I went to Kelsey's today to have a salad and I came home and looked up the nutrition information to calculate my points. I can't BELIEVE how much fat is in the dressings on salads at restaurants. I mean, it makes them taste better, but I got a salad to be healthy! It came to 14 points... Oy. Plus then my folks came home from visiting with my nonna and nonno and they brought me home leftovers which consisted of penne and homemade tomato sauce, a homemade meatball and sausauge in tomato sauce. So good. I have been over my point limit the last four days in a row. Good thing I have flex points but tomorrow is going to be a day where I am very under my point limit. Not looking forward to Tuesday's weigh in. Hopefully it's not as bad as I am making it out in my head. I am okay with not losing weight every week but gaining weight this early on might be a major set back for me. The next two weeks won't be any better either as it will be filled with birthday things, social events and baking!
Work. I don't even know what it is that I am to say about it anymore. I have been so busy and so stressed out over work for the last couple of weeks. I actually stayed until 9:30 on Wednesday night so that I could at least catch up on a few file openings. There are so many accumulating that I can't open because I am now working on getting files together in time for signing the documents and closing the transaction. Of the ten that I was given or I assumed, I only have two more that need to be completed. They are related transactions and I think the sale is mostly done. I have already written to the current mortgagee requesting a mortgage discharge statement so I know how much money we need to pay to them so we can register a discharge of that mortgage and take it off title. I also got all the tax information for the client so I was able to complete the statement of adjustments and tell the other side how much our client paid in taxes and whether they need to be compensated by their client for the amount paid. Now for the purchase, I am still working on getting the mortgage instructions under control. These instructions are from Macquarie. I have no idea who they are. We have had many mortgages come through for them but I have never seen a bank for them and I don't really know where one would go to request a Macquarie mortgage. Anyways, not that the instructons are difficult but they are different then any I have done before so it's taking longer than I think it should.
There were a couple of rush file openings that needed to be done last week. All of them are closing on June 30th so I don't even know how many we are up to now for that day. For a small firm, I know it's a damn lot. The bossman gave them to this one girl to open up because she would likely be the one that would be finishing off the files. But she pawned them all off on me, of course. So I am supposed to stop everything and open these damn files for her?! Gah. So I left them to the end of the day, opened them, and then had her scrambling I think to try and get everything in order. So ridiculous some people are.
I was in Burlington this weekend at the Sound of Music Festival. This is what contributed to my overdoing of points, even though there wasn't TOO much bad eating. But I did have half of a pulled pork sandwich. Those things are absolutely to die for. Yum! They were also giving away free Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches which are good for the point system but god damn are they expensive. So I took it while they were free. I didn't want to use up two points though, so I shared it with boyfriend. He liked it too. Also ended up eating a souvlaki pita that evening and some oil popped popcorn. And of course a couple of beers and a couple of vodkas. haha I can't stop drinking just because I have to watch my points now, can I?! I'm totally in trouble these next couple of weeks... haha
I have to start resting up for next week. I feel work and socializing and baking will be a doozy for me.
June 20, 2010
June 9, 2010
Licenses, Dinos and Flowers!
While last week was rather stressful and frustrating, this one has started out on some rather positive notes (other than the fact that I may need to stay late tomorrow and I stayed an extra hour last night). First off, the new/return receptionist is getting better at what she does. She is able to do her tasks quicker, however, she for some reason thinks I work on every single file. Bizarre chicky. Just look it up in the system. It says who was the last one in the file and they are more than likely the one working on the file. However, she is still very very slow on the file opening. Which is a problem because if I have to focus on file opening, I wont be able to do all the other tasks that are currently on my plate. Everyone in the office has been throwing all kinds of random crap at her. I guess they don't realize that these files don't open themselves!
