My 4 year old daughter was delighted to find out that mommy has a baby in her tummy. For the past year and a half she has been asking for a baby sister. Not a baby brother, but a baby sister. And mommy has made it VERY clear that there will be no baby in mommy's tummy ever!
Well, looks like the 4 year old wins again cause mommy does in indeed have a baby in her tummy.
I woke this morning from a dream where I had decided I was going to be a famous dancer. I had high heels on and a flashy dress and I could do the splits. I also had a dream that I went to an outdoor skating rink and put on a pair of skates for the first time in 7 years and I could skate like Brian Orser. I think I am taking too many vitamins!! Vitamin B6, in particular, actually increases dream vividness and dream recall. It also aids in hormone regulation so I am taking loads of it to ward of morning sickness and breast pain which are simply side of effects of raging hormones in the first trimester of pregnancy. And hey, for those of you who are not pregnant, vitamin B6 has also been shown to alleviate some of the symptoms of a hangover. Perhaps due to it's mild diuretic effect.
So am I thrilled to pregnant? Honestly and truthfully - not really! Will I make it work anyway? Of course I will because that's what I always do.
My daugther is now 4 1/2 and my step-son 5. I feel like freedom is so close I can taste it. I just started training 6 weeks ago to be in the best physical shape of my life. I also promised myself I would sign up for private dance lessons at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in the spring. I wanted to travel more. I was working on setting up another business in the next 4 weeks, and I was working towards having some money for once in my life. Am I being selfish? Yes, perhpas I am! But we all have the right to that once in a while.
As a child I worked hard to help raise my younger brother. He was 6 years my junior. My step-father, and biological father for that matter, were raging alcoholics and my mother worked very hard and spent little time at home so she could avoid the whole situation. As a result, I took over the role of cleaning, taking care of my brother and prepping the meat and vegetables for whatever it was my mother was going to make for dinner each night. I had a set routine. I changed everyone's bed sheets and did the vacuuming on Thursdays. I did laundry on Fridays and I cleaned bathrooms on Saturdays. When I was 16 I started my first "real" job. I worked in a bar. A rather mature job for a 16 year old. I worked almost every night until 2:00 a.m. during the summer and during the school year I worked only Friday and Saturdays. That job was short lived as I was repeatedly sexually assaulted by the manager of the bar at the time who was a sick fucking asshole. I gained up enough courage to leave (something like an abusive relationship I guess....hard to leave for some reason) when my next school year started. I used school as an excuse to leave and much to my suprise, Steve Canadian, the manager, let me go. I immediately got hired at the convenient store in my country town. I was the youngest person on staff but soon earned myself all of the responsibilities of assistant manager but without the pay associated with it (well, to be fair I did receive a large Christmas bonus that no one else received). I loved that job. I worked hard and I had the freedom to organize things the way I saw fit. I worked at least 24 hours a week and on weekends I would work 4:00 p.m to 12:00 a.m. on Friday night and then return on Saturday morning at 5:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. I didn't complain though - I loved it.
On the last day of high school I moved to the big city to attend University. I lived with my aunt and uncle. I went to school full-time and worked full-time. I was determined to buy a house of my own. I graduated University in January 1999 and I bought my first house in February 1999. I was 22 years old. That sounds like quite an accomplishment I know. And it was. But with big accomplishment comes big responsibility. I took care of my little condo townhouse, I sat on the board of directors for the condominium corporation and I nominated myself to be in charge of maintaining the grounds for one summer. That did not last as I suck at yard work. That is why I bought a condo in the first place. Silly me. What was I thinking?
In the beginning I owned my own fitness business. I was a personal trainer and group fitness instructor during the day and I waitressed at night. Both of which I loved as well. I worked diligently to obtain a job in my field - criminology. I was hired with the City Police 3 months after University graduation to work as a youth social worker. I maintained my fitness business during the day and worked nights with the police. I loved that too. I excelled as a youth worker and made quite a name for myself among my clients and among policy makers. I was offered several other contract positions for crime prevention projects accross the city which I graciously accepted.
Many other events unravelled over the coming years and then at age 28 I became pregnant. Not the greatest news I could have received since the father was an illegal immigrant working at my favorite restaurant as a cashier for cash under the table. The birth of that baby girl was, and still is, the best thing that has ever happened to me. It did not come without pain and challenge though. Her father was deported when she was 6 months old and much drama and chaos ensued as a result of some of my choices and decisions at the time.
Anyway, here I am again. Pregnant. I am in a better place now. My daughter has taught me to respect myself. I know that children learn by example and I certainly don't want to raise a girl with little self respect. For if we do not respect ourselves how can we can expect others to respect us. I also gained a ton of confidence by having her and she shows me who I am on a daily basis by being a perfect little reflection of me.
In conclusion, I struggle with the thought of another child simply because I want my freedom. I am not sure I would even take advantage of it if I had it though. I always wish for time off from work but after 2 days I am begging to get back to it. I love my life and the work I do. Sure I get frustrated sometimes and the stress is sometimes unbearable but the bottom line is I am happy with what I do othewise I would change it.
I will love my new baby more than life itself I am sure, but I have to admit, from a selfish point of view if you want to call it that, I am sad that some of my dreams will now be put on hold again and I have much to sacrifice in the coming years.
