Cutter's Log - Stardate 0102.51.60
Current Song - You're My Best Friend (Queen)
I released the 2010 NISB State of the Site Address, and updated the website a bunch. Hopefully I can live up to these changes. There are still a few kinks to work on. As to when I can find time to do it, I'm not sure of.
I begin a string of nights working beginning Thursday. I'll be at my store on Thursday and Saturday, and at Dixon on Friday and Sunday. This week should be over 40 hours once again. I worked a tad bit over 40 last week between the two stores. I also know what I'll be doing next week. I'll be doing at least 33 hours at my store.
Aside from working, I'm trying to make up plans for NISB summer coverage. I don't know what will happen just yet, but I'm hoping next week I'll be able to come up with something.
All of this working will make my paycheck somewhat bigger. Sometime over the summer I will be making good on my plan to try to get off on my own two feet. I will be trying to figure out what the "living bills" will be.
What are they? (I'm trying to remember the Mr. Underwood math class budget)
Groceries
Fuel
Verizon/Phone
ComEd/Electric
Water
Nicor/Heating
Cable
Internet
Fun Stuff ("Entertainment" just doesn't sound right)
Out of my paycheck, roughly 15% is taken out for taxes. If I work a minimum of 20 hours a week (I will almost always work more than 20) @ $8.50/hour, that's $170 total. Take that times 0.15 and the weekly check is usually $144.50. That's a minimum monthly earning of $578.
Divy up that 144.50 into the bills:
Phone - I use the refill cards. I currently recharge $15/week. (129.50)
Fuel - The tank goes from top to bottom in about a week. A max of $3 in a 12-gallon tank: $36. It may just end up being $30/week instead. They say it's not wise to top off. (93.50)
Groceries - I haven't figured this one out yet. It's just me for now. I wouldn't mind trying it out for one week. In preparation for a bunch of work on the State of the Site Address, I bought a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper last night for $5.34 (w/tax). It's about half gone now. I may have to go 24/30 pack and try to save it for a week. That's just pop. Other stuff is just not known right now.
Electric, Water, Heating, Cable - Five people live in my house. I don't know whether or not to just divide the monthly bill, or perhaps the highest month thus far, my parents get by 5.
Internet - I don't even know how this one works.
All of this is NOT counting the biggest expense of them all: RENT
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Five Days Until SOSTA
Cutter's Log - Stardate 0102.10.60
Current Song - Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
I have written the 2010 NISB State of The Site Address, and will tweak it for any more suggestions up until Tuesday. I work on Monday night, so it will be a long night when I get off.
It will also be a very long few days as well. I'm heading into work early today to relieve someone who isn't feeling well. I had to do an energency fill-in at Dixon yesterday, and may wind up doing more in the near future. At least it looks good on the paycheck.
After I get off work I should have plenty of sleep, because on Friday I'm covering Moline-Sandburg at the Softball State Tournament at 7:00 p.m. That could be followed by a early DeKalb Baseball game on Saturday -- followed by work.
Sunday may be the only off day I'll have for a while.
Current Song - Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
I have written the 2010 NISB State of The Site Address, and will tweak it for any more suggestions up until Tuesday. I work on Monday night, so it will be a long night when I get off.
It will also be a very long few days as well. I'm heading into work early today to relieve someone who isn't feeling well. I had to do an energency fill-in at Dixon yesterday, and may wind up doing more in the near future. At least it looks good on the paycheck.
After I get off work I should have plenty of sleep, because on Friday I'm covering Moline-Sandburg at the Softball State Tournament at 7:00 p.m. That could be followed by a early DeKalb Baseball game on Saturday -- followed by work.
Sunday may be the only off day I'll have for a while.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Another Busy Weekend
Cutter's Log - Supplemental
It looks like it will be another busy weekend for me with NISB. Both DeKalb Baseball and Moline Softball will be competing at the large school roundball State Tournaments.
I will be doing Moline Softball on Friday and Bill will be doing DeKalb Baseball on Friday. I will be doing DeKalb on Saturday, and Bill does Moline on Saturday. Everything really worked out. I have to work on Saturday night, and DeKalb will be playing in the afternoon.
Bill covered the small school softball action this past weekend, while I covered IVC Baseball at Baseball State. Hopefully the weather cooperates.
Coming back from Joliet on Saturday was a mess. I was going west on I-80 when it started to sprinkle when I hit Morris. It was a downpour after that. I couldn't see more than ten feet in front of me. When I got home I found out that I was at least five miles north of a tornado near Marseilles.
Yeah, I really hope the weather is nice.
It looks like it will be another busy weekend for me with NISB. Both DeKalb Baseball and Moline Softball will be competing at the large school roundball State Tournaments.
