The Birth of Nemo

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2011-11-13T08:33:00.003-07:00

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2011-11-13T08:26:00.003-07:00

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Why I talk about the things I do...

2010-10-08T11:23:00.005-06:00

We began this blog in 2006 to document the process of designing and building Nemo's, hence the name, The Birth of Nemo.

We then continued to document our growth and the things we have learned along the way after construction was complete. I try to support the military in our blog, as I believe they deserve it (political thoughts about our wars are completely irrelevant to supporting our troops). I also randomly post items about parenting and various other thoughts... It is kind of a hodge podge of my mind at times.

I occasionally post a blog entry about difficult topics, like my recent post regarding racism. I almost did not post it, and I've thought about deleting the post a couple of times since. However, I am going to leave it up, because it was a difficult experience that we had, and I learned a great deal as a business owner dealing with the public. Part of my goal here is to display what occurs at Nemo's, good or bad, and help other business owners to learn from our experiences.

There is no place in our world for racism, and yet it exists everywhere. There is discrimination that occurs against minorities, and there is reverse-discrimination that occurs by minorities.

None of it is any good. I look forward to positive experiences at Nemo's everyday, but it seems like the most difficult things end up in the blog. I really don't want it to have a negative feel to it, so I will try to highlight more of the positive things, not just the hard things with a huge learning curve.

With that in mind, I want to post a few photos taken recently of happy customers. Providing quality products and service to the community is our whole reason for existing. Let me share some of that with you today!

..just realized I don't have the camera with me!! Drat...
Stay tuned, and I'll post the photos later!!

Take care,
JD

Racism??? Really???

2010-09-16T14:28:00.002-06:00

I've been stewing over this post for weeks now. I wasn't sure if I wanted to post about this experience, or just let it fade into history. My reason for this blog (sporadic as it might be) is to help other small business owners learn from my experiences. So with that in mind, here goes:

When you serve the public, you have to be prepared to deal with all kinds of situations. You have an expectation that people come into your establishment because they want to purchase your product. The customer and the business owner should approach the transaction with a reasonable expectation of mutual benefit. The customer gets a quality product at a fair price; the business owner succeeds in selling his product, providing a service to the public, and hopefully makes a profit. If any of these factors don't happen, then the business eventually goes away. That is our free market at work, and it works quite well I might add.

That description should work for the majority of your interactions with people in your store. However, there are going to be a few people who come in, looking for free stuff, looking for some drama, or maybe not even knowing what they are doing (drugs, drunk, mental illness, etc)... As a business owner, we have to evaluate each situation and decide how to handle it. If someone is disruptive, bothering other customers, or creating any kind of a problem, we will ask them to leave. If someone is just looking for a bathroom, a glass of water, or a place to sit and relax for a few minutes, then we will do our best to accommodate them and show kindness.

We recently had a gentleman come into our store and set up for a meeting at one of our tables. Tracy makes it a point to verbally greet every person who comes through the door, regardless of what is going on. It is her commitment to customer service to have an interaction with everyone. She greeted this man and asked if he would like anything. He replied that he was not going to buy anything, but was just there for a meeting (he was there for the free Wi-Fi). We prefer that patrons who utilize our resources support our business, but we do not require it. The only time we will address the issue is if non-customers are using tables at peak business hours (like lunch) and we need the table space for paying customers. This scenario has occurred a few times, but is quite rare.

A few minutes passed, and the gentleman asked Tracy to help him connect his laptop to the free Wi-Fi, as he was having trouble with it. Tracy went to his table to assist and noticed he had brought outside beverages into our store. We have a "No Outside Food or Drink" sign at both entries, and this is one policy we do not bend on. Tracy mentioned that he was welcome to stay for his meeting, but he would have to remove his outside products from the store. This gentleman took great offense and became very vocal. He said some very rude things, mocked Tracy, mocked our store, etc. He decided to pack up his laptop and leave instead of simply complying with our posted policy.

We don't like to have anyone leave our store unhappy, for any reason. This patron chose not to be a customer, chose to use our resources for his meeting, and chose to bring his own beverage into our store in violation of our posted policy. One can say he was wrong to act the way he did, but regardless, he is a person who left our store angry, and that is never good. When he speaks about us to his friends/coworkers/Facebook/Twitter, etc he is not going to go to any great lengths to describe his own behavior. He probably won't even mention it. He is only going to tell people not to go to Nemo's because "we are jerks." That's not good, but it is going to happen once in a great while. Ces't la vie...

Approximately 30 minutes later, a woman came into Nemo's and confronted Tracy about this gentleman's experience. Tracy explained what had happened. The lady asked Tracy if she had a problem with "people of color" (she and the gentleman were both African American). Tracy replied that she does not have a problem with people of color. The lady asked Tracy for a business card, and Tracy refused to give her one. This upset the lady and she ended up leaving, proclaiming to be on the board of the local NAACP, and something about launching a FULL INVESTIGATION!

I was at work at my Project Engineer jobsite and missed everything that had happened. I checked our Nemo's Facebook page mid-morning and saw where this lady (who was one of our Nemo's FB friends) had posted about her 'horrible experience at Nemo's, and how the owner had made racist remarks.' I immediately sent her a private message and indicated that I'd like to find out what had happened, and that I would like to speak with her. I then called Nemo's and spoke with Tracy, and she described the above events to me.

Not long later, this lady called me on my cell and I spoke with her about the incident. To her credit, she was honest with me about her friend bringing in outside product, and about him not responding well to Tracy's request that he remove the outside product. However, the only thing she was concerned about was Tracy's "racist" remark. I told her my understanding is that she merely answered her question, and that Tracy had not made any racist remarks to either her or her friend. At the end of the conversation, she agreed that there were no racist remarks made, but she unfortunately felt she could no longer support Nemo's as a customer. I said that is unfortunate, considering the circumstances, but that was certainly her prerogative.

OK, at this point, I thought it was over. I checked Facebook again a little while later, only to find that she was still posting remarks about blatant racism at Nemo's, not only on her FB page, but also on numerous friends' pages, and a Colorado Springs Small Business page. WHAT?????!!!! I couldn't believe it!!! I called her again and she answered. I told her I thought we had come to an agreeable conclusion that there were no racism issues, and she again agreed. I asked her if she would please remove her Facebook posts. She said she was not willing to do so. She said it had taken on a life of its own on Facebook, and she was not going to try to stop it.

OK, so now you know what we are dealing with here: Community Organizers.
To make a very long, very horribly long, story short, I spent hours and hours replying to FB posts, chasing down Twitter broadcasts, contacting individuals, trying in good character to defend against these false claims. I decided very early on to try to do so without ever saying anything negative about the gentleman or the woman. She demanded apology after apology from me, publicly on Facebook. I agreed that her and her friend left our store unhappy, and I apologized for that, as we do not like anyone to leave unhappy, for any reason. Well, things seemed like they were settling down, smoothed over, and fading into internet oblivion.

The next day, I found additional posts making negative statements about Nemo's. I finally had enough. I had humbled myself and apologized publicly to unknown hundreds, if not thousands of people on Facebook and Twitter, for a problem we did not cause. I’m OK with that. Sometimes you have to step up to the plate and be bigger than the situation. Sometimes it is more important to swallow your pride instead of proving you are right. At this point, though, I was tired of people lying about what they did, lying about what we did, and putting it all on public display to try and damage us. I responded to the new posts and said as much. I offered to post the security system video and audio, and the hundreds of people who had been drug into this discussion could decide for themselves what really happened that day. The surveillance video would show who was a racist and who was not.
Well, this lady wanted no part of that. She had fully invested herself into her story, her accusations, and she had hundreds of people watching and listening via FB and Twitter, including the local business community. When she saw my offer to post the audio and video, she immediately un-friended us, deleted everything I had access to. Her and her friends who were most active in the discussions all blocked me from their pages, so that I could no longer see what they were posting. She also did not want her friends to be able to see anything I might post, like the TRUTH! I called her later that morning and spoke with her. She said she was SOOOO done with this situation – stick a fork in her. She suggested that I would probably alter/edit the video and audio to try and make her look bad. Whatever…
That is how this ended, for me at least. She may have continued her anti-Nemo’s campaign, but I no longer have access to anything she posts since she blocked me.
And now, we get to the best part of the post: What have I learned?
1. There are WONDERFUL people, everywhere… Through this event, some of her friends were willing to take her accusations and run with them, spread them, re-tell them as if they had been a part of it. However, other friends of hers TRULY wanted to know the truth. They sent me private messages to ask questions, offer advice, give insight. A number of people in this discussion went out of their way to visit Nemo’s and get an idea for themselves how we treat people. They observed how they were treated, the sat in the café and watched other people come and go, took notice of their interactions. They then went back to Facebook and reported their findings, their observations, their thoughts - - - all of which were POSITIVE! When you find yourself in a difficult or bad situation, look around. There will be good people involved, or at least watching from a distance. ENGAGE those good people; you will come away from the experience having won a friend or two. God creates good in all things. Sometimes you have to look around for it, but it will be there ~ if you have invited God to be a part of it.
2. Some people are not interested in the truth. I tried for an entire week to present our character, and allow people to decide what they will about us based on our interactions. A small percentage responded positively, most just sat back and enjoyed the show, and a small percentage took up the campaign to try to damage us. No matter what you do in life, you are going to find a small percentage of people of good character, loving, truthful, honest people. You are going to find a whole bunch of SHEEPLE. The masses who won’t develop their own thoughts, those who just go along for a ride, enjoying the drama. You will also find a small percentage of people who are willing to inflict damage, just to support their friends, to support an agenda they agree with, or just for their own enjoyment. I have seen this throughout my days in the Navy, my years in the semi-conductor industry, my years in construction management, and now in our several years of operating a small business.
3. You can never defend yourself from an accusation of being racist. If you try hard to defend yourself, people will assume you are guilty because you are trying so hard to prove otherwise. If you ignore the accusations, people will assume you are guilty because you don’t care. If you apologize, even if you are not at fault, they will run your apology up a flagpole for all to see, and proclaim with great veracity that you truly are a racist, since you apologized for it (or something else, just trying to be nice). No matter which road you take, you will not have a positive outcome. People who make false racism claims are looking for drama and hate and tumult. The truth is not what they are after; there is no confusion, no miscommunication. As soon as you actually offer some proof of your innocence ~ POOF, they vaporize and disappear.
4. If you ever find yourself in a situation like this, just say “I’m sorry you feel that way. I wish you well.” Walk away. If you have a quality operation and you care about your customers, then your reputation will not be damaged. Your customers will love you back. There might be some negative chatter for a few days, but it will dissipate. They need someone to take the bait in order to get their drama mo-jo going. Don’t be the person who takes the bait, as I was.
5. If you are accused of being a racist, and it is because you are a racist - STOP!!! There is enough hate in the world without people adding to it with racism.
6. At the end of everything, go back and read #1. Remember there are good people everywhere, in every situation, and that God has your back. You can’t go wrong with that…

Anger Management Wins in the End

2010-06-25T15:52:00.002-06:00

As a small business owner, you will quickly realize that time management is incredibly important. Anything that saves a little time is probably worth it, depending, of course, on the cost. Will I pay my accountant to do my payroll for me? No, because we have four employees and I can do it myself for free in about 30 minutes… If we had 60 employees, paying someone to do it would be wise, if the alternative is not seeing your kids for a couple of evenings every time payroll is due (every two weeks for us).

I’m currently involved in a battle with a vendor, and I’ll tell you right up front that it is NOT cost effective. The dispute is over $66. That’s it… Less than our dumpster bill for a month, less than a trip to the movies for my family. I will admit that the most efficient thing to do would be to pay the 66 dollars and have this go away in the minute or two it takes to complete an on-line bill payment. The accounting department of this vendor made me angry, though, so I’m going the distance. From a time management perspective, or better yet, a “value of my time” perspective, this is silly and inefficient. From a self-satisfaction perspective, I’ll go to my grave before I cough up $66 to this vendor.

We utilized this vendor for over two years, and I’m not sure why exactly. The cost for their product was nearly double what it would take to go purchase the exact same product from one of their retail locations. Getting bi-weekly deliveries is how we set it up from the start, and we continued with that for a very long time, even though it was not cost effective, in retrospect. It saved us about an hour per week of our time, but it cost us an extra $240 per month. That means we were effectively paying $55 per hour for delivery. Over two years, it cost us an extra $5700!! If (or should I say when) we have a commercial freezer or refrigerator fail and have to replace it, that $5700 will come to mind, I am sure… If you look at any given aspect of your small business, $55 does not seem important. $5700 will grab your attention pretty quickly, though. Take a look at what you are doing and see if you can make sensible improvements, without a huge investment of your time. The weekly payoff may not seem like much, but over a number of months, the value quickly becomes more apparent, and not so trivial.

OK, back to the issue at hand…
After we got smart and stopped using their services, they sent us a generic late notice for $66. I called them to determine what was late, and requested a specific invoice number. She gave me an invoice number, which I was able to provide proof of payment for. She then gave me a different invoice number, which I also had proof of payment for. Several more episodes like that, and she started to get frustrated. After nearly two hours on the phone, she stated she didn’t have time for this. I indicated that I also did not have time for this, and that I also had proof of payment for every scenario she threw at me. She said her records were not accurate enough to provide a specific invoice number, but she was quite sure we owed them $66. I told her that my records were extremely accurate, and that I was quite sure that I did not owe them any money. At this point, she asked me to just pay the late notice. I explained that if they provide me an invoice that I could not provide proof of payment for, then I would gladly pay the late notice. I asked her to research it on their end, get their documentation in order, and then notify me of the actual problem.

Several weeks went by, and I did not hear from them. I assumed they straightened out their records and determined that I did not owe them any money. Well, you know what they say about assuming… The next correspondence I received was a notice from a collection agency for $66. Arrrgggghhh! That really made me angry. I spent several hours altogether working with her, providing proof of payment for every random scenario she threw at me. Instead of getting her records in order, she just sent it to collections instead!! How unprofessional is that? I notified the collection agent of all that had transpired. As you can guess, they really don’t care. They just want you to pay up… We have had harassing phone calls from the collection agent for about six weeks now, and they are getting meaner and more disrespectful every time.

Today, I finally had enough. I once again called this vendor and asked to speak with an owner or general manager, and specifically stated I did not want to talk to customer service again, nor their accounting department (I’ve wasted a number of hours now dealing with them over several months). They played the phone system multiple-transfer-tactic, ending with a mis-happen disconnect after being on hold for five or ten minutes each time. I went through that three or four times. ULTIMATE FRUSTRATION!! I called back one last time and told the person who answered to get me a manager or my next call would be to the Better Business Bureau. That finally worked and they put an actual person on the phone, without hanging up on me again, or leaving me on indefinite HOLD.
As angry as I was by this point, I absolutely know that anger NEVER wins. You can be completely right and correct, but if you have an angry approach, you will not get anywhere. On the flipside, I also know you can be completely wrong, and people will work with you and compromise if you have a pleasant approach. This manager I spoke with promised to look into the issue, and said he would get back with my by the end of the day.
It is now 3:30pm, and I have not heard anything. I called this vendor again and immediately started receiving the run-around, multiple phone transfers, disconnects, long periods of being on hold, only to be told there were no managers in the office any longer. I recognized the voice as someone I had spoken to multiple times earlier today, told them who I was, and that I want to speak with the same manager again pronto. After being told there were no managers still in the office, this person said they would go and get him… 30 seconds later and I’m on the phone with the same person from earlier today!! Apparently, their standard operating procedure for customer service is the run-around, followed by an offer to connect you to someone’s voicemail. How do they even stay in business???
After a short conversation, with a positive and good attitude, even though that is not how I was feeling, this manager indicated he had pulled our file. The billing associate in charge of our file is on vacation, so he said that he would cancel the collections and close this issue without any further efforts being made on their part or on my part. He said there was a record in my file of our previous emails, proof of payments, and other conversations. He could not believe how much time had been wasted over a $62 discrepancy!! Even though I did not get the chance to prove I don’t owe them any money, he decided it was not worth any more time investment on anyone’s part…

So, I guess it is time for me to summarize this experience and provide some lessons learned.

1. Evaluate your business practices. If you can find areas of improvement without a significant increase in effort on your part, take them. Even if the weekly figures seem insignificant, realize it can have a huge cost savings over a year or two.

2. Keep your records clean and organized. I keep everything together for any given calendar month. I pay for just about everything via on-line bill pay. I can pull up scans of cleared checks, and I can pull up transaction confirmation numbers for any electronic transaction in seconds. Also, I have a “PAID” rubber stamp, and all invoices get marked with the date and amount paid at the time payment is made. There is never a question whether or not an invoice got paid. If it is stamped, then I know it is taken care of.

3. If you have a discrepancy with a vendor, your records will speak for themselves. If you can provide answers to their questions/accusations quickly and easily, that speaks volumes.

4. If you get angry, don’t show it. You can certainly be firm in your communications, but do not lose your temper. Regardless of whether you are right or wrong, if you lose your temper and speak to them in an unprofessional manner, you will lose. Finished… If you maintain your composure, then you have a better chance of getting somewhere, even though it might take awhile and cause you EXTREME FRUSTRATION.

Irresponsible, or allowing greatness?

2010-06-11T12:09:00.010-06:00

Any over achiever is usually a little different, and refuses to be boxed into the standard 'boundaries' that everyone else assumes are the limits on life. Legendary inventors, scientists, authors, musicians, artists... They all started on the same path as the rest of us, but they chose to go off that path and onto one of the extraordinary, limitless paths that life offers.
I have read quite a few comments about the 16 year old girl whose yacht has capsized in the Southern Indian Ocean. Many of the comments are hateful, and talk of how irresponsible her parents are to allow her to attempt such a thing. We know nothing of her and her family. If she has chosen an extraordinary path for herself, it is her parents' responsibility to evaluate her talents and her skills and her passion, and to then encourage and help her achieve her goals, if they believe she is capable and they are able.
What if Thomas Edison or Albert Einstein gave into the peer pressure to be ordinary? Take anyone who has achieved great things... Do you think they were ever ridiculed? Do you think anyone told them they were not special? I'm sure it happened, more than once.

So, Abby, I pray for your safe return, and I hope this failure does not diminish your desire to do something amazing in your future, to stay on the path that leads to extraordinary adventures and accomplishments. To the naysayers and haters... Go back to watching tv and stay out of it.

And while I'm at it, let's honor our military. Millions of Americans are out there serving and fighting to allow us to go to sleep at night with Freedom and Safety.

01
A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter takes off after dropping supplies to soldiers at Forward Operating Base Baylough in the Zabul province, Afghanistan, June 7, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, and the helicopter crew is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Tremblay

02
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (June 10, 2009) Two multi-mission MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters fly in tandem during section landings at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla. The new Sea Hawk variant has many improvements, such as the glass cockpit, improved mission systems, new sensors and advanced avionics. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Shannon Renfroe/Released)

03
OAK HARBOR, Wash. (June 9, 2010) Chief Naval Aircrewman Stan Culbertson, from Camano Island, Wash., a flight engineer assigned to the Screaming Eagles of Patrol Squadron (VP) 1, is greeted by his daughters during a homecoming at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. The Screaming Eagles returned from a six-month deployment supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tucker M. Yates/Released)

04
ATLANTIC OCEAN (June 6, 2010) The guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72) fires its MK-45 5-inch/54-caliber lightweight gun during a live-fire weapons exercise. Mahan is at sea participating in the Southeast Anti-Submarine Warfare Integration Training Initiative (SEASWITI) exercise 10-3. The multinational exercise is designed to improve their anti-submarine warfare readiness and proficiency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Gay/Released)

05
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (May 27, 2010) Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, company 2-6, teach the Regional Security Services divers various underwater skills. MDSU is currently participating in Navy Diver-Southern Partnership Station, a multinational partnership engagement designed to increase interoperability and partner nation capacity through diving operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist David Collins/Released)

06
OCEAN CITY, Md. (June 3, 2010) Members of the U.S. Navy parachute demonstration team, the Leap Frogs, perform a bi-plane formation with an American flag during the Ocean City Air Show pre-show performers' event. The Leap Frogs are based in San Diego and perform parachute demonstrations across the United States supporting Naval Special Warfare and the Navy Recruiting Command. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Special Warfare Boat Operator J.C. Ledbetter/Released)

07
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (May. 26, 2010) - F-22 Raptors from Elmendorf Air Force Base fly over Alaska.

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F22 Raptor Alaska

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OAK HARBOR, Wash. (June 6, 2010) Cmdr. Chris Bergen, from Jefferson Township, N.J. executive officer of the Wizards of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133, is greeted by his daughter at the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island flight line during a homecoming celebration. The VAQ-133 returned after a six-month deployment supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tucker M. Yates/Released)

10
U.S. Air Force pararescuemen transport a simulated casualty to a Marine Corps MH-53 Super Stallion helicopter while conducting a combat search and rescue exercise outside of Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, June 1, 2010.

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Paratroopers exit a perfectly good plane, that is not even on fire or anything!

A quick Kuddos to our military...

2010-06-03T16:37:00.004-06:00

Just a few pics to honor our troops!!

WASHINGTON (May 31, 2010) A sailor assigned to the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard holds the national ensign beside the Lone Sailor statue during a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jesse B. Awalt/Released)

An F/A-18E Super Hornet flies over the Kajaki Dam reservoir in Afghanistan, May 20, 2010. The aircraft is part of Strike Fighter Squadron 83. The squadron is assigned to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is at sea in the Persian Gulf and Middle East regions. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Ben Stickney)

QUYNH PHUONG, Vietnam (May 30, 2010) Navy Diver 2nd Class Brody Dorton, center, waits as his SCUBA tanks' manifold is checked by Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 members before a recovery search dive during a Joint POW/MIA Personnel Accounting Command (JPAC) recovery mission in Quynh Phuong, Vietnam. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson Bomjardim/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 29, 2010) Fire Controlmen lift a missile to be loaded into the RIM-116A Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) system aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5). Peleliu is on a scheduled deployment to the western Pacific supporting maritime strategy. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Edwardo Proano/Released)

05
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (May 28, 2010) Sailors assigned to the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 walk through the final leg of the tour of a B-2 Spirit at Andersen Air Force Base. The B-2 Spirit is one of six B-2s forward-deployed to Andersen Air Force Base as the 393rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. (U.S. Navy photo by Oyaol Ngirairikl/Released)

SAN DIEGO (May 28, 2010) Members of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) stand at attention during the SPAWAR Networks, Information Assurance and Enterprise Services Program Office (PMW 160), Tactical Networks, assumption of command ceremony at the Admiral Kidd Club in San Diego. (U.S. Navy photo by Nicole Collins/Released)

GROTON, Conn. (June 1, 2010) The Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Mexico (SSN 779) transits the Thames River to her new homeport at Naval Submarine Base New London. New Mexico joins Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 4. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Patrick Evans/Released)

We LOVE Happy Customers!

2010-05-28T16:06:00.001-06:00

We closed early today due to the holiday weekend. A customer came to the door 45 minutes after close and walked away looking discouraged. I chased her out into the parking lot and invited her in. She was hoping to get one of our world famous chicken salad sandwiches. SO, WE MADE IT FOR HER!!! :)

Nothing is better than a happy customer....

I’m not a coffee snob!

2010-05-25T15:51:00.000-06:00

Owning a coffee shop that serves really great coffee and high quality products does not automatically make you a coffee snob. I spent twelve years in the US Navy, drinking some of the worst coffee on the planet! It came in big 5 gallon metal tins, painted an army green color. They looked like they were surplus coffee stores from WW1… When a new five gallon tin was opened, the first pot or two of java was almost as good as a cup of Folgers Crystals - - - nearly, but not quite. After that, it was all downhill. The canisters did not re-seal, so the remaining bazillion pounds of coffee would be exposed to the atmosphere until it was gone. It was dry to start with, and would become so dry that it should have been a fire hazard. It was like making coffee with old, shredded tree bark. And let me tell you, the “atmosphere” on a submarine was not the kind of air you want your lungs basking in, let alone your coffee… We used a chemical called mono-ethanol-amine in the CO2 scrubbers. It was essential to convert CO2 into Oxygen (which really helps with that whole staying-alive-thing), but it would permeate the atmosphere. Your body acclimates to the smells of a submarine, to where you don’t even notice them anymore. However, you could taste the MEA in the coffee, because the open canister would soak it all up, along with the diesel fuel smells, probably lots of sweat and body odor, and lots of other not-so-inviting smells on a submarine. So, short story long, I know how to drink crummy coffee…
Fast forward to modern times, and I’ve had lots of bad coffee. I can drink McDonald’s Iced Coffee with vanilla (however, their espresso drinks are horrible and rely solely on sugar and whipped cream to have any appeal to the masses), office coffee, restaurant coffee, etc… There is lots of bad coffee out there, just waiting for us. Tracy and I were daring enough to try the new iced coffee at 7-11 the other day. We were there with our three boys, along with a few other neighborhood kids, to get Slurpees after a hike in Palmer Park. We filled a cup with ice, and then filled it with their ‘iced coffee’ concoction. It was a little thick and syrupy, but we were willing to try it with open minds. Well, one little tiny sip later, we closed our minds quickly, and very tightly… Our minds and our mouths slammed shut and had to be pried open again with a weed whacker… That stuff was horrid!!! It was like putting a cup of flavored Coffee Mate liquid stuff over ice. COMPLETELY NASTY. So, I’m not a coffee snob, but I do have standards – very low, but still, there has to be a stopping point. We didn’t have access to an ingredient list, but I’ll bet it was mostly high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors.
If you find yourself at 7-11 and the new iced coffee catches your attention, you will be better off going up front and asking someone to slam your fingers in the door… You will enjoy that more than the iced coffee…

Thanks to all of our customers, new and old!

2010-05-17T09:22:00.002-06:00

The last couple of years have been very dynamic, and I expect the foreseeable future to be the same. We build a strong customer base, and then massive layoffs occur in the surrounding business community. We work hard to rebuild our customer base, and along comes another round of layoffs. We have also had two Dutch Brothers Coffee drive through locations open within a mile of us. Through all of the challenges that keep popping up, we are still hanging in there. Not only that, but Friday was a near record day for us. With sales being down a little from our 2009 numbers, this was a very pleasant surprise!

So at this point, I’d just like to give a simple “Thank You” to everyone who has been to Nemo’s Coffee. If you have noticed us but haven’t been in yet, we are looking forward to meeting you and making something really great for you to enjoy!

Click to see a larger version:

Support Our Troops!!

2010-05-07T11:00:00.008-06:00

The Ohio-classguided-missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN 728) arrives for a routine port visit to the island of Crete. Florida is homeport in Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay.

ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 3, 2010) An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 flies alongside the Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Mexico (SSN 779) with the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the distance. HSC-9 is assigned to the George H.W. Bush Strike Group and is underway in the Atlantic Ocean in support of fleet training operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas Hall/Released)

Redwings – posted by army member on facebook

PACIFIC OCEAN (April 12, 2010) Quartermaster 1st Class Michael Sloan raises the Battle ensign aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) as the ship enters the San Diego harbor after returning from a three-month deployment. Bunker Hill conducted humanitarian and disaster relief operations in Haiti during Operation Unified Response and held partnership exercises with Latin American countries as part of Southern Seas 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released)

SAN DIEGO (April 12, 2010) Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) disembark at Naval Air Station North Island. Carl Vinson conducted humanitarian and disaster relief operations in Haiti during Operation Unified Response and held partnership exercises with seven Latin American countries as part of Southern Seas 2010. The ship is completing a homeport change from Norfolk, Va. to San Diego, Calif. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Stephen D. Doyle II/Released)

SAN DIEGO (April 12, 2010) The guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) returns to homeport in San Diego after a three-month deployment. Bunker Hill conducted humanitarian and disaster relief operations in Haiti during Operation Unified Response and held partnership exercises with Latin American countries as part of Southern Seas 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released)

U.S. Army Pfc. Timothy D. Prescott returns fire during an attack on Combat Outpost Bari Alai in Kunar province, Afghanistan, April 10, 2010. Prescott, a squad automatic weapon gunner, is assigned to Charlie Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment. International and Afghan forces fought off anti-Afghan attacks throughout the afternoon near Nishigam village. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte

SEARCH EXERCISE
U.S. Navy sailors, assigned to the USS Crommelin, board the Battleship Missouri Memorial during a maritime security training exercise in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, April 14, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Mark Logico

ARABIAN GULF (April 15, 2010) An MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Desert Hawks of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, prepares to land on the guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) while operating in the northern Arabian Gulf. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Corey Barker/Released)

NORFOLK (April 16, 2010) The decommissioned Iowa-class battleship USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is berthed at NAUTICUS in downtown Norfolk during a ceremony officially transferring Wisconsin from the U.S. Navy to the city of Norfolk. The transfer ends the requirement for the ship to be preserved for possible recall to active duty. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Scott Pittman/Released)

An armoured vehicle from the Centurion Company, 2-1 Infantry Battalion, 5/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team is framed by a bolt of lightning during a storm at Combat Outpost Terminator in Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, April 19, 2010. (Reuters)

Alaska

A U.S. Air Force airman jumps from the back of a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter during a training mission in the Gulf of Tadjoura off the coast of Djibouti, May 1, 2010. The airman, who works as a pararescueman, is assigned to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc Rockwell-Pate)

Nature and technology coexist at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the arrival of space shuttle Atlantis at the pad. On the STS-132 mission, the six-member crew will deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier, or ICC, and the Russian-built Mini-Research Module-1, or MRM-1, to the International Space Station. (NASA photo by Jim Grossmann)

A two-ship of B-1B Lancers assigned to the 28th Bomb Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, release chaff and flares while maneuvering over New Mexico during a training mission Feb. 24, 2010. Dyess celebrates the 25th anniversary of the first B-1B bomber arriving at the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald)

ARABIAN SEA (May 4, 2010) A Sailor gives directions to raise the tailhook of an EA-6B Prowler assigned to the Patriots of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Dwight D. Eisenhower is deployed as a part of the on-going rotation of forward-deployed forces to support maritime security operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chad R. Erdmann/Released)

AFGHANISTAN (March 9, 2010) An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Pukin Dogs of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 143 embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) refuels from an Air Force KC-10 tanker aircraft over the Kjaki Dam in Afghanistan. The strike fighter squadron is part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group deploymed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Ben Stickney/Released)

Free Advertising

2010-04-21T11:18:00.005-06:00

So tell me, what is the best type of advertising? There are many angles you could take to answer this question, but the best answer is the type that works! If it gets people in the door, then it is great advertising. However, we have found that advertising is incredibly expensive!! Print advertising is very pricey, and our culture is moving away from print media at an amazing speed, as if it has Ebola or something... We are reluctant to spend $1500-$2000 for print advertising, per publication. Today, I’m going to talk a little about FREE advertising... If you can get people in the door for FREE, I would say that is the ULTIMATE kind of exposure.

With that in mind, I have begun a Facebook campaign in the last couple of weeks. We currently have just over 300 ‘friends’, and that number is growing. I have been specifically sending friendship requests to people in our immediate area. They are our biggest potential for daily, repeat business, so that seems like a great place to start. Do we want to be friends with someone in Seattle? Sure, why not, but we are not going to see them walk through the front door, are we?

It is too early to tell if there has been any impact, but I’m going to keep at it and see what happens. It requires a little effort, but the price is exactly right! In this economy, we need to work every angle that we can to survive these lean times. Every single customer is highly important, and every new face that walks in the door is our key to surviving!

What I want to avoid is over-exposure. I don’t want people to ‘hide’ us, or ‘un-friend’ us because of a steady stream of insincere plugs for our business. I am trying to add a little bit of a personal touch to the posts, highlight the fact that we serve food, not just coffee, and especially to highlight the fact that our food is home-made! I am also adding freebies in the posts, just to keep everyone’s attention and to create some buzz. I want people to look forward to reading a Nemo’s post, not to scan past it without reading it!

Here is a sampling of some of my Facebook posts over the last couple of weeks...

We just made a fresh batch of chicken salad for lunch… We pressure cook and shred the chicken ourselves, so it is moist and tender. …not that stringy, fake-chicken stuff out of a can. Add some purple onion and craisins (both are optional), Provolone cheese, green leaf lettuce, and a little spice, and you have the makings of an amazing sandwich. Get yours on a croissant, or on organic sunflower wheat bread!

I smell fresh scones and muffins coming out of the oven. Yes, made here at Nemo's, from scratch!! Come to think of it, I also smell some amazing espresso headed for a large latte...

Nemo's is ready to make your lunch! Made to order sandwiches including Chicken Salad, Turkey/Bacon/Swiss/Avocado, Ham and cheese with home-made honey mustard spread, AWESOME burritos, HUGE salads with chicken, feta cheese, craisins, purple onion, sliced almonds and home-made cornbread scones...

Come to Nemo's... We can help!

As always, everything is home-made and made to order!! We put extra smiles in our food, just in case you need some for the afternoon.

James Baldrick is Nemo's 300th friend! I think that is worth a free coffee! Print this page out and bring it in for a free cup of java!! ...but only if you are James! LOL

Good morning everybody!! Don't forget, we are giving away lunch for two and a pound of coffee this week. Stop in at Nemo's to register for the drawings!! What is better than winning lunch for you and a friend???

If you are feeling sluggish on Monday morning, stop in at Nemo's for some much needed caffeine! Try a Southwest Meatless Breakfast Burrito while you are at it!!
Congrats to Jason Opp, this week's prize winner at Nemo's Coffee!

Jason has won lunch for two, and as you know, the sandwiches, soup, salads, and burritos are all delicious (and home-made)!! Fridays are always great, but getting free food makes today even better!!
Thanks to everyone else who participated in last week’s drawing, and keep trying in our upcoming drawings!

We are having our first weekly drawings today for a FREE POUND OF COFFEE, and FREE LUNCH FOR TWO!! If you would like to be in next week’s drawing, stop in for details!
I smell coffee brewing... :)

Breakfast burritos.... Yummy! Go regular or go Southwest Meatless Burrito, but definitely go burrito this morning! All home made at Nemo's... Have an awesome day!

Purchase a large smoothie or Iceberg (Frapuccino for those who only speak *$) after 2pm and enter to win a FREE POUND OF COFFEE! Drawings will be weekly. Stop in and get in on the action! Everybody loves FREE STUFF!

Nemo's now offers a yogurt parfait with homemade honey oat granola, as well as blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries!! Perfect for those days when you don't want a burrito or pastry for breakfast!

We are playing the movie "Up" today at Nemo's... If you are just waking up and need some coffee and a breakfast burrito, come and see us!!

Tracy made a new vegetarian breakfast burrito today at Nemo's. Rice, eggs, black beans, corn, tomato, green chilies, onion, cheddar cheese, and a special mix of spices! Come in Monday and try a Southwest Meatless Burrito at Nemo's! ...and, as always, everything is homemade!

Tracy makes her chicken salad by pressure cooking and shredding the chicken herself, then adding all the good stuff to make it awesome!! She puts extra smiles in it, just in case you need a few...

One exception...

2010-03-09T21:18:00.002-07:00

I just realized there is one very misfortunate situation on Planet Earth. No matter how bad your life might seem, just take a moment to remember that there is a Mr. Pelosi out there somewhere. Now just how horrible would that be??? So, I guess it is safe to say that life is not always fair after all. You could wake up not breathing, or you could wake up and find yourself married to Nancy Pelosi... Hmmmm, going to have to rethink my whole "get-over-the-whole-life-isn't-fair" philosophy...

Is Life Fair?

2010-03-09T14:37:00.003-07:00

I recently saw a post on Facebook where someone was wondering “if the end of the road is any better than the beginning.” I have no idea if they were being serious or not, but it made me think about life.

Since the very beginning of time, the World has presented the same incredible opportunities, as well as the same crummy pitfalls. As culture and technology have changed throughout the centuries, the opportunities and pitfalls have taken on a different appearance, but they are the same in nature all the way back to the beginning of time. With regard to the beginning, middle, and end of the road, they can be comparatively worse, better, unrelated… The really cool thing is that each of us as individuals get to choose. Our choices, thoughts, spoken words, actions, efforts, lack of effort, and everything else we do (or don’t do) has an effect on where our life path goes. Some people seem to make the same choices, but have different outcomes. Some are good, some not so good…

Is it fair? What does that mean, really? If your attitude depends on whether or not you have been treated fairly, you had better be ready for some serious upheavals in your life. My kids have a certain fascination with fairness. Who gets to sit by the window, who gets to choose what to watch on tv, who gets new shoes, who stays home from school if they are sick, who got to stay up until 9:00pm and who didn’t… Sometimes it is enough to drive us crazy. Life has circumstances. Sometimes they are convenient; sometimes they are just plain irritating. Fair? Unfair? Does it really matter?

If I hear someone complaining about life being unfair, I like to ask them if they were breathing when they woke up. The answer is always ‘yes’ (since I don’t spend much time talking to dead people). I respond with, “Then life was fair to you today.” Once you get out of bed and get moving, life is just life. It is not fair or unfair. It just is…

So my recommendation is to un-hinge your attitudes and your idea of happiness from life’s circumstances. Get up everyday, check for that first breath of fresh air, smile, and then get on with it (and don’t forget to brush your teeth). Choose to be happy. Choose to have a great attitude. Choose to smile, even if you can’t think of a reason to. You will find it is contagious. If you have great things happening in your life, enjoy them. If things aren’t so good, roll up your sleeves and tackle your problems with a smile. Enjoy the challenge. Don’t be afraid to make a change or two. Many people are unhappy and dissatisfied because they constantly try to shoehorn their same old life into changing circumstances. Chances are, that is not going to work out for you.

What is the point of this, you might ask? None, really. Just the ramblings of a middle-aged-white-guy, married-with-children, going about life, doing his best.

Here’s the thing, though. Listen closely…
I’ve learned the secret to happiness.

Choose to be happy, and you will be. There, that’s it. Sounds simple, right. It actually is, in fact! Try it; you just might like it. Stop worrying about whether or not life is fair. If you find yourself asking that question, take a deep breath. That is your answer...

Military Photos 3-4-2010

2010-03-04T14:06:00.007-07:00

Military appreciation day here at Nemo's! God speed to all...

Click on an image to see a larger version!

01
GULF OF OMAN (Feb. 28, 2010) Sailors conduct flight operations aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Dwight D. Eisenhower is on a six-month deployment as a part of the on-going rotation of forward-deployed forces. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chad R. Erdmann/Released)

02
Pfc. Anselm Chang, a Los Angeles native and infantryman assigned to Company B, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, pulls guard while his first sergeant checks on the security of a polling site near the Kandahri market March 1 prior to elections.

03
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh at patrol Base Shaheed providing security and dominating the ground. (UK/MOD Crown Copyright 2010 Photo by Major Paul Smyth)

04
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class James Lee, an aerial gunner, Bravo Company, 1-169 Aviation Regiment and Ala. native, provides aerial security from the rear door of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Feb. 24. Chinook helicopters are one of the primary air platforms for moving troops and supplies throughout Afghanistan.

05
FUEL VIEW
An F-16 Aggressor flys in contact position at 27,000 feet while a KC-10 Extender off-loads fuel during Red Flag-Alaska, a training exercise, on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, April 22, 2009. The F-16 is assigned to the 18th Aggressor Squadron. The Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex provides 67,000 square miles of airspace, including two tactical bombing ranges containing more than 400 different types of targets.
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jonathan Snyder

06
SUNSET SCOPE
A U.S. Army soldier searches for enemy movement during Operation Moshtarak in Badula Qulp in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 19, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment.
U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez

07
EXIT EXERCISE
U.S. Army paratroopers exit a C-130 aircraft over Al Asad Airbase, Iraq, Feb. 12, 2010, as part of the largest airborne exercise conducted by U.S. forces in Iraq since the beginning of the war. The soldiers are assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade, an Advise and Assist Brigade. A jumper’s parachute is opened by the yellow universal static line seen here along the fuselage of the aircraft.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael J. MacLeod

08
FULL MOON SALUTE
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Derek Sanchez salutes the new year's first full moon in San Diego, Calif., Jan. 22, 2008, in honor of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Nainoa Hoe, who died under a full moon in Mosul, Iraq, Jan. 22, 2005.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Valcarce

09
THUNDERING OVERHEAD
Four Air Force Thunderbird F-16 Fighting Falcons fly in formation behind an F-22 Raptor for more than 6,000 spectators during the June 24, 2008, air show at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The "Soaring into Solstice" air show provided an opportunity for the local community to visit and get a close-up view and demonstration of the capabilities of the Air Force's aircraft.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Eric T. Sheler

10
RODEO RIDE
A high-altitude parachute jumper floats in front of Mount Rainier as he prepares to land at the opening ceremony for Rodeo, an international combat skills competition, on McChord Air Force Base, Wash., July 19, 2009. The competition is designed to develop and improve techniques and procedures with international partners to enhance mobility operations.
U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michelle Larche

11
HEAD COUNT
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Scott Lund conducts accountability of soldiers before boarding a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Logar province, Afghanistan, Oct. 12, 2009. Lund is assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's Company A, Brigade Support Troops Battalion.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. Richard W. Jones Jr.

2010 vs. 2009

2010-02-26T13:20:00.007-07:00

As we approached 2009, the housing market was at the height of its collapse, Obama had just been elected, major firms were being bailed out left and right while others were allowed to fail, many people were losing their jobs... Tracy and I agreed that we would continue to work hard, make the best coffee and food, provide great service, and leave it all in God's hands. Our hope was to survive lean times and look forward to a better 2010.
Well, 2009 came and went with all of its horrible economic news, and having to watch Congress and the Administration make move after move that will further cripple the economy. We've seen so many regulars disappear as a result of lay-offs and relocations around us. The recovery we were hoping for by 2010 has not arrived. Educating ourselves on economic policy and keeping track of current events leads us to believe we have not seen the worst yet.

So, we are back in the same place we were at the start of 2009. The economy looks bleak, and we are trusting in God's will in our lives. There is a big difference between that and trusting in God to provide what we want. Accepting and even anticipating God's will takes away the stress of wondering what will happen. We continue to do our best in order to honor God, and we will see where it goes. As I noted at the end of January, our JAN2010 sales beat JAN2009 sales by just a little, even though it was not expected. In mid-February, I would have said there is no way we will beat last year. Well, it looks like we are going to do just that! How exciting is this??? If you are concerned about what you have going on in your life, exercise your faith, have trust that God has your back, be willing to accept His plan in your life as opposed to your own, and enjoy the ride!

Here are a couple of recent military photos for you to enjoy and to honor our military. It is an all SUBMARINE day, because that is what I did in the Navy. I served on the USS Memphis SSN-691 and the USS Toledo SSN-769, both of which are shown below. God speed to all in harm's way! CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION

USS Toledo - Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale, FL)

USS Buffalo - Leaving drydock in Pearl Harbor

USS Connecticut - Sea Wolf Class

USS Memphis - New London

USS Memphis - New London

USS Toledo - Magnetic Silencing, Kings Bay, Georgia

OK, not a submarine, but super cool. Couldn't leave this one out because of the PURE AWESOME factor!

How to get a free coffee!

2010-02-18T17:37:00.004-07:00

I Googled Nemo's Coffee to see what I would find... The first item that came up was a link to this review, dated January 30, 2010:

By Christopher

"The coffee is great. The atmosphere is small and cozy with various chairs, comfortable couches, and a set of cool theater seats. While the scones look very good (diet prohibits these treats), I most enjoy their homemade breakfast burritos and salsa. The owners are very genuine. They've even treated me with respect on my most grouchy days. Good music, good TV even (was watching Bob Ross paint happy trees one day). The place is clean. I'd bring friends here and visit regularly, making this a 5 star coffee shop in my book.‎"

I'm happy that Christopher enjoys our shop so much. There are a number of review sites for local restaurants and I'd love to see more reviews out there. If you post a review of Nemo's Coffee somewhere, print it out and bring it in and we'll give you a free coffee (or a discount equal to a coffee on something else)!

Irrelevant Nemo’s Trivia!

2010-02-18T10:47:00.003-07:00

During our nearly three years of operation, we have gone through 75,000 cup stickers! How’s that for a piece of sweet trivia?? That works out to be about 100 stickers per day of operation.

Tracy and I decided it was time for a change. I created the following design last weekend and ordered 10,000 stickers, which shipped today!

Who knows… maybe someone will come over for lunch if they are sitting at their desk, staring at their warm, nasty, bologna sandwich they forgot to put in the refrigerator when they arrived in the morning… A quick glance at their Nemo’s cup, and they get a reminder that we serve lunch! Now that is community service at its best! Nemo’s saves the day for some poor soul with a creepy lunch, or no lunch at all!

I’m going to design another two or three different stickers, each highlighting one of our services. I’m thinking one to highlight our fresh, baked-from-scratch pastries; another about reserving our conference room for an event; another to promote our fruit smoothies!

Gotta run…
Take care,
JD

Military Photos...

2010-02-16T14:30:00.007-07:00

There is a massive combat operation going on in southern Afghanistan to dislodge the Taliban hold on the region... Keep the troops in your prayers!

01
In this photo made Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010, U.S. Combat Medic Spc. David Christie, 22, right, holds his glasses next to U.S. Army doctor major Steven Williams , 50, of Burlington, N.C., both with the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, as a Black Hawk helicopter evacuates a 7-year-old wounded Afghan boy from an outpost in the Badula Qulp area, West of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. The Afghan boy was wounded in a crossfire near the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. (AP)

02
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, guided missile cruiser USS Chosin, guided missile destroyer USS Sampson guided missile destroyer USS Pinkney and frigate USS Rentz operate in formation in the South China Sea.

03
Marines took cover after their unit received fire from a concealed insurgent. Bryan Denton/WSJ

04
Lance Cpl. Koenig told fellow Marines about the bullet that struck him in his helmet earlier in the day. The helmet stopped the bullet. Bryan Denton/WSJ

05
Around 15,000 American, British and Afghan troops are involved in what has been described as the biggest air assault ever undertaken by coalition forces in the country. (AFP: Patrick Baz)

06
Australian soldiers are among 15,000 taking part in the offensive in Afghanistan. (file photo) (defence.gov.au)

07
Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment take cover after receiving small-arms fire, Feb. 13, in the city of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan. Marines with Bravo and Alpha Company, 1/6 inserted into the city at night by helicopters as part of a large-scale offensive aimed at routing the Taliban from their last-known stronghold in Helmand province. Photos by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark USMC

08
A helicopter comes in for an emergency medical evacuation, while Marines and Afghan national army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment provide overwatch, Feb. 13, on the outskirts of the city of Marjah, Afghanistan.

09
U.S. Army Sgt. Keith Bradley, a sniper with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, mans an M-107 .50-caliber long-range sniper rifle to search for enemy presence during Operation Helmand Spider in Badula Qulp, Helmand province, Afghanistan

10
A U.S. soldier returns fire as others run for cover during a firefight with insurgents in the Badula Qulp area, West of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010. The area is near Marjah, where U.S. Marines are conducting an offensive against the Taliban. (AP)

11
Paratroopers with 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist Brigade), descend to a drop zone near Al Asad Airbase, Iraq, Feb. 12, as part of the largest airborne training exercise conducted by U.S. forces in Iraq since the beginning of the war. To untwist a canopy's suspension lines, a Paratrooper is trained to grab his 'risers' above the head and pull them apart while kicking the legs as if on a bicycle.

12
Paratroopers with 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist Brigade), land on a drop zone near Al Asad Airbase, Iraq, Feb. 12, as part of a training exercise they hope will lead to combined U.S. - Iraqi training jumps. The jumper rolling on his back is performing a 'parachute landing fall,' a maneuver that dissipates the energy of impact, avoiding injury to the Paratrooper.

Increase in Fees…

2010-02-11T13:40:00.004-07:00

For the first two years, our Health Department License to operate a retail food operation was $154 a year. This year, it was $254. That is a significant increase for just one year. I wish government would operate the same way that a business or family must operate. If times get tough, you tighten up on expenditures and you prioritize your needs and operate within your budget. Unfortunately, the government does not share that philosophy. When things get tight for the government, they get a ballot initiative going to increase taxes. When that was soundly defeated by popular vote several months ago, they did not get the message. They just start increasing and implementing new fees to fund their waste and fraud. We know quite a few people at the Health Dept and they are wonderful people, so these comments are not directed at them. This is just one example of how the government operates. If the people speak out (literally, or by vote), the government just figures out a way around public opinion. My Dream for the future is that the government would care about the opinions of the people they represent. Is it possible for this to happen in the coming years? I sure hope so…

Here are a few military photos for this week:

01
A snowman is on the National Mall near the Washington Monument after a near-record snowfall in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area

02
PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 10, 2010) A visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS)
team member assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit fast ropes
from a CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter onto the flight deck of the
amphibious transport dock USS Denver (LPD 9) during a VBSS training
exercise.

03
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Matt Jarmon, Charlie Company 2508, Task Force Furry commanding officer, makes his way out of a compound after clearing it in search of IED's and weapons caches during a dismounted patro

04
U.S. Army Private First Class Shawn Cronin, Charlie Company 2508 Task Force Furry, takes a breath as he struggles through the pain of a broken ankle suffered during a dismounted patrol

05
A U.S. Army Sergeant with Charlie Company 2508 Task Force Furry, participating in Operation Mesmar, pulls perimeter security

06
U.S. Army Crew Chief Spc. Timothy Johns, of Mitchell, S.D., with Charlie Company, Task Force Talon, checks the tail rotor of his Black Hawk helicopter, at a forward operating base, in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, Thursday Feb. 11, 2010. The Talon MEDEVAC in Helmand is one of several army aero-medical units positioned around southern Afghanistan by the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, known as Task Force Pegasus. (AP)

07
Two U.S. Marine Assault Breacher Vehicles (ABV), test-fire explosive line charges in the desert outside Sistani, a farming suburb of Marjah in Afghanistan's Helmand province Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010. The 72-ton ABV vehicle that can plow mine fields and fire ribbons of C4 explosive nearly 150 yards ahead of them to blast safe passage. (AP)

Anger and Military photos, but not together...

2010-02-05T11:59:00.007-07:00

I had to have a talk with Ethan last night about the difference between feeling angry and acting angry… That is a tough concept for an eight year old to get. I don’t think I did well with it until just the last several years, and I’m 44!
I explained that feeling angry is a normal human emotion, and in many cases, it is justifiable to feel angry. However, acting out in anger is almost always a bad idea, and often times will cause much damage. Looking back into my life, I can honestly say that I regret acting angry in every circumstance. I can’t think of a single time that acting out in anger had a positive effect in my life. All I ever accomplished was to hurt myself, hurt others, damage relationships, break things, and lose credibility with people. Even though feeling angry may have been justified, acting in anger rarely, if ever, produces any positive results.
How do I take 30+ years of adult experience and explain it to an eight year old?? Hmmmm… That’s tough… I think I explained it well, but I have no way to help him gain control of his actions, other than to say there will be disciplinary consequences to his actions if he makes poor choices in response to his anger. Deterrents work, but I’d love for him to gain wisdom without having to suffer any consequences. Unfortunately, I don’t think that is the norm when dealing with human nature…

I’m going to post a few photos from the military today. God speed to our forces in harm’s way, and thank you for your service!! Click on any image to see a larger version...

01
PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 29, 2010) Lt. j.g. John Sines, a damage control assistant aboard the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Santa Fe (SSN 763), uses a Global Positioning System to plot the ship's location while transiting the Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ronald Gutridge/Released)

02
PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 29, 2010) Sailors pilot the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) while transiting the Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ronald Gutridge/Released)

03
PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 29, 2010) Lt. j.g. John Sines, left, damage control assistant, and Lt. Andres Aviles, navigation operation officer, scan the horizon through periscopes aboard the attack submarine USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) searching for contacts during a transit of the Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ronald Gutridge/Released)

04
BAHRAIN (Feb. 1, 2010) Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 2nd Class Robert Ganger, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 11 fires his 9mm Pistol at a military shooting range in Bahrain. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Edgington/Released)

05
BAIE DE GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (Feb. 3, 2010) A CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 461 prepares to land aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class W. B. Swoboda/Released)

06
PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 3, 2010) A T-45C Goshawk training aircraft assigned to Training Air Wing (TRAWING) 1 prepares to land aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis is underway off the coast of Southern California supporting pilot carrier qualifications for naval air training command. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kenneth Abbate/Released)

07
USS BONHOMME RICHARD (Feb. 3, 2010) Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (11th MEU) wash down a vehicle in the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). Bonhomme Richard is the command platform for the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eva-Marie Ramsaran/Released)

08
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Jan. 27, 2010) Sonar Technician (Submarine) 3rd Class George Athan, right, and Sonar Technician Submarine 3rd Class Jonathan Booker assemble a deck skid used for weapons handling aboard the Virginia-class attack submarine USS Texas (SSN 775). Texas is the second Virginia-class attack submarine to be home ported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ronald Gutridge/Released)

09
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Feb. 4, 2010) The guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) performs maneuvers with the littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Bunker Hill and Carl Vinson are taking part in Southern Seas 2010 as part of a scheduled homeport shift. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released)

10
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kevin Owen sits on the ramp of a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft while flying over the mountains of Afghanistan after an airdrop mission, Feb. 2, 2010. Owen is a loadmaster assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. The aircraft's crew dropped 34 container bundles to an undisclosed base in Afghanistan as part of a combat resupply mission. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Angelita Lawrence

11
An F-22 Raptor piloted by Maj. David Skalicky flies over Langley Air Force Base, Va., Feb. 3, 2010. Major Skalicky is with the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Zachary Wolf)

12
GROTON, Connecticut (Feb. 3, 2010) The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Philadelphia (SSN 690) pulls into Submarine Base New London after returning from her final deployment. Philadelphia is set to be inactivated at a ceremony later this year. (U.S. Navy photo by John Narewski/Released)

13
PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 4, 2010) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Airman Terrence Wever, from Charleston, S.C., directs a T-45C Goshawk from Training Wing 2 to a catapult aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Stennis is underway off the coast of southern California in support of pilot carrier qualifications for naval air training command. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kyle Steckler/Released)

14
Staff Sgt. Brandilen Leary switches off power to a C-130 Hercules after completing the post-flight radar and navigation systems check Jan. 27, 2010, at Muniz Air Base, Puerto Rico. Sergeant Leary is a 35th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron communications/navigation technician from the 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Stan Coleman)

Nemo’s Coffee Update 2-1-2010

2010-02-01T15:36:00.005-07:00

With all of the doom and gloom about the economy, and with layoffs and loss of regulars in our area, I expected to see a decline in 2010 performance. January numbers are in (sounds like some huge, accounting reporting agency… Actually just sales tracking in QB Pro…). January 2010 beat January 2009 sales by about $500 for the month. That isn’t an amount of growth to get excited about in and of itself, but it is very exciting since we were expecting a decline in sales. We would like to thank our long time loyal customers, as well as our new customers!!