I also know that the Universe will only give me what I can handle and I am a strong believer in the philosophy of destiny. It was my choice to leave birth control in the hands of my husband so I have therefore created this destiny....which I believe was already pre-destined anyway.
So here I am 6 weeks pregnant deciding what craft to make with my 4 year old daughter today. No dance lessons and no figure skating on my schedule for today so crafts will have to do!
My time to 'play' will come...
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Feel Like Complaining
I am now the proud owner of a cute little townhouse rental unit near the Experimental Farm in Ottawa. I have heard many people say over the years that owning rental properties is a smart investment and that it's easy money. I am very sorry to say that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS EASY MONEY! Let me summarize my experience thus far. And by the way this is not my first rental property so I am not suprised by any of the following events....
I placed an offer on the house sometime around the 4th or 5th of November. I picked a closing date of December 1st ,2009. On second thought I realized if I wanted to rent it out I should take possession sooner so that I could have it ready for someone to move in on December 1st. So I asked for an ammendment to the closing date. Those busy lawyers could not seem to read my fax until I called and harassed them enough that they decided they could approve an earlier closing date but not as early as I had originally requested because a week had now passed since sending the ammendment and no legal work had been done on it. The earliest closing date they could give me was November 25th. Good enough - I took it! On November 25th I land at my lawyers office one minute before closing to pick up the key for my nice new townhouse. I immediately drove over to the house to make sure it was still the way it was when I saw it with my realtor. Well unfortunately the key that was given to me by my laywer was definitely not the key for this particular house. Standing there on the fron step I knew where my key was though....in the lock box on the door that had not yet been removed by the realtor. So who's key did I have then? Was someone else standing outside their new home with the wrong key or no key at all?
I really needed a key for the house because I had made arrangements for painters to come first thing the following day to start painting and prepping the house for my tenants who had so graciously agreed to give me until December 5th to have the house ready for them.
Oh ya, my tenants. As soon as I purchased the house and my offer had been accepted I placed an ad on Used Ottawa, Kijiji and Craig's List listing my house for rent. I received several replies via phone and e-mail. My realtor was nice enough to open the door one Saturday afternoon so that all my potential tenants could come and take a look. 10 people showed up that afternoon and many seemed interested even though the house was in pretty rough shape. A very nice lesbian couple demonstrated particular interest in it and I really had a great gut feeling about them. They appeared to be clean, organized, educated, employed and driven. They did mention that they would be buying a home for themselves in a couple of years. They just had to pay off legal school loans first. Admirable, I thought. The second couple on the list to show interest was a white woman and a black man. Polite, nice and not much else to say but that. It was clear that the woman wanted the house. She couldn't even have cared if I painted and cleaned the house or not. She had been living with her 2 children and likely various boyfriends in a 2 bedroom appartment for the past 4 years and all she wanted was a house! She didn't care about anything else. She even offered to pay me 1st and last months rent right there and then. I declined her offer and told her to fill out a rental application for me with all applicable information so that I could perform some reference checks on her first.
I have already been through the bad tenant thing in the past and I have learned that you will not end up ahead if you pick any old tenant to fill your vacancy. My last tenant at another property I owned cost me over $10,000 in the end. I would have been better off to leave it empty and pay the mortgage myself.
Well in the end out of all of the 10 people who looked at my house only that white woman and black man, Roxanne and Patrick, followed through with the rental application. I even called the lesbian couple and told them I liked them the best and was wondering if they had made a decision or not. They said they loved the place but they were accepted into co-op housing the very day after they viewed my property and they were going to go live there for 1/2 the price. Can't blame them I guess. So I went ahead and checked out Patrick and Roxanne. The first thing I saw on thier rental application is that they have both held the same job for 4+ years and have had the same address for 4+ years. There is something to be said for stability. I called her current landlord but was unable to reach her and Roxanne was not able to supply me with a number for her landlord before that because it was so long ago now that she did not remember the name or the number and it was a private landlord much like myself versus a large company or management company. I googled her and found some dirt. There was something posted on some website that said she was charged with theft for stealing $5000 from some elderly people in an old age home that she had worked in. I contacted her immediately and confronted her. She claimed she suffered identity theft and could provide me with letters from the courts and her lawyer. I did indeed ask to see those letters. On the day her and Patrick came to sign the lease and give me the rent deposit she provided me with both letters she had promised and they were definitely legit. My gut told me she was likely not the cleanest person on the planet but she would be good for the rent. Furthermore, leading up to the acceptance of the lease, she had been a peach to deal with.
House repairs and renovations wnet pretty much as planned. There were a few problems along the way:
1) The water had been shut off in the house because no one was living there. When I turned it on I discovered that the hot water tank leaked and that the pipes under the kitchen sink leaked as well. Direct Energy did come to fix the hot water tank but not until December 11th. That means my tenants were without hot water for a week. They did not complain one bit though.
2) The furnace broke. Direct Energy came to give it a cleaning and told me it was an older furnace but that it was in great shape and I would get a few more good years out of it. Well the very next day it broke AND Direct Energy did not come to fix if for 3 days! That was the emergency team by the way. But again my tenants did not complain.
So let's just tally up the bill so far. I paid roughly $2500 in land trasfer and legal fees, 2 visits by Direct Energy - one for $165 and the other for $185. Painting contractor and other supplies came to $2500. Electrician $265. Duct cleaning $313. So that leaves me minus $5928 from the starting blocks. No problem. I am prepared for all of this!
