Man With a Plan

Aug 31, 2016
Self Growth

I play a little game with my brothers call Million Dollar Idea. The whole idea behind the game is that if you can come up with one million ideas that are worth a million dollars each, then even if you have a one in a million chance of becoming a millionaire, then chances are you will become a millionaire. That may be a bit of a tongue twister and perhaps a brain twister, but the idea boils down to a fun exercise of coming up with potential business plans and strategies. For example, what if we made top ramen more refined and luxurious, for those college students that are on a budget but still want to eat well. The ramen could have more than just noodles, or is organic, or whole wheat, or some other unique feature that would appeal to a slightly different clientele than those that eat top ramen. It can have unique flavors, vegetables, sauces, oils, and a medley of proteins. Surely we would make millions.

Well after a few months of this game, my wife challenged me to actually write out a business plan and proposal. I took her up on the proposal, because who honestly does not like a good challenge.I had toyed around with so many ideas already it made sense to take my favorite idea to the next level and create something more formal, to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the idea. I found a template online and sat down to begin writing. To my surprise, the template was Twenty-Nine Pages long! Wow, I had no idea that the plan would take this long to actually develop. Having a 29 page template would likely mean that the business plan would be 50 or more pages and may take days or weeks to create. As I begin reading through each of the prompts on the template, I realized how undeveloped our Million Dollar Ideas actually were. It took much more time to figure out financing, competitive advantages, growth in the industry, etc. Even my favorite idea would require much more time and energy before it can become worth of a million dollars. What I also noticed was that although some of the prompts had features that I had not considered before, they were questions that can be answered with additional research. I can find industry growth charts and stock values of companies a proxy on growth. I can research wholesale acquisition cost and price per square foot on real estate rentals. There is so much that I still need to learn but this does appear to be a worth challenge worth taking up.

On a side note, I had previously attempted to write an app for Android. Since the bug incident, I have uninstalled and re-installed Android Studios and the Java Development Kit but the program still will not boot. I am starting to lose heart that I will become a programmer, but for now I have more pressing issues and a business plan to write.

We Had A Bad Time (And Why That's Great)

Aug 30, 2016
Self Growth

Today's Toastmaster session was different than the rest, today we had a humor contest. One of the contestants, a former stand up comedian, delivered a wonderful set. He had the audience laughing over and over captivating his audience with his every word. However, he did say one thing that really stuck out to me: "Bad times make for really great stories."

The comic, John, was describing a time when he was performing in a tiny tavern where the audience consisted of 7 guys sitting at 2 tables. Everyone else was passed out, playing darts, or flirting with the bartender. So John starts doing his bit, sets up the audience, delivers his punchline...and silence. No a smile, not peep from the 7 guys. He was tanking hard. He looked over his audience, these were not the high society sophisticated type so he made his new joke more low brow, talking about dumb politics. He sets up his audience, delivers his punchline...and silence. One guy smiled... or perhaps he just twitched, it was hard to tell, the room was not well lit. Still no laughter could be heard. He felt he needed bring his comedy even lower, and delivered the most vulgar laced dirty joke he had in his repertoire. A couple of the guys looked surprised, and even looked at each other but still no laughter. This was possibly the toughest crowd he had ever had to perform in front of. There was not even a pity laugh thrown his way. John saunters away feeling absolutely defeated. The next day John went to a concert, and was recognized by one of the 7 guys at the bar. "Hey you're that comedian from the bar, I thought you were pretty good". John replied "Thanks" but in very much a thanks-for-the-charity tone of voice. "I have got a confession for ya, before your routine, I made a bet with my friends that whoever laughs first would have to buy a round for everyone." John could not believe it, the whole reason he was doing so bad and having such a bad time was because there was this bet going on in the back. The whole situation turned out to be a pretty funny story.