Bossman also hired another girl. There is no room for this girl. Some weird old school portable desk was brought out of somewhere for the occassion. It's set up right next to my desk. There is no phone and no computer on this old school desk. Therefore, she can't do any phone answering or anything that requires any of the computer programs that we virtually live off of. She is our new banking girl, though. This will take the load off some of the work that one of the other girls normally does so she can focus on closing the sale files that she has been given. When the days are slow, though, or she's not at the bank, she doesn't have a whole lot to do. She's been putting file folders, checklists, filing random crap, putting waybills in chronological order and not a whole lot. It's hard to find stuff for her to do that doesn't really require the computer or phone. Poor girl. Hopefully something comes up or the bank needs to be visited more often so she doesn't appear as bored.
I got my Teraview licence on Friday! Yay! So I have a bunch of paper work that I am supposed to read through so that I don't make any mistakes. Just got the USB from Bossman today. You need this USB to be able to do any sort of work on Teraview. It's really quite interesting. The USB logs everything that you do on the computer program. That way, the programers can track everything that is done on their site and can figure out where issues or fraud has occurred. The liability risk is pretty high. But today I did my very first execution search!! Usually, after I do the requistion letter on the purchase files, I give the file to another coworker. She then will do the execution search if we have the client's questionnaire. The questionnaire is given when we open the file and it requires the client to file out how they plan to take title and exactly how they want their names to appear. So now, I can do it myself! I search two people. The execution search checks to see whether anyone by that name has been sued by anyone else and the issue hasn't been resolved. The search picks up every name so it might catch the middle and last names but the first names may be different. It is still an execution against the client. We then have to check with the client if it is them or not. If it's not, we just get the client to sign an affidavit stating that they are not one and the same person as the person whose name came up in the search. That can only be done if the execution is for a value of $50,000 or less though. If it is over $50,000, or there are a number of them over $50,000, we have to write to the solicitor representing the person suing them, and get them to determine that our client is not one and the same person as that mentioned in the execution. They will then charge us/our client for them to write this letter. Sounds like a lot of effort, but a client cannot purchase a property if they have executions against them so the executions must be waived or lifted before the transaction can close. I get to be a part of that world now! Yahoo! Tomorrow I will do my first transfer and charge/mortgage. I like learning.
Saturday's Walking with Dinosaurs was absolutely amazing. The dinosaurs were so large and they really looked as if they were moving around. It was incredible. The sound effects were perfect also. The story was not what I was expecting it to be, not that I really knew what to expect. There is a paleontologist narrating the story of the dinosaurs and he takes us through the ages. Talks about the dinosaurs, other animals that were on earth at the time, the vegetation and the shape of the continents. Here is the green vegetation before there were any flowers:
Meet the Dinosaurs!
Stegosaurus:
Brachiosaurus lovin:
The battle between the baby T-Rex, mama T-Rex, Protoceratops and Ankylosaurus!! RAWR!!
Close up of mama and baby T-Rex:
The ending threw me right off. I didn't think they were actually doing a full and accurate retelling of the story of the dinosaurs but they did. The meteor came and killed off the dinosaurs. Left me a little sad feeling but then the baby T-Rex came out and took a bow and he was so cute that really you couldn't stay sad!
After baking healthy Strawberry oat muffins last night with Dominique, I wanted to bake some more this evening. So I made some Banana Coconut Oat drops. They only have five ingredients and don't take very long at all. 2 cups of oats, 1/2 cup of coconut, 3 ripe bananas, 1/3 cup oil and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. I modified the original recipe because I had no dates and I like coconut a lot so that is the recipe I came up with. They are only 1 Weight Watcher point each. They aren't all that big but they are satisfying and that's all I need! Here is what they look like:
I then decided to head into my backyard and see if the garden has been doing anything exciting lately. Our perennials are not coming up all that well. They didnt grow all that well last year either so I wasn't too surprised. We got a few different plants to try and fill in the gaps. So far, really only the hanging baskets are blooming. And some annuals my mom planted out front. But there is also an indoor hibiscus which we've put outside for the time being. Here are some good blooms:
They still have raindrops on them from the light rain which fell all day long. Gorgeous. I love my flowers.
