A Poem for Painting

How do I paint thee? Let me count the ways.

With a brush – Either a chip or a sash brush – maybe taped to the end of a long stick – so I can reach way up into the corner of a room with a vaulted ceiling – when I don’t want to climb my 20 foot ladder.

Or with a wooly roller, for a semi-smooth surface – like the swirly plaster in a Mexican restaurant – whose texture I want to apply.

Or perhaps a hot dog (or weenie) roller – which is small enough to reach behind and around the fixtures in a bathroom (like a toilet.) Oh, the weenie roller. Perfect for getting into the corners of a room , and when made of foam, for smoothing out the brush lines when cutting in with semi-gloss paint - which reflects the light in the kitchen – just a bit.

Oh, semi-gloss paint. You are so delicate, and wonderful for kitchens, where the greasy smoke from last night’s fish sticks cling to the walls, calling to be wiped clean. For the semi-gloss is care free and happy to be scrubbed with a sponge - but never an abrasive cleanser.

And you, oh shiny hi-gloss paint. You are so fickle, but long to be applied on door jambs and window sills, or, dare I suggest, the 4 and 6 panel doors in a beautiful home? Oh show me not my reflection like a mirror. For I might gaze long at it, wondering that I can see myself, like a vane contest winner in a beauty pageant.

But you, flat paint. You are my true love, for with you there are no roller lines or brush strokes. No, you are the kindest and most satisfying of all the sheens of paint. With you I could never be unhappy.

Executive Painting and Texture, Inc. Simply Santa Clarita's most popular painters. www.executivepainting.net.

Thanks to our friends at HotSpotSCV. www.hotspotscv.com

What’s With The Roundabout At Castaic Junction?

Call it a roundabout. Call it a traffic circle. Call it a hazard and a menace to navigation!
One thing I will never understand is how anyone approves silly construction projects that taxpayers cannot possibly benefit from. This project appeared to be a simple widening of the bridge at the Hasley Canyon Road exit from Interstate 5. I’m not sure how long it was projected to take to complete the project, but it went on for two years. And now with the project near completion, presto chango, the traffic light at the intersection of The Old Road and Hasley Canyon Road has been replaced by a European style traffic circle.
Never mind that businesses at this location have suffered mightily these past two years. The first thought I had when I encountered this mystical crop circle by the freeway was, “there is no way people in California know how to deal with this.”
I’ve witnessed two near collisions, and nearby shop owners tell me there have been several crashes already.
I would ask who is responsible for this, but ultimately, it is we the citizens of Santa Clarita who bare the onus. We allow this kind of intrusion of insanity to go unchecked, and suffer the consequences of inefficient traffic patterns. Do you know that I can get from Saugus to Burbank in less time than I can get to Canyon Country? A monkey could do a better job of programming traffic lights around here.
I just want to know how long this stupid traffic circle will last. My prediction is about a year before enough people get killed there to enrage the public into demanding a normal intersection with traffic signals. Then we can have, what? two more years of traffic construction and freeway delays?
Here’s a thought: what if city and traffic planners surveyed affected area business and homeowners before starting a project like this? But like I said, we the citizens are responsible. We should have attended the public meetings that I’m sure took place. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.
Here’s another thought: If you live or work in the SCV, why not call on Santa Clarita’s favorite painters when you need to spruce up your home, office, or showroom? Executive Painting and Texture gets the job done with a minimum of hassle. Check us out at www.executivpainting.net
One more thing: you can always find the best online deals and discounts at www.hotspotscv.com

Michael Jackson

I think it was weird of MJ to have sleep overs with children. But I don't think he was a Chester.
From his kids, you get that he was a great father. I have to respect that.
To those that knew him, I'm sorry for your pain. May you be comforted by your good memories of your absent friend.
$400 Million Dollars...thats a lot of dough for one man to owe. I hope the kids are taken care of while that gets worked out...Wow.
Executive Painting and Texture, Santa Clarita's Motown Friendly painters, say, "Goodbye" to a voice I grew up with on the radio.
www.executivepainting.net
www.hotspotscv.com

Rock On!

