TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS, OH YEA.....WORKING OVERTIME

Gentle readers,

Nothing like a good rendition of "Foxy Lady" by Jimmy Hendrix on a Saturday night at home to get an old lady fired up!!!!!

Mourning time is over and little good it did me. For example, Dave Durango came in after reading my last post, not to even look at the compressor, (thanks Durango) but to give me shit about my poor me attitude! There he stood, Fabio hair blowing in the wind, puckering his lower lip to make fun of me. Here I am, wearing everything on my sleeve except a black band and he is laughing at me till I plastered his pout with a piece of masking tape.

Then, my consultant, the wild New Yorker who thinks so highly of Obama, tells me to get over it and get back on my blog....Gilbert, says "Man, I miss the stories about us."

Ok, the scoop, the kids left and it hurt. After starting to loose large sums of money, got over it fast. took a couple of months, but have great people in place. I feel better about the business at this moment than I have in years. Don't get me wrong, broke I am, but bring it on!!!!! I am a FOXY LADY!!!!

Last week...THE WEEK THAT WAS cannot happen in real life, like I always say, no one can make this stuff up!

First, it turns bloody cold and the heater in the front office catches fire. I am calm this time, unplug it and call the "guy".

Second, I have to tell you about Billy Joe Bob, a great kid, country boy, a sander and he loves it. Great attitude. Came walking into my office at 4:30 Monday night, shuffling, head down....."I got somethin to tell you and you ain't gonna like it." Billy Joe Bob, are you bleeding? No mam, but you won't be happy...I gotta show you. We walk into the shop. The sight I behold....a dump truck with the "dump" part raised and a Hvac heating unit knocked off the ceiling, gas leaking and....OH MY GOD!!! WHAT DID YOU DO!!! Told ya, you wouldn't be happy.........I am running to the phone, call Duke, come and turn off the gas!!!!!! Blowing up was not an option. Next thing I know, gas guy on scene, two fire trucks and they turn off the whole block. (they say women over react) Next morning, I am sitting in a freezing shop at 7 am, in the dark, alone waiting on the Hvac repair men, the repair man for the front and praying the gas will get turned on so we can turn on the paint booths and maybe, silly me, make a buck or two. I learn shortly, Billy Joe Bob was really upset and Gilbert my mischievous one, is screaming, "MAN, YOU ARE SO FIRED, DUDE, YOU ARE SO FIRED"

It so happens I have a new painter starting that day, no gas, paint booths and kaos all around. It took all day, but all was back in order. The next day, one of the two front computers got the blue screen of death. I worked on it all morning and then unplugged it and took it to the repair shop.

I cannot wait to see what will crap out next. Friday night, I am the last to leave, breathing a sigh, I wondered if I would get out without anything else breaking....cannot set the alarm.....back garage door is broken. I am sitting in the dark, late Friday, on the cold, dirty concrete floor looking at the broken wire that goes to the alarm, trying to decide if I should splice and fix it or just go home.

That was the week that was.

So, Can't keep a Good man, or woman down. I feel good, Foxy, Fiesty, energetic and ready to kick ass in the man's world of Auto Body repair. Stick with me, we have a half price sale coming on. We know what fun that can be. A customer asked me to marry him last week, spontaneous proposal, I guess I still got it!

Lets fix cars, make money and have fun. Thanks to all my friends who gave me shit till I got over myself and back to work.

God Bless all and let the good times roll. Shangri La, the wild and crazy Body shop chick.