Control, people. It’s all about control. You know what I hate? The feeling of being powerless. Time to update Word press. Oh, but it’s installed on some crappy shared server with 2,500 other websites and my brother installed it for me and there’s actually no way to update it from the back end. Powerless. So, I took matters into my own hands. I got a dedicated server, learned how administrate it, learned how to install and maintain Word press and then migrated my blogs to the new server. Now I’m in control and I feel a little better. There’s one drawback: When things go wrong there’s no one to blame…
Category Archives: Uncategorized Posts
Fireworks Steak, Food Lagoon, Chicken Blog Race
Thought I’d descend from my lofty perch and let you mortals know what I’ve been up to. I get a real kick out of doing mortal stuff so…
We celebrated the 4th of July with the Browns (T&A). The best part about the 4th for me is watching the kids light the fireworks. They get pretty excited. Typically they try to keep the old firework hulls. I did that as a kid too; I would fill them up with baking soda, food coloring and vinegar and have the 5th of July. My father was a very patient man.
I celebrated my 9th anniversary with my lovely mortal wife, Fran. Time has only deepened my love for her. Once I tried to make a list of the things that were wrong with her. The list only had one thing on it… and that was her husband. Given the hugeness of my love I thought it only fitting that we eat a meal of proportional deliciousness. We headed over to Ruth’s Chris. They recently reopened the location in Salt Lake City. As far as I’m concerned there is no better steak anywhere. I went with the Ribeye (my favorite cut).
Since it was our 9th year of passion we splurged and and got sauteed scallops and a lobster tail. Everything was cooked very well. The only part of the meal I didn’t care for was the free dessert. It was a cheesecake, but it had way to much crust and very little flavor. Still, overall the meal was fabulous. I’d recommend Ruth’s Chris to anyone looking for great steak.
And speaking of things that are great. One of my favorite mortal treats is ice cream. It was a sad day when the Leatherby’s in Provo closed down. Lately we’ve been making the trek up to Taylorsville to eat there. Their sundaes are just as great as I remember them. If anyone wants to go eat there holler. I’m always up for a Tracy’s Peanut Butter Cup.
And speaking of Sundaes. On Sunday (who is the segway king? You know it) Fran makes us breakfast for lunch. Pancakes, eggs, sausage, fruit, orange juice, and tons of toppings. This has become one of our favorite traditions. And did I mention that everything is delicious. I have a sneaky suspicion that part of the pancakes might be whole wheat though…
I actually took a day off of work this year (is that a joke… I don’t even know) so we could go up to Lagoon as a family.
Lagoon has a bad rap, but it was actually pretty fun. Mike and I went on all the roller coasters (Wicked is very cool), but the other kids were a little too short for some of the rides. I think everyone had a good time though. By the way- I don’t recommend the Wild Mouse. It’s just a thrash-a-thon. It bruised my arms up (when in mortal form I am susceptible to mortal injury).
In other news, American Fork has a Chick-Fil-A now. Before it opened there were tons of people camped out. I took a picture so I could make fun of them later. It turns out the first 100 people to eat at the restaurant got free meals for a year. That’s not really very funny. I went and ate there the first week it was opened. They come around to your table and ask if they can “refresh your beverage.” Awesome.
Fran has launched a new blog effort. She was irritated with the lack of features that WordPress provided so she migrated over to BlogSpot. I can’t really blame her. WordPress can be very irritating at times when it comes to adding features you want. Anyway- be sure to check out her new blog!
And what post would be complete without talking about cars? I went to Rocky Mountain Raceway last Friday to watch some friends race in the midnight drags. I’m hoping I can go next week, but I have a problem. I burned out my old clutch. I ordered this beautiful yellow thing (ACT T1S-G01 twin disk clutch rated to 850 lbs of torque! Plus it’s lighter that the stock assembly) but I have to get it installed and broken in by next Friday. The clock is ticking…
So that’s it. A quick overview of things from the past few months. I always mean to maintain my blog better. I’m just so darn busy living my life. Well, back I go (you know, back up).
Inc 500, 1584!
Each year INC. Magazine creates a list of the fastest growing private companies in the US. In the past they listed the 500 fastest growing, but recently expanded the list to include the fastest growing 5000. The rank is based on the rate of revenue increase for a company over a period of three years (not total revenue, not profit, just growth).
We made it last year and I’m pleased to report we made it again this year (number 1584). We dropped a little from last year (1234), but I still think that 180% growth during a major recession is pretty good. We’re on track to rank quite a bit higher next year as well. We’re not huge by any means, but it’s great to think that we made a company from scratch, we provide jobs, stimulate the economy and our community, make a living, and even have a few fans here and there. Owning a company can be incredibly stressful, but it’s very rewarding as well.
