OptiBoard Discussion Forums - Blogs http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php OptiBoard is the Premier Online Community for Eyecare Professionals. en Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:25:22 GMT vBulletin 30 http://www.optiboard.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg OptiBoard Discussion Forums - Blogs http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php PayGo, PayGo, PayGo. http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=72 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:35:30 GMT What am I missing here? Obama wanted to pass this law:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXC_5GRSxuc

The law was passed. This guy wants to uphold the law. He's the bad guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alS-gsTnm-8



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvEjt...eature=related ]]> Johns http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=72 Go Toyota! http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=71 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:55:05 GMT Wow! It looks like Toyota spent so much time and effort trying to make their cars go farther on less fuel, that they forgot to worry about making them stop! Oh, well...small price to pay for fuel efficiency!;) Wow! It looks like Toyota spent so much time and effort trying to make their cars go farther on less fuel, that they forgot to worry about making them stop!

Oh, well...small price to pay for fuel efficiency!;) ]]> Johns http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=71 Change in Ownership http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=70 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:47:47 GMT As of September 2009, I have gained complete control of our clinic. Our new goals are to try to supply the needs of the local population with eyeglasses at affordable prices. As of September 2009, I have gained complete control of our clinic. Our new goals are to try to supply the needs of the local population with eyeglasses at affordable prices. ]]> 35oldguy http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=70 The end of the recession. http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=67 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:52:46 GMT I think it's amazing that every news source that I have access to (admittedly few compared to others) are claiming that the recession is over. For a time, I disagreed, but now, have come to the conclusion that the talking heads are indeed correct.

The recession is over, and the depression is about to begin.

Why do I believe this? Because the indicators that gauge a recession are almost all telling us that this is far from over, and they are not headed in the direction they should be for a recession that is waning.

For example, the indicators most often cited are wholesale/retail sales (trade), employment, personal income, and industrial production.

Of the indicators, only one, industrial production, have shown anything positive, and even then, those numbers are up only 0.1%. Sure, a gain is a gain, but when you consider that unemployment is still down 0.1%, personal income is down .03%, and sales are down .2%, how can the recession be winding down?

The stats I cite are from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Federal Reserve, and Bureau of Labor for the third quarter.

And this is after a stimulus package that "saved" reportedly (at first) hundreds of thousands, and now millions of jobs.

Some of the bright spots in sales were also fueled by the "Cash for Clunkers" program, which was nothing more than a way to funnel money back into the unions. Of course, that backfired when the majority of the money was spent on foreign cars. Oh well!

Some of the stimulus money also went to the states that were drowning in pools of debt, due to decreased tax revenues. Yes, they were propped up for a time, but now, they are in need of even more funds to keep going, and will undoubtedly need to lay off some of employees from their bloated payrolls. Bigger budgets and smaller incomes. Not an easy way to run a state, nor a country for that matter.

And I won't even get into all the balloon payments that are coming due for commercial developers and landlords. It is not uncommon for them to carry 5 year notes, and refinance at the end of the term. Now however, regardless of what the government is saying, the banks are not lending money to these folks. And these are not new projects. They are strip and retail centers that house many businesses that have renegotiated lower rents to survive. Not to mention the fact that when the developers refinance, the money they can get is based upon the equity in their buildings. Well w/real estate being devalued, there is not much equity left, and therefore, nothing to put up against the money they need. So, we'll see many more shopping centers being foreclosed on, and more people out of work.

So yeah, I believe the recession may be coming to an end, but the recession might be better than what I think is around the corner.

Not a rosy picture, and I'm not trying to be a downer, but I hate to watch the media portraying what they call the end of the recession. Yeah, stocks have rebounded for now, but I believe it's a sucker's rally, and the second drop is right around the corner.

I've always said that a recession is like a big wind. The businesses that are already weak will fall. I don't know what a depression is like, except from what my grandparents told me, and it wasn't pretty.

I'm no economics expert, nor am I any type of business guru. I'm just a small business guy on main street that sees more and more credit cards being used, hears more stories of folks losing their homes and possessions, and a lot of other people saying that the economy is on it's way back up.

