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!