Tracy and I showed up at Nemo’s yesterday morning to deliver 20+ gallons of milk. The first thing we noticed when we walked in was that the backroom smelled like our grease trap. I noticed that the back room floor sink had standing water in it. That floor sink and the 3 compartment sink drain into the grease trap. A little troubleshooting indicated that the grease trap was blocked. Instead of quickly dropping off milk and making a couple of drinks and heading back home, we popped open the grease trap. We had some quality time together for the next hour scooping and straining about 4 or 5 gallons of grossness out of the grease trap. Everything is back in working order, but this is not what we had expected to be doing on a Sunday morning!

I’ve been posting military photos lately, but here are a few of my images from recent times:

A shot from Glenwood Springs the week after Christmas:

Ethan snowboarding in Glenwood

Jonah

Josh and a little sledding action...

This is an image from St Mary's Cathedral in Colorado Springs that I did some heavy Photoshop work on...

And another image heavily Photoshopped, to the point that it is difficult to tell it was a photograph to begin with! Great Sand Dunes National Monument

1-29-2010 Military Photos

2010-01-29T15:19:00.007-07:00

Here are a few more photos, to honor our military. The last one has special significance to me...

The first several are from efforts being made in Haiti. It is so easy to hear about a disaster elsewhere in the world and think it is terrible, then go on with our lives. There are children who no longer have parents, parents who no longer have children, elderly who no longer have caregivers... Think of any devestating, horrible situation and it exists in Haiti right now. Please keep these people in your prayers!

1
BAIE DE GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (Jan. 27, 2010) An aircraft director watches from a flight deck elevator as the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) conducts a replenishment at sea with the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher Wilson/Released)

2
LUGONAVE ISLAND, Haiti (Jan. 27, 2010) An HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 7, brings Sailors ashore from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) to conduct repairs to a damaged roof on LuGonave Island, Haiti. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Edward Kessler/Released)

3
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Jan. 26, 2010) Medical personnel examine a baby in casualty receiving aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20). Casualty receiving is the central processing area for incoming patients. Comfort has treated more than 500 patients and preformed more than 100 surgeries since arriving in Haiti to conduct humanitarian and disaster relief operations as part of Operation Unified Response after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake caused severe damage near Port-au-Prince, Haiti Jan. 12. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Chelsea Kennedy/Released)

4
CARIBBEAN SEA (Jan. 24, 2010) An MV-22 Osprey assigned to the Golden Eagles of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162 (Reinforced) launches from the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) to conduct an aerial reconnaissance of population centers and infrastructures in northern Haiti. VMM-162 is supporting Operation Unified Response following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake near Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Alex C. Sauceda/Released)

5
BAIE DE GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (Jan. 27, 2010) Aviation Boatswain's Mate Airman Kyle Cavins rests on the back of his forklift during a lull in humanitarian aid onloads as the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) conducts an underway replenishment with the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2).(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher Wilson/Released)

6
Sgt. Andrew Cuce of Gastonia, N.C., embraces his daughter Alyssa, 3, after arriving at the National Guard Armory in Lincolnton, N.C., on Jan. 26. Two busloads of soldiers, made up mostly of members of the N.C. Army National Guard Battery A, 1st Battalion, 113th Field Artillery, returned home to their families after a nine-month deployment to Iraq.

7
...and one that makes me sad. I spent 12 years on LA Class submarines. Seeing the namesake for the class of submarines I served on be decommissioned makes me sad. I remember seeing older submarines being decommissioned back in the 80's and early 90's and just thinking they were old boats, time for them to go. When you are young, you don't slow down to think that those old boats represent the memories of submariners who are no longer in their prime... I'll be 45 this year. Hmmmm... I'm not ready to see Naval vessels from my era go away.

The crew of the USS Los Angeles stands on deck during the decommissioning ceremony in San Pedro, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010. The first of the nuclear-powered Los Angeles class attack submarines, the USS Los Angeles was the oldest submarine in the U.S. Navy, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram. (AP)

Military Photos...

2010-01-26T14:09:00.005-07:00

And in honor of our military, as well as others around the world, here are a few photos!

1
An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Tophatters of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14 launches from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James Mitchell/Released)

2
EASTERN PACIFIC (Jan. 22, 2010) Sailors assigned to the guided-missile frigate USS McClusky (FFG 41) conduct helicopter in-flight refueling training with an SH-60B Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Wolfpack of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 45. McClusky and HSL-45 Detachment 3 are conducting counter-illicit trafficking missions in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Austin Long/Released)

3
NEPLY, Haiti (Jan. 24, 2010) Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) carry injured Haitian medical evacuees to an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26 to be transported off the ship for further medical care. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rachael L. Leslie/Released)

4
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Jan. 20, 2010) Staff Sgt. Stephen Key and Sgt. Randy Mackey, Army divers assigned to the 544th Engineer Dive Team, prepare to conduct underwater pier inspections after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake damaged the port in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010. A U.S Navy and Army joint-service dive task force is assessing the damage to port facilities for possible repair as part of the humanitarian and disaster relief Operation Unified Response. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Chris Lussier/Released)

5
SAN DIEGO (Jan. 24, 2010) Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class Cody Abadie, from McComb, Miss., stands the aft rover watch on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Patrick Dille/Released)

6
PETIT TROU DE NIPPES, Haiti (Jan. 23, 2010) The guided-missile cruised USS Normandy (CG 60) performs maneuvers while an assessment team evaluates the conditions at Petit Trou De Nippes, Haiti, as part of continuing relief efforts. Normandy is part of Operation Unified Response, a multi-national humanitarian and disaster relief operation, following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake which caused severe damage in Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released)

7
PETIT TROU DE NIPPES, Haiti (Jan. 23, 2010) A Sailor assigned to the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) carries a Haitian child during a site assessment. Normandy is part of Operation Unified Response, a multi-national humanitarian and disaster relief operation, following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that caused severe damage in Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released)

8
LOS ANGELES (Jan. 23, 2010) Sailors assigned to the fast-attack submarine USS Los Angeles (SSN 688) man the rails one last time during the boat's decommissioning ceremony at the Port of Los Angeles. Los Angeles will transit to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash. to begin the inactivation process. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jeffrey Wells/Released)

9
Haitian earthquake victims beat a looter in Port-au-Prince on January 21, 2010 following the massive 7.0-magnitude quake that shattered the country.

10
A U.S. Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne help a man with shotgun wounds to the head during patrols in Port-au-Prince, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010. The soldiers found the man at the scene in a wheelbarrow, after he was shot while allegedly looting items from the roof of a damaged store downtown, according to people at the scene.(AP)

11
Soldiers with Charlie Company 1/ 325th avoid rotor wash as a Navy helicopter lifts off from the lawn of the heavily damaged Presidential Palace in Port-au- Prince, Haiti, Tuesday. Jan. 19, 2010. (Chuck Liddy / MCT)

12
Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne land with Sea Hawk helicopters at the garden of the damaged Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince January 19, 2010. Thousands more U.S. troops will help U.N. peacekeepers keep order on Haiti's increasingly lawless streets as tens of thousands of survivors wait desperately for aid. (Reuters)

13
Young adults carry banners offering free hugs walk past policemen on patrol in Ljubljana, Slovenia January 20, 2010. Around 30 participants took part in the event, which is part of an international campaign offering hugs to strangers. (Reuters)

14
Members of the Indian Border Security Force mounted on camels rehearse for "Beating the Retreat", during preparations for Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010. India will celebrate Republic Day on Jan. 26. (AP)

15
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers ride their camels during the rehearsal for the "Beating the Retreat" ceremony in New Delhi January 21, 2010. The ceremony, held every year on January 29, marks the official end of the Indian Republic Day celebrations. (Reuters)

16
A paramilitary soldier stands guard in Srinagar, India, Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. Thousands of police and paramilitary soldiers with automatic weapons searched vehicles in Indian Kashmir as part of beefed up security aimed at preventing attacks by Islamic separatists ahead of India's Republic Day celebrations. (AP)

Surviving 2010, Continued…

2010-01-26T11:14:00.002-07:00

Here are a few other areas we are going to work on:

Originally, we had a passion for coffee and it was our intention to just be a coffee shop, with a few pastries, as would be expected. However, we had people stop by the shop almost daily during construction and ask what we were going to offer for lunch! It very quickly became apparent that our future customer base wanted food to eat, not just coffee and pastries. We listened to that input and incorporated it into our plans, and I’m very happy that we did. Based on our coffee/espresso/pastry sales over the last 2 ½ years, we would have gone out of business by now if that was our only concept. Offering home made soup, salads, and sandwiches added another revenue source, and it has resulted in total sales that got us into the black and able to remain viable.

Now, the next step is to grow our food business. How do we do that exactly???
Here are my current ideas…
1. I have a photography studio, and I have some serious Photoshop/Graphic Arts skills. I’m going to take some product shots and incorporate them into an in-house marketing campaign using the 40” flat screen, as well as the 15” LCD digital photo frame at the POS, as I described previously with regard to photography sales. We have a number of regulars who see us as a coffee shop only. Getting some mouth-watering visuals up of our lunch products may convert some of them to lunch-regulars as well… We also offer some killer breakfast burritos made in-house (real scrambled eggs (not that egg-in-a-milk-carton garbage), Jimmy Dean sausage, potatoes, and shredded cheddar cheese, not to mention home made salsa!), as well as breakfast sandwiches with egg, cheese, and bacon on a toasted croissant or sunflower wheat bread. I think we can increase those sales with a few flashy photos!!
2. When the owner’s were completing the building façade remodel, we had no overhead signage. A work around for that issue was to get 4’ x 8’ signs made. I made an A-frame wood structure in the bed of my ’69 Chevy pickup and mounted the signs on that. That resulted in a mobile billboard, which I was able to move around every couple of weeks to get fresh eyes on it by passing traffic. I’m going to make new signs that will advertise our home made lunch items. If people have been driving by for 2 ½ years because we are a coffee shop, I hope to get some of them to come in for lunch!
3. Facebook has a pay-per-click advertising program that can be targeted to specific markets. I may try that, and direct the advertising to the Olympic Training Center, Memorial Hospital, and possibly to the 80909 zip code. I have not decided on this yet, but I think it will be worthwhile to try.
4. I bought a Panini grill, and offering hot sandwiches will boost our lunch sales. People get tired of the same old things, even if they are good. We will offer Panini specials, with a highlighted new sandwich every couple of weeks. These will get the visuals on the monitors as well…

I’m also looking into some unconventional revenue sources. One of those is to attempt to renegotiate our lease. We thought we did well when we nailed down our lease, but being rookies, we made a few mistakes. We agreed to rent increases over time based on an 11 year lease. We never planned for such difficult economic conditions… We just had a rent increase in December, and our rate is now too high for current economic conditions. We are hoping the owner’s will agree to new negotiations. Keep your fingers crossed for us, and we’d appreciate your prayers as well!!

Another area we have not developed is whole bean coffee sales. Our roaster was recently named Roaster of the Year!!! Our coffee product is top notch, and this recent national award confirms what we have thought all along. We sell very little whole bean product, though, because we have not marketed it. We don’t even have a whole bean menu board up!! I am working on some signage for the store to advertise our whole bean product, and we’ll be getting a whole bean menu board up. Since we only average about 5-10 pounds of whole bean sales a week, I think there is room for growth here. I’d like to get that up to 30 to 40 pounds a week by mid-year.

We have more ideas, but I’m out of time for now. I hope everyone is having a great week! Take care,
JD

Looking for new revenue for 2010…

2010-01-25T12:33:00.002-07:00

2010 looks like it is going to be a tough year for small business.
So, how does a small business tackle this challenge? The wrong answer would be to keep doing the same thing and hope you make it. I’d rather think of ways to enhance our current revenue streams, as well as to develop new revenue streams.

OK, so I think we can all agree that makes sense. Now for the hard part… How do you accomplish it?

Part of the Nemo’s concept from the start was to incorporate my photography into the space and the revenue stream. I have certainly enhanced our income here and there with a few weddings and lots of high school senior and family portrait sessions. They have all been generated based on word of mouth marketing, with absolutely zero advertising or marketing efforts. When I broke my clavicle in November 2008, that effectively killed off everything I had going with photography, including hosting photography group meetings in the studio. For 2010, I have a number of activities planned to incorporate photography again…

1. Since we installed a 40” LCD tv in the café, I can use it as a marketing tool for my photography. I’m going to create a marketing DVD to promote my portrait and wedding photography, and I will play the DVD in the café.
2. There are a number of companies that will print hard and soft cover books with your photographs. I’m going to design books to promote my photography services and have a number of them printed. I’ll place the books on the tables at Nemo’s, at all three of the local Curves locations (owned by Tracy’s mom and sisters), and at other locations I can find to display them (other coffee shops, our church and other churches to promote wedding photography, etc).
3. I will also begin actively marketing my photography services via Facebook!
4. I am drafting a beginner Photoshop course curriculum. I will be offering a six or eight week session of Photoshop lessons, to teach new photographers a digital workflow. I haven’t decided on pricing yet, but I’m aiming for the $100-150 range. I will market this class via www.meetup.com, which was very successful when I offered Photoshop classes in 2007-2008.
5. I randomly put prints of my photography up in the shop, typically on the bulletin board. I haven’t taken the time to matte or frame them. We get requests at least once a week to purchase a copy of various images. For 2010, I will be selecting 20 or 30 of my most popular images and get prints made in various sizes, from 5x7 up to 20x30 (or even bigger if the image quality will support). I’m going to take the best 10 or so and have them matted and framed in the largest sizes the image quality will support and display them in the café utilizing our art rail. I’m also going to mount and matte the images in smaller sizes and merchandise them in plastic art sleeves and have them available for sale. It is so much easier for someone to grab it and pay for it, than for them to ask about an image on display and wonder if they can purchase a copy… I will also create a DVD to play on the 40” screen to highlight my images available for sale at the shop.
6. I bought a 15” LCD digital photo frame, which I will load with the images available for retail sale. People just love a moving image, and I think this will really grab their attention and sell some prints.
7. I have also had two galleries in town express their interest in displaying my work. I have one show confirmed for September 2010, and I need to formally submit images to the second gallery and chase that opportunity.
8. There are still photography groups organized through www.meetup.com as well as Strobist groups (see www.strobist.com to see what they are all about) in town that are interested in using my studio for meetings. I will begin offering the space to them again this Spring.

If these ideas are well executed (which is the only way I like to do things), I believe we can create a whole new revenue stream that will help us to survive these lean times. It will require a great deal of effort up front, but once established, will be easy to sustain.

Slow Economy – Where to save $$?

2010-01-22T09:44:00.001-07:00

With the economy as slow as it is, and no improvement on the horizon, Tracy and I are looking for ways to save money at Nemo’s. Since we have ran our shop with a common sense approach from the start, there are not many places for us to improve. We did find a few, though…

1. Last night, I replaced the head gaskets and diffuser screens on our La Marzocco 3 Group Linea… My cost was about $40. The last time we had a service tech do the work, it cost about $180. I saved $140 and got to spend some quality time with La Marzocco!
2. Another critical maintenance item is to have our ice machine serviced. It was $168 the last time we had it done, and we are due for another. Since we bought our ice machine used, we had absolutely no documentation on it. Five minutes on the internet allowed me to find the Owner’s Manual, as well as the Service Technical Manual. Another 10 minutes of reading and I know everything I need to know in order to service the unit. I had to buy some nickel safe ice machine cleaner for $20. That saves us another $148.
3. For our first 2 ½ years, we have had our milk delivered to the shop by Royal Crest Dairy. They produce steroid and antibiotic free milk, all natural. There is no comparison between Royal Crest Dairy milk and store bought milk. The quality is top notch. However, we have paid as much as $4.50 a gallon (price fluctuates on this commodity). We found a retail source for the Royal Crest milk, and I now do two milk runs a week for the shop. The new price is approximately $2.60 a gallon and it costs me an hour of my time a week. That saves us $275 per month, with no loss of quality.
4. These are just a few ways we have found to save a few dollars at Nemo’s. We are going to continue to look for other ways to save…

Gotta run…
JD

I'm alive!!

2010-01-12T16:40:00.001-07:00

I've neglected my blog for awhile now...
But, I'm alive and so is Nemo's.

I plan to do a better job with this during 2010, but not right now! Gotta run!

JD

A little photography...

2009-06-14T23:10:00.004-06:00

Wow, I haven't been posting much here, like I should be. I've been posting updates at our Facebook page lately, and don't make it over here too often. Sorry about that...

Nemo's has had really decent sales, in spite of the weak economy. I can't quit my dayjob, but it is great to not worry about breaking even.

Here are a few photos of mine, that I have been playing with in an after market Photoshop plug in called Topaz. It can do some interesting things...

Click on any image to see a larger version:

Long time, no blog...

2009-05-22T11:50:00.004-06:00

Wow, two months plus since my last post... Sorry, we've been really busy, and we have been utilizing Facebook for much of our day to day info distribution.

Just a quick recap...
March 2009 set a record for most sales in a month! As good as that was, April 2009 beat that record by a solid $1400 if I remember right! We are on pace to have a great May2009, but not necesarily record setting with the Memorial Day weekend coming up (we are open Saturday, but will be closed on Monday).
Bottom line... THANK YOU to all of our wonderful and amazing customers who support us!!!

We continue to do our live bluegrass music every Monday night. We often have 15 or more musicians, but our spectators have dropped off. We used to have a crowd up until the 2008 Winter Holidays. They tapered off as expected through December, but we expected things to pick up again after January (once everyone recovered from the busy holiday season), but it hasn't happened. If you are up for some great music, stop in on a Monday night!!

Speaking of live music, we have Erica Dawn and Luke Flowers playing live on Saturday night (tomorrow night!) from about 6:30pm until...???
They are both great musicians, and it is going to be a fun time.

Here are a couple of photos from recent weeks/months>

Military Photo Day

2009-03-17T11:58:00.008-06:00

A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit aircraft positions to be refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft over the Pacific Ocean, March 10, 2009. Four B-2 Spirits from the 509th Bomb Wing, 13th Bomb Squadron, are deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as part of a continuing operation to maintain a bomber presence in the region. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald

DOLPHINS! HMAS Yarra, a Huon Class minehunter has deployed from Sydney to Moreton Bay to assist in locating and marking the positions of the remaining missing containers from the cargo ship Pacific Adventure

Officers and sailors from the Royal Australian Navy begin their Freedom of Entry Parade down George Street, Sydney.

This photo provided by Josh Wilson shows Seattle Seahawks defensive back Josh Wilson posing with the pilot, left, and gunner, right, of the Blackhawk helicopter he flew in on from Camp Arifjan, Kuwait to Basra, southern Iraq, last month. Wilson, New England Patriots running back Sammy Morris and retired Pro Bowl tackle Willie Roaf joined cheerleaders from the Oakland Raiders on a 10-day goodwill tour of the war region called the "Super Sunday Tour." AP Photo

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Demetreus Perez searches for the enemy while on a mission near Forward Operation Base Lanenin Zabul province, Afghanistan, March 14, 2009.
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Adam Mancini

PACIFIC OCEAN (March 14, 2009) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 2nd Class Chad Yarbrough directs an F/A-18C Hornet onto a bow catapult during a launch cycle aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Aircraft Handlers are in charge of maintaining a smooth flow of aircraft traffic while on the flight deck. Ronald Reagan and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 are underway conducting sustainment exercise in the Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gary A. Prill/Released)

NORTH ARABIAN SEA (Nov. 11, 2007) The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) transits through the North Arabian Sea as she conducts flight operations. Enterprise and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 are underway on a scheduled deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and maritime security operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jhi L. Scott (RELEASED)

What should we teach our kids?

2009-03-15T22:30:00.002-06:00

Let me start by saying that I have really great kids. Tracy and I have taught them right from wrong, and we don't allow disrespectful or ungracious behaviour. We are really proud of who they are becoming.

However, I've been wondering if it is enough to make sure they do their homework, be responsible with their school clothes and backpacks, and simply expect them to make the right choices, which we have discussed with them since they were toddlers. I see so many kids in the world today who have no manners, no respect, and no character (no good character, anyway). Now, is this all because I am 43 and I'm not supposed to understand the next generation. I don't think so... I honestly feel there are too many kids and young adults who just don't get it... Our basic culture has gone off the beaten path.

For a long time, I couldn't figure out what to do about it. I felt like there isn't anything that I, as an individual, can do to impact where America is headed. I finally figured out what it is that I have to do. I need to teach my kids about integrity, honesty, responsibility, accountability, humility, graciousness, kindness, charity, forgiveness, motivation, patience, being frugal, to pay cash for everything and use credit for nothing (except a house), and the list goes on and on. Anyone who knows our kids knows that we have done well by them. However, I don't think we have done enough. I am going to start having discussions with them weekly about a different character trait. I need to educate them on how to be an example to follow in this world, how to be a leader, how to be a cultural army of one. Can I change all of America by teaching these things to my three boys? Chances are, no... Can I help my kids to go out into this world, and maybe affect a change in their sphere of influence, throughout their lives. Yes, I can do that. If Tracy and I do it, and our friends who feel the same way do it, and many, many others who are strangers to us do it... then I think there can be real change in this world. It is time to get real, and make values important in our lives. It is much more important than video games, and going to the movies, and trying to make the most money, and who knows what all else...

We are going to do it, and we think our kids will have better lives because of it. It seems like this concept got lost along the way somewhere, when you look at our country as a whole. It's time to get back to basics, back to what is important. Anyone care to join in?

Fake Photography Studio

2009-03-15T21:49:00.003-06:00

Tracy sponsored a Stampin Up event at the shop on Saturday. We normally close at 2:00, but the rubber stamping party was going on until 4:00. I had an hour to kill and decided to see what images I could come up with without any special lighting equipment. I took a book, and a couple sheets of white paper to use as a background. I found a few simple objects in the shop to experiment with. I had on camera flash, which I blocked from hitting the subject, but used strategically placed sheets of paper to reflect the light where I wanted it.
Here are the results... Click on the images to see larger (and more detail).

The Egg

The Boylan's Soda Bottle (which I drank in order to be able to do this!)

And a small demitasse (espresso cup)

Ethan's new bike...

2009-03-05T22:25:00.004-07:00

I'm going to start posting a few photos from the past every now and then.
Here is one from last July, when Ethan got a new bike. It was just before dusk, and he was riding around in front of our house. I shot several images of him with a slow shutter speed, trying to 'pan' or follow him with the camera during the long exposure. This blurs the background, and gives an interesting effect. I also had the flash fire.

And here is one of Josh in 2003 at Mt Vernon, George Washington's estate in Virginia:

And one of Jonah ready to take on the world in July 2004:

What Recession???

2009-03-05T21:22:00.003-07:00

Tracy and I prepared ourselves for the worst when we saw what was coming with the economy. We've known for years that things were going to crash. There were too many people in $500,000 houses that work normal middle-class jobs. They were able to get the houses on interest only loans at 2% interest, with a balloon payment in 5 or 10 years. We've been waiting for this bubble to burst for some time...

What we weren't sure about, though, was how bad it could be, and how will it affect Nemo's. Well, so far, we continue to see growth, not a downturn in sales. We decided long ago that it is all up to God. If He wants us doing this, then we'll show up everyday and work hard. If not, then it isn't in our best interest to fight upstream, trying to do something that is not God's will for our lives.

Whether God is bringing us customers, whether we are experiencing normal growth for a business about to enter its third year of operations, whether it is an anomaly in otherwise difficult economical times... who knows. All I know is that we are having solid sales, and if this keeps up, we will be able to weather the storm. I say this now, but things could be completely different in a month, or six months... That is where faith comes in, and we have plenty of that.

It is our job to provide the best possible quality products, the best customer service based on real interactions with our customers, and to provide a clean and comfortable environment. We do that. Our growth could be because the unemployment office is next door, and they are having record increases in patrons. Are unemployed people buying coffee and lunch from us? I don't know. It could be that word is slowly but surely getting out to the market about who we are, and what kind of shop we run (an awesome one!). It could be that people are cutting back on extravagant luxuries, and settling for the simple luxuries in life (like good coffee). It may very well be a huge mix of everything. So be it. God owns the place, and we'll keep showing up for work. Owning a business requires a great deal of humility, and being humble goes a long way. Knowing that our shop's future depends on everyone except us is kind of crazy. Learning that you are not the one in control is a difficult lesson in life, but well worth the trip. We do what we do, and we do it well because we care. That's all I have to say about that...

I've spent some time over the last several weeks consolidating digital media from seven or eight different computers, all into one computer. I started by having my film based photos put on a CD. I could then open them in Photoshop and do the most amazing things in a very short period of time. Ansel Adams would have loved Photoshop! I started using digital cameras more than film in about 2000. The consulting firm I worked for bought the first Sony Mavic digital camera. It had a slot for 3.5" floppy disks right in the camera! Olympus then started producing consumer based digital cameras, and I had a couple of those. The quality wasn't there, but the convenience was, and the ability to work with images in Photoshop was life changing! Nikon finally noticed, and began producing their Coolpix line of cameras. I paid more money for a 'prosumer' Coolpix 5700 than I had ever paid for a film camera body (and I have some very nice Nikon film bodies!). That camera was stolen, and I replaced it with a Sony F-717, which was groundbreaking at the time. Through all of these advancements, I knew in the back of my mind that the quality was still lacking. Finally, people started manufacturing DSLR's, interchangeable lens camera bodies, just like our old film bodies, but digital. I bought a Canon 10D and fell in love with photography all over again. The 10D is a great camera, but then the Canon 20D came out, and I had to have one. I started shooting weddings, and knew that you crush peoples dreams if you have any technical difficulties and can't shoot photos (reality for film or digital shooters). So, for redundancy, just in case a camera fails in the middle of a wedding, I bought a second Canon 20D. I shoot weddings with a Canon 24-70 f2.8L lens on one body, and a Canon 70-200 f4.0L lens on the other. Works perfect... short, wide range on one, longer range on the second, both lenses are Canon's professional L series glass. Just last week, I upgraded to a Canon 5D, which is a DSLR with full frame sensor (Google it if you don't know what that means). I also have numerous video clips from those many point and shoot cameras (I also have several Canon Sureshot cameras A80, and the flagship point and shoots Canon G6, and a Canon G9, etc...) that also shoot video, as well as hours and hours of footage with my Panasonic GS-400 3 CCD digital camcorder.

As digital camera sensors improved (more megapixels), so did the amount of space the files took on your hard drive. You can easily turn a 3MB image file into a 60MB, 70MB, 80MB or even larger Photoshop file with a few layers, adjustment layers, styles, etc... Then, you progress as a photographer and finally start shooting RAW instead of JPGS, and each image file takes up 12MB each. If you shoot 800 images at a wedding, batch process them, then create custom edited Photoshop files or TIFs with the 200 best images, you have a project folder approaching 20GB in size. It would take almost no effort to fill up a 200GB hard drive. Knowing that a failed hard drive can lose all of your wedding files for a client, it is imperative to have the project folder duplicated, or backed up to a second hard drive. Now do this, both for personal photos, and for clients for 6, 7, 8, or 9 years, and you can really take up some storage space. Then, buy a pro-level film and slide scanner and begin converting your tens of thousands of film negatives to digital files, and... well, you get the idea. I have an entire array of external hard drives, not to mention five internal hard drives in my Photoshop computer. I also have another seven or eight computers, all housing various personal photos and video.

