So the store is totally not ready for people to start showing up.  Still need to get all the items on display, set up some customer computers and get price tags on stuff (never mind getting real signs on buildings and patching holes.)

But folks are walking in anyway, so I guess we are officially open.  Always a question as to whether a few early season walk ins are worth the delay they put on getting everything up and running.  As always I am disturbed about how much still needs to be done for everything to be ready for the season, but the truth is we are way ahead of last year and last year didn’t turn out too bad.

So I missed a couple days of work last month because of a kidney stone.  It was the worst pain in my life, even worse than breaking arms, clavicles, and ribs.  Luckily I only missed one soccer game though.  The stone passed after a couple of weeks from initial onset, but I have a treat waiting for me.  I have another stone hanging out in my kidney that could decide to raise havoc at any time.  I have been told that the pain is on par with giving birth, but I think its worse…  They wouldn’t give me an epideral.

Before it gets too crazy here at the shop, my wife and I are taking a quick trip to Mexico.  We’ll be in Nuevo Vallarta swimming with dolphins, sailing, and snorkeling.  We got a great deal at Hotels.com. I was planning on doing a little work here and there, but Rich won’t let me bring a laptop.  I will however, bring a bunch of business cards to hand out.  I am sure there are a few mexicans and tourists there that ski. 

When I get back next week, the storefront will be opening and we will be having some type of Labor Day event.  We’re not sure yet what will happen, but it will be awesome.  We’ll keep you posted.  Just know that we are liquidating all of our used skis and snowboards.

The Buyers Guides are rolling out and we are getting excited to ski very prematurely.  I can’t decide which skis to use this season, but Head and Ninthward are at the top of my list.

The north end of the complex in which we lease has a thin strip of land behind the building with 7 or 8 trees that have to be removed.  They provide cover for bad people to do bad things and we don’t like bad people doing bad things near us even if we can’t see it.  This has led us to get a few quotes to have them removed.

The first quote was a “wow that’s high” $2300.  The second quote was an over the phone “about a grand but I don’t haul away”, nor apparently does he actually follow up and try to get work as we haven’t heard from him in over a week.  The third quote was $9500.  I may not be a math major, oh wait I am a math major, but that’s over $1300 per tree.  And they are not particularly big trees.  And how can two licensed contracters differ by a factor of 4?

 Of course the $9500 bidder has been more persistant about following up.  I guess an extra 7 grand a week gives you time for that kind of stuff.