Aptenobytes

Buried in work

As the title says, I've been buried in work. The efforts of getting the store opened left me a wee bit behind in paperwork. Now I've got to dig myself out of a whole lot of paper. Yecch.
At least it keeps me from getting too lonely. I miss Lara!!! It sucks being a province away from the woman you love. Not to mention all the pets.

I'm slowly making this place more homey. Lara did come out for a week, and that helped too.

Oh, and I've discovered a cool music site. Last.fm seems to be the reincarnation of a site I played with years ago. It's a cross between a social networking site and a music reccomendation site and a group radio station. Too cool!

We're Open!!!!

Finally got the store open!

After six months of renovations, we're open. Today was a great day, full of positive people, and I actually made a sale on the first day. I'm so happy, I'm practically giddy. There's still a ton of work to do, but tonight, I'm having a drink and relaxing for a bit.

Here's a few pictures of the interior of the new shop. I am very proud of how it turned out.

Off to Edmonton

I'm off to Edmonton in the morning. I guess this is the start of a new chapter in my life. Lara and I now own the building in Edmonton, and we're working our way through getting all the various licenses and accounts set up. For the next couple of weeks I get to finalize those details, and also get started on the renovations. The showcases are ordered, We're doing good!

I really like Edmonton. It's an exciting city. I love our new building... here's some pics:

There is a lot of work to do to turn it into a little jewel, which it will have to be. Setting up a new business is a huge challenge. I've been swamped by it, but excited at the same time.

On the flip side, there are some parts that aren't making me overly happy. I'm going to have to spend a lot of time away from Lara. That will be hard. We spend virtually every day together, and have for ten years now. Suddenly we'll be spending a lot of time apart. Not fun.

There's also my personal political ambivalence towards expanding the business. From a pure political stance, expanding the business doesn't square with everything I believe. I'd prefer to stay small. The unfortunate part of it is that we really don't have a choice. Like every small business, we are facing price competition from companies like Wal-Mart and CostCo. While they aren't in the same league as us in terms of quality, it does affect the perception of price. At some point we have to expand, merely to get our costs down, creating a larger market for our workshop, making larger purchases with the price breaks that come with that. If we want to keep paying our workers and ourselves a living wage, we have to do this. Sometimes you have to compromise with yourself. Still sucks. I don't want to become a chain, but I think we need to become one to a certain extent. I guess what I have to make sure of is that we don't become what I hate.

Sombrio the Movie

Sombrio Beach, the movie. I haven't seen it yet, but I plan to.

For those who don't know the place, Sombrio Beach is one of the best surfing spots on Vancouver Island. It was also the home to a squatting community that had lived peacefully there for decades. The inhabitants were all kicked out of their homes when the government made it a park for yuppies to hike through.

It really angered me when the government kicked them out, and not just because it meant my Dad was kicked out of his cabin and moved closer to me. It was a really neat community, and a good place for a lot of people who just didn't, couldn't or wouldn't fit in with regular society. It's sad that places like that are being eliminated.

McGuinty, the deaths of thousands of innocent dogs will be on your hands.

CANOE -- CNEWS - Canada: McGuinty defends pit bull ban:


The second part of the ban means all pit bull puppies born from now on must be destroyed, given to a research facility, or shipped out of the province.




You bastard. You smug bastard. Words fail me.

Every so often it's worth working in the system.

Last Friday the Senate of Canada passed the first ever private members bill that eliminated a tax. The Excise Tax on Jewellery is gone.

Ten years work for me, and nearly a hundred years for the jewellery industry of Canada, was finally successful.

About bloody time.

Not much to say...

Except that it's my Birthday today!

I'm still alive.

Just buried in projects. This is a good thing. Keeps me out of trouble. I'll be back with another spate of postings soon.

Big news in my personal and professional life.

So, we're opening a second store in Edmonton! We made an offer on a building, it was accepted, and the mortgage was approved. We take possession December 1st, at which time we will ignore it for a month until the Christmas Rush is over. Yes. I am moving to Edmonton in January. Yoiks! It's a very scary step to take, this second store thing. It means my workload is about to double. Well, it already has doubled.

Here's the house/store.

This has also prompted us to consider taking on a watch line as well. Being a complete watch geek, I've been poring over watch catalogues, and researching watch firms. I'm trying to figure out what we'll be able to sell, and also what we'll be proud to sell. Of course, if I sell the brand, I'll have to wear one. So there is a certain amount of self interest there...

This of course is my excuse for not keeping up with my blog.

Laptop Update!

So, this is my first post from my new laptop. I was leasing, so they forced me to get insurance. It really irritated me until my dog knocked the old one off a table. Apparently there was no deductible. I got something out of an insurance company! Yay me.

I now have a spanking new 12" powerbook. That makes me happy.

Now I've got to catch up on the news that I've missed while I've been without a computer. Why do I have a nasty feeling that I've missed something.