It really does work!

Sometimes it's better to be a participant than a host.

I discovered that last Thursday, when Chad Head from ETSU led us in a maintenance course covering plumbing. As I've said previously, I know NOTHING about plumbing, so when Chad started talking I, who normally plays the happy host, sat down and shut up.

It's funny - I understand why Eastern Eight is sponsoring this program. We want to help new homeowners feel secure in their finances, community and the physical structure of their homes. I've always had the knowledge that that was a good thing.

But Thursday, I put myself in the shoes of the homeowner and realized just how wonderful this program is (in my humble opinion).

Everything I needed to know about plumbing, I learned Thursday night. I had always thought plumbing was difficult and too big for me to learn, but Chad made it all seem easy. He gave examples, showed us how to do everything and answered all of our questions.

I can now confidently say that I can fix all of the most common plumbing problems, saving myself time and money because I don't have to call a plumber.

And that's quite a feat for me. I never thought I'd be able to understand any of this. Now I don't understand why I thought I couldn't.

I can't wait until the next course.

Cheers,

What's a Toilet Flange?

We've got a workshop coming up on August 20, covering Home Emergency Planning and Plumbing and Bathroom Maintenance.

Not at the same time, lol.

The first hour will feature Glenda Bobalik, executive director of The American Red Cross in Northeast Tennessee. She'll be presenting the Home Emergency Planning portion.

The second hour features Chad Head, ETSU maintenance supervisor. His portion covers the plumbing. I had the pleasure of going to Lowe's today and purchasing materials he needed.

It was an adventure. I know nothing (emphasis on NOTHING) about plumbing, and I was looking for toilet flanges (pronounced flan-GEEZ?), chrome-plated brass traps, wax rings with bolts and other confusing implements that basically ensure the water goes down the hole.

Lucky for me, the nice young lady working in the plumbing section knew where everything was and could lead this big dumb man in the tie to the exact parts I needed.

I'm thinking I need the maintenance training more than any of the participants.

Oh well. Hope to see you Thursday!

Cheers,

Exciting changes to HOW 2

Ever had a great idea that makes you feel stupid?

Like strawberry wine, those types of ideas are indeed bittersweet. Sweet, that they're great ideas and that you thought of them.

Bitter, in that why didn't you think of them in the first place?

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting with Maria Catron of KHRA and Fresh Start Foundation, to discuss the possibility of starting up a HOW 2 program at a Kingsport location. We had a great meeting - I think HOW 2 in Kingsport has a very bright future ahead of it. We're working out the details now, so stay tuned.

However, when we got to the topic of how we'd offer HOW 2 in K-Town, I proudly presented the (at the time) current schedule for Johnson City's HOW 2 program. For those of you who don't know, up until a few days ago, we offered a workshop on the third Thursday of each month and a maintenance course on the fourth.

Maria took a look at it, made some approving comments on the content, then questioned whether we could offer the program on two dates in Kingsport. I agreed, and together we came to the conclusion that we should offer a single combined two hour class, covering both the workshop topic and the maintenance topic.

After our meeting I began the 20 minute drive to JC, feeling satisfied. Somewhere during the commute it hit me.

Why not just offer one class in Johnson City too?

Gosh, it makes so much sense when you say it. Instead of asking folks to come twice a month for two one-hour classes, just ask them to come to one two-hour workshop! Brilliant!

Why didn't I think of that in the first place?

I think I'll exclude incompetence, to help keep my self-esteem up. I could go with the fact that I honestly didn't think about until I was almost four months into the program, but that doesn't make me sound too good either.

Maybe it has something to do with us starting the maintenance course portion of HOW 2 a couple of months after we launched the workshop portion. That might work.

Whatever the reason, HOW 2 is now combined into one workshop, covering homeowner issues and maintenance all in one night. You're invited - every third Thursday at 6 p.m.

Just try to be nice to me when you get here - I really didn't think about it!

Cheers,

Photoshoot fun?

Sunday's going to be a big day for me.

The Calvert Foundation, in partnership with FAHE, is sponsoring a photographer to visit some of our clients. His photos will be used as part of a national marketing campaign, giving Eastern Eight recognition at no cost to us.

Free advertising is the best kind, folks. :-D

So Sunday is the shoot day. We're starting at 8 a.m. and we're going until 8 p.m. Like I said, its going to be a long day.

