I have been trying to keep working on my "resolutions" and have beendoing a pretty good job. We have been eating more home cooked meals and have not even missed or thought about eating out here at all. Our food is much better and done the way we like it! I am not a huge fan of leftovers, but I am trying to get better at doing my part to eat them up. Jenn and I have been doing out little yoga video after the boy goes to bed and have been doing it 2-4 times a week. It might not be much, but it has been good. I have espcially like the breathing exercises and slowing down to stop and focus on my breath. It has been something I am trying to do even while at work to try and relax a little.
We are working on the garden plan and need to get busy because spring is just around the corner here and some of the things we are wanting to plant need to get into the ground soon.
I am feeling a little better with these few small changes in my life and will continue to keep working on them on day at a time.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Restaurant Progress
Well, things are moving along in the land of opening the restaurant, still slowly. As of now I currently have 2 General Contractors working on giving me a bid to build out the current space. We are hoping to take half of a 5000 sq ft space that used to house an electronics store many years ago. It has been vacant for sometime and will need to be gutted and then we will take our half. The space is not in my ideal location in this town, but this was the most reasonable and the landlord wants to work with us and the owner of the center really wants a restaurant there. We would love to be able to do this in the old downtown, but we tried that with the brewery and just cound not make it happen, so we will make this space work.
This really one of the last parts to the puzzle of this project, besides funding. I have done everything else that I can do to get to this point so that we will know how much money we really will need to make it all happen. I said that from the beginning I really felt like we would do the whole project for $300,000 or less and as of now I am thinking it will be pretty close to the $300K. The bid for all the restaurant equipment is in and all the other costs have been figured to the best of my knowledge and now we need to see what the price to build out will come to. Our plan is to then get all of our things together and go to a few people as potential investors and to the bank to see what we might be able to borrow. We could know sooner that later what the future will hold for Jenn and I in this town. On that note we have also started talking about the possibility of the restaurant not happening and what our next step will be. Unless something dramatic and crazy were to happen we have been talking about moving out of here at that point. We are not to that point yet and moving is a lot more complicated this time. We can't just give our notice at work and pack it up in a few weeks and strike out to the next place. The house will need to be sold, jobs located before we leave, Amos and daycare will need to be thought about, ect...
So until then, we wait. Again.
This really one of the last parts to the puzzle of this project, besides funding. I have done everything else that I can do to get to this point so that we will know how much money we really will need to make it all happen. I said that from the beginning I really felt like we would do the whole project for $300,000 or less and as of now I am thinking it will be pretty close to the $300K. The bid for all the restaurant equipment is in and all the other costs have been figured to the best of my knowledge and now we need to see what the price to build out will come to. Our plan is to then get all of our things together and go to a few people as potential investors and to the bank to see what we might be able to borrow. We could know sooner that later what the future will hold for Jenn and I in this town. On that note we have also started talking about the possibility of the restaurant not happening and what our next step will be. Unless something dramatic and crazy were to happen we have been talking about moving out of here at that point. We are not to that point yet and moving is a lot more complicated this time. We can't just give our notice at work and pack it up in a few weeks and strike out to the next place. The house will need to be sold, jobs located before we leave, Amos and daycare will need to be thought about, ect...
So until then, we wait. Again.
More of, Less of...
I have been writing in my head for over a week now and finally get the chance to put it down on "paper." I know it will not be what I have been writing in my head, but close.