Well, I have begun the process of consolidating all of this data onto one computer, my main Photoshop and video editing machine. Did you know you can now get Tera-bite hard drives for under $100??? I remember my roommate in the Navy buying 500MB hard drives (1/2000th of a tera-bite) for $1100 when they first came out. Crazy...
Anyway, there is a problem with backing up all of my photos, and all of my clients photos on multiple hard drives, and external hard drives. If our house burns down, you lose everything. Grabbing my computer on the way out of the house is certainly part of my fire drill plan. There is a service called Carbonite that will back up an unlimited amount of data to an offsite backup place. The data is all encrypted before it leaves your computer, so it is safe. Bored Carbonite employees on the night shift are not going to be looking through all of your personal photos, and putting your most embarrassing moments in life on the internet. Anyway, I purchased Carbonite service for our POS computer at Nemo's. All of our financial data, all of our forms, all of our everything is backed up at Carbonite. If anything ever happens to our computer, we get everything back with very little hassle. All this for $49 a year. Well, I'm going to do the same for my Photoshop computer, but first, I have to get everything onto a single computer. The great thing about doing this is that I have looked at images I have not seen in years. I have spent the last couple of weeks watching my kids grow up all over again. It's really been great! If you have entered the digital world, and you don't have a backup plan in place, I suggest you get one pronto. I currently have four hard drives that won't work. I can't help but wonder what amazing photos and memories are locked inside, never to be retrieved (unless data recovery service drops from the current several thousand dollars to a more reasonable several hundred dollars).

Well, I guess you could say I'm rambling. Bottom line... get yourself some digital backup if you don't have any. I'm going to bed.
Good night!
JD

Bluegrass Jam at Nemo's

2009-02-23T22:53:00.007-07:00

We do live bluegrass music every Monday night. Here is a quick video clip I made tonight with my Canon G9... Wow, the quality was great until Blogspot compressed it... Now it is blurry and grainy... Oh well, you get the idea.

The guy in the striped shirt is playing a 1927 Gibson banjo...

Nemo's will be on the Lunch Bunch show!

2009-02-20T12:50:00.002-07:00

If you are a long time reader of our blog, you might remember that a local TV show (Mike Boyle’s Restaurant Show) did a 20 minute segment on Nemo’s Coffee right after we opened. It aired over and over again for several weeks, here in Colorado Springs and in Denver.

We have always been hesitant to sink money into print advertising. The exposure by print media is very limited, and the costs are extremely high. Why pay a very high price to put an ad in a paper that goes city-wide, when our target market is the 80909 and 80910 zip codes? We have marketed Nemo’s via word of mouth, mostly, by keeping our customers happy. We also use Facebook to invite new people to Nemo’s, identified as potential customers by where they work (Memorial Hospital, Olympic Training Center, medical complexes on Printers Parkway, etc…).

We have an opportunity to work with Mike Boyle again in June. He is going to broadcast live from our location, as part of his “Lunch Bunch” tour. He broadcasts from a different location every Saturday, and the host restaurant provides a special deal on their products. The radio station is KVOR 740, so our specials have to be based on a 740 system. Here are the deals we will be offering:

$7.40 2 sandwiches and specialty iced teas
$3.70 sandwich and specialty iced tea
$2.96 2 homemade breakfast burritos
$1.48 single homemade breakfast burrito
.74 scones
.74 medium specialty drink (lattes, mochas, caramel swirls, etc)

The sandwiches will be Tracy’s chicken salad sandwich. She pressure cooks chicken in the shop, and then shreds it after it cools. She then mixes in mayonnaise and spices. The sandwich is served on either a croissant or organic sunflower wheat bread, with provolone cheese, dried cranberries (craisins), purple onion, and romaine lettuce.

The breakfast burritos are VERY large, and are also homemade on site. We use Jimmy Dean sausage, real scrambled eggs (we crack the eggs! We don’t use that egg in a juice container product), potatoes, cheddar cheese, and homemade pico de gallo (salsa, for my friends from the Midwest).

Tracy also makes the most incredible scones from scratch. She even grinds her own wheat! Some of her signature scones are ‘lemon ginger’, ‘raspberry white chocolate’, ‘cranberry orange’, and dark chocolate espresso.’ She has many other original scones, and she is always experimenting with new versions.

We also have other pastries, breakfast sandwiches, homemade soup, salads, fruit smoothies, etc.
…and don’t forget about our private conference room with available projector.

New X-Rays Today

2009-02-19T21:51:00.003-07:00

Well, I got new x-rays today, and as I already knew from the way it feels, my clavicle is not healing well. It has been 3 1/2 months since my bicycle wreck, and there is very little new bone growth at the break site. I did re-break it twice after the original accident, but hey, who's counting???

Here is a photo I took of the lcd screen (x-rays are digital these days) in the doctor's office:

The clavicle should be a solid, one piece, horizontal bone going from the sternum to the shoulder. As you can see, mine is a total train wreck. The break did not line up end-to-end to heal. The right piece of the clavicle went under the left piece, and that is how it fused together. This x-ray was taken today, and as you can see, there is very little bone growth. The doctor expects to see a lump of new bone growth around the entire break site. Mine has almost none... The amount of overlap between the pieces is significant, also. The dimension from my neck to shoulder is now two inches shorter on my injured side than it is on my normal side.

Another interesting thing to note is the top rib that is angled down and overlapping the second rib from the top. I ripped that rib away from the sternum in 1988. I never went to the doctor, so I never really got to take a look at it. I knew the rib was moved to the wrong place because of the immense pain, and the weird lump on my chest. It healed over time, but in the wrong place. It is interesting to see an x-ray of it now, 21 years later.

So, what's next? Well, I go back for x-rays, or possibly a cat scan, in six weeks. I suppose we'll make a decision then on whether or not surgery will be required to re-break it and install a metal plate. Sweet...

Gotta run,
JD

Nemo's 2-16-2009

2009-02-16T20:17:00.016-07:00

Tracy and I (and Carl, one of our new employees) provided coffee and espresso services at the Stargazer Theater and Event Center for the Tyrone Wells concert Friday night. We had a lot of fun, and look forward to doing more events at Stargazers.

We have had pretty solid sales days lately. Even with the doom and gloom that is being spewed by the government and the media, we are showing solid 10% or more growth compared to last year. That is great news for us! Showing growth during such a downturn in the economy is a real blessing...

My collar bone is just not healing very well. I am functional, but definitely not healed. I get new xrays later this week, and I'm expecting my ortho doctor to suggest a surgical repair. I'm not opposed to that because I know it is what is needed to get this injury back to some type of normal state. However, starting from square one again, though, is disheartening. Uugghhh... Bummer...

We recently swapped out artwork in the shop. Thank you soooo very much to Nikki Connon, who showed her beautiful paintings here for so long. We really enjoyed having her bigger than life oil paintings in the shop. And it was so kind of her to give Tracy one of her paintings! How cool is Nikki?

Joseph Bishop is now showing his work, which is wonderful. What makes his artwork even more extraordinary is that Joseph was born with a lobe of his brain missing. He has never walked, never talked, and has involuntary motor control issues. His paintings, however, are completely amazing and let's us know there is a fully functioning, thinking individual at work. A lesson to be learned is to never assume ANYTHING about someone who appears to be disabled. God places talent in everyone, regardless... Joseph has discovered his God given talent and has given us some wonderful images to see... I'll post a few photos soon (don't have a card reader with me tonight).

Instead, I'll post a few military photos for you.

The multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) transits the Persian Gulf. Iwo Jima is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Chad R. Erdmann/Released)

GULF OF OMAN (Nov 7, 2008) Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disopsal (EOD) Platoon 222 are lifted by an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter assigned to the "Sea Knights" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22 during a special patrol insertion and extraction exercise. EOD Platoon 222 is embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and is operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Lockwood/Released)

GULF OF OMAN (Oct. 15, 2008) An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to the "Stingers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 113 embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) flies to an Operation Enduring Freedom mission in Afghanistan. Ronald Reagan and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 are providing support to coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan. (U.S. Navy photo by Cmdr. Erik Etz/Released)

GULF OF OMAN (Oct. 14, 2008) Plane captain Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Kyle Alhers performs morning maintenance on an F/A-18C Hornet aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Alhers, assigned to the "Fist of the Fleet" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25, begins the maintenance routine before sunrise and often works late into the night. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gary Prill (Released)

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Oct. 6, 2008) An F/A-18C assigned to the "Stingers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 113 embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) refuels from an Air Force KC-10 tanker during a mission supporting British troops in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Ronald Reagan is deployed to the U.S 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Cmdr. Erik Etz/Released

Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen assigned to Special Boat Team 22 (SBT-22) conduct live-fire immediate action drills at the riverine training range at Ft. Knox. SBT-22 operates the special operations craft-riverine and is the only U.S. special operations command dedicated to operating in the riverine environment. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger/Released)

A 10,000-pound underwater explosion rocks the amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) during a shock test off the Florida coast. The test is part of Navy trials for the San Antonio-class ship, which was commissioned last December. U.S. Navy photo (Released)

Sailors aboard the fast-attack submarine USS Los Angeles (SSN 688) watch from the bridge as ships from multiple nations gather in a 26-ship formation for a photo exercise during Rim of the Pacific 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Electrician's Mate 2nd Class Brian J. Hudson (Released)

Chief Warrant Officer Guy Inzunza, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, rides a stage to the sea bed during a dive from the Military Sealift Command rescue and salvage ship USNS Grasp (ARS 51) supporting Navy Dive Global Fleet Station 2008 off the coast of St. Kitts. (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Andrew McKaskle/Released)

The fast attack submarine USS Providence (SSN 719) is moored at the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first submarine polar transit completed by the USS Nautilus (SSN 571) in 1958. Providence is en route to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility from its homeport in Groton Conn. (U.S. Navy photo by Yoeman 1st Class J. Thompson/Released)

An F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter assigned to the "Kestrels" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137 performs a high speed maneuver over the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during an air power demonstration for visiting ambassadors and senior military officials from Indonesia. Lincoln and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW ) 2 are on a scheduled seven-month deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon C. Wilson (Released)

An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the "Bounty Hunters" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 performs a fly-by over the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86) during an air show for the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and her crew. Lincoln and Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9 are on a scheduled seven-month deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Justin R. Blake (Released)

Petty Officer 1st Class Julius Mcmanus, assigned to Mobile Diving Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1, plants an American flag on the site where an American WWII military aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Deep sea divers are assigned to Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation's past conflicts. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher Perez (Released)

...and I saved the best one for last. This is the USS Memphis, which I served on from February 1986 to October 1989!

Nemo’s Update

2009-01-29T17:08:00.002-07:00

1-We have had a great week, with a number of out of state participants in seminars at the Pikes Peak Work Force Center and at Premiere Global. That translates to HUGE lunch hours. We also had orders for 30 breakfast burritos by seminar hosts, my company RK Mechanical had a training seminar in the studio on Tuesday, the Photography Meetup Group had a Photoshop seminar in the studio today, etc, etc…. Every event we schedule in the studio/conference room not only helps to boost sales, but it is a marketing machine. When someone comes into our shop because of an event, that is one more thoroughly impressed and satisfied customer walking out the door to help spread the word about Nemo’s!

2-We are planning a movie night in the studio for the kids and their friends. The projector shows movies at 7 feet high x 12.5 feet wide on the studio wall. While the kids are watching a movie, us parents are going to have a game night or something like that out in the café. Looks to be a good time…

3-We would like to thank the 70-80 people who took an interest in our advertised Barista position. We met many wonderful people through the interviewing process. All of you were keepers… If we were a Barista Adoption Agency, we would have taken all of you. Unfortunately, we were interviewing for either one full time position, or two part time positions. Based upon having flexibility in the schedule and to avoid issues if someone is sick or on vacation, we chose to hire two part time individuals. It was very difficult to narrow the field down to just two, out of so many outstanding applicants. We would like to welcome Sarah and Carl to our team. Not only do they both have coffee experience, they have dynamic personalities with a dedication to the customer service experience. We have a great product, so our main focus when hiring is to look for ENERGY, dynamic personalities, SMILES, and an easy interaction. If you interviewed and were not chosen this time, we will keep your application on file. All of you were great!

4-I met with a supplemental insurance company last week. They do not offer full medical coverage, but they do offer accident insurance, hospitalization coverage, vision, dental, short and long term disability, and a wide range of other options. As an employer, we can offer this coverage to our staff, pre-tax. I need to set up a staff meeting and determine if it is something they want to implement…

5-I received payment for three video projects, so I have the cash in hand to buy the Canon 5D MkII... however, my gut feeling is telling me to hang onto it... I'm going to throw it in the bank and sit still for a few months. This is not easy to do, but I'm sticking with it.

6-I saw in the news that Starbucks is closing 300 more stores, 200 of them domestic, and it will result in approx 6700 layoffs. One item mentioned in the article is that they are going to stop brewing decaf coffee every hour on the hour. We figured that out in about two days... It is not fun to dump shuttle after shuttle of decaf coffee down the drain. After awhile, you see dollar signs in the sink instead of coffee. We now make decaf Americano's for our non-caffiene friends. Americano's taste better than brewed coffee anyway, and it saves us lots of money. Starbucks indicated that this move will save them $400 Million dollars a year. I think we are saving just a little less than that... LOL

Gotta run,
Take care and God bless…
JD

Starbucks "Cuts the Cheese"

2009-01-25T10:54:00.002-07:00

I was reading an article about pending Starbucks layoffs, and I couldn't help myself after reading this paragraph:

Initially, Schultz said he was eliminating heated breakfast sandwiches because their smell overwhelmed the aroma of coffee. Then, Starbucks decided to keep the sandwiches because it found a way to minimize the smell (by subtracting a piece of cheese).

I thought "WOW, this will make a great opportunity for a blog entry title!"

Starbucks sales continue to slide, and they are laying off lots of corporate staff, and regional/district managers. I just wonder how far they will slide before they concentrate on what is really important, which is getting their product quality back to where it was in 1995. Maybe they have grown so big that they have no chance of doing so. They are also facing a new foe with McDonald's opening espresso bars. McDonalds has also opted for the "crummy drink generators," otherwise known as Super Automatics. Shops who are dedicated to making great coffee have very little to fear, but I imagine Starbucks will take another hit on sales. If you can get an equally crummy latte, along with some of those sweet Micky D's french fries, why on earth would you ever go to Starbucks again??? And, yes, I am serious about the french fries. They are my favorite...

As for Nemo's, we will continue to grind and tamp fresh espresso, and time our shots for the optimal espresso flavor and quality. Sorry, we don't serve french fries, though.

Take care,
JD

Wanting to market photography more...

2009-01-22T22:23:00.002-07:00

I've been getting steady photography and video work, and I really enjoy doing it. I was taken out of action with the broken collar bone for awhile, but I'm able to shoot again without too much pain. I've been shooting two Canon 20D bodies for weddings, one with a 24-70 L and one with a 70-200 L. I held out on upgrading bodies through the releases of the 30D, 40D and 50D. I seriously considered a 5D, but heard a 5D MkII would release 'soon'. I think I have waited for about 18 months, and the MkII is now a reality, although no one has any in stock.

So... I've been waiting for this, and now it is here. Do I get it, or not? It is an amazing camera, and would be a huge asset to have for future work. The body is around $2700, so it is a big investment. I just billed for three video projects, and that income is $2600. My gut instinct tells me to save that for now. I have two more video projects coming soon, with more to follow. I'm struggling with that need/want problem. I can get by right now without it, but it really would be an improvement, especially for large 20" x 30" prints. It is 21 megapixels vs. 8.1 megapixels. There would be absolutely no comparison in image quality between the 20D and the 5D MkII. The image quality is unbelievable in low light, when shooting at high ISO ratings. My 20D creates nearly unusable images in the same situations (which occur frequently at wedding receptions, and sometimes the ceremony too).

I've pretty much made up my mind to get one, but I won't do it unless I can pay cash for it. I think I'll wait for a few more video projects... It took me most of my life to become financially responsible. I can't waver on that now...

Nemo's had really great days for the last two days in a row. We have posted sales that are 65% higher than sales on the same days in 2008. Woo Hoo... Keep it coming!

Gotta run...
Now, here is a little thing I put together really fast... What do you think of this?

Congrats to Condoleezza Rice

2009-01-21T12:27:00.001-07:00

I don’t know if you followed yesterday’s events, but I’d like to congratulate Condoleezza for being the first black US president, and the first female US president!
The Constitution clearly states that the outgoing President’s and Vice-President’s terms expire precisely at 12:00pm on January 20th. It also states that the newly elected President and Vice-President are not qualified to assume the duties of office until they have completed the Oath of office. Barrack Obama completed his oath at 12:04 pm. By the letter of the law, neither President Bush, nor President-elect Obama was acting president during those four minutes. Presidential succession goes next to Speaker of the House, but requires the Speaker to resign in order to take the Presidency. Since Pelosi did not resign her position, she was not considered to be President for those four minutes. Next is the Senate President Pro Tempore, but the requirements are the same as for the Speaker of the House. Since Byrd did not resign his position, he was not considered to be President. If you follow the Presidential succession, the next in line is the Secretary of State. However, a resignation is not required in order for the Secretary to be acting President. By default, by the letter of the law, that means Condoleezza Rice was the President of the United States for four minutes, prior to Barrack Obama completing his Oath of office. That makes President Obama the second black president, not the first.

Why is it that oil prices are still falling, now less than $33 a barrel, but gas prices are going up? Does that make sense to anyone? In case you are not aware of it, super tankers fully laden with oil are anchoring off shore, waiting for oil prices to rise before bringing their black gold into port. As a result, gas prices are rising based upon good old supply and demand principles. Isn’t that nice of them, to manipulate prices this way?

I mentioned recently that Tracy and I are very happy with our staff at Nemo’s right now. Well, Matt is interested in moving back to Hawaii, and gave his notice early this week. Tracy and I have been reviewing applications and have five interviews tonight. We have some really great applicants, but their availability does not line up with our needs. We have other great applicants as well, but our favorites from the bunch are not going to work. It has taken a couple of years to learn, but there are subtle hints in applications and resumes that help us to weed out potential candidates. One thing to look at is job history. If an application looks stellar, but their job history shows they do not remain in positions for more than 3-6 months that is a huge red flag. This means they are flighty and fickle with regard to their employment desires (which is not uncommon in teens and early twenty-somethings), or they are not good employees and get cut loose often. If we ask individuals why they left their last several positions, and they say they were treated poorly by ‘bad management’ at every single place they have ever worked, there might be a problem with their attitude, work ethic, attendance, etc… Sure, there is bad management out there, but it should not be the reason for leaving five jobs in a row, after two months at each place. A more subtle version of this is if people leave a job because they do not get enough hours. Well, we know as business owners that you give the bulk of your schedule hours to your best assets. Less valuable employees get fewer hours. People you want to get rid of get single digit hours until they decide to quit. Learning how to hire well is very important for your business success. Another trap to avoid is to hire and keep nice people who are not optimal employees. It is very hard to cut someone loose when they are very nice. Sometimes it is impossible to know what kind of employee they will be until you see them in action. It can damage your business, though, to keep an ineffective employee just because they are pleasant and nice people.

I’ve been out of my sling for nearly a week. I’m usually in a great deal of pain by the end of the day, but I can see improvements day by day of range of motion in my shoulder. I have tried hard not to favor my left arm/shoulder, which results in discomfort. Better to use it and feel the pain than to favor it forever. The doctor was concerned that it might break again without the sling, but so far so good. …three more weeks until my next date with the x-ray machine.

Gotta run…
Hope everyone is well. If you are on Facebook, look up Nemo’s Coffee. We would love to be your friend!

JD

Quick Update

2009-01-15T21:34:00.003-07:00

I would love to summarize 2008 and set some goals, hopes, and desires for 2009, but I don't have enough time right now to do it well, so I am going to hold off...

Quick rundown for us, though:

1 - We continue to operate right around the break even thresh hold, but without paying ourselves. We'd love to put some money in Tracy's pocket this year...
2 - January is typically a slow month for retail, and especially for discretional food/beverage spending. People are typically tight on money after the Christmas season, and people start their healthy, lose-weight resolutions in January. They usually fall off the wagon by sometime in February. We are seeing sales growth in Jan09 of about 15% compared to Jan08. That is good...
3 - I went to the orthopedic surgeon today for follow up x-rays on my clavicle break. The good news is that my injury has improved enough that he did not schedule me for surgery. The bad news is it has not healed as it should, and he is giving me four more weeks before he makes a decision. If the bone density is not good by then, it is surgery to re-break the bone and install a metal plate to hold it together. Then I get to start this miserable process all over again. However, my arm has been in a sling for 2 1/2 months. He does not want my shoulder to remain immobilized, so the sling is gone! I have to start physical therapy next week to regain range of motion in my shoulder, but no strength conditioning, as my clavicle will break with very little stress due to the lack of bone density at the break location. He figures that if it is out of the sling and breaks again, then he can go in and fix it. If it doesn't break and continues to heal, then so be it. I'm just hoping that if I do have surgery, I can get one of those red Terminator eyes to go with the new bionic shoulder... Maybe he can fix some of my personality defects while he's at it!
4 - The kids are all doing well, as is Tracy.
5 - Work is miserable, due to the extremely heavy workload right now. I'm looking forward to six weeks from now when I'm past this difficult and stressful time.
6 - Oh yeah... I also want to mention that Tracy and I are incredibly happy with our staff at Nemo's right now. It has taken a year and a half for us to make mistakes, learn from them, and finally dial our staff in the way we want it to be. Everyone we have right now is absolutely wonderful. Great people... Stop in and say hello to whoever is working. We are sure you will like them all.

Gotta run...
Hope everyone is well.
JD

Christmas Wishlist

2008-12-22T21:40:00.005-07:00

Well, it is almost Christmas. The last couple of years have been a new exercise in 'frugal' for us. Starting a new business right before the global economy goes up in flames is a pretty tough deal. If you keep up with our blog, you know that we are OK with whatever comes our way. Overall, the shop is barely holding its own. Tracy's compensation for all of her hard work is a brand new Honda CRV, leased through the Nemo's business, and whatever she gets in tips. My salary as a Project Engineer pays the bills on the domestic side of things. My earnings on the side for photo and video projects is filling the gap for some major purchases including our new lighted sign and making up for any budget shortfalls. We are making it, and we hope to continue to make it. It is in God's hands, and Tracy and I are both OK with that.

Now, if I were to use my imagination a little, what would I like to buy with my photo/video earnings, if they were available to spend? My biggest want/need/desire is a new camera body. I am currently operating with two Canon EOS 20D bodies. I would love to upgrade, but the 30D was not much of an upgrade when it came out. The 40D was tempting, but not worth spending the money at the time. The new 50D is an impressive camera, but I am ready to step up to something better than the higher end pro-sumer models. Megan left her Canon 5D with me while she was in Italy. She took my Canon G9 with her for that trip. I did a couple of photo shoots with the 5D and I loved it. Canon recently released the Canon 5D MkII. It lists for $3999, but can be purchased from a reputable dealer for $2700. It is a full frame sensor, 21 Mega-pixel still camera, and it also shoots HD video! Here are a couple of images to slobber on:

Hopefully I'll be able to grab one of these in 2009. The only thing good about waiting on technology products is that the price drops as more time goes by. The original 5D is selling for $1500 now. If things don't pan out for a MkII, I may go ahead and grab a 5D first generation body. Either way, they are great cameras and I'm looking forward to eventually having one in my gear bag.

As for Christmas this year, I'll take my lumps of coal and be happy. I have too many blessings to count, and it is not really about presents anyway.

Take care,
JD

Our Anniversary!

2008-12-21T12:01:00.003-07:00

Today is Tracy and I's 12th anniversary. I'm not going to say much, other than this is how we survive and stay strong:

1 Corinthians 13 4-8 New King James Version

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13 4-8 New International Version

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

If you ever find yourself at a difficult point in a relationship, test your love against this definition shown above. Whenever I do so, I find that I need to give more of myself, and expect less of others. That ALWAYS fixes whatever problem I am having.

Take care,
JD

Nemo's Photos

2008-12-20T16:17:00.009-07:00

From Day One, I had planned to post photos taken at Nemo's on a regular basis. I always seemed to be too busy to get it done. I would either not get photos taken, or if I did, I would not have the time to sit down and post them. Well, today I decided to take a couple of photos, and MAKE SURE I GOT THEM POSTED HERE!

Before anything else comes up to distract me, I am going to upload the images! Click on an image to see a larger version. Use your back button to get back to the main page.

This is a shot of Tracy and Rachelle (one of our employess who stopped in, but was not working today).

...and a shot of Matt, who was working today.

And a few shots of the cafe:
In this shot, you can see two movie theater seats tucked in next to the half wall. People LOVE these seats! You can also see a big stick to the right of the loveseat. When you have three boys, you end up with sticks everywhere. If you read the Drudge Report, you might remember a story about the thousands and thousands of flags that got thrown in dumpsters after the DNC convention in Denver. Many people were appalled by this. The flags you see in this image are two of them. McCain/Palin had a rally here in Colorado Springs, and they heard about the DNC flags in the dumpsters. They sent people up to Denver to get them all. Tracy brought these two back from the rally.

This half wall originally separated the two storefront spaces. Ryan had an idea to put a water feature in this space. It was going to be a textured glass plate that water would run down. With colored lights, it would have been a really cool water feature. As constuction got behind schedule, we decided to put in shelves instead. I think I like the shelves better. Most of the books are my Photoshop technique books, and other art books. A number of the nick-nacks came from Tracy's grand parents' homes. The antique dog on wheels belonged to Tracy's dad when he was a toddler. He can remember sitting on it and riding it. The raku fired sphere on the top shelf is one of the first items Tracy and I bought when we moved into our first home. The Colorado book is a photo book showing scenes around Colorado from the 1870's, and shot again from the same location in 2000. The wooden book stand was a Christmas gift from my Mom a few years ago. The enamel popcorn bowl was a Christmas gift I got for Tracy a couple of years back. The solid maple a walnut checker board on the bottom right was from an estate sale. Tracy was able to speak with the man in his 80's who had made it. Most things in life have a story to them, but hundreds of people come an go without any of these details. I made the table sitting under the bookshelves. It is Padauk, with two strips of Maple inlaid. The apron and legs are Ash. The pine chairs were part of the dining set from Tracy's childhood.

The table on the right came from Tracy's grandfather's home. The round table in the back came from Tracy's older sister's house. The table on the left was the table Tracy owned when I met her in 1995. The fourth table in this image came from an estate sale for $25. The estate sale was in the same neighborhood where Tracy's father grew up.

Gotta run... I've been on the move all day (about 10 hours straight) and my shoulder/broken collar bone are KILLING ME.

JD

Update 12-15-08

2008-12-15T20:30:00.003-07:00

Well, so far our sales have been higher this month than in December 2007. That is a good thing. We are still experiencing a downturn in sales for November and December overall, but not nearly like last year.

