Hey All, We're Having A Garage Sale!

Keep an eye out here for news on our garage sale. Soon we will be liquidating tons of fabrics, hardware, webbing, etc. from our Carson warehouse. We will post notes as to when and where this will occur... Stay tuned...

The Passing of Stuart Scott

Today was bittersweet. When we lose someone in the community, in our family, anyone we feel a connection to, we reflect in so many ways and find so many emotions buried under our outward armor. This morning, about 8am, after a fitful night of sleep that saw my eyes open far too often, I awoke to the news online that Stuart Scott had died at the young age of 49.

I remember the first few times I saw Stuart on TV. I am sure I was not endeared to him. I am sure that I was a bit put off by his delivery. After all, I was a middle class seemingly white youth with only hip hop CD's to connect me to the African American community. My connection to his world was ancillary at the most remote of descriptive language. I was surely, no doubt, bewildered that a national cable channel could populate it's airwaves with his brash, and unorthodox, style of presentation of sport.

I was envious. Envious that man had found his calling at a young age and followed through with his dream, carried his passion, and delivered in an honest and dare I say authentic manner that rang true to so many, but perhaps a bit foreign to me. I turned him off at times because it wasn't what I was used to, or comfortable with.

I grew up one day, not entirely, but enough, to realize that I actually appreciated Stuart Scott. I not only appreciated him, but what he represented - Authenticity - Something I wish I could truly say I deliver today. It is so difficult to understand maturity if you are seeking it, rather, it makes itself apparent when the time presents itself. At some point you stop looking at our differences first, and start looking for our similarities instead. So much easier to find why we can descend on common ground than to battle at the differences that in most cases were not by our design. I believe I may have begun to understand our similarities over time, and allowed how dissimilar we were to become unimportant overall.

I cried today thinking of his loss. While I never knew him personally, I felt connected to him for the most unknown reasons. I respect the fact that he did not quit. I respected his professionalism. But mostly, I respect how he represented himself to the world. Well done, Mr. Scott. You leave a legacy behind that endears for the future. Rest in Peace Stuart Scott. I will miss you.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11225895

Perfecting your craft.

I think we all, at some point, become inspired by others and their craft and find inspiration to dive into our own. It is inevitable that to be a crafty person, you seek and absorb stimulus from around you, what you seek, and sometimes from that which may have been unintended. I go in kicks - Fits of intense study and observation and eventually practice. I reserve a spot in my thinking chair often and surround myself with those articles of inspiration that fulfill my desire to engage in something creative.  Currently, my MacBook, the Toro Bravo cookbook, my Taylor guitar, and a residue of smoke salmon and cheddar knob in a small fiesta bowl litter my surrounding. Each of which has something to do with the fiercely creative mood I am in. Yesterday, I was able to find some walnut veneer to work into hangtags for Company 944, and in this morning's travel picked up 5 rounds of fir tree trunk that will play nicely into some form of retail POS. All in all, a wonderful weekend start mixed with the work I love and the inspiration I desire.

I had the extra special pleasure of taking my son to Tasty & Son's this week - Arguably the best restaurant on the planet (this week...) He tried something completely new - Chicken liver pate - and was marginally accepting but more likely not as impressed as the word liver means something somewhat negative to him. It's OK though, because he went out of his comfort zone and tried something new - something we can all take notice of and learn from. I loved the pate. It was the best damn pate I have ever had - made by a true artist who continues the pursuit of perfection of their craft.

Don't leave well enough alone. Continue to push yourself. Continue to explore and try new things. Turn things on their head, and back again, until the visual you see matches the abstract you were seeking. Get out of the comfort zone and try something ridiculous. It just might work.

Last US Bag Publishes Company 944 Catalog

LUSB has presented the newest member of the family, Company 944. This line originates to support one effort - Job Creation. In our efforts to revitalize a portion of Skamania County that we occupy, we fell short. We were unable to sustain the plant operations we hoped for, and reengineered our efforts to build from the ground up. The results? Remain to be seen, but we are confident we'll hire 4 new FTE's in 2015...

www.company944.com

Take a look and see what we are up to...

When Others Doubt You...

Use it as fuel. I have a few detractors in my life. Those that continually doubt your ability, tell you you 'can't' or 'aren't,' are those that most likely see their own shortcomings and wish to reflect those upon someone other than themselves. It is common for this type of bullying tactic to take place in the schoolyard, but when it is prevalent with those of a more mature age we have to question what might be holding them back. Here are two solutions to remedying this issue in the workplace:

1. Fuel for your Fire!

Place these fine words of 'encouragement' on your wall for motivation. Prove 'em wrong! Subtract the detractor from your equation by showing what you are made of. I do this all the time and it helps to build confidence over time.

2. Turn the Table!

No point in arguing - Ask the dark cloud in your life how they can help you succeed. Often times, they don't have anything to offer and this is a sure fire way to get them to realize they might not know everything as they think they do. If they are wise enough to recognize you are promoting a teamwork approach, maybe you can build a relationship of cooperation.

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At the end of the day, it is you that make the difference in your output. If others try to keep you back, send them to the rear view mirror and keep looking forward,

September 11

Seemingly many years ago, although not as many as one might think. I remember my friend Roy calling me that morning telling me to turn on the TV. He believed it was the start of world war 3. While that might be a bit exaggerated, it isn't far from the truth. With no immediate years an exception, the world has seen a fair share of disruption caused by us humans. War, poverty, oppression, and a disregard for others has created a volatile world, continually in flux over religious beliefs, property lines, natural resources, and of course, the differences we might hold in skin color, contribute to a boiling pot of aggression we do not seem to shake after years of learning otherwise.

Hopefully, and I have some faith in the thought, we can eliminate our incessant need for selfish behavior in either direction and attempt to change our ways.

Yikes!

I have been absent for nearly a month! I apologize... Summer fun and frolic have interfered.

Thought I might catch those of you up on some new things happening at LUSB. Our outdoor brand, GOTE Gear, has gone under significant design changes on the site to better improve performance and ordering for our consumer. While these changes are always intended to go smoothly, we always encounter a few issues that mess with our intentions. After a few weeks of fixing bugs and issues, we are close to having the site finalized.

Preparation for the NEW Bluefig site is underway. A new platform and all new look and feel will be happening in September. Keep an eye out for our newsletter for more information...

LUSB site will follow right after that. This will allow for full e-commerce of all of our goods we currently sell, including our industrial line!