I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, and don't intend to start now. I have decided that this is a good time to try to implement some changes in my life. I have been thinking about things that I need to do more and less of and this is where it started. Since I am going to be here for a while, until somethings happen or don't, I need to work on being more of the person I am and not who I think others want me to be so here are a few things I am going to do to help that along:
1. Cook more at home. I actually really like to cook at home for the family. It is a chance to try out new ideas and recipes that seem interesting. I went to culinary school to learn how to be the best I could be in the restaurant business and just happened to find out that cooking is something I really enjoy, esp on a small scale. I am a big fan of the magazine and especially the website of Cook's Illustrated. When I am looking for a new food idea or just an old favorite this is my first, and usually last, stop. I would venture to say that 99% of everything I have ever tried from them was really good if not great. I would be that the other 1% would have been the same if I has actually followed the recipe a little closer. That is the chef part of me, I usually take a recipe, unless I am baking something, and use it as a reference or starting point. I am not afraid to improvise and give the recipe what I think it might need more or or less of, especially when I come to spicy (my wife doesn't have a high tolerance for Scoville units). One other source I trust for the most part is Alton Brown, although some of his stuff needs some serious tweaking. I really like both of these source because they each take the time to figure out the science of the food and tell you why they came to the conclusion. I appreciate that.
2. Exercise more. For a long time in my life I exercised and enjoyed it. When I was younger I was involved in numerous sports and never really thought of it as exercise. The older I got the less sports I played and the more beer I drank. I have never really felt like I was totally out of shape, but there have been times when I just needed to get out and do something, anything. I really enjoy being outside and especially working in my yard and garden or helping my Dad at his farm. It is not only a source of stress relief , but good exercise. I love feeling like I accomplished something good and also got some exercise. Last year I even joined the gym at work and had someone help me get a "program" program going with some weight lifting and lots of cardio. I was really getting into it and feeling like I was getting somewhere and then we got the call to move with the adoption, and that was the last time I set foot in the gym. No big deal. Well that was in April of last year and a lot has changed in my life since then and I have now officially felt like the beer and inactivity has caught up to me. I have been contemplating yoga for sometime now and so has the wife. I like the fact that you can get a great workout for the body and the mind. Jenn bought a cheap DVD and we are doing it together to see if this is something we might want to pursue a little more seriously. So far, so good.
3. I want to do more things that I want to do. This year Jenn is planning a great garden. It has been the joke around our house that Jenn is filled with great ideas and plans and I am the one who generally carries them out. Well this year we are going to garden together. She is getting it going and I will help with getting it in the ground and laid out. Should be a great experiment. We have had a small garden in the past few years and have already started to see what worked and what didn't. I figure we really don't have much to lose and a lot to gain from the whole project, seeds are relatively cheap and I have the time (for ow). I also want to try home brewing. I really enjoy a good micro brewed beer and have always been fascinated with the brewing process. One of My best friends from college was a brewer and quite a good one at that and he showed me alot about the process. I used to hang out the in the brew house at the brewery he worked at in Durango, CO (Steamworks) and just watch and ask questions. He always amazed me in the fact that he just learned it from doing it. He started out as a helper and keg filler and then moved his way up to head of brewing operations. He brewed beers that won Gold medals at the GABF. He created new beers by taking a recipe and making it his own. Good beer is just as complex as a good wine and can be matched with foods just like wine. Now unfortunately this is also a subject that I need to d a little less of. Beer drinking. I don't drink alot by any means, I am not 25 any more, thank goodness! I tend to have 2-3 beers a night, sometime a bit more if the mood strikes, but I don't get drunk or crazy. The biggest reason I need to cut back is financially. This stuff ain't cheap. So, I am going to cut back and see how it goes and then if I can save enough money by cutting back I might be able to just buy my own home brewing kit and then make my own beer saving even more money! It is a master plan that sounds great, but we shall see.
The list is short, but it is a good start. I would hate to put a whole bunch of things and then feel like it is too much to deal with, so smaller is better. I have already been working on all of the things and feel good about the changes. I am really feeling good about the cooking more at home because we have pretty much decided that all the food here in the this town sucks and we can make anything we want here at home and make it the way we want and even better!