I was able to finish two of my three video projects recently. I have to get the last one out very soon. I also have four photoshoots to edit and get prints out to customers before Christmas. I was recently hired to design a company logo. I keep getting side jobs, and thankfully, my injuries are healed enough to work at the computer. I went to the doctor today for x-rays. He said my clavical is healing slower than normal, and that I need to keep wearing the sling for another four weeks. I wonder if the slow healing has to do with me using my left arm for too many tasks, instead of letting it rest and heal better??? I guess that is an acceptable trade off. I would rather get things done now and take longer to heal.

Gotta run. We are all doing well, and I hope the same for you.
Take care,
JD

Military Photos...

2008-12-05T12:04:00.015-07:00

I haven't done this (or anything else for awhile due to my injuries), so here goes...

MOBILE, Ala. (May 28, 2008) The littoral combat ship pre-commissioning unit Independence (LCS 2) is the second ship in a new design of next-generation combat vessel for close-to-shore operations. The ship will have a crew of less than 40 Sailors and will be able to reach a sustained speed of more than 50 knots. The larger flight deck will accommodate 2 SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters or one CH-53-class helicopter. (U.S. Navy Photo/Released)

The U.S. Navy crew of the littoral combat ship USS Freedom prepares mooring lines as the ship positions to berth along the St. Lawrence River in Quebec City, Canada, Nov. 21, 2008. Freedom is the first of two littoral combat ships designed to operate in shallow water environments to counter threats in coastal regions. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin S. O'Brien

An F-16 Fighting Falcon prepares to get into position to receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker Dec. 1 over the Southwestern United States. The F-16 was en route to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., to take part in Green Flag East, a pre-deployment exercise for Air Combat Command flying units that perform close-air support and precision-guided munitions delivery. The F-16 is from the 120th Fighter Squadron of the Colorado Air National Guard. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. John Nimmo Sr.)

Hey, look, I think I see my house in this one!
An F-16 Fighting Falcon prepares to get into position to receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker Dec. 1 over the Southwestern United States. The F-16 was en route to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., to take part in Green Flag East, a pre-deployment exercise for Air Combat Command flying units that perform close-air support and precision-guided munitions delivery. The F-16 is from the 120th Fighter Squadron of the Colorado Air National Guard. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. John Nimmo Sr.)

An A-10 Thunderbolt II flies a combat mission over Afghanistan providing armed aerial overwatch for coalition forces. A-10s provide close-air support and employ a wide variety of conventional munitions, including general purpose bombs. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon)

CW2 Jonathan Harris received the Silver Star in a video-telecast ceremony from Bagram, Afghanistan Nov. 28. Minute later, his father also received a Silver Star. Photo by courtesy photo December 03, 2008

The Bearer Party carry Lieutenant Michael Fussell off the A41 C-17 Globe Master at RAAF Base Richmond, past the honour guard from the 4th Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) to his waiting family and friends.

U.S. Marines fire the M777 Howitzer during an annual artillery relocation training fire mission on Yausubetsu training site in Hokkaido, Japan, Nov. 20, 2008. The Marines are assigned to Kilo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Claudia M. Palacios

U.S. Army Sgt. Chris Jackson, Joint Task Force-Bravo crew chief, awaits for instructions on the location of the next food drop, Dec. 1, 2008.
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Joel Mease

INDIAN OCEAN (Dec 3, 2008) An SH-60B Sea Hawk helicopter from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 42 assigned to the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) lowers pallets onto the fantail of the Military Sealift Command fleet ocean tug USNS Catawba (T-ATF 168) during a vertical replenishment. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric L. Beauregard/Released)

And these are some of our enemies... Muslim extremists gathered to burn flags of the United States and India. Don't forget, there are countless extremists all over the world. Their strategy is to strike at the innocent, especially women and children, in order to get the most notoriety, and to spread the most TERROR. That is why we call them terrorists. Our government and our military have done an exceptional job of protecting us since 9-11-01. Other countries have not fared as well. Remember to support our troops here at home and around the world. They are sacrificing much so that we can remain safe.

Continuation from yesterday

2008-12-05T11:53:00.001-07:00

Anyway, this is what I really wanted to say about TV yesterday, but I ran out of time. There was a new show on Wednesday night. I caught some previews a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been looking forward to seeing it. The show premiered Wednesday night, and it is called The Secret Millionaire. Basically, multi-millionaires agree to give up everything for a week, and agree to live in a poor community with only one week’s worth of welfare wages.
Their goals are to survive on just those welfare wages, and also to interact with people in the community. At the end of the week, they are to give away a minimum of $100,000 of their own money to people they feel are in need and worthy of the help. I really enjoyed watching this show! It was very powerful and moving. I’m not a sappy person, but this show brought tears to my eyes several times. The main premise of the show is powerful, but it is not what impacted me the most. What really captured my attention were the people in these communities who have absolutely nothing, and yet they spend all of their time and limited resources to help other people in their communities. Tracy and I give to a couple of charities, and we volunteer at our church. However, this show made me realize we can do even more. Looking back on my life, I know that the times I have felt the best in my life are times when I have done something to help others. The feelings and emotions after helping others are so much more enriching than just about any others I can remember. If you are in the habit of helping others, then you know exactly what I mean. If you haven’t done something like this in awhile, then I challenge you to do something nice, helpful, and maybe even unexpected for someone in need. You will be amazed with the results for yourself, not to mention for the people/organization you have helped.

Nemo’s…

2008-12-04T16:58:00.001-07:00

Last year our sales took a dive towards the end of October, worsened around Thanksgiving, continued to decline through Christmas, stayed soft in January 2008, and finally began to rebound in February. This year, October was our best month of sales ever, breaking the $15,000 for the first time! November 08 has continued to show strong sales compared to last year. We are consistently showing $650 to $775 days, with an occasional $500 - $600 weak day thrown into the mix. Considering the horrible economic outlook and dreary financial news we are being inundated with daily, we are especially happy with Nemo’s performance. However, we are taking things one day at a time, knowing that the sour economic news could impact us at anytime. All we know to do is continue to provide top notch quality product, excellent customer service, and to continue strongly in our faith that God knows best. God continues to provide, and we are very content with that, even though we are not paying ourselves. Tracy works incredibly hard without reward, other than her own satisfaction in a job done better than expected. We have our hopes that the economic crisis will eventually pass, and that our sales will climb as a result. For now, we are patient, diligent, humble, grateful, thankful, and trusting…

As for my recovery, I get better every day. I no longer take Motrin, and I do OK throughout the day. In my past, I typically ignored pain and continued with my life, regardless of my injuries/condition. I can’t count the number of times I ripped stitches out playing sports (when I was NOT supposed to be active following knee/ankle surgeries, etc)… I’m not nearly as tough as I used to be, but I think I have weathered this injury pretty well. Going back to work just 10 days after re-breaking my clavicle was a real challenge, but I survived it. Today is four weeks of healing. I have loosened my sling, and I’ve started supporting the weight of my arm with my muscles/collar bone. It is painful, but I’m very much in tune with how much stress and strain I can put on it without causing any damage. I tried to open a new jar of grape jelly yesterday, but I couldn’t do it. I felt the strain on my broken clavicle and gave up prior to hurting it. I am still injured and severely limited in what I can do, but I’m getting there!

As I mentioned before, I was forced to watch a great deal of TV while I was immobilized. That goes against the grain for me, and most of it was poor quality content. I enjoyed watching various shows with Gordon Ramsey. He is rough around the edges, but he is absolutely brilliant! He knows how to get people to perform at his level of expectations, and he does so in a very short period of time. If I were to make a list of 10 people I would like to meet, he would certainly be on the list. Some others would be Glenn Beck, Norm Abrams, ummmm… that’s all I can think of. I don’t care too much about celebrities, but there are a few who I think are quite remarkable. Well, three anyway.

Gotta run.
JD

Good & Bad of a broken clavicle

2008-11-25T13:48:00.003-07:00

Good things about breaking your clavicle:
1. Nearly impossible to get run over by a bus while immobilized at home.
2. ummm… can’t think of anything else

Bad things about breaking your clavicle
1. Lots and lots of pain. Breathing hurts. Blinking hurts. Thinking hurts. Not even moving hurts. Moving causes REDICULOUS pain.
2. Can’t lie down; must sleep in a chair for weeks and weeks
3. Miss two weeks of work at the most inopportune time. Must return to work sooner than you are able to out of fear of losing your job.
4. Finding out that you did not opt for short term disability coverage on your health insurance plan.
5. Placing the burden of every single thing in your life on your wife, without the ability to help her do even the simplest of tasks.
6. Trying to do anything with only one arm/hand.
7. Unable to shower. Giving yourself a sponge bath is ineffective because it hurts so much to even make small movements
8. Unable to interact with your children for fear they will hurt you (three boys do not understand calm, even if they try their best)
9. Unable to use deodorant. Axe men’s body spray only goes so far to make you smell better
10. Being in a sling makes your hand and fingers swell up and ache, also to go numb and tingle.
11. Being forced to watch tv for hours on end. Everything on tv is total crap. Cooking and remodeling shows are somewhat bearable.
12. Putting on socks is nearly impossible. Can’t tie your shoes.
13. Having to take liquid calcium supplements that taste bad.
14. Not being able to complete the editing of a wedding, a family portrait session, a high school senior photo session and having disappointed/frustrated clients.
15. Unable to get comfortable, not sleeping well all night because of it. Finally get to sleep, only to have the alarm go off. Sit there for a couple of minutes and realize nothing hurts, everything is comfortable, but have to ruin it by getting up to get the kids ready for school.
16. Having clients call to schedule photo sessions and not be able to accommodate them at the height of Family Holiday Photo season.
17. Unable to edit two different industrial training video projects, and create 150 DVD’s for the clients.
18. Can’t button my Levi’s.
19. After a week or so in a sling (non-stop) your skin on your arm/hand starts to itch. After scratching it (causing much pain in your broken clavicle) the skin hurts and burns. Trying to get a wet washcloth inside the sling to try to keep your skin healthy is difficult and very painful. Applying Neosporin or lotion to your now unhealthy skin is difficult and hurts.
20. Your tailbone feels like it is on fire after sitting in/sleeping in a leather recliner for days on end.
21. Venturing out to church, and being TERRIFIED of somebody greeting you warmly with a hug or a friendly slap on the back.
22. Watching your wife carry groceries into the house and being unable to help.
23. Going anywhere and being TERRIFIED that someone might bump into you.
24. Finding out roads you thought were smooth actually have TERROR inflicting bumps in them. Roads you knew were bumpy cause you immense pain beyond belief.
25. Having to spend Christmas money when things are already tight on medical bills.
26. I could think of a million more things… I give up for now.

Front Range Orthopedics

2008-11-25T11:35:00.001-07:00

When I went to the ER following my accident, they TORTURED me in order to get x-rays. They had me move my arm in many different ways that were excruciatingly painful. For their final trick, they laid me down flat, which made my shoulder feel like it was going to explode. Then, to make matters worse, the moved the table from horizontal to a decline of about 15 or 20 degrees (head down, feet up), which nearly caused me to have a heart attack. Then they splayed my arm out to the left away from my body, and then pulled my upper arm away from my body at the shoulder. The tech had to hold my arm and manipulate it into that position, since my collar bone was broken. After the x-ray was completed, the tech just dropped my arm and walked away. I felt my collar bone rotate up and push against the skin from the weight of my arm. Lucky for me, it did not puncture through the skin. I had to reach over with my other hand, grab my left arm, and put it back into place, once again shifting my broken collar bone in very painful ways. I can’t remember ever screaming in pain like that at any other time in my life. I broke out in a cold sweat, and I was trembling in an uncontrollable manner. It took several minutes for that to pass. I told the x-ray tech that I was going to hunt him down and hurt him once I was able to…

Fast forward three weeks… I had an appointment yesterday at Front Range Orthopedics for new x-rays and general follow-up. I have been absolutely terrified all week. If I try to lie down flat, my clavicle feels like it is going to come apart. I’m still sleeping in a recliner at about 45 degrees upright. I have just over 2 weeks of healing completed (after re-breaking the clavicle a second time), but even the slightest movement of my arm/shoulder causes excruciating pain. As a result, I’ve made it a point to not move those areas at all. Just the motion of walking causes pain, which I can handle. Moving that arm though, even just a fraction of an inch, causes tremendous pain at my clavicle and in my shoulder. I also have had lots of clicking, pain, and instability in my left shoulder as well. The thought of going through x-rays again like I did at the hospital has been weighing very heavily on my mind this week. I have literally been terrified of going to this appointment. Well, I voiced my concerns prior to starting x-rays and the tech just stared at me in disbelief when I described what they did at the hospital. He said that is insane and unbelievable, and said whoever did that to me should be fired. He did the new x-rays with me standing up, without removing the sling. Totally pain free!!!! That is how they should have done it at the ER as well. The doctor said my clavicle is healing well, with some, but not excessive, overlap of the two bone pieces. He said the instability and pain in my shoulder is normal for a full clavicle fracture. The clavicle is one of several anchor points of stability for the shoulder. Even with 2 ½ weeks of re-growth, he said the clavicle is still moving and flexible, and not supportive of the shoulder. That is great news! I thought sure I was in line for shoulder surgery once my clavicle heals, but that may not be the case! I’ll find out in three or four weeks.

All in all, I am very happy with how things went. The Ortho doctor also gave me another pain med prescription. I don’t take them during the day, but they are so helpful for sleeping. Last night was the best sleep I’ve had in a week! I went to Walgreens to get the prescription filled, and I found a small miracle tucked away on the shelves while waiting! I can’t move my left arm away from my body, so I have not been able to use deodorant for three weeks. Instead, I’ve been hosing myself down with Axe men’s body spray. That is the best I’ve been able to do, but it doesn’t really work that well. Last night, I found Arid Extra Dry deodorant in a cream! I can just barely apply it without causing too much pain. There are many things I take for granted. A debilitating injury really highlights the conveniences in life that we don’t think much about.

So, overall, the prognosis is good. Now I just need to wait for the medical bills to start rolling in. So far, the costs have been $230 in co-pays, $110 in prescriptions and calcium supplements, and two weeks of lost pay at work. I took 40 hours of vacation pay which helps, but I now have no vacation pay for 2009. I’m not sure how much of the medical bills will be covered by insurance and how much will be my responsibility. Knowing my luck, my insurance probably has a clause exempting idiots that crash their bicycles into heavy steel commercial building doors. Basically, if anyone asks what I’m getting for Christmas in 2008, the answer is “a new clavicle and left ear.”

Gotta run…
JD

Clavicle Update

2008-11-20T14:14:00.002-07:00

Well, it has been nearly three weeks since my original break and two weeks to the hour since the second time I broke my left clavicle. I came back to work Monday, which was 10 1/2 days since the second break. Unfortunately, I was on my feet, moving around, travelling between different project job sites, packing boxes to move from one office to another (where I have more help available to me), etc... All I can say is that it was way too early to go back to work, and completely INSANE for me to be that active. I stayed for 8.5 hours, and tears ran down my face during the drive home. I can't even begin to explain how much pain I was in. As a result, I have been working six hour days Tuesday/Wednesday, and I'm shooting for eight today.

As for my injuries, my shoulder is very unstable and painful. I'm not talking about my clavicle... I am certain that I also sustained some shoulder injuries on top of the broken bone. As for the clavicle healing, I can feel the two bone pieces shift and click (painfully) even with small movements. I have gotten used to it, although occasional SEVERE pain results in an involuntary scream. My co-workers were concerned at first, but now they just laugh at me!

I still can't lie down on my back, so I am still sleeping in the recliner/rocker in the living room. It is so uncomfortable. I can't wait until I have enough stability in my shoulder/clavicle to be able to lie down and sleep in my bed.

I take ibuprofen in the morning, but I usually get busy at work and forget to take more. Then I wind up hurting pretty badly...

I go to ortho on Monday for x-rays. I am really hoping and praying that the clavicle alignment is acceptable, and that I will not have to have surgery to re-break it and fix it with a metal plate.

Gotta run...
take care,
JD

Update

2008-11-11T17:44:00.002-07:00

if you feel the need to break a bone, be sure it is not your clavicle (collar bone). i've spoken to people who have cracked their clavicle, and that is not so bad. a complete break of the clav is devestating. anyone who knows me will know that i am no stranger to sports injuries. i have had six knee surgeries (including an ACL reconstruction from a patellar tendon graft), one ankle reconstruction, countless stitches, and also too many concussions to keep track of. this clavicle break is the worst i've had to go through. this is horrible.

one thing i have noticed in the last couple of days is that my left shoulder feels like it has gravel in it, and it has painful clicking and popping going on. i am 99% sure that i am going to be faced with shoulder surgery after this clavicle heals. that's bad ju-ju...

i went to the doctor yesterday to get the stitches taken out of my ear. i have had over 200 stitches in my life (hands, arms, knees, legs, feet) and this was the first time a doctor ever took them out. i have always ripped them out playing sports, or if they survived a whole week, i usually took them out myself. i congratulated the doctor on this fine accomplishment, and he thought i was a little strange.

gotta run... my shoulder is starting to hurt pretty badly.
jd

re-broke my clavicle

2008-11-09T13:11:00.003-07:00

Well, it has been almost one week since i crashed. my collar bone had started to feel a ittle more stable, which gave me a slight sense of security, i think. i took a shower wednesday night, which was very difficult. i have since decided that is too risky. feeling clean is a luxury i won't be taking for granted anymore. on thursday, i tried to open a little bottle of welches juice. i was able to hold the bottle tightly with my left hand (same side as my broken collar bone) without feeling any pain in my shoulder/clavicle area. i tried to twist open the sealed plastic cap with my right hand. i gradually increased the twisting force, expecting the cap to spin free once the plastic seal broke free. instead, i heard a sharp crack and felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder, right where the break is. a small amount of movement confirmed my worst fear. my clavicle was completely unstable again, and i could feel the bones moving freely again, and grinding against each other. i completely re-broke the clavicle again, on a stupid bottle of juice, no less. now it is sunday, and i have three days of healing under my belt, instead of seven days. i don't think my chances of going back to work early this week are very good. bummer...

i have since decided to not try anything at all. no unneccessary movements or actions. i need to get better.

as for nemos, we had pretty decent sales last week. we have live music monday, and matt, one of our new employees, will be covering. i'll have to be there, but i am just going to sit still and listen. tracy is doing an amazing job of running the shop, and doing everything at home without any help. i feel really bad that i have put her in this situation. the kids have been troopers too. they are all willing to help, and they have made things easy on me getting them ready for school.

gotta run... it starts to hurt if i sit upright for too long without supporting my bad arm with my good arm.

take care and God bless!
jd

All busted up...

2008-11-05T18:38:00.002-07:00

i would much rather just have a broken a arm where i could have a cast and go on with my life. trying to keep a completely severed clavicle immobilized is near impossible. i keep feeling the bones rub against each other. the only good thing about a broken clav is that it hurts enough to not even think about my ear that i split from top to bottom!

jonah took a couple of photos of me yesterday...

Halloween Surprise!

2008-11-04T11:54:00.002-07:00

We are very happy to say that October 2008 was our best month of sales in our 18 months of operation! We barely made it over the $15,000 in sales threshold by about seven dollars!

On the bad side of things, I had a bicycle wreck yesterday and broke my left clavicle (collar bone) and lacerated my left ear from top to bottom. Six stitches (with no anesthesia!), a sling, and a chest compression wrap later... and I'm ready for more action. Well, that's if you consider sitting around trying not to move 'action'.

Several minutes of sitting fully upright is making my shoulder hurt, so I'd better run.

Don't forget to vote today! I'm still in my hospital gown because I can't move my arm and I'm going to go vote...

Take care and God Bless!
JD

Nemo's Update

2008-10-27T21:09:00.004-06:00

Things have been hectic lately for us. We recently did a round of interviews and wanted to hire just about everybody, even though we only had one definite spot to fill. We hired two and were really happy with our picks. Jessica received a call from her previous employer who asked her to come back. So after just one shift, Jessica was gone...
We quickly brought another great interviewer on board, and Matt is doing awesome! He is taking Megan's place as our closing supervisor.
Josh is our other hire, and he has close ties to the local music scene, and he will be a great asset for building our live music.
Tracy also hired another Megan, and I have not met her yet...

We just finished tonight's Bluegrass Music Jam. We had 15 musicians tonight, and a packed house for spectators. The local newspaper ran the event for three days in a row last week, and it has really increased our turnout. We have people that drive 2 hours every Monday to get here from Boulder, Broomfield, Pueblo, etc...

We are in the biggest financial turmoil in nearly a century, but we are on pace to have our highest sales ever. We should just barely get over the $15k mark for the month of October. We have never reached $15,000 in sales for a month before, so this would be a great milestone, and it would be very encouraging to see that happen during such financial destruction in so many areas. God continues to provide, and that is where we put our faith and trust.

Our new lighted sign should be going up in two or three weeks. I'm looking forward to that!

I have two more video projects underway for building commissioning and turnover for the Army Corps of Engineers. These video projects are going to provide an extra dose of income on the side this year. It will pay for our lighted sign and allow us to have Christmas! I have been keeping my eyes peeled for good deals. I bought the boys a $200 Meade telescope with tripod and planetarium software for $20 (found it on www.bargainoutfitters.com). I found $120 skateboards on sale for $14.99 at Amazon yesterday, so three of those are on the way. Josh already has an air rifle with scope (bb/pellet gun), but I'm looking for two more for Jonah and Ethan. I'm hoping to find some on sale soon... I also loaded up on some Nerf toys from Amazon ($24 rapid fire nerf dart guns for $8, some Bionicle figures (normally $10 for $2), and some Army guy action figures (like GI Joe, but different brand) for $2 each, etc). Yes, this year is "Internet Clearance" Christmas.

OK, it is after 9:30 and I still have to close up shop and do payroll.

Take care, and DON'T FORGET TO VOTE next week. I honestly believe the outcome of this election will have ramifications that could last for decades. Whichever side you support, GET OUT AND VOTE. I believe this election will go down in history as one of the most important during our lifetimes. Don't miss it.

JD

Nemo's Update

2008-10-17T17:25:00.002-06:00

Well, this week turned out surprisingly well, considering how it started. Monday was one of our lowest sales days in many, many months. Days like that kind of scare us... However, Tuesday through Friday all rebounded with strong sales and higher customer counts! We ended the week in good shape, which I did not expect after Monday's dismal showing.

A couple of random stats:
Since our opening day April 26, 2008 until today, our total sales have been $228,594. We act as a distributor for the Solid Rock Cafe, and we earn 15% on those sales. We also have a number of catering events for Premiere Global, Time Warner, the El Paso County Health Department, etc. Those events get invoiced through QBPro, and do not show up in our sales history in QBPOS. Our total customer counts have been 48,682! That is an average of 2863 per month, and 130 per day. I would really love to get that up to about 165 a day, consistently. As it is, we are still nervous about making it or not. If we can boost our daily customer count by even 20 per day, we'll be in the clear.

I have a very busy weekend ahead of me. I have approximately 20 hours of video to edit and create 12 DVD movies from. They are training videos from commissioning a building that my company just completed. I have to create custom DVD menu's with navigation, custom labels, and custom DVD case inserts. On Monday, I start two more major video projects, and a third following two weeks behind that. I also have to complete some wedding edits, and create a DVD movie set to music, using motion effects on the still photos from the wedding. I also have a photo shoot on Sunday, and I'm going to do school portraits for the boys at the same location. There are several other families who are interested in having school photos done as well, but none of them have confirmed for Sunday yet.

In my "spare time" this weekend, I will be working at Nemo's Saturday from 6:30am to 2:30pm, and then Tracy and I are dropping the kids off at a birthday party/sleepover, and then Tracy and I are working the espresso bar for our church's Saturday night service. I also have to finish making Jonah's Halloween costume, and I think Josh wants me to make a costume for him too.

That should be enough stuff for this weekend... I don't see much sleep in the next couple of days...

Take care,
JD

Who to hire?

2008-10-12T19:30:00.003-06:00

Tracy and I had a number of interviews on Saturday, and we have another tomorrow night. We had about 60 applicants from a 3 day Craig's List ad. So far, everyone we have interviewed are keepers. How do we decide from there, how to fill two spots? I guess we will narrow it down by what our schedule needs are, compared to what their availabilities are, and how many hours they want. If we have a 25 hour per week position to fill, and someone says they need 35-40 hours, then they are out... Usually, there are one or two standouts from a group of interviews. This is the first time we have ever wanted to hire EVERYONE we talked to...
We will be making a decision on Tuesday or so. Stay tuned...

As for the financial turmoil, who really knows what is going to happen? This is kind of scary for us. Starting a business 18 months before a global financial meltdown is about as bad as it gets. Right now, I have no way of predicting whether or not we can ride it out and make it. Our sales dropped a little last week from our recent averages. People are leery of parting with their money right now. We'll have to see how things go, not just for us, but for everyone out there...

JD

Photos from today...

2008-10-12T18:13:00.005-06:00

We drove to Manitou Lake, a few miles outside of Woodland Park, today to let the boys run around and do boy stuff. They had their hearts set on catching garter snakes, but it was a little chilly and no snakes could be found. Instead, they had a blast with cat tails!
Click on any of the images to see a larger version...

Later,
JD

Craig's List

2008-10-07T20:23:00.002-06:00

Craigs List is a wonderful thing, if you need to get word out quickly that you are hiring.
Megan is going back home to Arkansas, so we need to replace her. She has been one of our most solid employees, working a larger number of hours per week, and being a key holder for closes, including counting out the drawer. With her leaving, we need to fill the void.

I placed an ad on Craig's List this afternoon. Within 15 minutes I had seven replies by email. It is now 8:30pm and I have 17 responses by email. Megan said five or six people came into the shop and filled out applications during the afternoon before we closed.

Did I mention that Craig's List is free? Our newspaper ad when we first started cost over $300 and got us about 12 applications over the course of 10 days...
The new generation communicates differently than all us 40-somethings and older. Knowing how to reach them can save time and money.

I have a million things to do, so I'd better run.
Take care,
JD

Monday 10-6-08

2008-10-06T21:32:00.003-06:00

We had a pretty good day, above average, thanks to Tracy's catering at lunch and our live Bluegrass Music Jam tonight. It doesn't matter where it comes from, just as long as it comes! Every dollar counts!

I had a meeting with a representative of the lead (most popular) local television channel. They are pitching television commercial advertising to us. My gut feeling is that it is not a great deal. They want to charge approx $3500 to create a 30 second commercial (one that Tracy and I are responsible for the content, script, and speaking parts -- nothing fancy or overly helpful) and two minutes of air time a week for three months (Nov, Dec, Jan). The commercial would play between 5:00am and 6:00am (when no one is watching TV). If we had money coming out of our ears, we might do it. Since we don't, we'll probably take a pass and find some other way to spend our advertising dollars. I'm not opposed to TV advertising, but not for that chunk of cash and that time of day for air time. Let's see... that is $9.72 per second, and $583.33 per minute. Naaahhhh....

It's late...
Gotta run.
JD

Stealth Bomber in Colorado Springs

2008-10-04T15:11:00.003-06:00

The US Naval Academy is playing the US Air Force Academy today in Colorado Springs. They have fly-overs for all of the AF games, but have amazing fly-overs for games against the other military academies. This is a shot of a Stealth Bomber in a high banked turn, going South to come around on the Air Force football stadium. That is Pikes Peak in the background.
I was driving home from Nemo's and saw this guy coming. I pulled over and snapped a couple of shots with my Canon G9.

