The Cummins way.

My wife's family is casual in their planning, to say the least. Heading for the coast on the 4th of July weekend? Heck, who needs reservations? A party of nine for dinner on Saturday night? Show up at 7:30 for dinner and trust to god.

So Lois's memorial was similarly planned. We knew that we wanted a beach. So we drove down the coast until we found an empy turnout. It is one of my favorite spots in Crescent City, the place I usually go to walk and read and drink my morning coffee. So it was very familar.

We went down, and there were rocks far enough into the surf to be able to put Lois's ashes in.

We gathered in a circle and the family told stories of Lois, and my soft-hearted son and wife were both in tears, as were the favorite neices, and it was all very nice.

Niece Ramona had brought daisies from her garden, and she cast them into surf. Bear, her big black german shepard plunged in after them and scooped them up. And that was all right. It was good.

Then Niece Norma gave each of us a little memorial she had printed up, with passages from Lois's writing. Linda gave each of us a bookmark and a piece of salt-water taffy. And then it was time for each of to take a handful of ash and place it in the ocean.

Afterward, we gathered in a circle again, and brother Lee, who is a minister, said a prayer of rememberance. And that was all right. It was good.

We took pictures, and the dog got in the way of everything, and Norma fell down trying to get into the picture and lost a bracelet but they went back the next morning and found it and that was all right.

I looked out into the ocean, and there, not 20 feet out, was a sea otter, cavorting in the surf. Seriously. We just stood there and watched, and tried to get pictures, and it was good.

Then we gathered up, and went off to dinner --without reservations -- and had a grand time.

I think the Cummin's way may be the best way afterall.

mellow guy

Linda and I are on a five day vacation in her hometown, Crescent City, for a family reunion of her family and a memorial for her sister Lois. So I won't be posting these posts until I get back to Bend.

I grabbed some CD's on the way out the door. I've kinda quit listening to music in the car; I like my peace and quiet, but it's a long trip. Around Crater Lake I put in Patsy Cline (yeah, I like her and Hank Williams, too. What ya gonna do?). I started joking the music would be a perfect score for the Twilight movies. It was pretty magical there for awhile, driving through the cathedral forest and listening to her pure voice. Crazy.

Linda gets both CD's and DVD's in her used bookstore, even though she doesn't really want them. I tell her to take them, because out of every batch there is one or two I actually can stand to listen to. Most of them are kind of vanilla, for some reason. But I like some absolutely white-bread stuff once in a while, guilty pleasures like Roger Whitaker and stuff like that. It's a bit of an exploration into unknown territory, sometimes.

Yesterday's batch had a John Hiatt, who I already like and have in my collection. Listening to these songs, we both realized that they were very '80's -- about the time Linda and I were first getting together; kind of rhythm and blues and a bit of disco or electronic. (I think of John Hiatt as your quintessential guitar songwriter...) Fun stuff, even if a bit dated.

Elliot Smith. Very John Lennonish.

Michael Penn -- circa 1992. He writes one killer song, and dresses it up in killer ways. Linda and I also have a Micheal Penn CD from earlier.

I also gave Linda a CD book, based on the comic series FABLES, called PETER AND MAX, and told her part of my present was I'd be willing to listen it on the way home. I don't like being read to, much. I'd rather get the author's voice without someone interpreting for me, but I'm going to think of it as a 'new' and 'Linda' experience.

I'm really trying to loosen up this trip, go with the flow, let everyone else do the planning, and be casual. Last night, watching Twilight, I had to restrain Linda from telling the women behind us to be quiet because I just didn't want the drama -- and she was only doing it because she knows how much it bothers me.

As it happened, Twilight was kind of corny anyway, so their cackling didn't bother me -- and I decided to treat it as a 'new' experience -- just part of all the Twilight crazyness.

They say guys mellow as they get older, and I'm trying to facilitate that.

Just before we left, Linda got a huge batch of used CD's; some really soft stuff like Johnny Mathis and Air Supply -- and Roger Whitaker. So I'm going to skim the edges of old fogginess and try listening to some of them (Not Air Supply!).

Next thing you know, I'll be getting myself a motorhome and a metal detector and some black socks and sandals and listening to Johnny Mathis and kicking back with an Old Milwaukee and to heck with all you young whippersnappers.

Relax and Enjoy.

So we have entered that time span where it really doesn't matter much what I do. Either the tourists show up, or they don't. Either they spend money, or they don't.

During the off months, not having an item in stock hurts.

During the busy months, something else will sell instead.

But it is always slightly nerve-wracking, because you can't be totally, entirely sure that they'll show up. Christmas is also like this: but, as I always end up finding, they haven't canceled Christmas, yet. They haven't canceled Summer, yet.

It took me a long time to realize that my sales would happen because of what I have in stock JUST BEFORE the season starts; not after the season starts. In fact, ordering lots of material in the busy season just leaves that material and the leftover bills for Fall, the slow season.

So, now I just sort of sit back and hope for the best, and relax and enjoy the weather, take time off for vacations, and let nature take it's course.

P.S. I just realized this is my 2000 post. Haven't missed a day.

Never listen to experts.

That's not quite right. Listen to experts -- if you know without a doubt they really are an expert in your field. Otherwise, stay away.

Or more to the point, if you can find that "Expert" early in your career, and can take his/her advice to heart, and can adapt that advice to your own situation and quirks, then yeah, listen to the expert.

Good luck with that.

You won't know it's good advice until you've already made the mistakes or had the success that tells you whether it's good advice. Ideally, you find that person and they are willing to help you and guide you. But it's hard to do.

But the biggest problem -- you probably won't listen. Simple as that. You will reject the good advice and do your thing, and maybe discover later on that it was something you should have followed, but oh, well, water under the bridge.

