Day 20 - Maine and back.. and some stuff along the way...

Almost 3 weeks in "retirement" and still no regrets, so that's something right there! I've been busy - with the help of some friends I incorporated a new business venture, I took the family to Maine on vacation and did not get anyone killed while changing a flat tire on the Mass-Pike on the way home, and I've been unwinding.. maybe a bit too much!

Hudson Valley Advisory Group is now a corporation in the State of New York and I am looking for some artistic friends who might want to create me a customized logo .. the letters HVAG are in play.. HVAdvisoryGroup.com, .info, .net, and .org are all mine too.. I'd like a logo that can be put to good use on the web presence, on business cards, and perhaps on letterhead or other marketing gadgets.  Color scheme is completely open for suggestions.  The company will be my pathway to providing insights, advice, and related consulting services in the areas of work / life balance, project and time management, information technology, and business & marketing operations.  I've got a little bit of experience in all of these areas, and I've got some friends who want to join me in this adventure (the "Group"), and they have lots more experience than me.  Between us, there's nothing we can't help people with - household projects, career acceleration, decision making for business or pleasure, overcoming business slumps, and even finding better ways to manage time at work and at home.  So, anyone creative out there that wants to take a shot at a company logo, send it my way at algozine@gmail.com!  I can't wait to see what people come up with.

Last week, as I continued to unwind and relax, we went to Maine to visit family and enjoy the Maine scene.  I have always loved the Pine Tree State, as the very air always seems more fresh and the people are, well, less fresh.  Politeness rules the day in Maine.    Two memorable things for me this trip were being introduced to "Cheap Eats" and "Shain's of Maine" in South Sanford, where on Wednesday nights you can get hamburgers for 75 cents and cheeseburgers for a dollar.  We had dinner there and I fed 6 people for $19.71.  Okay, $6 more for drinks from the machine.. but still .. the ice cream we had for dessert cost more, and I didn't even order an ice cream!  And, compared to the $150+ bill I paid earlier that same day for sea-coast-fried-clams and assorted other sea-foods just off Route 1 in Saco, dinner was a steal.

As we packed to leave, Uncle Richard declared that our van was so full of people and stuff that we'd be alright so long as we didn't get a flat tire on the way home.  Really!?!?!  He just had to say it ..so, you guessed it.. it happened.  I-90 West bound was backed up and slow (thankfully), so when the "LOW AIR IN 1 TIRE(S)" alarm flashed on the console, followed almost immediately by a strong vibration in the whole van, I was able to get safely to the side of the road to begin the laborious and unpleasant work of figuring out how to change a flat on a Chrysler Town&Country with stow-n-go seating.  Less than 3 minutes into unpacking the cargo, an angel of mercy pulled up behind us and the flat was fixed in about 20 minutes with his skillful assistance.  It was a fun learning experience for everyone, and I am totally grateful to the Insurance Company for sponsoring these folks to be out on the highway to help us.





  And so, we all made it home safely without any injuries.

I feel great. I've been relaxing and finding time to do things that were long overdue.. simple things like tending the garden, fixing the gas grill, clearing clutter.  But, I have work to do to be ready for my classes this Fall at Marist, and so I begin to not necessarily feel pressure or stress, but feel the pang of having to 'work' a bit more than I have these past 3 weeks.  And I am teaching a Hunter Safety course this week, so I need to get that organized in my head today.. not work necessarily, but an enjoyable chore.

Don't feel sorry for me (not that you were)... I'm still semi-retired!
More soon...

"Professor" Algozzine
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