We came, We saw, We rocked their socks off!
Ears bleeding from the intense level of volume, the crowd cringed with pleasure, and spontaneously combusted into a pyroclastic flow of dancing, gyrating, wildness. “More, more” they cried when we ended our set. “I want to have your baby!” I heard over and over again.
Guitar Gods, you are great. I channeled you through the Hybrid Slinkies that adorn my Les Paul, succumbed to the urge to crank it up to eleven, and shattered windows in 3 neighborhoods with your help.
OK. Take a step back there, big fella. It was good, but not THAT good.
I can honestly say that we received many compliments on our playing and singing. Neighbors did indeed say they were hanging out in their yards so they could listen to us play. I heard the words “polished” and “tight” used in conversation.
So I say, “Success!” I’m glad I picked up the guitar again. We have a good location to practice in. Our sound is firming up.
Classic Rock is what we do, although we have vowed to not learn any more songs from the 60’s. Here’s a sample of our song list.
Learning to Fly - Foo Fighters
Machine Head - Bush
I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home – Grand Funk
Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
Born on the Bayou - Credence Clearwater Revival
Behind Blue Eyes – The Who
Jumpin' Jack Flash – Rolling Stones
LA Woman – The Doors
I know, except for the first two, pretty old. But we like it, and it’s a good place to start.
Hey, if you don’t like my music, I know you’ll like my painting. Executive Painting and Texture, Santa Clarita’s best painters. Check us out at www.executivepainting.net
And check out our friends at HotSpotSCV for the best deals in Santa Clarita. www.hotspotscv.com

Big Remodel, Little Bathroom: The End

A fine fine thing it is. This little bathroom is now like a center piece for this home.
Three colors: one for the trim, crown molding, baseboards and chair rail, one for the paneling and wainscot, and one for the nicely textured drywall and ceiling.
My customer told me she was very happy with how it came out. That’s all I needed.
People who want custom painting with great results can count on Executive Painting and Texture, Santa Clarita’s best painters. Check us out at www.executivepainting.net
And check out our friends at HotSpotSCV for the best deals in Santa Clarita. www.hotspotscv.com

July 4 Jam and 3 Day Weekends

Tonight is our last jam practice for the Band with No Name before the gig tomorrow. I wish we had a name. I didn’t like most of the names Craig and Pete came up with. Maybe I could live with OGR (Old Guys Rockin’). But I prefer names from characters in books that I’ve enjoyed….something like Achilles Heel. My band just out of high school was called Equine Paradox, which deals with the philosophical reason behind why there are so many more horses asses than there are horses. (Thanks for the memories Chris, Tim, Tony, Dave, and Deano.)
Its been about 6 years since I played before an audience of party goers. I'm really looking forward to it with pleasant anticipation, and a little anxiety. However, as in most things, I usually find that I am my own worst critic. Therefore, “I will not fear. Fear is the mind killer…” (If you can finish this quote, you win the Cupie Doll.)
If you're coming to Pete's party, I pledge to make your feet move and your body shake...hopefully that won't be an induced medical condition.
If you’re not coming to Pete’s party, have a safe and fun July 4th. But beware: I’m know where you live, and I’m not afraid to bring my amp to your driveway at midnight and crank up my Les Paul to 11.
I’m so happy we celebrate Independence Day on the actual day. God help us if we change to celebrating on the nearest Monday. What would have happened if the Founding Fathers had waited until Monday to declare independence? (Probably nothing…) What if Paul Revere had waited until Monday to make his famous ride? (We’d all be speaking English now.) What if Apollo 11 had waited until Monday to land on the moon? (Come on, conspiracy theorists, help me out here!)
Can we just drop the 3 day weekend idea?
Here’s another idea: why don’t we create a Leap Day to screw up our since of time, like we do with leap years and daylight savings. I think another layer of confusion would serve to help us all learn how to cope with little annoyances in life just that much more.
Here’s how it would work. On some arbitrary week day during the year, we skip one day, say Monday (nobody likes Mondays anyhow.) Suddenly, we have a 4 day work week! Saturday and the weekend come one day sooner. Then, six months later, on a Saturday night at the stroke of midnight, we add an extra Saturday, making a 3 day weekend with an extra Saturday. (We could have an extra Sunday instead, if that makes you happy.) We end up with the same number of days in the year. And we accomplish my real goal of making it more difficult to figure out what day of the week it was on July 20, 1969.
I’m starting a committee to present this idea to the President. Is anyone with me? Come on. I know you want another 3 day weekend!
Oh well, if you don’t want to do that, maybe you could just tell a friend or neighbor about Executive Painting and Texture, Santa Clarita’s best painters (and the most contrary). You can find us on the internets at www.executivepainting.net
And if you’re looking for some Hot Deals in Santa Clarita, check out HotSpotSCV.com

