Open Half Day.

I'll be open from 12:00 to 4:00 today, my compromise with reality.

I'm several hundred dollars ahead for the first three days, but that will probably be wiped out by this weekend.

It's funny, but it feels slow and yet sales reflect busy. (The opposite can also be true, feeling busy, and yet sales reflect slow...) Lots of people in the door, and it seems like I'm making (even exceeding my sales goals) yet just about every sale is small.

Also funny that I always kind of relax going into the busy part of summer. In a sense, my job is done. I've been preparing for this 8 week period for months, and now I get to see what happens. I can't do much to boost sales, but I can do quite a bit to hurt the store. So making no major decisions is actually the right decision right now.

Pretty much the combination of lots of people and lots of merchandise, and sales happen. I just need sit back and be helpful when asked and go around straightening every once in a while.

There are a couple of policy changes I've made, but I'm holding off talking about them until until I've got the summer under my belt and I can see if I succeeded. Actually, this blog has turned into a motivation to follow through. Every day that I succeed at my new policies, I put a couple of red stars on the calendar. I tell myself if I succeed in filling the calendar for two months, I'll write about it.

So my little red stars, my brownie points, and the goal of writing about them are enough motivation -- I'm hoping.

Meanwhile, another article on Lyle's charity impulses at Jake's Diner. You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din. I think it's cute how much pleasure he takes in getting awards. I'm missing that, somehow.

Also the impulse to got to every single event in town. I swear, there are a couple of twitterers that go to everything, every single thing that happens!

When do they live?

I suppose they would say, that IS living, and I can't argue. Me? A quiet book, sitting on the porch with my wife and cat, and a movie once in awhile.