HOT in L.A.

I know it is hot when I do not want to leave the house… at ALL. I don’t really blog about the weather in this site, but today I will make the exception. It has been reaching past 100’s these past couple of days. At with the low humidity, it is a painful dry burn.

This type of weather is also perfect for wildfires. Firefighters have been busy trying to contain fires in the local mountains. Unfortunately for some home owners, the fires burned down theirs down. Thousands of other houses are also endangered, and residents are forced to evacuate. Some brave soles do wait it out with a garden hose in their hand.

Currently there is a clould of smoke hovering across the skies of Los Angeles. It does help filter the crazy sunshine but not much. It is still hot as hell. They say the weather is going to cool down on Monday, just in time for the work week.

Replace a starter for a BMW Z3

As I wrote in my prior post, this past week my car could not start. At first I thought it was the battery, but after trying to unsuccessfully jump it, I realized it was the starter. I took it to my independent mechanic to repair. The cost for a new starter was $267, but it took 3 hours of labor which ran $255. The Z3 is a small car and to replace the starter requires a lot of work. The total after tax ran to about $548. Not really that bad considering how much it will cost if you take it to a BMW dealer.

He also noticed my battery was getting kind of weak, so I had that replaced as well. Well hopefully there will be no more surprises with my car. I did miss driving it for that week of work.

Promotional gifts for your business

Working in real estate, you want your name out there. The easiest way to have potential customers associate buying or selling house with your name is with promotional items. For example, you can give away Promotional Giveaways of pens at shows or handout notepads to residents. I have seen agents pass out calendars during the New Year. Some agents pass out United States flags during the Fourth of July. I have even seen agents pass out lucky red envelopes during Chinese New Year. Promotion gifts are the best way for name association.

Times are tough right now. Customers are not going to come up to you for business. You have to lure them in. I have found this site called AnyPromo.com that specializes in creating promotional items for your business. They make everything including pens, bags, cups, logo t-shirts, and much more. And if you are serious about it, they have special promotional items like laptop bags, executive portfolios, and even golf equipment. They have one of the widest selections and at great internet prices. So if you have a business, you have to check them out. It is the best investment you can make. You will be surprised at all your new customers, and in the end your business will thank you.

My car broke down

This past Monday morning, I went to start my car to go to work but nothing happened. The car did not start. At first I thought it was the battery, but I tried jumping it with the Camry but nothing happened as well. Luckily this Friday is my off friday, so I can take the car into my mechanic to look at. Also luckily Anna and Brandon are on vacation to Malaysia, so I can drive her car for now.

I am a member of AAA, so the car tow will be free for me. Hopefully the repair costs are not too much. This is the first time my BMW did not start. I have had it for about 8 years and pretty much followed all the scheduled maintenances. I will keep you updates on what is wrong with and the cost for repairs.

Home office option

Many people now are running a business from home. Think about the costs you save on rent, utilities, and other office expenses, can be pocketed by you. My wife for example, runs her real estate business from our house. She can perform all of her office functions there, make important business calls, do research online, just to name a few. She can also save daycare money, since she can look after our son there. If you are going to run a business from home, you have to at least get some good office furniture. Check out Office Furniture Concept for a wide selection at great internet prices.

Looking for a bunk bed?

One of the better investments we made was purchasing a bunk bed for our son, Brandon. We shopped many places looking for the perfect one for him. We went to countless furniture stores in the area. The prices ranged from the low end of $200 all the way up to over $1000. A good online place for high quality contemporary Bunk Beds is eRoomService furniture store. They have a great choice no matter what taste in furniture you have. Check out their Austin bunk bed by ducduc, that one is my favorite. It offers plenty of storage with plenty of different colors to choose from.

Macy’s deals on Dockers

One of my favorite pants to wear to work are Dockers. When you first think of Dockers, you think of light brown khakis, but they do make very nice dress pants as well. The prices for these usually range from $30-40, but Macy’s will ever so often have them for sale for $19.99. I also seen them as low as $15.99.

This past week, I have been looking for a few new pair of dress pants for my new job. I saw that Macy’s is having a sale on their Dockers. I saw some at $19.99, but those were not really my style. They had a dressier pair at $24.99, so I bought that one. The original price for these are $70, so it is a decent deal. These are the Dockers Premium Coit Pants. They are also pleated, which I do mind, just as long as they are long enough.

I only wear black or dark blue dress pants. I do not like the weird colors like brown, white, or gray. I feel you cannot go wrong with black aor dark blue, plus they match any color dress shirt as well. They also make you look skinnier and taller.

New Job

I recently accepted an offer in my company to go in the sector financial side of the house. This means leaving the accounting department, which I have work for the past 9 years. Our company is going through a lot of transition. The accounting function is slowly being moved to Dallas, Texas. There is still an accounting department here, but the opportunity for growth is very limited. The people at the higher positions have been there for a long time and do not seem to eager to move. Plus working in accounting demands long hours.

I have made the switch to doing capital management for our company. It is a promotion and raise for me, so I am all for it. In my prior accounting job the hours were really flexible and the work was relatively easy. I am looking for a new challenge from this new position.

I officially started this past week, and I have been in deep training as well. The one thing I do not like about going to a new job is all the unfamiliarity. But you have to take that chance if you want to move up in the corporate ladder. More to come in latter posts.

With our company, we have to apply for any jobs you are interested in. I found this opening in our company’s career site. We have to go through the interview process like any external candidates. But since I have been working there for almost 10 years references are easily found.

Well now with my new raise, I can go out shopping. I can start looking at digital cameras. The one I have is really old and outdated. I guess now is the best time to buy one.