Progress, work and holidays.

Well it's been a while, and I'm guilty of not keeping people up to date.

Lots of small things have been happening, then it was Christmas/New Year. That involved lots of work at Cheesetique.

Ah yes, I've not mentioned that so lets start there.

Back in October, I'd pretty much got the business plan all laid out, and the Implementation plan down on paper, so I was running through the motions of checking all the detail and going through many of the tasks that were sequential. I was getting into the zone of having time to spare, and as much as I love a round of golf, its doesn't pay anything (the opposite) and I learn very little (except how to search for your ball in the trees). So I started applying for temporary work, hoping to get something in the retail area to enhance my experience. Previous people experience was dealing with awkward sods in IT or unhappy IT users (happy IT users are the most silent people on the planet). This resulted in CHEESETIQUE.

I got really lucky. This really cool up market Cheese and Wine Shop/Bar needed people, and my availability suited the job. Apparently, they wanted an English accent on board, but couldn't afford anybody posh, so went down market and got yours truly in the bargain basement section. Anyway most Americans still ask me if I'm Australian! I have to reply with the defence that my Grandfather did nothing wrong, or at least nothing they could prove.

So, I became a cheese monger for about 30 hrs a week. Great experience and fun. I thought I knew a bit about cheese and wine, but what I knew could fit on the back of a postage stamp, and what I needed to know was a library. At this point an English accent combined with a natural talent to bullshit worked splendidly. It seems customers will believe most things I say.

What I did learn was a whole host of things that need to be done to operate in a retail environment, serving people, ordering, invoicing, point of sale software etc. It was tremendously busy in the holiday season, Thanks Giving, Christmas and New Year, but great fun. Now Tommy (the assistant manager) has to move up to New York with his wife, and I'm going to fill in for him, while I launch my own place and they find another manager.

Anyway, need to go to lunch now. I'm out in rural Virginia enjoying the weekend off.

So more in the next few days.