Jam On!

The Band with No Name is having one of its last 3 practices today. Next Saturday we debut at Pete’s July 4th Party. If you didn’t get the invitation from Pete, I can’t really help you, but rest assured, I will miss your presence! When I fire the Les Paul up and crank the Music Man hybrid amp up to “11”, I want people’s ears to bleed with pleasure. (Not mine, I’ll be wearing ear plugs to retain what little is left of my hearing. I envision my bust alongside that of Ludwig Van’s in some future comparison of deaf musical prodigies!) Pity if you miss out.
But rest assured, You Tube versions of our “talent” will be forthcoming. And maybe, with a little luck, we’ll break into the bar circuit with a vengeance, playing gigs every Friday and Saturday night from San Diego to Lake Tahoe. We’ll be like the Med Fly phenomena of the 1980’s, infecting the boondocks and backwater towns of our great state with a hype rarely experienced in a human’s short existence.
How does one go from garage band to Bar Band? And is it ultimately worth the trouble? I have to admit, when my guitar playing is good, it is a thing of raw beauty. To me, it is like watching somebody else on stage. But I decided long ago that in music, it’s not how well you play or what you know, it’s who you know, and how many hours, days, and weeks can you keep your sanity riding around in a tour bus, opening shows for Rat Dog, or Seether.
And I can’t really pursue a musical performance career at this stage of life. After all, I’m an old man - I just celebrated the 19th anniversary of my 30th birthday. Yet something in me loves to wake up the “guitar player” and put him on display.
I’m really sorry if you can’t be there to watch. But I’ll tell you how it goes!

In case anyone cares, Executive Painting and Texture is my company. We are Santa Clarita’s most educated painters, and when we paint your house, we promise not to kick your cat or leave additional children at your home. We’ll just paint it and make it look really nice. You’ll want to show all of your friends and brag about the guitar-playing-astronomer painter that made your family room a work of art. Please visit our website at www.executivepainting.net
And shop smart at HotSpotSCV.com for internet coupons and the hottest deals in the Santa Clarita Valley!

