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Behold the spoils!


I finally made it back to Lincoln...about a week later than I'd expected. Never to fear, though - everything was exactly where I'd left it. Running down the list of my latest scores:

- "Open" neon sign (modeled above by very significant other Rebecca): $40
- Rubber floor mats (5): $25
- 6-foot stainless steel work table: $100
- Safe and drop box: $140
- Dining room trash receptacle and bin: $75
- Ticket hangers (5): $50
- Three more calzone trays and other assorted crap

I may also buy a super heavy-duty storage rack on massive wheels. At $250, though, it's a tougher call than the other stuff.

Anyways, there's more going on than just the draining of my bank account. For instance, I had the pleasure of renewing acquaintances with the health inspector today. My favorite exchange went as follows:

Me: "We're going to grandfather in the 3-compartment sink that the landlord left behind."
Health Inspector: "No you're not."

Contrary to what you might think based on the above dialogue, he's not a bad guy. Rather, it seems that the town has a meddlesome code that requires a drain board on each side of the sink; the one left behind has a board on only one side. Oh, well. The Health Dept. is also huge on dry storage space (aka shelving), which is at an extreme premium in my store. No surprise there; we expected this to be an issue, and I'm pretty sure we'll be able to address it adequately. I also will likely need a filter in my exhaust hood, to catch any grease particulates that might escape the inferno of my ovens. What I find funny is that the HVAC contractor who has been in business for 50+ years didn't have this built into the plans. As I have said all too often of late: Another day, another delay.

Not to despair, though. Plans should be submitted Friday, and I'm still hoping that my contractor can get his guys into the store early next week and make me feel a whole lot better about everything.

On another decidedly happy note, the Rain Gods, Snow Gods, and Wind Gods have locked horns in a crazy game of poker (the Cold Gods are out picking up the sandwiches and pickles), and thus I have one more suitable day during which to paint. The storefront is already taped up and ready to go (I took care of that the other day amidst gale-force winds). It'll be barely warm enough to paint, but at this point I'll take "barely" (as opposed to "not"). Check out the progress at the completion of Stage II below.


Finally, I played around for a few hours this afternoon printing out my very own business cards - I'll show them off on here soon. I know I have said this from the start, but it's worth mentioning ad nauseum: everything always takes longer than you ever could have dreamed it could. I could say that about the business cards, as well as the stack of my business-related papers I futilely tried to organize tonight.

Anyways, painting wraps up Friday, and then I will be off to Champaign on Saturday with future manager extraordinaire David Flood to get him his first calzone...and then put him to work. It also won't hurt me to stay fresh and get some more much-needed seasoning. And if we get bored, there's a hookah bar next door.

Stay tuned...More soon!