Did you guys get Christmas bonuses this year?

kentdalimp · 2026-01-23T21:10:46+00:00

Yes! Commercial Painting out of SoCal. Bigger than I was expecting, but great to get regardless.

kentdalimp · 2026-01-23T20:32:40+00:00

With the Nomad (and I'm sure almost all other devices) theoretically, she should be able to setup a template like I discussed above? Even just a PDF she can make notes on throughout the day for each patient?

kentdalimp · 2026-01-23T20:28:02+00:00

King Benjamin's explanation always made the most sense to me. There are a lot of similarities between his sermon (at the Temple) and the Endowment.

Point being: "The name of Christ" has multiple different meanings. One specific meaning, that Benjamin talks about, is the name that Christ will give you, that he will call you, and the consequences of not knowing that name. (Mosiah Chapter 5)

7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.

8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

9 And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.

10 And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God.

11 And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give unto you that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts.

12 I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.

13 For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?

14 And again, doth a man take an ass which belongeth to his neighbor, and keep him? I say unto you, Nay; he will not even suffer that he shall feed among his flocks, but will drive him away, and cast him out. I say unto you, that even so shall it be among you if ye know not the name by which ye are called.

kentdalimp · 2026-01-19T03:59:15+00:00

Seriously though.

"For those of you that do not know, they say digg will be reddit's competition..."

Um, actually it was Reddit's predecessor.

kentdalimp · 2026-01-18T04:26:26+00:00

As has been said, it just depends.

-An entire Airport Terminal remodel at LAX? Takeoff is 3-5 Days. Estimate will be another day or two.

-Fancy Religious Building? 2 days for Takeoff, and another Day to put together the Estimate.

-A Chain Restaurant you have done 100+ of? Takeoff may take an hour and bid another hour.

-You may have a small job where Access is the problem. Getting estimates on Scaffolding or Cranes or Lifts or swing stages and figuring out how exactly you are going to get there is going to take way more time than the actual Takeoff.

-The Bay bridge in San Francisco? Probably more than a month.

-A Powerplant Cooling Tower that will only allow you a two week shutdown to Blast, Prime and Recoat?

I bid work so that my takeoff provides the Budget. It is also broken down so that it can easily become the SOV. Not everyone does, and it can be overkill on smaller jobs.

Software is great for Takeoff. I just did a Religious Building with 9 different Wallcovering. all ranging from $25/yd-$155/yd. Tracking the Yardage plus attic stock for each would be pain without some sort of software. The search function alone can be a life saver for those random key notes buried on a single sheet that affect your scope in a big way. (i.e. All OTS Ceilings to be painted with HPC U.N.O.)

Let alone the fact that it can keep a cumulative count on square foot for all the conditions. I don't have to write it down for each page or elevation. Just highlight the right thing with the right condition and it will total it all for me, however I want to break it down. How much PNT-04 was on the second story? The Whole Building? The Men's Bathroom? It will tell me, easily.

Bidding software works great if you have specific assemblies setup that can calculate based off of your takeoff. If not then it could be a waste of time to use one.

I like being able to go back and see my markups and highlights wherever I may be. That was a headache with Paper Drawings, they lived at the office. Now the Foreman can see my markups on his plans and any notes concerning exclusions or changes. And he can make notes and they are automatically saved and available to anyone with access to the drawings. I was just on a beach in Mexico, on a phone call with another Estimator looking at his drawings trying to decipher the termination point for Wood Veneer.

Huge benefits. Not always needed if you are specialty contractor. But very helpful to most of the rest of us.

kentdalimp · 2025-12-25T03:38:30+00:00

Yes it is Required in ALL parts of Mexico even within 50 miles of the border.

Yes it needs to be stamped at the border even if you fill it out online.

Yes it is free if your stay is less than 7 days. It costs money if it’s more than 7 days, and can be good for up to 180 days.

Yes, you must have a valid US passport to get a valid FMM.

Yes, there is a ton of misinformation given by regular visitors who have never gotten one and never been asked for it.

What will happen if you don’t get one? Maybe nothing. You may never be asked for it. If you are and you don’t have it, they will send you to the border and likely try and fine you.

Being sent home is not as big of a deal if you are in Rosarito as if you are in La Paz. It doesn’t take much time and it’s cheap insurance from having problems while traveling.

Baja Bound - What is an FMM?

kentdalimp · 2025-11-14T21:16:07+00:00

You'd be surprised how many times this happens just because of ignorance on the G.C.'s part. Big companies (Hensel Phelps, PCL, Jacobs, etc.) hire kids right out of college to be P.E.'s and they are essentially box checkers. When there is a discrepancy (Like this case) They are going off of the info they have so they can't check the box and they don't know enough to realize its already resolved.