Early October Update

2008-10-03T10:14:00.003-06:00

Not too long ago, I mentioned that I did not believe we had seen the worst of financial failures yet. The last couple of weeks have confirmed what I thought… Our whole economic system is on the brink of failure, and many foreign banks have invested heavily in US securities, backed by failing mortgages, resulting in a global economic issue. How will all of this pan out? Who really knows at this point? Our dysfunctional government is acting like they are going to do something about it, but it failed in its basic form as a rescue plan during the vote in the House. It didn’t pass the Senate vote until hundreds of millions of dollars in special interest pet projects were added. If a representative of our government, elected by the people, refuses to do what needs to be done unless they can get millions of dollars in fraudulent spending added for their state or their district, then how can any of us have faith in our government? The founding fathers believed that ‘the people’ need to run the country, and that the federal government was a necessary evil for basic services such as national security. Our government is so bloated and corrupt; many great men in our nation’s history would roll over in their graves if they knew what has become of us.

OK, enough ranting…

How does all of this impact Nemo’s Coffee?
We have not had any sales growth for quite awhile. When the worst of the financial crisis news hit about ten days ago or so, we had some of our worst sales days in a long time. It was quite discouraging. However, sales have rebounded this week and are back to where they have been averaging for the last several months. The dire situational news really scared people for a few days there… I still think things are going to get worse, but for now, people have gotten over the shell shock of last week’s doom and gloom announcements and have gone back to their normal spending habits.
There is a ballot initiative on the November ballot for Colorado Springs to raise the sales tax by another 1%. That doesn't sound like much, but that would raise our sales tax rate to 8.4% overall. The county is talking about having a $40,000,000 budget deficit without this increase in tax revenue. I am going to vote no. If they can't run the county on 7.4%, then they need to fire some people and go back to the drawing board. We don't need our prices to go up in our shop, and have the increase go to the county. Our customers do not want to pay more.

We have approved our new lighted sign, and it will go into production soon. It should be installed sometime in November. All the other businesses in the center already have their sign, but we had a prolonged ‘dialogue’ with the ownership over costs of the sign, and who was to pay for it. We lost, but the ownership is going to pay for half.

The construction at the center is still progressing. Intellitec’s new building is up and boxed in. They have nearly completed the outdoor café by our storefront. The wall is complete, the patio slab is poured, and all it needs is outdoor furniture and landscaping in the planters. They are now working on the parking lot, to reconfigure the parking scheme, add landscaping, and new blacktop.

I have been averaging about $1350 per month in photography and video projects on the side, which is helping since we are operating at a slight loss. The added income will cover our cost of the new sign as well. I just signed a contract this week with a local company that wants to use my photography for their website and marketing materials. I am charging them an annual flat rate, and it works out well for me and for them…

I had a meeting and signed a contract with an accountant earlier this week. I have learned the basics for payroll, sales tax withholding and payments, unemployment withholding and payments, etc… However, there are accounting responsibilities that need to be done, and will help us more accurately determine our profit/loss status. Our accountant also has a Masters in business, and has some marketing ideas for us. We can use the help, since we are just a couple of amateur hacks!

Tracy has more catering events scheduled for next week. One is at a medical facility on Printers Parkway, which is one of the areas in the block south of us that we want to break into. The other event is at Memorial Hospital, which is just a couple of blocks to the Northwest of us. The more we branch out to these large facilities, the better…

Here are a few recent photos… Click on any image to see a larger version.

We drove up into the mountains, to Cottonwood Lake outside of Buena Vista to take photos of the Aspens last weekend, but the weather conditions were poor. It was very overcast and windy, and not very good for the type of images I wanted to get. When we drove back down in elevation and were headed out of Buena Vista, the sun burst through the cloud cover and lit up this area along the Arkansas River. I stopped and set up my tripod and took a series of photos, bracketed from -4 stops to +3 stops (above and below an average exposure for the scene). I then used Photoshop, and a high dynamic range software called Photomatix to merge the seven exposures into one image, as you see here:

Some Aspen trunks shot in overcast, low contrast conditions...

The three coolest boys on the planet (slightly biased opinion)

Close up details of a dead tree trunk

Ethan hanging out on the railroad tracks...

Josh is really not this serious all the time, but he doesn't cooperate so much anymore for photos...

Cropped section of a sunflower. I played with it a little in Photoshop.

Cool leaf, in Black and White

...and to all a good night. or a good afternoon, or weekend, or whatever works for you.

Is the Economy Melting Down?

2008-09-23T22:18:00.002-06:00

Well, that is a really great question. I've never gone a day in my life where I had to worry about a meal, a car payment, or anything else, really. Economy fluctuations were always going on, but it really didn't affect us much. Now that Tracy and I have a small business, we are very concerned about where things are headed. It seems like it just gets worse and worse every six weeks or so. As bad as last weeks new was, and this week's band-aid approach to fixing it, I just wonder what is around the corner. Heading into the Great Depression, the stock market crashed in October 1929. Banks didn't fail until three or four years later. We are in a situation now where banks are failing, resulting in stock market fluctuations. What does that mean? I don't know for sure, but I do know that events in our world today are unprecedented, at least during my lifetime. My gut feelings tell me we have not seen the worst. I also believe that our enemies are slowly conspiring to take action. Russia has been performing military maneuvers in conjunction with Venezuela and speaking of installing missile systems in Cuba again. They also want to claim the Arctic to the north of us. Iran is doing its thing, and China is a sleeping giant. I keep my eyes on world news and pick up small bits of information all over the place. Any one story is just a data point, but when compiled altogether, I see an abstract movement, an alignment going on that is potentially going to align a number of countries against us and against Western Civilization in general. Is anybody out there watching? Is our government too busy trying to prevent an economic meltdown? I traded gas guzzlers for efficient cars over the last couple of years. I have also started eating leftovers and mending clothing instead of buying new. I believe we are at a time in our culture when people are going to have to alter life styles and go back to the way things were... At least make a move in that direction somewhat. It will be interesting to see how things pan out...

As for Nemo's, sales have been a little bit slower. We have not seen much of a decrease in sales, but it is there. Is it an anomaly, or are things about to crash and burn? No way of knowing, I guess... We will keep working hard and doing our best. Keep us in your prayers...

Thanks,
JD

A few Fall photos...

2008-09-22T15:20:00.006-06:00

I had a high school senior portrait session yesterday and I took a few shots with my Macro lens after we were finished. I don't get much of a chance to shoot for pleasure anymore, but I like the way these came out. 15 minutes of shooting for fun is really nice every now and then...

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version. Use your BACK button to get back to this page...

I have been in negotiations with a local company who wants to use a number of my images for their website. It is a funeral home, so they are looking for simple, but pretty images like the ones above, as well as landscapes of Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, etc. I am meeting with them tonight to finalize terms and $$.

Gotta run,
JD

Wow, it’s been a long time since I have posted…

2008-09-19T14:39:00.001-06:00

Well, gas prices have pretty much stabilized (but still way too high), but everything else seems to be going down in flames. The economy has been sputtering somewhat for a year or so, but not to the point of qualifying as a recession. The things I have noticed most are gas prices and food prices. The recent bank failures concern me, though. It is unbelievable that major financial houses have put themselves and us (you and me, Joe Taxpayers) in jeopardy with high risk loans in the housing market. Tracy and I have been talking about this for years. We bought the house where she grew up in 2005. It is about 1800 sq ft, it is 40 years old, and it cost $172,000. Our payment is $1135 a month, which is high to me. I decided years and years ago that if a car payment is over $300, then I can’t afford that car. I also believed that a house payment should not exceed $1000 per month. I have gone over those numbers slightly, but only in recent years, and not by a lot. Those limits have actually served us well. All of the tens of thousands of new homes built in Colorado Springs over the last decade have been in the $200,000 to $600,000 on average, with some developments being upwards of $1,000,000. People I have worked with, people we know from church, other families from our children’s schools were buying these new houses. Tracy and I actually had conversations wondering what we were doing wrong. How is it that people in our ‘financial range’ are buying houses for $350,000??? Well, it is apparent now how they were doing it. Interest only, adjustable rate mortgages without income verification. There are so many people here, and throughout Colorado losing their homes. The problem is, they could never afford the homes to begin with. The first year or two at 2% interest only worked out great. After that, they are in trouble. Meanwhile, the mortgage reps made a fortune over the last 5-8 years on processing fees. Instead of buying more expensive houses, we would just buy a moderate house and rent out our existing home. We did that twice, and it resulted in us having two rental houses (one of which we sold in April this year). I couldn’t even begin to count the number of pre-approved home loan and home improvement loan offers I received in the mail. They offered $300,000 loans for $900 a month, or they offered to loan up to 125% of the value of our house. It took about 2 seconds to realize those programs are a bad idea. All of them went into the shredder. Do you realize that if you do a 125% loan on your house, and it burns down, you are going to owe the 25% (or more)? The insurance company isn’t going to give you an extra 25% just to be nice. Mortgage brokers sold people on this by telling them their property values will grow so rapidly that in a few years their 125% loan will wind up being a 100% or 90% loan. All they had to do was wait. Well, they waited, and now they are bankrupt and homeless. You and I are going to pay for their poor decisions via out taxes, after Uncle Sam bails out all of these failing companies.

Do you know that when the government bailed out and took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last week, the CEO’s of both companies were sent on their way with multi million dollar severance packages? Could somebody out there explain this to me? It has been uncovered that the organizations cooked the books to make the companies look healthier than they really are in order for CEO’s and other company management to receive the highest possible incentives and bonuses. They ran the companies into the ground, for self benefits, and then are given millions in severance pay when they get fired? Why are they not in jail???? I want answers!! You should to.

OK, enough ranting…

How about Nemo’s? Sales have been off a little since the Labor Day holiday, but they bounced back this week. Believe it or not, the property owners still have not resolved the issue with our new overhead lighted sign. We finally came to an agreement (which consisted of the owner’s refusing any of our requests/demands) this past week. The property manager is now working with a sign company on specifications and design criteria. We should have a lighted sign back up again by November.

In the meantime, I ordered two signs that are 4’ x 8’ (same size as a sheet of plywood). I am going to mount them to plywood in the back of my truck and park it in the lot out by Pikes Peak. It will be impossible for people to miss it! I would expect to pick up some morning commuters. After a month or two, I am going to change the signs to say Lunch at Nemo’s and see if we can grow our lunch crowd.

I hired an accountant the other day. Tracy and I are both too busy to stay on top of things the way it should be. I will still do payroll and actually pay our vendors and bills, but the accountant will take all of our documentation for each month, reconcile everything, categorize everything, and provide us with reports including a P&L statement. He will also be completing all of our tax filings, including quarterly filings for employer withholding from payroll, sales tax payments to city, county, and state, unemployment insurance taxes, etc…. Trust me… It will be money well spent!

Construction has begun on the outside café. It looks like it is going to be a good size, and will be right outside our shop. The good thing about it is the property manager is considering it community space for the entire complex, not Nemo’s space exclusively. As a result, we will not have to purchase tables and chairs or maintain it. However, most of the usage will be by our customers…

I have been pretty busy lately with video and photo projects. I recorded 15 training sessions for my company, and created DVD’s with navigation menus for each of the sessions. I designed a custom DVD case insert, and made DVD labels to match. The end product was very nice! My pricing came in at $3000, but I discounted it to only $750. A few people who work in video have told me I’m crazy, but there are a couple of reasons for it. First of all, I taped the sessions during my normal work day, so I was paid my normal wages for being at work. Secondly, RKMI has done this type of thing before by sending an intern out with a camcorder, copying the movie file to a CD or DVD, and turning it over to the customer. The quality was poor, but it met the contract requirements and required very little effort or cost on RK’s part. Even though my DVD’s with navigation menus and custom labels are much nicer, RK is not going to pay thousands of dollars for it. If I charge them a rate that is 25% of industry standard, they will have me do it over and over again. I get to put a little extra cash in the bank, and they get a good deal. Sounds OK to me…

We have been without internet service at home for quite some time. Our Comcast cable internet kept going dead. I finally cancelled it, as well as their cable TV, and our Vonage internet phone service. I got a bundled deal from Qwest including DSL at 7.5MBPS service, phone service, and Direct TV with DVR for $50 a month less than my other CRUMMY services combined (Vonage was pretty good, though). I am setting up our wireless network tonight. With internet service at home again, I will be able to make posts more often…

Gotta run…
Everybody have a good weekend.
JD

Friday Aug 29, 2008

2008-08-29T14:07:00.002-06:00

I don't have much time, but I wanted to hit on a couple of things...

The Colorado Springs Hot Air Balloon Classic is this weekend, with mass launches of 150+ hot air balloons Saturday, Sunday, and Monday mornings at 7:00am. This is one of the largest events in the Colorado and surrounding states each year. It takes place two blocks west of us at Memorial Park. We are setting up a tent and giving out free coffee, as well as fliers and coupons. Thousands of people walk to Memorial Park from the surrounding neighborhoods, and we will be in place to put our coffee in their hands all three mornings. It should be a good thing for us to reach some of the local residents that do not know we are here...

I booked several senior photo sessions, a family portrait session, and I just completed a three day video event. I documented owner training for the commissioning of six buildings at Fort Carson. The training covered system overview, operation, and maintenance of all building systems (HVAC, Domestic Water, Hydronic, Digital Controls, etc). Several of the sessions were in depth training courses on specific equipment such as boilers, make-up air units, rooftop HVAC units, exhaust fans, split system air conditioning equipment, hydronic heating equipment, pumps, building management systems, etc. I now have to convert the hours of footage into DVD's... I also created an agreement with a local establishment to be their house photographer. They have about eight weddings a year at their facility.

I tried to watch a little of the DNC Convention the other night, but Hillary Clinton's speech was more than I could take. I think she is a very smart woman and has many talents, but her speaking voice gets to near maniacal levels at times. Her speaking voice might be the most annoying sound on the planet! I noticed on the TV Guide channel that "The World's Funniest Commercials" was on the next channel. I really tried to listen, just to have first hand knowledge of what she had to say, but I couldn't take it. I watched funny commercials for a half hour instead.

However, I did watch Obama's speech last night. I admit that he is a very charismatic speaker, and he draws you in with his personality. However, if you try to listen for substance, there just isn't anything there. His speech was thematic and based on high level ideas, with no details on how he plans to accomplish any of it. Anyone can get up and promise the moon, but if you can't deliver, then what? I would suspect that after both conventions are over, many TV and radio ads will come out that will factualize Obama's ties to far left radical people and ideas. People who think for themselves will evaluate the info, and maybe do some research of their own to validate it. I think those people will choose not to support Obama. Others will discount the information as character assassination politics. It will be interesting to see how things turn out...

I think it is quite intriguing that McCain chose a woman to be his running mate. I'm sure Hillary is fuming somewhere right now... A Republican woman has stolen her thunder. Interesting...

Gotta run.
JD

Democratic National Convention in Denver

2008-08-26T16:50:00.001-06:00

If you read my blog, I’m sure you have figured out I am a conservative, Christian Republican… Right now, the leadership of the Democratic Party is very liberal, and they align with the extreme left. If you don’t know what that means and why it matters, read a book by Michael Savage called “Liberalism is a Mental Disorder.”

I’m not going to go into anything about the DNC being in Denver, except how it has directly affected me. I dropped my sister off at the Denver airport Sunday morning. The city is struggling with revenue to support the convention, and I was the proud winner of one speeding ticket at the airport. I drove into the terminals on a road about six lanes wide, going the same speed as everyone else. A cop pulled up behind me at the terminal and gave me a ticket for $130 for speeding. I never saw him anywhere, nor did I see any signs noting a 35mph limit. I hate to waste $130 for anything, but I especially hate to see my hard earned money go up in smoke to pay for a bunch of Denver decorations, signs, and banners strung all over the city to welcome the DNC. I have ordered banners for Nemo’s before, so I know how much they cost. I literally saw tens of thousands of dollars worth of “DNC Welcome to Denver” banners. It really bugs me to think that my $130 is going to pay for that… Or, maybe my $130 paid for some of the homeless population’s free haircuts or movie tickets. The city provided free haircuts to the homeless in an attempt to ‘disguise’ them during the convention. The city also offered them free tickets to the Denver Zoo, area museums, and area movie theaters, as well as free bus tokens, just to get them off the streets and away from the convention area. Maybe I helped pay to send a group of meth addict, unemployed vagrants to the zoo. I hope they are having a good time.
We had plans to go to Elitches Gardens (an amusement park in Denver) after taking JoRenda to the airport. Unfortunately, Elitches is right next to the convention center. I called in advance to insure they would be open, and they were (I had pre-purchased tickets early when I was still at Intel, so changing dates was not feasible). I also checked on road closures, since they will be closing I-25 and the major streets around the convention this week. I was told that no street closures were to occur on Sunday. We arrived at Elitches around 8:30am, only to find out they do not open until 10:00am. We left and found a bagel place and hung out there for an hour, then went back to Elitches. The police were out in force, and there was a sign stating that the left lane was closed on Speers Blvd. No problem… the entry into Elitches is a right turn anyway. Lots of traffic slowly merged into one lane, the right lane, and when I got one block from the Elitches entrance, I was shocked to see road cones closing Speers! The cones were forcing everyone onto I-25 North to Ft Collins, Colorado. We had no plans to go to Ft Collins. I stopped, rolled down my window, and asked one of the officers how I can get to Elitches. He said it was closed and for me to go home. I told him it is open, and that we had already been there once this morning, and my turn is just one block ahead. He said to go home. I told him we live in the Springs (1 ½ hour drive) and that we had pre-purchased Elitches tickets. He said if I didn’t like it to call the mayor. Well, the mayor of Denver is a total idiot, so I have no desire to talk to him (he formally requested a one week waiver on marijuana laws during the week of the DNC convention--- can you believe that? ---don’t forget, Liberalism is a Mental Disorder). By this time, I had approximately 150 cars backed up behind me honking. I told the officer I was not going home, that I’m not familiar with Denver streets, and that I just need some simple directions on how to go another way to get to the street I needed. He said to go home and forget about Elitches. By now Josh, Jonah, and Ethan were getting very worried that we were not going to the amusement park. We had been planning this for over a month, and we could see the roller coasters from where we sat. We could also see hundreds of cars streaming into Elitches from the north. The officer came over to my car, reached into his pocket, and gave me all of his money. He said that was to offset the cost of the tickets, and for me to just go home. He wouldn’t take his money back, and he told me to move and stop blocking traffic. I got on the Interstate, then got back off again right away and found a place to park. Me and the kids had a 30 minute walk to get to Elitches. On the way, we went by the same intersection, and the same officer was there. I tried to give him is money ($39) and he still would not take it. I ended up leaving it on top of an orange traffic cone for him. I hope he got it…
While waiting in line for our first ride at Elitches, a girl in front of us was really upset and talking about how her and 400 others in an organization were going to protest Obama’s acceptance speech at Invesco Field (where the Denver Broncos play). This caught my attention, because she was young, and most young people I know support Obama. I listened to her story and she and 400 other people were promised tickets to the speech if they help with the campaign. After logging over 2500 hours of campaign work in their group, they were denied tickets to the speech. When they reminded Obama’s campaign people of their promise, they still did not provide the tickets. Apparently, they are angry enough to protest at his speech, and I am assuming they are no longer going to vote for Obama. There was a story on the local AM radio station recently about how 80,000 people in Colorado registered for tickets for Obama’s speech. They were all told that if they campaign for Obama, they would get tickets. When it came time to distribute tickets, only 30,000 were allotted to locals. That means there are 50,000 people out there who got stiffed by the Obama people, after volunteering hours for the campaign. Interesting…

I haven’t been affected anymore since we left Denver that day. I don’t really expect any more direct impacts from the convention.

As for Nemo’s, we had strong sales last week, and we beat our break even budget by $500. I would be incredibly happy to continue doing that week in and week out. I hear one report that the housing industry fallout is only beginning, and then I see another report that the worst is over. I see a report about consumer confidence rising with recent drops in gas prices, but common sense tells me energy prices are still a huge problem. Going from $4 a gallon to $3.60 a gallon is not a resolution to the problem. It is still very bad. The OPEC nations, Russia, China, and Venezuela have all positioned themselves to control oil in the future, and Western Civilizations are and will continue to be at their mercy. Iran has stated that they will cut off oil flow in their gulf if they are attacked by us or Israel over their nuclear ambitions. That would push oil prices up to $200 per barrel. Meanwhile, we have a bunch of politicians arguing over a major power grab, and pushing a socialist agenda. Why don’t we have ANY politicians working on a plan to alleviate energy prices, which are benefiting all of our enemies? Russia is big trouble coming in the near future. They invaded Georgia over what they call support for two independent states that are pro-Russia. The real truth is that the two rogue states are part of Georgia and it was none of Russia’s business. Russia has now fortified their positions in the very important Georgian port city. There are also deep dredge operations going on in Syria, which would allow the porting and operation of large Russian naval vessels there. The Russia military has just realigned their naval fleet commands to reorganize their operating structure in the Mediterranean and Middle East areas. The Chinese have just completed secret bases that are built into the side of a mountain (underground) that can support a number of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. The North Koreans have announced today that they are no longer suspending their nuclear weapons programs and intend to start them up again (just weeks after we lifted sanctions for this very reason). Russia is speaking of installing missile systems again in Cuba, in retaliation of our missile defense deal with Poland. There are two main differences, though. The missile defense system in Poland is to protect Western Europe from missile launches from aggressive Middle Eastern countries like Iran and Syria. The Russians intend to put missiles intended for an offensive strike in Cuba. Syria is in talks to purchase modern armaments from Russia, which is very unnerving to Israel. There are so many things going on in the world, and each individual thing doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. It is not as big of a deal to the average American as getting a big screen TV, or a new car, or a Harley, or whatever else… But, if you look at what is going on and put it all together, our enemies are aligning themselves with each other, and bad things are coming. We need a government that is on top of it, that recognizes the threat, and has a plan of action to respond. The few things that I know about are just the tip of the iceberg, I’m sure. How many things are going on in the world that our government knows about that is not common knowledge??? I have had a feeling for about a year or more that things on the world stage are moving in a direction that is very bad for us… Everyday I see bits and pieces of news that supports those thoughts. Hopefully, I am wrong, but I know that is not the case. We need strong leadership in our country now more than ever. Let’s hope enough of America recognizes that need and votes accordingly in November…

Well, that is probably enough mindless rambling about mostly non-coffee related topics. Welcome to the whirlwind of my mind…

Take care,
JD

Reply to KJ Comments!

2008-08-14T12:11:00.001-06:00

KJ posted the following, and my comments follow...

KayJay has left a new comment on your post "Long time, no updates…":

Hi JD!

Your blog has been tremendously educational... I just spent six hours reading it from the very beginning.

I've been researching the coffee business for the last three years, and have several years' experience in food service management (I love it, actually) -- and although I've yet to own my own place, a few things jumped out at me as I covered the last 18+ months of your life in a short span of time. Keep in mind, I have no experience at running a coffee house, obviously, so YMMV.

1) You listed your COGS as 40% for your first year of operation, and were satisfied with it. Every forum, book, or website I've read recommends 30-32% COGS, maybe 35% maximum. Cuts can be made in sourcing product, or prices can be raised. As you said earlier, food costs have skyrocketed; no one expects a business to absorb it all, and raising prices once or twice a year may be scary (for you) but regular customers will bounce back. Are your prices in line with your competition's?

2) You stated several times you have yet to do "advertising." Again, that's something that could have made a difference in the past months, and can definitely have an impact now. If you have 80K cars passing by your shop every day (one way? are you on the morning commute side?), but getting less than 200(?) in the door, then there's work to be done. I think the term is "work smarter, not harder". Getting Nemo's name and product in front of eyes at least half a dozen times gets it remembered. One-time flyers won't do it. I think it's pretty standard for folks to build in a 3-5% advertising/marketing budget in their figures. Again, so I read. (In practice it's MUCH harder, I know!)

3) You're breaking even -- but are you really? You and Tracy, God bless you both, have been working for free...? Is Tracy drawing a salary at all, as a manager? If not... then everything I've seen says that's not breaking even at all. Your labor is not covered. If something happened where either one or both of you were not able to cover the store for a period of time, what would happen to your labor costs? Looks like you've been running 22-26% labor -- industry standard for fast food is about that, but I worked in a family-style restaurant (pizza) and their goal was 18%. Difficult, yes. But doable.

All told, you have done phenomenally well and I am awed by the incredible work you both have put into your shop and your lives. I certainly couldn't have done all that you have. I would be remiss, however, if I didn't speak up and point you in the direction of the Small Business Development Center in your area -- they have FREE services for people like you, and can help pinpoint areas where you can improve performance and change the way things are done, to get you into the black.

I've always lived by the three ways to improve your bottom line: lower COGS, decrease labor, or increase sales. As far as I know, there are no other options.

I want to see you continue to succeed... because then, maybe I can too if I ever take the plunge! God is in the details.

Good luck!

KJ

First of all, I think it is amazing that you spent six hours reading the entire thing!! I had no idea that this blog was that entertaining, or maybe you were just really bored! Either way, I appreciate that you spent some time taking a look at what we have done, and took even more time to offer some advice. Thanks!

In reply, we set a goal to maintain our Cost of Goods Sold at 40% maximum, even with the dramatic increase in product costs. One task I have been working on recently is to build a spreadsheet that allows me to enter the current cost of various products. The spreadsheet will then calculate our COGS for each retail product we sell. For example, the spreadsheet knows how much egg, sausage, cheese, potato, tortilla, salsa, salsa portion cup and lid, and aluminum foil wrap goes into each breakfast burrito. It then adds up our product cost based upon the main list of overall costs, and compares it to our retail prices. Our breakfast burrito is currently at 30% for COGS, right where we want to be. I am slowly adding all of our products to the spreadsheet. Once complete, I can calculate an average COGS based upon quantities of items sold. If one item has a COGS of 31% and we sell 225 of them a month and another item has a COGS of 42% but we only sell 10 a month, the overall calculation will be weighted for quantities sold. I imagine our Quickbooks Pro software could do all of this for us if I took the time to enter all of our inventory items and build each product sold as an ‘assembly’ in Quickbooks. I am much more comfortable using Excel than Quickboooks.
Anyway, I set up a “rough” break even budget using 40% as a worst case scenario. Based on the items I have entered so far, I think we are going to land in the 34 to 35% range for overall COGS. We also recently tweaked our prices a little. We did not do a dramatic, across the board increase, but we did bump a few prices up by 10 cents on some drinks, and by 25 to 35 cents on some food items. Our demographics are a little strange. We have doctors, nurses, lawyers, stockbrokers and other well paid professionals as customers, but we also have a large number of middle class and lower earners in surrounding businesses. The neighborhood itself has a high number of elderly on fixed incomes (homes are approximately 30-45 years old in this area, with many elderly residents that have been in their homes for 30+ years), and some lower income demographics. Our decision to choose this location was based upon the quantity of daytime workers that commute into the area and work in surrounding buildings and complexes. The neighborhood demographics would not make for a successful shop alone. The 80,000 cars a day are very important. They are additional workers heading to and from downtown (the downtown business district is about 1.5 miles to the west of us). Pikes Peak Ave is a four lane two way street, not one way, which is good. We have discussed having people stand out by the street with a sign during morning rush hours to attract attention to our shop. I am sure that most commuters that travel Pikes Peak Ave do not know we are there. We have also considered advertising $1 coffee for awhile to commuters to get some people in the door to try our product and learn that we are here!

