Random Thoughts That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread Go Here

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by molson

There's a lot of trust in our society.

I've had most of that beaten out of me.

And the reverse scenario is also true. "Half up front for materials" and then the workman vanishes or stalls the work 'cause they used your supply money to pay their electric bill.

[RainMaker]

When I quit my first job out of college they kept paying me for a month. After the first payment, I called and told them they made a mistake and let me know if they need me to write a check. They said they'll get back to me and never did. Then I got the next payment at the end of the month and called/e-mailed a bunch of times. Again they told me they'd take care of it or have someone look into it and never did.

It was weird because I probably sent 10 e-mails and called a bunch trying to find out where I could send them a check. At some point I stopped and left them an e-mail saying to get in touch if they want the money back. They never did.

I was 25 or so at the time and it was for like 3-4k if I remember correct. Felt bad about it and actually kept the money in the account for like a year just in case they decided to ask for it back. They weren't a giant company either, it was a medium sized startup of like 20 people.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by molson

Did that ever happen?

I figure you can probably do an eyeball test and know who's a potential problem customer.

Mechanics liens are a huge issue in construction contracts. For every day repairs probably not as much, but I'm sure you could search case law and find at least one example.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by molson

Did that ever happen?

I figure you can probably do an eyeball test and know who's a potential problem customer.

To the point of foreclosing? No.

But we did file lien a few times to get paid. Honestly most of that was against a GC during construction of new homes. The lien kept them from closing...then they paid their bills.

When you are starting out as a supplier or sub contractor and you "steal" a larger account easily ...there is a reason and its usually payment history.

At this point I'm pretty confident in reading a commercial contractor and knowing what the experience will be like. All bets are off on homeowners. I have fought NFL players and banker millionaires for small sums and been paid rapidly large sums from folks who seemed to be struggling financially.

My former controller had a great line I never forgot. "Credit scores aren't a measure of ability to pay bills, they are a measure of willingness to refuse to pay them."

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by molson

Did that ever happen?

I figure you can probably do an eyeball test and know who's a potential problem customer.

CU Tiger already said it best, but just to throw my two cents in, you would be surprised how often foreclosed liens come up in property searches. They're not terribly common, because, as CU Tiger said, eventually, someone wants to sell the property, and so the lien is finally paid. But the liens themselves are very common. Mechanics liens are usually associated with new home construction (also like CU said), but I used to see them when an owner would do improvements to their home, too.

It's funny how you can very quickly get a read on a homeowner based on their property history.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I've had most of that beaten out of me.

And the reverse scenario is also true. "Half up front for materials" and then the workman vanishes or stalls the work 'cause they used your supply money to pay their electric bill.

I know "Catch a Contractor" is dramatized reality but it's amazing how some contractors act.

Also gleaned enough to know that the lowest bid tends to be that for a reason and pretty much always want someone who is heavily booked. The guy that can start tomorrow probably ain't that good.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

I know "Catch a Contractor" is dramatized reality but it's amazing how some contractors act.

Also gleaned enough to know that the lowest bid tends to be that for a reason and pretty much always want someone who is heavily booked. The guy that can start tomorrow probably ain't that good.

I hate to say this, but I've found it to be true:

If a contractor references religion anywhere in their name, marketing, logo, or otherwise ... run. The other way. Fast.

[CU Tiger]

Before I sold out, I probably had 30 different young stat up guys approach me and ask "What's the secret to growing and succeeding in this business"

The answer is simple and my 10 commandments were on every email I sent internally and plastered all over my offices(In order of project):
1) Never quote a job you dont know how to do
2) Never be ashamed of your price
3) Clearly explain exactly what you are going to do to the customer until they understand it before starting work.
4) Show up when you say you will.
5) Do what you say you will do.
6) If something goes wrong beyond your control. Stop. Tell the customer now.
7) If you make a mistake, its ok. Own it now. Admit it. Tell the customer how you plan to fix it.
8) Never suggest that a customer will pay more for your mistake. You are a professional. If you mess up we eat it.
9)Ask the customer if they are happy before leaving.
10) Bill exactly what you quoted no matter how the job went.

If you can do those 10 things and are competent at your trade, merely competent you will never lack for work or money. If you are good at your trade you will become surprisingly wealthy.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Before I sold out, I probably had 30 different young stat up guys approach me and ask "What's the secret to growing and succeeding in this business"

The answer is simple and my 10 commandments were on every email I sent internally and plastered all over my offices(In order of project):
1) Never quote a job you dont know how to do
2) Never be ashamed of your price
3) Clearly explain exactly what you are going to do to the customer until they understand it before starting work.
4) Show up when you say you will.
5) Do what you say you will do.
6) If something goes wrong beyond your control. Stop. Tell the customer now.
7) If you make a mistake, its ok. Own it now. Admit it. Tell the customer how you plan to fix it.
8) Never suggest that a customer will pay more for your mistake. You are a professional. If you mess up we eat it.
9)Ask the customer if they are happy before leaving.
10) Bill exactly what you quoted no matter how the job went.

