Category Archives: Getting Shit Done

Mood Swings

My mood has been all over the damn place lately. This week, I was feeling super energized work-wise. Every time I’ve gone into the office (just 10 minutes away!), I’ve met some really nice and friendly people. The vibe is so welcoming and cohesive! Also, the staff are on it! Like as soon as I submitted my formal paperwork, I was set up with the email account, website, intranet access, etc. Same day service! On Friday, the office also hosted a holiday party, and it was a lovely spread. I asked about taking something, and the organizers were all like: oh no, we’re ordering food so don’t worry about it. Mind you, this whole last month or two, bc I couldn’t formally submit my docs, I haven’t even had to pay any business fee or anything to attend all the trainings. They don’t care. They seem to really understand the concept of building goodwill. Anyway, I feel really good about my decision to join this office.

Of course, just as all of the work stuff is ramping up, Marty is not doing well. He is uncomfortable/restless at night. We administered 400 ml of fluids two days ago, and yesterday, he started eating again but his legs are increasingly weak. He’s been trembling a lot more, and then this morning, he was too weak to do much beyond going into the backyard. I just gave him another 350 ml this morning. If he’s not better by tomorrow, I’m going to take him to the vet. The decline is inevitable and yet my mind is still in some kind of denial… Thank goodness we aren’t traveling for Thanksgiving.

In other news, John and I are on weird sleep schedules again. I try to sleep in (wake up between 8-9AM) while he’s up early, but by mid-day, he’s all crashed out. He’s been reading a book lately about dictatorships and the principles of power and then watching new tv series like Narco and Black Mirror. All really thought-provoking, disturbing content about the crazy world we now live in and the hurdles that will come in the future. I’m still very sad and disillusioned with the elections to the point that I don’t feel emboldened or empowered at all. I signed a few petitions, but I’m still so disheartened. All the news about the potential cabinet members… it’s all fucked up. And I have lost faith. Even if we were to speak out and march and protest and write letters… ultimately, he and his cronies just DON’T CARE about the opposing point of view. You know what I mean? They think what they think and they are absolutely unapologetic, so how then do the pressures of protest change their minds or actions? I honestly do not see a way out of this fucking mess.

My friend J invited me to join her and the hubs for the Women’s March in DC the day after inauguration. Right now, that kind of action seems utterly pointless. And then Bubs keeps wanting to talk about all this stuff he’s reading: I cannot deal with the world right now!

And so, I can only proceed by focusing on my new business and on Martin. Otherwise, this shit is too damn overwhelming and paralyzing.

Tonight, we’ve got tickets to a magic show and dinner at the California Magic Theater in Martinez. The theater is like 70 minutes away, but I’m looking forward to the distraction. The world sure could use some more magic these days.

Evacuate

I was back at the office today attending a training on the escrow process. Once again, the instructors confirmed my parents’ past suspicions and fears, this time about wire transfer fraud. My parents still insist on using cashiers’ checks for big transactions and sure enough, my parents are right again! Crooks are getting insanely good at following homebuying/selling email threads: at the very last minute on the day of closing, they’ll try to sneak in changes to the wire transfer instructions. Some thieves have even dropped by the escrow office handing the secretary written change instructions for their escrow officer. Super tricky!! Apparently, some people have lost $6ook from a botched wire and that money is gone forever. Even the FBI is unable to get it back. So crazy!

Overall, the training was good. I sat next to a Vietnamese lady… she says her family is in the restaurant business in San Jose and she is doing real estate part time. She just got her license. She seemed very friendly and pleasant. I was also talking to another newbie who told me to check the BRE website, bc they post license certificates and numbers online under your account before they even mail that shit out. Holy fuck, it was there! So I now have my number and issue date and I am ready to proceed with all my marketing materials, i.e. business cards and website. Woot, woot!

Back on the home front, it was a chaotic day. The plumbers returned to run the pressure test and we failed again, which means there is a leak somewhere in our system. So he rechecked all the exposed and accessible joints and no luck. I was then kinda pissed thinking that they should have made sure all was clear before installing the tankless bc now we can’t pass inspection. Long story short, the head foreman came by in the afternoon to meye with us. All of us are perplexed by the gas lines in the house. The original system was laid in the concrete slab, then at some point that system was abandoned and the gas lines were moved above ground, seemingly up towards the roof and yet there are no visible gas lines on the roof. I then proceeded to ask my neighborhood list if they knew the layout for this model of home. On hearing the word leak, people replied urging us to evacuate and call PGE immediately. Thankfully, the plumbers had explained that the leak was minor enough to be safe, and according to Bubs, they did warn us to NOT call PGE bc if the utility found any leak, the gas would be shut off indefinitely.