2010 Projects
First off, I’ve been busy. Really busy. Not kinda busy. Not sorta busy. Really really busy. However, all this time I’ve been secretly working on a slew of blog posts. I haven’t had the time to write out literary masterpieces for each one, but I’ve decided they must finally see the light of day (or whatever blog posts see). So, here they are!
2009 Has come and gone. All in all, a mighty fine year.
The Hughes Family 2009 Report: Nothing too major here. Everyone got a year older. Mike is now in school. He reads pretty well, he’s very good at math and he loves video games. Claire is taking gymnastics, she’s learning to read and she’s a little crazy. Gabe is a good natured, fun loving and I can almost understand him now. Fran holds down the fort with finesse and dedication. She’s been hard at work doing digital scrapbooking, home improvement projects and accounting for our company.
The Cam Report: 2009 was a good year for my health. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been doing much better (only a couple colds and a 24 hour flu). I found a little more balance last year (and it’s going even better this year). Not much progress on the weightloss front (I just love ice cream… so much… so much), but I have high hopes for ’10. Nothing of statistical significance is coming to mind. Another year down.
The BladeHQ 2009 Report: My company has gotten larger that I ever dreamed possible (don’t get me wrong, it’s still small, but I never thought I could make a living selling knives). I am especially grateful that, for the most part, it seems nearly unfazed by the recession. We moved into a new facility this past year which has allowed us to continue our growth.
2010 has started off strong with a series of room modifications. I don’t know why, but I get obsessed with projects from time to time. Almost like I need to have more than I can do on my plate. My first goal was to finish up my office at work:
It’s still not quite done, but it’s come a long way. I have my toy filled curio next to the love seat. I found a gorgeous picture of the Justice League by Alex Ross (great artist, by the way). And I rounded out the decor with a matching desk & shelf set. I have a sweet Transformer poster that’s in the process of being framed too. Maybe one day I’ll get to use all this cool stuff (right now I work downstairs).
I don’t know how many people were familiar with my “man room.” It was a closest sized room in the basement where I went to relax. It had my piano, guitar, lazy boy, a television/dvd combo, books and miscellaneous hobby items. I would retreat there when the world encroached on me. In a nutshell, it was cool. But I gave it up for love…
Fran has long extolled the virtues of a mud room. A place where the kids can take off their shoes, hang their jackets and stow their crap. With the washer and dryer, our main floor laundry room was too small for much of anything besides laundry. But without the washer and dryer the room would be a perfect mud room. Where to put the laundry room then? Why in my old man room! And so…
I moved everything out of the man room and into the main floor office. Just like the man room, but more open, more convenient, and much classier. So… not like the man room. I’ve got half of the office and Fran has the other half. Truthfully this is a better set up. And then…
The old man room became our new laundry room. Not an easy process. We had a plumber run water lines into the room for the washer hookup. We had Holmes install a dryer vent run. My brother in law, Vard, came and added a 220v outlet. I laid floor tile (to replace the carpet) and Fran and I created a blue accent wall. Everything turned out excellent. In fact, things were going so well that we decided to carry the washing machine downstairs ourselves. Tip: Don’t turn a front loading machine upside down. The drum is often suspended by two heavy duty coil springs. Your drum will come of these springs. It took us about two hours take the washer apart and reseat the drum. All’s well that ends well though.
We now have a downstairs laundry room. That’s where they all used to be, right? Maybe we can rekindle the trend. The new laundry room and the old one are identical in size, but we utilized the space a lot better than before. We still have some work left (cabinets & organizing) but we’re super happy with the result. And now we have a mudroom upstairs too.
Disney on Ice
This past Friday Fran and I took Claire to see Disney on Ice (Worlds of Fantasy) at the Energy Solutions Arena. We decided that she needed some alone time with just the two of us, so we left the boys with my parents (we’ll take them to a monster truck rally or something another time). We sat right up in the front so she’d have a good view (having learned a lesson from our trip to the circus).
The show was pretty fun. First the gang from Cars drove around on the ice. Then we were treated to numbers from The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and finished with a Fairy finale. The choreography and costumes were all very good and I think it’s safe to say that we enjoyed the show more than the circus.
Our refusal to buy $11 ice cream cones and $10 lemonade and cotton candy resulted in tears (much like the circus). As we left the show Claire announced “It’s not a good day!” Maybe we’re doing it all wrong- maybe part of the show is buying overpriced food and merchandise. But I’m not giving in just yet! We did stop for ice cream on the way home. Thanksgiving Point has a nice little ice cream parlor and even on Friday night there’s never a long line.
