Summer's Shenanigans

Unfortunately I havn't had a cell phone since Friday, so if you're trying to get in touch with me...well...I havn't checked my email either, so call Stefan if you need me :).

As I was rushing around trying to get ready to leave San Diego, my cell phone charger went missing and my cell phone was almost dead. So, since having my cell is pretty important, I rushed over to WalMart and bought an aftermarket charger for my LC CU500. Unfortunately, the stupid charger completely fried my phone! Howe lame is that? So not only can no one call me, but I can't call anyone else because everyones phone numbers are in my fried phone that won't turn on. Pretty lame, especially since there are no AT&T stores in Puerto Rico, so I just ordered a phone online, which should be here in the next 2 - 3 days.

I bought a gold Motorola Razr on eBay...haha. Bling, bling.

Labels: Technology

Since quitting my job, I've been on an emotional rollercoaster. I'm elated for a while and then racked with "what ifs". I know everything is going to be fine, but I'm definately a workaholic and I'm addicted to making money. That's the beauty of what I do, the harder I work the more money I make. So it's hard to not want to make money/work. I just hope that I've tied everything up well enough that I can walk away for a month and reassess what's up with my crazy life. I just can't do this any more. I've been working 12 - 18 hour days for years now and I just can't do it anymore. I need to find a balance, but that is easier said then done. Back in the day, I was perfectly happy making $40K a year, working 40 hours a week and surfing 3 times a week. But would that make me happy now that I know what else is out there? I've saved up some cash so I will have some time to think.

I can't wait to go home. :)

Labels: Business

I quit my job today.

That might seem kind of funny since I own a business, but nonetheless, I quit. I was pushed just a little too far by someone that I'd given a golden ticket too, and I'm done. Don't want to do the job? Then you don't have a job. Makes sense to me.

I'm tying up all the loose ends and then flying home to Puerto Rico on Friday. I think I'm going to be an unemployed surfer for a few weeks and then regroup with a new game plan.

Labels: Business

The Witch Fire in San Diego has already burned 145,000 acres and is 0% contained.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation, but it's beleive to have started when strong santa ana winds blew down some powerlines.

This is the reported damage so far, but The Witch Fire is far from being extinguished and is burning out of control:

600 structures have been destroyed (500 residences, 50 outbuildings and 100 commercial properties).

300 structures have been damaged (250 residences, 75 commercial properties and 50 outbuildings)

There has been 7 injuries to firefighters and 1 injury to a civilian. There has been one reported fatality of a man that tried to defend his home from the fire.

Communities threatened: San Diego, Poway, Ramona, Escondido, Lakeside, Valley Center, San Marcos, Rancho Santa Fe.

Currently there are 89 engines, 9 fire crews, 10 dozers, 2 water tenders -- about 625 firefighters.

There is also another fire burning in south San Diego, which has been named the Harris Fire. The Harris fire is only 5% contained and has burned over 22,000 acres.

Labels: San Diego

I've been really upset all day because I was absolutely certain that my moms house, horses and dogs all got burned up by the San Diego Witch fire. See the star on the map below? That is where my mom and her husband Gary live. And the red is where the fire has already burned through:


They got evacuated last night, and there hasn't been much info on what has been burned down. BUT, one of her friends snuck through the police barricades and visited her house. It's still there! Apparently one of the few left standing in Rancho Santa Teresa (which is what her neighborhood in Ramona is called). And the dogs and horses are okay for the time being (my moms friend fed them all when she snuck through). So keep those positive vibes coming until this is over. The fires are nowhere near contained and the santa ana winds can switch direction with no notice at all.

The fire is traveling fast and swallowing up homes left and right. My grandparents live in Poway and I thought they evacuated earlier today, but I just found out they they havn't. I'm going to assume they know what they are doing and try not to worry. Over 70 homes have been fully engulfed in Poway and this is not even close to being over.



From what I understand, my brothers house in Rancho Santa Fe is also in danger. They were watching the flames move over the mountain on his web cam, but the power has since gone out. Luckly his house has no exposed wood and the roof is slate (rock), so fingers crossed.

I can't beleive this is happening again.

More info on the fires at SignonSanDiego.com and the fire update blog.

Labels: Family, San Diego

I was blog tagged (again) by my friend Michael. The blog tag topic is: My Rules. I definatetly agree with Michaels rules, but I'm going to roll my rules into one.

My Rules

1. Karma's a bitch. Act accordingly.

:)

I will blog tag BulbBoy. What are your Rules?

My old iMac decided not to turn on the other day, so I went on the Apple website and was surprised at how easy it was to troubleshoot. I followed the instructions and I did not get a 2nd LED light which means I need to replace the logic board. I ran down to the Apple store, dropped off my computer and it was ready to go the next day. And I was charged exactly $0.00.

The simple fact that I was able to follow the instructions on the Apple website and troubleshoot the problem with ease is awesome. Plus, my iMac is 3 years old and I never purchased a warranty, yet I wasn't charged a dime for the repair. How's that for service?