As for advertising, I know we have been slow to proceed with any major marketing ideas. The center is 40+ years old and looked very “tired” and unattractive. Part of our lease negotiations included discussions that the owners would complete a major renovation of the building façade and parking lot. It includes demolishing 100’ linear feet of the west end of the facility, and rebuilding it to accommodate Intellitec’s automotive campus (an 18 month technical college). This renovation and construction was supposed to happen quickly after our opening, but contract negotiations, design approval, and implementation took a year longer than expected. We really wanted to wait until the center was renovated before we marketed to the masses, but we didn’t expect for it to take so long. I agree with you about getting our name out in front of people 4-6 times, but I’m not sure we have the money for that kind of a campaign right now. We have researched print media and it costs about $1200 to $1800 per advertising event. To do so four to six times would definitely help us to grow sales, but I don’t know that we can afford to do so right now. In the meantime, our goal is to get our name out to the high density office and medical spaces close to us 4-6 times through flier distribution, face to face time including taking product samples to their offices, etc. If we can capture the local business/professional crowd to grow sales, it will get us over the hump and we can do more widespread advertising via print media once we are self sustaining. It is a difficult decision to make to spend remaining capital dollars on advertising. It makes sense to do so, but the cost is huge and cash flow is vital. Once I have liquidated some additional assets and get our operating capital back up to $15,000 or so, I should proceed with some print media advertising. There is a long running radio show here that broadcasts from local restaurants on KVOR 740. We are considering doing a live broadcast lunch special soon. The cost is $600 and we will have to provide lunch for two for $7.40. We could provide two sandwiches and sides for this cost and break even for the day. The show has a huge following and gets lots of response. Unfortunately, the live broadcasts are always on Saturday, and the majority of our customers are Monday-Friday daytime workers in the area. I will have to see if they will do a live broadcast on a Friday.

As far as ‘break even’ goes, you are right… Neither of us has taken a salary from the business, and that does not meet the widely accepted definition of break even. Since I am working full time, we can operate the shop indefinitely without an income. Obviously, that is not our long term goal. We want this business to provide an income, not just be our hobby. In the short term, though, we want to achieve our ‘break even’ definition during this time of high gas prices, mortgage industry meltdown, high inflation and skyrocketing food costs, etc. I do not believe these problems will last much past the November elections, and I just want to be able to operate the shop until things rebound without running out of operating capital. Right now we consider success to be able to operate without having to input additional capital, even if it means not paying ourselves. As things improve, we will change our definition of success. You are right, though. If Tracy and I were not able to run the shop due to illness or injury, our labor costs would hurt us. I just did a quick calculation and our labor costs (including payroll withholding taxes) for July 2008 were 19.5% of our gross sales. Not too bad… If we were to take a salary, that number would go up… We probably need to look at our schedule and see if we can trim some labor.

You are right to point us to the Small Business Administration. I researched their website some time ago and saw lots of valuable information. I have not had the time to meet with them to be mentored on small business ownership. I need to make time for that, as it would be very valuable to us.

And finally, you mentioned that God is in the details. I totally believe in this. If tough times are God’s way of growing and refining us, then so be it. We will stick it out, put in the effort, and mature and grow as people, disciples, and as business owners. If it is not God’s will for us to have a shop, then our efforts are against the grain anyway. Success in business does not equal success in life, nor does failure in business equal failure in life. Our life’s success is based upon relationships with each other, and by living a solid Christian life. The business side of things is irrelevant in the big picture. Our needs are food, shelter, clothing, and strong relationships in our family. Anything above and beyond that is a blessing. The poorest in our nation are rich compared to many places around the globe. Keeping that perspective is important, and a little humility goes a long way, whether successful or not…

Thanks for your comments!
JD

Long time, no updates…

2008-08-12T15:42:00.000-06:00

Sorry for letting so many days (or has it been weeks?) go by since my last post.
I’ve been incredibly busy for the last five or six weeks. Since I have not been working at Intel at night, I’ve been trying to get caught up on some projects around the shop, at home, and spending time with Tracy and the boys.

We have had a good summer, mixed with some fun with the boys and lots of hard work with the shop. We went to Disneyland in June, we went to the Renaissance Festival, we’ve been to some baseball games, the boys played baseball in little league, we’ve been swimming quite a bit at the YMCA, Jonah and Ethan both got new bikes (we are a family of five and we have 11 bikes!!), Jo Renda (my little sister) is coming to visit next week, and we are going to Elitch’s (an amusement park in Denver) in two weeks. The kids start school again on August 18th and we have been getting ready for that. I finished building loft beds for all three boys, and we moved their dressers under them. That included emptying their dressers and getting rid of worn-out and out-grown things. We have a 30 yard dumpster in front of our house right now. We are getting rid of lots of landscaping debris, trees, and other junk we have accumulated over the last 13 years (Tracy and I are both pack rats). We also ordered new windows for the front of the house and they will be installed in the next several weeks (including a really cool bay window in the living room). We plan to install new windows in the back of the house next year. We had planned to repaint the outside of the house this summer, but that is not looking very likely…

As for the shop, the construction has proceeded with the building remodel and our end of the building is finished! The framing is complete, it has been skinned, and the stucco is done. It really does look great. It took 10 weeks longer than promised, and those construction impacts have translated to no growth at the shop. Fortunately, we have not really seen an overall drop in sales on a monthly basis, but we have seen definite impacts on certain days. When the entire front of the building was covered with scaffold, it looked like we were not open. We had some really slow days during that time. Other strong days made up for it overall, but we should have seen growth this summer and did not.

Currently, the façade work is finished, but we do not have any signage. The owners have obtained quotes for new signs and they want to charge us for 50% of the cost. We are fighting that. We had an operational lighted sign, which they took down and threw away. I feel it is their responsibility to replace it. I need to set up an appointment with the property manager and review the lease with regard to signage. That will be the deciding factor… In the mean time, the new sign will cost $4000, and we just don’t have that kind of cash to spare right now.

The $4 gas and the doom and gloom reporting on the economy have not helped either. Once again, we have not seen a slide in sales, but the vital growth we are looking for to get us over the hump has not happened. We have been operating most of this year right under the break even point. If we miss breaking even by $200 to $400 a week, it does not seem like a huge deficit. Over six months, though, it has a huge impact on our operating capital budget.

The bottom line is that we are finding ourselves to be a little cash strapped. We have some assets we can liquidate and come up with another $15,000 for operating capital pretty quickly. We can also sell our remaining rental house and come up with another $15,000 to $20,000 in operating income. Now comes the time for tough decisions. Do we expect for the gas prices to go down and for news on the economy to get better? If so, it makes sense for us to invest additional $$ and ride out the undeclared recession. If we do so, and things don’t get better, then we will find ourselves in a situation where we are nearly out of money again, without additional reserves, and still not be making a profit at the shop.

We have decided to invest some additional money, but not sell the rental house, and keep going. There is no way to predict what has happened with gas prices, and the resulting increases in raw product costs, not to mention tighter budgets of our regular customers. Some say oil could hit $200 a barrel, which would be devastating to our entire economy and to every individual. Nemo’s would not be the only casualty of such an event. Things could also stabilize after the elections in November and everything could go back to normal (as normal as things get, anyway) for another four years. I have always been interested in politics and how they affect world events. As a business owner, I am much more tuned into what is going on and what impacts things can have. As a result, I am very concerned about the upcoming elections. I am a conservative Republican, and McCain is not my first choice for a presidential candidate by any means. However, all the Democrats have to offer this year are borderline Socialists in Obama and H Clinton. They have stated they intend to provide national health care, to increase government spending through various programs, and both will result in a major increase in taxes. They also oppose any oil exploration or drilling, which will prevent America from becoming energy independent, which is important for both our economy and our national security. When you look at the increased consumption by China and India, and the way that Russia has reinvented itself to be the OPEC of the next century, we could be in real trouble. Does any of this concern our politicians? A few I suppose, but the Speaker of the House is off on a book signing tour while her approval rating with the American people hovers at about 9%. Unbelievable… I’m not a political activist by any means, but these issues play a part into whether or not our business survives. If you are concerned about gas prices, I would suggest calling your elected officials (Senators and Congress members) and tell them you are concerned. Better yet, state your opinion with your vote in November. If you want your tax dollars to pay for medical coverage for millions of welfare recipients and illegal immigrants, then vote for Obama. If you want gas prices to continue to increase, then vote for Obama. If you want the existing tax breaks (put in place by G Bush) to expire, vote for Obama. If you want our country to ignore rising threats in Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and elsewhere, then vote for Obama. An out-pouring of concern by the People is the only thing that will get our politicians to address our problems with real and effective solutions, instead of working for self preservation and self-wealth… If you want for Nemo’s Coffee to survive, then vote for McCain and call your elected officials and tell them you want lower gas prices.

If you are a conservative by nature, then I’m sure this post makes sense to you. If you are an Obama supporter and this post has offended you, then I suggest you research the issues I’ve mentioned above. Do some honest research into where Obama stands on these very important topics, how they will affect your taxes and your lives, and then decide who to vote for.

Regardless of the economy, world events, presidential elections, and the cost of oil tracy and I need to increase our sales just a little to allow us to operate above the break even point. Once the kids start school next week, Tracy and her mom are going to distribute fliers to surrounding medical complexes, office buildings, the Olympic Training Center, Memorial Hospital, and other high density areas close by. We have been waiting for the building remodel work to be completed prior to doing so, and we expect to get a boost in sales from this effort. We had 5000 fliers professionally printed, and they are ready to go! We considered hiring someone to distribute them, but we would have no way of knowing if they really did it, or just put them in a dumpster and went to the movies instead. Tracy wants to be the one to interact with office staff personnel, especially at all of the medical complexes close to us.

We are basically at the breaking point. If our efforts work and we invest a little more cash, we will make it through this tough time. If our efforts have no impact and the economy continues to decline, we will not make it. Small deficits will eventually bleed us dry. Any prayers you have to offer would be greatly appreciated!

Gotta run,
JD

2:00am and I'm at the shop...

2008-07-15T01:58:00.003-06:00

During my six months of working two full time jobs, a great deal of admin fell behind here at the shop. Tracy and I have decided that I will come to the shop every Monday night to pay our vendors, do equipment maintenance, work on payroll, etc. Tonight is my first night, and I am finding all kinds of things that need to be finished.
First priority is catching up on quarterly reporting. We are behind, and I absolutely need to get finished. I can tell you, it is not much fun trying to figure out tax stuff using Quickbooks reports of our company financials on one computer, and being on the internet researching the forms and instructions on another computer.

It is 2:00am and I have been here doing this since 7:30pm. I also found a workers comp audit that needs to be completed for our insurance company. The Secretary of State for Colorado seems to want us to send him an annual report. The two delinquent notices he sent is my proof. In all, I found 15 things that need to be filled out and sent somewhere. The El Paso County Health Department caters lunch from us occasionally. They want us to fill out an 'approved vendor' W-9 form so we can get paid. This is all stuff that I have to research how to fill out, so it all takes awhile. I found a notification from our bank of a bounced check (from one of our customers). I need to send out a notice to them to pay up before we unleash the goons.

Moral of the story...
Don't let your admin get behind. Even if you are working two full time jobs, even if you are falsely accused and imprisoned in Argentina, even if you did fall down the stairs and you are in a coma... figure out someway to get your paperwork done anyway. I am now playing catch up and it is not much fun. This week, and probably the next couple of weeks will be long nights. Once I get caught up, it should only take a couple of hours. For now, though, I'm getting tired and don't feel like doing paperwork.

It is now 2:07am, and I am still here. I need to wrap up the City of Colorado Springs sales tax returns, and then I'll go home and get three hours of sleep before my new day starts. I'll catch up on the county, state, and federal stuff later...

Gotta run.
JD

Jeff Sato Photo Shoot

2008-07-09T21:51:00.005-06:00

I completed my first photo shoot in awhile tonight. It was with Jeff Sato, a judo athlete who has trained at the Olympic Training Center. I can't even begin to tell you how hard Jeff has worked. He has an amazing work ethic, and his Olympic dreams fueled is life. Unfortunately, he did not make the team for China in 2008. He is currently helping some who did with their training, and will decide later if he is going to continue to compete and train at this level until 2012. In the meantime, I did a photo shoot for him. I haven't even looked at all of the shots yet, but here is one... I'll post more later. Click on the image to see a larger version.

OK, here is another...

OK, and just one more for now. I'm going to go home and get some sleep...

Starbucks in the news...

2008-07-01T16:14:00.002-06:00

I just noticed a new headline at www.drudgreport.com stating that Starbucks will be closing 600 stores...

Starbucks closing 600 stores in the US
Tuesday July 1, 4:26 pm ET
Starbucks closing 600 underperforming stores in the United States

SEATTLE (AP) -- Starbucks Corp. has announced it's closing 600 underperforming stores in the United States.
The Seattle-based premium coffee company also announced Tuesday it expects to open fewer than 200 new company-operated stores in the United States in fiscal 2009.

The company says it will try to place workers from closed stores in remaining Starbucks.

I believe this is a result of $4.00+ per gallon gas, and the impact of Nemo's Coffee, and other independent retailers offering higher quality product than Starbucks.

As for us, we have not really seen an impact on sales, other than NOT seeing growth that we planned for. June 2008 sales were at $13,900 which is right around our break even point. Considering that we have no signage and yellow caution tape and orange cones blocking our entrance and all of the parking in front of our store, that is great! I'm anxious to see what will happen after the building facade construction is completed...

Gotta run,
JD

End of an era…

2008-06-25T16:57:00.001-06:00

I put my notice in at Intel, and June 30 will be my last day there. It has been a long, rough 6 ½ months of working full time as a Project Engineer for RK Mechanical and full time at Intel completing all of their site water chemistry control scope. The opportunity to do both was an absolute blessing, and an answer to prayer. When I took the Intel job, I had been involved with Nemo’s construction and initial operations, without an income, for nine months. Our personal finances were hit hard by Ethan breaking his leg (without health insurance) and by having an empty rental house while the housing market was in a slump. The Intel job allowed us to cover the payments and utilities on the empty rental house for ten months, and to pay off over $15,000 in debt that we accumulated while we had no income. It was very beneficial, but very hard for our whole family. I have four days left and then I will have my nights back again. It will be a good thing for us.

Gotta run,
JD

DMV is a horrible thing...

2008-06-20T18:29:00.002-06:00

Tracy and I recently leased a new vehicle through the business. I went to the DMV today to get permanent license plates. I follow politics pretty closely, and I find it unbelievable that some people want national health care. If you want to know what government run medical services would be like, go spend an hour or two at the DMV. Renew your drivers license, get new plates, etc... After leaving the DMV, decide if that is how you want your next doctor visit to go...

I am very much against government run medical care. You must be insane if you are for it.

I have at least one reader!

2008-06-20T18:19:00.003-06:00

From time to time, I get an email or a comment from someone who reads this blog. I do it more for myself, but if it helps someone out there, then that is also a good thing. You sometimes have to wade through my non-coffee related thoughts and pro-military posts to get to the coffee shop knowledge (or lack of), but I'm happy to know that people are gaining useful information here.

I received an anonymous reply from my last post that answered questions posed by a reader, as shown below:

"Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions - if there's any more nuggets of wisdom you can think of that we should know about, we're out here reading you!"

The biggest nugget of wisdom I can offer is to buy a 12 pack of legal pads (or if you are like me, get a bunch of graph paper) and start drawing shop layouts. 1200 sq ft is good for a small shop, 1600 for a medium shop, and 2000+ for a large shop. You can see our layouts as they progressed and changed back at the start of my blog in late 2006. Working on your layout will help you plan everything you need. Someone else could write pages and pages of advice, but nothing will help you to open your own shop than to plan it yourself. In fact, I believe the process of designing your own shop will give you a better understanding of what is involved, and will help you to avoid problems later. A quick answer from a blog is no substitute for investing your own time and thoughts into a shop design. You will learn so very much from the experience, and I believe it is invaluable knowledge gained.

Tracy and I just returned from California last night. I will be posting photos soon of our quick vacation to Disneyland!

JD

Shocked, Appalled, Disgusted, and Saddened...

2008-06-12T20:02:00.003-06:00

I know that most people just go about their lives, going to work, watching TV, playing X Box, raising their kids, etc, etc, etc...
Something happened today that should have every single person in the United States of America outraged, and yet, I am afraid that it will go by unnoticed by most.

Today, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling that gives military war prisoners in Guantanamo Bay detention the rights of American citizenship. That's right, prisoners of war were awarded rights and privileges in America as if they were citizens. The Supreme Court's decision today is bordering on treason.

We are at war against an enemy that intends to do harm to Western Civilization in general, and the United States specifically. We have captured and detained operatives of the enemy, and they are being held in Guantanamo Bay. This is necessary for the security of our nation, and for the safety of our people. Every war in history has included holding prisoners of war. There is no way around it, other than to kill them all and take no prisoners.

For our appointed officials to hand down a decision to undermine the war effort is unacceptable. For our president to claim that he will accept the decision and abide by it, while in disagreement, is unacceptable. Where has the leadership of our great nation gone? I read about what is going on in our government, in our military, about current events in our country everyday. I no longer recognize the United States of America. I don't know where we are headed, but I see decisions being made that are not consistent with the Constitution, that are not consistent with the intent of the founding fathers, and I believe are doing great harm to our nation.

Most people don't notice, and probably don't care. As long as their TV works and they can make it to their kid's soccer game, then they are happy. If you care about where our country is headed, I would suggest you pay attention to what our courts are deciding, what is going on in our government, and how it will affect your lives.

'We the People' need to start looking out for ourselves, because our elected and appointed officials are failing us. By no means am I a conspiracy nut, even though this post might sound like it is headed in that direction. If you haven't heard about today's decision by the Supreme Court, I would suggest that you do a little research and develop your own thoughts about it. If average Americans remain disconnected from the decisions being made by our government, we will all be in trouble in the not so distant future.

"The lights are on but nobody's home" is a phrase that has always referred to crazy people. Unfortunately, it seems to be applying more and more to our population. I challenge you to learn about current events and make a decision about what you believe. Let your congressmen/senators know what you think. I'm pretty sure they won't care, but at least more people will be informed...

US Navy Nuclear Power Program

2008-06-11T22:03:00.002-06:00

This is what I did in the Navy. I was an Electronic's Technician and Reactor Operator in the nuclear field. It included 2 1/2 years of school, followed by nearly 4 years on an operational submarine (USS Memphis SSN-691), followed by nearly 4 years at the Nuclear Prototype in Upstate New York (Knolls Atomic Power Laboratories) as an instructor, followed by a couple of years on the USS Toledo SSN-769 as part of the new construction crew (while the submarine was being built, tested, and commissioned). I left the Navy at almost 12 years with a medical discharge due to six knee surgeries and an ankle reconstruction.

Here are some commentaries I found about the Navy's Nuclear Program:

Naval Nuclear Power School is a nuclear engineering school operated by the U.S. Navy to train enlisted sailors, officers, and KAPL and Bettis civilians for shipboard nuclear power plant operation and maintenance on surface ships and submarines in today's nuclear navy. Due to its depth and fast pace, it is regarded as one of the most difficult academic programs in the world rivaling nuclear programs at such universities as Harvard and MIT.

Enlisted personnel must have already graduated from the class A school pertaining to their rating assignment as a Machinist's Mate (MM), Electrician's Mate (EM), or Electronics Technician (ET) before commencing their training at the Naval Nuclear Power School. Sailors in the Navy Nuclear Program ("Nukes") make up only 3% of the sailors in the navy.

While the rigorous training program differs slightly in terms of content for the officers and enlisted ratings, the following topics are provided to all program attendees:

Mathematics
Nuclear Physics
Electrical theory and equipment
Reactor plant technology
Thermodynamics aka Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow
Chemistry
Materials engineering and metallurgy
Health physics
Reactor principles
The principal difference between the enlisted course and the officer course is the more extensive post-Calculus mathematical examination of reactor dynamics studied by the officers.

The nuclear program is widely acknowledged as having the most demanding occupational field academic program in the U.S. military today. The school operates at a very fast pace and stringent academic standards are required for all subjects. Students typically spend 45 hours a week in the classroom, and study anywhere from an additional 10 to 50 hours per week, giving the average student around a 65 hour work week. Students cannot study nor do homework outside of the classroom, as the material is classified. A security badge must be used to access study materials.

Prospective enrollees in the Nuclear Power Program must pass a demanding exam in the sciences and may be disqualified for minor infractions. The pre-entry requirements for integrity and consistency in the personal and professional life for this vital field is a very large concern to the military.

Failed tests and sometimes even wrong answers on tests require an interview with subject department heads to review students as well as the teacher's notes to verify the materials were taught and recorded by the student, and in the student's study logs. They may then be given remedial homework. Failing scores in the school can result in charges of "dereliction of duty" under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, depending on whether or not the student was determined to be lacking effort, or lacking the ability to complete the program.

Many colleges and universities award several years of college credit to graduates of Naval Nuclear Power School for the unclassified portions of the curriculum. Because large parts of the curriculum are classified, the amount of college credit awarded does not accurately reflect the depth of the coursework. The American College of Education recommends an average of 60-80 semester-hours of college credit for completion of the entire Naval Nuclear Power Training Command curriculum, which comprises both Nuclear Field "A" School and Naval Nuclear Power School (the acual amount is based on the specific training pipeline completed - MM, EM, or ET). Sailors with one to two years of college credit may easily find themselves only a few classes away from a bachelors degree upon completion of the training pipeline, though NNPTC in and of itself is not a degree-granting institution. Several universities do offer degrees in Nuclear, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics Engineering/Engineering Technology, and a number of them grant the full ACE-recommended credits to NNPTC graduates. Further, under the Navy's SOCNAV college program, the residency requirements at these civilian institutions are reduced to only 10-25%, allowing a student to take as little as 12 units of coursework through the degree-granting institution (typically 4 courses) to complete their bachelors degree. Further, naval nuclear engineers are some of the most sought after professionals many times being seen as more valuable than competitors from ivy-league schools. Nucs have gone on with no other schooling to teach classes such as nuclear physics, reactor design, and related courses at the top universities in America, including Harvard, Yale, MIT, and other top tier universities. Naval Nuclear Experience is many times seen as an equal to a PhD in the related field due to the hands on work experience with running nuclear reactors as opposed to computer simulations.

Graduates of Nuclear Power School go on to Nuclear Prototype Units for six additional months of hands-on experience and training at operating Nuclear propulsion plants. Upon separation, many sailors choose to work at civilian nuclear power plants or teaching nuclear field related classes at the university level. Naval Nuclear Power School is the only Nuclear Power School which provides hands on experience working with Nuclear Reactors.

It is interesting to note that both submarines that I served on were the only two US submarines present when the Soviet submarine Kursk was sank, losing both the submarine and the entire crew of 118. No one will come out and confirm, but there is a great deal of information available that would indicate it is likely that the Memphis and/or Toledo played a direct role in the sinking of the Kursk.

USS Memphis (SSN-691), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Memphis, Tennessee. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 4 February 1971 and her keel was laid down on 23 June 1973. She was launched on 3 April 1976 sponsored by Mrs. Cathy Beard, and commissioned on 17 December 1977, with Commander G. Dennis Hicks in command.
In March 1981, USS Memphis completed an around-the-world cruise via the Panama Canal, including operations with both the Sixth and Seventh Fleets.
Memphis was redesignated an experimental submarine during 1989 to test composite hull structures, unmanned underwater vehicles, advanced sonars, hull friction reduction, and other advanced technologies for the LA and Seawolf classes, but remains combat-capable.
During a mid-1990s refit, Memphis received numerous modifications, which added about 50 tons to her displacement, most of it aft.
-a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) turtleback abaft the sail to accommodate remotely operated vehicles
-a towing winch and drum for experimental towed sonar arrays
-4.27 m-high by 1.37 m-wide vertical surfaces at the ends of the stern stabilizers to accommodate sonar transducer arrays
-a 54 mm towed array dispenser in the port fin leading to the new winch abaft the sail
-supports for the stern stabilizers
-new hydraulic systems
-a fiber-optic databus
-58 standardized equipment racks to accommodate electronic test gear
In January 1994 Memphis entered Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) and modifications to support her research and development role. Upon completion of the shipyard availability she was assigned to Submarine Development Squadron TWELVE in Groton, Connecticut.
Memphis has tested a composite material propeller shaft of about half normal weight and, in 1998, the Lockheed Martin Undersea Systems Universal Gravity Module (UGM) passive bottom profiler navigational system.
On 3 May 2005, Memphis deployed conducting two polar transits, returning to New London on 3 November 2005.
Memphis won the coveted Battenberg Cup in 2005.
On 6 May 2006, Memphis deployed against Iraqi insurgency, returning to New London, Connecticut, on 7 August.
On 27 June 2007, Memphis returned to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, for a Pre-Inactivation Restricted Availability. She returned to Groton on 8 May 2008.
Involvement with the sinking of the Kursk
For more details on this topic, see Russian submarine Kursk explosion.
The USS Memphis was present at the Russian war games during which the Russian submarine, Kursk sank, resulting in the loss of the submarine and 118 sailors and officers on board. It has been suggested by conspiracy theorists that the USS Memphis may have been responsible for the sinking.

USS Toledo (SSN-769)
USS Toledo (SSN-769), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Toledo, Ohio. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 10 June 1988 and her keel was laid down on 6 May 1991. She was launched on 28 August 1993 sponsored by Mrs. Sabra Smith, and commissioned on 24 February 1995, with Commander Jack Loye III in command. The submarine was a cover story of the April 6, 1998 issue US News & World Report.

Deployments
The USS Toledo returned to the Naval Submarine Base New London in mid-April 2003 after having taken part in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On 7 December 2004, Toledo returned to Groton, Connecticut, after a six-month deployment in the Persian Gulf with the John F. Kennedy carrier strike group that included port calls in Crete, Dubai, and Bahrain. Her route home from Bahrain was unusual, rounding the Cape of Good Hope rather than using the Suez Canal. Once back in the North Atlantic, she was diverted for a classified drug interdiction mission with the Joint Interagency Task Force–South in the Caribbean Sea.
On 31 January 2006, "Toledo" again departed for a six-month deployment to CENTCOM. Port calls included Augusta Bay, IT,Dubai, the British island territory of Diego Garcia and La Maddalena. The ship returned from this deployment on 31 July 2006 and a change of command ceremony took place on 10 August 2006 where CDR Goldman relieved CDR Schnieder.
Maintenance
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Navy for maintenance work, known as a depot modernization period, on the nuclear-powered submarine USS Toledo (SSN 769). The initial planning contract is valued at approximately $34.7 million. The total estimated value, including the actual execution, is valued at approximately $175 million. The ship is scheduled to arrive in mid-November 2006 to Newport News, VA for a performance period lasting approximately 13 months, 10 of which will include dry dock work. Planning work will begin immediately. This is a competitive award under a Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) multiple award contract.
Due to delays in modernizing the ship, the availability has been extended until fall of 2008. The Toledo is expected to return to Groton, CT upon completion of sea trials after the shipyard period.
Kursk conspiracy theory
Conspiracy theorists claim that the Russian submarine, Kursk which sunk in Barents Strait of the Barents Sea was accidentally crashed into by the USS Toledo and possibly torpedoed by the USS Memphis which were claimed to be spying on Kursk which was conducting weapon practice in the region. Conspiracy theorists support their thesis by the two circular holes on Kursk's wreck (claimed to be the proof Kursk being torpedoed by a submarine) and USS Toledo's being sent to Norway for repairs on 15th of August, 3 days after the incident.
Although there were officially declared Norwegian and American submarines in the region USS Toledo wasn't among them and it is quite peculiar for a nuclear submarine like USS Toledo to be sent for repairs three days after the incident took place. Nuclear submarines are known for their endurance and durability. Despite what theorists believe, the Russian government's stated official cause for the Russian submarine Kursk explosion was due to a torpedo detonation.