I will be doing Moline Softball on Friday and Bill will be doing DeKalb Baseball on Friday. I will be doing DeKalb on Saturday, and Bill does Moline on Saturday. Everything really worked out. I have to work on Saturday night, and DeKalb will be playing in the afternoon.
Bill covered the small school softball action this past weekend, while I covered IVC Baseball at Baseball State. Hopefully the weather cooperates.
Coming back from Joliet on Saturday was a mess. I was going west on I-80 when it started to sprinkle when I hit Morris. It was a downpour after that. I couldn't see more than ten feet in front of me. When I got home I found out that I was at least five miles north of a tornado near Marseilles.
Yeah, I really hope the weather is nice.
State of the Site Writing
Cutter's Log - Stardate 0102.80.60
Current Song - Regulate (Warren G)
I will be writing the NISB State of the Site Address most of the day Tuesday, and maybe even Wednesday. Yeah, it's THAT long.
I had planned most of it before, but within the past couple of weeks I am beginning to see the writing on the wall. Cut the coverage area 90% to only a fixed portion of the area - in particular the schools not too far from where I live. As if these are the only schools I should give a darn about.
And these people are HAPPY that I'm in a state of confusion right now, as if they think I'm starting to come their way.
Current Song - Regulate (Warren G)
I will be writing the NISB State of the Site Address most of the day Tuesday, and maybe even Wednesday. Yeah, it's THAT long.
I had planned most of it before, but within the past couple of weeks I am beginning to see the writing on the wall. Cut the coverage area 90% to only a fixed portion of the area - in particular the schools not too far from where I live. As if these are the only schools I should give a darn about.
And these people are HAPPY that I'm in a state of confusion right now, as if they think I'm starting to come their way.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
My Best "Bill-O The Clown"
Cutter's Log - Stardate 0102.30.60
Current Song - Tired of Being Alone (Al Green)
I get asked all of the time, "Do you make money on NISB?" The answer to that question is 'No.' I don't really need to make money on NISB. I do offer a way so that I could make money (through the story archive), but it doesn't get used. I don't get paid for writing pieces, traveling to games, or reimbursed for such things including hotel stays. Everything from NISB comes out of my own pocket.
I do this as a service to the northern Illinois high school sports community. My main task as I run the website is to inform. That's different from my counterparts on the print side of things.
A few years ago, a few newspapers experimented with charging for online content. SVN, the Ottawa Times, the BCR, and the Argus/Dispatch did this. It didn't work out too well for them, and they went back to posting things online for free.
This was before the days of severe cutbacks.
At one time a couple of years ago, each NISB-area newspaper was posting stories online for free. The LaSalle-News Tribune couldn't make up their mind over the past couple of years. There were times they charged for a full story, and times were they didn't charge for a full story.
Then about a year ago, the Kewanee Star-Courier began cutting back their online version of its stories to about the first 1/3rd. The Rochelle News-Leader began doing this, too. The first 1/4 of its stories are posted.
Ottawa Delivered, the new "rival publication" to the Times, ripped a page out of the Times' past playbook. Nothing is free on there anymore, unless you take a survey and are willing to recieve a bunch of junk mail in your Inbox.
The Morris Daily Herald took everything a step further last week. In order to read anything local, you need to pay. The national stuff is free game. The local stuff, not so fast. Oh wait, columns are free. Factual stories, not so fast. The process worked so well at Morris, that SVN is doing it too.
To read why Morris went to such a format, you'll need to read the story from April 27th. Unfortunately, you'll need to shell out an extra $2.50 to retrieve it because it is more than seven days old. You CAN read SVN's reason for going to this new format. Hurry up, because after this upcoming Saturday, you'll need to pay the $2.50. Shaw (SVN, MDH, BCR, DeKalb, NW Herald, KCC, yada yada yada), QC Online and the T-H archive all past recent stories. Gatehouse (Rockford, Freeport, Kewanee, Peoria, Chillicothe), the OT, N-T, Clinton Herald and QC Times has articles for free online, dating back to who knows when.
Some little things irk me.
The SVN and MDH articles (I happen to remember the MDH article) were written by writers. The writers interviewed their respective publishers. Apparently the publishers didn't want to stamp their name on the by-line.
I'm going to get some flack from those who read during the Grandon-era, but when I worked for SVN, albeit briefly, I considered Bill Shaw (who was then-publisher) a very great guy. Someone who was very involved with the newspaper business, from editorial to printing press. Someone who was very involved with the community. He was the fifth- or sixth-generation Shaw to run the Dixon paper. He even wrote on rare occasion, maybe three or four times a year.
Then came the current guy in charge. Half of the Sauk Valley couldn't recall his name without researching it. That wasn't the case with Bill SHAW. I'll give you a hint, his last name isn't Shaw.
I'm trying to imagine Johnson Oil without any family running the show. I don't think I'd want to go on any further. I'm recalling a comment I heard regarding the National transition from the Bittorfs and Bensons to Stanley Tools.