I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, and don't intend to start now. I have decided that this is a good time to try to implement some changes in my life. I have been thinking about things that I need to do more and less of and this is where it started. Since I am going to be here for a while, until somethings happen or don't, I need to work on being more of the person I am and not who I think others want me to be so here are a few things I am going to do to help that along:
1. Cook more at home. I actually really like to cook at home for the family. It is a chance to try out new ideas and recipes that seem interesting. I went to culinary school to learn how to be the best I could be in the restaurant business and just happened to find out that cooking is something I really enjoy, esp on a small scale. I am a big fan of the magazine and especially the website of Cook's Illustrated. When I am looking for a new food idea or just an old favorite this is my first, and usually last, stop. I would venture to say that 99% of everything I have ever tried from them was really good if not great. I would be that the other 1% would have been the same if I has actually followed the recipe a little closer. That is the chef part of me, I usually take a recipe, unless I am baking something, and use it as a reference or starting point. I am not afraid to improvise and give the recipe what I think it might need more or or less of, especially when I come to spicy (my wife doesn't have a high tolerance for Scoville units). One other source I trust for the most part is Alton Brown, although some of his stuff needs some serious tweaking. I really like both of these source because they each take the time to figure out the science of the food and tell you why they came to the conclusion. I appreciate that.
2. Exercise more. For a long time in my life I exercised and enjoyed it. When I was younger I was involved in numerous sports and never really thought of it as exercise. The older I got the less sports I played and the more beer I drank. I have never really felt like I was totally out of shape, but there have been times when I just needed to get out and do something, anything. I really enjoy being outside and especially working in my yard and garden or helping my Dad at his farm. It is not only a source of stress relief , but good exercise. I love feeling like I accomplished something good and also got some exercise. Last year I even joined the gym at work and had someone help me get a "program" program going with some weight lifting and lots of cardio. I was really getting into it and feeling like I was getting somewhere and then we got the call to move with the adoption, and that was the last time I set foot in the gym. No big deal. Well that was in April of last year and a lot has changed in my life since then and I have now officially felt like the beer and inactivity has caught up to me. I have been contemplating yoga for sometime now and so has the wife. I like the fact that you can get a great workout for the body and the mind. Jenn bought a cheap DVD and we are doing it together to see if this is something we might want to pursue a little more seriously. So far, so good.
3. I want to do more things that I want to do. This year Jenn is planning a great garden. It has been the joke around our house that Jenn is filled with great ideas and plans and I am the one who generally carries them out. Well this year we are going to garden together. She is getting it going and I will help with getting it in the ground and laid out. Should be a great experiment. We have had a small garden in the past few years and have already started to see what worked and what didn't. I figure we really don't have much to lose and a lot to gain from the whole project, seeds are relatively cheap and I have the time (for ow). I also want to try home brewing. I really enjoy a good micro brewed beer and have always been fascinated with the brewing process. One of My best friends from college was a brewer and quite a good one at that and he showed me alot about the process. I used to hang out the in the brew house at the brewery he worked at in Durango, CO (Steamworks) and just watch and ask questions. He always amazed me in the fact that he just learned it from doing it. He started out as a helper and keg filler and then moved his way up to head of brewing operations. He brewed beers that won Gold medals at the GABF. He created new beers by taking a recipe and making it his own. Good beer is just as complex as a good wine and can be matched with foods just like wine. Now unfortunately this is also a subject that I need to d a little less of. Beer drinking. I don't drink alot by any means, I am not 25 any more, thank goodness! I tend to have 2-3 beers a night, sometime a bit more if the mood strikes, but I don't get drunk or crazy. The biggest reason I need to cut back is financially. This stuff ain't cheap. So, I am going to cut back and see how it goes and then if I can save enough money by cutting back I might be able to just buy my own home brewing kit and then make my own beer saving even more money! It is a master plan that sounds great, but we shall see.
The list is short, but it is a good start. I would hate to put a whole bunch of things and then feel like it is too much to deal with, so smaller is better. I have already been working on all of the things and feel good about the changes. I am really feeling good about the cooking more at home because we have pretty much decided that all the food here in the this town sucks and we can make anything we want here at home and make it the way we want and even better!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Overwhelmed....