Bossman also hired another girl. There is no room for this girl. Some weird old school portable desk was brought out of somewhere for the occassion. It's set up right next to my desk. There is no phone and no computer on this old school desk. Therefore, she can't do any phone answering or anything that requires any of the computer programs that we virtually live off of. She is our new banking girl, though. This will take the load off some of the work that one of the other girls normally does so she can focus on closing the sale files that she has been given. When the days are slow, though, or she's not at the bank, she doesn't have a whole lot to do. She's been putting file folders, checklists, filing random crap, putting waybills in chronological order and not a whole lot. It's hard to find stuff for her to do that doesn't really require the computer or phone. Poor girl. Hopefully something comes up or the bank needs to be visited more often so she doesn't appear as bored.
I got my Teraview licence on Friday! Yay! So I have a bunch of paper work that I am supposed to read through so that I don't make any mistakes. Just got the USB from Bossman today. You need this USB to be able to do any sort of work on Teraview. It's really quite interesting. The USB logs everything that you do on the computer program. That way, the programers can track everything that is done on their site and can figure out where issues or fraud has occurred. The liability risk is pretty high. But today I did my very first execution search!! Usually, after I do the requistion letter on the purchase files, I give the file to another coworker. She then will do the execution search if we have the client's questionnaire. The questionnaire is given when we open the file and it requires the client to file out how they plan to take title and exactly how they want their names to appear. So now, I can do it myself! I search two people. The execution search checks to see whether anyone by that name has been sued by anyone else and the issue hasn't been resolved. The search picks up every name so it might catch the middle and last names but the first names may be different. It is still an execution against the client. We then have to check with the client if it is them or not. If it's not, we just get the client to sign an affidavit stating that they are not one and the same person as the person whose name came up in the search. That can only be done if the execution is for a value of $50,000 or less though. If it is over $50,000, or there are a number of them over $50,000, we have to write to the solicitor representing the person suing them, and get them to determine that our client is not one and the same person as that mentioned in the execution. They will then charge us/our client for them to write this letter. Sounds like a lot of effort, but a client cannot purchase a property if they have executions against them so the executions must be waived or lifted before the transaction can close. I get to be a part of that world now! Yahoo! Tomorrow I will do my first transfer and charge/mortgage. I like learning.
Saturday's Walking with Dinosaurs was absolutely amazing. The dinosaurs were so large and they really looked as if they were moving around. It was incredible. The sound effects were perfect also. The story was not what I was expecting it to be, not that I really knew what to expect. There is a paleontologist narrating the story of the dinosaurs and he takes us through the ages. Talks about the dinosaurs, other animals that were on earth at the time, the vegetation and the shape of the continents. Here is the green vegetation before there were any flowers:
Meet the Dinosaurs!
Stegosaurus:
The battle between the baby T-Rex, mama T-Rex, Protoceratops and Ankylosaurus!! RAWR!!
The ending threw me right off. I didn't think they were actually doing a full and accurate retelling of the story of the dinosaurs but they did. The meteor came and killed off the dinosaurs. Left me a little sad feeling but then the baby T-Rex came out and took a bow and he was so cute that really you couldn't stay sad!
After baking healthy Strawberry oat muffins last night with Dominique, I wanted to bake some more this evening. So I made some Banana Coconut Oat drops. They only have five ingredients and don't take very long at all. 2 cups of oats, 1/2 cup of coconut, 3 ripe bananas, 1/3 cup oil and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. I modified the original recipe because I had no dates and I like coconut a lot so that is the recipe I came up with. They are only 1 Weight Watcher point each. They aren't all that big but they are satisfying and that's all I need! Here is what they look like:
I then decided to head into my backyard and see if the garden has been doing anything exciting lately. Our perennials are not coming up all that well. They didnt grow all that well last year either so I wasn't too surprised. We got a few different plants to try and fill in the gaps. So far, really only the hanging baskets are blooming. And some annuals my mom planted out front. But there is also an indoor hibiscus which we've put outside for the time being. Here are some good blooms:
June 3, 2010
First completed file!