If you can do those 10 things and are competent at your trade, merely competent you will never lack for work or money. If you are good at your trade you will become surprisingly wealthy.

Excellent, CU. Do you mind if I copy this and post it in my FB mastermind group? Most of these are lessons we put into work, but it's a good list and post to be able to refer to.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Excellent, CU. Do you mind if I copy this and post it in my FB mastermind group? Most of these are lessons we put into work, but it's a good list and post to be able to refer to.

I would ask that no one publish it or sell it or use it in a book

But sure post away

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

I would ask that no one publish it or sell it or use it in a book

But sure post away

Haha yea no one will do that. This is just for the mastermind members themselves. Thank you sir.

[JPhillips]

Wow. Kip Winger got a Grammy nomination for best contemporary classical composition.

[Shkspr]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Wow. Kip Winger got a Grammy nomination for best contemporary classical composition.

Someone has to follow in Billy Joel's footsteps.

[QuikSand]

STOP IT

[21C]

I hate it when you make lunch for yourself and then forget to bring it to work with you.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

To the point of foreclosing? No.

But we did file lien a few times to get paid. Honestly most of that was against a GC during construction of new homes. The lien kept them from closing...then they paid their bills.

When you are starting out as a supplier or sub contractor and you "steal" a larger account easily ...there is a reason and its usually payment history.

At this point I'm pretty confident in reading a commercial contractor and knowing what the experience will be like. All bets are off on homeowners. I have fought NFL players and banker millionaires for small sums and been paid rapidly large sums from folks who seemed to be struggling financially.

My former controller had a great line I never forgot. "Credit scores aren't a measure of ability to pay bills, they are a measure of willingness to refuse to pay them."

I worked in the disaster restoration industry for a long time. For non insurance claims, we had the customer sign a contract and we did the work. If it were a massive job, we would demand installments like a construction contract.

We didn't get hit as often as you would suspect, but it did happen. The worst thing to deal with on the self pays was the "You damaged my chair and I won't be satisfied with anything less than 1/2 of the total bill"

That was depressing. The lien scared people and did have a major effect, but it's critical to know the lien laws in your state or they won't be valid.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by 21C

I hate it when you make lunch for yourself and then forget to bring it to work with you.

I hate it when you make lunch for me and then forget to bring it to work with you.

[21C]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

I hate it when you make lunch for me and then forget to bring it to work with you.

Are you one of my co-workers?

That's why I don't leave my lunch in the staff fridge anymore.

[Suicane75]

That's when ya got start leaving ass sweat and pube sandwiches in there.

[Suicane75]

Do you ever listen to podcasts or audio books and realize that you really haven't been paying attention for a few minutes because you're multi tasking or whatever? And so you rewind 2-3 minutes. And then you realize you did it again, so you rewind. And then you do it again?

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

Do you ever listen to podcasts or audio books and realize that you really haven't been paying attention for a few minutes because you're multi tasking or whatever? And so you rewind 2-3 minutes. And then you realize you did it again, so you rewind. And then you do it again?

Yes, on an airplane to or from work, when I fall asleep, and didn't realize I fell asleep and suddenly nothing makes sense.

[VPI97]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

The answer is simple and my 10 commandments were on every email I sent internally and plastered all over my offices(In order of project):
1) Never quote a job you dont know how to do
2) Never be ashamed of your price
3) Clearly explain exactly what you are going to do to the customer until they understand it before starting work.
4) Show up when you say you will.
5) Do what you say you will do.
6) If something goes wrong beyond your control. Stop. Tell the customer now.
7) If you make a mistake, its ok. Own it now. Admit it. Tell the customer how you plan to fix it.
8) Never suggest that a customer will pay more for your mistake. You are a professional. If you mess up we eat it.
9)Ask the customer if they are happy before leaving.
10) Bill exactly what you quoted no matter how the job went.

If you can do those 10 things and are competent at your trade, merely competent you will never lack for work or money. If you are good at your trade you will become surprisingly wealthy.

These are basically the same set of guidelines that I operate under as an IT consultant. Stick to these and you'll never have to find clients...they come looking for you.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Yes, on an airplane to or from work, when I fall asleep, and didn't realize I fell asleep and suddenly nothing makes sense.

