Canada

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Grey and Yellow

Jody is really in tune with the delivery market in Lethbridge and so I was able to get through her a couple of routes delivering the CanPages phone directories. Like fliers, this pays minimum wage at best, so I didn’t over-commit to the project. Today, I did two flier routes, went out and did one phone book route, then finished up my day doing two more flier routes. It has been sunny and hot and I am done for the day even though I still have two flier routes to do tomorrow. I think I did a pretty good day’s work!

The phone book route I did today was just south of downtown proper (yay, free parking), in neighbourhoods filled with grand Victorians and cozy English-style cottages. This core part of Lethbridge is so pretty! It reminds me of Savannah, actually, with the number of people out on the porches enjoying the heat and sun, the friendliness of everyone I passed, and the huge trees dripping greenery over the street. It made me hungry for shrimp, sweet tea, and hush puppies!

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Is That the Best Place For It?

I’m still working hard at perfecting my home’s organization. I had it nearly down pat before I started the renos, but it’s been a bit of a struggle since. I think it’s because I’m much more fussy this time around since these are systems I will be living with for many years. I really want to get it right and not just a case of putting something somewhere just because it fits there.

Today, I’ve started on a massive spring clean with the main objective being to find the perfect home for things that haven’t exactly been in the way, but which have been absolutely unsightly. One major bone of contention was in the study. It was the bright yellow, 25′, ten gauge, 15 amp extension cord I bought in Eugene to reach the power pole a million miles away. I coiled it like a snake and stuck it in a corner. Yeah, it was out of the way, but every time I walked into the room I’d chide myself for not putting it away properly.

I was at a loss as to what to do with it. I didn’t want it in the basement since the humidity down there led to my losing the three extension cords I first brought with me on the road. I don’t want to use the cab as a storage room. The kitchen, library, dressing room, and toilet room didn’t have space for something like that. The loft, then? No, I try to keep as little as possible up there to keep the dust down. Okay, so it had to be the study. Perhaps in a tote in an overhead cabinet? Nope, that extension cord is HUGE.

And then it hit me:

large gauge extension cord hidden in the study mattress bed base

The bed base in the study isn’t very high, so there’s not much room to store stuff under there (thank goodness), but it is a dry and accessible location that is the perfect home for ALL my extension cords!

Next challenge: where to store my ‘in progress’ stuff like the Poliglow kit. I’ve already figured that out, having come to the conclusion that I’m missing some furniture in the library. So, until I get a furniture budget, I’ll just need to be patient.

A good house is never done. — Sarah Susanka

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Waiting For the eCheque to Clear

This morning, I awoke at an odd hour for me, 5:45, and was debating whether to get up or go back to sleep when my cell phone rang. No need to answer, I knew who it was. I’m just glad I was already awake! I was surprised that the client called me and even more surprised by the deluge of emails from her that trickled in during the day. The woman is a nut case, plain and simple. I also firmly believe that she does not intend to pay her contractors unless they play hardball with her.

Like any bully, she made me out to be the bad guy, calling me dramatic and unreasonable, claiming that she never got the invoice from me. Later, she said she had an invoice but that it was not from a name she recognized. She was peddling really, really hard, the way someone does when they know they’ve been caught red-handed.

I pointed out these facts to her:

1) the invoice was from the PayPal address I had given her numerous times, so there was no reason for her to not recognize it;
2) I had signed a number of documents showing both my legal name and my in-use name, so there was no reason not to recognize that the invoice was from me;
3) the invoice clearly described the audio files by their file names, so there was no question of what it was for.

I got nearly a half dozen requests today to confirm that I am who I said I am in the invoice. I finally had enough and replied in all caps! Yes, I raised my voice!

I also told her:

1) that I’ve been in business for 15 years and have never had to send such a large number of emails regarding payment (at least four). All I wanted was confirmation that I was going to be paid and when. All she had to do was reply to one and say “I process my invoices on such and such a day” and I would have waited for that day before raising a ruckus;

2) that she screwed herself since I produce quality work on short notice and on time.

A PayPal eCheque just landed in my inbox, so I won’t know till late next week if this matter is resolved or not.

I do not regret my behaviour in this matter. I am convinced that had I not taken the action I did that I would have had no chance of being paid. At least, the odds are now 50/50. If she does not pay me, then I can claim this invoice amount on my taxes as a business loss .

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Alberta Monsoon Season

Rain: When the exterior of your rain gear gets wet.

Monsoon: When you take off your rain gear and your clothes, right down to your underwear, need to be wrung out.

Gah. What happened to the sun and heat we’ve had since I arrived in April?! I haven’t been this wet and miserable since Campbell River!

There is tons of extra flier work this week and, of course, it has to coincide with a cold and nasty weather. Doing fliers while sopping wet is not fun.

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Dealing With a Fraudulent Client

This week, I learned that I really need to spend more time on Google before accepting contracts. Usually, I’m very good at sniffing out the scams, but this person [redacted] got me by making me sign documents, contacting me by phone, appearing eager to pay me, and plying me with more work. Thankfully, I noticed that she ignored my requests for payment and refused to take on more work. Had I taken the time to Google her email address I would have found at least one person who claims she’s running a scam.

I really don’t expect to be paid for the work I did for this person/company this week, but I didn’t just take being defrauded sitting down.

I reported the email address to a number of companies, explaining how it was used to run a scam, which is a violation of any legitimate company’s TOS. These companies were:

-Gmail, the email provider;
-Dropbox, the service through which I was sent and received the digital files;
-Craiglist, the service through which the scam was advertised and responded to.

I have a name and a PO box mailing address, so my next step could be to contact authorities in that town and see what would be involved in filing charges. There might not be anywhere near enough to go on; the name and address could very well be fake.

The contract (which was very interesting) involved the transcription of an interview from a non-famous person involved in the sports and entertainment fields, so I suspect I have more than enough information to find out who is heading this project and and perhaps get some assistance at that end.

This person picked the wrong week to piss me off.

Updates:

Waiting for the eCheque to Clear

The eCheque Cleared!