The Germans are coming

Today was a stressful Monday, par for the course. We were expecting two large deliveries of new equipment for the Summer show season and beyond. A small delivery was also expected from German Light Products of a software uploading programmer. The paperwork and accounting "to do" pile was getting in the way of more pleasant items such as - lunch, such is life. I'm not complaining although it sounds like I am.

On the agenda today was the strange repair to a new Impression LED moving head. GLP, German Light Products, is the manufacturer that now has a presence in the US. A few weeks ago I got a call from an experienced LD reporting that one of the six Impressions he was using wasn't behaving like the rest in a color roll. On a Saturday I called the number that I found on the web for GLP and left a voice mail. Much to my surprise I got a return call in five minutes. Then I called last week with two fixtures in front of me to go over all of the possible scenarios that could cause them to respond differently. After two days the GLP rep concluded that somehow the software needed to be reloaded and they sent out the software uploading programmer.

The SUP arrived today and I was able to break away from the paperwork to use the uploader. The pdf instructions that were sent to me in an email were the most detailed and easy to follow instructions I've ever seen. Full color photos showing the particular detail to pay attention to while connecting the hardware, very impressive. The whole process took about five minutes, and fixed the software problem.
That was encounter #1 with Germans.

The caller ID showed "Out of Area" with a string of numbers, most likely a telemarketer. I picked up and heard a bunch of noise then the caller asked for me by name. It turned out to be the tech from Protonic software, whose product is EasyJob software for rental operations. The conversation went well and I'm fairly confident that we will be purchasing the software very soon. We have already purchased and installed a new server for the database software, so half of the work is done. I say that now before we start the implementation of a new software platform, ha.

Here's a picture from LiveDesign of a Paramore concert featureing a bunch of Impressions in action.

Progress on multiple fronts

March and April passed at lightning speed as usual. I'm happy to report that I have still been pretty good about sticking to the gym routine and I'm *slowly* seeing results. To followup on the "net weight loss post". I'd say that my current net loss from about TWO months ago is two to three pounds, but maybe we'll go with my doctor's approach of the muscle gain is off setting the fat loss, so the weight number is rather unimpressive... Not sure on that one, but the key word is slow, results, progress, reporting, whatever.

So, yesterday I did a max chest press lift of 250# which is good for a thirty-something guy who is weighing in under 200#. I think I'm a few months from 275#, but I'll let you know when I hit that goal.

WORK BLURB-
Work has been super busy and things are going great. We have some fun events on the schedule and I'm excited about this month and the Summer. I can't reveal much more except that I have gotten back in contact with
Several Species and we are scheduled to do the lighting for them at the Classics Weekend festival in Ohio at the Nelson Ledges Quarry Park that is on June 12th. I'm not a fan of facebook, but I have to say that it IS good at reconnecting people, and in this case it is how I reconnected with Several Species. Come and see the show in Ohio, they are really a great tribute band and I'm not just saying that because I'm working for them.

The concept of net weight loss

Today I'll write about something other than work related activities and bright lights.

I find it amusing that people like to talk about weight only when it is as a loss, and stock ownership when it is a gain. When the inverse is the case there is little talk about such topics. How many time has a friend or coworker let you know that they lost 10 or 15 pounds, only to gain it back and then a year later report that they have lost 10 pounds. But they are the SAME pounds because you are at a net loss of zero now. This phenomenon only amuses me, I don't pretend to be in much better shape than the general public, but this does lead into the start of my day.

For the last two weeks or thereabout I've been "back in the gym". Since I don't watch TV this has NOTHING to do with Biggest Loser. I see the banners at the gym, so I know these TV and gym promotions are driving gym membership and attendance. I've taken it pretty slow so as to not burn out early. A month ago I started walking on the treadmill for 20 - 30 minutes then doing really light free weight work trying to keep total gym time at or under 45 minutes at a visit. The point of the treadmill is to do a bit of fat burn to shed a few unwanted pounds.

Don't get the wrong impression, I'm not really overweight - I'd say I'm average, or even a little less weight than average, but by my doctor's standard I'm over weight by 10 - 15 pounds. So, when the weight does come off I'll let you know, and if it comes back on - you can let me know.

Last week at weight in I was 195, today I was 192#. I don't really think any weight was lost, I think of it more as a variance. We'll have to revisit this whole weight thing in a month or so to see if there is a trend. I believe target weight is in the 180's.

A few months ago I was at the doctors and she asked how thing were and I told her that I'd been back in the gym a bit more than usual. She said I showed some weight gain on my chart and that was possibly due to muscle gain from the gym, and I replied that it was likely the dollar menu at McDonalds, let's be realistic here. Thanks for being the optimistic doctor and all.


Motivation is quite important when it comes to getting off of the couch and (back) into the gym. Here are a few motivating factors that should make thing different:
* A good friend of mine from High School survived a heart attack recently.
* I just got an iPod Touch that much to my surprise allows me to email while at the gym.
* My wife has gotten her Spin certification and has been teaching Spin classes part-time.
* The guys at work have been asking for a bench press competition in the form of talking smack and calling me "Pops". All joking aside, this is the biggest motivator for me.

My goals are to drop the 10# - 15# to get the six-pack abs back and to have a max bench press of 275#. It should take about four months to accomplish if I stick to it. I hope to report in mid July that I've accomplished my goals.