Information regarding the sinking of the Kursk:
The Sinking Of The Russian Sub Kursk!

LATEST UPDATES AT BOTTOM!

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On August 14, 2000, Russian authorities announced that one of their newest cruise missile submarines, the Kursk, had sunk with all hands. The Kursk is a cruise missile submarine, called the type 949a "Antey" class by the Russians, code named the Oscar II by NATO. It is not a ballistic missile submarine, but is intended to attack and destroy an aircraft carrier battle group using torpedos and short range sea skimming cruise missiles.

The Kursk, sailing out from Severomorsk.

Almost immediatly, Russian naval authorities reported that sonar used to locate Kursk as it lay on the bottom showed not one, but two submarines lying on the sea floor. While the Russians worked on the Kursk itself, the second unknown submarine slowly moved off.

CBS news then broke the story that the United States had three ships in the vicinity observing the naval exercise that Kursk was taking part in, possibly a test of a new ultra-high speed torpedo. Two of the three ships were submarines, later determined to be USS Memphis and USS Toledo, type 688 Los Angeles class fast attack submarines which are often used for covert intelligence gathering.

USS Memphis, reported by Norway to be undergoing repairs at a Norwegian naval yard.

USS Toledo, reported by Scottish media to have also been in the area of the Kursk sinking, followed by a visit to Faslane.

The third ship was USNS Loyal, a Victorious Class Surveillence Towed Array Sensor Ship, or SURTASS, also used as an intelligence gatherng platform.

A Victorius Class SURTASS ship, similar to USNS Loyal, also in the area of the Kursk sinking.

This was immediatly followed by an announcement from the Pentagon that one of the two submarines which had been spying on the Kursk was late in establishing radio contact. A few days later, the Pentagon reported that the submarine had finally checked in, and it was at this time that the United States government took the official position that the Kursk had sunk because of a torpedo explosion. The Russians, however, while agreeing that there was one or more torpedo explosions on Kursk, insisted that the explosions were the result of a collision involving a foreign submarine.

Water is an excellent conductor of sound energy, as any sonar operator will tell you, and so it came as little surprise that the events surrounding the sinking of the Kursk had registered not only on the sensors of the two American subs and SURTASS but on seismographs located hundreds of miles away.

Almost at once, data from Norway was made public.

The above is the first seismic trace from Norway showing the main explosion from what appears to be a torpedo warhead, and preceding it by two minutes, another smaller event. Although labled as an explosion, the waveform is not that of an explosive event but a long grinding sound.

More recently, Norwegian seismologists have released more data from their seismographs. Note that the first event is no longer described as an explosion.

The issue became even more contentious when the Russians announced that an actual physical piece of the mystery submarine had been located close to the wreckage of Kursk. Not yet brought to the surface, the piece is described as the "fairwater" from the top of a submarine's sail.

The Russians then announced that they had identified the submarine that had collided with Kursk, then lay on the bottom before slowly moving away, as USS Memphis. Radio amatuers had reported overhearing a US Navy submarine asking for emergancy permission to enter a Norwegain port, and the Norwegian embassy in Moscow informed the Russians that USS Memphis had required emergancy repairs of an unspecified nature. This report was later retracted with the excuse that the Norwegian embassy in Moscow does not employ people who speak fluent Russian, and that the word for "food" had been confused with the word for "repair". The Norwegians then reversed their story again, admitting that USS Memphis was undergoing repairs and that Norwegian journalists had actually seen the damage. Russia officially requested a report on the damage to USS Memphis from the Norwegian government.

Diagram based on the reports of Norwegian divers assisting the Russians.

Detail from the above diagram based on the reports of Norwegian divers assisting the Russians. Note that in addition to the obvious blow out from the torpedo room, a gash runs up across the top of the hull into the sail. Inside the sail was an escape pod which could have carried the entire Kursk crew to safety, but it was disabled by the damage to the sail.

Diagram of the interior of the Kursk, showing how many bulkheads had to be penetrated by the gash across the upper hull and into the sail.

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NEW!
As a counter to the Russian claims of a collision, a story has appeared in a German newspaper and then been picked up by a British newspaper claiming that the Russian cruiser Peter The Great was using rocket propelled torpedos (equivilent to the ASROC) and that one of these sank the Kursk.

Source: Independent News (UK) EXCERPTED
Published: September 15 2000 Author: Patrick Cockburn

A misdirected missile from a Russian cruiser caused the disaster of the
Kursk nuclear powered submarine during a training exercise, says a
member of a Russian parliamentary team investigating the disaster.

Sergei Zhikov, a deputy and a former submariner, said yesterday that the Kursk and the Peter the Great, a Russian cruiser, were on an exercise in the Barents Sea in which "the cruiser acted as an enemy aircraft carrier and the submarine was expected to attack it". He said the Peter the Great fired five anti-submarine missiles at the Kursk but only four could be found afterwards. "It looks like the submarine was hit by the missing [anti-submarine] missile," Mr Zhikov told the Interfax newsagency.The Kursk then tried to rise to the surface in an emergency but had hit the bottom of the Peter the Great. The cause of the sinking of the Kursk and the death of its 118 crew is an episode that President Vladimir Putin wants to put behind him. The Kremlin now says that nobody survived the initial explosion and that tapping sounds from inside the hull, which the Russian navy said showed that some sailors were alive 48 hours after the disaster, were made by automatic machinery. The claim by Mr Zhikov is similar to a report in the Berliner Zeitung newspaper last week, which said that an investigation by the Russian Federal Security Service had concluded that the Kursk had been sunk by a Granit missile fired by the Peter the Great. It said that the Granit had travelled 12 miles underwater before exploding close to the Kursk. Russian officers have hotly denied that the Kursk could have been sunk by one of their own ships, but have been unable to explain exactly what happened. The Pentagon said that there were two explosions in the vicinity of the Kursk at 7.28am and 7.30am on 12 August. The second was 45 to 50 times bigger than the first, suggesting that one or more of the Kursk's own torpedoes had exploded. That appears to be confirmed by the extent of the damage to the forward part of the submarine, but the cause of the first explosion is still unknown.

END EXCERPT

But this story is a hoax. The use of such a weapon would have left a clear and unequivocal trace on the sonar records of the two 688 subs and SURTASS boat the US had spying on the exercise. More to the point, the Russians, like every other nation, have special training weapons which do not carry live warheads. In the case of torpedos, both for the Russian and US, the training torpedos are designed only to get to within a certain distance of the target then surface to be recovered. Training torpedos do NOT actually hit their targets.

Finally note that the story claims that the torpedo fired by Peter The Great supposedly traveled 12 miles underwater to reach Kursk, then it claims Kursk struck Peter The Great while trying to do an emergancy surface after being hit. How is Kursk supposed to have gone from being 12 miles away from Peter the Great to being right underneath it in just a few seconds?

Excerpts from Various Articles
Debris found near Kursk linked to British and US submarines

Source: Guardian
Published: Tuesday September 5, 2000 Author: Ian Traynor in Moscow

Special report: Russia's stricken submarine

Russian salvage teams at the scene of the Kursk submarine disaster have
found an object resembling part of the conning tower of a British or
American nuclear submarine, a senior Russian officer said yesterday.
Reiterating the Russian navy line that the most likely explanation for the
sudden sinking of the Kursk on August 12 was a collision with a foreign
vessel, Colonel General Valery Manilov, the deputy chief of the general
staff, told a press conference in Moscow that the object was lying at the
bottom of the Barents sea, off the coast of Murmansk, and was being guarded
by Russian warships.

The Russian top brass continued to believe that the likeliest cause of the
Kursk disaster was a collision with "an other large underwater object", Gen
Manilov declared.

[...]

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From a Russian magazine report.
.......The American nuclear submarine SSN 691 Memphis, Los-Angeles class, is currently located at the Norwegian port in Bergen. A representative of the Norwegian embassy in Moscow told the Russian RIA "Novosti" news agency that the 'Memphis' entered the Norwegian port "for repairs." Initially the Norwegian embassy refused to say when the American submarine requested entry to and entered the Norwegian base. Shortly after publishing this information, RIA "Novosti" was contacted by another representative of the Norwegian embassy, Ule Hopestad, who said that his colleague, who gave the initial interview to the news agency, provided "incorrect information" due to his "problems with the Russian language. According to Ule Hopestad, the 'Memphis' entered the Norwegian port in Bergen on August 18 not for repairs but to replenish its supplies of food and to allow its crew to rest. Norwegian officials say that 'Memphis' was scheduled to arrive to Bergen almost two months in advance.

According to the Russian Defense Minister, Igor Sergeyev, Russian experts are studying satellite photos of the area where "Kursk" sank. 'Memphis' was detected by satellites when it surfaced and was traveling at a very low speed away from the general area of the "Kursk" accident toward Norway. Later the American submarine accelerated to around 8-9 knots (16-17 km/h) and proceeded along the Norwegian coast toward Bergen (roughly 1,900 km from the site of the "Kursk" accident along the Norwegian coastline). The submarine was generally identified as a Los-Angeles class and later was determined to be the SSN 691 'Memphis'. The unidentified foreign submarine was initially detected by the Russian nuclear cruiser "Peter the Great" after it intercepted a NATO radio distress signal originated by the submarine, requesting emergency entry to one of Norwegian naval bases.

Representatives of the Norwegian embassy in Moscow told RIA "Novosti" that the American submarine was seen by Norwegian journalists. However, attempts on the part of the Russian news agency to locate these journalists have failed.....

This snapshot was made by the Russian intelligence satellite on August 19, 2000 from the altitude of 40 thousand meters. This is the Norwegian naval base Haakonsvern, arranged on the coast of a Grimstad-fiord in a province Hordalan, in nine kilometers to the southwest from Bergen. Geographical coordinates of base are 60-20-20 N, 5-13-53 E, ? = +20?. Naval base Haakonsvern is used by the small and medium ships - up to frigate class, but not for for submarines.

On the August, 19 the nuclear submarine of the Los Angeles class has come into Haakonsvern and moored in the piers close to the frigate of Oslo class. A submarine moored in the piers, instead of dock, because the docks in Haakonsvern, we have to repeat, are not assigned for submarines, especially nuclear. We presume that the name of this boat is Memphis or Toledo. Both of them are of Los Angeles class submarines. The submarines of this class are of 109,7 meters length, 10,1 meters high and 9,9 meters width. Displacement is of 6000 tons.

The boat coming for the repair had considerable damages in the bow, and that was captured by the means of optical-electronic reconnaissance. The thick rubber-ceramic skin of the submarine was torn off, as a peel from a banana. Obviously the steel inner hall was also damaged.

The boat has been repaired for 8 days. On the August, 27 in second half of day she left the base and has departed to the coast of Britain. The boat doubled the British islands in the east, entered Southampton on the southern coast of England and became on repair in closed dock.

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The following is a brief review of all available facts relevant to the accident aboard "Kursk":

"Kursk" is the flagship submarine of Russia's Northern Fleet. It sailed for the first time in 1994 and entered active service in 1995. It is one of the newest Russian submarines and an important element of Russia's national defense.

The submarine's standard crew is 107 men. "Kursk" sank with 118 men aboard. Apparently, the 11 "extra" crew were various Navy officials present onboard to observe training exercises. The complete list of the sub's standard crew was published by the Russian press.

The submarine sank in shallow waters approximately 135 km from the shore. Currently, "Kursk" is resting at the depth of only 108 meters, at a 25-deg nose-down pitch and a 60-deg roll to the right. The sub is located in the middle of an extremely strong localized underwater current.

The rescue buoy was not released. The escape capsule was not used.

The submarine has a large hole along the right side in the forward sections. Scratch marks extend to the fin, which also has some impact damage. The fin never touched the seabed.

Large pieces of the sub's hull are scattered across the seabed.

The submarine left a relatively long trail on the seabed.

All the external masts and the periscope were extended. These systems are extended only when the sub is surfaced, surfacing, or traveling at the periscope depth of about 10 meters. Before the sub dives all masts are retracted inside the hull. This is done even during an rapid emergency dive.

At least five of the nine and perhaps all of the sub's compartments are believed to be flooded. Norwegian divers confirmed that the entire submarine is flooded.

The official Russian government commission concluded that the sub sank because of a powerful explosion onboard. The cause of the explosion is believed to be a collision with an unidentified massive external body with approximate displacement of 7,000-8,000 metric tons traveling at over 6 knots (faster than "Kursk") at the depth of 20-25 meters. The impact was at a 20-30-degree angle between the velocity vectors of "Kursk" and the unidentified external object.

Russian media reports indicate that the external object, which hit "Kursk" was attempting to steer away to the left and down from the Russian submarine in the last moments before the collision.

At the time of the accident, Russian heavy nuclear cruiser "Peter the Great" detected a powerful hydro acoustic compression wave, which may indicate an underwater explosion. The signal's location was calculated, which later allowed to locate "Kursk."

"Peter the Great" also detected green-and-white rescue buoys, which later disappeared. The Russian Navy uses only red-and-white rescue buoys. Green-and-white ones are used by the US, UK, and Norwegian navies.

After locating "Kursk", the cruiser detected a second large object on the bottom of the sea, which was identified as a foreign submarine. Two NATO "Orion" naval reconnaissance aircraft were detected by "Peter the Great" in the area shortly after the accident.

According to unnamed Russian Navy officials quoted by the Russian press, a coded NATO radio communication was intercepted after the explosion aboard "Kursk" was detected. The radio message, addressed to the Norwegian Navy, originated from a NATO submarine, and requested an emergency entry to one of the Norwegian naval bases for a five-day stay.

Russian reconnaissance satellites detected a surfaced Los Angeles class submarine moving toward Norwegian coast at a very low speed. According to unnamed Russian Navy officials, the submarine was later identified as possibly being the SSN 691 Memphis.

The United States government and military officials confirmed that two of their submarines and a reconnaissance vessel, the "Loyal", were observing Russian naval exercises. Americans denied that any of their submarines were involved in the accident with "Kursk."

Vladimir Putin had a lengthy conversation with Bill Clinton about "Kursk," after which he gave the "go ahead" for the Russian Navy to seek foreign help. Putin ordered Russian Navy officials to travel to the NATO headquarter in Brussels and to evaluate NATO's ability to assist with the rescue operation. Russia has officially accepted help offers from the UK and Norway.

On August 17 the head of the CIA, George Tennet, secretly arrived to Moscow from Sofia, Bulgaria. Shortly after Russian journalists became aware of the visit. Bulgarian officials made no secret of the matter and confirmed that the head of the CIA went to Moscow. When confronted by the journalists, Russian officials stated that the unusual visit was related to the situation in Yugoslavia, and not to the accident aboard "Kursk." On the same day Russian reconnaissance satellites confirmed that a US Los Angeles class submarine entered a naval base in Norway.

On May 11, the Russian Military News Agency (AVN) reported that in July-August of 2000 the Northern Fleet will be conducted a training rescue operation. As a part of the operation, one of the Northern Fleet's nuclear submarines was supposed to lay on the seabed at the depth of about 100 meters. The rescue vessel to perform the training rescue mission was identified as "Rudnitsky."

"Mikhail Rudnitsky" rescue vessel was among the first ships to arrive at the site of the accident.

Norway and the United States confirmed that the Los Angeles class submarine SSN 691 Memphis entered a Norwegian naval base for repairs on August 17-18. Americans refused to say when the 'Memphis' requested entry to the base or whether these were planned repairs or an emergency situation.

Russian Federation has officially requested a technical report from Norway detailing the nature of repairs carried out on Memphis.

The head of the Russian parliamentary national security committee, Dmitry Rogozin, said that an international group of experts will investigate a possibility of a collision between "Kursk" and a foreign submarine. Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, confirmed this information.

The crash site of "Kursk" is being heavily guarded by several surface vessels and attack submarines of the Northern Fleet. Two research vessels equipped with advances hydro-acoustic systems are mapping the seabed and underwater currents in the area of the accident.

Some Russian regional administration officials from Murmansk area stated that there were two civilian torpedo experts from a military research organization aboard "Kursk" supervising a test-launch of an experimental torpedo that uses liquid propellant.

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A Brief History Of US/Russian submarine collisions
Here's a short list of known collisions.

1961 USS Swordfish (SSN-579) is on a spy mission in Soviet waters when a Soviet sub surfaces underneath it.

196? A US sub, possibly USS Skipjack, on a spy mission in Soviet waters, collides with a destroyer. Finally made public in a New York Times article in 1975.

July 1965. USS Medregal rams a Greek freighter.

March 1966. USS Barbel rams a freighter near North Vietnam.

December 1967. USS George C. Marshall (SSBN-654) is grazed by a Russian sub.

October 9, 1968. This appears to be the historical precedent for the Kursk sinking. A Russian sub operating normally collided with an unknown sub in the Barents sea, leaving a sizable hole in the Russian sub. Russian intelligence notes the arrival of a damaged sub in a Norwegian port a few days later.

November 1969. USS Gato's sail hits the hull of a soviet sub.

March 14, 1970. USS Sturgeon bashes her sonar dome against a Russian sub's sail.

June 1970. USS Tautog is rammed by Black Lila. It is erroneously assumed at the time that Black Lila sank.

March 1971. An unnamed US sub operating 12 miles off of the Soviet coast collides with a Russian sub. Reported in the New York Times in 1975.

Mid-1971. USS Dace hits a Russian sub in the Mediterranean.

Late 1971 or early 1972. USS Puffer is trailing a Soviet sub when the Soviet sub unexpectedly dives, bumping into Puffer.

March 1974. USS Pintado rams a Soviet missile boat while on a spy mission in Soviet waters near Petropavlovsk. Reported in the San Diego Evening Tribune in 1975.

November 3rd, 1974. USS James Madison hits an unknown Russian Victor class attack sub in the North Sea. Reported by columnist Jack Anderson.

1981. HMS Sceptre is trailing a Russian sub and rear-ends it.

October 1986. USS Augusta, while testing a new computer sonar system to make detecting enemy subs easier, rams a Soviet sub. The Augusta claims they rammed a Delta class. Others report it was a Yankee missile boat that subsequently sank.

December 24, 1986. HMS Splendid and a Soviet sub were trying to dodge out of each other's way when they collided. HMS Splendid's towed sonar array became tangled in the other sub and was lost.

February 11, 1992. USS Baton Rouge hits a Soviet sub near Murmansk. For the first time, and in response to Yeltsin's demands, the US Navy publicly acknowledges the collision.

March 20, 1993. USS Grayling with a Russian sub in the Barent's Sea.

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Collisions between US surface ships and Russian submarines
The above list does NOT include the numerous times that US surface ships have been involved in collisions with Russian submarines.

Click for full size image

The above photo is of a Russian Echo II submarine wallowing with its sail awash following a collision with USS Voge on August 28, 1976. The photo and descrpition is from Jane's Defense.

The above photo is an overhead photo, also from Jane's Defense, of a Russian Echo II submarine running on the surface.

Click for full size image

The above photo is a close up on the sail of the Echo II submarine.

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Click for full size image.

Photo of submarines in dry dock.

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NEW! MOre excerpts from news reports.
Russian vice-premier: US government concealed Kursk/US sub collision due to US election..

Chaos keeps secrets of Kursk on hold

AMONG those keenest to see the United States election result declared are Russian leaders, with a deputy prime minister saying he then expects the US to come clean about involvement in the sinking of the submarine Kursk.

The Russian vice-premier, Ilia Klebanov, said divers searching the submarine, which went down with all hands in the summer, had found new evidence that it collided with a foreign submarine.

But Mr Klebanov told the Russian media that the US government had been concealing that fact over fears that it would upset the election campaign.

"It was concealed because the United States was preparing for elections. In several days further there will be more information. It was clear it was another submarine - 80 per cent [sure] it was American."

Mr Klebanov is the most senior figure to echo the navy?s insistence that a foreign sub, rather than incompetence, was the reason the Kursk blew up.

[...]

Chris Stephen In St Petersburg

Saturday, 11th November 2000 The Scotsman

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MOSCOW, Nov 8 (AFP) - Russia has "serious" proof that the Kursk nuclear submarine sank after colliding with another submarine, Interfax cited a top minister leading an investigation into the disaster as saying Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov said after a government meeting on the accident that investigators had collected "serious video proof" that the Kursk went down after smashing into another submarine.

[...]

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Russia claims part of foreign sub found near Kursk

MOSCOW, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Russian military sources are claiming that a
fragment of railing from a foreign submarine's conning tower was found
Monday on the seabed 1,100 feet away from the wreck of the sunken submarine
Kursk, the official Itar-Tass and Interfax news agencies reported Monday.

[...]

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The Dossier of the Kursk Murderer Foreign Affairs News Keywords: RUSSIA, KURSK Source: Russia Today Published: August 21, 2000 Posted on 08/21/2000 20:59:43 PDT by Sawdring

Summary

On Saturday night, commanders of the Russian Navy confirmed officially that there is not anyone alive on board of Kursk submarine, that sank to the bottom of the Barents Sea a week before. In fact, they have known this since Wednesday ? Segodnya wrote, - but have feared to admit this.

One of the possible versions of the shipwreck is as follows. On the night of August 12, according to the plan of military exercise, Kursk was to carry out a night torpedo attack on a training military target from the periscope depth. At the depth of 25 meters, when the submarine was going up, it hit a large underwater object, which was moving at much higher speed at the same depth or a little higher. The moving object has been identified as "foreign nuclear multi-purpose submarine".

The two submarines were aware about the presence of each other, but could have had problems with hydro-acoustic signals at that very moment, because they were both near the surface of water. According to the preliminary observations, the two submarines collided at the angle of 20 to 30 degrees. The dynamic blow was the equivalent of a 100 to 150 kilogram trotil explosion and was registered by Norwegian seismologists. The blow hit a place on Kursk where its two largest modules were connected ? the first torpedo module and the second command module. The combat alarm was sounded at Kursk before the explosion and the crew was at its posts, according to combat schedules. This means that around forty crew members who were in the first and in the second modules died immediately.

In the meantime, the killer submarine continued its destruction of Kursk. Moving very tightly to Kursk, it must have opened its light shell up to the sixth module, and the strong shell ? up to the fourth module. It operated like a can opener with its right horizontal stabilizer on the side of Kursk.

The situation at Kursk was desperate, as the water flooded the first module in no time, drowning the power supply. The submarine became de-energized and its nuclear engine was turned off by its protection system. The

submarine started to fall on the sea bottom at a 45 degree trim by the bow.

The killer-submarine must have had large injuries as well. There could be parts of its light shell on board the Kursk and on the sea bottom. Still, its energy system continued to operate, and this enabled the crew to liquidate the leak and to move away from the catastrophe zone, hiding in the hydro-acoustic shades of Russian ships.

Monday, August 21, Segodnya.

Things To Do

2008-06-09T22:18:00.003-06:00

Tracy and I are moving our bedroom from the upstairs MBR to the downstairs MBR. The kids wanted to all sleep in the same room, barracks style, so I am making loft beds for them. Each of their beds will have their dresser and built in shelves underneath. We moved their game room from downstairs to one of the bedrooms upstairs, and the third bedroom up there will be a spare bedroom for guests.

Anyway, we had a lot of stuff to move from the downstairs MBR, which had been an office/craft room/storage room. While moving things, Tracy found one of my journals from when I was on submarines in the Navy. In one of them, I had written a list of things I wanted to do when we returned from a six month deployment. I remember making that list! I thought I would make a quick list again of some things I would like to do...

1. Go hiking and mountain biking in Moab, Utah.
2. Photographic tour of Italy, including Rome, Venice, and Florence.
3. Spend a few days hanging out in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Montreal.
4. Go sailing on Hobie Cats again.
5. Be able to run with the speed and agility that I had when I was in my early 20's (before six knee surgeries and an ankle reconstruction).
6. Climb to the top of Mount Vesuvius outside of Pompeii, Italy with Tracy and the kids.
7. See my three boys grow up to be men of strong character.
8. Learn to make pottery on a potter's wheel.
9. Go on a real honeymoon with Tracy for one of our anniversary dates coming up...
10. Have a motorcycle again, and hit 150 mph (to beat my previous record of about 140mph) ...this is counter-productive to #7, and I won't risk it...

It would be fun to go on and on, but I have some things to get done. If I run across that Navy list, I will post it here.

Take care,
JD

Cash or Credit?

2008-06-08T22:33:00.003-06:00

Josh, our 10 year old, has been working at Nemo's with Tracy this summer. He has always helped out on Saturdays by working the cash register. He also has made himself drinks at the espresso bar (decaf). Over the last couple of weeks, though, he has gotten really excited about learning to run the bar, making drinks for customers. He is doing a really great job. We have several regulars who specifically ask to have Josh make their drinks. Tracy has been paying him about $10 a day when he works with her for a couple of hours... Things have 'clicked' in Josh's mind as far as hard work equals a $$ reward!
We do have quite a few Health Department employees come in the shop, as the Health Dept building is just a block away. One of them told Tracy that Josh could not work behind the counter. Tracy explained that he is our son, and we don't have a problem with it, provided he stays focused and does a good job. They said children could not work in this capacity, so Tracy asked what county regulation prohibits it. She said if it is in writing as a policy, then we would abide by it. The Health Dept called a little while later and said it turns out there are no written regulations prohibiting it. They asked us to utilize the Health Dept policy manual to train Josh, and to especially teach him safe food handling regulations, which we will do...

I took Josh to a sporting goods store today to get him some cleats for baseball, and to get him and Jonah some baseball uniform pants. Josh saw some Heelies (shoes with wheels, which I despise!) and wanted to get them. I told him that if he wants them, he would have to save his money and get them later. He pleaded with me to loan him the money so that he could get them right away. When I told him no, he got really frustrated with me. I explained to him that he needs to get in the habit of saving for things he wants, instead of buying them on credit. It is not good to owe money for things you want... He didn't take much interest in my reasoning. I told him that he may be frustrated about not getting the Heelies today, but that he would be thankful later (as an adult) if I help him to develop good financial habits now. He said he would rather just 'Thank me' today for getting the Heelies, instead of thanking me later as an adult! Well, I stuck to my guns and told him to save his money and buy them when he has cash. We are not going to do advances on allowance, or on payments for working at Nemo's. He finally accepted the fact that I was not going to change my mind. I know he does not see the value in this lesson now, but I fully intend to teach all three of our kids good financial habits now so that they have the foundation to be financially responsible as adults. It took me a lot of decades to see the value of it... I wish I had been more responsible starting in my 20's instead of in my late 30's or early 40's...

Josh was disappointed today, but he certainly will thank me when he is 30.
Cash, cash, cash, cash, cash... No credit.

JD