I'm obviously really bad at keeping up with this blog. However, I only have one follower and one other semi-reader, so I don't feel so bad!! haha
Work has been super super super busy and super super super stressful. I have made up 9 of the 10 hours that I owed bossman and I am certain many more overtime hours are in my near future. June is the most busy month I think I've witnessed there. Everyone is still trying to beat the HST. The last four working days on the month are going to be absolutely insane. I'm not really sure how everyone is going to pull all this shit together but it will get done. Just don't expect any of us to be smiling!
So I have all of my files sitting on my desk and slowly going forward. I worked on my first sale file today! One of the other girls went through a sale file yesterday while I followed along with her. I wrote everything down because there is just so much to do, but today I was able to do the sale file mostly by myself. This was the sale file that was thrown at me out of the blue because I had a question on the file and she decided she didn't want to answer me and so therefore I was working on the file. And they clients have a purchase too. The purchase isn't for two weeks after the sale closes and one of the clients is leaving on Monday for a few weeks. So it's a big rush job. Luckily we got the mortgage documents late this afternoon so I can prepare teh purchase file without having to prepare a power of attorney. And then she can sign before she leaves the country. Now I just have to make sure I get all the purchase documents ready for signing. As I STILL don't have my license/disc on Teraview, I can't prepare the actual transfer or mortgage/charge documents, so I will have to get one of the other girls to do that part for me. But luckily I asked bossman about it today (for like the fifth time) and we faxed out the request for my name and password this afternoon. Which means that I better be getting it goddamn soon! Then I can ACTUALLY finish the whole file on my own. Maybe by the end of the month when most of my other files are due.
The girl that took over the front desk has already left. She apparently was offered a better position somewhere else, I assume in her field. No one really talked about it prior to her departure, so when we arrived on Monday and found that she was no longer coming in, it was a bit of a shock. But another girl that has been there the past two summers has returned. She has the phones, filing and copying down pat. The only problem is that I know have to train her how to open files. I feel I just did that. The other girl never really got it down pat so I am more hopeful about this one. Not as fast of a learner though, but we'll get there!
I thought we were finally finished opening up all the files for June but we got three more today. Bossman has decided that he would not be accepting anymore transactions for the end of the month so these ones were earlier in the month. Which is also pretty annoying because things need to be done really fast and quick. But I have passed those ones on to the experts to get through them since I am way too green and slow at it thus far.
Two weekends in a row we have gone to stag and does. Although I am not a fan of having to drive over an hour every weekend for 6 weekends in a row, we have already won several exciting items. The highlights are a 26 of Smirnoff, aromatherapy sets, bracelet, candles, gym bag, $25 gift certificate to a pub and $100 gift certificate for a fancy pants restaurant. Very exciting. Plus we have another stag and doe this weekend in which we have the chance to win a signed Alexander Ovechkin jersey, among other things. Which is also very exciting!! But it's going to be a full out fun weekend. Prior to the stag and doe we are going to see Walking with the Dinosaurs at Copps Colliseum! It is an early birthday gift from my boy! Wooooot! And then after the program, we are staying over in a fantastic looking little hole in the wall in Brantford, where the stag and doe is. No plans for the afternoon after yet, but we will have to find something entertaining to do in the town. I've never been in that area in the day time so maybe there is a big highlight that I must see! Any tips of what to do in the Brantford on a Sunday?!
I am certainly glad that tomorrow is Friday. This week has been a bit of a mess. As was last week. Month end. And now month beginning of an insane month. Plus the air conditioner has decided to konk out. So even if it's not too hot outside, it's at least 15 degrees hotter indoors. We all have desk fans directly in our faces and still all sweating up a storm. It might be helping me lose my weight though! Started the Weight Watchers last week and this Tuesday on weigh in day I was done another 2.5 pounds. So in total, I am down 8.5 pounds. I eat pretty well during the week but then comes the weekends where stag and does provide fattening foods and liquor. And my boy can eat anything because he's a skinny guy and never gets fat. BAH TO HIM I SAYS!!! So I have prblems restraining myself on weekends. But I think the healthy times during the week compensate for it. At least so far. Fingers crossed for more good times and weight dropping off.