In the time that John hopped on the phone with his sister for thirty minutes, I fielded the neighborhood responses and called PGE thinking maybe they would have some special tools to help locate the leak. Yes, I should have remembered from last time that once you mention leak to PGE, they are at your door pronto to investigate. So of course, we had plans just the two of us in the city that immediately got canceled. When I told John that PGE was coming, he was furious bc he was convinced we would get our gas turned off. He basically reacted to me like I was retarded, and I got very upset. As it turns out though, PGE has different (lower) standards for testing and we passed no problem. On one hand I was relieved to keep the gas on. On the other hand, I also felt some reassurance that the house was indeed safe by two sources.

I also learned from my neighbors that there is a specialty leak detection service where they can identify the leak without cracking open all the drywall… I have placed a call to learn more. But after sitting down this evening to re-evaluate  everything, John and I have decided that we will proceed with the bathroom expansion, which will involve moving the gas lines inside the hallway washer/dryer area and THEN we’ll tackle the leak issue should the remodel not resolve it. Other items on the work order include running a gas line to the fireplace. The other option is for us to get the chimney swept and we can just burn duraflames. I dunno. Ugh.

Of course this evening, Marty’s appetite soured and he puked like three times today. I ate some popcorn shrimp the other day and left the tails on the coffee table. At night he got into them and I suspect that triggered some kidney issues. I just gave him 400ml of subcutaneous fluids. Hopefully he’ll feel better tomorrow. Sigh. Tessa is coming over again for daycare. I had mentioned before about ending with her on a good note and her last visit went surprisingly well without any incidents with Martin. Tomorrow she’ll be over just for the day. Hopefully, all will go well.

Phil Dunphy

John and I finally went back to the gym last night. Twenty minutes on the recumbent bike was enough to get my lame heart rate going. Yup, back to Square 1! Of course, I was back to using all the gym amenities: sauna, towels, shower, toiletries, hair dryer, etc. Fuck man, our last utility bill was through the roof, so you know I’m playing my game again!

The new tankless water heater is working out so-so, to be honest. I mean, the purpose was to create more space in the master bath, but I guess neither one of us really thought through the part of having a delay in getting hot water. In retrospect, duh: there ain’t no 40 gallons of water kept hot at all times… It’s not a deal breaker, but it’s definitely an adjustment. The delay is maybe 30-40 seconds? maybe a minute?

The plumbers are coming back tomorrow. You see, last week before the install, they ran a pressure test and detected two gas leaks. (See? There WAS a gas leak on the Houseboat!!). At the time, the plumber fixed the big leak outside, but he said the smaller one was behind the old water heater, and he expected the removal of the old tank to make it a moot issue. So after the crew finished up yesterday, I texted the foreman just to be sure: do you need to re-test the gas pressure to make sure the second leak was indeed resolved by removal of the old tank? He said he wasn’t aware there were leaks detected before (poor internal communication) and that yes, they need to test again. That’s the thing with contractors. Bubbey was home the whole time they were here, and he never asked them a single question about it or anything else! I won’t be home again tomorrow, but I’m going to leave post-it notes. Bubs was also supposed to ask about running a water line to the fridge so we can hook up the ice maker.

I got a pretty late start today. Marty was restless last night, and he’s been trembling more than usual. Then his diaper was too loose, so early in the morning, it came off and Marty shit in the kitchen. Ugh. Thankfully though, after cleaning up, I was able to sleep in and wake up when rested.

I did more of my real estate training videos, and then I made Bubs do a photoshoot, so I could mock up my business cards. I’m not very keen on pictures of myself, and I’ve never really had formal/professional headshots taken, but hell, this is the new industry I’m in: the mugshot is standard. So we shot pics all around the house. In the end, Bubbey even whipped out his light diffusers from the garage and had me stand against a blank wall in the living room. With a little bit of Photoshop post-production, ONE pic came out ok. I mean, I am doing my usual Mona Lisa smile (Sorry, but my smile with teeth is AWFUL) and standing with a smug Stanley Roberts stance, but seriously, out of a gabillion pics, this is the best I can do. Now I’m just waiting on that damn license number from the BRE. Arrive in the mail, already! Sheesh!

