Just over a year ago my life changed from "controlled chaos" to "unpredictable chaos". Just over a year ago my mode of operation was philosophical and rather carefree, now it's pragmatic and office chair/telephone bound. Why the change? I bought a 4-plex, a little house, and bought a lot and built ANOTHER house with Turns (I swore I would never build again after my 18 year San Juan Island house building experience). Now I'm a landlord. It sucks.
I feel proud of the OTHER careers I've had in my life; the older I get the more nurturing my careers have become:
I feel proud of the OTHER careers I've had in my life; the older I get the more nurturing my careers have become:
legal secretary (19-22 years old), real estate agent (23-27 yrs old), stay-at-home mother of four beautiful children (23-52 yrs old), self-employed resale business (23-30 yrs old); in-home elderly care provider (33-36yrs old), licensed home daycare (36-40 yrs old), mortgage broker (41-48 yrs old), middle aged college student (48-50 yrs old) and I just got licensed to sell life insurance (51 - ?? yrs old)!
But in the meantime I've been a landlord, and it's no fun. Just yesterday I left the house before 7 AM to pick up $228 of building materials from Home Depot (my personal shopper gathered it all for me the night before; I feel important), caught the 9:45 AM ferry from Anacortes, evaluated and documented the misheaval at the Pemberton Place house, visited the tenant at her work (for signature and other paperwork), stopped at the building department, loaded up BETSY (our milk chocolate brown 1981 Ford half ton pick up) with boxes of stuff left over from my previous life on the island;
But in the meantime I've been a landlord, and it's no fun. Just yesterday I left the house before 7 AM to pick up $228 of building materials from Home Depot (my personal shopper gathered it all for me the night before; I feel important), caught the 9:45 AM ferry from Anacortes, evaluated and documented the misheaval at the Pemberton Place house, visited the tenant at her work (for signature and other paperwork), stopped at the building department, loaded up BETSY (our milk chocolate brown 1981 Ford half ton pick up) with boxes of stuff left over from my previous life on the island;
went thru Customs on my trip home to Anacortes (turning BETSY off every time I moved forward in line because the exhaust fumes fill the cab when she idles), battled a "flapping in the wind" blue tarp on the freeway, and finally got back home around 7 PM, only to continue with unloading the truck before dinner. Thank God for Papa Murphys take and bake pizza - chicken Mediterranean De-Light - yum!
Work on rentals began again before 7 AM this morning with 10 emails to a tenant (no names to protect his identity and bad reputation). This tenant gets overloaded easily, so I wrote a different email for each SUBJECT that needed addressing, i.e. electric bill, late fees, yard clean-up, dump run NEEDED, oil spills in garage need to be cleaned UP, get the swimming pool off the deck - too much water weight for the deck, etc.
Work on rentals began again before 7 AM this morning with 10 emails to a tenant (no names to protect his identity and bad reputation). This tenant gets overloaded easily, so I wrote a different email for each SUBJECT that needed addressing, i.e. electric bill, late fees, yard clean-up, dump run NEEDED, oil spills in garage need to be cleaned UP, get the swimming pool off the deck - too much water weight for the deck, etc.
Then my office chair/telephone bound life continued until now (6:55 PM) with maintenance phone calls (broken garage door spring at Xenia house, leaking gas hot water heater at Lake Padden house, landscaping decisions at Sealinks house, mold issues at Ginger Place, and the anonymous tenant's issues are so many I called them "appalling" yesterday. Let me focus on something else.
I finally get to attend the I CAN DO IT conference in Las Vegas June 26-29th! Check it out at www.lasvegas2008.icadoit.net I'm volunteering at the conference, so I can meet all the friendly people. Having a "job" to do will help me stay focused. I'm a self-proclaimed "seminar junkie", even though I can't sit still and listen for very long. Usually I try to sit in the very back row so I can pace behind the chairs. Pacing helps me focus too.
My passion is spiritual research. I want to be known as a mystic before I die. My concentration at Fairhaven College was "The psychology, philosophy and physics of Consciousness". The concentration was too broad. In hindsight my concentration was just "Mysticism". I get psyched when I read, think and talk about mysticism! It is way too cool. I mean really, really cool - and I do not exaggerate. Ask any of my kids...
Next time there is a vacancy at my rental, my advertisement will read "Wanted: Philosophical Tenant". Then we might even become friends!
I finally get to attend the I CAN DO IT conference in Las Vegas June 26-29th! Check it out at www.lasvegas2008.icadoit.net I'm volunteering at the conference, so I can meet all the friendly people. Having a "job" to do will help me stay focused. I'm a self-proclaimed "seminar junkie", even though I can't sit still and listen for very long. Usually I try to sit in the very back row so I can pace behind the chairs. Pacing helps me focus too.
My passion is spiritual research. I want to be known as a mystic before I die. My concentration at Fairhaven College was "The psychology, philosophy and physics of Consciousness". The concentration was too broad. In hindsight my concentration was just "Mysticism". I get psyched when I read, think and talk about mysticism! It is way too cool. I mean really, really cool - and I do not exaggerate. Ask any of my kids...
Next time there is a vacancy at my rental, my advertisement will read "Wanted: Philosophical Tenant". Then we might even become friends!
5 comments:
Thanks for the invite, honey. You are a dynamo and spetacular, wonderous woman of wisdom and joy. You are a mystic with powers of untold dimension. May you continue on your path to all-knowingness and consciousness and joy!
orcabison
Haha I don't know whether to laugh at turn's remark or to comment on your writing! I am so glad you started a blog! isn't it fun to just write... to no one in particular, but just to get it out.
Reading your first post, I am glad that Chris and I sold our Vegas house and are no longer land lords!
You're a natural writer mother dear. I'm impressed with your fearless approach to life, you are indeed a busy woman. You'e already a Mystic so now you just need to get everyone to understand that title BEFORE you die..but I know you aren't going to die soon so NO RUSH. That picture is gross by the way. hahah I LOVE YOU!
I'm so sorry to hear your words and feeling relating to your landlord / property management work. I hope we can find a property management company to take over this work for us.
Hey Wen! You're pretty good at this blogging stuff! I am glad you finally pulled out Atlas Shrugged & are seeing the "value" in it...in more ways that one!;-) What a treasure! The books itself is a treasure, Wen. Did you know that the Library of Congress deemed it to be the most influential book on modern civilization in 1979 next to The Holy Bible? That says it all. Time to pace the floor & read it...cover to cover. Magnificent piece of work...one amazing mind. I hope to write like her someday, if I had an idol, she's it! Glad you are starting the weightlifting again! Marvy! You'll live to be a ripe old age...we are glad to have a "mystic" in the family...God knows we need you!!! Thanks for all your love & support. Turns baby, you spelled "spectacular" wrong...! Lol! Mary, you did not identify yourself darlen'...but we all know your style girly girl! Love ya all! ;-) Zia Gin Gin
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