Category Archives: Uncategorized Posts

Where Does the Time Go?

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Wow. January 2009. I completely missed November and December of 2008. I have my reasons though. In November I was busy combating a “failing economy”. In December we were so inundated with business that I could barley breathe and I spent a lot of time wondering why I was so worried in November.

The BladeHQ 2008 Report: Our 2008 December sales were up 40% over 2007 and overall sales for 2008 were up 32% over 2007. The amount per order dropped a bit but our order volume surged and the post Christmas sales have been promising. While the preliminary data has been encouraging I don’t feel like we’re out of the woods by any means. I’ll be curious to see how January pans out for us. I’m cautiously optimistic.

The Hughes Family 2008 Report: We made it through 2008 and all of us are still alive. Quite an accomplishment, really. December is always hard on Fran becuase I’m at work so much and this year has been particularly difficult becuase of sickness (everyone over here has been sick at some point in December). The kids are doing good. Gabe (18 months) walks now and says a few words.  Claire (3)  is still a little fire ball and full of mischief. She’ll start going to preschool next year.  Mike (5) begins kindergarten this year and he’s very excited. He seems well adjusted with a hint of crazy.  For more on the Hughes family check our Fran’s blog (click here).

The Cam Report: December has not been kind health-wise. I think I’ve gotten everything a guy can get. Bronchitis usually hits in mid December (it recurs each year). This year the flu hit on top of that, coupled with what I believe to be Salmonella poisoning. At some point during the “recovery” I acquired the common cold, strep throat and an ear infection (all of which I am still dealing with). I can’t recall every being sick for this long- it will be 3 weeks tomorrow. I may just have to go see a doctor. Not a really a fan. If only Dave was finished with Medical school… he could hook with up with some meds!

Nothing too noteworthy happened in November. Well, to be fair I’m sure there were a few things of interest but I was too consumed with the failing economy to notice. December was so incredibly busy I’m glad that it’s over. My New Year’s Resolution is to work less and enjoy life a little more (shouldn’t be hard since there was virtually zero enjoyment in December). Christmas day was alright, except for the fact that I was miserably sick. Santa brought some fun stuff though!

We got Mike Leapster 2 video game system. I wanted to get him a GameBoy Advance, but Fran was adamant that Mike learn something while he played video games. The Leapster 2 is a nicely built system, and the games seem like a lot of fun. I’m impressed by the thought Leap Frog put into the design. The only drawback the I saw was the low quality screen- I would have been willing to pay a little more to get crisper resolution and a faster refresh rate, especially given how vivid and colorful the graphics in the games are.

Back in September we Gave Claire a Kidcraft dollhouse. The thing is huge (so huge it’s subsequently been discontinued and a new smaller version is available). It’s designed for 12″ dolls and has three floors and 10 rooms where the dolls can live. We cleverly kept the furniture that came with the dollhouse stashed until Christmas and are dishing it out in small doses. We also got her some new dolls and she’s nearly ready to play with everything correctly.

Gabe is only 18 months so he got some Duplo sized Megablocks and a few books. He seemed happy. Besides, Grampa and Grandma spoiled the little guy silly! Our kids are very lucky to have such generous grandparents.

I tried to get Fran an iphone, but she’s (wisely) decided to wait until July. For our wedding anniversary we’ll get iphones together (July is when my current contract with Sprint expires). Looking forward to that. Maybe they’ll release a new model and the wait will be worth it. Maybe. Fran also got an all expense paid trip to Reunion Island! Lucky girl.

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Fran gave me CSI season 8 (just about finished- one perk to being stuck in bed) and Santa brought me a new Yamaha Keyboard. Maybe it’s tacky to post the Christmas haul on here, but come on- everyone wants to know what everyone else got. Don’t pretend you don’t!

