#jersey number twelve aka will

[chirpsythismorning]

It's giving audience was so distracted with 010 in the opening of s4 that they missed the willel wondertwin evidence right under their noses...

[downtoearthmarkets]

Leaping lizards, frogs and rabbits, today is February 29th, which means it’s Leap Day 2024! Leap Days occur only once every four years when an extra day is added to the end of February, except in century years that aren’t exactly divisible by 400. This formula was adopted in 1582 to better synchronize the number of days in the Gregorian calendar with the Earth’s orbit of the sun for both religious and agricultural reasons. Aligning the calendar with the sun’s path proved crucial for farmers who need to follow a precise schedule for growing purposes. Leap days help ensure that they plant and harvest their crops at the right time during the right seasons. So, in recognition of this agriculturally significant, quadrennial event, here is a foursome of ideas to get you *leaping* out of your seat to the farmers market this weekend. 1) Four Step Italian Wedding Soup Traditionally speaking, it has been the norm for men to be the ones “popping the question” when proposing marriage. But legend has it that in 5th century Ireland Saint Brigid of Kildare asked Saint Patrick to grant an exception to this rule by allowing women to propose once every four years on Leap Day. If a man refused a woman’s proposal on February 29th, he was to compensate her with twelve pairs of gloves to hide her ringless finger.  Whether or not you’re considering getting down on bended knee anytime soon, making Italian Wedding Soup from scratch is a wonderfully warming way to romance your partner – or to pamper yourself with a simmering bowl of savory goodness:  Ingredients:

½ pound Roaming Acres ground bison meat

1 large egg from Yellow Bell Farm, lightly beaten 

2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs 

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 

½ teaspoon dried basil 

½ teaspoon onion powder 

5 ¾ cups Yellow Bell Farm chicken broth 

2 cups thinly sliced escarole from 4E Green Farm 

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta or any small-sized pasta from La Trafila Pasta

⅓ cup finely chopped Sun Sprout Farm carrot

Steps:

Combine ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and onion powder in a bowl. 

Shape beef mixture into 3/4-inch balls and place on parchment-lined tray. 

Heat broth in large pot over medium-high heat until boiling. Stir in escarole, orzo, carrot, and meatballs and return to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook at slow boil for about 10-minutes, stirring frequently until pasta is tender yet firm to the bite. 

Serve hot and enjoy!

2) Four Ingredient Salmon, Potato & Broccoli Sheet Pan Dinner  This four-ingredient sheet pan dinner is so quick and easy that it’ll make you *leap* for joy! Sheet pan dinners are not only super convenient to make, they’re also eco-friendly because they require just the oven to be lit and produce only one dirty pan to clean, saving both energy and water.

Ingredients

Broccoli from Jersey Farm Produce cut into small florets

Potatoes from Sun Sprout Farm cubed into 1- to 1½-inch pieces

Salmon fillets from American Pride Seafood

Seasoning: Garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.

Place broccoli and potatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with two tablespoons Kontoulis/Arlotta olive oil. Sprinkle with finely chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Toss it all together then spread it out on baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes. 

While vegetables are roasting, season salmon fillets. Remove tray from oven and nestle salmon in between vegetables. Roast for another 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and salmon is cooked to your liking. 

Serve immediately.

3) Four Cheese Pizza Pizza ai quattro formaggi (aka four cheese pizza) originated in the Campania region of Italy where it was first made with a combination of mozzarella, gorgonzola, fontina and parmesan cheese melted together. Over time, different parts of the country developed their own versions of this iconic pizza using a variety of local cheeses. But you don’t have to *leap* over the pond to Italy to grab a slice, as Wave Hill Breads 4 Formaggio Pizza is parbaked and locally made with fresh and shredded mozzarella, parmesan, asiago and Romano cheese. Simply take one from the freezer, pop it in the oven at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes and enjoy!  4) Four Syllable Veggies  Here’s your Leap Day Word of the Day – Quadrisyllabic. Quadrisyllabic means any word with four syllables which, of course, happens to include four currently in-season vegetables. These locally grown veggies are easy to spot at our farmstalls and work wonderfully in the recipes listed below:     Cauliflower -- Cauliflower, Potato and Leek Soup Celeriac -- Creamy Celeriac Mash Romanesco -- Parmesan Roasted Romanesco Rutabaga -- Oven-Baked Rutabaga Fries We hope you enjoy these four-tifying Leap Day foodie ideas. While we await another four years for the next Leap Day to transpire, we wish you a four-tuitous weekend full of four-tunate finds at the farmers market.