If you're falling asleep on the airplane, I might start to get worried about flying.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

If you're falling asleep on the airplane, I might start to get worried about flying.

Especially if I'm listening to audio books.

[Chief Rum]

Saw the weirdest thing just now.

I am in a BK grabbing a soda and seated at a window next to the parking lot. This black truck pulls up next to my car in the parking lot, and the next second, a cop pulls up behind it, lights flashing. The doors of the truck open up and four late teen boys pile out (think JR or SRs). Two of them head directly to nearby street and walk up the sidewalk. A third walks right around the back end of the cop car and into the BK I'm in. The driver stays by the truck, and the cop goes to talk to him.

The cop made no effort to stop the other kids from leaving. The driver made no effort to flee, though, either. Just really weird. The cop spoke briefly with the driver, and then walked back to his car, shut his lights off and drove off.

Meanwhile, the kid who walked into the BK walked straight through to the kiddie playground and approached the exit door at the back. It must have been alarmed, because he stopped there and then walked back in. He was pacing back and forth and peeking outside at the cop talking to his driver friend. After the cop left, he walked back out to the driver and his truck and got on his hands and knees and reached for something under my car. I assume it was a joint (I'll be looking when I walk out, of course).

Then they got into the truck and left. Opposite direction from where the other two kids went.

I am trying to put a scenario together in my head which properly explains the cop and the kids and haven't succeeded yet.

It was skittish as fuck. If I were the cop, I would put all four on the ground and called for backup.

BTW, two white kids and two Latinos (typical for SoCal in the OC). And the cop was white.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Saw the weirdest thing just now.

My first thought was that the subjects were not unknown to the officer. And that the driver was one he wanted to have a chat with.

2nd thought is that maybe the driver did something dumb like a rolling stop & it was just more of a courtesy warning (regardless of being known or not).

I notice, for example, that you didn't mention the cop checking the kid's license/info. That kind of points itself toward the first notion IMO.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

My first thought was that the subjects were not unknown to the officer. And that the driver was one he wanted to have a chat with.

2nd thought is that maybe the driver did something dumb like a rolling stop & it was just more of a courtesy warning (regardless of being known or not).

I notice, for example, that you didn't mention the cop checking the kid's license/info. That kind of points itself toward the first notion IMO.

Yea I could see that. I didn't see the cop check his license at all or anything. Just talk with him.

But it was just sort of surreal to see these other kids looking suspicious as fuck and just wandering away from this scene that the cop could completely control, and he chose to completely ignore them. Like they were invisible.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

But it was just sort of surreal to see these other kids looking suspicious as fuck and just wandering away from this scene that the cop could completely control, and he chose to completely ignore them. Like they were invisible.

Honestly, I was kinda reminded of Robert Duvall & Sean Penn in Colors.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Honestly, I was kinda reminded of Robert Duvall & Sean Penn in Colors.

Been a while since I saw the movie but I get the gist of it. Although this was definitely in the heart of suburbia lol

[Chief Rum]

Let's say you live in a two team sports town or maybe you root for the rival of the local team.

If a local business offers something for free if the rival wins, do you take advantage or do you say "hell no."

Specific case in point: I like to drink soda and read or do work in fast food restaurants in my off time, and McDonalds is offering a free Big Mac with any other purchase (i.e. my soda) the day after the Kings win. I'm a Ducks fan. But I like spending very little for food, even if it is a Big Mac.

[cuervo72]

FWIW I live in MD, root for Philly teams, and have no qualms about using Papa John's discounts when Washington teams win.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

If a local business offers something for free if the rival wins, do you take advantage or do you say "hell no."

If it's convenient then I'd say yes. Tally the savings & put them toward your own team's gear. Think of it as using evil to serve the purpose of good or something

[PilotMan]

I had a really good random thought, but that was about 4 glasses of red wine ago.

[JonInMiddleGA]

So (as I've known about for the past month but had to be silent about) the local rock station is no more. As you suspect, I had a few thoughts about that.

… and the horse you rode in on | Jon's Three Cents

[Thomkal]

Something similar happened here in the Myrtle Beach area a month or two ago, and one of my biggest Pet peeves towards radio stations. I woke up one morning to the regular "adult contemporary" station (Star) I had been listening to for oh 20 years or so since I moved here. The next morning I woke up to Energy. Now playing R&B/Urban music which I generally am not a fan of. No warning, words of explanation, no goodbyes, nothing. Just drives me crazy how they treat their listeners like that.

So these days, I'm especially glad I have Pandora where I have control over the music I want to listen to and what I don't

[Shkspr]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

FWIW I live in MD, root for Philly teams, and have no qualms about using Papa John's discounts when Washington teams win.