Now my tenants are in. They have more shit than you can imagine. I don't know how on earth all of their stuff fit into a 2 bedroom appartment but whatever...Since they moved in on December 5th I have had a phone call, on average, about every 3rd day. First was an inquiry about when the hot water tank would be fixed. Second was for the furnace being broken. And now she calls me and tells me there are cockroaches in my house! No fucking way those cockroaches were there before she came. I cleaned that place on my hands and knees. I cleaned every nook and cranny and I know there were no bugs of any kind in that house. So I ask her flat out if there were cockroaches in her other appartment and she tells me no. In fact, she tells me she's never seen one before in her life and she had to google it to confirm they were cockroaches she was seeing. So today I go there with Abell Pest Control and pay $260 to get rid of the cockroaches. Roxanne's two kids are home from school today. They tell me that thier mother slept in today and did not take them to school. Not to mention the fact that the house is a total disaster. Open food everywhere, mess all over the floor and today was garbage day but I guess she slept in for that too so I picked up all the garbage from the house, the front lawn and the back deck and loaded it into my van to bring home for my garbage day. The pest control guy, Chris, tells me that his work will be useless if the place is not kept clean. So I ask the kids where they have seen cockroaches and they tell me they always run in and out of the TV. Just to confirm I ask them if that happened in their old house too and they confidently reply "yes". That's funny because Roxanne juat finished telling me that she has never seen a cockroach before even though she lived in an appartment builiding prior to this that is notorious for cockroaches (I just found that out yesterday!). Oh ya and she also said on her rental application that she was a non-smoker yet there are ash trays everywhere in the house filled with cigarette butts and even some butts that have not quite made it into an ash tray!
But wait, this is not the worst of it. I go upstairs to tell her that I am done with the pest control guy and that she must keep all food in the fridge and must keep the kitchen clean in order to avoid return visits from cockroaches. She then asks me if I know the history of the house. Where is this leading I wonder? No I don't know the history of the house. It was built in 1955. I wasn't even born! God only knows how many people have lived in that house. She and her boyfriend who are still in bed, by the way, at 2:30 p.m. proceed to tell me that they think my house is haunted. I tell them I hope it's a nice ghost but to let me know if doors and things start slamming. If there is a ghost I hope he/she is on my side and just wants the nasty tenants out. When I was there working away til the wee hours of the night I never had any problem so I am assuming the ghost likes me. I am fine with ghosts. Perhaps I will use him/her to screen my tenants. He/She (can ghosts be classified by gender??) can scare away the bad ones and keep peace with the good tenants.
So that is where we are at and I have owned the house for less than a month. So please don't let anyone ever tell you that being a landlord is "easy money". Cause that's a load of bullshit!
I placed an offer on the house sometime around the 4th or 5th of November. I picked a closing date of December 1st ,2009. On second thought I realized if I wanted to rent it out I should take possession sooner so that I could have it ready for someone to move in on December 1st. So I asked for an ammendment to the closing date. Those busy lawyers could not seem to read my fax until I called and harassed them enough that they decided they could approve an earlier closing date but not as early as I had originally requested because a week had now passed since sending the ammendment and no legal work had been done on it. The earliest closing date they could give me was November 25th. Good enough - I took it! On November 25th I land at my lawyers office one minute before closing to pick up the key for my nice new townhouse. I immediately drove over to the house to make sure it was still the way it was when I saw it with my realtor. Well unfortunately the key that was given to me by my laywer was definitely not the key for this particular house. Standing there on the fron step I knew where my key was though....in the lock box on the door that had not yet been removed by the realtor. So who's key did I have then? Was someone else standing outside their new home with the wrong key or no key at all?
I really needed a key for the house because I had made arrangements for painters to come first thing the following day to start painting and prepping the house for my tenants who had so graciously agreed to give me until December 5th to have the house ready for them.
Oh ya, my tenants. As soon as I purchased the house and my offer had been accepted I placed an ad on Used Ottawa, Kijiji and Craig's List listing my house for rent. I received several replies via phone and e-mail. My realtor was nice enough to open the door one Saturday afternoon so that all my potential tenants could come and take a look. 10 people showed up that afternoon and many seemed interested even though the house was in pretty rough shape. A very nice lesbian couple demonstrated particular interest in it and I really had a great gut feeling about them. They appeared to be clean, organized, educated, employed and driven. They did mention that they would be buying a home for themselves in a couple of years. They just had to pay off legal school loans first. Admirable, I thought. The second couple on the list to show interest was a white woman and a black man. Polite, nice and not much else to say but that. It was clear that the woman wanted the house. She couldn't even have cared if I painted and cleaned the house or not. She had been living with her 2 children and likely various boyfriends in a 2 bedroom appartment for the past 4 years and all she wanted was a house! She didn't care about anything else. She even offered to pay me 1st and last months rent right there and then. I declined her offer and told her to fill out a rental application for me with all applicable information so that I could perform some reference checks on her first.
I have already been through the bad tenant thing in the past and I have learned that you will not end up ahead if you pick any old tenant to fill your vacancy. My last tenant at another property I owned cost me over $10,000 in the end. I would have been better off to leave it empty and pay the mortgage myself.