As the kids get older it gets easier to go to events like these. We’ve got a few more planned in the next couple of months and we’re looking forward to them. We may even attempt some movies. Oh yeah- it’s crazy time.
Shoulda Woulda Coulda
I’ve been in the retail business a long time. I’m certain that our customer service record is excellent (far above average in our retail field). But no matter how good your service is there are just some people you can’t make happy. Consider this customer email:
________________________________________________________________
We are not very happy campers. It’s Friday, 15 minutes to 5pm and the Post Office still has not delivered this package.
We have been tracking this package and it sat in Coppell Texas for 2 days.
I would think with a blade this expensive, of a limited edition run, your company would provide “free shipping” that was substantially better than the U.S Post Office.
Now we face the weekend wondering where this order is at, did it get stolen in the process, or ruined, and what about the credit put on a card where no delivery has been made to the product ordered.
W. Ferree is an 87 year old veteran who’s been put through the ringer trying to patiently wait for this order to come.
It will be a very long, long time before we ever order again. It’s just not worth being treated this way.
Ruth/Wayne. F.
Eastern State
________________________________________________________________
Here are some facts for you to consider:
1. We processed and shipped this customer’s order the same day she placed it.
2. She selected (and got) 100% free 4-5 day shipping.
3. She had the option of purchasing USPS Express mail or FedEx shipping.
4. Every company on earth charges the customer’s credit card once an order ships.
5. Copell Texas is the location of a USPS mail sorting facility.
5. Her order was delivered about 15 mins after she wrote this email (it was signed for by her).
Here are some questions we had:
1. Why did she write us on Friday before her mail came when the tracking showed the package was “out for delivery?”
2. What would “substantially better” free shipping have been? USPS has been extremely reliable for us. She had other options she could have purchased.
3. Why would a customer think their package was “stolen” or “ruined” even though the tracking shows it’s in transit?
4. How does telling us the intended recipient is an 87 year old Veteran make any difference?
5. The recipient has been “put through the ringer?” Have these people never ordered anything online before?
6. “Not worth being treated this way?” Does she mean “great” or “excellent?” We just didn’t get it. Or maybe they didn’t get it…
Here is our email reply:
________________________________________________________________
Hi Ruth,
I have reviewed your situation and I think you are absolutely correct! The person responsible for packing and shipping your order has been terminated. They packed it and shipped it the same day we got it, but this is simply unacceptable. And I completely agree with you about shipping- if we are going to provide free same day shipping to our customers then it should at least meet their expectations in terms of reliability and speed. Our decision to ship through USPS has obviously caused you both a great deal of unneeded stress. I have called our postal representative and I gave them a piece of my mind! I let them know that it’s unacceptable to have a package sit in Texas for two days. I asked that the plant supervisor there be dismissed.
I would not be a happy camper either. The tracking shows that it will be delivered soon, but you’re right- it could have been stolen, damaged, or worse. My fear is that the postal employee on your route has the intent to deliver the item to the wrong address. Even though the item is enroute I think the best course of action is to speculate about what might happen. In fact, I will put a trace on the package. No one should be put through an emotional wringer like this- especially not am 87 year old Veteran. It’s only been five days, but you’ve been more than patient and I can respect your position.
In regard to the credit card charge. Though every company in the world charges a card once an item has shipped I am on the same page as you. We should have invested the time to track your package (as we should for all customers) and charge you only once it has been delivered. I will send a note to our management department to see if we can implement this initiative. I think it could decrease the stress that most of our customers must be feeling (knowing that have been charged, but that their package could be lost somewhere while it travels to them).
I would not order from us again. The way you have been treated defies description. Free same day shipping that does not meet your expectations is awful and you have my deepest apologies. As I said- the personal responsible has been fired. I showed them your email. They saw how you have suffered all week. They said if they had known the package was going to a Veteran with emotional problems then they would have tried to get it out before you ordered and would have used FedEx or UPS- anything besides our terrible postal system. Hopefully this will never happen to another customer. You should not have been treated this way- you are right. I am very sorry.
-Cam
PS. I just checked the status and it looks like the item was delivered and that you signed for it. I can only assume that you have not gotten it. Everything else has gone so horribly wrong that I’m sure someone else has it and has forged your name. Please let me know!
________________________________________________________________
Okay, we didn’t really send that email. But I sometimes I wish that we could send this stuff.
