Ryan McFarland

New bridge at Sandy Beach Park

Originally uploaded by zieak

On Sunday evening a Boy Scout called me about working on a part of his Eagle Scout project on Monday.  By 11:30 we had the old log bridge cut from the way and cleared from the stream.  By 1:30 he had the beams decked.  Now he’ll finish up by putting in another 75 feet or so of gravel trail.  All the materials for this project were paid for with a Forest Service Resource Advisory Committee grant.  One more bridge will go in at the end of the gravel the scout puts in and then this project will be completed.

Bingo

Originally uploaded by zieak

Cena and I went and played bingo at the Sons of Norway hall tonight. Cena won the first game. Lynsey came and played too. I could have won one of the games but I somehow missed one of the squares. When I say “somehow” I mean “was so dumb i…”

Earlier today i received a text message that simply said…

Your CPNI Address of Record has been changed.¿

The from address was seven digits.

CPNI stands for Customer Proprietary Network Information.  It is the individually recognizable information about your cell phone use including when, how often and how long you call who.  It looks like a FCC rule implemented on the second of April of last year requires that customers be notified of changes to their password, online account, or address of record.

Change to my password?  Change to my online account?  Yes, please inform me if you have to do that for security purposes.  But what exactly is an “address of record” and should i be worried that it is changed?

Your “address of record” is where they send things to you.  So in this case, since Cena and i both received the text i am fairly certain that we only received it because we have signed up for online statements.

I mean that most sincerely and not at all condescending. Really. Sarah is the governor of Alaska and has an extremely high approval rating. Why? She’s ethical. She is sticking to her party’s platform and yet also obeying the law.

A look at Wikipedia informed me that she signed into law state benefits to same sex couples per a state supreme court ruling. Even though she opposes gay marriage. Instead of ranting about rogue judges and trying to shove changes to the Constitution down the publics throat she’s following the law (as currently interpreted by the relevant court) and still able to stick to her ethics.

I’m only bringing this up because I received an email…

Dear Fellow Alaskan,
With just a few days left in the 25th Alaska Legislature, the final
actions taken by lawmakers will have a major impact on Alaska and
Alaskans. HB 111, a critical bill which would lower the Business License
Fee, is currently stalled.
The Alaska economy is blessed by people with an entrepreneurial spirit.
Business leaders provide new ideas and develop innovative products and
services. By investing in their businesses, small firm owners make a
major contribution to our economy.
The original version of HB111 that I proposed would have returned the
business license fee, which was increased to $100 under the former
administration, to $25. The fee increase has caused a hardship for those
who are helping grow our economy, especially people who operate
home-based and part-time businesses.
The House Finance Committee amended the bill to set the fee at $50 and
it sailed through the House because it makes good business sense. HB 111
is currently stalled in the Senate Finance Committee. I urge you to
contact your senator TODAY and let him or her know that HB111 is good
for Alaskans, who should not be penalized for stimulating economic
growth.

Until next time,
Governor Sarah Palin

I sure am one of those entrepreneurs.  With the web stuff, djing, and bike shop stuff i’m kicking in sales tax to the city.  And the Feds enjoy my increased income in taxes also.

It honestly stung a bit when the business license fee went from $50 to $200 for two years under the previous governor (who was also a Republican).

I’m not a member of any political party but she’s one more Conservative that will have my vote next time around.

Photo via Wikimedia but by me!

April Fool’s Day prank on Mike

Originally uploaded by zieak

A few weeks ago Mike bought an SUV. Seth called it a “chick car” when he saw it. So I bought a few bumper stickers at Trading Union and wiped enough dust off his bumper that they would stick but still come off easily.

It is hard to believe but i have had a new phone in the box for about a week now.  I still have not opened it and hope to send it back.  You see, the carrier i’m switching to just released the phone in a new color that wasn’t available when i placed my order.  The phone sitting in the box is the white Palm Centro which Cena also has.  The one i want is the black Centro.

Why am i changing phones?  I’m currently using a Palm Treo 680.  I used a Palm Treo 650 before that and a Treo 600 before that.  Obviously i like the palm line.  The only temptation about the iPhone is the wifi capabilities.  Otherwise my phones for the last three years have been able to do just about everything the iPhone can.  I’m switching to the newest Treo model because i can save money by doing so.  I have to pay for the phone but get a rebate making the new phone about $100.  I also have to enter a two year contract and i like the freedom of my current month-to-month arrangement.  But the savings comes with the rates.  I’m currently paying about $130 a month for my cellular service.  That’s $40 a month for unlimited data, $25 a month for unlimited text, and $55 a month for the nationwide 450 minute plan.  That’s $120 plus the fees and taxes.