I truly hope the latter group is right. ]]> Johns http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=67 Feel the Love... http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=66 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:52:32 GMT I know, most of you are expecting some sarcastic political topic here, but that's not the case...really.

This morning, the alarm rang just a bit too early. I dragged myself out of bed, went outside and did the chores, and grabbed an armload of wood to get the fire cranked up.

I play basketball in the morning at a local college, from 8 'till 9:30, so I have to leave the house by 6:40 so I can drop my son off at school, and make it before the games get started.

Just as I was ready to leave, I realized that my favorite basketball shorts were not in my bag. I called out to my wife, who was still in bed, to see if she knew where they might be. I expected her to say, "They're where you left them!"

Instead, she got out of bed, went down two flights of steps to the basement, and came upstairs with them all folded and ready to go. "I woke up last night and realized you'd need them, so I threw them on the drying rack next to the downstairs woodburner."

I know it sounds sappy, corny, and whatever other words you want to describe it, but I was overcome with a feeling of how much my wife really loves me. She's not sitting by my bedside, holding my hand as I'm dying, but the little things she does for me let me know that she would.

I thought about all the different ways that people I know make me feel loved, and I started wondering if I make them feel the same way. I'm guessing not so much. When I got to work, I called my wife and told her how much I loved her, and thanked her for everything she does for me. Now she probably thinks I'm having an affair.:D

I'm not the kind of guy that tells people "Have a nice day!", because you never know what's going on in their lives. Plus, I don't like to tell people what to do. So, I'm not telling everyone to go out and tell all the people in their lives how much they love them, but maybe reading this might get someone to think about it, and be more aware of how loved they really are. ]]> Johns http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=66 Follow the money indeed http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=65 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:49:47 GMT So, as if it's any surprise, here's what the climate change (we used to call that a "season") talk is all about:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/climate_follow_the_money


The world wants the "rich" countries to chip in around $10 Billion dollars towards curbing emissions, and helping those affected by them. We won't get in to the discussion of the science, or lack thereof. The only real fact is that it's (again, no surprise) boiling down to another way to tax us into oblivion.

I've got friends that at this very moment are going through the painful, and humiliating process of foreclosure. They once had great jobs with manufacturing companies that, because it was cheaper and easier (many compliance issues) shipped the production overseas to China. Job leaves, money leaves, and all they have to do is find another job among the many (fantasy) service sector jobs. Right.

One job, after another, after another, and after another, until the music stopped. The good new job turned into a so-so job, which turned into two part-time jobs, which turned into any job, which turned into no job, and "Happy Thanksgiving honey, we've got to start packing."

So now, China is doing all the manufacturing. The jobs are long gone. Homes are being lost. Tax revenue is way down due to lower incomes, and our country (one of the "richeys") is going to be printing up some more money, so that our kids can tell their grandchildren someday why they will never be able to get their country out of debt.

What a disgrace... ]]> Johns http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=65 End of the full-time employee? http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=64 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:06:40 GMT Just wondering out loud whether the health care bill that is about to be debated might mean the end of full-time employment as we know it?

What I mean is that, if I'm reading the bill correctly (Admittedly, I've only read snippets), employers will be required to pay for health care coverage for their full-time employees. What's to stop a lot of small businesses (70% of the employers in the US) from scaling back the hours of their employees, and hiring more part-timers to fill the gaps? It seems to me that it's a strategy that WM has been using for years now, and they've grown to the largest retailer in the world.

What brought this to mind was a friend of mine that owns 2 delis. One has been running for years, and the other he opened 3 months ago. The first one he runs with his wife, and the second he runs w/5 part-time employees. He said he was very deliberate in hiring part timers only, as he's saving in vacation and other benefits payed out.

At first, I was turned off by the prospect of all part timers, but when I weighed that, with the prospect of maybe going out of business (not that I am, but if we were), then part timing it didn't look so bad.