If this happened with an IBM, you would have to take it to some tech geek to take apart your computer, try and figure out what's wrong, wait and worry for 2 - 4 weeks and them pay a couple hundred bucks for the repair.

Apple is so awesome. :)

Labels: Computers, Geeky Stuff, Macintosh

I was just talking to Kim and Lindsay about how glad I am that digital cameras and the internet were not very popular when I was really young and doing crazy things...



Although, these ladies look old enough to know better. Hmmmm.

I wonder what boob painters get paid? That might be a funny job....haha

Labels: Funny, Weird

You know that song "She Works Hard For The Money" by Donna Summer?

"...She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right..."

Well, that's how I feel right now. I actually want to run around in a hoody like Rocky did to "Eye of the Tiger", but I want "She Works Hard for the Money" to be playing in the background...

For the past two weeks I've been working until 4am, sleeping on the floor in the office, waking up at 9am and doing it all over again...Whoops, invoice are done printing...back to work...

"...She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right..."

Labels: Business

What are you going to be for Halloween? I've been buried up to my neck in Halloween costumes for 2 months now and I finally tried one on today. And it's perfect! I'm going to be a victorian vixen vampire:

Labels: Fashion, Fun, Halloween, Holidays

While I'm in San Diego, I've been staying at my brothers house occassionally. Today I was getting ready to go into work and was going through my luggage. The shirt I wanted to wear was a bit damp and I figured that my lotion or something leaked on the flight, so I stuck it up to my face to sniff it out and see what broke. Oh. Cat piss. Nice. My brothers cat decided to piss all over my clothing and in my new suitcase.

I've never really been a cat person (although I like all animals), but this is the clincher. Cat are just gross. Actually, I take that back. Any animal that lives 100% of its life indoors, and shits and pisses in your house, is disgusting. Don't you think it would be gross if I kept a box of my dogs crap and pee in a box in my bathroom? I don't care what kind of fancy litter box and expensive cat litter you use, if you own a cat, you house smells like shit (and piss). You don't notice it because you live in it and you're used to it. Gross. Animals are not meant to live indoors.

Labels: Animals

One of the girls that works for me just made a special request:

"Summer, can you put in the Eazy E CD, I think it will be good for employee moral..."

Labels: Business, Funny, Music

I just flew into San Diego from Puerto Rico and I had a two hour layover in the JFK, New York airport. Since I had some time to kill, I grabbed a bite to eat and a couple of magazines. Entrepreneur Magazine caught my eye with their cover story, "Young Millionaires - Secrets from 25 of America's Best and Brightest", so I picked it up and was reading it while waiting for my flight.

Some guy walks by and says, "I'm in that magazine". I didn't even look up. What a tool.

Any how, back to "Secret's from 25 of America's Best and Brightest". It was interesting to see who Entrepreneur picked, but they certainly were not the "Best and Brightest" entrepreneurs/millionaires that I've ever met. It's funny to me how old school print media tends to overlook "internet millionaires". I know quite a few and they are ten years younger and ten times richer then the "Young Millionaires" picked by Entrepreneur Magazine. And you would never know they were rich, let alone very rich. Anyhow, the article was a good read and here are some inspiring quotes from the millionaires picked by Entrepreneur Magazine:

"Do something creative, but still in line with your product philosophy, to distinguish yourself to buyers." - Kelly Flatley and Brendan Synnott of Bear Naked

"Use your youth to your advantage by introducing something new to the market." - Herman Flores, Myles Kovacs and Haythem Haddad of DUB Publishing

"Raise the standard and you'll find that you'll never go out of style." - Jim Wetzel and Lance Lawson of Jake

"Give your customers a voice, and they just might use it to spread the word about your business." - Jacob Dehart and Jake Nickell of Threadless.com

"Stay focused and don't lose focus of why you're in business." - Tim Vanderhook, Chris Vanderhook and Russell Vanderhook of Specific Media

"Chat up your new business every chance you get, as you never know where leads will come from." - Megan Duckett of Sew What? Inc.

"Knowledgeable team members can help you grow your business to new heights." - Brad Sugars of Action Coach

"No matter how fast your company grows, stay focused on keeping your product quality standards high." - John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka of PopCap Games

"Don't let a good thing pass you by. Seize the right opportunity, and you just might become the market leader." - Nathan Jones of Xlear

"Just because you havn't taken the cookie-cutter path to entrepreneurship doesn't mean you can't make your business a success." - Devon Rifkin of The Great American Hanger Company

"Let your passion be the driving force in your business." - Ryan Black, Ed Nichols and Jeremy Black of Sambazon

"When you fill a hole in the market with a quality product, customers will take notice." - Amy Silovic of Tibi

"Surround yourself with entrepreneurial-minded employees and you'll gain a creative, dedicated work force and a constant infusion of innovative ideas." - Bob Shallenberger and John Cavanagh of Highland Homes

All good advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

I found quite a few good articles in Entrepreneur Magazine and although I'm not looking for new business inspiration (since I love my job/business), it's always good to keep your mind open to new things that could spark new ideas.

Labels: Business, Traveling