Through all of this, I can’t help but think of Phil Dunphy in Modern Family. Shit, before you know it, I’m going to have my mug on signs and bus stations and vehicle wrappers all over town. JK! Hopefully, potential clients will see beyond my resting bitch face and give me some business!

 

Square One

OMG, the tasks just never end. Just as I started getting comfy with my newest favorite dog sitter, turns out she’s not available for Christmas. Whatdya know, dog sitters go on vacation too. So this morning, I launched another exhaustive search, inquiring with 11 new sitters. Thankfully two are maybes: I have a call with one this evening and a meet and greet slated with another person for Monday. See? Turns out it’s a good thing I labelled everything all around the house, bc now it’ll be helpful for the newbie.

The good news is that Marty is mostly stabilized. His appetite has been good and his legs are strong enough to carry him in/out of the doggie door and on multiple walks to the park. I’ve even got the bedtime diaper routine down, such that by morning, it’s only filled with urine. Poor Marty: sometimes I hear him use the doggie door in the middle of the night… little does he know, there’s no need to venture outside just to pee in his diaper. Ah well, old habits die hard, right? But dang that thing gets heavy by morning. My poor Marty. Aging sucks boat loads.

Today the plumbing crew came to install our tankless water heater. I’ve used this plumbing company twice before, and they are always clean, neat, and just plain good. The work took most of the day and we had to shut off the water completely, but by 3:30pm, everything was done. I also managed to find a $300 federal tax rebate for our unit! It’s kinda annoying bc every time I ask contractors about energy/appliance rebates, they never know. Sure would be great if vendors tracked that sort of thing, but then again, I suppose it changes so much year to year, it’s easier to just push that responsibility onto the customer. The work did require a puncture through the roof to add a vent, and oddly enough, it rained lightly this afternoon. I’m not worried though. I’m sure the roof wound is all patched up. Next, J will be applying for a permit; after that, we’re going to scout out vanities and contractors for when we knock down the wall and move the toilet. Argh so many details. I can’t even imagine the level of project management involved for G&J’s place where they are remodeling the entire basement, like almost an extra 1000 sf! Plus, they are both working full time with an active toddler and a baby on the way. Ambitious people.

I swung by the real estate office today. Pretty much, I can’t submit any paperwork until that damn license (with the BRE number) arrives in the mail. However, I have started watching the recommended videos, and I also took the Tony Robbins’ DISC profile test (again). Yup, I actually took the test a few years ago: my results this time are different in scale/intensity but essentially the same with regards to rank/priority of the categories. In other words, I have super high D (Dominance), then next highest is I (Interactive), then low and leveled off for S (Stabilizing) and C (Cautious). Here’s a quick summary of my profile. The report is quite fascinating as it also delves into your natural vs. adaptive state (how you behave/perform under stress). Anyway, here’s a breakdown of what my scores reveal for the four categories.

Dominance: Your score shows a very high score on the ‘D’ spectrum.
· You are very decisive and a risk-taker.
· You migrate towards difficult assignments and opportunity for advancement.
· Your approach tends to be forceful and very direct.
· You are a great source of innovation and new solutions, even if radical sometimes.
· You may be perceived as somewhat egocentric by others (i.e., others who you feel are less confident than you).
· You love a good challenge, seek freedom, and look for a lot of variety.

Interactive: Your score shows a high average score on the ‘I’ spectrum.
· You tend to meet new people in a confident and appropriate manner.
· You like democratic not dictatorial relationships on the job.
· People may find you charming to meet and to converse with on a variety of topics.
· You appreciate an open-door policy with both peers and supervisors.
· You present yourself in a poised manner to both small or large groups of people.
· You prefer an environment with ample people contact.

Stabilizing: Your score shows a low average score on the ‘S’ spectrum.
· You respect the established ways, but are open to change when it is deemed necessary.
· You are comfortable acting alone to determine the best course of action.
· You prefer a faster paced environment, but one that is not frantic or chaotic.
· You can multitask fairly well.
· You are flexible enough to deal with change openly and without fear.
· You like being mobile and on the go, but you like a home base to return to from time to time.

Cautious: Your score shows a low average score on the ‘C’ spectrum.
· You are flexible enough to work with or without a lot of structure or order.
· You can easily work independently when it comes to completing tasks and assignments.
· You may be perceived as being non-committal by some when it comes to deciding on how to proceed.
· To you, rules are guidelines, not concrete.
· You prefer to act as your “own person” rather than follow the norm.
· You are persistent in trying to get a message across, even in the midst of resistance.