The idea that bad times are just good stories is a great concept. For many people we are too afraid to go for what we want because we are afraid we will have a bad time. This often means we will not even attempt that job or career or investment. We do not try because the risk of having a bad time is too overwhelming. Think about all those rags to riches stories that we have heard about and how wonderful they make us feel. If it was simply a story of riches to riches, we would not be very impressed. It is the hard times that help build and define who we are. Those are the stories that we can talk about, where we truly test our metal, and came out on the other end. We can use this tool to get us over what is holding us back. We know that if we succeed,  we win; if we fail, then we have a great story.

Anyone Got Bug Spray - Attempts at Coding Java

Aug 29, 2016
Self Growth


During the last few days, I have experimented with using Android Studios to design a new app. A customer had recommended using Udacity as a learning vehicle. Everything was so new and the whole process was exciting. I was able to create a simple greeting card and even got a tutorial application to run on my phone. Just Java 1.0 was up and running. I was so excited I shared the fledgling app with my brothers, who were not too impressed. Of course the app at the time was only able to calculate how much it would cost for x number of coffees if each coffee cost $5 but that was not the point, I had created it and it was working and it was wonderful. With a bit more tinkering, I was able to add some more functions then suddenly DOOOM! There was some type of bug in the code and now the app was no longer running. It was hard to distinguish where the bug was located and trying to figure out if I was missing a letter, a command, a definition, a comma or a some other tiny little mark. I tried doing Ctrl+Z to undo the damage but no luck. I searched and dug through forums and webpages for assistance, but what I tried likely broke it even further. At this point not only was my fledgling app no longer functioning, even the program for writing it was down as well. I was devastated. The  nuclear option would be the only way, uninstalling then reinstalling the entire system. I will have to start from the ground up, putting back the pieces of Android Studio to it's original glory before I can even hope to get my app going again. I wonder if they called this app Just Java because they knew we would need quite a few coffees to get it going.
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Portland: The Land of No Sales Tax and Gluten Free

" Can we drink port at a port in Portland?"
Aug 24, 2016
Self Growth

Portland is a unique mix of hippie and hipster and the lines often blur as to what is what. The roadways are not the friendliest often with one-ways and bicyclist and bus only lanes at every turn. My driving experience in Portland was terrible but Portland does have some redeeming qualities. The food is good, the landscape is scenic, and the Saturday and Sunday market is huge.

Food is huge in Portland. You can find just about every cuisine you would care to enjoy and you will likely be able to find it gluten free. You can find gluten free pasta, bread, and even cake. I seriously have not seen so many gluten free options in my life. I took the opportunity to check out as many happy hours as I could. I typically favor food happy hours over drinks.  RingSide Fish House had one of my favorite happy hours which has mussels, chicken wings, and fish cakes; all of which were delicious. The service was top notch as well. Portland City Grill had a really nice view of the city just overlooking the river. The food here is subpar so I would only go here for the view and a couple drinks. Also, get here early as the good seating by the window fills up quickly. Finally Portland Seafood Company was a quaint little spot, the food and drinks were typical of bar food. It was not bad, but not exceptional either. And if you are interested in that gluten free cake, you can swing by Petunia's, a 50's style baker shop, that has a whole host of gluten free products.



Portland has some of the nicest scenery and you can really stop to smell the roses. The rose garden here was in full bloom  with nearly 10,000 roses of every variety. The entry is free and you just have to pay for parking which at the time I went was $1.60 an hour. If you pay by phone, you are able to add time, so you can pay for 1 hour, then add if you end up spending more time in the area. The zoo and the Japanese Garden are also within walking distance and you can enter for a fee. Beyond the rose garden is The Grotto, a religious park of sorts. It is dedicated to the Catholic faith and the Virgin Mary. I am not religious myself, but I still found The Grotto to be tranquil and relaxing. On my 3rd day in Portland, I attempted to visit Multnomah Falls. Unfortunately, everyone else in Portland must have had the same idea because the traffic going to the falls was terrible. As such, I was only able to drive past the falls and admire it through the windows of the car. However, the day was not lost because just a little beyond Multnomah Falls was Horsetails Falls. You are able to park right next to Horsetails and walk underneath the falls, giving you the best picture and experience for the time and energy invested. And going even further beyond Horsetails Falls, we reached The Hatchery located off the Columbia River. The Hatchery is in a secluded area, a complete contrast to what was happening at Multnomah falls.