Well in the end out of all of the 10 people who looked at my house only that white woman and black man, Roxanne and Patrick, followed through with the rental application. I even called the lesbian couple and told them I liked them the best and was wondering if they had made a decision or not. They said they loved the place but they were accepted into co-op housing the very day after they viewed my property and they were going to go live there for 1/2 the price. Can't blame them I guess. So I went ahead and checked out Patrick and Roxanne. The first thing I saw on thier rental application is that they have both held the same job for 4+ years and have had the same address for 4+ years. There is something to be said for stability. I called her current landlord but was unable to reach her and Roxanne was not able to supply me with a number for her landlord before that because it was so long ago now that she did not remember the name or the number and it was a private landlord much like myself versus a large company or management company. I googled her and found some dirt. There was something posted on some website that said she was charged with theft for stealing $5000 from some elderly people in an old age home that she had worked in. I contacted her immediately and confronted her. She claimed she suffered identity theft and could provide me with letters from the courts and her lawyer. I did indeed ask to see those letters. On the day her and Patrick came to sign the lease and give me the rent deposit she provided me with both letters she had promised and they were definitely legit. My gut told me she was likely not the cleanest person on the planet but she would be good for the rent. Furthermore, leading up to the acceptance of the lease, she had been a peach to deal with.
House repairs and renovations wnet pretty much as planned. There were a few problems along the way:
1) The water had been shut off in the house because no one was living there. When I turned it on I discovered that the hot water tank leaked and that the pipes under the kitchen sink leaked as well. Direct Energy did come to fix the hot water tank but not until December 11th. That means my tenants were without hot water for a week. They did not complain one bit though.
2) The furnace broke. Direct Energy came to give it a cleaning and told me it was an older furnace but that it was in great shape and I would get a few more good years out of it. Well the very next day it broke AND Direct Energy did not come to fix if for 3 days! That was the emergency team by the way. But again my tenants did not complain.
So let's just tally up the bill so far. I paid roughly $2500 in land trasfer and legal fees, 2 visits by Direct Energy - one for $165 and the other for $185. Painting contractor and other supplies came to $2500. Electrician $265. Duct cleaning $313. So that leaves me minus $5928 from the starting blocks. No problem. I am prepared for all of this!
Now my tenants are in. They have more shit than you can imagine. I don't know how on earth all of their stuff fit into a 2 bedroom appartment but whatever...Since they moved in on December 5th I have had a phone call, on average, about every 3rd day. First was an inquiry about when the hot water tank would be fixed. Second was for the furnace being broken. And now she calls me and tells me there are cockroaches in my house! No fucking way those cockroaches were there before she came. I cleaned that place on my hands and knees. I cleaned every nook and cranny and I know there were no bugs of any kind in that house. So I ask her flat out if there were cockroaches in her other appartment and she tells me no. In fact, she tells me she's never seen one before in her life and she had to google it to confirm they were cockroaches she was seeing. So today I go there with Abell Pest Control and pay $260 to get rid of the cockroaches. Roxanne's two kids are home from school today. They tell me that thier mother slept in today and did not take them to school. Not to mention the fact that the house is a total disaster. Open food everywhere, mess all over the floor and today was garbage day but I guess she slept in for that too so I picked up all the garbage from the house, the front lawn and the back deck and loaded it into my van to bring home for my garbage day. The pest control guy, Chris, tells me that his work will be useless if the place is not kept clean. So I ask the kids where they have seen cockroaches and they tell me they always run in and out of the TV. Just to confirm I ask them if that happened in their old house too and they confidently reply "yes". That's funny because Roxanne juat finished telling me that she has never seen a cockroach before even though she lived in an appartment builiding prior to this that is notorious for cockroaches (I just found that out yesterday!). Oh ya and she also said on her rental application that she was a non-smoker yet there are ash trays everywhere in the house filled with cigarette butts and even some butts that have not quite made it into an ash tray!
But wait, this is not the worst of it. I go upstairs to tell her that I am done with the pest control guy and that she must keep all food in the fridge and must keep the kitchen clean in order to avoid return visits from cockroaches. She then asks me if I know the history of the house. Where is this leading I wonder? No I don't know the history of the house. It was built in 1955. I wasn't even born! God only knows how many people have lived in that house. She and her boyfriend who are still in bed, by the way, at 2:30 p.m. proceed to tell me that they think my house is haunted. I tell them I hope it's a nice ghost but to let me know if doors and things start slamming. If there is a ghost I hope he/she is on my side and just wants the nasty tenants out. When I was there working away til the wee hours of the night I never had any problem so I am assuming the ghost likes me. I am fine with ghosts. Perhaps I will use him/her to screen my tenants. He/She (can ghosts be classified by gender??) can scare away the bad ones and keep peace with the good tenants.
So that is where we are at and I have owned the house for less than a month. So please don't let anyone ever tell you that being a landlord is "easy money". Cause that's a load of bullshit!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Standford's Who's Who in Business
About a month ago I received a fax asking me to fill out some information about my position at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. It was a fax from "Stanford's Who's Who" in Business. I filled out the form quickly and faxed it back.
Stanford's Who's Who is an elite organization of selected executives, professionals and entrepreneurs from around the world. Members are hand selected from across the globe and invitation is granted only to those individuals who have demonstrated leadership and achievement in their occupation, industry, or profession.
