As I write this I am finishing up all the loose ends to get ready to leave. Very excited (now that most of the stress or the preparations is done)!
The HSMG Annual Conference is a really big deal within the soapmaking community and for me as the President of the HSMG. Leigh O’Donnell, the Conference Chairman, has everything well under control and I expect that this is going to be a real extravaganza. My jobs are mainly talking with the members and finding out what the Board and I can do to improve the overall experience of being a member and the overall effectiveness of the organization as a whole.
I also preside at the Annual Meeting. I never thought I’d say that Robert’s Rules of Order was my friend, but it most certainly is. Over the years I’ve gotten pretty good with the “There’s a motion on the table, is there any discussion?” and “The motion is ___. All in favor, say ‘Aye’.” Amazing how the guidelines can keep a meeting running smoothly and get lots accomplished in a short period of time.
This year I am also giving a presentation on Labeling Requirements. Having just recently finished the 2nd edition of my book, I don’t expect it will be too hard. After all, I was dreaming about this content for weeks not too long ago.
After the Conference finishes on the 30th, Jere and I will take two days of leisure time in Vermont. Ah, to just do nothing for a day or two seems like luxury of the highest order!
More on the conference when I return!
Last night I watched the 7th and final episode of the HBO Miniseries “John Adams”. While I’ve been intrigued and educated through the entire series, it was the last episode that gave me the most insight into the man himself. I attribute that to the fact that it covers the last years of his life, out of political office, spending time with his family and reflection of the history he helped create.
I know that television and movies cannot present the whole of 60 years of history in a brief 8 hour miniseries, but I have to say that this particular miniseries made a good attempt to pick the more important and insightful points that give the character of the overall. Adam’s relationship with his wife was well explained and the careful line an intelligent woman has to walk was subtly explored. Using quotes from the actual exchanges between Adams and Thomas Jefferson during the last years of their lives gave a brief but true view of their thoughts on what they had accomplished. (Interestingly, both Adams and Jefferson died on July 4th, 1826 - the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.)
The miniseries also adequately portrayed the stresses of the times. Contrary to the visuals seen in epic movies about the founding of America, in “John Adam” we saw more reality - bad teeth, worse medicine, illness, long delays in communication, long absences, hard work and lots of mud. We also saw the ravages of aging during that period, and in that aspect I think the movie was stellar. One critic I read mentioned the tar-and-feather scene and said it was “gratuitous nudity” because the guy was stripped before being tarred. I don’t think so - it was shown basically the way it happened at the time, which was far more violent and brutal than most things in our lives today.
Life then was hard. Men like John Adams, who risked their lives, family and health to fight for something they believed in, touch me profoundly. It takes courage at a level we rarely see today to stand your ground when only a few agree. Those men didn’t know they were creating a new country that would become the greatest nation on earth .. they didn’t even know if they would be successful or arrested and tried for treason. They just did what they felt they had to do, with honor and integrity. I admire that very much.
Looking out my window this morning, my level of doubt rises. Snow falling and on the ground. In APRIL!!! Doesn’t seem much warmer around here this spring, that’s for sure.
On the other hand, I can’t complain. I love the look and feel of snow. Since we don’t get it very often (maybe 5-6 times a year, max), I have to enjoy it when I can.
Sadly, as I write this post at 10:30 am, the snow is already gone.
I hate tax day. Like many (maybe most) Americans, I seriously resent the time and effort I have to spend to file taxes every year. Filling in the forms has gotten easier over the years with e-File and programs like TurboTax, but even with that I spent over 6 hours putting together my taxes last weekend - and that doesn’t count all the time through the year tracking income, expenses, inventory and the like.
What would it be like track my business and personal finances from a viewpoint of management, not taxes? Easier, no doubt, and probably more financially sound as well.
There is a system that could replace the income tax fairly -A National Retail Sales Tax. It’s simple, the infrastructure for collecting sales tax is already in place in all states except Oregon and New Hampshire. It’s fair, taxing only on the money you spend - not the money you make. Since most people spend a large portion of their income anyway, the tax collected would be in the same range, plus it would tax illegal income (drug money, for example). If you save money, then you don’t get taxed on it. It’s a win-win all the way around.
I don’t mind paying a tax to support the government. Even though I have some issues about what they do with the money, there are plenty of benefits and services provided that are of value. What I don’t like is the intrusion that allows the IRS to look into my personal life. A National Retail Sales tax removes that.
I wonder how much more production we’d have in the country if people could make money without fear of someone looking over their shoulder, and if the we could remove the potential of guilt, sneaking around, lying, afraid-to-be-found-out, and fear of audits from the population as a whole?
I invite you to check out the National Retail Sales Tax, and if it looks fair to you, to support it however you can.
At long last, the 2nd edition of my book has finally arrived from the printer. Hurray!!
I have to say, I always have palpitations when something has gone to print. Waiting for it to come back, wondering what might go wrong (or what typos I missed) is hard - especially this time when it went to a completely new printer I found over the internet. So to have it in hand is such a relief. It turned out really, really well! I’m very pleased with Bookmasters and would recommend them for book printing without any hesitation.
There are a number of cosmetic changes in the 2nd edition. It’s a little bit larger (6 x 9 instead of 5 1/2 x 8 1/2) and the cover is heaver. The cover design is different, too. Oh, and it’s 30 pages longer!
All the back orders are shipped out. More relief. Everyone who was waiting was so patient, which I really appreciated.
Now on to my next project …
I posted before about my sad experience with United. I wasn’t sure I was going to use the $150 coupon they gave me, but I did. And everything seemed to be fine … for a while.
I made reservations for Jere and I to go to the Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild Annual Conference in Burlington, Vermont at the end of April. Of course, since one flight was regular fare it had to be booked on-line and the one with the coupon booked differently. Actually, all that went smoothly.
So there I was, thinking everything would be fine and I got an email notification (two of them, actually, one for Jere and one for me) saying that our schedule had been changed. Fair enough, at least they let me know. BUT, they changed us on to different flights!!
That necessitated a call to United, which went south in a hurry. I ended up spending over 40 minutes on the phone, of that about 20 minutes was on hold. The agent tried to put us on a flight together (the “only flight available”) that would have given us an 8 hour layover in Chicago. No way.
I kept asking and asking for something better. Finally while I was on hold for the 3rd time, I went to United on-line and looked up the possible flights. I found one that would work and then told the agent to book us on that one … which amazingly enough had seats for both of us.
It’s pretty easy to gauge how BAD the United agents are when I, the customer, had to figure out a solution by going online!
The good news is that we DO have flights and, being the glass-is-half-full kind of gal I am, I am hopeful that we will actually arrive reasonably on time. I certainly don’t want to miss the Chinese dinner out we have planned for after we arrive!
