A day in the life

[kodydog]

2-10-2012
Woke up this morning at 4:00 AM, one hour before the alarm. Showered, shaved, ate breakfast and off to work at 6 o'clock.  One hour drive into Jacksonville to be at work by 7 AM.

Work till 3:30 PM then rush back to St Augustine to pick up the wife and kids (dogs) and by 5:00 off to our home in Live Oak. After a 2 hour drive we pull up to the shop and empty the van of cargo and dogs.

7:30 head out again to Ceder Key to pick up a sofa and two wing chairs. Arrive at 9:30. Customer leaves for vacation next day.

From the Atlantic coast to Live oak to the Gulf coast in 4-1/2 hours

Return to our home in Live Oak at midnight. Love this job, never a dull moment.   :)

[Mike]

I was thinking there must be a cedar key on the Atlantic side ;)
me I had to install a Pontoon top and seat canvas  covers.  Quoted a new job and then came home to start cutting down a big live oak

[byhammerandhand]

Right.  I get a little annoyed with my niece, a teacher with great benefits and a 185 day a year work schedule.  Today's post:

"I know I speak for teachers all over Ohio with this comment . . . What's with the Saturday snowstorms?!"

[sofadoc]

Showered, shaved, ate breakfast

Well, there's your problem. You're gonna have to cut at least 2 of those activities out, OR:
Put a mirror, and shaving kit over the sun visor. Get box of sprinkled doughnuts, and just take a "whoar's bath" when you can.
You've simply got to use your time more efficiently. ;)

[Mojo]

First day back in the shop after my two day trip to Tampa for the seminar. Climbed on top of 18 buses and inspected their awnings and slide toppers. My old body is aching. I was only able to convert 5 to full orders and did 2 other quotes. It was a worthwhile trip as the five I booked came out to $ 3,500 worth of work. So the $ 200 trip paid for itself easily. With healthy margins I will be good to go.

I deliver my biggest coach order on Monday but will be sewing part of the day tomorrow to complete it. I will be glad when they are installed and the customer is happy and on his way back to Dallas. This job stressed me out badly as this is not only the largest order but the most expensive bus I have ever worked on.

I am going to be sewing 6 days a week for the rest of this month and the first two weeks of March to kick out orders. It looks like I am getting a break in April and I can do some fun things around the house. I am looking forward to that. I just might kick back and relax a little before my big trip North in May. :)

I just feel truly blessed and I am grateful for the work. You never know when it will dry up and for how long. I am like a hog at the trough scarfing everything up while I can before the trough gets empty again.

Kody / Mike glad to hear your busy as well. :)

Chris

[Peppy]

I had a nice day with the family. Trapped inside due to large cold and snow ( well not really trapped, but the 2 year old can only take an hour or so before he loses it) then I had a nap. And made some wikked pulled pork sandwiches for dinner. It's a bummer some days to be an employee (like on payday) but there are two days a week that it's guaranteed to be beneficial. 

Mojo- I used to stress about the big jobs too. Now I treat every job like a big job. Poor fisherman, big pleasure cruiser they all get the same treatment. The absolute best job I can give them. That way it doesn't matter if they're rich or not, I give them what I can and then go home. They won't ever pay you enough to loose sleep over their jobs.

[Mike]

I was stressing this morning on the dri e over to the bost install 
I can't help it even though I know I made good patterns untill I see them instaed and no problems I sweat it. I got another cover yesterday and a new top and windows.  Monday I have to qoute a 27' cc cover didget and T top 3 window.  That will benfun if I get it
one off theese days I'll do mine

[kodydog]

Its always hard to find the time to do your own stuff. But I do know a sweet lady over in Lantana who could do it for ya. She has loads of time. :D

[Mike]

Its always hard to find the time to do your own stuff. But I do know a sweet lady over in Lantana who could do it for ya. She has loads of time. :D

Kody that would take all the fun out of it imlove doing my
own stuff. A friend who has a skater paints his boat and who can do some sewing wanted me to get him the needed materials to do his own   Upholstery.  I did and Gage him some
advise to do a nice tuck n roll job.  He called and said it was looming good bit his machine couldn't handle rhebthi Knesset and want me to bail him out   K r done tha t got out of my zone and waisted time and material trying to make somthibg to toss it all out  later

[JuneC]

Yeah, Kody.  Nothing to do but sweep the shop.  ;D 

And Mike, haven't we all done that at some point?  Last time I did that was installing (or trying to install) a water tap for a reverse osmosis filter on my kitchen sink (stainless steel).  Bright me  8) thought "how hard can it be?" to go through the deck of that sink with a 1" hole saw  :-\  Learned my lesson - up on my knees on the kitchen counter, trying not to break a wrist and a hole saw skating around like it was on ice.  Lucky I didn't knock off a knee cap.  Called a real plumber to do the job and I'm sure he laughed all the way back to the shop after fixing my screw up.  That was several years ago and I've done lots of plumbing, but now I know when to call a pro. 

June

BTW, his plumbing, other than cutting the hole, was a mess.  Whole thing leaked and I pulled it apart a day later and put it back together with teflon tape cause he just skipped that part of the process.

[Mike]

We rented a aireal lift to cut down the tree I turned down three job from folks stopping ask for a card they needed a tree cut ;)
somthibg it's best to do yourself I did t want limbs droped on some plants.  Now I've got a whole tree piles roadside that the county will come lick up with a truck. I'll let them do that :)

[baileyuph]

Yep, welding up some Camaro seat metal frames kept me out of trouble for a while, these old cars!  Never know what you will get into.  Spring repairs, padding repair/replacement/ tap out threads where bolts broke.  Fun stuff, I think I will move to Florida and learn more about canvas.  It doesn't rust, I hear.

We do cut oaks here however Mike and sweep floors.
Now to check what is next.........maybe some hog ringing, no hog hog ringing though. :)
Doyle

[gene]

I used to get out to St. Louis often on business DB. It's a great city. A river city a lot like Cincinnati.

The first time I drove out there I pulled off the interstate to get gas in East St. Louis. Hey, that's cool. Kind of like if Cincinnati had a "South Cincinnati" in Northern Kentucky.

The gas station attendant literally came running up to my car, (it was night time and my car was a convertible and I had the top down), he pulled up his t-shirt to reveal a gun, and he said, "If you don't have one of these, I'll give you $5 in gas and you get your A$$ back on that expressway and stop at a gas station across the river. All righty then! I got $5 in gas.

Staying at the Hyatt and walking across the street to the Cardinals stadium to see a ball game was always a fun time.

I'm also thinking of retiring to Florida and doing canvas. Wow, what an easy job that is. You do a little bit of sewing a few hours a day in a nice air conditioned shop and you've got the rest of the day to go play. ' ;D'

gene

[Mike]

I want  that job gene too ;)
I'm working on it but they keep dragging  me down. 

[baileyuph]

Yes, imagine working with canvas and getting paid. Plus, it never gets cold there.  We are talking ourselves into it. ;)

Doyle