The new keyboard is the Yamaha Motif XS8 workstation. Yamaha makes the XS in an 88, 76 or 61 key configuration. Anyone who has any serious interest in a workstation like this should get the 88 key version- no regrets. Plus the 88 key version features weighted keys for a feel that more closely resembles a real piano. I’ve had numerous Yamaha Keyboards over the years. Below you can see my keyboard evolution. The first is the Yamaha P120S which is exceptional. I actually wrote a review for it (you’ll have to search a bit).  Next I had the Yamaha Motif ES. I never really clicked with the ES. I found the sequencer nearly impossible to use and the manual appeared to have been written by super intelligent extraterrestrials with no regard for the limitations of the human mind. Now I have the Yamaha Motif XS and I’m thrilled. Yamaha added a much larger color screen which makes navigation, editing and everything else much easier. The sequencer is very simple to use and the manual seems much more straightforward. This is the keyboard/workstation that I’ve been waiting for. Yippe! Now if only I could play the piano…

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And in other news I have finally found watch love. I’ve spent a long time looking for a watch that has the functionality I want, suits my style, and is wearable in a practical way- enter the Tissot T-Touch Expert. I actually owned the prior version (just the standard T-touch) but I made the mistake of getting the polished casing. That, coupled with the fact that the watch was a little small, made it a bad choice. The Expert has a much larger case and it suits me better (I’m a big guy and I like a big watch). Plus the casing is brushed titanium which is light enough to not bother me and ha sa nice low key look. The dial is carbon fiber which I like. And the Expert has a backlight, which is an added bonus. All in all a great watch and one I can recommend to anyone. If Tissot comes out with a solar version is may very well be the perfect watch.

For some reason (ha ha) Mike became obsessed with the idea of having a watch too. We found a reasonably good model for him at Walmart. Watch technology has come a long way- when I was a kid I saved up for a watch just like his and it cost me nearly $50 (and that was in 1987!). For $10 we found a water resistant digital watch with a backlight, chronograph, date/day display, alarm and a nylon strap with Velcro. Teaching Mike to read time has been tricky, but I think he’ll get it soon. Ah, the joys of mini me.

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Well, that’s about it for now. I’m glad to have 2008 over and done with. Looking back it was a challenging year in many ways and I’m looking forward to being a little wiser and little more careful in 2009. No regrets this year- that’s my goal. I know it’s impossible, but it will be a good guiding light on my quest to better myself and contribute meaningfully to my family. Hopefully I’ll have more time to blog this year. Cam on Commerce needs some love!

October 2008

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I had an awesome summer and I’m sad that the nice weather is about gone.  It won’t be long until I’m hauling snow, mud and sand into my garage every time I come home…. I hate that. Even though October was chilly it was still a fun month. Speaking of October- this makes one year that I’ve been blogging!

We took one last trip up to the Alpine Loop this past weekend. We have a spot up there that we really enjoy and have spent many lazy afternoons relaxing there. The fall colors were gorgeous and I sat near the river while the kids threw rocks. Nothing brings a smile to your face like one of your kids shouting “Watch me, Dad!” Claire found several rocks she liked and really wanted to take them home.

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Each October we go to Corn Belly’s (a corn maze in Lehi by Thanksgiving Point). The corn maze was a little disappointing this year (not high enough) but we entertained ourselves by throwing corn at each other.  There’s a good deal to do there besides the maze: hay ride, slides, giant trampoline-esque bubble, pedal cars, haunted monster, shows and a handful of other attractions. Definitely worth a visit each year.

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One of the reasons I love summer is the car scene. Nearly ever Friday I venture out, meet up with the crew and we drive around town and periodically park and talk about cars. Some nights it’s straight out of the Fast and the Furious. I’m not sure why we do it, but it seems important. During winter it’s too cold for car driving and we use the downtime for modding.

That little beauty on the left (below) is a gear box that I just put in this past week.  My car originally had 2.56 gears for high top end speed (200+ mph). Since it’s not really practical to go that fast I’m sacrificing some of the top end for low end acceleration. The new gears (3.15’s) make a huge difference- I reach 3000RPMs in almost no time which means my turbos spool faster and coupled with the gearing difference my car is way quicker all around.  I’m thrilled.

And on the right is a methanol injection kit. Methanol is one of the simplest types of alcohol and you can increase your engine’s power by spraying a bit in with the fuel and air. The methanol injection is something you only use once in awhile when you need a little extra boost. I’m hoping to get that installed sometime this winter. Should be a blast (ha ha!). Maybe a new stereo too… we’ll see how much time there is.