Will we then see formerly full time workers having to go out and getting two and three part-time jobs to support their families? Owning my own business, I consider myself to work 3 jobs to maintain my lifestyle., even though they're all for my own company.

I could have posted this on the "Just (liberal) Conversation" forum, but didn't want to get into a race, global warming, and welfare discussion.

What do you think? ]]> Johns http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=64 Are you smarter than your GPS? http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=62 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:46:15 GMT Is it just me, or do any of you also play "beat the GPS"?

Now of course, I have a reputation in certain circles as being a master at GPS operations, so maybe that has something to do with my GPS obsession, but I'm not sure.

Here's an example: My son and I were late getting out the door yesterday, and he asked me what time he'd get to school, as he's got a subject he really wanted to study before class started (I think her name's Nikki).

Anyway, I said that I thought we'd get there around 7:15. He whipped out the GPS, and it said we'd be there are 7:12. How dare some little machine tell ME how long it will take me to get somewhere! So, I told him I thought I could make it by 7:10.

When we got to the end of our road, you should have seen the look on my son's face when I made a right hand turn right into a cornfield. Skirting the edge of the field, I followed it to a path the lead through a tree line, and out onto a dirt road.

From there I was able to avoid the bus and buggy traffic going into town, and came in through the old industrial parkway. All this time, I resisted the urge to speed, as my son was with me, and didn't want to give make a bad impression on him. (Four-wheeling through a cornfield is not the same as speeding)

Anyway, to make a long story just a bit shorter, we arrived in the school parking lot, muddier than when we left, but at a very respectable time of 7:08. It's a 35 minute drive to school and to shave 7 minutes off was, in my book, quite impressive.

So why can't my GPS make suggestions like, "Agricultural Route", or "Non-traditional Road Surface Route"? My son did remind me that there is an off road mode, but not one for multiple.

So, back to my question...Do any of you try to pick a better route, or beat the arrival time it gives you? Are you often succesful? Does it ever backfire?

Just wondering... ]]> Johns http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=62 Anybody need a place to party? http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=61 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:23:43 GMT This is a site that I often visit to look for foreclosed properties. Most of them can be purchased by anyone, as the minimum bids often start at $1,000, and often won't go too far past the price of a good used car.

Occasionally, a mansion will show up that will go for the high $100Ks, or even in the millions, but still way below market value.

Last night I saw that a place in Pontiac Michigan showed up that really made me look twice. Now, of course, I'm an admitted auction junkie, but man...think what you could do with this place!

http://www.williamsauction.com/silverdome/


Anybody want to go in on it with me? We might need to enlist some big guns like Optical 24/7, but he from Houston and those guys are loaded.

We could use it for the next UnExpo meeting, or have our very on Vision Expo, or just turn it into a giant indoor campground. There's got to be something we can use it for.


Any ideas? ]]> Johns http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=61 Rants about healthcare http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=60 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:23:24 GMT Its so funny people that a public healthcare policy would be a detriment to the system. Afterall, there will be delays to treatment. More run around with all the intermediaries between my doctor and me.

Yet here it is, I was told yesterday that while my need for surgery wasn't life and death at this time, it was something that needed to be done asap.

So called my doctor's office at 8 am to make a same day appt. Was told the office didn't open up till 9 and unless I was pregnant or already had surgery.. it was not a valid reason to talk to the dr. on call. Called back at 9 when they opened, was referred to the nurse who I had to leave a message and then have them call me back.

Get a call at 10 letting me know my doc was out of town, and I should go to the second referral that was on my discharge report.

Too bad she is out of the office as well. Had to call the ER to get the direct line for the woman's clinic to speak to a live person.. who then bounced me to yet another voicemail.

To only be referred to yet another person who took my information and will pass it to yet another person who will call me back.

I have a great private insurance plan. Low deductibles, covers most everything.. and I can not even get seen in a timely manner. I wonder why people go to the ER so freaking much..

Certainly it isn't because of the direct relationship between doctor and patient.. ]]> Jubilee http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=60 Suffering with my addiction http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=59 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:24:10 GMT I suffer from an addiction to auctions. I don't care if it's live or online, I just can't keep myself from bidding.