There are a whole lot of phony experts out there. Promotional minded people, who will have you going in the wrong direction, they'll make you feel good, rah, rah, rah. They won't tell you the things you don't want to hear.

There are few if any useful books for Mom and Pops; I don't think the money is there-- the Mom and Pops probably wouldn't buy them, most of them, they are seat of the pants, cards close to the vest, sort of personalities.

The books I have found are usually about accounting, or tax issues (how to set up an S-corp, for instance), or about other -- to me -- peripheral issues.

Or they are useless pep-talks ("You can do it!") or magical thinking. ("If you want it enough, it will happen!")

I was lucky enough to stumble across "Growing a Business" by Paul Hawken, early in my career. But not too early -- I'd made about half the mistakes he talks about, which made me wise enough to take his advice about the other half of mistakes I hadn't made yet.

Interestingly, Smith and Hawken's (gardening supplies) are out of business, and I'm still rolling.

(I'm pretty sure that Hawken made a bundle selling to a corporation, which drove it into the ground.)

Retail survival list.

Observations for which I get in trouble every time.

1.) Advertising is a waste of money.
2.) Promotions are a waste of time.
3.) Gathering space is a waste of space.
4.) Discounts are stupid.
5.) Street closures hurt business.
6.) Kids don't read comics.
7.) Never listen to experts.
8.) Big businesses are dinosaurs.
9.) Your core for any hobby are Mom and Pops.
10.)Comics are literature.
11.)Comics are art.
12.)Business isn't rocket science, it's math.
13.)Experts usually aren't.
14.)Mom and Pops grow the business...
15.)Big business plunders.
16.)Big box stores are ponzi schemes.
17.)Always pick the bigger town/more competition.
18.)Never pick the smaller town/less competition.
19.)No amount of brilliance will overcome the math.
20.)Superhero movies have zero effect on comic sales.
21.)Old 'collectibles' are a con.
22.)Antiques Roadshow has a lot to answer for.
23.)The internet is our savior.
24.)The internet is our doom.
25.)Stay small -- don't expand beyond your abilities.
26.)Stay in place -- don't move, change services, etc. to save a few bucks.
27.)Mom and Pops earn enough for Mom and Pop, not managers and a crew.
28.)Producers will always drop the Mom and Pop in favor of big business.
29.)Once the Mom and Pop's are dropped, it's only a matter of time before a full collapse...
30.)Magical thinking won't overcome the math.
31.)Wanting it ain't enough.
32.)Product, product, product.
33.)If something isn't selling, raise the price.
34.)If something is selling, stick to your price.
35.)Friends come and go, enemies accumulate.
36.)You can't please everyone.
37.)"The customer is always right," is a promotional gimmick.
38.)Big business will tell you what you want to hear, then do what they want.
39.)Let product be your display, not fancy expensive fixtures...
40.)The more you carry, the more you'll sell.
41.)Don't dump product, keep it, and handsell it to the truly interested.
42.)Everything sells eventually.
43.)It's better to have product customers want, than that they like you.
44.)It's better to have it at the higher price, than NOT have it at the lower price.
45.)Bad parking just means you're busy. ("No one eats there anymore, it's too crowded.)
46.)You'll never stay popular forever. Popularity comes and goes...
47.)No business will tell you how well they are really doing.
48.)If you are slow, you'll find out later everyone else was too.
49.)Inner dynamics are more important than outer. (the economy, competition, etc.)


and finally, though I could probably come up with a 100 more...........

50.)Never listen to experts...including me.

Frankly, my dear. I don't give a hoot.

By happenstance, I watched the first Twilight movie three nights ago, the second in the series two nights ago, and the new one last night; all for the first time. So I'm coming at this completely fresh.

WARNING: Minor spoilers.

First of all, all three movies had entire segments that made me squirm for all the longing gazes and delayed gratification. Sheesh.

Secondly, I believe that either Jake or Edward or both of these smucks should properly at the end of the series turn to ol' Scarlett O'Bella and say, "Frankly, my dear. I don't give a damn."

The movie theater was packed: I realized afterwards that the movie just opened. Of course, I had the talkiest, noisiest three women in the theater behind me, cackling and hooting, and after awhile, I decided they were right to cackle and hoot: I smacked my head a few times after Scarlett O'Bella decided that she just had to, no she really shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself, but she really loves Edward more, give Jake a lustful kiss that left her swooning.

Doh!

Still, after selling the books and trying to sell the graphic novel (HALF PRICE!), I'm glad to finally discover what the fuss is all about.

Poor teenage girls. Such drama. Such turmoil. Such angst!

June results, 2010.

My carefully worked out budget has been completely thrashed.

Every quarter or so, there is a fifth shipping Wednesday. Theoretically, I should be able to take the three months worth of orders and divide them by 13 weeks to get a weekly average.

But the orders have come in at least 20% higher than that supposed average. I had left out the unfortunate fact that the publishers tend to hold back on product until just before summer.

My bad.

Sales are down this month, as well. The street closures have had even more negative impact than usual, for some reason. So this will be a third month in a row with sales below last year, which by my reckoning is a trend.

It's not a question of losing money -- it's a question of not making as MUCH money as I'd hoped.

Back to the drawing board.

It's a valuable lesson -- once again, I need to factor in the 'worst' case scenario. That I won't get an "average" level of product, that I can't count on beating last year each and every month.

It doesn't really change a thing. Well, I am changing my estimate for the next quarter to take into account the lower sales and the higher weekly estimates. But basically, the strategy stays the same. Ironically, the strategy for making a profit and not losing money are exactly the same.

So I just need to pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again.