Dear Diary

Hello CI, fancy meeting you here. What are your thoughts about this site?

Chasing hogs can't be 'normal' according to my city-slicken ways... However, if you got some spare bbq'd baby back ribs, please invite me. I'll bring the beer. c.i.

Mapleleaf, About this site? Let's just say, I haven't had to cringe even once since being here at Able2Know. I love it! c.i.

Got three freezers full. C'mon, we're down by the barn, just follow your nose . . . and watch your step.

Dear Diary,

Well, mother-in-law will be transferred to another hospital tomorrow and they will do the cardiac catheterization and possibly put a stent in -- seems she's still having trouble with breathing and they think she may have clogged up again. They won't move her till 3 p.m. however, which means, with afternoon traffic, she won't even get to the other hospital until 4:30ish and then they have to check her in and such. Talked her tonight and she's very nervous about the whole thing and I don't blame her.

One of her neighbors visited her this afternoon, which I thought was nice, until she told me that the neighbor is partially blind and very hard of hearing and was dropped off. She stayed for over 2 hours while the folks who dropped her off went shopping. It totally wore my poor mother-in-law out (especially the need to talk very loudly when she was already out of breath).

Hopefully the procedure tomorrow will solve the problem at least for the moment. Her spirits are really down and I tried very hard to perk them up by telling her at least this is something that can be fixed (unlike so many illnesses). I just hope it really CAN be fixed this time and that there are no reactions due to her age, condition, and state of mind.

Oh well, at least I can come here and vent a little. Works wonders. Now if you folks have any ideas about how to collect money from clients who have become very, very lax about paying on time....

bandy, what kind of business?

My husband is an architect doing commercial interiors. Our clients are mostly landlords who hire us to do tenant build-outs. Used to be most would pay within 30 days give or take a few. Now we've got stuff out over 60 days and lots more over 45 days. It's a very small office and we really can't afford to wait that long to be paid (but things are slow everywhere now and we can't afford to lose clients right now, either). Stinks.

Hmmm...a good example of a SLOWING ECONOMY. Now that I am living off of a state retirement fund and soc sec, I am less sensitive to the changes. Even more so since we are new in the community and not active...we simply don't hear the rumblings of the public.

<gulp> We pay up our vendors the 15th of the month following the invoice date. So some are paid within 15 days and some are out there at 45. Our customers each have their own scheme. One pays invoices by return mail, most checks from major oil companies are dated on invoice date + 30 exactly. A couple seem to use the dartboard/blindfold method, and don't even pay invoices in sequence. This is essentially unchanged over the past 8 years. We do have one that doesn't think it is required to pay sales tax on labor performed in Utah. Their next crisis can best be solved by a different company.

If we actually KNEW when we'd get paid, it would make things lots easier, roger. Trouble is one of our clients sometimes (but not lately) paid us within a week and ALWAYS paid within 30 days -- they're the one that owes us over $10,000 for 35 - 75 days right now (lots of different invoices). And, while they might be having cash flow problems, we just learned they're in the process of trying to buy 2 more buildings so I've got absolutely no sympathy. Another also always paid within 30 days; then they said probably within 45 days and lately it's been closer to 60 days (and they just bought another building). Apparently the new theory is to hold off paying the 'little guy' so you can buy buildings. $10,000 is an enormous amount for us and it really hurts when we don't have any idea when we'll get it (and what we can tell the people we owe money to).

OUCH!

I don't know how to convince a customer that they are customers and not partners, and that we don't intend to be a part of their cash management program.

Bandylu, Ever hear of "progress payments?" Ya just don't do the next thing on the list until all past work is paid for.... c.i.

Bandylu: There are companies who will buy your receivables, especially in the ten-thousand-dollar range.

I used to do my cashflow every week, and call those who had waited the longest to pay telling them I needed X amount of money to meet payroll and expenses and that I'd be by to pick up their check for X amount of money. It worked for me because I had lots of customers who each owed just a little. I never accepted a customer whose payment to me would be more than 20% of my monthly receivables.

