Dwight Wolfe's Blog

@^%@%$#^&* Builders and Contractors, OR IS IT JUST ME ?!

Dwight Wolfe (Emerald Coast Realty, Inc.) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 23:58:02 -0700

I had a contractor put a chimney cap on my chimney today. As usual, I am disappointed with the workmanship.

My chimney is one of those ‘wooden box' type chimneys that has the metal chimney pipe coming up the middle. The chimney is about 3' x 6' feet. The previous cap was flat, that is bad. The center hole was ‘flanged', as it should be, that is good. The sad part is, because the cap was flat instead of ‘tented' the water would ‘puddle' on top of it and the galvanized sheet metal rusted through 10-20 years prematurely. If it had the slopes like a camping tent has, the water would have run off after each rain and greatly limited the rusting.

This is the TOP VIEW and SIDE VIEW of a 'Tented' or 'cross-braced' Chimney Cap

Now, the new cap is aluminum. That is good, it will not rust. It was cross-braced which gives it a ‘tented' effect, that is good. The 'cross-bracing' is shown by the diagonal lines that go from one corner to the other corner. To create a cross-brace, they bend along the diagonal lines. The greater the bends that forms the cross-bracing, the steeper the run-off slope will be. Unfortunately he did not cross-brace it quite enough, the ‘slope' is only 2-3 degrees downward. I was expecting about 5 degrees as the minimum. And then to my absolute astonishment, the center hole was NOT FLANGED !! They put 3/4" cuts around the center hole and then bend the tabs up to attach the pipe to. And then they use caulking to seal it. NOW FOLKS, I THOUGHT MAKING THE CENTER HOLE WITH A FLANGE WAS ‘SHEET METAL 101' !!

My complaints:

1. How long will the caulking last? I guarantee it will not last as long as a properly formed flange. The flange will shed water forever or until the aluminum corrodes. The caulk will only shed water until it becomes 'unstuck' from the metal.

2. That cross bracing (bending) should give the cap about a 5 degree slope. This cap is supposed to shed water in a torrential downpour. More slope improves the watershedding capability, just like a shingle roof.

3. If you are in the sheet metal business, you should have a tool that you can snap into that hole and make a flange in about 5 minutes.

4. Why do contractors find it impossible to put five minutes more work into something that will make it be the proper job? I see this ALL THE TIME !!

5. The contractor that did the job 20 years ago did not do the job properly and the contractor that did the job today did not do the job properly !!

This is so frustrating, there are no contractors that know anything anymore. Whatever happened to the trades >>> "progression of members from apprentice to craftsman, journeyman, and eventually to master and grandmaster of their craft". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_union) None of these people know anything anymore.

Should I stop payment on my check? (Yea, I was stupid. Save it.) :-)

Will caulk work for a HOT chimney pipe? (My friend pointed that out.)

Is it Builders and Contractors, OR IS IT JUST ME ?!

SHAVING ANYONE? - FACES AND THEN LEGS.

Dwight Wolfe (Emerald Coast Realty, Inc.) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:18:47 -0700

Does anyone besides me think that shaving products and shaving advertising has risen to the level of idiotic in this country? Now that football season is here and of course sports advertising in general, I am noticing the Gillette and Schick commercials all over the place. Make no mistake about it, this blog is about shaving, it is not about being unshaven. But I mean, how many ways can you serve up a razor? How successful can a company be trying to separate me from my hard earned money for things like:

Electric razor with 3 cutter bars instead of 2 cutter bars or 1 cutter bar.
Electric water-proof razors that dispense soap.
Hot lather or Vibrating razors or 4 bladed razors

To me the greatest shaving improvement in our lifetimes was 1) the electric razor and 2) the disposable safety razor. The electric razor, it just saves me time and it doesn't cut me. HOW MUCH MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR ? ! The disposable safety razor (thank you BIC), IT IS CHEAP AND IT WORKS ! And if I have forgotten to pack my electric razor, I can buy a pack of 5 for $1.19. Less than a cup of coffee !! And the truth is, I can use a single disposable razor for about a month!!

Multi-bladed razors. 1 blade or 4, every place on my face still gets stroked about 3 times, no more no less. Does anyone really believe that the first blade pulls the hair outward and the second blade then gives the closer cut? My Braun has one cutter bar, it works great !

Electric vs. Blade. I just prefer electrics but I can use either equally well. I guess some folks faces do better with one than the other. How about you?

