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Will-Griffin |
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Latest News October, 2008 - I'm still looking to divest myself of the fire truck and ambulance selling businesses. I'm trying to give a preference to USA companies, but if a foreign corporation gives me the best offer and they have the greatest interest, I could very well exercise this option. I've decided, because I feel called and led to do so, to return to helping out local churches and similar social services groups, because of the economic times and what is reasonable to foresee. In one way, it feels like starting my life all over again, to where I began with administrative and teaching experiences, but in another way it feels like the decades between were a continuing education process for me. I do look forward to this, because when I was starting out in my professional career and doing this type of work, it was indeed a very happy and fulfilling time in my life. We all have said: "If I had to do it all over again . . . " and I'm very fortunate and blessed that I am in a position of doing so and I have a choice to do so. So, I'm praying I can divest these fire truck and ambulance selling web sites soon and do those things I feel called to do and certainly to have more time for fishing, tropical fish and for my music. Per my recording, I've recorded several new songs and I keep going back to the others and changing parts here and there. I'm also re-singing many of these, because what I had laid down were just "scratch vocals" for reference.
September, 2008 - It seems like I only get a chance to post here about once or twice a year, but as usual, I've been busy. No wonder I wrote the song "Its a Full-time Job Bein' Me" and I have chosen this as the title cut for my CD/DVD compilation, along with the fact I am playing all of the instruments, doing all of the engineering, mixing, etc. The fire truck, ambulance and financing business has grown to an almost overwhelming size and consumes so much of my time and efforts. I'm hoping someone will acquire it, so I can do the many other things I have long planned and I've been delayed from doing. The problem is that with what I'm sending to the smaller manufacturers, I'm impacting the sales/profits of others, so they are growing least able to acquire these. Thus, once again I've been side-tracked, but hopefully for not another 30 years. I acquired a TASCAM 24-track digital home recording studio and so far I've got 43 songs recorded, where I've played all of the instruments. I try to do my recording in the evenings, but I have many songs that I have let sit for a bit, so I can go back to listen and work on them with fresh ears. I've done some National Anthem performances, but I didn't get to do the Little League World Series again this year, because of other commitments, notably relating to fire trucks and financing. I plan to do it again next year, because it is one of my annual highlights and battery-chargers. However, who knows, I may play the National Anthem at one of the MLB World Series games here in about a month. I'm on the list, so keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for me. As soon as I get more of my songs completed, mixed and mastered, I will have some available here and on my other music web sites for downloading and also package up a couple of CD/DVD products. I'm also looking forward to putting more content up per the free on-line music lessons and to start creating lessons, where I will also use the video technologies at my disposal. As soon as I divest from the fire trucks, ambulance and financing endeavors, I will be doing more recording, writing the music lessons and updating/upgrading this and my many other music related web sites. The same will be true for my tropical fish and pet supplies web sites...and eventually I'll get more time to go fishing on my pier and dock!
June 25, 2008 - I've been working on recording a lot of my songs and instrumental projects lately. I'll have some of these available on my personal and music related web sites and sites such as MySpace and YouTube. For the past year, I've been really busy with the fire truck and financing business, but now that this has become more streamlined and automated, I have more time for my music pursuits and my on-line fish/pets business. I'm really looking forward to doing these music projects. I've got about 600 songs I've written over a period of 30 years and I'm now starting to record instrumentals that I've wanted to do for about 30 years as well. I just got a little side-tracked for about 3 decades by playing on everybody else's records in Nashville. Hopefully, my next post to my latest news here won't be about a year from now, as was my last update.
July 9, 2007 - I did it!!! I relocated to Florida! You can see some of the pictures of the view out my living room window and others at my Griffin Home page I had many things per music, fish and even with the fire department/financing businesses that I had delayed, until I got to Florida. I am busy now getting these done.
June 2007 - I am relocating to Port Orange (Daytona Beach) Florida. I will be moved into my new home there on July 7, 2007. I have already joined the Daytona Blues Society and I will perform regularly at "The Bank" on Main Street in Daytona Beach on Wednesday evenings. I have been given the privilege of once again performing the National Anthem at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA on August 19th, at 3:30. I receive this privilege every year and it is certainly one of the performances I eagerly look forward to doing.
February 2007 - I decided to do this personal update section, so that I can answer so many friends regarding what is happening and let you know if I don't answer you immediately, it certainly is for very good reasons. I feel bad, because I've not been able to do so. Well, I've still not been able to complete my relocation to Florida for many very good reasons, although I am certainly looking forward to doing so, after this past very cold month of freezing cold and snow/ice in Pittsburgh, PA.. The VFD/financing business grew so much and I've had to hire 4 additional staff members, bringing the number of staff to 12. I still need to hire 3 more people. So much for retirement and only doing a few weekend gigs and working 15-20 hours during the week financing fire departments. We are now selling new and used fire trucks all over the world. In addition to our national sales and financing, we are process international orders for over 300 fire trucks from the various manufacturers we represent. As Spring arrives many of the municipal infrastructure projects we're working to help get financed will also move into high gear, along with the fire station construction projects. Check out all of the new web sites and changes at http://VFD-Funding.com I'm getting a lot of interest regarding my proposal for a bill to amend the U.S. tax code to give a $1,000 federal income tax credit to volunteer firefighters, who meet minimum standards of training and alarm responses. Also, I was recently appointed to the Business Advisory Counsel of the U.S. Congress. I'm the Honorary Chairman, due to my tax code initiative and what I have done to help so many fire departments, police departments and municipalities all over the country to finance apparatus, equipment and infrastructure projects. I'm both humbled and flattered by such an appointment and recognition and I look forward to my trips to Washington to visit congress and of course the annual President's dinner. At some point, I need to update my bio-resume', which I've not done for a very long time now...then again, I am "retired". Regarding my music: I still haven't had time to get my National Anthem performances schedule completed, but I'm looking forward to some NASCAR, NBA, NHL, MLB games and my annual appearance at the Little League Baseball World Series in August, which is broadcasted by ABC Sports/ESPN. I'll post my schedule here, once I get the time to get it assembled. Of course I also let you know if I'm performing in your town or area, so we can schedule a time to get together somewhere. I'm waiting until I get to FL, before I finish setting up my own home-based recording studio, to do more instrumentals, where I'll play all of the instruments (harmonica lead) and to demo many of the songs I've written over the past many years. I've got tracks already down on about 25 sides, but I need to get some new/more gear and to be able to set a few days aside to concentrate on completing these and laying down some new rhythm tracks for some others I really wish to do. I am eager to head back to Nashville soon for a visit and of course I'll probably do a few sessions here and there. I'll let everybody know when I have more instrumentals recorded and the CD completed. I'll make all of these available as a download here on this web site and my other personal web site WillGriffin.net. Fish/Pets Web Sites: I've done a lot of work on these and the tropical-fish/aquarium web sites are pretty complete now. Regarding Pet-Shops.biz, the fish has been done, the dog section is complete and so is the cats. I'm working on birds now. Small mammals and reptile supplies should be completed in the next month or so. I'm working on these sections and web sites, during the weekends and as I get the time to do so. We've been selling a lot of aquarium and pet supplies, along with a few rare fish. More fish sales will occur and more fish will be available as the weather warms. Well...that's it a quick and generally as I have the time now to report. If you're waiting on a response from me to an e-mail, I'll get to that probably within the next day or so. These past couple of weeks have been really busy, so please forgive me.
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