Company Affair

The idea of the pawn shop is one that goes back over the centuries, and appears all over the world. It’s a very simple equation, and it’s one that makes sense that it would recur over time and place. One has an item that has value, but it’s understood that the potential for quick money is worth more than the object. People take their goods to the pawn shop in order to get fast cash, and often with an agreement that they will buy the item back, with interest, in a certain amount of time. If enough time passes, then the shop owner is entitled to sell the item to someone else.

There are many places today where there’s no expectation of a return for the item. People will come in, expecting to get Cash for gold , and leave without thinking about it again. It’s a new model, perhaps, but it’s also one that’s been well understood since the beginning of the pawn shop. Even in ancient Greece , there were those who pawned their items never expecting them back. Likewise, the owners often understood that they wouldn’t be returning, but they would hold them for a certain amount of time before releasing them for sale. The patterns of the past still speak to our patterns of today.

Santa Monica is certainly one of the more posh areas in Los Angeles, with its proximity to the water, large, gorgeous houses, and some very tight communities that have strong civic sense, which makes it particularly attractive to families, or individuals attracted to good neighborhoods.  It’s also got some wonderful places to stay, offering visitors excellent accommodations.  It’s a nice place to visit, and you may end up considering a move here.  It happens every day, because people are drawn to the combination of a lively industry here, beautiful land and seascapes, along with good neighbors that you’ll get to know by name.
Considering how lively and exciting it is here, it’s rather ironic that the place was named for the Patron Saint of married women.  Apparently, Santa Monica spent an awful lot of hours praying for her son’s soul.  Her son had wandered into what some might call the Good Life, living in debauchery and excess, and enjoying his moment in the sun.  Eventually, it all caught up to him, and he became known for his teachings as well as the solid example of faith in his own life and actions.  This of course was Saint Augustine, whose writings are still influencing people today, including the young Bob Zimmerman.
Eventually, people start to wonder, then, about the saint, and her connection to the city.  There aren’t necessarily more, nor less, married here than anywhere else.  She is considered to be patient and virtuous, because she prayed for her son for so long, even when it was clear he had no intentions of coming to the holy life.  Some say that Monica was also notable for waiting for her pagan husband to convert.  Somewhere in all of these questions about conversion, redemption, and seclusion, there is a real Los Angeles, where angels that determine your fate are made of apparently hearty stuff.

When we think of blinds our minds instantly go to all of the many different varieties of blinds currently available to us: horizontal and vertical, plastic and wood, mini and large.  We also think of the many different companies that make blinds, such as Next Day Blinds.  Since they opened their doors in 1994, Next Day Blind issues have been minimal because of the wide variety of blinds, shades, and shutters that they offer as well as their excellent customer service.

From the beginning Next Day Blinds has made the safety and quality of their product the very top priority.  In 1996 reports came out that many companies had used a lead based formula in their vinyl and metal mini blinds. Although lead is an element that is found naturally in the environment, long-term exposure can lead to many health problems such as anemia, kidney damage, brain damage, and nervous system damage.  Next Day Blinds, however, openly stated that their blinds were safe due to their lead-free formula. In 1998, Next Day Blinds began to manufacture their own line of products as well as sell many nationally known brands.  They also began to further emphasize the importance of custom sizing and construction of all window treatments.  With 34 locations throughout the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, Next Day Blinds continues to expand.  In 2008 they received Angie’s List Super Service Award for outstanding customer service without any negative reports as well as the 2009 Better Business Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence.

Throughout the past 15 years Next Day Blinds has strived for excellence both with the quality of their product and their customer service. They provide custom made products at an affordable price and they do it with a smile.  By continuing on this path, we can only foresee the next 15 years being as successful.

I got a chance to see some historic events be recreated at the Brixham Heritage Festival. Brixham is a place steeped with interesting history events. When my business sent me here to set up some business connections, and put me up in one of the Brixham Hotels, they were unaware that they booked me right in the middle of a Festival. During my down time, I managed to check it out, and boy did I have fun.

Brixham is the place where the Domesday Book originated, it was originally titled ‘Brioc’s Village’. Brioc is a Brythonic personal name and ‘Ham’ is the ancient term for village. so Brixham, I get it! The Domesday Book is the great survey record of all of England’s landholders, their stock and what all of it was worth, so William I of England could tax them accordingly. At one point, Napoleon was supposed to visit Bixham, but was exiled, but he did manage to make the ship he was on his was to exile, stop at Brixham. It’s said that local fisherman rowed their boats out just to get a glimpse of Napoleon, who was reported to walk back and forth on the deck of the HMS Bellerophon in full uniform.

Reverend Henry Francis Lyte who wrote the well know hymn ‘Abide With Me’,  wrote that hymn right here in Brixham. He wrote it at his home which today is the Berry Head Hotel. It’s reported that his health was failing and one day when he was home, watching the dusk sweep over the bay that it was the words to the hymn that came to mind. In more current times, Brixham was a part of the World War II efforts and testaments to that can be found at Battery Gardens which are adjacent to the Brixham Outer Harbour. It’s a series of lookout points laden with heavy artillery that looked over the bay and beyond just in case the enemy tried to attack. Only seven of these Emergency Coastal Defense Batteries remain in tacked, Brixham is one of them.

There way too much history to explore here during the Heritage Festival, my other business meeting won’t allow me to explore all that offered for me to experience. I’ll just have to go on line and do some more research.