BESbswyBESbswy
Read More
"An Arlington Hobo" - A Coffee Shop Conversation by Colin G.
Colin's Coffee conversation 9/23/13
"Hey man, check out this video."
As I general rule, I do not check out what other people want me to watch on Youtube. As the only person working at Colin's Coffee, if I say yes once, it would set a precedent and most of my day would disappear being called to table after table watching endless loops of skateboard videos and clips of elephants that can brush their teeth. So I usually just politely respond, "No, I am not going to check out your video. No offense, I just don't watch other people's Youtube clips."
But every once and a while I'll let my guard down and take a gander. I figure it's part is my penance for forcing hundreds of unsuspecting late-night visitors to sit through Cheap Trick Live at Navy Pier on VHS back in the day.
On this cool, cloudy Thursday morning I glanced at an I-phone to see a clip of what looked like a uni-bomber type character quickly filming his face and then a shot down of railroad tracks from the moving train he was apparently riding on.
He explained, "That's my buddy. We graduated together from U.A. He is a hobo now. That is him hopping a train from Portland down to Sacramento."
It seemed odd to me that a hobo would take the time to post this clip from a semi-expensive piece of technology, but what do I know about the state of hobos circa 2013? Maybe they all roll with I-phones. I suppose the GPS and train schedule app would be pretty helpful.
"Yeah, him and his son just hop trains and travel all around the country. it's pretty dangerous because if they get caught it is a federal crime".
"His son? How old is his son?" I asked.
"26"
"Oh," was all I could muster. My brain came up empty for a response to make sense of this new piece of information.
"Yeah, they just hop trains and sometimes play music to make some money to fill their bellies. I really admire their courage. I'm pretty jealous. What an awesome life."
"I have to imagine the hobo lifestyle has its downside as well."
"Not for these guys, if they ever get in serious trouble they just bust out the debit card."
"What do you mean? Do they have money?"
"Oh yeah, he is loaded. Inherited a ton of cash."
"Uh, dude, I don't think your friend is a hobo, I think he is just a rich guy fucking around."
Colin Gawel works at Colin's Coffee and plays in the band Watershed. Sometimes he writes things for Pencilstorm.
Why I Am Voting For the Arlington School Levy by Colin Gawel
I recently attended a Q & A house party with new Upper Arlington School superintendent Paul Imhoff and I came away very impressed. Paul took tough questions and provided solid answers for over an hour in a sometimes heated exchange of ideas over Issue 52. The fact that he has been willing to get out on the front lines of this issue and attend over SIXTY of these type meetings tells me he is passionate about his new job and what he believes is best for the U.A. school system. I trust his opinion and am now convinced, without a doubt, that failing to pass Issue 52 would do damage to both our kids and the overall well being of Upper Arlington.
Standing behind the counter of Colin's Coffee I have heard numerous arguments from intelligent well-meaning people on both sides of the issue and I have noticed that the biggest issue brought up, by far, is teachers' salaries. This was the dominant theme at the house party as well. Here is what I learned and would like to share.
* Voting no on Issue 52 does not have an effect on the collective bargaining agreement with the teacher's union. Is this clear? Your vote "no" does not impact collective bargaining, it will not affect teacher salaries. It just slashes funds for the schools.
* Arlington teacher salaries are in line with other comparable districts (New Albany, Bexley, Dublin). Our average salary is higher overall because as a land-locked district, we add very few new teachers, unlike Dublin which adds thirty new teachers a year, at the lowest starting salary, which drags down their overall average.
* Once again, the teachers salary structure is a collectively bargained "step & ladder" type pay scale. I am not going to bore you with the numbers, but basically, whether Issue 52 passes or not, it has zero effect on the system currently in place statewide. On a related note, you get what you pay for. Very few successful companies proudly announce they are seeking the cheapest CEO and/or labor available.
* Superintendent Imhoff, though not allowed by law to comment on contract negotiations, said he has heard the concerns of the voters and will work to meet their goals. He assured us that he will continue to be frugal and provided numerous examples of the steps already being taken. The man knows his stuff.
Speaking of numbers, it's easy to get lost in the numbers provided by both sides. I think it is important to remember that there are kids behind these numbers. Just for fun, let's say Issue 52 fails and all the taxpayers save $200 a year. The trade-off is that UA eliminates counseling services for elementary students to balance the books. (Like Olentangy recently did.). Let's say five kids really suffer due to the lack of these services and eventually end up in trouble and with poor grades. These kids could have become productive citizens with a little help at an early stage but never reached their potential due to the elimination of this program. Is a $200 saving worth the lives of five kids? I don't have the answer. Maybe yes or maybe no. You can decide. I'm just trying to reframe the argument so we remember there is a human element to all these statistics both sides are so fond of stuffing in your mailbox.