Bathroom Remodel, Part IV

So where were we? Let’s see, the wall paper is gone. Skim coat and minor repairs made the wall smooth and even. And we shot on a texture coat.
The process for texture coating inside a bathroom is probably like working in a hospital room. Everything is wrapped and protected against invasion by foreign bodies – the floor, shower doors, shower walls, counter top, wainscot, chair rail, toilet, and everything nailed down is masked off with tape, paper and plastic. Nothing can leak onto the floor, overspray can’t mess up the smooth surfaces.
We mix up some topping compound to the consistency of pancake batter, and pour it into the hopper, select a spray nozzle for the correct size texture (in this case we chose a light splatter – a little larger than orange peel texture), hook up the compressor, and BAM! Spray that sucker all over the walls and ceiling.
Note of caution: clean the bottom of your shoes before leaving the protected area! I had gobs of goo on my shoes, and I don’t think my customer would appreciate me leaving a trail of gooey footprints on the carpet!
So, up to date now, yesterday we sealed the texture with a PVA primer (recommended for new drywall and texture.) That was after we ran a sponge over the textured surfaces, to smooth out the ridges in the new texture. We also searched the surfaces for uncharacteristic texture and corrected with a can of spray texture.
While the primer was drying, I applied the first of 3 color coats – a semi-gloss Vanilla Tan, which is a soft white. And the bathroom is starting to shape up!
Next step is to apply the other 2 colors, which will happen in the next couple of days. Stay tuned!
And don’t forget, you could do this for yourself. Its not rocket science, its just painting! But it is a mess, and it helps to have a little experience behind you, especially for shooting texture on the walls. If you don’t want the hassle of doing it yourself, call on Santa Clarita’s patriotic painters, Executive Painting and Texture. www.executivepainting.net
Thanks again to our friends at www.HotSpotSCV.com

Patio Cover Repair

When you're self employed, its good to have a reality check.

I just finished a patio cover repair, where there was a lot of wood with dry rot. It wasn't in the budget to replace the whole structure, so we (the customer and I) set about identifying all the parts that were in a state of deterioration - quite a lot, it turns out. When I counted up all the 2-by-3's that were effected, and added 10% for waste, I came up with 50 pieces - That ran almost $400.

There were also major pieces of the structure that I would have liked to replace, but would have required demolishing most of the structure to do so. We decided to scrape out any signs of dry rot, treat the lumber with Copper Napthenate, and fill the gouges with an exterior quality wood filler.

The new lumber was sealed with Kilz2 (my 2nd favorite primer, at about 65% of the cost of my favorite), painted with the customer's White Exterior Semi Gloss, and assembled the whole thing like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

The patio cover looks great, it passed inspection, and the home will close escrow on time in a few more days. Hooray!! And the reality check? My finished project came in at about $400 less than my competitor, who did not include painting in his bid. My competitor also did not include treating the structural pieces in his bid. I guess that puts me in at close to $1000 under on this project. Good for me, except I wouldn't mind having an extra grand in my pocket.

Check out my website for Executive Painting and Texture, the nicest painters in Santa Clarita: www.executivepainting.net

And for other great deals and discounts, take a look at HotSpotSCV.com

Astronomy

Well, I did it. I submitted my podcast contribution to the 365 Days of Astronomy daily podcast. I'm no Astronomer, but I do take an interest in the subject.

Other contributions have been about Supernovas (Supernovae?), Black Holes, Galaxies, Exotic Matter, and the like. But my podcast relates Space Travel in Science Fiction to the real science of moving people and probes to distant parts of our solar system, our galaxy, and one day, the far side of the universe.

You can listen to the experts daily at http://365daysofastronomy.org/. For my contribution, you'll have to wait until Sunday, June 28. Please give it a listen, and send me a note at handymanvance@gmail.com. I'd love to hear what you think!

Thanks to Dr. Pamela Gay and Frasier Cain from Astronomycast, for inspiring me to participate in this International Year of Astronomy, in celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo turning the telescope towards the night sky, and opening man's eyes to the universe.

I would be remiss if I did not also thank Executive Painting and Texture, Santa Clarita's premiere painters, at www.executivepainting.net, and www.hotspotscv.com

So you want a crappy paint job?

