Just came back from dinner with Jane Zhang and Wayne Young... Wow! What wonderful conversation! What fun! Who knew she was that crazy? =) I'd write more, but I'm stuffed stuffed stuffed stuffed... It's not fair! He even baked cookies!
This is good. No, this is awesome...
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I *like* this feeling. Rowr!
I called up the property management building for the apartment I'm renting starting March. I wanted to set an appointment for Friday and repeat my request for a sample contract that I could review before signing it (read: go over very very carefully with a copy of the Tenant Protection Act and a red pen!). I've been asking for a sample contract since the day after I found the place, way before I submitted the security deposit.
Sandra refused to e-mail or fax a sample contract to me. "It's not our policy," she said. I grumbled a bit and headed to the Internet to find out more about the Tenant Protection Act to see if I could do something about that and what my rights were.
I called the Tenant Hotline at 416-921-9494. A counsellor told me that if they accepted the deposit I gave them, then we already had a tenancy agreement and the lease-signing would be just a formality. He also answered my questions about some of the things I noted. They can't disallow pets. They can't require postdated checks. The deposit shouldn't be more than one month's rent. I can't give up any of my rights through a contract.
So I called them up again and refused to take no for an answer. Sandra told me that it wasn't their policy to e-mail or fax sample contracts, and that I couldn't take the contract home. I asked her why not. She said it was the policy. I asked her why it was the policy. She said it was the policy. I asked her why it was the policy. She said that they manage 24 buildings and have never had a case like this. I told her that I like reading things very carefully before I sign them. She said it wasn't the policy set by her manager. I asked her if I could ask her manager why it wasn't the policy. She gave up and forwarded me to her manager.
For the win!
I got the manager to agree that I should be able to read the lease. It turns out that they don't have electronic copies of these contracts available (what?!). The manager said that they could fax me the document, though, so I gave them the fax number at IBM.
Ideally I'd have liked to be on really good terms with the property management, but if the law has to protect us from each other, then fine, that's okay with me. I really don't have to be giving Cromwell this much grief over a sample contract, as the contract can't deprive me of any of the rights I have under the Tenant Protection Act. I'd rather read through it and highlight things I need to ask about before I sign it, as that's a more efficient use of time.
I *would* like the paperwork I sign to be up to date and to reflect my understanding of the situation, and to make sure that *they* understand it too, and that they know that I know (...that they know that I know...). I understand that the contract only formalizes things and perhaps clarifies some of the gray areas. The Tenant Hotline counsellor assured me that I could hand-write clarifications into the contract and we'll all initial the changes.
In that case, I might even start the process of moving in this weekend! I need to buy a twin bed from somewhere.
Lesson learned: "No" doesn't always mean "no." You should always be able to ask why.
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I'm still a little sore from krav maga last Sunday. I don't think it's just the strain, although I'll stretch more and get used to the pain of attacking or defending. I had a hard time sleeping last night, too. A series of nightmares...
After learning a tiny fraction about defense against a knife, of course my mind goes and constructs a knife attacker to see how that might work. In my dream, I felt the fight-or-flight response (and definitely leaned toward flight!). The strange thing was that it didn't stop there... Rather, I ended up flashing back to the last time I felt a really strong fight-or-flight response, which had nothing to do with knives and everything to do with overhearing my name in conversation. That really sucked; I just couldn't stop my heart from racing.
And then I ended up dreaming someone I know was really really sad, and I just couldn't figure out how to explain things to cheer her up, and I just felt terrible.
So yeah, not quite restful sleep for me yesterday. Strange, isn't it? A knife grabs attention, but it's worse to wake up and realizing that your phantasms are less obvious and more real.
Wayne's daughter was with him last week, and I enjoyed spending time with both of them. It was a great way for me to explore all these sides of me, too—artistic, musical, linguistic, mathematical, culinary, even physical... =) We played board games and card games, and in between, I kept an eye out for interesting things to share.
I'm a walking science centre! I *love* capturing a teachable moment, provoking wonder, or even just trying to figure out how to make an abstract concept real for her. For example, last night, I couldn't resist the temptation to try and teach her more about fractions. Sixteen oranges divided in various ways... =)
Anyway, that was tons of fun. Definitely among the best ways to spend my evenings. =)
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One of the things my mom occasionally reminds me about is the need for self-defense classes. Yes, even in Toronto. Not only is it important, but it'd also be a good workout and confidence-booster. Finding a self-defense class was on my list of goals for 2007.
I attended a free Krav Maga seminar last Sunday on Wayne's recommendation. It's a form of self-defense developed for the Israeli army. Quite a workout, too. I have a small bruise and my shoulders are sore, but if I keep at it, maybe I'll get better at dealing with things like that. It was fun, although I kept apologizing after hitting my partner.
I'll settle into my life here and get that sorted out first, but if there are more free (or inexpensive) seminars, or self-defense seminars particularly for women, I might try to figure out how to fit those into my schedule and budget. =)
Worth doing again.
Sacha Chua
enterprise social computing consultant, storyteller, author, geek
sacha@sachachua.com136
http://sachachua.com137
Currently: Toronto, Canada
Originally: Manila, Philippines
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