Garage Door FAIL!!!

In this computer age, it's pretty safe to say that the world wide web is the equivalent of the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. I always find myself looking for old school and obscure videos that take me "back in the day" when I was growing up in the late 70's and early 80's. Then after a healthy dose of adult entertainment, I try to find some weird stuff - typical of the kind of crap you get your emails filled up by friends and family sending out chain letters with some of the funniest videos, photos and jokes you've ever read.

Today, I "Stumbled Upon" (yes- literally stumbled upon because I am using that little doo-hickey that I downloaded to help me find cool stuff on the web)this website called Garage Door Fail. Now it's nothing that'll blow your mind, but it was nice to see something totally different that sparked my amusement.

Like myself, the owners of this website appear to be in the overhead garage door industry. Considering how exciting it is to be in the biz (yes - that was sarcasm), they managed to find a way to keep it entertaining enough for people to actually want to browse the website and enjoy random garage door owner misfortunes.



Some of the stuff is the kind of shirt videos you may find on YouTube of some absolute jackass running head first into a garage door or a typical woman driver crashing through her garage door. But they've also created their own webshow called "Will It Bust".

Not to be mistaken with the popular online viral videos produced by Blendtec "Will It Blend", "Will It Bust" features a father and his four year old son smashing, crushing and busting random household objects with a garage door. While it may not sound so fun and while the actual crushing of the objects isn't wildly fascinating, it's the chemistry between father and son and their excitement while bonding that gets you hooked.

I immediately popped big time for the 40 second opening intro that was produced like a bad 1970's tv show. But just in watching that play with an underscore of cheesy 70's game show music, you already feel the tongue in cheek humor that you're about to witness. And while the videos aren't over the top, it's enough to offend someone with strict moral fibers. Even though you know it was all pre-planned for the sake of creating the web show, you have to question your morals in terms of parenting. I mean after all, if this is what they do in front of the camera, who knows what these two delinquents do at home.

Regardless of how you feel, the show is worth 3-5 minutes of your time. Not just because it's entertaining, but because you have to appreciate the effort put forward to entertain the viewer. My review is: BRAVO! Well done and keep 'em coming!!!

Check it out for yourself at www.garagedoorfail.com

You can also find high quality version of the web show on YouTube. here are a few of my favorite episodes:

Pimp My BLOG!!!

I guess writing has been a hobby of mine since I was a kid...That and SMOKIN' HOT super models. You can attest that to my first glimpse of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and A LOT of late night pay cable. Does anyone remember the type of movies Cinemax aired in the middle of the night back in the early 80's? I guess that's why we called it "Skin-emax" at school.

So, what does one thing have to do with the other? Well, it pretty much brings me to this here blog and the digital cyber-age. A world of knowledge right at your finger tips with only a few keystrokes. If I wanted to know the name of The Wonder Twins' pet monkey on the old school Justice League, all I have to do is type my query, and SHAZAM, a couple of hundred websites telling me his name was Gleek. Not only that, but now the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editions have been replaced by websites that I can't list on this blog and can be hidden from my wife with a quick click of the mouse! Gotta love technology! And to think,I thought it had one time peaked with microwave popcorn!

So getting back to my blogs- I've grown with my hobby of writing and looked for places online where I can share my gift of gab. I find THIS website and figure it's a no-brainer. But after writing and posting, I notice that my blog doesn't have the visual flair that other blogs I've seen have. My blog is more like BLAH. I don't like BLAH. Never have. Never will. What do I need to do to make my blog look like those smokin' hot super models?

Does this mean that I have to start learning how to build websites? I really don't have the time or patience for that. but at the same time, I can't have this blog looking like Ugly Betty...or worse. After all, I have a rep to uphold. I can't be seen with "bucket of yuck". This site represents who I am, and if it's going to be hitched to my name, it's gotta look good. now I'm not a shallow man - but seriously, if you had the pick of the litter, would you pick the one that looked like it belonged in litter?


Where do I start? What are my options? How can I get the Jenny Jones makeover for this ugly duckling? I guess this means that I'm going to have to put on my surgeon gloves and find ways to cosmetically enhance this website. I guess if that's the way the super models are doing it, then why can't my blog? Sure my writing is the "personality" of this site and beauty is only skin deep. But what's the success rate of a funny ugly guy?...EXACTLY! Time to start turning some heads with this blog. It's like Al Pacino said in Devil's Advocate, "Vanity is my favorite sin".

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner???

**The following is a guest post from my buddy over at http://jackrabbitslim.vox.com

Now in no way, shape or form am I saying that discrimination should be tolerated - but at the same time ask yourself, "Would you just let any stranger into your home?"

This question shouldn't be answered using the elements of race, religion, gender, etc. But I want you to consider this question as the gatekeeper to the sanctuary of your home. The place where you and your family sleep and the shelter of your most valued possessions. Is your welcome mat available to anyone who comes knocking? Of course not! This question is rather elementary. But here is the M. Night Shyamalan twist...What if you indirectly invited a stranger to your home?

Before you start getting the heebee geebees, let me paint a picture for you:

You go online looking for garage door repair. A ton of companies come up, yet you have no idea which one to call. You start to ask yourself - Who does the best work? Who is reasonably priced? Who can take care of my situation today?