But it's going to be a fun day. I'm actually looking forward to seeing some of the homes we've built and sold, and hearing from the owners. We've got shoots at 8 a.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively.

We're also going to set up a mock counseling session with our financial counselor, Sam Brumit. It looks like I get to play the part of the counseled...

And check out the photographer - www.rlordphoto.com

He's going to be interesting, to say the least. He just got back from Africa, and judging from his photos, he's been all over the world.

I wonder what he'll think of Tennessee?

bookstore

Greetings my friends. I just wanted to let you all know about my friend's bookstore in the JCity mall. They opened a discount Christian bookstore [where the Kirklands was located]. I would love for you stop by and check it out. We would love your support!

A few votes are still votes!

The Front Porch's latest poll closed recently, and though we only had five votes we still had a clear majority.

The question was: Which is more relaxing?
- Sitting on the porch
- Watching a movie in the den
- Taking a hot shower
- Cooking dinner
- Reading a book in bed

While taking a hot shower and reading a book both got a vote, sitting on the porch was the winner with three votes. With no votes, apparently cooking dinner and watching movies aren't the best ways to relax in your home.

If front porches play host to the most relaxing moments of your home, what's your front porch like? Do you have a good view of anything? Do you have a porch swing, a rocking chair or an especially comfortable spot? Let us know by replying to this post.

With that poll ended, it's time for a new one: What do you think is the most expensive aspect of owning a home? This poll will be up for a week and a half - choose you answers at your convenience.

And while you're at it, get your friends to visit the site and vote too - we'd like to get 10 votes this time!

There's still good folks in the world...

Have you ever worked with the public?

It's quite an experience. I was a gas station attendant - a glamorous position, I know. My responsibilities included but were not limited to: taking money; managing the pumps; cleaning the store; stocking shelves; training new employees; end-of-the-day reports; handling customer service issues; etc.

Pay attention to the "handling customer service issues" part - that's where the "responsibilities not limited to" portion of my job description came in to play.

You folks who've never worked with the public are going to find this hard to understand: dealing with the public can be bad news. No bueno. Downright ICKY. Customers from the public come in three varieties:

You Mean Nothing to Me: My particular favorite, this type of customer, for whatever reason, knows he or she is better than you. They don't care about your situation, your plans for the future, your obvious disability - they're out for blood and you, as a lowly clerk, waiter or phone operator have plenty to give. All that matters to this customer is their situation, their feelings. Most likely, the company you work for has wronged them in some deeply personal way and that's why you're gonna pay.

Or, they're just snobs. It's really hard to tell the difference.

My Request is Obscure and Frustrating, But of the Utmost Importance: These folks need something from you so strange, so out-of-the-blue that you begin to question whether it's your job to provide the service. You better, though, cause they need it NOW! Hurry! Forget your other customers! Meet my strange and foolish needs!

I'll have an example of this a little later in the post...

I'm a Good and Rational Customer: Yeah, so there are some good customers. And sure, they're the majority, I guess. They're the reason you like your job, the reason you can plaster a smile on your face when you're dealing with the rotten apples.

It just seems like the problem-causers are the ones that stick out in your mind.

So what's up with this post? What does this have to do with anything? Let me explain...

I'm planning the first real workshop for my education program today, and I'm trying to get a game/home improvement project together for the first 30 minutes of the session. I decide to wait until today work out the kinks, a mere 48 hours before this program starts.

And let me tell you, I've got some kinks.

The game involves identifying nicely-crafted toy tools, a good exercise for every homeowner. I mean, how do you take care of your home if you don't know what your tools are for, right? So I actually find the tools today, confirming their existence in the office. The problem is, they have no instructions, so I (oh irony of ironies) don't know the names of the tools I'm going to use for the tool identification game.

Being the industrious fellow I am, I look on the box for a website. Under construction - great. I go back to the box, find a telephone number, and I do it.

I become Customer # 2 - My Request is Obscure and Frustrating, But of the Utmost Importance.

"Um yes, I'm trying to find a list of the tools included in your Black & Decker 25 piece and 42 piece deluxe tool set."

Yeah, go ahead and add me to the list you give me, buddy - I feel like a tool for asking that.

But lo and behold, the guy goes beyond what he's probably required to do and searches his data banks. He then takes my email address and promises to have me a list by the end of the day.

What a nice guy. That just got me going, and I had to share it. Who said there was no kindess left in the world?

Until next time...