Be Persistent

Being persistent is the key I have found to this whole starting a business thing. I haven't heard back from the catering place and so I emailed them and another one that I think I would like to use. We will have to see if they get back to me. Also I have had to use one of the vendors at the market a couple of times now to verify that I am on the right path and get contact info. It seems like the only way these things happen is if you are the one bothering people. It can be frustrating and I feel a little strange asking complete strangers for help and services but there really is no other way to do it. I have found the same to be true in other things like buying the new house is a great example. While they all want to make money off of you they tend to need you to motivate them to get things done on a timely manner. Its all very frustrating sometimes but that seems to be how things get done.

Not Happy

So today is an okay day. But then I get a call from my mortgage broker telling we can't close tomorrow. All because of an addendum that I got across the pipe with plenty of time for it to get signed by everyone. But nope it didn't get to the underwriter till Tuesday and now they can't turn the docs around quick enough to close tomorrow. So this means I am out money because they aren't renting back from me for like three days, which comes out to something like $300 - $400. I am just not happy at all with this. The whole thing should have been done last week and ready to go to close then so that we wouldn't have to deal with this kind of stuff. What a pain in the but, now I have to find a time Dillon can do this sense she has switched her shift to go to close tomorrow. Like they say "If you want to hear god laugh tell him your plan."

Working with Blogger

So I decided to switch it up and start working with blogger. Hopefully this will reduce the amount of upkeep I am having to put into the old site. I will also at some point have to get around to uploading all the old posts from the previous 2 versions of my site. Should be lots of fun.

One step closer

Wow what a day yesterday. So it started off with signing the condo property management documents. That got done and a huge weight is now off my shoulders. Then headed off to work and scheduled a time to meet with the folks at Capitol Catering. They are going to be pretty close the the new place so I figured I would see if they could let me use some of there kitchen space at night for the sausage business. It was a pretty good meeting and I think they are okay with me working there in the evenings. Now I am just waiting on a price. I have to admit having never done anything like this before I was just a little nervous but it turned out well I am one step closer.

Wow 1800 Vermont Ave

So I lived at 1800 Vermont Ave for a long time. My host for the duration was Edward from the Dredwerkz who made it a great place to live. He and I put up with a lot but he always kept it fun. Anyway so it has pretty much been totally renovated but luckily most people feel it was better when Ed was running the show. 1800 Vermont Now

1800 Vermont Then

Selling out

Wow, so after seeing the upgraded 1800 Vermont Ave I was thinking about the fact that I am selling out and moving to VA. The question is am I selling out or is DC selling out? While yes the changes are amazing I often feel like DC is giving away its soul most of the time, as an example the Target up in Columbia Heights. I think that is why I liked Capital Hill so much, because it represented so much of what is DC. I will be sad to leave it but who knows Dillon and I might come back.

Condo is getting there

So Dillon and I made huge progress so far this week on the condo. I have lost my camera so I can't show you any pics of the place but we are nearing the finish line. We have painted all the rooms but the kitchen and they look amazing. Just have to put some toe kick down which is already cut and the rooms will be 95% complete. I have minor things like replacing outlets but nothing major. The kitchen will probably happen this weekend or once we move out so it will be easier to get to everything. Well as soon as I find my camera I will put up pics of all the progress. As far as food not much to report. I made some homemade butter on Monday which came out pretty good. Dillon made pancakes out of the butter and the buttermilk, the two products that you get when making butter from cream. Dillon has also made some awesome dinners this week (Beef Tacos and Enchiladas) and I made pasta Monday night. I figure if pork shoulder is cheap at the store this week I might go ahead and make some more Italian Sausage this weekend. I have gotten it down to less then two hours from start to finish. On the same note I have gotten pasta down to below an hour from start to finish. That might seem long but after I make the dough it has to rest for 10 - 30 minutes. All and all, Dillon and I, are eating much healthier and we pretty much only buy fresh things at the store.

You cannot make sausage to sell in your house!

So it is official I am broken. The city of Alexandria has broken be and I give up. I only give up though with trying to make sausage to sell in my house. I was on the phone last Friday for a very very long time with the city zoning department and they pretty much wouldn't budge on letting me make meat products in my house. I am hoping to find a place now that will let me rent a little bit of there kitchen or work out a deal where I make X amount for them and I get Y amount to sell at the farmers market. I still have a lot of work to do so that my recipes are tightened up and I have a good core set of products. On a positive side not I emailed a cool shop in San Fran and asked them for advice and a history of how they got there store up and running. In other news Dillon and I are moving along on the condo and I think we will have the majority of the work done by the end of the next weekend. We are pretty much down to painting and the little things. Closing on the new place is coming up in about a week and a half now so that is exciting though we don't move till mid-December. Lots of things to get done and hopefully we will make it.

My next career

Wow so I was reading TreeHugger today and came across I think what is one of the greatest ideas I have ever seen. It is a company called MyFarm in San Fran, and you pay them to grow your veggies in your back yard. They also sell your veggies to your neighbors. You tell them what you like and they make a garden in your backyard, tend to it, harvest it, and give you the results. I think I am in love, I totally want to quit my job right now and do this.

Working Hard to get Ahead

So things are going pretty well on a number of fronts. First the house is coming along very well and things are starting to get finished. The new house is getting finalized with only a couple of weeks till closing. I have a meeting setup for this Friday with the Alexandria Planning and Zoning people to discuss how I can build a structure to make my meat in. If any of this falls through I think I have a backup plan. I think I am going to buy some property in the Caribbean. I have been looking on Sothbey's Real Estate site and think that is something I would like. Well I will make sure to keep everyone abreast of the situation.