All valid questions, but have you ever asked yourself - Who is this company? What are people saying about them? What kind of people do they employ? Who are they sending to my home?

Let me paint yet another picture for you - this one is for the ladies:

You call JoBlo company and set your appointment. You tell your husband not to bother taking a day off work because you'll be home anyway. You're alone with your children when a beat-up van pulls into your driveway and up walks a "technician" who looks like he just fled a crime scene. Do you really want to let him in? Absolutely not! But will you?...YES you will. Foolishly, because you indirectly invited him by setting up an appointment with his company. You asked them to send him to solve your problem.

So, how are you feeling about that now? Go run this story by your husband and see how he feels about it. Go ahead. I'll wait....


Did he tell you he'd never let you do that? I bet he did. That's the first thing to come out of Macho Man's mouth. But think back to how many times he's already done this and put you in that position... Washer/Dryer repair guy? Cable TV installation? Plumber? Exterminator?...The list goes on. Now if you're a man reading this - then just think about how you felt when you had this 'usual suspect' casing your home and how you felt the need to shadow him while he did his job. The same gut instinct applies.

So why am I bringing this up? Because I'm urging you, the homeowner, to take the extra time in finding out who you are doing business with all the time. And as a person who practices what he preaches, we've have implemented a review section on our website for customers to rate their experience in doing business with our company. I want you to read what your neighbors have to say about doing business with Precision Door in Chicago. Not only are we offering our potential future customer's reviews, be we offer you a profile page for each and every technician that we employ, that way you already know the type of person we are sending out to your home.

I hate to be the one to admit it, but it's an ugly world out there. Full of all sorts of shady characters. DON'T BE A VICTIM. Better yet, don't put yourself or your family in a position to be a victim.

Each of the Precision Door franchises around the country have mandatory background checks for all employees. Not only do we do the checks, but we make them available for our customers through our website. We have an "open door" policy (yes, pun intended) with our customers. And that's why THEY ARE our customers...because we not only earned their business, but we've earned their trust.

So, the next time you need something repaired or installed, what measures will you take before inviting some stranger into your house?

Show Me The Money...With An Energy Tax Credit

In these rough economic times with unemployment at an all time high and home market values plummeting, homeowners have been weary in how their spend money in upgrading their home.

Let's take the word upgrade out of the equation for a moment and lets focus on a better way of life. I'm NOT talking about the WANTS. I'm talking about the NEEDS.

Your garage door is essential to your home's efficiency and safety. And while you may not be able to openly appreciate the investment of a new garage door, you can appreciate some of the luxuries it supports and allows. Luxuries, you ask? Absolutely! How about heat in the winter and cool air in the summer? How about lower fuel costs? Perhaps contributing to a greener environment? And this is only to name a few.

What if I told you that your investment in a new garage door would practically pay for itself? Yes, I'm sure you hear that term loosely thrown around all the time by salesmen and TV pitches. And the spin on their message is that over time you'd save "x" amount of money due to their effectiveness of their product. But how much do you really save? And when do you actually see those savings?

Ok, so back to my initial question: What if I told you that your investment in a new garage door would practically pay for itself?

Did you know that if you bought a garage door in 2009 or 2010 that you could be eligible for a tax credit up to $1,500?

Precision Door recently posted a phenomenal blog that offers homeowners a guide to claiming their credit with detailed information on the different brands, models and companies and what to look for in purchasing a door that qualifies .

If you purchased your new garage door in 2009, be sure to look over the blog to see if you have everything you need to file your claim. If you didn't purchase a door last year, there's no need to worry as the tax offer is extended through 2010. You can take the blog as a reference guide in selecting the right qualifying door!

When every dollar counts, it's always good to know someone you can count on!

Welcome to Garage Door Pro

I've been involved in the garage door business for quite some time now and it amazes me how much there is to know about garage doors and how little homeowners actually know about it.

Before I got into the business, I thought all doors were created equal. WOW! Was I wrong. Not only are there so many unique attributes to garage doors, but there is a wealth of knowledge to learn about efficiency, safety, style and quality.

I remember when I bought my first home. It was a bit aged - built in the mid 60's. Naturally I was excited, nervous and inexperienced to know exactly what to ask about certain parts of the house. One thing that stood out when I first saw the home was the garage door. Weathered and beat to crap! Cracks in the wood and framing, broken seals, rusted springs - you name it and this door suffered from it. I looked at my car and said, "Hey Buddy. That's your room!"

To me, a garage door was nothing more than a door that opened and closed when you didn't want your car to get dirty or covered in snow. And even as that 300 pound door opened, I never really considered it an integral part of the house. At least not until the first winter we spent there.

Needless to say, the flaws in that door had my house feeling like an ice rink! What made matters worse was that the master bedroom and my kids' room were directly above the garage. No matter how hard we pumped the heat, we froze. The kids were sick every other day and my energy and oil bills were going through the roof. In all that anguish, I could hear my car saying, "Hey Buddy. How's your room?"

I learned a hard lesson that winter and the only way to combat it was to learn as much as I could about garage doors. I learned so much that I eventually got into the business and now I try to help families avoid the physical and financial pains that I endured.

I'd like to share that knowledge and help homeowners get the most out of the largest moving part of their home. I hope you take advantage of this open door policy to live more comfortably and even educate your friends and neighbors on some of the tips an tricks of the trade!