News , I guess from me. FirebladeCustoms Customers especially.

[RRfireblade]

Hey everyone , I kinda been MIA for awhile so I thought I'd put up some updates about stuff for anyone who cares. :) A small part of it had to do with my email changing and some AO glitch that had me locked out.

But basically . . .

It's been a tough year. Business has been , not good , all in all. I've got a ton of money invested in 'stuff' and so far little is paying off. I'm scrambling like a mad man , taking all the work I can manage in an attempt to stay ahead of it but it's been tough.

Family stuff is not much better but I'd don't want to get into too much detail there right now but in addition to that , as some of you may have read , I've lost a very dear close personal friend of mine. It looks like I will be trying to help carry at least some of the burden of a week+ old newborn and her newly widowed father.

So ,

I've decieded to cut some losses and take some time off from pretty much everything and get things , including my mind hopefully , sorted out. I think I might lose it if I don't. That's what savings are for right ? :confused:

I have quite a pile of custom work in my shop that many of you are probably very curious about to say the least. Don't worry it's all safe :).

Over the next few weeks (starting probably mid next week) , I will be spending full time getting all that work finshed and/or shipped. I will be waiving any labor charges to those people due to the amount of time I have lagged behind and made them wait. I feel very bad about it and hope that the gesture will make up for it in some small way. In most cases I will only be contacting customers when I an 'actually' working on or completing thier project. I will not make anymore bad promise or poor ETAs. For anyone who has an older or whatever email , Jay@Firebladecustoms.com should be good untill further notice. Keep in mind , I will keep responses to a minimum as I said. I need to keep in the shop till the work is all done and I can move on.

So what's left . . . MOTM. I will continue to sponser it for as long as it runs. I would however , like to take on some help there. I don't expect the contest to change and I don't want it to go away either so who ever ends up hepling me out , we can discuss how to make that work. It has to be somebody that I can trust to stay on top of it tho and I will come up with some kind of compensation. Post here if your interested. I will get this months vote up so you don't have to deal with that.

Whew.

I don't know , I guess that's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll add it later.

Hope ya'll have a great Turkey Day. :)

Jay.

[afortuna]

Best of luck to you this Holiday season and may God bless you with some relief from the grief.

[mr doo doo]

sorry to hear what happened Mr. Jay, and i know how hard it is since i have been in your position before. just take it easy, day by day, and sooner or later everything should be alright. i wish the best of luck for your future and that it all turns out right :cheers:

[kruger]

Sorry that things are turning sour on you. The loss of a friend is difficult to take. Time is the only thing that can heal that.

I would be interested in helping out with the MOTM, if you feel that I can help. I am usually on the forums at some time every day. No comp necessary. I like Mags :D

[Chronobreak]

thanks for the update, im looking forward to having my gun back.

:cheers:

[jenarelJAM]

Jay, you've always been somewhat of a Legacy on these boards. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that we're here for you. Take all the time you need.

[BREAD_DA_PAINTER]

Sorry to hear all thats went bad.....

im on here everyday and would do the motm for you if needed.... i will also do it for no comp.... :cheers:

[Smoothice]

Best of luck.

I would also be happy to help out with MOTM.

I would require 1 Thank You as comp :rofl:

[rawbutter]

im on here everyday and would do the motm for you if needed.... i will also do it for no comp.... :cheers:

Ditto. I'd love to help you out, and now that my gun project is done, doing MOTM would actually give me a reason to keep hanging around.

[[NA]WARLORD]

So what's left . . . MOTM. I will continue to sponser it for as long as it runs. I would however , like to take on some help there. I don't expect the contest to change and I don't want it to go away either so who ever ends up hepling me out , we can discuss how to make that work. It has to be somebody that I can trust to stay on top of it tho and I will come up with some kind of compensation. Post here if your interested. I will get this months vote up so you don't have to deal with that.

Whew.

I don't know , I guess that's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll add it later.

Hope ya'll have a great Turkey Day. :)

Jay.

As I gathered from previous posts, your "real" life is taking up more of your paintball life. Even with the Mrs helping I would be willing to bet her life is just as hectic as yours and she doesn't have the time to help here as needed.

You and I had some words in the past but the past is the past. Your effort on a thankless job has shown many rewards to you as your very well respected and have a business from this very forum. I would volunteer my time as I work nights and spend more time on the net then I should. However, my concern is how would we collaborate on the finalists and winners since we have different view points on what falls into which category ? Also, I am in Daytona and can pick up any prizes that may need to be shipped out. I am assuming your in the Palm Coast area, but assumptions could be wrong. I only assume this due to you working for PTP awhile back. Although we didn't see eye to eye on some things, I am certain we could look past our differences and keep your famed thread alive together. If not, then good luck with your endeavor and search for your successor. ;)

[NA]WarlorD

[SN toter]

Best of luck with everything. I'm on here everyday and would gladly help with the motm, just pm me. I hope it all works out for you,
J

[Lee]

best of luck my friend.