I recently bid on painting a 3 bedroom rental condo. Somebody else came in at half the price that I quoted. I racked my brain, trying to figure out how anybody working for a living could to the job at that price, and live to paint again.
Everybody wants a good deal - I understand that. And there are a lot of painters in Santa Clarita, so naturally I want to be competitive. But half of my price? Do these cheap painters have a truck? ladders? paint brushes and rollers? a sprayer? Do they maintain their equipment? Do they pay their employees? their taxes? Are the licensed, bonded, and insured? I suspected not.
After the painting was finished, I was called back to that condo to look at some other work, which the customer did ask me to do. I walked into the condo, and from across the room, I could see right through the new paint to the old paint, which was a different color than the new. It was so obvious, so unprofessional, so hideous, that I had to call my customer and ask if they had been to the property since it was painted. She had not, so I described what I saw.
My customer apologized to me, and said had she known how bad it would turn out, she would have given me the job at the price I quoted, citing the old adage, "You get what you pay for!"
The moral of this story is, there are 3 kinds of painting: Pretty good, Excellent, and Crap. At Executive Painting and Texture, Santa Clarita's professional painting contractors, we only do excellent.
I have the other guy's phone number if you want crap.
Please visit our website at www.executivepainting.net for our lates specials for painting your home, office, or showroom. Thanks to our friends at www.HotspotSCV.com, where you can find the best deals on just about anything in SCV!

The Band Whose Name We Do Not Speak

Today I just want to say, "Rock On" to the Band Whose Name We Do Not Speak.

And don't forget to check out the best painters in Santa Clarita, Executive Painting and Texture, at www.executivepainting.net. Thanks to our Interwebs partner, HotspotSCR at www.hotspotscv.com

Self Employed to Employer

I was saying that I'm moving from the S portion to the E portion of the Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki.
The "joy" of being my own boss, relying on and answering to nobody but me, has become a trudging daily exercise in doing work, finding work, and following up. I do a lot of networking, meeting with prospective clients, writing proposals, shopping for materials, tool and vehicle maintenance, practicing various painting techniques (like faux finishes and venetian plaster), keeping on top of my email, trips to the bank, trips to the mail box, phone calls to everyone, etc., etc.
My day starts at 5 am and many times doesn't end until midnight.
Making the move to "Employer", if done properly, should allow me to deligate many of these tasks, as well as creating a painting machine that doesn't rely on my being there every step of the job.
I have a lot to do before I reach this goal. But it has become my passion to be the premiere painter in Santa Clarita, California. We are Executive Painting and Texture.
Check out our website at www.executivepainting.net and our partners in creating business, www.hotspotscv.com, and my network at http://www.bni-scav.com/chapterlist.htm (the Nitro Chapter).
Please feel free to comment on this post!

Employee, to self employed, to employer

Just for starters, let's establish that I have never been one to happily follow the path that others have already taken. I refer to my choice in careers, which at this time and for the past 9 years, has been to be self employed.
When I took this fork in the road, my thought was only to avoid the bureaucracy and opaque image that lay along the other path - create a glorified resume qualifying me as a customer satisfaction driven hard working outstanding electronics technician with supervisor experience. I had a job that I enjoyed until I decided to assert the kind of philosphy in business that I knew would make the customer happy: Attention to detail.
Let me just say about this that I could have ignored the unprofessional behavior of the scallywag that was foisted on my team. I could have been less honest about my company's product performance. I could have retired at that company. Instead I tried to improve the shortcomings that I perceived, and for that, as usually is the case, I suffered the search for the guilty, the persecution of the innocent.
I fell into the trade "handyman" while promoting myself back into the roll of the employed.
One thing about being self employed: probably not the place to be if you want to get someplace in life.
I read The Cash Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki. It made me realize that successful business models, successfully executed, do successfull business. It is not a loan individual who makes it in this world. The savy business owner/operator is able to direct and mold other skilled and motivated people into his partners and in so doing, create wealth.
The result is my still young painting company in Santa Clarita, Ca., Executive Painting and Texture. We do interior and exterior painting, drywall repairs, textured surfaces, faux finishes, murals, borders, etc. We belong to the SCV Chamber of Commerce, SCV Concierge group, and BNI. We are in the Yellow Pages and at www.yellowpages.com, but our favorite Hot Spot for advertising and great deals in Santa Clarita is www.hotspotscv.com. Visit our website at www.executivepainting.net.