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Feb. 1st, 2008
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Goings-on...
Feb. 1st, 2008 10:49 pmAs I have mentioned before, I've had to take on some technical consulting work to pay the bills because the frame shop isn't bringing in enough to support us. Today I put the finishing touches on a neat little Linux kernel patch to address a SCSI issue that's been dogging my client. I've been away from kernel hacking for over a year, and I've never really mucked around in the SCSI subsystem before, but I was able to come up to speed and (after a fashion) figure out just what would solve my client's problem. It's nice to know I've still got the chops for this kind of work, but I hate having to do it. I find myself really wound up after a day at the office... I never had that at the frame shop.
As for the frame shop... I remember an old Flintstones sketch where Fred gambles away all of his money in a slot machine... he has absolutely nothing left, but he just KNOWS that the next play will be a hit if he could only bum a quarter off of someone (and of course it does, not for him but for the little old lady who wanders up after him). That's how I'm feeling about the business. I just *know* that the shop will really take off bigtime in the new location, but keeping the old shop open *and* fitting out the new one is bleeding me dry. I may have to dip into a credit line until things turn around... fortunately, I'll be opening the new location in time to catch the spring and the beginning of foot-traffic season...
My assistant is really wonderful, holding down the fort while I slay kernel dragons. She covers the shop three days a week, and I cover it for two. Even when I have a long, hard day at the shop, it still feels light-years better than a day at the office.
Sometimes planting the seeds of commerce pays off! Months ago I approached the owner of the photo shop on Main Street offering to help him out with oversized printing and the like. He's now starting to use me to print and dry-mount his window display posters, and yesterday he handed me a rush job to print and dry-mount three oversized photographs. I charged him full price for that job, and he still was really pleased. I think there's a bunch more business where that came from.
Still, if anyone out there has been kinda-sorta meaning to get out my way and get something framed, now would be a REALLY good time to do so.....
As for the frame shop... I remember an old Flintstones sketch where Fred gambles away all of his money in a slot machine... he has absolutely nothing left, but he just KNOWS that the next play will be a hit if he could only bum a quarter off of someone (and of course it does, not for him but for the little old lady who wanders up after him). That's how I'm feeling about the business. I just *know* that the shop will really take off bigtime in the new location, but keeping the old shop open *and* fitting out the new one is bleeding me dry. I may have to dip into a credit line until things turn around... fortunately, I'll be opening the new location in time to catch the spring and the beginning of foot-traffic season...
My assistant is really wonderful, holding down the fort while I slay kernel dragons. She covers the shop three days a week, and I cover it for two. Even when I have a long, hard day at the shop, it still feels light-years better than a day at the office.
Sometimes planting the seeds of commerce pays off! Months ago I approached the owner of the photo shop on Main Street offering to help him out with oversized printing and the like. He's now starting to use me to print and dry-mount his window display posters, and yesterday he handed me a rush job to print and dry-mount three oversized photographs. I charged him full price for that job, and he still was really pleased. I think there's a bunch more business where that came from.
Still, if anyone out there has been kinda-sorta meaning to get out my way and get something framed, now would be a REALLY good time to do so.....