 You cannot visit Portland without visiting their weekend markets. There are several throughout the week but the biggest ones are on Saturday and Sunday located near the water. You will find fun trinkets, wood workings, glass sculpting, and food truck. The event is so big, that it actually forms 2 separate market events, spanning roughly 4 blocks.

Unfortunately I was not able to make very good use of the no-sales tax benefit of shopping in Portland. I did pick up some much needed socks, but that was about it. For me I really did not need anything, and spending money just because there was no sales taxes did not make financial sense.

Sleepless in Seattle

"Oh the places you'll go..."
Aug 23, 2016
Self Growth

Seattle is such an amazing city, with a vibrant culture and a great mix of technology and nature. I was fortunate enough to spend a few unforgettable days in Seattle (and a few nearby locales) and this was what I discovered. 

Seattle is fully immersed in nature. As we traveled along the highway and trekked from point A to B, it is impossible to miss the number of trees and flowers all around. Just looking around it feels as if this city sprang from a dense forest of evergreen pine trees. Even within the heart of the city you will find parks scattered throughout and flowers graced on the sides of buildings. 

(The great wheel, 2 coliseums, and Mount Rainier spotted off the pier)

Seattle is full of art everywhere. According to a fun fact that was obtain during a Duck Boat tour around the city, 1% of all property tax is used towards public art. As a result there are fun random art pieces scattered about the city. There is the metallic tree at Olympic sculpture park, the Fremont Troll that lives under the bridge waiting for the three Billy goats gruff, and the glass workings in Chihuly Gardens. Of course these are big sites but you will see quite a few interesting pieces all throughout the city with unfamiliar names. 

Seattle is full of interesting architecture. I had the chance to check out the 10 stories that formed the Seattle Public Library. Each floor had its own function, whether it was the cafe or reading room or job resource center. The entire building is covered in windows allowing in the maximum amount of natural light without being overwhelming. The interior often showcased the art that the city is known for. Located in the heart of the city is the iconic Space Needle which overlooks both the Chihuly Garden and EMP. Chihuly Garden features a number of glass sculptures big and small. They range from the size of a small hand basket to a 12 foot tower. All the pieces are full of vibrant colors and interesting shapes. It offers some great photo opportunities like having glass sculptures and the space needle all in one shot. The EMP building showcases a number of rock legends. The building is easily recognizable and not recognizable. You know you are there because you will be standing at a bright red building with a number of twists and turns. If you are not familiar with it, you may not be able to recognized it was designed based on Jimmy Hendrix's broken guitar. These are a few of the architectural styles you can see while in Seattle but there is more to come. Amazon for example has a new building under construction, which looks like a golf ball. It's unique design will definitely help their creative team think different. 

Seattle is full of great food. Located by the water, the city offers some of the best seafood around. You can swing by Taylor's to have one of their succulent oysters, my wife loved it and we just happened to get in right at happy hour. We were also taken by a friend to enjoy cioppino and fish & chips at Steelhead Diner. This was possibly the largest bowl of seafood I have ever had. After dinner, we walked next door to grab some of Rachel's Ginger Beer, which is a definitely not what you find in the grocery aisle. The come in a number of flavors including guava, pineapple, and mango mate. If you so wish, they have spirits available to liven things up even more.

(Oysters on the Half Shell at Taylor's)
Seattle was an amazing experience which we were fortunate enough experience. It is so full of great art and food and we cannot get enough. We also benefited from not having rain while we were there which from my understanding is unheard of.