Last night I went to an auction w/the intention of buying some parts for some vintage campers I have (another addiction), and while I bought a lot of item I really need (underground water line/snow fence/wheel bearings/ladders) I also bought a pick-up truck.

It's only got 58K miles on it, no rust, and it runs fine, and I only paid $1,000 for it, but I don't need it. I bought it to resell, figuring I could flip it easy enough, but I really don't need to be in the car/truck resale business.

Two weeks ago, I was on a cell phone call w/a rep friend of mine. I pulled off to the side of the road because I was going to be going out of range. As I talked to her, I had my window down, and could hear noise coming from the back of the blg . I was parked in front of. I hung up, walked to the back of the blg., and sure enough, it was an auction!

They were auctioning off a brand new nautilus type weight machine, with 9 stations, and couldn't get a bid. I bid $25, and guess what...Yeah, we now have a home gym. To be fair (to me) my wife and son have been asking me for one, and they are very pleased with the purchase, so I guess it's not all bad.

The problem is (as other Optiboarders that have seen can attest) I've got too much "valuable";)stuff sitting in my warehouse. I think there's only one solution:

I need to have an auction!! ]]> Johns http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=59 Just another Monday... http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=58 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:50:35 GMT Today was just too nice to go to work. The weather was perfect; 73 degrees, light clouds, and a smooth breeze.

I spent a little time building a fence around 20 round bales of hay that I'll be storing outside this winter. The fence will keep our horses and sheep from getting to them before they're supposed to.

As I worked, my favorite horse, Austin, kept following me around, picking up my tool bag, my hammer, the fence posts...anything that I didn't put out of his reach. Around 1:00 I'd finished the fence, and Austin still wanted to play, so I grabbed a bridle, threw it on him, and took off over the creek and through the woods.

It was a great day for riding, and it was nice to be able to spend some time out in the woods alone. I rode about 6 miles to the top of the ridge that overlooks the valley we live in, and enjoyed to view until Austin got antsy. He's a Thoroughbred, and although he's not really that good on the trails, he loves to run, and run, and run. By the time we were half way home, he had worked up such a sweaty lather that I was having a difficult time staying on him. I did make it home w/out a problem, and after rubbing him down and giving him a snack, I went in the house to see how my wife's and son's day was.

It was 4:40 by this time, and I was looking forward to a nice, relaxing evening with the family.

I hadn't sat down for 2 minutes, when one of my Amish neighbors, Jacob, from across the road came over. He needed to know if he could put a chest freezer in my garage for a few days. I said, "Sure". He asked if I wanted to know why, and I said that I didn't care why, just do it.

"Well John...I also need to know if you can use your truck to pick up the freezer behind the general store, because they said we could use it for the emergency. Do you want to know what the emergency is?" I said, "Jacob...No. I DO NOT want to know what the emergency is because I'm tired, and want to sit here and do nothing, and you're going to try to rope me into one thing after another, and before I know it, my evening will be shot." I said this only half-joking as we are in a neighborhood where everyone (and I mean everyone) helps each other, but I was dog tired!

It turns out that his 1890 pound steer broke through the pasture fence yesterday (Sunday), and ran through the woods for 3 miles before he finally lost it, having last seen it heading towards Greenville, Pennsylvania, which is about 22 miles from here. He had heard through the Amish grapevine that it had been spotted this morning on the edge of a soybean field 9 miles away, and he was going to find it, shoot it, and bring it home.

So, we loaded the truck up with the freezer, took it to my house, then went to his brother's house where 4 of his nephews, carrying various types of rifles, piled into the truck bed. When we got down to the farm where the steer had be spotted, the farmer (a cousin of my neighbor) was waiting with his team of horses, and his 3 sons, all carrying rifles)

I told them how pathetic they all looked...9 people, carrying 7 guns, all to shoot one measly steer. They just laughed and said wait till you see him.