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I’m constantly reorganizing things at work. With limited room it’s important to figure out what the best use of space is. For awhile I thought there should be shelves everywhere. As you can see (below, left)  it was cramped and unpleasant (“bad chi” as my wife says). It’s been slow, but the evolution of our store is going pretty well. The shelves have been moved into the warehouse (we made our current shelves higher which is more efficient) and we’ve created a little break room. Seems to make every one happy. We put in some book cases (everyone gets their own shelf), an arcade (Super Street Fighter II- mentioned in another post), a couch, an SNES and some cozy decorations. They say if you make work a place where people enjoy being then everyone is happier and more productive. So far so good!

And on the subject of work, how about that economy folks? Let’s give it a big hand. I’m not talking about clapping- I’m talking about spending. If we act like there’s no recession everything will just go away. Okay, it’s not that simple, but it would help. To be honest the economy has me a little worried- so far we’ve been mostly unaffected and I think we’ll be fine though the end of the year, but next year… next year scares me.

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I don’t want to brag, but when I was a kid I built some awesome forts. I’m mean forts you could live in.  My forts had separate rooms, vaulted ceilings, hidden passages, and they took hours to build. The other day I realized we had a ton of couch cushions and so I went to work and build this little beauty below. Even though it only had two rooms it did have vaulted ceilings. I think it lasted about an hour. We did another one the next day, pulling the cushions off the couches in the theatre and I got 4 rooms and we went with a coffered type of ceiling (it was pretty cool). Almost lasted over night. I’m sure there are many more forts in our future!

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The Sabins hosted yet another awesome Halloween party. The decorations get better and better each year (I think Rachel said something about them not being up to par becuase of her ankle- such a bizarre girl).  I went as Utah Jones (like Indiana Jones, but but not quite as adventurous or buff). Fran went as a Hindu woman (I picked her up in India while returning some stolen artifacts to a village),  Mike was Iron Man, Claire was Spider Girl and Gabe was a lion.

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And then there was Halloween night. Fran took the kids out trick or treating and I stayed home to man the fort. It seems like Halloween gets less and less special every year. I’m not sure if that’s becuase I’m growing up or becuase something is really changing. I opened the door and discovered two Suburbans in front of our house with tons of kids streaming out. Coupled with the giant neighbor hood hordes there ended up being about 30 people in a giant line. It didn’t feel fun to me. After about 20 minutes our candy was gone so I killed the porch lights. They kept coming (isn’t there a rule?). I had to kill all our decorations before the madness stopped (really too bad because Fran did a great job this year). Anyhoo- my kids came back and they had made bank. They gorged themselves on treats until bedtime. Gabe didn’t go out this year so he waddled around harvesting samples from his brother and sister- he literally stuffed as much in his mouth as it woudl hold. Well… I guess they all did.

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Andrew noticed this price discrepancy when we were at Walmart (picture quality= camera phone). You can get 4 cars for $10. Or if you’re a savvy shopper you can get 5 cars for $10 if you buy them separately. Same cars- I checked.  This reminds me of what I used to work at Great Harvest. The owner created a combo meal (1 smoothie, a soup and piece of bread) and I pointed out that if a customer bought the combo it would cost more than buying the items separately. Anyway- I was shocked at how many people got the combo. Suckers

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I feel like I should say something profound- you know, have some kind of closing statement.  Doing one blog post for a whole month feels really weird to me. Ah well, I got nothing. Rock on.

Another Thought

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Though American consumers face economic uncertainty and precarious income and spending environments we must persevere and remain optimistic. As fear builds the natural tendency is to panic, remove money from stock markets, cease spending and shore up our resources against the dangers of a plunging Dow. The solution is not accomplished through evacuation and retreat. We must exercise our duty as American consumers and buy knives both to stimulate the economy and to ensure that if the moment arrives when we must defend our families, property and land, we will be ready.

Cam Hughes

Today’s Thought

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          Once in a great while we, as a human race, see individuals emerge with raw passion, relentless devotion and unconquerable enthusiasm. These individuals, fueled by their infinite reservoirs of physical and mental energy, forge paths of innovation, crash through the complacent mediocrity of society and disrupt the foundations on which many will build the future. Never content, these forward thinking innovators disrupt the mundane flow of time tested culture and create an infectious dissatisfaction and mistrust of the conventional and comfortable.  Sometimes we praise these individuals and call them leaders. Sometimes we incarcerate these individuals and call them criminals.