Rotary Head vs. Cutter Bar. I tried a Norelco Rotary and I thought my face was being ripped off. My brother loves it. (One day I will re-gift it to him.) My 18 year old Braun electric cutter bar is ‘the love of my life'. I have only replaced two screens and two internal blade sets on that thing in 18 years!! I also need to say that the side burn trimmer on that razor is the full width, about 2 inches. It really helps get those stray hairs all around the neck. One of Braun's later versions only had a tiny sideburn trimmer, I refused to buy it. That is how I met the repair shop folks in Virginia.

I know when I mail my Braun off to the repair shop in Virginia that guy has got to think I am nuts.
I always ask him, "Can you repair it still?"
He says "Yes".
Then I say, "You know, I will die without it, I love that razor, it does such a great job."
He says. "We can fix it."
And I say, "Even if the duma-hicky-thing-a-ma-floppey is broken?"
He says, "We can still get every part for that razor, we could build one from scratch it we had to."
And then I say, "Maybe I should have you build me and extra one now, that way I can get through most of the rest of my usable life with a razor I like."
He says, "Just give me the word, we'll build it."
And so it goes. God forbid that anything ever happens to my Braun electric.

Vibrating razors. When I am shaving all I want to do is get done. Sorry, I am not gonna spend extra money for a vibrating razor and a damn battery to boot! An electric carving knife is a pretty nifty electrically operated blade but on my face, I am trying to avoid carving it!

Canned soap. And then there is shaving cream / lather. Hot, cold, scented, mint flavored, with baby lotion, WHO CARES! Guess what, the bar of soap I use for my hands and face works just as good! Soap dispensing razors, I am in the shower, I HAVE SOAP IN MY HAND, for goodness sakes!

SHAVING LEGS. How can I segue into shaving legs. NOT MY LEGS, I know you were all thinking that. NOT ! How about this. Many years ago my fiancé would use my safety razor to shave her legs, usually while I was at work. The next morning when I would use that razor, it usually took about two strokes and would ask her, "Did you use my razor to shave your legs?" She would give me that look, ‘How could you tell'. I do not know if it was legs or armpits, but the hair on her body was not near as tough as the hair on my face. But two strokes with that razor and I could tell she had used it. So I would break out a new one, no big deal. Can your husbands tell when you use their razor?

MARKETING TO WOMEN. Now in the last 10 years I noticed that the shaving companies have tried to push all this goofy marketing onto the ladies. Different shapes, different colors, special after shave lotions, on and on. EVERYTHING BUT ELECTRIC RAZORS. God forbid anyone would buy something that would last for 18 years. So if you are shaving your legs, LADIES ONLY, chime in on the conversation and let me know what you think. And if you are not using an electric razor, you may want to try it.

Back to the original question, ‘Have shaving products and shaving advertising has risen to the level of idiotic in this country?'

SHOULD WE TRY TO BUY ACTIVE RAIN ?

Dwight Wolfe (Emerald Coast Realty, Inc.) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 13:50:10 -0700

Lots of comments on the blogs about AR selling out. MAYBE WE SHOULD CONSIDER BUYING AR ! All those comments about what we think and how we feel probably do not count for anything. MONEY TALKS. My action post is about Buying AR. Lets consider it. WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING, . . . OR 'MOVE' ON. As the saying goes, MONEY TALKS AND B.S. WALKS.

Buzz, Spin, Analysis - http://activerain.com/blogsview/218498/Regarding-Today-s-Inman

Buzz, Spin, Analysis - http://activerain.com/blogsview/219663/Who-owns-the-content

Feelings - http://activerain.com/blogsview/219356/Let-s-Face-it

Strong Feelings - http://activerain.com/blogsview/219223/The-Power-of-AR

ACTION - http://activerain.com/blogsview/219056/IF-ACTIVE-RAIN-IS

Folks, I really do not care about points that much but I do care about this forum. Please, if you think that buying AR has some merit, please share my ACTION BLOG/POST with your friends. Lets see if we can get a little ACTION RATHER THAN JUST TALK. Thank You.

BLOG TRAINING ? ?

Dwight Wolfe (Emerald Coast Realty, Inc.) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:23:43 -0700

ITS A BLOG FOLKS, IT IS NOT A NOVEL !! Why would anyone even consider 'Blog Training' or for that matter any requirements to get on this website? First and foremost, ITS A BLOG FOLKS, IT IS NOT A NOVEL !! No Pulitzer's Prizes are going to be awarded around here. The beauty of the blog is, it includes the average person to the above average person. It incluces the poorest to the richest. It includes the successful business person to the unsuccessful. It includes the novice to the expert. It allows for novice questions and for expert questions. It allows for 'Pearls of Wisdom' that may come from the most unlikely sources.