Switching to AT&T does take money from a more local business which i’m a bit sad about.  But despite a few claims my current carrier has not been able to match the price and features that AT&T is offering.  Their nationwide 450 is $40 which saves me $15 a month.  Unlimited data is $35 (a $5 per month savings) and a text package that covers 1500 messages a month is $15 which saves me $10 a month.  (Even an unlimited text package is a $5 per month savings.) So i’ll be cutting my monthly cell phone bill by about $30 per month.  If i stayed with my current carrier for the next two years it would cost me $720 more than this change.  Subtract the cost of the phone and i still save more than $620 in the next two years.

If only i could get all of my regular bills to drop that much!

The first of March, 30 days ago, i owed 9,427.17 in personal debt (including Zieak enterprises but excluding the mortgage and Zoom Bikes).  As of April 1 i owe $7,411.79.  I dropped my debt $2,015.38 in the month of March.

I have $2,200 in accounts receivable for Zieak enterprises and have three DJ jobs lined up in the next few months.  Those jobs should bring in about $1,000.

At the beginning of the year the goal was to pay $2,000 each month toward the debt.  All of my personal debt (on the Chase card) is at 0% interest.  I think a wise move would be to pay off the Zieak enterprises card which is being hit with over $40 per month in finance charges.  I’ll drain the earnings in my Paypal account to put toward that.

It sounds like the Alaska Permanent Fund will be about $2,000 this October.  If it hits that mark it will set a record.

If you drink Coke products but don’t save the rewards points feel free to email me the codes. Most Coke products have the code on the bottle cap or inside the box of a 12 or 24 pack. This includes their bottled water line and sports drinks. I’ve been ignoring them for years but it looks like i can get coupons for more Coke products, movie rentals, or magazine subscriptions with the points.

1. Pen and paper - Even in the digital world i still need paper and pens on occasion. If you have not already, writing your name, address and phone number on a piece of paper and putting it on top of your stuff inside your luggage can help if your tags are torn off of your luggage in transit. Keep one handy on the plane so you can jot notes of thoughts (like a list of things to steal from a hotel). When you get home keep one by the phone for messages or one at the table for shopping lists or things to do.
2. Toiletries - Of course grabbing the shampoo and conditioner is a good idea. If you use some of them then they will just throw them away anyway. If you use the soap bring that home too -otherwise it will be trashed. Use the bag from the ice bucket or the laundry bag clipped to a hanger in the closet to transport your wet soap home. It is supposedly good for your hair to switch products fairly often. Throwing in a sample size will sure help. But maybe i’m making up the switching products thing.
3. Sewing kit - You should have these stashed everywhere. Have one in the car, at work, camping gear, in your travel bag…
4. Fist full of tissues - Put them in your pocket for the rest of the trip. I get sick often after travel. I get bloody noses sometimes now because i’m used to high humidity.
5. Laundry bags - If you don’t already have a barely used bar of soap in it then you can double bag your toiletry collection or put dirty laundry in it. Once it is home use it as a small trash bag for the laundry room or bathroom.
6. Coffee and tea - I don’t drink coffee but i know plenty of people that do. I especially like finding regional coffees so that i can put them in my brother’s stocking for Christmas. Having a few around our house is good for when we have long term guests. Or it would be good if we had a coffee maker! Some places will also have tea, spiced cider or cocoa.

On Monday one of my staff members called my office because someone wanted to talk to me about building a half pipe. I went down and met Will Coffey who is stationed in Petersburg with the USCG. He asked if i would mind him building a half pipe. I dragged him up to the ball fields, opened the container van and showed him the equipment we had purchased with grant money from American Ramp Company. He said he would have some friends get working on it Wednesday morning. By 5:00 Wednesday the container van was unloaded by hand by Will, Josh and me and pieces were staged in their approximate location.

Thursday afternoon i talked with one of the design engineers and got a walk-through of the steps to putting the system together. Matt Gerrits, Holly and Paul, Will and i worked on getting one ramp put together and the frames for the rest assembled.

Friday at 10:30 Matt and i met and started plugging away at the project. I called Earl Warner and he helped for an hour or so and when school let out kids started showing up. Word was out that the skate park was coming together. Will also showed up late in the afternoon and by 6:00 just about everything was bolted together and ready to ride.

As Matt said, he had been waiting 16 years for this day…

A huge thank you to the volunteers that put in the time to assemble the park. Future expansion is possible and with the interest that has been shown so far quite probable!