Yesterday I received a call from Stanford's Who's Who and they were interested in condcuting an interview with me to see if I was worthy of being inducted into the Who's Who in Business. I spoke of a few of my acheivements at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. For example, I am the largest campus in Canada, I was one of the first to launch the Advanced Nutrition Diploma program and I have grown revenues consistently by more than 15% every year since buying it in 2005. They asked me my greatest acheivements, what I attrinute my success to and where I see myself going in business. After my interview I was told that I have obviously made a great impact in my field of health and wellness and that I would be inducted into the Who's Who in Business. Cool! Now, here is the best part. As a result of this achievement I receive 2 FREE PLANE TICKETS anywhere in the world and they have no expiration date on them! Cool eh?!?!? I should also expect a package in the coming weeks with plaques and trophies to display in my office.....wait a minute I don't have an office!
I don't have an office because I tore my office down to make a teaching kitchen at my school. I figure a big fancy office does not generate revenue but a kitchen does. Anyway, I don't sit long enough to even warrant having an office. Truth is I did build a smaller office for myself when I expanded my school but it's far from the action. By action I mean reception area - whoo hoo. So now I roost wherever there is space - the floor, the storage room ,the kitchen, or at the display table in the front reception area. I have no wall with educational diplomas hanging on it, no desk with trophies or awards and best of all no drawers full of useless junk!
Stanford's Who's Who is an elite organization of selected executives, professionals and entrepreneurs from around the world. Members are hand selected from across the globe and invitation is granted only to those individuals who have demonstrated leadership and achievement in their occupation, industry, or profession.
Yesterday I received a call from Stanford's Who's Who and they were interested in condcuting an interview with me to see if I was worthy of being inducted into the Who's Who in Business. I spoke of a few of my acheivements at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. For example, I am the largest campus in Canada, I was one of the first to launch the Advanced Nutrition Diploma program and I have grown revenues consistently by more than 15% every year since buying it in 2005. They asked me my greatest acheivements, what I attrinute my success to and where I see myself going in business. After my interview I was told that I have obviously made a great impact in my field of health and wellness and that I would be inducted into the Who's Who in Business. Cool! Now, here is the best part. As a result of this achievement I receive 2 FREE PLANE TICKETS anywhere in the world and they have no expiration date on them! Cool eh?!?!? I should also expect a package in the coming weeks with plaques and trophies to display in my office.....wait a minute I don't have an office!
I don't have an office because I tore my office down to make a teaching kitchen at my school. I figure a big fancy office does not generate revenue but a kitchen does. Anyway, I don't sit long enough to even warrant having an office. Truth is I did build a smaller office for myself when I expanded my school but it's far from the action. By action I mean reception area - whoo hoo. So now I roost wherever there is space - the floor, the storage room ,the kitchen, or at the display table in the front reception area. I have no wall with educational diplomas hanging on it, no desk with trophies or awards and best of all no drawers full of useless junk!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Labour of Love
It would be wrong to call it anything but a labour of love. I have spent the better part of the last 2 days scrubbing and polishing each board, by hand, on my hands and knees, of the creaky old hardwood floor in my new investment property. Funny thing is, I think I am the only one who appreciates it. My tenants came to get keys today and to check out how the painting and renovations are coming along and they walked on my newly cleaned floors with thier shoes! Do they not see how clean they are and how hard I must have worked to get them that way? Well, it's okay - really - I am happy with the transformation and I am proud of my accomplishment.
A strange this happened today. I called Direct Energy to have the pilot light on my hot water tank lit. When I called a woman answered and told me that she had no record of that hot water tank belonging to Direct Energy and if she were to send someone to fix it there would be a $99 charge. I told her to forget it and I immediately called right back. This time a man answered the call. He said Enbridge must not have notified them yet of a new account set up for that house. I told him there was a big sticker on the side of the tank saying "Proudly provided by Direct Energy" and it had been serviced in 2005 by a Direct Energy employee because there was a sticker indicating that too. He told me it would not be a problem to send someone over to light my pilot light. He said there is usually a $99 fee but since I was not the one who turned off the hot water tank nor the one who drained it, he would be able to waive the fee. Amazing! 1 minute earlier I was told the tank did not belong to them and if they fixed it there would be a charge! Once again I have tried my luck with a male clerk and won!
2 years ago I went to the passport office to get a passport for my daughter. You need a little background to understand the issue here...
My daughter's father is Moroccan. He illegally immigrated to Canada in 2000. He worked 'under the table' for cash in a restaurant where I met him. Somehow, by immaculate conception I think, I was pregnant with his child. This was 2005. Shortly after I gave birth he was deported back to Morocco on Canadian tax payer dollars. Despite the fact that he lives in Morocco and has since our child was 6 months old; despite the fact that he has not contributed $1 to her well-being, and; depsite the fact that he is never coming back and we, the people of Canada, actually paid for him to leave, I still have to go to court and a get a legal document proving that I have sole custody of the child. No problem. I do all of that. Then I am told if I want to get a passport for my daughter I need to have the father's consent, meaning he must sign the passport application.