[rocketwerks]

J. H. Harvey & Co.

5 West Broad Street (Office & Sales Rooms)

301 North Barton Avenue (Residence), AKA 2401 Barton Avenue

West of Brook Avenue & Admiral Street (Nursery)

West of Reservoir Street, AKA South Harrison Street (Farm)

[CHRV] — looking towards J. H. Harvey & Co.’s greenhouses, circa 1893 — the photograph identifies this as Barton Heights, but based on available map data, it’s hard to say precisely where

A tangled tale of men who grew flowers.

J. H. Harvey, florist, of 5 West Broad street, has his greenhouses at Barton Heights, a suburb of the city. They cover three or four acres of ground there. He has 60,000 square feet under glass. The greenhouses are heated with hot water. There is a bored well for the water supply of the place, two steam pumps and a wind-mill, hydrants and water-plugs throughout, and the equipment of the place is unquestionably as fine as anything of the kind in the South, and certainly the most extensive here.

(Ancestry.com) — advertisement for J. H. Harvey & Co. — Richmond, Virginia, City Directory, 1891

The specialty of this establishment is the trade in cut flowers and ornamental plants. These are shipped by it to all parts of the State. The gardens were established in 1870, and three generations of the Harvey family were interested in them. They were founded by the grandfather of the present proprietor. [CHRV]

A little confusing that, since J. H. Harvey’s grandfather was James Harvey, and he died in 1857 (Find A Grave). Perhaps he was responsible for the family’s interest in the flower business, but what became known as Magnolia Nursery was the province of James’s son, Levenous James Harvey.

(Newspapers.com) — advertisement for Magnolia Nursery by L. J. Harvey — Richmond Dispatch — Saturday, November 15, 1873

He had been in the same line in New Jersey before he came to this city. Mr. J. H. Harvey, the present proprietor, is a young man, but one of enterprise and sterling business character. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and as such is a participant in all the projects set on foot by it to further the interests of the city.

His down-town office and sales-rooms, on Broad street, are in the heart of the city and on the principal business street, easily accessible from all quarters of Richmond. [CHRV]

February 2021 — looking towards 5 West Broad Street, former location of J. H. Harvey & Co.

Sadly, the original 5 West Broad Street store no longer exists, having been replaced in 1924 with the present building, architected by Hunt and Amrhein. [AOR] It was also the Harvey family’s 2nd store on Broad Street, after moving a few doors east from 11 West Broad Street when the company was run by J. H.’s brother, Jacob Jones Harvey.

(Library of Congress) — Beers Illustrated Atlas of the Cities of Richmond & Manchester, 1877 — Plate E — showing J. J. Harvey & Bro. Magnolia Nursery

By 1877 Magnolia Nursery was a well-developed enterprise, consuming a considerable piece of land in North Side along Brook Avenue. This of course was back inna day before Lewis Ginter gobbled up the dirt that would eventually become Bellevue, Sherwood and Ginter Parks, and before Brook Avenue would be demoted to the rank of Road. Chamberlayne Avenue would be the new front porch to the north, at least until 95 was built.

J. J Harvey had at this point taken over the family business from L. J. Harvey, who seems to have been stricken with wanderlust in his autumn years. He died a considerable distance from Richmond in 1880 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. (Find A Grave)

February 2021 — looking west of Brook Road towards the former Magnolia Nursery

Today, the former greenhouse grounds is Hovey Field, home to the Virginia Union University Panthers.

The funny thing is that A City on the James describes J. H. Harvey & Co. as having greenhouses in Barton Heights, which is not quite where Magnolia Nursery was located.

[MTBH] — Map of the Town of Barton Heights in Henrico County, Va. — James T. Redd and Son, 1896 — showing “Garden Tract” to the northwest — (full-size image)

James H. Barton was a real estate speculator, who in 1890 found success crossing a small residential community with a new streetcar line that connected the area north of Richmond with the city. The allure of suburban living found an audience, among them the J. H. and J. J. Harvey families, and it became the Town of Barton Heights in 1896.

The 1894 Barton Heights Directory lists the Harvey’s were living at 301 North Barton Avenue. It would have been their second at that location. [BHD]

[BHPSR] — Map of Barton Heights and Brookland Park — Showing the System of Numbering — 1894 — showing 301 North Barton Avenue at the northwest intersection of Barton & Kersting — (full-size image)

Just two years prior, disaster had struck.

The handsome residence at Barton Heights of Mr. J. H. Harvey, the florist, was totally destroyed by fire last night.

Mr. Harvey was at his brother-in-law’s, across the street, engaged in a game of dominos, and happening to glance at one of the windows he discovered flames bursting from the front of his house. When he reached it the hall was a roaring furnace, and it was with difficulty he rescued his children, one of whom was asleep, from the building. There was a large tank of water on the premises, but this proved practically of no use.