It never hurts to let non-paying or slow-paying customers go to your competition. One rule of thumb is to weed out the slow-paying customers every year. It's OK to fire a customer. I did that one February while looking at some year-end figures. Started billing one month ahead and amazingly started receiving all my money before the month was even out. After that, I was paid AHEAD of time!

Good luck with those baffoons. I can't believe they are buying buildings and not paying their bills!

This dear diary thingie is great - I used to write a diary many many years ago, but then out of laziness I stopped. I think I shud start again - or maybe a weblog !!

Dear Diary,

Last day in Prague - fly back to London today evening - back to the real world.

Had a great Christmas party last night - did not drink much as was too busy dancing (mostly to Czech songs, but hey it was good music) came back to the hotel at 0300 in the morning (I literally had to drag my MD out of the party ) But feeling fine today morning - guess I am not as old as I think I am !!!

But it does seem that Czechs are hell bent on embarassing me in front of my MD. Last night, a memeber of the local staff was hell bent on dancing with me, and kept dragging me on the dance floor - and I kept running back !! Even the senior management in the branch commented on how friendly he is trying to become with me, and everyone was having a good laugh on my expense. The problem was he did not speak a word of English and I dont speak a word of Czech - so I could not even communicate to him that he was embarrassing me and he should stop it. I should have been getting irritated, but hey, it is nice to get attention !! My MD was verrrrrrrrry interested in a girl - who can only be described as drop dead gorgeous, but she did not give him even the time of the day !! Poor guy !!!

I hope I have a good flight !

Dear Diary,

I am feeling very sleepy now - I guess I *am* as old as I think I was. Or maybe it is due to the fact that I had little over 15 hrs sleep in the past 4 days....

My work in Prague is finished so have nothing to do, that is making me feel even more sleepy

Dear Diary,

Do you suppose I could take a trip to Prague sometime?

DD,

Got the okay from Mr. Jespah re some more recipes to try. It's not like I need his okay, per se, but I'd rather not cook if it's only for me. I don't want to make stuff he doesn't like. This will involve shrimp and tofu and the upshot of it all is I'm trying to make Chinese soup. If I could figure out how to do sizzling rice (hey, that's a good idea for a topic), I'd be all set.

The sky is clear and cold, but at least we didn't get the precipitation that was threatened. Maybe tomorrow? We're going to run our errands today anyway. Tomorrow we can hibernate. :-D

Also learned Mr. Jespah will be off from 12/20 through the end of the year, so perhaps this weekend we will visit Home Depot for some paint. The third floor wallpaper is nearly all gone (the big room is done; the small room is over 1/2 done) and the plan is to paint those rooms and restock them with furniture. That will be the main stuff we'll do over the holidays, since Xmas isn't our holiday and we're not much for New Year's celebrations. I will cook on Xmas, but only because most restaurants aren't open that day.

The time should be quiet and peaceful. I love getting stuff done around the house. It's not like this is high priority stuff, but it's cheap and we can do it competently and it's together time, which is always good. Plus, we'll accomplish something!

Dear Diary (again),

Last night I slept pain-free for the first time in several days. Things are looking up, yaa-hooo!

It will be a relief to see the dentist on Monday and get this taken care of once and for all. I always dislike going to the dentist, but at least you don't have to take your clothes off there!

I better get to work. It's been so busy I haven't had time to think while I'm there. That's not really good, is it? Well, I'll do my best!

You *don't* have to take your clothes off at the dentist?
Hmmmm.

DD Today I woke up after getting a grand total of
4.5 hours sleep. I am so tired my eyes are burning
Sometimes, that arthritis pain wakes me up all
night long. Geeez am I ever tired and the day is
only beginning not even 11am yet.
But - hooray, I FINALLY got the bills done, the
checks written out and all is ready to go
well, except for me, that is