Well hello everyone. It has been over a year since I've been keeping this blog updated so I'll bring you all up on the latest.
Last year, in early June, I started working for TGS Solutions Innovators, owners of the Aserty.com realm. It is a small ISP (Internet Service Provider) owned by Poul Topp. My brother Ron is his partner in the company. One of my job hunting strategies last year was to email everyone I knew to tell them I was job hunting and to ask them to keep eyes and ears open for possible opportunities. Poul asked Ron if I'd be interested in doing some part-time work for them for the summer. Ron asked, I accepted. It only took 3 or 4 weeks for me to be working well over the 20 hours a week originally agreed upon.
Basically my job consists of several jobs. I am the Monday-Friday Technical Support/Help Line. I am the Accounts Receivable Bookkeeper which includes collections duties. I am the Services Tech... I set up new accounts and connections, move them when they need to be moved, cancel those that need cancelling. I am the liason with Bell Canda and other service suppliers and their technical groups. I Manage the office. I'm the Shipping and Receiving department. I liase with the banks and banking institutions (such as Moneris). I run the monthly reports, send out invoices, receive payments. When customers have questions I answer them, if I can't answer a question I either find an answer or find the guy (Poul or Ron) who can answer the question. I assign jobs to Poul and Ron that fall within their duties. I come up with ideas for marketing and advertising. I make strong suggestions for changes to the website (sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't). I field calls from sales reps and filter calls from companies and people that need to be filtered out (telephone spam). I answer 98% of the email. In short... I have become the voice of Aserty.com. We are still trying to think of an all-encompassing job title.
Recently I've been writing up procedures for the work I do. HUGE job. I've spent about 30 hours working on these procedures and only completed 'setting up new accounts' and 'cancelling an account'. It's going to take forever because there is so much work to keep me busy and not enough time to work on procedures.
Oh yes... the cat, Hunter (or Pooosie Cat as I call her), a.k.a. her royal highness, thinks that my main duties include feeding her, opening doors for her, giving her treats and cuddling her. She is a very demanding cat. If she weren't such an old cutie I'd better be able to refuse her. Hunter is something like 15 years old, almost totally deaf and her eyes aren't what they once were. She is my office cat and she believes me to be her daytime slave. Poul and Rosalyn (his wife) have told me that on weekends she will go into the office looking for me and will sit sqwaking (her meow is loud and gruff) at the back of my chair until someone tells her I'm not there. Quite funny when you think about it... and quite cute too.
Since January of this year I have officially been an employee with full-time duties. Although I've been working 32-38 hours a week since last August. This means that I get to take a paid vacation this year.
In the meantime I have also managed to keep up the volunteering for festivals around Ottawa. Last summer it was BluesFest and ChamberFest. This year, Tulip Festival, Bluesfest (currently) and ChamberFest (late July to early August). I've already done two ChamberFest promotional events. That vacation will have to wait until August after ChamberFest ends.
I've also gotten back into the Belly Dancing. Last summer I went to a few practice nights and in September re-joined Tracey's classes. I was due to do a performance at the December class party but slipped on the icey sidewalks on the way there, pulled several muscles in my back and was barely able to move by the time the show started. So I was a last minute cancellation and covered the door and ticketing instead. At the June class party I did perform. I made a fabulous new costume which I love and which got many lovely compliments. Thank you for those. I performed with weighted veils for the first time. It was a good performance but too long. The weighted veils are extremely exhausting to work with and my music was 4:16 long. That was about a whole minute too long. I ran out of steam at about 3:30 and struggled to keep it going. I took my bows and once off stage all but collapsed. I couldn't catch my breath and was bone dry. I guzzled down a whole bottle of water in less than 10 seconds. Then I panted for a full 5 minutes. Ah, well, live and learn.
I want to work more actual dance into a weighted veil routine next time. Make it more balanced and not just about the veils. By the way... it was Elaine who taught me to use the veils. This summer I am trying to attend all the Thursday night practices.