           Cam Hughes

Today’s Thought:

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Some men are born great while other men scrape their way up an impossible incline and, against all odds, grab hold of the edge of greatness and hang on with superhuman resolve. Defying human limitation a few of these men forge a foot hold and haul themselves up, over and onto the edge where they lay, exhausted, spent, having used their unrelenting focus to achieve the unattainable. And once in a great while a man will rise, turn to the edge and stand resolute. A victor in a nearly hopeless battle, a man who has achieved excellence and who has forged greatness in the fire of effort and who wears that greatness justly and with honor. That moment- the moment when his back is turned- is the moment when those of us born great must push the man from the edge.

           Cam Hughes

I Hate Mosquitoes (The Worst Day Ever)!

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Ever had a day where everything went wrong? Well I sure did. I all started when I lost my truck keys… in Utah Lake… for the second time…

Things actually started off pretty well. On Thursday evening me and a handful of friends headed out to Utah Lake for some tubing and R&R. Everything went fine until we headed back in. When we reached the harbor in Provo I discovered that my tuck key was missing. Not necessarily a big deal, but I had already lost my other truck key (in the lake) the previous week.  A boat in the Provo harbor, no truck key, no extra key, no way to park my boat- frustrating.

We scoured the boat for my key. I had emptied my pockets when we launched and I was certain it  had to be on the boat. Needless to say the key never turned up. We docked the boat as best we could and attempted to formulate a plan. Meanwhile the mosquitoes were starting to bite…

Tom suggested attaching the boat trailer to his SUV so we could get it out of the water. The SUV was at his house so he went to get it. I puled the boat trailer off my truck and felt relieved that things weren’t more complicated. The mosquitoes were getting pretty bad. We had found some bug repellent in the boat so I doused myself again. When Tom came back we realized that we’d need to transfer the hitch over to his SUV. Sadly it was locked onto my truck. After many minutes of trying every boat key I had I realized that I was somehow missing the key I needed to unlock the hitch. Two missing keys. Nuts.

Jim called his parents-in-law and they were gracious enough to offer assistance. They were in Spanish Fork so it was about a half hour before they could come get us. I was wet, cold, embarrassed and covered with mosquitoes. Since the boat covers were locked in the truck we had to tow the boat back to Lehi without them (cringe). Since dinner had not been available dockside we stopped at Wendy’s on the back  It was closed. The freeway was also closed becuase of a rather severe accident so we took Geneva road (long and bumpy!).  When we finally made it home I showered and collapsed in bed. I felt kind of itchy, but it was going to have to wait.

Around ten the next morning I was woken up when all three of our maids came into my bedroom. I groggily opened my eyes and sat up. One of them shrieked and they all ran, giggling, from the room. An inauspicious start to the day. As I came to my senses I remembered that my truck was in Provo and I had to find some way to get it home. The itching was getting worse. I felt very sick. Allergies or a cold- they could be nearly indistinguishable. I rubbed my eyes- oh no… my contacts were still in. I pried them out but my eyes were bloodshot and stung like a wasp. My glasses were missing so I had to put my contacts back in- ouch. I made my way to work and Fran called our favorite locksmith.

They said making a new key was complicated, but possible, expensive and very time consuming. They would call us as soon as they could squeeze us in- but we had to be at their shop within 20 minutes of their call and then take them to the truck. Standby. I hate standby. I was about to each lunch when a customer came in. After the customer left I was about to eat lunch when the locksmith called. We met them at their shop in American Fork and they followed us to Provo. We arrived at the truck and our locksmith hit us with some bad news: he had forgotten something kind of fundamental to making the key- namely the key template. He had to go back to the shop. “At lest you have something nice to look at.” he said gesturing at the the lake.

I was hungry. We had some time on our hands so we went to Saigon Cafe to pick up some food. The order was wrong. My kids all decided the were hungry again (I shared). My little girl, Claire, stepped on the take out box and dumped the food out. A bee flew over and stung me. No sign of the locksmith. I was really itching. My wife had some calamine lotion, but it had dried into a chalky powder.