These are suggestions for me to be more effective: You could be more effective
by:
• Becoming more aware of your approach to others, and it’s impact on others.
• Trying not to over-react.
• Being aware that your level of aggressiveness and tenacity may be off putting to others.
• Having support staff to handle the detail work.
• Reducing your competitive edge when dealing with others who aren’t as competitive as you.
• Becoming more sensitive to the climate or the situation, and adjusting your intensity accordingly.
• Learning to follow as well as you might lead.
• Remembering to negotiate difficult matters in a real-time, face-to-face manner, rather than through electronic means.

Interestingly, I don’t even consider myself competitive, but the other items are pretty spot on. For example, I wanted to negotiate my commission split via email, but Bubbey told me I had to do it in person. Haha.

Other tasks for this week? Bubs is going to do my photoshoot for my business cards and web materials. Argh, I kinda hate pictures of myself but apparently, homebuyers and sellers want to match the name to a face to build trust. Fuck. Phil Dunphy in da house! We’ll see what I come up with.

Back to the Bubble

Seattle was a great time. On Saturday, we hit up the Boeing facility up in Everett. We attended a 90-min Future of Aviation tour. Really. cool. And I’m not even an aviation geek. But we got to see the assembly floors for the 747, 777, and 787 Dreamliner. That carbon fiber, man. It is a game changer: so much lighter and stronger than steel, aluminum, or titanium. Amazing. Seriously, air travel never ceases to blow my mind: I mean, to get hundreds of people up in the air: living, breathing, eating, shitting– and transporting them thousands of miles all over the world- it is freaking magic!! Anyway, I highly recommend the tour.

Overall, our time was spent hanging out, playing board games (three new ones!), walking around, and eating. Yes, LOTS of eating, and John insists that the food in Seattle is better than the Bay Area. Then again, we’ve always felt that Bay Area food is overrated. Among our culinary delights in Seattle:

  • an amazing beef/lamb gyro + baklava dessert from Sultan’s in the university district,
  • doughy-crusted pizza and Italian apps at Mio Posto near G&J’s house,
  • cupcakes from Trophy,
  • yummo fresh doughnuts from Daily Dozen,
  • raw oysters and seafood at Elliott’s Oyster House by the water,
  • Mexican chocolate pie (among others) from A la Mode,
  • an amazing burger (crimini mushrooms and swiss cheese) at Uneeda Burger
  • more doughnuts from Top Pot,
  • vermicelli noodles from Dong Thap noodle shop in Little Saigon

And no, that is not even the comprehensive list. As you can see, the no-gym, carbo-loading theme continued for the entire trip. As for city attractions, well, the weather was wet– intermittent sprinkling but consistent wetness/dampness. We still stopped by some parks– Kerry Park, Washington Park Arboretum, Discovery Park, and Magnolia Park but aside from a longer stroll with Baby O and his parents through the Arboretum, our outdoor time was brief. I imagine the locals are completely undeterred by the cloudy skies and perpetual moisture, but I was pretty much paralyzed without sunshine.

I think the other couple and their kid H had a good time too. We hung out less with them: I think H is maybe on a stricter schedule. I’m not exactly sure. He isn’t quite as well-traveled as Baby O, so maybe the process was just a bit more tiring for them. He’s also in a different growth/development stage where I think he’s a bit more difficult.

The funniest thing is that J and I are the only child-free couple, and yet we were exhausted. J thinks we’re still recovering from our cold (eh, maybe, kinda), but I think it’s just the exposure to constant motion/chatter that causes mental fatigue. Then again, it could be a combination of factors. I’m sure the binging and minimal exercise did not help. Anyway, I’ll have to debrief with J&J to get their thoughts on traveling with the little man. Seemed like they enjoyed the break/escape esp following a very emotionally trying and depressing week (Trumpocalypse and all).

Regardless, we’re happy to be back in the Bubble. Marty did well again. This new sitter, I’m telling you. I hope she’s always available until the end, bc she has been a Godsend.