Basically, it is up to the voters to decide if education is a priority or if it isn't. My wife and I moved to Upper Arlington for the schools and so far we haven't been disappointed. Our son Owen is in the 4th grade at Wickliffe and if I could give the school a grade it would be A+++.
In closing, I think failing the school levy last year sent a message that the voters wanted more accountability from the school system and I think they have responded. It is my opinion that Superintendent Imhoff is the right person to meet these challenges. I would like to give him an opportunity to see what he can do with our support and not see him hamstrung right out of the gate. No matter how you vote on Nov 5th, it is important to remember that in the history of the world, no community ever benefits in the long run by repeatedly de-funding education. It always ends up poorly for the kids, the property values and in the end, everybody loses. Always. How close do we want to cut it? Is it worth the risk? I'm cool with one school levy failing but not two in a row. That isn't the Upper Arlington I know and love.
I am voting for Issue 52 on November 5th and I hope you will join me.
Colin Gawel wrote this at Colin's Coffee. He plays in the band Watershed and edits the website Pencilstorm. His lives in Upper Arlington with his wife Erin McHam and son Owen who is in the 4th grade at Wickliffe Progressive.
Too Poor To Buy a Trash Sticker but Rich Enough to Throw Away New Shoes.
As CEO of Colin's Coffee Inc. I have many important responsibilities: managing a large labor force, meeting customer expectations, keeping stockholders & the board members satisfied and most importantly* - taking out the trash.
Here at the Golden Bear Center, I am not only responsible for the trash inside the coffee shop, but also the three outside containers as well. I won't bore you with the details but, in a nutshell, I personally take out and pay for the trash from Colin's Coffee, McDonald's and most of the neighborhood adjacent to the shopping center.
See, here in U.A. we have a program where recycling is free, but you pay for any trash to be picked up. It is a rather ingenious system as it encourages good behavior and punishes lazy, wasteful bastards.
However, the lazy, wasteful bastards from the neighborhood and McDonald's across the parking lot have stumbled onto an ingenious plan of their own - just dump your trash outside Colin's Coffee and he can deal with it.
And deal with it I do, on a semi-daily basis. So the other day - as I was struggling to remove a 50 gallon trash bag stuffed with Big Mac containers, beer bottles, dirty socks and the like - I noticed a newish Ann Taylor shoebox jammed in the pile. Odd. I've seen many things in the trash but something about this particular item stirred my curiosity. So I turned my nose to the side and slowly opened the box, hoping that curiosity hadn't also killed the family cat, leaving me to stare upon poor deceased Professor Paws.
My worst fears were unrealized, as the mysterious new shoebox contained exactly what one would expect, a new pair of expensive high-heeled shoes. Perhaps a gift from a tawdry affair run amok that needed to be disposed of quickly? A clue to a crime? Or more likely, just some person too cheap to buy a trash sticker but rich enough to throw away new shoes. Nice.
Colin Gawel wrote this at Colin's Coffee. He also plays in the band Watershed. please check out his other scribblings on Pencilstorm by visiting the archive page.
*Actually, cleaning the women's restroom is the most important responsibility of the Colin's Coffee CEO.
Colin's Coffee Approaches Debt Ceiling (revisited)
This was originally published at colingawel.com the last time Congress went haywire. Figured it might be worth a revisit. - Colin
Colin's Coffee Approaches Debt Ceiling.
It’s not exactly a perfect analogy, but let’s imagine how the Debt crisis would be applied to a small (smallest) business like Colin’s Coffee. Pretend On August 2nd, my business credit card is going to be maxed out.* Times have been tough and I need a little space to stave off disaster. I desperately need the bank to extend the shop more credit. If my credit gets stopped, I cannot buy coffee beans for the month. If I cannot purchase coffee beans, I cannot sell coffee and I cannot pay any of my bills. Worse even, my good reputation will be ruined, people who have been depending on me to sell them coffee will walk away empty handed, taking their business somewhere else. It won’t be long until the power is turned off and the doors are locked.
What’s even worse, if I go out of business and have ZERO income, I still have to pay my rent, the bank and back bills.
I must get those coffee beans! Is that clear?
I must get those coffee beans to have a fighting chance!
All that matters is that I get those coffee beans!
Question: “Well how did you end up in this mess?”