The day I arrive at the passport office I am planning a trip to Florida with my daughter to visit grandma. We are planning to leave in 1 month. This is surely not enough time to send a document to Morocco, have it signed, sent back and registered at the passport office. So I try my luck. I line up for 2 hours and I arrive at a wicket where a woman is waiting to serve me. At this point I don't have the final order from the court stating sole custody. All I have is a seperation agreement stating I am the primary guardian of this child. I present it to the woman at the wicket. Immediately she tells me I cannot get a passport for my daughter without a signature from the father. No problem. I'll get right on that!!! NOT! Instead, I proceed to the back of the line and wait another 2 hours. When my number gets called I get a male passport officer this time. He asks me for all of my required documents and I proceed to tell him that the father is in Morocco and I have a separation agreement stating that I am the primary parent. He tells me he usually needs to see the court order but it's okay that I don't have it today and he proceeds to complete my passport application! That's 2 wins for Nat!
Well, I think as long as the world keeps turning, women...well some women, will hold a certain type of power over men whether they are willing to admit it or not!
A strange this happened today. I called Direct Energy to have the pilot light on my hot water tank lit. When I called a woman answered and told me that she had no record of that hot water tank belonging to Direct Energy and if she were to send someone to fix it there would be a $99 charge. I told her to forget it and I immediately called right back. This time a man answered the call. He said Enbridge must not have notified them yet of a new account set up for that house. I told him there was a big sticker on the side of the tank saying "Proudly provided by Direct Energy" and it had been serviced in 2005 by a Direct Energy employee because there was a sticker indicating that too. He told me it would not be a problem to send someone over to light my pilot light. He said there is usually a $99 fee but since I was not the one who turned off the hot water tank nor the one who drained it, he would be able to waive the fee. Amazing! 1 minute earlier I was told the tank did not belong to them and if they fixed it there would be a charge! Once again I have tried my luck with a male clerk and won!
2 years ago I went to the passport office to get a passport for my daughter. You need a little background to understand the issue here...
My daughter's father is Moroccan. He illegally immigrated to Canada in 2000. He worked 'under the table' for cash in a restaurant where I met him. Somehow, by immaculate conception I think, I was pregnant with his child. This was 2005. Shortly after I gave birth he was deported back to Morocco on Canadian tax payer dollars. Despite the fact that he lives in Morocco and has since our child was 6 months old; despite the fact that he has not contributed $1 to her well-being, and; depsite the fact that he is never coming back and we, the people of Canada, actually paid for him to leave, I still have to go to court and a get a legal document proving that I have sole custody of the child. No problem. I do all of that. Then I am told if I want to get a passport for my daughter I need to have the father's consent, meaning he must sign the passport application.
The day I arrive at the passport office I am planning a trip to Florida with my daughter to visit grandma. We are planning to leave in 1 month. This is surely not enough time to send a document to Morocco, have it signed, sent back and registered at the passport office. So I try my luck. I line up for 2 hours and I arrive at a wicket where a woman is waiting to serve me. At this point I don't have the final order from the court stating sole custody. All I have is a seperation agreement stating I am the primary guardian of this child. I present it to the woman at the wicket. Immediately she tells me I cannot get a passport for my daughter without a signature from the father. No problem. I'll get right on that!!! NOT! Instead, I proceed to the back of the line and wait another 2 hours. When my number gets called I get a male passport officer this time. He asks me for all of my required documents and I proceed to tell him that the father is in Morocco and I have a separation agreement stating that I am the primary parent. He tells me he usually needs to see the court order but it's okay that I don't have it today and he proceeds to complete my passport application! That's 2 wins for Nat!
Well, I think as long as the world keeps turning, women...well some women, will hold a certain type of power over men whether they are willing to admit it or not!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Healing Heat Infrared Sauna Spa Inc.
I am the sole shareholder, owner of 100% of the shares, of Healing Heat Infrared Sauna Spa Inc. So what does that mean? Well, at this point, that means I am the proud owner of $3000 worth of paperwork - legal incorporation documents, a very convincing business plan, a half finished logo, and a set of architectural drawings for a space I have decided not to use!
My idea is this: Imagine a tanning salon. Room after room of tanning beds. Now imagine the same thing but room after room of infrared saunas. Cool eh??!?! Perhaps you don't see it. Well let me explain. In a far-infrared sauna, less than 20% of the infrared energy heats the air leaving over 80% available to be directly converted to heat within our bodies. Thus an infrared sauna can warm its user to a much greater depth and much more efficiently than a conventional sauna but the surrounding air remains at a relatively low temperature. This crucial difference explains the many reported unprecedented health benefits of a far-infrared sauna that are not attainable with a conventional sauna. Further, an infrared sauna produces 2-3 times the sweat volume of a conventional sauna therefore allowing the escape of potentially harmful toxins through the skin.
Human bodies send and receive far-infrared waves. The range of far-infrared waves generated by our bodies is 6 to 20 microns. The optimal micron output range is between 7 and 14 microns. This range, sometimes called the “Vital Range” appears to have regenerative effects on our bodies.
Infrared CarbonFlow™ heaters emit radiant heat with a near-perfect wavelength of 8.4 to 9.4 microns. This optimal wavelength provides for better penetration of far-infrared heat, which in turn, can enhance detoxification, cardiovascular conditioning, and relief from muscle and joint aches and pains.
Are you getting it?