The team took us about a mile into the field, to a small stream. It was here that the farmer, Enos, told us to split up into groups and fan out. I didn't have a gun, so I went with Noah, one of the boys, and started walking.

After a half hour, we heard yelling and looked up to see this steer running through the field, right towards the creek. He had been hiding in the brush along the field, and was making a beeline for safety. Nobody could get a clear shot on him until he made it over the creek. Finally one of the boys held up his hand and said that he was going to take it. He did. One shot, and the steer fell to it's knees, his eyes rolled back in his head, and that was it.

Jacob took out his knife, finished the job, and began to field dress the carcass. I don't know why, but I yelled to him to be careful skinning it, because I wanted the hide. I don't know the first thing about hides or tanning them, but I've got a few old exam chairs that I thought would look cool with black and white cow skin upholstery on them.

We threw a rope over the limb of a tree, put a block and tackle together, and hauled the dead steer up. In a matter of 30 minutes, the animal was skinned, gutted, quartered, and on the back of the horse wagon, on the way to my truck.

When we got home, we loaded the meat into the freezer (turned low so the meat wouldn't freeze before it was cut up) and hosed everything down.

Jacob told me to have fun with the hide as he turned to walk down the drive. He laughed and then turned around, because he knows I have no clue what to do with it, and if he hadn't of bothered me in the first place, I'd still be relaxing in my home with my family.

We took the hide to his house, where we picked up a 5 gallon pail filled with salt, then we drove down to my small warehouse, where we spread the skin out, and rubbed salt on to it. I asked him what the next step was, and he replied that he didn't know because he usually just sells the skins to the wholesalers just like that.

So...here's my dilemma. What do I do next? Should I hire someone to tan it. Should I do it myself? I hear it can be pretty challenging, and I'm not sure I'm up to that kind of challenge. Luckily, my wife never goes to the warehouse, so she'll never see it until it's done.

I think I saw on Fezz's page that he does stuff like this. I think that should be my next step...call Fezz.

Does anyone else know anything about this kind of stuff. I will tell you this...this skin is huge! It's about 12 feet long, and 8 feet wide.

I'm open to suggestions! ]]> Johns http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=58 How many more must die needlessly? http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=57 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:31:05 GMT It is approaching six years since we lost Liz and the amount of time does not lessen the profound loss or pain we feel every day. Today CNN published an article about the number of people we lose every tear due to lack of proper healthcare. Liz is one of the ones they profiled. * 45,000 American... It is approaching six years since we lost Liz and the amount of time does not lessen the profound loss or pain we feel every day. Today CNN published an article about the number of people we lose every tear due to lack of proper healthcare. Liz is one of the ones they profiled.

45,000 American deaths associated with lack of insurance

It is my sincere hope that we can finally provide real healthcare in this country that is not dependent on being rich or lucky enough to be employed by someone that provides coverage. Other countries do this and they actually provide better care at a reduced cost. The only thing stopping us is the money that politicians receive from the special interests that want to keep the status quo.

Also it's time we remove the power of insurance company bureaucrats from deciding what care we need. This should be left to our Doctor and ourselves. ]]> Steve Machol http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=57 United States of Oz? http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=55 Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:51:58 GMT After suffering through what passes for 'news' over the last few weeks I can't help but wonder when we passed into the Land of Oz?

Democrats have no courage, Republicans have no heart and it doesn't appear that either have any brains.

Unfortunately clicking my sneakers isn't getting me out of this nightmare. :( ]]> Steve Machol http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=55 What century are we in?? http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=48 Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:43:14 GMT ---Quote (Originally by rbaker)--- With very few exceptions, the women should stay home and take care of the babies, clean the house and cook the sauce. The male is the warrior the woman is the keeper of the hearth. ---End Quote--- Seriously???????????????
Quote Originally Posted by rbaker View Post
With very few exceptions, the women should stay home and take care of the babies, clean the house and cook the sauce. The male is the warrior the woman is the keeper of the hearth.
Seriously??????????????? ]]> Judy Canty http://www.optiboard.com/forums/blog.php?b=48