grumpy kids.....

Cassie's swim practice schedule has changed for the summer, and boy, was it a shock to her when I told her the times. On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday she has a two hour practice at 7am, while Saturday starts at 8am, and Tuesdays and Fridays remain in the evening. Let's just say that when I walk into the pool area with her for the morning practices, there are not too many happy faces in the crowd.

By the time I return from my walk about an hour later, they are now happy swimmers and just complaining about what the coach is making them do. :-) This schedule is good for me because I can get my walk in, and also read the newspaper before they finish up. So when we get home I can jump in the shower and have breakfast and start working by 10am or so. Plus, with morning practices, we get to eat dinner together on those nights.

Morgan and I have signed up to be baptised later in August. Our church, does the baptism at this time of the year at the ocean. So it will be off to the La Jolla shores with many other members for our adult baptism.

I am working on putting together the information for a new business client. They were a client before we left for San Diego back in 2004, but when we were moving, they decided to use their brother-in-law up in Richmond, Virginia. Over that time, I have prepared the personal return for one of their employees. Each year, he tells me that I need to do their corporate books, and each year I tell him that I'm not really interested. Well, back in late March, the owner called me and said they were no longer able to use the BIL, so I "had" to take over. I went over what they were doing, and drew up a 2 page email describing what I needed to get started, what I needed each month, and finally I described what the fees would be for the different pieces of work.

You need to understand that I am trying to drastically change my fee structure. I am on the low side of normal accountant fees, especially for monthly business work. If I could "blow up" half my monthly clients fees, and start them over, I would. I have been easing some of them higher, but because these are business clients that have been with me for years, I give them some slack. As for new clients, I have been on a stricter starting fee schedule, and so far, so good.

I described the situation to my friend, John N., up in New York (we shared an office together from 1988 - 1992), and sent him a copy of the email and fees. He thought the fees were fair. Sounded good to me, so off went the email.

Well, that email went out on April 8th. When I did not hear anything by the end of the month, I just assumed I was too expensive for them. That assumption was incorrect. No, it is just that they are "very slow". Last week, I received an email from the owner stating that they were in the middle of gathering what I needed. Tuesday I started receiving some of the paperwork. I don't badger clients anymore, like I used to, but I expect work timely, or the numbers are "old". I hope this was the right decision. If not, I have not been afraid to "fire" clients when necessary.

- Driving & talking is not good.
- OK, Star Trek geeks. Exhibit here in San Diego.
- Fire Season seems all year long out here

Until the next time.....