What’s on tap this week? We’re heading back to the gym. Also, I’m thrilled to be getting our new tankless water heater installed tomorrow!! J & I have def been pushing our luck with the old 40-gallon. For real. There is all kinds of rust/corrosion/water ponding on the top of it (signaling it’s imminent demise), so I can’t wait to get this old sucker (dated 1998) hauled outta my house! The work should just take a day, so fingers crossed! We removed all the junk (supplies, shelving, shoes, etc.) out of the hallway washer/dryer area to make room for the plumber. He’s supposed to mount the tankless unit on the wall above the dryer, and then he’ll remove the old tank. Phase 2 for us will then involve finding a contractor to bust out part of the wall and then we’re hoping to move the master bath commode to where the water heater sat so as to make room for a larger sink/vanity. We’ll see. I haven’t even contacted any contractors or anything. That’s later. First things first. Gotta remove the exploding bomb!

Beyond that, I’m planning to hit up the kw office tomorrow and the rest of this week: I’m submitting my paperwork and kicking off my first 100 days. Woohoo!

Of course, just as I’m ramping up for real estate, I’m also getting a ton of requests for Rover for Thanksgiving. So far, I’ve turned them all down though. Mostly bc the dogs are too young (< 3 y/o) and I don’t want the added stress on Martin. Don’t worry: I’m still hustling via eBay and Craiglist. In fact, a Palo Alto techie is coming by tomorrow to buy J’s old Apple monitor! Yeehaw! More Bubbey bucks! 🙂

On the Cusp

These days I really vacillate between feeling completely overcome by doom and disbelief to feeling some lingering and stubborn kindling of optimism and fire. Tonight we are on the cusp of something historic. Sure, we continue going about our daily routines: I’m thrilled to have carpet cleaners coming first thing tomorrow to get this sty back in shape; I’m going to another real estate training then meeting with the office recruiter; I’ve got more calls slated for the afternoon, a repeat doggie daycare client the next day… nothing ever stops, but tomorrow I will go to bed reassured and proud and happy, knowing that for the first time ever, this country will have a smart and accomplished Madam President come January. I’m with her, and she will win.

I’ve popped two Calm Forte this evening: I look forward to waking up well rested and hopeful for a brand new day ahead.

It’s Gou Time!

Since returning from overseas, I have been on the go. Big. time. John insists that this Powerpill mode was all precipitated by my father’s assertion that he works waaaay harder than I do. I’ll admit, statements like that– albeit true– do rile me up, so yes, that partially lit a fire under my ass. But aside from my father’s remarks, I’ve also been getting super antsy, you know? It’s time to get going full force. After all, I like to hustle!

Since Wednesday, I’ve been in full-on real estate networking/research mode. Then, I’ve also been trying to catch up with friends and you know, get back into the swing of home improvement, activity planning, and dealios. Real estate-wise, a decision on where I’m going to work is coming soon (after I do a tad bit more research and squeeze in some negotiating, of course).

As for my personal life, I am still floating on Cloud 9 with my Southwest Companion Pass. Shit man, I had already scored our Seattle tickets for dirt cheap, but then I called yesterday to inquire if I could refund John’s ticket (for travel credit) and instead use the Companion Pass option. Yesiree! I also learned that his travel credits can be applied towards taxes (~$11.20/flight) on the comp ticket! I know, you don’t really give a shit about the nitty gritty: long story short, we now have three trips on the books where he’s using the deal (over $500 worth!) . I’m going to get addicted to this BOGO travel arrangement big time!

What else. J and I have been talking about upgrading to a tankless water heater, so we can recover some space from the hallway and expand the master bath just a tad. We’re getting estimates from 2-3 plumbers to see what that entails. The timing is just about right too: this week, we noticed leaking/moisture on the top of our existing 40-gallon water heater (dated 1998!!). Yup, at this point we are really playing with fire. And given the last plumbing debacle, we’re kinda pushing our luck. Anyway, the project might have to break down into phases due to the urgency of getting in a new heater… we’ll see.

I’ve also been feeling rather grossed out by our dirty carpets, so I gathered numerous quotes last week for carpet cleaning. I’m planning to schedule a thorough deep cleaning on Tuesday/Wednesday, bc I need to see start seeing some sparkle around here!

Oh, and I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), which is basically an event/movement where bloggers post daily for this month. I’ve done it before. Blogging every day is a good habit for me since it’s essentially my therapy, which you witnessed in full view last month… Stay tuned for more.

 

Day Trip

We had a packed day today, hanging out with our child free friends J and J– the same people we did the Paso Robles VRBO trip with in September.

