Baby steps

The last two weeks have been red letter weeks for me. I have been getting things done than have been wearing on my mind. I think that publishing my guilt list in this forum really encouraged me to get this things taken care of.

I'll list the accomplished items in order of how long they've been on my 'to do' list starting with the present.


Met client A at their new home
Time it took me to get over there: 4 weeks
I finally made the time to see my client in their new home. Also gave them a card, a gift certificate, a magazine subscription, and a survey for them it fill out. It felt great to see them so happy in their new place.


Central air in Tennessee doesn't work.
Time it wore on my brain: 4 weeks
We have a great guy that rents our house every year, and he took the inititive to get the AC fixed in Tennessee. What a relief. Thanks for Randy, we have working central air in the house. Yippee! Only cost $125!


Weeded behind the hot tub and under the deck.
Time it took me to start this project: 5 weeks
Oh yes, those weeds have been neglected and annoying me for five weeks now. It felt great to get rid of them. Some were three feet high.

Met client B at their new home.
Time it took me to get over there: 8 weeks
Well, these people are really busy too, so I finally just stopped by unannounced with a card, a gift certificate and a survey for them to fill out. They put in a pool, and it look amazing. I'm so glad I finally went over there!

Worked out my orthodic insurance issue.
Time it took: 3 months
Finally! That stupid bill for $500 was wearing a hole in my brain. The letter from Great West Life sits on my computer desk and has been mocking me for months now. Finally I'm moving in the right direction!

Concerns about our property tax bill.
Time I've spent worried about this issue: 6 months
At last we have received our long awaited tax bill from the Town of Kingsville. Why the concern you may ask? Well, we haven't had a tax bill, and we moved in here in November of 2004. We waited over a year for the assessor to come. Luckily we've put money away every mortgage payment in preparation for this enormous bill. Now we can get it paid, and not worry about it.

Incredibly unorganized in the closet under the stairs
Time it took to do something about it: 1 year
It was our dirty little secret. (Well, beside the garage, but the garage is not really a secret, because when it is open everyone can see what a complete disaster it is) Finally I went to Home Depot and bought a shelving unit. It looks so much better. So much more room. You can actually see the floor in many places. It's a good thing.

Mortgage Insurace being automatically withdrawn my my chequing account.
Time it took to get this matter resolved: One and a half YEARS
Yes, you read that correctly. I have had $19.60 withdrawn from my chequing account every month. We moved out of our house in Cottam in October of 2004, and this insurance covered only that particular mortgage, and we've been paying unnecessarily. (I only realized it in February of 2005) I've called my bank, Billy's bank, telephone banking, tried to stop payment online, etc on and off for months now. Finally I was put in the right direction, and after only 3 easy phone calls, all with people that spoke English, I am only a letter away from not only the withdrawls ending, but being reimbursed for the amount paid without warrant. Whew! Finally!

Receiving $.037 cheques from PepsiCo
Time it took to take care of this annoyance: 11 YEARS
Yes, that is correct. 11 years. A friend of mine bought me a stock in PepsiCo about 12 years ago. (As a joke, not investment. I ate at Taco Bell so much he thought I should own a part of the company, and that's PepsiCo) Every 3 months or so I receive $0.19 cheques in the mail as a dividend. The cheques have gradually gone up over the years, (and the stock split in the late 90's) and now I get $0.37 cheques, which I've never cashed because they are in US. I got a notice in the mail that the stock is considered 'abandoned' because these cheques have never been cashed. I called the number, and the paperwork to get these cheques automatically depostited in my and Paul Foster's US account is in the mail! I've tried a few times to get the dividend re-invested into the stock, but of course, being a Canadian citizen, it's almost impossible to do anything like that without a Social Insurance Number. The guy on the phone told me how to fill out the forms so they don't need a SSI number. Woo Hoo! Finally!

I don't consider myself a procrastinator, but these little details in life can really get me down. Now that the above items are taken care of, or almost, I feel so much better!

Here's me new list:
Call Erika and Liz S
See Sarah, Lisa, Mar and Thad
Buy shelving unit for second bedroom
Start something in the garage (it's unrealistic to wish to complete it, as it needs drywall and that's not going to happen anytime soon)
Do a client mailout (ugh)
Hang diplomas, awards, etc. in office
Go to Point Pelee
Go to Ikea in Canton MI
Buy pots for indoor herbs
Commit to a clock in the family room
Try staining some furniture black

Give me a few months, and see how I do!