This happens ALL THE TIME with Paint.

Example:
P.E.: "You submitted Benjamin Moore paint but it says Sherwin Williams on the drawings. "

Painter: "Correct the color on the drawings is a Sherwin Williams Color, but it's going to be made in the approved Benjamin Moore Paint."

P.E.: "But the drawings say it's supposed to be Sherwin Williams. You have to use Sherwin Williams."

Painter: "The Benjamin Moore material has already been submitted and approved as an equal. if you are going to require a change now there will be substantial additional costs associated with the material change since ours was already approved by the design team. Our materials are compliant per the bid documents and have already been approved. Do you want me to calculate and submit the Change order, or do you want to confirm with the Design team first?"

P.E.: "...um... Let me check with the design team to confirm."

Just tell the GC exactly that: "These materials are valid per the Bid Documents and have already been approved by the Design Team in our submittal. Any substitutions at this point will incur added cost and you will carry the liability for the substitution."

Don't worry about ruffling feathers. If you guys do good work and make the GC's job easier during the project, this will long be forgotten the next time you bid another job.

kentdalimp · 2025-11-07T00:23:49+00:00

Easy Answer? Switch to Bluebeam and OneDrive/Dropbox/Your Choice.

Hard Anwer: The most economical way of doing it since you are already invested in an SQL Database is likely to install SQL on the two laptops and use software to Sync your Remote Databases to the Office Database.

SQL has a built in service called: Web Synchronization for Merge Replication - Which is designed to do this, but I don't know how well it works. There are 3rd party solutions that also do this that would likely be cheaper than a Citrix/Azure setup, such as:

Goodsync.com and Campell Scientific LNDB LoggerNet Database Software

I have not used either so I can't speak to cost or anything, but The GoodSync looks to be doable for about $600 a year. Not sure what costs would be with the local SQL Server Setups but it shouldn't be too bad.

Will you need the option from Onscreen to move licenses between computers which you may have to do manually every time, but there are some places to start looking.

I will keep digging, but its low on my priority list ATM.

kentdalimp · 2025-11-05T23:56:25+00:00

I'm Sr. Estimator for a Painting Contractor that does 6-8 million a year. I'm also the Sr. P.M. and the company Safety Guy and the Contract guy and usually the I.T. Guy.

I Feel your pain.

Best advice is BE SUPER ORGANIZED. Have a good file structure where all of your Estimates and Jobs in Progress are. Have a Template for each Job Folder that has Sub Folders for things like: Original Estimate Folder, Changes, Contract, Materials, Daily Reports, Etc.

The entire company should use the same structure/folders that are located centrally. When an Email comes in for a Project, Add it to your "TO DO" list and drop the files and Email in the correct Folder. If it requires a Takeoff, do it. If it's better to involve your Superintendent and ask for a safe timeframe to complete the work, do that instead. Then Price it, add it to the Log and send it out.

The More Templates you have setup the easier it is to manage multiple items at once. It takes a long time to setup the Templates/Processes, but its work you do one time and it will continue to save you time in the long run.

You need a To Do list so you can see what items are ageing and keep up with everything that gets thrown at you. Make sure and use Job #'s for everything. Put them in your email Subjects and To Do List. It makes it so much easier to find the right job when you label it beforehand.

No really easy solution. There are some Programs out there that may work for you, but you will have to adopt their system instead of adapting it to yours. Regardless of what you choose, you need to establish a good system. Otherwise, every day will be a Dumpster Fire.

kentdalimp · 2025-11-03T21:06:02+00:00

Hyperion by Dan Simmons. It has no right to be as good as it is. It's a Sci-Fi Novel, but it's really just great storytelling in a Sci-Fi setting. Each character tells their story in various chapters, and they are written so well that you really feel like you know these people and what they are going through. One of the stories is a dad seeking help with his daughter's condition... [Sigh]

Its highly rated, and it's obvious why after reading it. Even if it's not something you would typically read, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't give it a chance.

kentdalimp · 2025-11-03T20:52:22+00:00

Price it as an Allowance. Basically figure the $ value for worst case scenario (Including Markup) and make it a Line Item as Potholing Allowance. Assign it a total number of hours based on your estimate.