So you do it about three times a year. Big deal.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Shkspr

So you do it about three times a year. Big deal.

15-Love

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

So (as I've known about for the past month but had to be silent about) the local rock station is no more. As you suspect, I had a few thoughts about that.

… and the horse you rode in on | Jon's Three Cents

I remember when KNAC died in Los Angeles. Similar circumstances. But just switched to local Latin fare for more $$$$. They went online later but it wasn't the same. Good blog post.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Shkspr

So you do it about three times a year. Big deal.

Thankfully RIGGO44 somehow manages to commandeer the operation every Wednesday. By now you'd really think they'd see him coming.

[Shkspr]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Thankfully RIGGO44 somehow manages to commandeer the operation every Wednesday. By now you'd really think they'd see him coming.

I'll be more impressed when they hire Art Monk for that promotion.

[Wolfpack]

Living in the Triangle, we get code options for all the local college teams (State, Duke, UNC) and the local pro teams (Hornets, Panthers, Hurricanes). If need be, I'll use a UNC or Duke code because it's hard to turn down 50% anything, but I generally still hope that State or the pro teams get their threshold scoring goals met to get the discount.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Dutch

I remember when KNAC died in Los Angeles. Similar circumstances. But just switched to local Latin fare for more $$$$. They went online later but it wasn't the same. Good blog post.

That was a sad day. I was listening when it went off air. It was epic that they went out with Metallica's Fade to Black.

[Easy Mac]

Someone ate my pork chops at work. I cooked them yesterday and put them in the work fridge this morning between an apple and a thing of instant mac n cheese. Went in there just now, and they're gone. I searched through the fridge, even went through the trash to see if they had been tossed by accident... not in there.

WTF is wrong with people. It was like the one thing I was looking forward to today, because I cooked them perfectly.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

That was a sad day. I was listening when it went off air. It was epic that they went out with Metallica's Fade to Black.

Me too! Great way to end it, I'll give them that.

[booradley]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Someone ate my pork chops at work. I cooked them yesterday and put them in the work fridge this morning between an apple and a thing of instant mac n cheese. Went in there just now, and they're gone. I searched through the fridge, even went through the trash to see if they had been tossed by accident... not in there.

WTF is wrong with people. It was like the one thing I was looking forward to today, because I cooked them perfectly.

There was a 'Friends' episode about this, when someone took Ross' sandwich. His meltdown touched me in a place deep inside ...

[Shkspr]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Someone ate my pork chops at work. I cooked them yesterday and put them in the work fridge this morning between an apple and a thing of instant mac n cheese. Went in there just now, and they're gone. I searched through the fridge, even went through the trash to see if they had been tossed by accident... not in there.

WTF is wrong with people. It was like the one thing I was looking forward to today, because I cooked them perfectly.

If it's any consolation, they were delicious.

[molson]

To recap:

Prince
David Bowie
Muhammad Ali
Alan Rickman
George Michael
Nancy Reagan
Janet Reno
Arnold Palmer
Gordie Howie
Justice Scalia
Keith Emerson
Alan Thicke
Florence Henderson
Gary Shandling
Harper Lee
Abe Vigoda
Doris Roberts
Leonard Cohen
Glenn Frey
Pat Summitt
John Saunders
Rob Ford
Phife Dawg
Anton Yelchin
Zsa Zsa
Carrie Fisher
Debbie Reynolds

I've been skeptical of the idea that this is a big year for celebrity deaths, assuming that it always seems like that in December, but I think I now buy that this is above-average year. And like someone said in the other thread, we're probably just trending in that direction due to the phenomenon of modern celebrity, and that there's just more of them every decade.

[sabotai]

As we get older, I'm sure every year is going to produce 30-50 celebrity deaths that make us take notice. But the stature of those who died this year is what really sets it apart.

An author who wrote one of the most iconic books of a century (Harper Lee). The top of athlete from their sport during their prime, and even arguably the best ever (Ali, Palmer, Howe), and the same for the coach on the sideline (Summitt), a star of one of the biggest TV shows or its decade (Thicke, Henderson, Roberts), a former first lady (Reagan), a former US Attorney General (Reno), rock/pop stars whose career spanned decades (Prince, Bowie, Michael), etc.

You usually get a handful a year, but 2016 seemed to take multiple A-Listers from every possible genre of "celebrity".

[CrescentMoonie]

Perfect capsule of the year.

[CrescentMoonie]

In this energy conscious world, Vin Diesel should change his name to Vin Hybrid or Vin Tesla.