Answer: “Hmm..Let me see…WHO F*&%^$#G CARES! right now we need coffee beans! After we get the coffee beans we can debate the merits of issuing all those free Colin’s Coffee Gift Cards with no expiration date or whether it was wise to slash prices and declare war on Mc Donald’s and Starbucks at the same time.
Small Business 101 for idiots. I struggle with this daily.
1-Secure credit. Buy more coffee beans. Stay alive. Fight!
2-Cut expenses.
3-Raise revenue.
Cut Expenses. Raise Revenue. Pretty simple math. Or is it?
Oh, but you have feelings? You have certain beliefs? So do I. So does everybody. “But I have a certain ideology I have pledged to uphold! I am a Liberal! I am a conservative! I am an Independent. I am part of the Tea Party. I am a chair”. Oh, how nice. That's awesome! You believe in things. How quaint.
Here is the dirty little secret I've learned about business. Numbers don’t read. They don’t even watch TV. They aren’t Democrats or Republicans. They aren’t even independents. Go figure. They don’t watch polls and they don’t give speeches. Numbers add up or they don’t. EX: Adam Dunn’s batting average is not adding up. Amy Winehouse’s CD sales are. There is no debate.
Colin’s Coffee needs those Coffee Beans!
But I have it lucky. I am the king of Colin’s Coffee. I can dig my own grave or dig my way out. I don’t need anybody’s permission, for better or worse, to act in times of financial crisis.
Our Founding Fathers, in their infinite wisdom to disrespect kings, gave the President two business partners to keep him from doing anything rash. (House and Senate, duh) The problem is, he cannot do ANYTHING unless they give him something to approve or disapprove of. All he can do is sit in the Oval office and flash the high sign or the thumbs down and right now his partners have sent him nothing. They are having a debate to impress their boy/girlfriends and he is left mumbling, “Hey fellas, we really need some more coffee beans. This is what is best for the country. If you guys are going to keep debating for a while, let’s get some more coffee beans, cut some spending raise some revenue. Pretty simple really. Let’s make these numbers work, it’s clear we need coffee beans. I can make the order now if you guys give me the go ahead. Got the number on the speed dial. Fellas? Guys? anybody?”
Meanwhile back at the Capital………..
And then there is that pesky Constitution. What a pain in the ass. With it’s “free speech” and “right to bare arms” stuff. GAWD, sometimes it seems it has an opinion about EVERYTHING
This time it’s some crazy, really high number, barely even an amendment like the 14th or 56th or something that says: “The Validity of Public Debt of the United States…cannot be questioned”
That sounds fishy. Who came up with that? Ralph Nader? Geez.
Get credit. Raise Revenue. Cut Expenses. Obviously. It’s all 3 or bust.
And in closing, I think this song pretty much sums up the complexities of the current situation
_________________________________________________
Colin Gawel is a musician/songwriter and small business owner/father/husband/ He has no business writing about these topics so please disregard the previous article. To learn more about him and other Pencilstorm contributors please click here.
* The actual Colin’s Coffee Debt ceiling isn’t set to expire until 11/17/13
It's Last Ditch, But Maybe Congress Should Watch "School House Rock"
We here at Pencilstorm, as a general rule, do not get political because we would much rather talk about important subjects like The Replacements or fantasy sports. But last we checked, the Affordable Care Act was approved by the House (!) and Senate and then signed into law by the President of the United States. This turns a "Bill" into a "Law". It was challenged to the Supreme Court (think of as instant replay) and they upheld the law. Oh, and the President who supported the law won re-election in a landslide.
It doesn't matter if you agree with the law or not. That's the way it goes. Congress passes all sorts of things I don't agree with. Democracy, ain't it a bitch. Or from a parenting point of view, when my son Owen loses a little league game, He doesn't have to like it, but he has to line up, shake hands and say "good game". So maybe think of Democracy as one big little league game played by old white guys in suits. You win some, you lose some but try to be humble in victory and magnanimous in defeat. Sure, it sucks to lose, but the good news is that another election is coming up around the corner. Put the loss out of your mind and focus on improving to win the next "game". That's what I tell Owen anyway.
But let's give our elected leaders the benefit of the doubt on this one. Truth is, many members of the House of Representatives come from areas where public education isn't exactly, ahem, a priority, so to speak. Perhaps there is just some confusion about the whole legislative process and how the constitution works. We here at Pencilstorm hope this cartoon below can clear things up and break the stalemate.
Colin Gawel plays music, runs a small coffee shop and writes some stuff sometimes. Learn more about him and our other Pencilstorm contributors by clicking here.