Work has been super super super busy and super super super stressful. I have made up 9 of the 10 hours that I owed bossman and I am certain many more overtime hours are in my near future. June is the most busy month I think I've witnessed there. Everyone is still trying to beat the HST. The last four working days on the month are going to be absolutely insane. I'm not really sure how everyone is going to pull all this shit together but it will get done. Just don't expect any of us to be smiling!
So I have all of my files sitting on my desk and slowly going forward. I worked on my first sale file today! One of the other girls went through a sale file yesterday while I followed along with her. I wrote everything down because there is just so much to do, but today I was able to do the sale file mostly by myself. This was the sale file that was thrown at me out of the blue because I had a question on the file and she decided she didn't want to answer me and so therefore I was working on the file. And they clients have a purchase too. The purchase isn't for two weeks after the sale closes and one of the clients is leaving on Monday for a few weeks. So it's a big rush job. Luckily we got the mortgage documents late this afternoon so I can prepare teh purchase file without having to prepare a power of attorney. And then she can sign before she leaves the country. Now I just have to make sure I get all the purchase documents ready for signing. As I STILL don't have my license/disc on Teraview, I can't prepare the actual transfer or mortgage/charge documents, so I will have to get one of the other girls to do that part for me. But luckily I asked bossman about it today (for like the fifth time) and we faxed out the request for my name and password this afternoon. Which means that I better be getting it goddamn soon! Then I can ACTUALLY finish the whole file on my own. Maybe by the end of the month when most of my other files are due.
The girl that took over the front desk has already left. She apparently was offered a better position somewhere else, I assume in her field. No one really talked about it prior to her departure, so when we arrived on Monday and found that she was no longer coming in, it was a bit of a shock. But another girl that has been there the past two summers has returned. She has the phones, filing and copying down pat. The only problem is that I know have to train her how to open files. I feel I just did that. The other girl never really got it down pat so I am more hopeful about this one. Not as fast of a learner though, but we'll get there!
I thought we were finally finished opening up all the files for June but we got three more today. Bossman has decided that he would not be accepting anymore transactions for the end of the month so these ones were earlier in the month. Which is also pretty annoying because things need to be done really fast and quick. But I have passed those ones on to the experts to get through them since I am way too green and slow at it thus far.
Two weekends in a row we have gone to stag and does. Although I am not a fan of having to drive over an hour every weekend for 6 weekends in a row, we have already won several exciting items. The highlights are a 26 of Smirnoff, aromatherapy sets, bracelet, candles, gym bag, $25 gift certificate to a pub and $100 gift certificate for a fancy pants restaurant. Very exciting. Plus we have another stag and doe this weekend in which we have the chance to win a signed Alexander Ovechkin jersey, among other things. Which is also very exciting!! But it's going to be a full out fun weekend. Prior to the stag and doe we are going to see Walking with the Dinosaurs at Copps Colliseum! It is an early birthday gift from my boy! Wooooot! And then after the program, we are staying over in a fantastic looking little hole in the wall in Brantford, where the stag and doe is. No plans for the afternoon after yet, but we will have to find something entertaining to do in the town. I've never been in that area in the day time so maybe there is a big highlight that I must see! Any tips of what to do in the Brantford on a Sunday?!
I am certainly glad that tomorrow is Friday. This week has been a bit of a mess. As was last week. Month end. And now month beginning of an insane month. Plus the air conditioner has decided to konk out. So even if it's not too hot outside, it's at least 15 degrees hotter indoors. We all have desk fans directly in our faces and still all sweating up a storm. It might be helping me lose my weight though! Started the Weight Watchers last week and this Tuesday on weigh in day I was done another 2.5 pounds. So in total, I am down 8.5 pounds. I eat pretty well during the week but then comes the weekends where stag and does provide fattening foods and liquor. And my boy can eat anything because he's a skinny guy and never gets fat. BAH TO HIM I SAYS!!! So I have prblems restraining myself on weekends. But I think the healthy times during the week compensate for it. At least so far. Fingers crossed for more good times and weight dropping off.
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