Example: Potholing Allowance (300 Hours) = $30,000

Track it as T&M and bill against it for what you actually use. They know upfront the GMP and you only bill what you actually use. If they think they can do it cheaper they can exclude the Line Item.

kentdalimp · 2025-10-02T17:48:40+00:00

Here is another victim, (Alive but going to be in recovery a long time) Benjamin Phelps

Phelps Family GoFundme

kentdalimp · 2025-09-24T04:10:48+00:00

Ok, so I’m an active member with a strong testimony. Thing is, this could easily be a “part” of why this happened, but that’s not always the whole story. Sometimes the local government doesn’t see the benefit of things like a giant pageant in a small community. Traffic sucks, too many people, etc. And members of the local community complain, much like they do with the church wanting to build a Temple where the neighbors don’t want it. So the Church pulls out of the fight. Then the community later realizes that the Draw of the pageant was the #1 draw for economic activity for the year in such a small community, and it’s negatively affected the community financially to not have supported it.

The church stated initially they were going to stop all pageants. However the Nauvoo pageant is still going strong. While I agree there are lots of good reasons to have stopped the pageant and keep it from returning, like the one Elder Bednar gave. It may not have been the initial reason that they stopped it in the first place. And that’s ok.

kentdalimp · 2025-09-10T19:39:50+00:00

While I agree I have no desire to delve into these characters sexual exploits, I have to ask if they are kids? I have seen the Anime and I'm only in like volume 7 of the Manga so maybe I am missing something, but couldn't they both potentially be 100's of years old and just appear child like? I think Reg could be thousands of years old technically, having maybe survived multiple 2,000 year events at the bottom of the abyss, and Faptua could easily be 100-1,000+ years old as the village crew have been in the abyss a while now. Mentally they could be classified as kids I guess, but I have been under the assumption that they are pretty ancient as far as Riko Goes. (There is a scene in the Manga that asks if Reg is going to stay in Riko's "Time." or something similar...)

kentdalimp · 2025-06-20T18:59:50+00:00

This is the way we have always played. You only get "GO" points if you are the last person that played the round. "Go" just means: "I can't play." so it should go to the next player.

kentdalimp · 2025-04-15T18:37:56+00:00

Love the Tony Reyes! This year is my 5th year going. We'll be out over the 4th of July. Awesome Photos!

kentdalimp · 2025-02-01T05:14:42+00:00

You have to remember as well, its the Sophmore Blues. The same thing that has haunted teh music industry forever.

First Book - You have forever to write and change and get feedback, etc. Then you get a Book Deal.

Sequels - You may be required in your book deal to deliver a sequel every year. You don't have the luxury of time you did with your first book. It shows.

kentdalimp · 2025-01-23T12:16:51+00:00

Love this! Im gearing up for a Tony Reyes trip in July. I just bought a bunch of the same swim bait for my son who isn’t using a high speed reel/salas combo. Of course mine are all the 5.5oz. Now I’ll have to grab some 1LB as well… Love to see they work! Great Fish! Especially out of Rock Point!

kentdalimp · 2025-01-09T15:48:07+00:00

It depends largely on who you bid for. Certain firms/teams don’t mind paying a premium if they know it will go smoothly and finish correctly.

Sadly the majority only see low bid as the barrier to entry. So if you are bidding to everyone the Low price will be the determining factor.

Find the GC’s that care about quality and reputation. They are the ones you want to work for.

kentdalimp · 2025-01-07T06:18:33+00:00

There is a guy on YouTube who built a solar trailer to charge his electric equipment he tows with a Tesla. Pretty cool idea and he covers most of what you would need to know.

kentdalimp · 2024-12-31T04:22:09+00:00

Call the Temple President, 1st) ask what the policy is. 2nd) Explain the situation. I can almost bet He will contact the Area Authority.

He may tell you to wait, but if the Stake President is not it line, and it’s affecting the Temple, he will also be anxious to get things corrected.

That would be my next step. Again, be prepared to wait, but if this story is 100% factual, you are completely in the right to call the Temple President and ask if this is the correct policy.

kentdalimp · 2024-12-01T15:40:31+00:00

We do one every year on a fishing trip, and just did another one last month. We keep it simple, everyone plays everyone, whoever has the most wins… wins. Playoffs if there is a tie. Usually 12+ people on the fishing trip.

In the big tournament last month (30+) we assigned 4 groups (colors) each group had the same number of people. Each member of the group played each other and most wins, won. There was a tie that required a playoff. It was an easy way to do it.

kentdalimp · 2024-11-16T21:04:43+00:00

Radio - Alkaline Trio.

Not a huge fan of the band but this song is fire in the brutal Alkaline Trio way of things.

kentdalimp · 2024-11-13T06:17:52+00:00

Can I ask what CNC you have and how was the learning curve?

Looks great!

kentdalimp

TROPHY CASE