If we begin Blog Training, then we will have to have a committee to decide what should be in the training syllabus and then a committe to review each blog before posting and then we will need an appeal committee for blogs that have been posted and then challenged by the community and so on and so forth. Oh, and don't forget the appeal committee for the Blogs that were rejected for posting. A nd on and on and on . . .

iF YOU HAVE AN OPINION, YOU ARE BLOG QUALIFIED !!

Just for the fun of it, will this post qualify to be included in what should be blogged? Probably not, but I will appeal such A decision! :-)

IF ACTIVE RAIN IS FOR SALE, LET'S BUY IT ! !

Dwight Wolfe (Emerald Coast Realty, Inc.) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 04:40:44 -0700

WHO WANTS TO BUY ACTIVE RAIN ? ! I DO ! ! AND YOU SHOULD TOO ! !

When I first got here a month ago there was some discussion about how the Site Builders could monetize the site. What kind of ads should they sell? What annual subscription fee should they charge? Well, if I understand the most recent info as of Friday, AR et. al. versus MOVE.com et. al. it appears the Site Builders had their own plans on how to monetize the site. Our discussion was wasted air and we did not even know it. Well lets revisit out discussion !!

We now know that approx 30 Million is the going price for ACTIVE RAIN. A little quick math >>> $30 mil / 50 k members = $600 dollars apiece. Could we pony up 600 dollars apiece and do the deal. (I would like to get the commercial commision on this. Consider me as the 'procuring cause' at this point ! !) WHO WANTS TO BUY ACTIVE RAIN ? ! LETS SEE A SHOW OF HANDS. I MEAN IT, GET THEM UP THERE !! HIGHER, HIGHER, YOU THERE IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, GET IT UP THERE, I CAN'T SEE YA, STAND ON A CHAIR IF YA HAVE TO. LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A QUOREM. Let's begin.

I need some proprosals on how to implement the plan and we will vote on them.

1. A proprosal - That all current active rain members as of Sep 31, 11:59 PM be allowed the option to participate in the purchase of Active Rain shares or any other described assests that are necessary toi the function of the AR Site. All members and management will have the opportunity to putchase equal amounts of shares for equal prices. No special classes of shares will be permitted or created.

2. A proprosal. - That said share auction will commence on or before the last day of January 2008.

3. A proposal. - That a reputable local firm be retained to create the share documents and prepare the appropriate legal verbage attendant to such share documents.

4. A proposal. - That monies for operations will be sent to Dwight Wolfe, Panama City Florida for deposit into a Regions bank account that will be established as the 'Active Rain Community, Purtchase Funding Account. We can appoint two other folks in town to help secure the account. Any receipts, deposits, transfers must all be triple controled.

5. Any other business at this time? Meeting will be adjourned after the voting. Next meeting is Tuesday evening.

Send in your votes. YEA or NAY with the associated prop. number. I will talley them.

I AM NOT KIDDING FOLKS !! ACTIVE RAIN IS FOR SALE ! ! I AM INTERESTED IN A PIECE OF IT, I AM READY TO BUY. ARE YOU READY? I THINK WE CAN MONETIZE IT AND I HAVE EVEN GRANDER SCHEMES (LEGAL) FOR ITS FUTURE. 'MY CHILD YOU CANNOT YET IMAGINE THE FUTURE THAT I HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU'.

Half the posts tonight were , 'We wish them well', "Good luck boys" (their men), "They should be able to get what ever they want". We, the AR Community can make all those well wishes come to pass, and even so much more. NO waiting and NO excuses people. NOW !!

I AM NOT KIDDING PEOPLE, I AM READY TO GO WITH THIS !! EVERYONE HERE HAS MADE GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS, WHY SHOULD WE THE COMMUNITY, NOT BE GIVEN, THE RIGHT OF FIRST REFUESAL, TO PURCHASE AR? Hell, if AR will deal with anything that is MOVE.com or REALTOR.org, or NAR, God only know what other low life real estate establishment we could end up with, we are certainly 10 steps up above all of that class of buyer.

The Rainers that helped make this a successful AR website have earned the MORAL RIGHT to be a party to what ever financial suscess and future this site might have.

Whoever knows how to get the AR Site Builders on the phone, get them to read this post ASAP. We need to know if they are interested. It would be nice to know what we need to begin working on before Tuesday evening. Whether we need more discussion, committee assgments, or begin collecting money, and or if we need to establish a temporary holding company prior to the actual purchase of AR 'Rainey Shares"

Always use a RREP, A Rainmaker Real Estate Professional. (c) Dwight Wolfe, 2007