My grandniece Cassandra turned 2 years old on July 2 this year. She is quite a big girl. Many people mistake her for a 3 year old when they see her. But she is all two year old. She is developing quite a strong personality and personal presence. She insists on being the centre of attention and usually is. Quite the little princess. Ron, her grandfather, refers to her as "Herself". It is very suitable.
The bicycle has been my main transportation over the last 3 or 4 weeks. Ever since I got it tuned up. I had to repack the bearing in the front wheel before it could be used. The rear wheel bearings need repacking too but that is a huge all-day job that will have to wait. It's a lot of work to take that wheel apart so I'll do the derailleur at the same time. It's been about 12 years since I did this job myself so I'll have to get the book out and do some reading up on it to refresh my memory first.
This Canada Day I did something I had not done in about 15 years... I went to Parliament Hill. The day started early with breakfast at Zak's with Michele. We left there about 9:00 to go to the Hill for the parade from the drill hall. We saw the parade, changing of the guard, flag raising ceremony, RCMP musical ride, Governor General inspecting the GG's footguard, singing of Oh Canada, twice (at least), SkyHawks sky divers (twice), the Snowbirds (twice) and the 21 gun salute. We left the Hill about 12:30... exhausted, hot and feeling like crud. We walked back through Major's Hill Park where I left Michele while I went home, showered and rested. Then back out to walk over to Canada & the World Pavillion at Rideau Falls for the Al Arz Lebanese Dance Troupe show. The Svitanok Ukrainian Dancers were still performing when I got there. I got lots of photos and movies of everything all day.
I do hope to find time to post photos to the blog but first I have to remember how to do it. I haven't posted photos in over a year. Yes, the New Zealand movies are still not there, I know.
After the walk back home, another shower, another nap and a long wait for the rain to stop preceded another walk. This time over to Tracey and Tom's for a BBQ where I stayed until it was time to walk, yet again, to the fireworks. We just walked to our favourite spot (I'll never post that on the internet!!!) and stood waiting. They started about 10:20 and went on for at least 20 minutes. A fantabulous display! I loved it!! So did everyone else!!! Then walked Michele home, past Kaitlin's place then walked Sara back to T&T's (where she was staying) then walked me home. Then I had my fourth shower of the day and fell into bed. Exhausted just does not describe the feeling. Pain was definately involved.
After Canada Day most people rest but instead I had a busy weekend. Socially busy. Saturday started with a bus ride and walk to Poul's place to pick up the car so I could get from one end of the city to the other quickly. Cassandra's birthday party Saturday afternoon was followed immediately by an Algonquin class of '82 reunion. Half the group did not show but we had a great time anyway. We hope to do another soon. It was fun to see people I had lost touch with and we want to get the others to the next one. Then on Sunday... well the usual brunch thing in the morning followed by errands and shopping. But Sunday evening a group of us got together to go over to the RCMP stables in Rockliffe for the Sunset Ceremonies. At least 2 hours of performing horses (with and without riders), dogs, the RCMP band, a marching pipe and drum band and highland dancers. Not to mention clowns, jugglers and unicycles. We finished off the night with a trip to the DQ at St-Laurent and Hemlock. Banana Split... don't fight it. As often as I try to I can never seem to get myself to order something else.
Monday night I had a team meeting for BeautiControl (more on that later), last night was spent getting laundry and other chores done and tonight was a Bluesfest volunteer orientation meeting followed by Michele's birthday party at Patty Boland's Pub. Tomorrow night is my first Bluesfest shift. And thus the craziness begins. I'll have little or no downtime until the second week of August. So don't expect to see much more here for awhile.
The vacation plan is to take the train to Halifax and back with a few days visiting in between. I haven't been East of Montreal since I bought the house on Bolton Street. So as long as I can put enough money together for it, I'll be gone. I'd love to stop over in Quebec City for an overnight too.
That's plenty for now. Good night all.
Posted by gailene at July 6, 2005 11:28 PM