Home Improvement...Real Life

                                              

Home Fix-Up

© Fred Levine

Robert Fulgham wrote a wonderful little book called  All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

Several things from that book have stuck with me.  Here are 2:

Put things back where you found them.
CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.

We are in the middle of moving.  We are downsizing, that's my story and I am sticking to it.  Having grown up in the plumbing business and spending most of my adult life in it or a related business I have absorbed a thing or two.  I have learned several things from both my prior experiences and my current endeavor of getting the new digs ready .  Now that we are moving into a pre-owned home, albeit only 1 ½  years old, there are things that need to be done.

I am writing a sequel to All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.  It's going to called Everything I Learned About Construction Came From Stepping On Nails! That title is a throwback to my days of going work with my father as a kid which is whole other book. Here are basics. You can learn from it too.

First things first. Set a budget, then throw it away it will never work out that way...I promise you.

Stuff I Have Learned

• Home Depot, Lowe's and Menards can be your best friend AND your worst enemy.
• Home Depot is best for rough material, Lowe's is best for decorator and finish material.  Menards is worthless unless you want to buy wood, paint, frozen food and stuff you will never need by manufacturers you have never heard of.  Don't even try to find someone that is helpful, they are terrible.
• Don't be afraid to try repairs or installations but know your limits.  Don't buy a new tool to do the job unless it REALLY will save you time and money. Or, you will REALLY have a use for it later. Just because it's a cool tool that have always wanted doesn't cut it right now
• Hire a pro if the job is beyond your ability. If you can afford a new place, you can afford 2% more to have the little things done. If you spent $50,000 on a new place, you can afford another $1,000 to hire a contractor!
• Spackle is cheap, good paint is expensive, get over it.
• There is no such thing as paint and primer in one can, it's a lie.
• There is no such thing as paint that covers in one coat, it's a bigger lie.
• Buy good brushes and rollers, they last forever with care. Buying cheap is like buying a $3,000 lens and a $5 filter, it ain't worth it.
• Use a dust mask and a drop cloth.  You will thank me.
• This will probably get me in trouble with the people give me a paycheck every week.   Buy paint from a PAINT STORE!  They know everything about paint.  They weren't selling screwdrivers 10 minutes earlier.  I prefer dealing with stores owned by the manufacturer.  Those people know their product and stuff.  They have training and deal with contractors EVERYDAY.  They know the tricks.
• Close enough doesn't cut it here.  You are going to live there.  If you are proud enough to say "I did that". Be proud enough to have it look great.
• When all else fails, a strategically placed picture works wonders.

To be continued.

-Fred

I have had the priveledge to write articles for an incredible website. Will Crockett is both a great shooter and teacher based out of Chicago.

A few years ago, he launched a brick and morter school called ShootSmarter.com which led to the website. The site has grown to 70,000 unique visitors EACH WEEK. Quite a feat in this economy. Last March Will asked me to write a series of columns, officially called smARTICLES for the site. I am in pretty good company, in fact I am in GREAT company writing smARTICLES with the like of Suzzette Allen, the PhotoShop Guru.

My smARTICLES are more business oriented and can relate to almost any business.
Check them out at http://www.shootsmarter.com/.

Jewish News Event

Had a great opportunity to photograph head shots at an event for The Detroit Jewish News last week. Over 200 advertisers attended and had an opportunity to have their Head Shot taken for use on Press Releases, Business Cards, FaceBook or any other thing they can think of.

Thanks to Melissa Litvin and Bob Sklar for allowing me to help them out.

PS. If you want to advertise in the Jewish News, contact Melissa.

Yeshiva Beth Yehudah Dinner

Each year for the past several years, Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in Southfield, Michigan holds a fund raising dinner. This isn't just 'a' dinner. It's the largest yeshiva fund raising event of its kind in the country. 2200+ people gather to hear speech's by important political figures and to honor someone from the community. I have been honored to be the lead photographer for this event for the past 6 years or so.

This years honored guest was Daniel Loepp, the CEO of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan. The speaker was Evan Bayh (D) Senator of Indiana. Sen Bayh delivered an impassioned speech on the safety and security of Israel to rousing standing ovation. I am proud to be part of this event. I photograph several non-profit fund raising events each year. This one is the one that others look up to as the standard. Below is L to R Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr., Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox emcee Dr. Conrad Giles, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Michigan's Democratic Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin

This image first appeared in The Detroit Free Press

Blue Ridge Mountains

The Blue Ridge Mountains are nestled in the Smokey Mountain range. They are called the Blue Ridge because of the constant blue haze that hangs over the sky.

Here we are in Beautiful Asheville, NC spending 5 days. Asheville is the home of the famous Biltmore Estate built by JC Vanderbilt BEFORE taxes. There is a 5 mile road from the main road to the home….

Asheville is a thriving community fine art galleries and folk art centers. A thriving music community filled with restaurants and shops.

I have displayed a few images from this wondrous area of the country

Adat Shalom Choir

Congregation Adat Shalom in Farmington Hills, MI has 2 choirs. The mixed choir is under the leadership of Cantor Frank Lanzkron-Tamarazo and directed by Janis Braun-Levine. If you think that her name is familiar, yes Janis is my wife. The choir works incredibly hard over the summer in preparation for the Jewish High Holidays and other events throughout the year.This year rather than have the standard "choir in robes" group picture, they decided to have a more casual image that really shows their personalities. I took the photo at a rehearsal today.

The photo below shows how they felt when they found out they were done taking pictures and had to go back to rehearsing!

TAC Automotive

In these tough times in the automotive market when most companies are just treading water, TAC Automotive and its parent company TAC Worldwide is the leader. TAC is an employee staffing company supplying companies worldwide with world class service.This weekend, the Automotive division held its employee awards dinner at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, MI. Employees who have done extraordinary work were recognized.

Here are some images from that event.