Over an hour later the locksmith finally came back (he’d stopped on the way down to do another job). Finally it was time to start making our key. It was going to take another hour. I sat in the grass (it was wet) and built a little house out of sticks. I wished that I lived in the little house… until my kids smashed it, that is. Anyway- the locksmith finally got the key made. He pointed out some imperfections in it (“Really hard key to make!” he said), and explained that it would “break in.” That’ll be $300. Fine by me- my ordeal was coming to an end. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel…

…but I would have the mosquito bites- over two hundred on my arms, legs, head and back- to remind me of my worst day ever…

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Boaterrific

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We took the plunge (that might be a pun- we’ll have to see). A couple of weeks ago we bought ourselves a boat. We’d been contemplating Jetskis for years, but it never felt quite right.  Then one magical day (which you can read about over here on Fran’s Blog) we decided to swing by Taylor’s Boats on the way to Ikea. A boat is like a floating living room so it wasn’t too hard to convince Fran that it was the perfect thing for family bonding  (and it is!).  We settled on a Cobalt 202, Cobalt’s smallest model. The boat is 21′ which, so far, we’ve found to be an ideal size. We’re super picky about colors and so we were thrilled that the boat we liked matched our truck and house (we’re not freaks- we just like things to be color coordinated! Okay, it’s mostly me! Fine, I’m a freak!).

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We’ve gone out at least twice each week so far.  We generally launch from the American Fork (AF) Harbor. It’s a little annoying that we can’t get a yearly membership because we don’t live in AF. In Provo anyone can get an annual pass for $75.  But the AF harbor is more convenient (and relatively nice) so we deal with it.

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We’ve taken out some of our friends nearly each time we’ve gone and I think it’s a fun way to spend time together.  So far the only thing I can do is tube. Not to hard to flop onto a big pillow and hold on. Well, no- it’s gets really hard to hold on when some people drive. I’ll probably get skis this week, but save wakeboarding until next year. The kids love the boat. Mike wants us to stop every few minutes so he can jump in the water (the lake must seem like a never ending swimming pool). Claire sits up front in the bow and rocks back and fourth to the music while we cruise. We had a boat picnic the other day too. And I’m finally getting a tan.

As always Utah Lake has claimed a bunch of our stuff. Two pairs of sunglasses and some truck keys so far. Last year we lost a pair of sunglasses, a contact lens and a shirt. I wish the lake was a smidgen less muddy- then maybe we could find some of our stuff.  I know a lot of people who don’t like Utah Lake much but it’s really pretty nice.  The water temperature is generally upwards of 70 degrees this time of year. And the dirt washes right off….

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So far the neighborhood reactions have been positive, which is nice since we’ve had to park the boat on the street (a no no!)  for the last week while our driveway extension dries.  Since I generally leave the truck hitched to the boat people notice that the boat is about twice the size of the truck. Inevitably everyone’s’ first question is, “Can your truck pull the boat okay?” I’ve got an ’06 Toyota Tacoma– I’m not a big truck kinda guy.  That was one of my first questions too. Despite it’s small size the Tacoma can haul 6500lbs (surprise!) and pulls the boat with only some minor picketing and threats of a strike.

We’re planning to rent the boat out a few times each week. We’re just going to keep it local and provide drop off and pick up services at Utah Lake. If we’re do this right we’ll end up with a free boat and some gas money! If we do it wrong we’ll have a sweet underwater hideout. We were hoping to get our rental operation off the ground this year, but I think we’re going to have to shoot for next year instead. Ah well.

A big thanks to Tom Allen who showed us that the nautical life was the life. Tom’s rabid sexism, testosterone fueled spirit and and unquenchable urge to speak his mind have made him a Hughes family favorite.

The Perfect Spot

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Fran’s parents are in town. For those of you not in the know, this is a big deal. They aren’t exactly from around here (they hail from Reunion Island). Since they have to travel half way around the world to visit we only get to see them every few years. In order to achieve maximum togetherness everyone here in the USA related to Fran’s parents gets together and goes camping.

I am not a camper. I don’t like camping and I don’t pretend to. The fun many people seem to have while absent from all forms of human comfort baffles me. Anyway- I went in the name of love. We went up to a camping area near one of the Payson lakes. It’s quite pretty and the temperature was nice. And we found…

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…the perfect spot. There was a large grove of trees and right in the middle was this perfect spot to pitch a tent. Up it went. Full shade, a good deal of privacy and when it rained our spot stayed almost completely dry. It was kind of like being in a fort.

I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy camping, but everyone had a good time. Maybe we can go again in three or four years.