Off they go

Last week I got the email from GearSource with the purchase order for the Technobeams I mentioned in the last blog post. That was quick. We tested the equipment in the shop finding a problem with one of the tilt motors, but that was a quick fix because we stock stepper motors for our High End Systems gear. I stayed late that night to pack up the lights and with the help of the forklift and a lot of shrink wrap I was able to stank and strap the skid for the next day shipment. They were purchased by the Branson Star Theatre in Branson, MO. Per the Branson.com website, "You may not have known that Branson has more theater seats than Broadway."

In other news from last week - we have received our new purchase of Impression LED moving head fixtures. When we set these up in the warehouse to test them out we were surprised at how bright and fast they actually were. I firmly believe these will be the hot item this year in rentals. Brighter, faster, lighter, smaller, and less power consumption will be quite a selling point. I'm looking forward to seeing their universal adoption as a replacement for Mac washes and so on.

The Great Recession OR Slow News Year

Coming out of the Winter season is always an exciting time in the rental / production world and this year is no different. This last day of February marks the end of playtime, it's time for the busy season. This last year has been an emotional challenge for many Americans due to the constant media attention to the economic meltdown, collapse of the house market, and my favorite exaggeration - the Great Recession! I didn't let the media hacks get me down and I mostly tuned them out and focused on all the good things - such as having the best January ever due to the many Inauguration events happening in DC in 2009. I'm sure if I was writing this from a construction company or auto dealer it would have a different tone.

The Great Recession was great to me for a few reasons which I'll list:
* Fuel prices (gasoline AND diesel) dropped.
* My stock portfolio got beat up, but that's okay, I'm not retiring for a while.
* Interest rates on mortgages dropped and I refinanced without ANY costs to a much lower rate.
* All the vendors I deal with were willing to make a deal to sell more product.
* Purchased a used forklift at a great price and in top notch condition.
* Hired a new employee that was laid off by the county - their loss, my gain.


It's all in the way you look at thing, the glass is half full.

I'm not surprised to report that I'm hearing over and over from customers and vendors - things are really picking up, March and April are VERY busy. I can report the same thing - March and April are looking to be very busy months, but they always are (which I AM thankful for, and I don't mean to sound egotistical). The busy season will feel more hectic than ever because we've come out of the recession finally, sure thing. Many companies, in may industries have made their operations more efficient after years of functioning in the "irrational exuberance" economy that was America.

I was happy and content over the last two years personally and in my business life because my overhead costs were in control. The majority of what you heard about in the media was people in overpriced homes in interest only loans, or similar financial instruments. I've always been conservative with a backup plan, and money in savings to smooth out the bumps. As a result the media hype never got to me and I never really worried about any of it. Business is solid and I'm ready for the busy season, again.

Out with the old

Afterglow Lighting was started in 1998 with the purchase of four Used Intellabeam 700HX fixtures and a I/Beam LCD Controller from Don Turner. When I say that I purchased them from Don I mean that I sat down with him and he told me to draw up a payment schedule and he'd approve it. The next day I drafted the agreement saying that I would pay $2000 up front, and $500/month. Total purchase cost was approximately $5300 for the package, and it was paid on schedule.

Intellabeams were available in the used market because of the introduction of the Technobeam by High End. Since used gear was the only thing I could possibly afford, the tried and true Intallabeam was the ideal moving light for me. I started off doing club work for the Maryland based Pink Floyd tribute band Several Species. After a few shows in the Recher Theatre I started doing corporate work and parties. Other equipment was added to inventory as the cash flow allowed and for many years all income was 100% reinvested. (I had a fulltime day job at the time)

In the year 2000 the *new* Hammerjacks night club was buying used gear to outfit its reincarnation. I sold my four Intellabeams after 2+ years of steady work through the lighting company doing most of the sales for the club. If I recall correctly I got $800/fixture which wasn't much depreciation for 2+ years. My four I/Beams went several others to Hammerjacks for it's short lived existence. From what I understand, Cancun Cantina purchased all of the Hammerjack's Intellabeams at auction, and now they sit a warehouse at Cancun Cantina.

For the first time in the company history I sold perfectly good moving lights to turn around and pay more than double for the new version of the same thing. In September of 2000 I responded to market demand and sold off my Intellabeams to purchase new Technobeam Iris fixtures. My timing was pretty good because I skipped the first version that didn't include an iris.

Just under ten years later it's time to sell the ever reliable Technobeams. We only built up an inventory of six units due to the popularity of moving head fixtures, but they have been a pleasure to own. I listed the Technobeams (and some hard working Trackspots) this morning on GearSource.com with a sense of nostalgia. I'll be sad to see them go because they work great and have always been reliable, but for what we do now it's not the right fit. So we'll sell the Technobeams for under $1300 then invest the money into more Martin Mac 700 Profiles at over $7800 each.

I'll refine the sales plan to "Sell Technobeams and buy CASES for Mac 700s"

twisty light bulb

Last week I had a high efficiency "twisty" light bulb in my house die when the light fixture it was housed in came in contact with water (from the dishwasher, a floor above). The bulb transformer most likely failed as it turned on and off several times before finally dying. The date written in Sharpie on the lamp was '07, so it did get some use before dying of unnatural causes.

I have heard and read that the drawback of the high efficiency light bulbs for the home is that they contain mercury and need to be disposed of properly. It's not entirely clear how one should dispose of these lamps properly if you are reading the packaging - it just shows a line through a trashcan meaning, "hey, don't just throw this away". Okay, where do you belong now that you are dead?

I checked the Google and found out that The Home Depot started a nationwide recycling program last year where you bring in your dead Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs to the returns counter and just drop it off with them. Today I drove a mototcycle with the lamp in jacket pocket to The Home Depot to see if it was truly that easy. Yup, it was that easy. Kudos to The Home Depot for stepping up and handling this recycling project.