So I want to open a business where people will go and sweat it out in the sauna for 30-60 minutes at a time, then shower in our fully equipped shower and change room facility that will supply all of the necessary organic hygiene products including body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deoderant, hair styling products, etc. This way people can come on their lunch hour from work, before hitting the bars on a Friday night, early in the morning before work, etc. Much like we schedule the gym into our weekly routine, I would argue that we should incorporate the sauna in our weekly routine.
Using an infrared sauna on a regular basis can:
Boost your immune system.
Reduce aches, pains and stiffness.
Cleanse, enhance and beautify the skin.
Reduce inflammation through increased circulation.
Reduce the pain of arthritis.
Reduce muscle spasms.
Reduce cancer risk
Provide post exercise muscle pain relief.
Promote wound healing.
Helps to reduce cellulite.
Burn 600 calories during a 30 minute session.
What next?
Well, I hear that Roxanne, the owner of Upward Dog Yoga Studio on Dalhousie St. in the Byward Market, may be interested in renting the basement of her studio for a very reasonable price. That just happens to be directly across the street from my original intended location at 208 Dalhousie St. For several reasons I decided not to pursue a lease in that location. I need to make a visit to Upward Dog Yoga Studio and check out the space. If the price is right I will place an ad for a Naturopathic Doctor, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and a Registered Massage Therapist. I will need them to compliment the sauna service and to help my clients reach optimal health. Furthermore, I will need them to pay my bills! You see, I will rent an office space to each for a flat rental fee of something like $500 per month and then I will have my rent + utilities covered. All revenue from the saunas will be freed up to properly market the business and pay the debt incurred to buy the equipment and renovate the space. After the debts are paid, a good portion of the sauna revenues will be profit or, better yet, payable to me in dividends or salary.
Once I have one year of that under my belt I intend to franchise the idea. All urban hot spots like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and trendy States like California would most definitely be able to support a successful Healing Heat franchise. I have to work diligently on putting together a proven formula and creating all of the templates and forms required to run the business properly and professionally.
It could work. Can't you see it? I need to have the trendiest decor in a warm, tranquil environment. We want to cater to all walks of life: Older people suffering from arthritic pain, young girls wishing to lose a few pounds, middle aged people sick with toxic overload, women of all ages who want to target cellulite, men who want to be leaner and more ripped....
Well, my laptop battery is dying so that is my business idea of the day for today. Or one that I have re-ignited I guess you could say.
Stay tuned...
My idea is this: Imagine a tanning salon. Room after room of tanning beds. Now imagine the same thing but room after room of infrared saunas. Cool eh??!?! Perhaps you don't see it. Well let me explain. In a far-infrared sauna, less than 20% of the infrared energy heats the air leaving over 80% available to be directly converted to heat within our bodies. Thus an infrared sauna can warm its user to a much greater depth and much more efficiently than a conventional sauna but the surrounding air remains at a relatively low temperature. This crucial difference explains the many reported unprecedented health benefits of a far-infrared sauna that are not attainable with a conventional sauna. Further, an infrared sauna produces 2-3 times the sweat volume of a conventional sauna therefore allowing the escape of potentially harmful toxins through the skin.
Human bodies send and receive far-infrared waves. The range of far-infrared waves generated by our bodies is 6 to 20 microns. The optimal micron output range is between 7 and 14 microns. This range, sometimes called the “Vital Range” appears to have regenerative effects on our bodies.
Infrared CarbonFlow™ heaters emit radiant heat with a near-perfect wavelength of 8.4 to 9.4 microns. This optimal wavelength provides for better penetration of far-infrared heat, which in turn, can enhance detoxification, cardiovascular conditioning, and relief from muscle and joint aches and pains.
Are you getting it?
So I want to open a business where people will go and sweat it out in the sauna for 30-60 minutes at a time, then shower in our fully equipped shower and change room facility that will supply all of the necessary organic hygiene products including body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deoderant, hair styling products, etc. This way people can come on their lunch hour from work, before hitting the bars on a Friday night, early in the morning before work, etc. Much like we schedule the gym into our weekly routine, I would argue that we should incorporate the sauna in our weekly routine.
Using an infrared sauna on a regular basis can:
Boost your immune system.
Reduce aches, pains and stiffness.
Cleanse, enhance and beautify the skin.
Reduce inflammation through increased circulation.
Reduce the pain of arthritis.
Reduce muscle spasms.
Reduce cancer risk
Provide post exercise muscle pain relief.
Promote wound healing.
Helps to reduce cellulite.
Burn 600 calories during a 30 minute session.
What next?
Well, I hear that Roxanne, the owner of Upward Dog Yoga Studio on Dalhousie St. in the Byward Market, may be interested in renting the basement of her studio for a very reasonable price. That just happens to be directly across the street from my original intended location at 208 Dalhousie St. For several reasons I decided not to pursue a lease in that location. I need to make a visit to Upward Dog Yoga Studio and check out the space. If the price is right I will place an ad for a Naturopathic Doctor, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and a Registered Massage Therapist. I will need them to compliment the sauna service and to help my clients reach optimal health. Furthermore, I will need them to pay my bills! You see, I will rent an office space to each for a flat rental fee of something like $500 per month and then I will have my rent + utilities covered. All revenue from the saunas will be freed up to properly market the business and pay the debt incurred to buy the equipment and renovate the space. After the debts are paid, a good portion of the sauna revenues will be profit or, better yet, payable to me in dividends or salary.