Here’s what we really sent:
________________________________________________________________
Hi Ruth,
I just checked the tracking info. It appears that the item arrived there around 4:50pm.
The order was shipped the same day it was placed, and arrived in 5 days. I don’t think that’s unreasonable, but I do feel bad that it didn’t meet your expectations. We have found USPS to be reliable and affordable.
Hopefully Wayne enjoys the knife and finds that it was worth the wait. We are very grateful to our Veterans and the service they have provided to our country.
I regret that you feel that you have been treated badly. We try to provide good service.
-Cam
________________________________________________________________
There you have it. Proof that our customer service is superior until the bitter end. Did she reply? Nope. Sometimes people just want to be unahppy. Hopefully she can find something wrong with the knife so she gets a chance to complain again!
The Sound of Music
I’m sure everyone is sick of hearing about my car projects. So here’s another one! In past posts I have mentioned various stereo upgrade projects (head unit, amps, sub). But the stereo wasn’t complete…until now. I finally replaced my stock speakers (mids & tweeters). Overall, I am extremely happy with the cumulative results.
I picked JL Audio ZR-series component speakers (ZR-650CSI for the front and ZR-525CSI for the back) based on reviews I’d read and because I have liked my JL Audio sub so much (the ZR series speakers produce very clear and accurate sounds). The original speakers in the C6 are these monstrous 10″ paper things. Nasty. I has to make adapters to fit the JL Audio 6.5″ set. I used 1/4″ oak ply covered with foam. Same thing for the tweeters.
The speaker install was pretty painless. The hardest thing would have been running new speaker wire but Sound Warehouse had done that last year. Getting body panels off can be tricky, but the C6 Vettes are pretty straight forward.
I decided to put the front crossovers in the doors. Instructions will tell you never to put them inside the door, but there’s a right way to do it. I mounted them in the side impact foam- they are perfectly safe from water and dirt. I mounted the rear crossovers behind a carpeted body panel in the trunk section- safe and accessible.
With the panels back on everything looks great. I mounted a component set in the back and my only concern is that I may have mounted the tweeters too high. I might consider moving them down a bit if I can’t get it tuned just right. Speaking of tuning- Jim helped me tweak the setting on the amps and crossovers. We pumped out some Enya and tingled. When your stereo makes you tingle you have a winner.
Below is the total rundown of my project. The labor time listed includes fabricating parts, carpeting, installation & testing/tuning. I’m not going to discuss price, but you’ve got everything you need if you really want to know. The bottom line is that I’m thrilled and I feel like it was worth the time and money I put into it. The stereo is finished. Now it’s time for the engine. Maybe. Probably. Yes, Definitely.
Pioneer Avic Z1 head unit with the Sirus/XM radio, blue tooth and iPod modules (install by Sound Warehouse).
JL Audio ZR component speakers: 650CSI in front and 52sCSI in back (custom front speaker plates & install by me, 12 hours).
Kenwood XR-4s amp for the mids & tweeters and Kenwood XR-1S amp for the sub woofer (custom amp rack by Justin & me and install by me, 8 hours).
JL Audio W6 10″ sub (custom sub box by Justin & me and install by me, 7 hours).
PAC Steering wheel control interface (install by Jim & me, 1 hour)
Wiring for head unit (RCA cables from Lightning Audio), subs, and speakers by Sound Warehouse
Love is in the Air
Each February Lehi City puts together a program called the “Celebration of Marriage: Legacy of Love” It’s held at Thanksgiving Point and we’ve been going for a few years. It’s proven to be a fun date activity and I always leave having learned something important. We try invite a different group of friends each year- people we can see are really struggling with their marriages (I’m kidding! I’m just kidding…). This year we went with the Browns, Sabins, and Jobes.
The first presenter was Dr. Liz Hale. She discussed “Going the Distance: Happy vs. Unhappy Couples.” Her premise: The answers might surprise you. The next presenter was Ron McMillan. He covered his bestselling book Crucial Conversations. Both were excellent, but truthfully I felt like I got more out of Ron’s presentation. Something about how he describes anger developing from the gaps between our expectations and reality really resonates with me. I also enjoyed his perspective on how we can have crucial conversation (conversations with high stakes & strong emotions) in a safe controlled way. Ron was also a speaker at last year’s seminar.
If you ever feel inclined, Lehi’s Celebration of Marriage is open to anyone and everyone and I’d recommend it without hesitation. In addition to the speakers you also get dinner & dessert (hold your horses! Tt’s not free…you gotta pay). I’m sure not everyone walks away with something great, but I know that Fran and I do.