It seems like I always have so much going on in my noggin these days. Most of it being what I mentioned in an earlier post, trying to open a new restaurant. Some days I feel like this is just about the craziest thing one would ever want to do and other I think that this is an excellent idea, especially for this little town. This town is full of just about every chain restaurant you can think of and it seems like they are all busy, all the time. Have the people of this town just grown to love mediocrity? Sure seems like it. When we decide that we are going to go out to eat it always turns into a "What do you want?" question and that goes back and forth for a while until one of us gets frustrated and we just go get some thing that we really don't want to eat. Sometimes as long as I can get a beer, something non domestic, I am OK with where ever because it kinda makes the food go down a little easier.
What I am wanting to do is just create a place that has a local feel with some different foods that are still recognizable by the people of the city, that is not mexican or steakhouse. Something that I have been to and worked at in every other city I have ever lived, something local! The place will have a feel like no other place in town and will have food that is different and simple. Not a lot of heavy sauces or complicated cooking processes, but fairly healthy, homemade, with use of local products (when available), and with customer service like no one else can offer. Sounds like a great place to me!
This is something I have always dreamed of doing, and I kinda always thought that this town would be a good place to try it. When I decided that I was going to do it I talked to the family and they were all in support. That was about 6 months ago and I can say that things are moving along. I have the business plan written, sample menu ready, space picked out, designs of the space drawn, calls out to get some bid for finish out of the space, and have actually started talking it up to a few folks. The one thing that will either make or break the project is $$$$$$$$$$$$$. Yes, I have a pretty good $$ in mind and it is not the kind of money i have just sitting around in some account, but it is also not that much to the right person. Our lawyer really wants us to explore the option of using investors, but finding these folks with money is something I have never done before. This project is going to get to a point where we are either going to get the money or we aren't. If the time comes where we don't get the money there is always the bank, but they want some collateral in the form of about 20-25% down. That down payment is still more money that I don't have. If we have explored all the options and we still can come up with the money, well then at least I can say I did everything possible to try and make it happen and then I can feel like I can move on from there. Where to at that point? Who knows, but it would probably be out of here.
But anyway, that is kinda where we are at with the project. It is at times very stress full to be here and be working the job I am at right now. I really feel like my mind has been stretched and I work with quite a few people whose minds have never been stretched and well it is hard to be around that. My boss especially has told me that he is just there to ride it out until retirement, he is only 42. He has already been there 10 years. Does this tell you anything? That scares me. He seems to have lost any and all creativity that he might have had some years ago and his food shows it. He is the kind of guy that will never take any responsibility for any thing he does wrong, always someone else's fault. The biggest problem is that his boss doesn't say crap to him! So this is how I see it:
If the 2 people at the top of the department don't show any excitement or leadership it is just going to trickle down to the rest of the department. If the boss doesn't care why should anyone else? I have tried to offer my professional opinion about food things and it is always like I am from some other planet. I stopped offering some time ago and that is probably wrong on my part, but it sucks to continually get looked at like a weirdo or be asked your opinion and then never have your idea taken seriously. I kinda feel like this job is one of the biggest reasons of my frustration in this town.
I have never worked in a place with such a negative feel. Part of what has always drawn me to the restaurant business is the people. Not just the variety of customers, which I love, but more the people I worked with and the amazing friendships I have created with those people. I miss that. The huge mix of people that I went to culinary school with was one of the most diverse groups of people I have ever been around. More on those days in another post later. I have met some of the most interesting people in the various restaurants I have worked in over the years and I have friends that I still keep in touch with to this day from those restaurants! I never really thought about until recently, but I put it together and realized that is what I am missing, people! In the past when I started in a new restaurant it was like I almost had an instant group of friends. Of course not all of the people I have come across have been worth a shit, but I would say most of them have been great. I really want to get my restaurant going so that I can create a great place for everyone who comes thru the door. Someday. Soon, very soon.