Once I have one year of that under my belt I intend to franchise the idea. All urban hot spots like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and trendy States like California would most definitely be able to support a successful Healing Heat franchise. I have to work diligently on putting together a proven formula and creating all of the templates and forms required to run the business properly and professionally.
It could work. Can't you see it? I need to have the trendiest decor in a warm, tranquil environment. We want to cater to all walks of life: Older people suffering from arthritic pain, young girls wishing to lose a few pounds, middle aged people sick with toxic overload, women of all ages who want to target cellulite, men who want to be leaner and more ripped....
Well, my laptop battery is dying so that is my business idea of the day for today. Or one that I have re-ignited I guess you could say.
Stay tuned...
Saturday, November 28, 2009
My New House
So I bought an investment property a few weeks ago. The closing date was this past Wednesday November 25th. I found it by chance. I was searching the MLS like I periodically do and I just happened upon this cute little townhouse for sale in a neighbourhood I am very familiar with. I immediately called my real estate agent and asked him to get me in for a showing. I met him there the next day. The house is old. It has that old, warm, library-like smell about it. I immediately fell in love with it. On first glance I did not see how "rough around the edges" the house was. I saw past all of that. I imagined what colours I would paint it and what patio furniture I would set out on the deck. I imagined myself soaking in the tub and then reading a book on the couch....I would have to read a book because I don't own a TV! The TV I use now is my husbands and somehow when I imagined how this house would look, his stuff was not there. The very next day I applied for pre-approval mortgage financing. The day I received my approval I placed an offer on the house. It was a "power of sale" meaning the previous owners did not pay their mortgage and were kicked out. The bank now owned the house. There was a touch of sadness etched in the walls because it was clear that the family that was unable to afford thier mortgage had small children. This was evident by the safety locks on the toilet seats and on every cupboard and drawer in the house. There was even a cow magnet stuck on the front door left behind by a child. The very same cow magnet that my children play with at home. I saw the potential of this house becoming a home and within 2 weeks the house was mine. Prior to the closing date I posted an ad on Used Ottawa, Kijiji and Craig's List advertising it for rent. Because I wanted it rented for December 1st I had to make a special request to my agent to open the door one Saturday so that I could show the place to all the potential tenants who had responded to my ad. He agreed and I had over 10 people/couples view the house. There was a young lesbian couple that I liked the best. They seemed motivated, driven, clean, organized and when they said they liked gardening I was sold! I later found out that they were accepted into co-op housing the day after they had viewed my place and they would have to choose the much cheaper co-op option over my cute little house. In fact, the unexpected high demand for my house made me up the monthly rent by $100 more dollars than I had originally intended on charging. My second favorite couple handed in their rental application and were accpeted a few days later. I get a really good feeling about them. Roxanne and Patrick - nice people who seem very excited to finally be moving into an actual house rather than thier so accustomed to appartment.
It was only when I did the rental showing that I realized how rough the house really was. It desperately needs to be painted and cleaned and there are a few small touches that would make a world of difference. Structurally there is nothing wrong with it. It has a metal roof - lasts forever, a decent foundation and relatively new windows. With a little paint, a few new light fixutres and a really good cleaning this house will be amazing! I hired a painter and he started on Thursday morning. Just having the upstairs ceiling painted made a huge difference in the overall look of the house.
Today I had the ducts cleaned. The house was built in 1955 and today was the first time the ducts have ever been cleaned! While the men cleaned the ducts I made a list of things I will need from Home Depot. I began raking the leaves on the front lawn and smiled at all of the on lookers wondering who the new girl in the neighbourhood was. I made a trip to Home Depot and picked up a few things on my list. I changed the heater vents to new brass ones and changed the furnace filter. That's it for today. I will putter away at it again tomorrow. Slowly but surely it is coming together.
Friday, November 27, 2009
I Want to Dance
This evening I watched the movie "Dirty Dancing" - a tribute to the late Patrick Swayze I guess you could say. I watched it at least 20 times when I was 13 or 14 years old but did not appreciate it as much as I did watching it now at age 33. I love the grace and sex appeal of the dance. I love to see what the human body can perform and how we can train it and mold it to do and be so many things. I have always wanted to dance. In fact, I am sure as a child I wanted to be a professional dancer (and singer and social worker). At age 25 I worked as a youth worker for an after school program with "troubled youth". I hired a break dancer to come and teach the kids and as a result I got to take the lessons as well. So at 25 I learned the six step, the worm, a stall and I forget the name of the thing you do when you are not spinning around on the floor....the thing you do when you are just standing and doing some funky moves with your feet. It was so much fun! If I look at my body though, I am long and lean and if I try really hard, eloquent. I have the perfect body for dancing - not break dancing - but 'real' dancing like you see on "Dancing with the Stars". Salsa, Merengue, Cha Cha.....I love it!
So I own 2 businesses, a rental property and I have a family but I MUST find time to dance. I am going to sign up for lessons. Stay tuned - I will post a video of my lessons. By saying that I hold myself accountable and will have to follow through.
'
So I own 2 businesses, a rental property and I have a family but I MUST find time to dance. I am going to sign up for lessons. Stay tuned - I will post a video of my lessons. By saying that I hold myself accountable and will have to follow through.
'
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