[maniacmechanic]

Sorry about your loss
The only thing constant in life is change ; hopefully it will be good changes

[RRfireblade]

Thanks again for the kind words. I don't want this to be a wah wah for me thing , I understand that there are always ups and downs. It's just going to be like that when you try and stay in business for yourself over any length of time. I've had 'em both that's for sure. I've been able to take months off at a time and I've had to go work for others for periods of time.

I am thankful that the ups have been good enough that I can't really complain alot over all. I have a very nice home , we all drive new cars , I have vacation property here and there. (Just no time to take any of it ;) ) And have/had money in the bank.

It's just be a long hard low this time. I feel like I've lost sight of some things that are important to me and may have even lost some of myself in it all. I used to love working on . . . work. :) I used to spend hours on this and that and couldn't wait to get the next thing going. Now , not so much. Plus , I've spent so much time on the road this year that I don't even know where I've left off on most things when I come home. Then . . . we lost Jen , it was such a kick in the a$$ that no one could possibly see coming , I think it was just the last straw.

I'm tired , in all ways. I just need a break that's all. It may not be the best time for it but there isn't always a best time. I'll have to go with 'better' than the alternative in this case. . . rubber rooms.

It's cool to be able to let some of this out here. Just getting the sounds out of your head is a big help.

[Mind'sEye]

Thanks again for the kind words. I don't want this to be a wah wah for me thing , I understand that there are always ups and downs. It's just going to be like that

It's just be a long hard low this time. I feel like I've lost sight of some things that are important to me and may have even lost some of myself in it all. I used to love working on . . . work. :) I used to spend hours on this and that and couldn't wait to get the next thing going. Now , not so much. Plus , I've spent so much time on the road this year that I don't even know where I've left off on most things when I come home. Then . . . we lost Jen , it was such a kick in the a$$ that no one could possibly see coming , I think it was just the last straw.

I'm tired , in all ways. I just need a break that's all. It may not be the best time for it but there isn't always a best time. I'll have to go with 'better' than the alternative in this case. . . rubber rooms.

Grieving for a dear one is a long process and it takes ALL of your energy and focus. You have a right to do what you need to do to get through this time period for as long as it lasts. Take care of yourself and loved ones first. Don't let anyone else tell you to "Get over it" cause that's not something they have any say in what-so-ever.

[Rudz]

Jay just drop me a pm when we are ready to move on my project, thanks and keep your head up man


Rudz

[Army]

I don't know, I wouldn't go so far as legacy. Perhaps...infamy?

just yanking ya Jay! :dance:

[pyrodragon]

hey Jay, with all due respect, just remember to keep your head up. take each day as a new one. yesterday is the past, tomorrow is in the future and today is a gift. now don't get me wrong, things that happen yesterdays will always effect us one way or another. we have to learn from everything we have done in the past in order to make today a better day for ourselves and to make tomorrow even better. i think i can speak for all of AO, by saying, We are here for you. this is one of the big reasons why i shoot a mag. Mag players are like the marines in some degree. the few and the proud. just remember that today is all your guaranatee, make the most of it. keep your head up, dig in and fight for what you believe in. If you need anything AO will always be here for you. i'll be adding you and your family to my prayer list. Peace bro and hope all turns out for the best. "P"

[PumpMag]

Jay,

Take all the time you need. Take care of things at home first.

Don't worry, AO will still be here just like AGD!

PumpMag

[RRfireblade]

WARLORD'] I am assuming your in the Palm Coast area, but assumptions could be wrong. I only assume this due to you working for PTP awhile back.
[NA]WarlorD

I was in Ormond Beach back then but I'm in Orlando now , for the last couple years anyway.

Thanks for your understanding as well , I'm sure we could easily find common ground. ;)

[[NA]WARLORD]

I was in Ormond Beach back then but I'm in Orlando now , for the last couple years anyway.

Thanks for your understanding as well , I'm sure we could easily find common ground. ;)

Wow, only if you were in Ormond now, lol. Thats 5 mins away. Deltona is most likely the halfway point for us. I have to be careful though, I have a ex psycho living over there and don't want to run into her anytime soon :p

As for the understanding, I understand Florida isn't very forgiving, and the days of easy living down here are long gone, good jobs are hard to come by and when a situation is placed upon you when your already struggling makes it seem ten times worse. I had a similar situation last summer, but all I can say, is you seem like a strong person and you should get through this ok, just give it some time and take it slow. My original assessment of you was totally off base and for that I apologize, you truly are a good person. If there is anything you need for me, I will be available after the new year. I have issues with my truck right now and should be handled by Christmas. Until then Hang in there and good luck.

[hitech]

I hope everything works out for you. Loosing someone close to you sucks. I know just the thought of it sucked!