This morning we drove up to Mare Island in Vallejo: We toured the model units at Blu Homes (nice but a rip off given the steep pricing), ate a fab lunch at the Girl and the Fig (pork belly sandwich) in downtown Sonoma, and then hit up a few wineries. J&J introduced us to a nice venue (Landmark Wineries) with beautiful grounds and affordable tasting fees. Sadly, I’m not used to consuming so much wine in one day, plus I was DD. We had a great day, and Sonoma is very pretty this time of the year with the fall leaves, but I’m beat. Still hacking up a lung too. Hoping the extra hour will give me superpowers tomorrow.

Due Diligence

Omg I am pooped! A week later and I’m still battling this pesky cold I acquired in Taiwan, plus jet lag still has my sleep schedule all messed up.

That said, I can’t be stopped. This week I’ve met with four brokers and made numerous emails/calls to active newbie agents (about 15 of them) trying to get their scoop on the various offices and companies. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by nearly everyone! The brokers are all really sharp and sassy; then, the agents have been incredibly gracious and candid. I’ve kinda been going all over the place in figuring out where to join, but after today, I am feeling some more clarity. While I think I could work in any of the places, some do feel like a better cultural/personality fit as I’ve clicked more with some people than others. Regardless, I’m getting excited about starting up soon.

I also caught up with a couple friends this week. It’s pretty crazy how fast time flies. It’s gonna be Thanksgiving just like that. We’re still deciding whether or not to host dinner. It’s been a tradition for many years, but we’re really tired from all the recent travel and maybe this year we’ll just do the two of us (and my Nuwave turkey of course).

Man, I hope I get my license issued before Thanksgiving. Power pill’s getting antsy.

On a Roll

What can I say, this has been one helluva week! After passing my exam, I was on cloud 9 for like 24 hrs. Then, the very next day, I boarded a quickie flight to Burbank for that “client meeting.” I even got all decked out in a blazer and fancy flats for the fun of it. You know me and my crazy mind games. Yup, it was my last ditch attempt to score the elusive and highly coveted Southwest Companion Pass. With the promo ending on October 31, I was running out of time, so I just had to crank it out. The flight was an easy 45 min down; then, I exited the gate area and re-entered security and boarded my flight back. I know, J and I were shaking our heads (he stayed home) and laughing at ourselves, but shit man, this just had to be done. And in the end, we’re talking a time commitment of 9am-1pm plus $112 for the homestretch.

This morning, I was jarred from my slumber with the official email. Yesiree: I am now an official Companion Pass holder, and I am so fucking psyched!!! I mean, I was literally sitting on the commode this morning thinking about what an amazing deal this is/was. Seriously people, keep your eyes peeled for a repeat. If you think about it, the pass was going to be nearly impossible for me based on the original terms (110k points from credit card purchases and/or flights OR 50 round trip flights in a calendar year). I got the same exact pass for 5 round trips totalling less than $1000!!! I know, I keep going on and on… I’m just saying: some deals really are worth the extra time and hustle. And another new thing I discovered? Southwest starts direct flights from SJC-BWI next month. So good or bad, at least flying home will be even easier. Yay. Not. My parents say they’re getting the house on the market by Feb/Mar, so I imagine a few more trips will be in order. We’ll see.

Speaking of real estate, everything is on track for the Walkersville house. I can hardly believe it. After several months and many uncomfortable conversations, the deal is nearly done. Thank goodness. And along the way, I’ve certainly learned a ton about dealing with clients (like myself) and about being a responsive and attentive realtor. I have so much to learn with this goddamn people-based business. I’m both excited and apprehensive.

Then, as part of registering for the license exam, I got on some kind of recruitment list, so several brokers/companies in the area sent me letters, inviting me to meet and check them out. I mean, there’s nothing really personalized about the letter: they just contact people who registered for the test. It actually reminds me a lot of the college application process: you register for the SATs and then colleges all over the country start mailing you their prospectuses and shit. But heck, I’m thrilled to be pursued (it happens so rarely), and of course, I have emailed all those brokers letting them know that I passed this week and let’s meet next month. Yup, I am on it.

Btw, the KW realtor I befriended through LinkAges has turned out to be so kind and generous in sharing his knowledge. Bc of him, I’ve attended a few trainings to help me hit the ground running. In fact, I’m attending another one this afternoon… I told you I eat that training/coaching shit up.

So yeah, my trip to Asia is right around the corner, but I’m just trying to keep the momentum going. Gotta hit the iron while it’s hot, like my father loves to say. I’m feeling pretty good, like most things are finally going on an upward trajectory.