What I am wanting to do is just create a place that has a local feel with some different foods that are still recognizable by the people of the city, that is not mexican or steakhouse. Something that I have been to and worked at in every other city I have ever lived, something local! The place will have a feel like no other place in town and will have food that is different and simple. Not a lot of heavy sauces or complicated cooking processes, but fairly healthy, homemade, with use of local products (when available), and with customer service like no one else can offer. Sounds like a great place to me!
This is something I have always dreamed of doing, and I kinda always thought that this town would be a good place to try it. When I decided that I was going to do it I talked to the family and they were all in support. That was about 6 months ago and I can say that things are moving along. I have the business plan written, sample menu ready, space picked out, designs of the space drawn, calls out to get some bid for finish out of the space, and have actually started talking it up to a few folks. The one thing that will either make or break the project is $$$$$$$$$$$$$. Yes, I have a pretty good $$ in mind and it is not the kind of money i have just sitting around in some account, but it is also not that much to the right person. Our lawyer really wants us to explore the option of using investors, but finding these folks with money is something I have never done before. This project is going to get to a point where we are either going to get the money or we aren't. If the time comes where we don't get the money there is always the bank, but they want some collateral in the form of about 20-25% down. That down payment is still more money that I don't have. If we have explored all the options and we still can come up with the money, well then at least I can say I did everything possible to try and make it happen and then I can feel like I can move on from there. Where to at that point? Who knows, but it would probably be out of here.
But anyway, that is kinda where we are at with the project. It is at times very stress full to be here and be working the job I am at right now. I really feel like my mind has been stretched and I work with quite a few people whose minds have never been stretched and well it is hard to be around that. My boss especially has told me that he is just there to ride it out until retirement, he is only 42. He has already been there 10 years. Does this tell you anything? That scares me. He seems to have lost any and all creativity that he might have had some years ago and his food shows it. He is the kind of guy that will never take any responsibility for any thing he does wrong, always someone else's fault. The biggest problem is that his boss doesn't say crap to him! So this is how I see it:
If the 2 people at the top of the department don't show any excitement or leadership it is just going to trickle down to the rest of the department. If the boss doesn't care why should anyone else? I have tried to offer my professional opinion about food things and it is always like I am from some other planet. I stopped offering some time ago and that is probably wrong on my part, but it sucks to continually get looked at like a weirdo or be asked your opinion and then never have your idea taken seriously. I kinda feel like this job is one of the biggest reasons of my frustration in this town.
I have never worked in a place with such a negative feel. Part of what has always drawn me to the restaurant business is the people. Not just the variety of customers, which I love, but more the people I worked with and the amazing friendships I have created with those people. I miss that. The huge mix of people that I went to culinary school with was one of the most diverse groups of people I have ever been around. More on those days in another post later. I have met some of the most interesting people in the various restaurants I have worked in over the years and I have friends that I still keep in touch with to this day from those restaurants! I never really thought about until recently, but I put it together and realized that is what I am missing, people! In the past when I started in a new restaurant it was like I almost had an instant group of friends. Of course not all of the people I have come across have been worth a shit, but I would say most of them have been great. I really want to get my restaurant going so that I can create a great place for everyone who comes thru the door. Someday. Soon, very soon.
Friday, January 4, 2008
A Little History
A few months back I came across this quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes "Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." This is where I took the name for my blog. so what you say? Well I read it once and liked it and then it was gone. A short time later it showed up again on a page I was reading and I started to think, " I really like this."
Being back in my home town has been difficult to say the least. When we moved here almost 3 years ago I never really thought this would be a hard place to come back to, but I have been wrong in the past and this time has been no different. Don't get me wrong, I love this place in many ways because I grew up here and many fond memories, but I also left when I was 18 and at that time never thought I would be back.