When news of the fire reached Chief Puller he sent over Truck No. 3, and would have sent a steamer also, but could not learn whether there was an available water supply. The truck men did splendid service, and it is due to them that the flames did not communicate to Mr. Harvey’s stables and green-houses. [RD11061892]

(Library of Congress) — Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Richmond (1908) — Index Plate — showing Barton Heights at right & the location of Magnolia Nursery at left

Apparently the Harvey’s need for greenhouse space was such that they were needed on-hand at their home. However, this was smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood, so it’s hard to imagine it as substantial as the operation off Brook Avenue, itself far removed from Barton Heights. Google Maps calls the distance between the house and main nursery at 1.3 miles—not exactly in the neighborhood.

March 2021 — looking towards the former 301 North Barton Avenue

Like any good success story, Barton Heights ignited the acquisitive fires of its larger neighbor to the south, and it was annexed by the City of RVA in 1914. (”Manchester today! Tomorrow... Barton Heights!) 

Changes followed. The former Kersting Street was renamed to Graham, and the houses were renumbered to fit the city’s scheme. Today, the former 301 North Barton Avenue is now 2401 Barton Avenue, and the residence that used to sit on the corner is gone.

(Stadium Journey) — undated photo of Hovey Field, Virginia Union University — formerly Magnolia Nursery

As for Magnolia Nursery, by 1896 J. H. Harvey & Co. company was winding down. The Richmond Dispatch reported its dissolution by mutual consent, and later a Deed of Assignment for all of the Harvey properties. [RD04091896] [RD04181896] The former nursery was  eventually acquired by Virginia Union University in 1907 for their athletic grounds.

[CHRV] — looking southwest towards J. H. Harvey’s Reservoir Branch Barton Heights, circa 1893

The location of Harvey’s other principal property, Reservoir Branch, is more difficult to pin down. It was it was identified as being “west of the reservoir beyond Richmond's suburbs”, which places it in the general vicinity where two cemeteries exist today. [HCO]

(Library of Congress) — Beers Illustrated Atlas of the Cities of Richmond & Manchester, 1877 — Plate O — showing the south terminus of Reservoir Street and the Marshall Reservoir at lower right

The reservoir in question was Marshall Reservoir, constructed in the early 1800′s, and which was located just southwest of Hollywood Cemetery. It stood near the intersection of two streets, Ashland and Reservoir, since renamed Colorado and Harrison respectively.

February 2021 — looking towards the entrances to Riverview & Mt. Calvary Cemeteries

The 1877 Beers map shows the area west of Reservoir to be undeveloped, with no sign of any property assigned to J. H. Harvey. Twelve years later, the 1889 Baist map shows the addition of Riverview (1887) and Mt. Calvary (1885) Cemeteries, along with a burgeoning neighborhood to the west, yet still no trace of Harvey’s farm.

February 2021 — looking towards former location of Marshall Reservoir — the intersection of Harrison & Colorado shown at left where the white truck is parked

On face, it seems reasonable to think that the farm existed on or near the present-day cemeteries, since it was named for a nearby landmark capable of providing the necessary water for a nurseryman, and accessible by a city road of the same name.

Unfortunately, while available maps depict the Harvie name, the Harvey name is absent. Add to that the fact that those cemeteries predate the publication of A City on the James, which depicted the photograph of said farm, makes it hard to place a pin down.

(J. H. Harvey & Co. is part of the Atlas RVA! Project)

Correction

The first version of this post speculated that J. H. Harvey’s competitor W. A. Hammond, who had his own greenhouse operation east of Brook Avenue at Sherwood, may have had a connection to the Harvey properties. This misguided notion was corrected by the discovery of the Barton Heights Directory and Barton Heights pamphlet. It seems more probable that North Side had great land for growing flowers, just ask Lewis Ginter.

Print Sources

[AOR] Architecture in Downtown Richmond. Robert Winthrop. 1982.

[BHD] Barton Heights Directory. Richmond Advertiser Print. Co. 1894.

[BHPSR] Barton Heights: the popular suburb of Richmond. Taylor & Taylor. 1894. Courtesy, Library of Virginia.

[CHRV] A City on the James, Richmond, Virginia. G. W. Engelhardt. 1893.

[HCO] Henrico County. Louis H. Manarin. 2006.

[MTBH] Map of the Town of Barton Heights in Henrico County, Va. James T. Redd and Son.1896. Courtesy, Library of Virginia.

[RD11061892] Richmond Dispatch. Wednesday, November 16, 1892.

[RD04091896] Richmond Dispatch. Thursday, April, 9, 1896.

[RD04181896] Richmond Dispatch. Saturday, April, 18, 1896.

[RTMS09251892] Richmond Times. Sunday, September 25, 1892.

[RT06081900] Richmond Times. Friday, June 8, 1900.

