Weekend Warrior Working

We're Sitting Inside...Hiding From The Cold...

I hate to admit it, but I spent probably ten or twelve hours yesterday sitting in front of this computer monitor and keyboard here in what was formerly my "home office."

This morning as I write I find it continuing to be transformed into the new international headquarters of what we're calling "Rocky Top Confections & Catering, LLC."

The idea came to me last winter when Pat started baking and cooking Chocolate Truffles on our Little Island, and I considered the possibility that with her appetizers, breads and deserts and my main course efforts we might try doing some small scale event work like party's at outdoor concerts on the lawn down by the St. Simons Lighthouse and such.

Then things changed and the spring of 2008 found us living inland away from lighthouses and Moss draped Live Oak Trees, shivering our way through the fall and early winter on the Banks of the Mighty Tennessee River.

Today's evolution of the original idea features purveying her confections seasonally (Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day, etc.) and some sort of emphasis on supplying products serving the monstrous University of Tennessee football tailgating celebrations held here each fall.

Over 110,000 people sitting in seats in the stadium and another ten or twenty thousand just hanging around--imagine all the money spent in the matter of a half day each Saturday.

How much would YOU pay for a giant custom packaged wicker picnic basket for two or four or eight persons--full of exotic cheeses, tapas style entrees, bread and deserts--delivered to your home or tailgate a few hours prior to each of the eight home games in the 2009 season?

That's the million dollar question, and there's a whole bunch of research into packaging and presentation options to attend to.

Then of course there's the injuneering side of my brain which is still ticking along--looking at spending another four to six hours this afternoon finishing up some detailed layout work to get ahead of the designers and other engineers before Monday morning.

Just in case you aren't paying attention to the calendar, you better be finishing up your work here in the next three to five days because I predict that in spite of the "slow economy" not much is going to get done the following week because people's heads and bodies are going to totally be absorbed with CHRISTMAS.

Time to hit the shower and head into the office--y'all have a good Sunday afternoon...

...if you will.