When I left my mind began the stretching part. Lot of new and great things happened to me that would have never happened if I had stayed. I would not change any of it. I found the love of my life in a great place that will always be very dear to me and her, Durango, CO. But then again, moving back here was for a reason, we adopted our son, Amos since we have been here. That in itself was more than enough of a reason for me to come back to my home town. Now I find myself wondering what else is there here for me to experience? One thing is that I am realizing a dream, trying ( I stress trying) to open my own restaurant. Something that is mine. Something where I can work for me, and work harder than ever to make it a success. It is a slow process, but I an trying to do it right and not make any huge mistakes that I would regret later. Anxious is a very good word to describe how I feel about the whole process. I am also be a realist in the fact that I am thinking about what if it doesn't happen? Well, when that time actually comes and I feel like I/we have done EVERYTHING possible in our power to make this happen and yet it is just not possible, then I will feel like I have done my best but it will be time to move on to the next phase of my life. In all honesty I really don't see why it won't happen, but one has to think of all the possibilities. I will write more about the project later and if you really want the details of how it has all come about then go to my wife's blog and click on her link to the details, http://www.longadventures.blogspot.com/. She has done a supercalifragilistic job with her blog and she says it is "ours", but it really is hers, and I could only hope that what babble i have to say would be half as great as hers. More later about the restaurant and everything else. Chow.
Being back in my home town has been difficult to say the least. When we moved here almost 3 years ago I never really thought this would be a hard place to come back to, but I have been wrong in the past and this time has been no different. Don't get me wrong, I love this place in many ways because I grew up here and many fond memories, but I also left when I was 18 and at that time never thought I would be back.
When I left my mind began the stretching part. Lot of new and great things happened to me that would have never happened if I had stayed. I would not change any of it. I found the love of my life in a great place that will always be very dear to me and her, Durango, CO. But then again, moving back here was for a reason, we adopted our son, Amos since we have been here. That in itself was more than enough of a reason for me to come back to my home town. Now I find myself wondering what else is there here for me to experience? One thing is that I am realizing a dream, trying ( I stress trying) to open my own restaurant. Something that is mine. Something where I can work for me, and work harder than ever to make it a success. It is a slow process, but I an trying to do it right and not make any huge mistakes that I would regret later. Anxious is a very good word to describe how I feel about the whole process. I am also be a realist in the fact that I am thinking about what if it doesn't happen? Well, when that time actually comes and I feel like I/we have done EVERYTHING possible in our power to make this happen and yet it is just not possible, then I will feel like I have done my best but it will be time to move on to the next phase of my life. In all honesty I really don't see why it won't happen, but one has to think of all the possibilities. I will write more about the project later and if you really want the details of how it has all come about then go to my wife's blog and click on her link to the details, http://www.longadventures.blogspot.com/. She has done a supercalifragilistic job with her blog and she says it is "ours", but it really is hers, and I could only hope that what babble i have to say would be half as great as hers. More later about the restaurant and everything else. Chow.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
A New Year for Me
This has been in the making for sometime now, not sure how long, but sometime. That is this, starting this blog. I am not really doing this for anyone in particular except for me. I remember back on times when I kept a journal on a regular basis and the things I wrote out were good for my sanity. For whatever reason I stopped, numerous times, and I guess this is just my next attempt to pick it back up.
So, more than likely most of this stuff I end up writing will probably only make me feel a little better and it might even have some meaningful insight to someone else. What ever the case, this is something I NEED to do and have made a semi-resolution to do more things this year that help me be me. I have spent a lot of time in the past few years getting so wound up in all of life's various frustrations and misgivings and have forgotten to just be the person I am. I feel like I have a lot of things to get off my chest and in time I will, but now that I have spent some time, too much time, getting this thing laid out I want to spend some good quality time writing and thinking and sharing.
I am looking forward to this.
So, more than likely most of this stuff I end up writing will probably only make me feel a little better and it might even have some meaningful insight to someone else. What ever the case, this is something I NEED to do and have made a semi-resolution to do more things this year that help me be me. I have spent a lot of time in the past few years getting so wound up in all of life's various frustrations and misgivings and have forgotten to just be the person I am. I feel like I have a lot of things to get off my chest and in time I will, but now that I have spent some time, too much time, getting this thing laid out I want to spend some good quality time writing and thinking and sharing.
I am looking forward to this.
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