parts specific to my laptop are hazardous to the health of hard drives, but we shall see. Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() *which actually means, start employee handbook again from scratch, since it was on my crashed hard drive. Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: 162.0 Meals: 7:00 Coffee (1) and bagel with ham and cheese (2) 8:00 Coffee (1) 11:00 A bunch of Chili Cheese Fritos, OMG those are my weakness, even more than ice cream 1:45 Skinny roast beef sandwich (7), plus more Fritos 3:00 More Fritos 7:00 Two and a half fish sticks, about a cup of local fresh sweet corn 8:00 Low fat ice cream in a waffle cone TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: XXX (Goal: 25) |
I have once again lost my blog template to the black hole that is my sometimes-operational Dell laptop computer. How many warranty service calls before an item is declared a lemon? It certainly leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I need to order desktop computers for my business, and I stupidly intend to order them from Dell. Meanwhile, I may invest in a netbook. It's on my business plan startup list anyway. The only problem is that while my laptop has both WiFi *and* broadband capability, a netbook would only be WiFi-capable, rendering it mostly useless on my vacation to Lake Cumberland next week. But Dell is notoriously slow at delivering its "next business day including nights and weekends" service, with actual service techs appearing between three and eleven days after my initial call to warranty support. With this in mind, I almost hate to call Dell right now, because it's unlikely that they could come and repair my laptop before I leave for vacation. Plus, my first two attempts to contact warranty support landed me in ten-minute-minimum queues. God is telling me to take a damn break for a week. Sometimes, in my case, it takes a brick to the head. Speaking of breaks, Storm Machine ![]() ![]() Top of the list to-do items: (1) Notify employees of the planned employee orientation on 8/31, and what to bring. (2) Obtain a security system permit from the Gahanna Police Department. (3) Buy flippin' computers and software. (4) Design class curricula. (5) Figure out how to mic all the singers at church this fall. (6) Plan Grand Opening in detail and advertise the event (scheduled for 9/18.) (7) Research background checks (hard to do with no laptop.) 'kk, I think those are the biggies. Meals: 7:00 Fiber granola bar (2) and coffee (1) 10:00 Bagel with butter (5) and coffee (1) TOTAL POINTS: 9 Peace! |
I missed Saturday and Sunday. You might think I'm slipping into banker's hours, now that I own my own business and all. Not so much. We (Office Manager Chris, mom/accountant, and I) spent the entire weekend setting up Quickbooks, payroll, and state filings. I think I can officially pay people now. Which is good, because Chris has earned it, and then some! ![]() I have all kinds of employer stuff to do. Yay, Quickbooks! You're keeping me out of trouble. ![]() Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Grow MochaNotes.com ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: 161.4 8:00 Coffee (1) and fiber granola bar (2) Meals: TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 0 (Goal: 25) |
I finally heard back from the City on the permit paperwork I've been waiting on. He should finish the review this week and issue my letter next week. He must have been on vacation last week because that took way longer than I expected. ![]() Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Grow MochaNotes.com ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I also bought a three-month commitment in a monthly magazine-style advertising publication and sent a bunch of artwork. Consultation and design is part of the price. (Ah, that explains the price.) Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: ? Meals: TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 0 (Goal: 25) Late last night, I had pizza. After a cheeseburger for dinner. ![]() |
They say copying is the sincerest form of flattery. I'll go with that. My former employer, with whom my business now theoretically competes, created a sparkly new business Facebook page within a month of the creation of mine, adopted a motto that sounds suspiciously similar to one of mine, and booked performance at an event hosted by the same radio station who hosted the event I played at a month ago. Sweet! Obviously, my promotional choices are good ones. Fortunately for business, our competition is only theoretical (or, perhaps, personal), because we are geographically too far apart to compete practically. Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Grow MochaNotes.com ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: ? Meals: 7:30 Coffee (1) and a Fiber granola bar (2) 9:00 Coffee (1) 10:00 Beef jerky (4) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 8 (Goal: 25) I have not been keeping track again for the last few days, and I'm quite sure I've exceeded my goal regularly. *tries again* |
I've spent the last few days polishing up my cash flow analysis, because some discrepancies were making me nervous. I was justified in my nervousness. It turns out you need money to start a business. Did you know? Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Grow MochaNotes.com ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: ? Meals: 7:30 Coffee (1) 8:30 Coffee (1) and bagel with ham and cheese (4) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 6 (Goal: 25) |
Apparently it's been three years since I met all y'all wdc-ers. (Which, in Alabama, is the plural of "y'all.") Here's to three more. AT&T is stupid. Like, even more kick-worthy-than-Storm Machine ![]() Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Grow MochaNotes.com ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: ? Meals: 7:30 Coffee (1) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: ? (Goal: 25) Yesterday, I ate out for three out of three meals, including my Potbelly sammich. ![]() |
Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() ![]() Grow MochaNotes.com ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: 162.2 Meals: I already went to Bob Evans this morning. ![]() |