The point I'm trying to make is that a great sense of family involvement makes a business special. Maybe I'm biased: my great-grandfather, grandfather and father have all worked for Cutter Electric. The family business had helped out with Johnson Oil for nearly 25 years.
Everything changed when Bill left. It became more of a business than a family business. There was no more tradition left. No flow.
Current Song - Tired of Being Alone (Al Green)
I get asked all of the time, "Do you make money on NISB?" The answer to that question is 'No.' I don't really need to make money on NISB. I do offer a way so that I could make money (through the story archive), but it doesn't get used. I don't get paid for writing pieces, traveling to games, or reimbursed for such things including hotel stays. Everything from NISB comes out of my own pocket.
I do this as a service to the northern Illinois high school sports community. My main task as I run the website is to inform. That's different from my counterparts on the print side of things.
A few years ago, a few newspapers experimented with charging for online content. SVN, the Ottawa Times, the BCR, and the Argus/Dispatch did this. It didn't work out too well for them, and they went back to posting things online for free.
This was before the days of severe cutbacks.
At one time a couple of years ago, each NISB-area newspaper was posting stories online for free. The LaSalle-News Tribune couldn't make up their mind over the past couple of years. There were times they charged for a full story, and times were they didn't charge for a full story.
Then about a year ago, the Kewanee Star-Courier began cutting back their online version of its stories to about the first 1/3rd. The Rochelle News-Leader began doing this, too. The first 1/4 of its stories are posted.
Ottawa Delivered, the new "rival publication" to the Times, ripped a page out of the Times' past playbook. Nothing is free on there anymore, unless you take a survey and are willing to recieve a bunch of junk mail in your Inbox.
The Morris Daily Herald took everything a step further last week. In order to read anything local, you need to pay. The national stuff is free game. The local stuff, not so fast. Oh wait, columns are free. Factual stories, not so fast. The process worked so well at Morris, that SVN is doing it too.
To read why Morris went to such a format, you'll need to read the story from April 27th. Unfortunately, you'll need to shell out an extra $2.50 to retrieve it because it is more than seven days old. You CAN read SVN's reason for going to this new format. Hurry up, because after this upcoming Saturday, you'll need to pay the $2.50. Shaw (SVN, MDH, BCR, DeKalb, NW Herald, KCC, yada yada yada), QC Online and the T-H archive all past recent stories. Gatehouse (Rockford, Freeport, Kewanee, Peoria, Chillicothe), the OT, N-T, Clinton Herald and QC Times has articles for free online, dating back to who knows when.
Some little things irk me.
The SVN and MDH articles (I happen to remember the MDH article) were written by writers. The writers interviewed their respective publishers. Apparently the publishers didn't want to stamp their name on the by-line.
I'm going to get some flack from those who read during the Grandon-era, but when I worked for SVN, albeit briefly, I considered Bill Shaw (who was then-publisher) a very great guy. Someone who was very involved with the newspaper business, from editorial to printing press. Someone who was very involved with the community. He was the fifth- or sixth-generation Shaw to run the Dixon paper. He even wrote on rare occasion, maybe three or four times a year.
Then came the current guy in charge. Half of the Sauk Valley couldn't recall his name without researching it. That wasn't the case with Bill SHAW. I'll give you a hint, his last name isn't Shaw.
I'm trying to imagine Johnson Oil without any family running the show. I don't think I'd want to go on any further. I'm recalling a comment I heard regarding the National transition from the Bittorfs and Bensons to Stanley Tools.
The point I'm trying to make is that a great sense of family involvement makes a business special. Maybe I'm biased: my great-grandfather, grandfather and father have all worked for Cutter Electric. The family business had helped out with Johnson Oil for nearly 25 years.
Everything changed when Bill left. It became more of a business than a family business. There was no more tradition left. No flow.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Can't catch a break
Cutter's Log - Stardate 0102.20.60
Current Song - You Can Do Magic (America)
You'll notice the formatting has somewhat changed. I don't know why exactly, but I made some setting changes to the blog.
Anyway, I'm busy making changes to NISB at the moment. I'm trying to get that accomplished, preparing for Joliet over the weekend, and dealing with work, and prepping for the MLB Draft early next week. For the third year in a row, I'll be keeping my eye on things in regards to Illinois high schoolers being drafted.
Current Song - You Can Do Magic (America)
You'll notice the formatting has somewhat changed. I don't know why exactly, but I made some setting changes to the blog.
Anyway, I'm busy making changes to NISB at the moment. I'm trying to get that accomplished, preparing for Joliet over the weekend, and dealing with work, and prepping for the MLB Draft early next week. For the third year in a row, I'll be keeping my eye on things in regards to Illinois high schoolers being drafted.
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