[emmhannaford-blog]

So we took the New Jersey Transit to New York City

The modern coach bus goes to the 42nd Street Port Authority. The Port Authority is one of the many hubs of ground transportation in NYC. Most of your major bus companies are located there and you can make connections with almost every subway line via a walking tunnel to Times Square. The rail hubs are Grand Central Station, connected by subway shuttle from Times Square, and Penn Station, a two-stop jaunt on the subway. The subway system in Manhattan is the quickest and most efficient form of transportation on the island, with stops within four to six blocks of each other. The system used to be confusing with many independent lines designated by different letters: IRT, BMT, etc. Today the various routes are designated by colors and either numbers or letters. A map shows all of the routes and their connecting points. The subways system today is very easy to follow. It is also safe, contrary to some people's perceptions. Here are a few little known facts about the system. The tunnels go at least eight stories below the ground. There are miles of mazes even under the tubes themselves, where the homeless have made their homes. On one of the lines from Manhattan to Queens, the tracks literally ride on water under the East River. Even engineers do not know how to correct the problem. The money collected at the ticket booths is sent by a special train which travels the system. The trains are very long, at least ten cars in length. Most of the cars have benches along the sides, which leaves most of the car for standing room. There are three exits on each side of the car, which allows quick entrance and egress. The riders are called strap hangers, because they hold on to straps hanging from the ceiling while riding. The newer cars post the next stop on signs in the car. Some even have a map of the route and the present location of the car lit up on the map.

The city of New York consists of five Boroughs: Kings (Manhattan), Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Richmond (Staten Island). All of the boroughs are connected by subway or train or bus, except for Staten Island which is serviced by the famed ferry. More about the different areas when we visit them.

Went for desert at Cafe Lalo, where part of the movie "You've Got Mail" was filmed. Then we walked up Broadway to Fairfield Market, a few blocks South of World famous Zabars, a grocery and kitchen appliance store (but so much more: an experience). I was surprised by the variety of fresh produce and meats, fish, and poultry and relatively low prices. The aisles are very narrow in the store, due to the fact that space is at a premium in Manhattan. Buy an unlimited Metro Pass, $21.00 for the week, and hop on a Downtown bound bus on Broadway. Downtown means towards the Battery, the Southernmost point of Manhattan.

Uptown is Northbound and Cross-town is either to the East River(East Side) or the Hudson River(West Side). What a wonderful and safe way to see the city. We passed by Columbus Circle, the edge of Central Park, Julliard, Lincoln Center, the Theater District, and of course glitzy vibrant Times Square. The bus then turned East on 42nd Street and passed by the Public Library, Grand Central Station, and ended at The United Nations Building.

As long as fate brought us there, we toured the famed United Nations building. Mati from Senegal in Western Africa, was our tour guide and was very knowledgeable about the workings of the UN. It is not the paper tiger that some people claim it is. It is a real forum for all of the nations of the world to discuss mutual concerns: military conflicts, land mines, disease, hunger, trade, etc. Perhaps the real tigers are the ones who want to control the other nations or make huge profits by fostering these problems. Some of the Chambers were in use, namely the Security Council, and the Council for Economic and Social Justice. They were in session.

The Lexington Avenue bus goes further Downtown. Along the way we passed Chinatown, the Bowery, Little Italy, skirted Greenwich Village, and ended at city hall. There are so many different types of restaurants in NY that you could eat at a different one every single night and not repeat yourself for your entire lifetime.

Today we rode the subways. First we went Uptown to the Northern tip of Manhattan to Tryon Park and the fort. This is the highest point on Manhattan, overlooking both the Hudson and the East Rivers. At the northern most point of the park is The Cloisters Museum. This unique museum consists of five medieval cloisters rescued from buildings being demolished in Europe, along with chapels and numerous artifacts. Some of the statuary was being used as scarecrows by farmers, while others were found in junk piles. One outstanding room is the Unicorn Tapestries, which tell of the hunt, death, and resurrection of the unicorn-a symbol of Jesus Christ. The tapestries contain over one hundred different species of medieval plants woven into the stories. They are just breathtaking not only from their beauty but also from the textures of the weave.

We went back to Times Square and then hopped on the route #7 subway to Queens and Flushing Meadows, the site of the 1963 Worlds Fair with its massive sculpture of the world. On either side of the train station are Shea Stadium, home of the NY Mets baseball team and Arthur Ashe Stadium, site of the US Open Tennis Tournament. Back on the train to Times Square and on to W route to Coney Island at the tip of Brooklyn. We ate a Nathan's World Famous Hot Dog. It cannot compare to a Chicago Vienna Hot Dog. The amusement park was closed, open only on weekends while school is in session. The Cyclone, their famous roller coaster, had just closed up. Thank our growling stomachs for this lack of timing. It is open daily from 12:00 to 4:00. The coaster does not look like much. But looks are deceiving. This baby shakes, rattles, and rolls. I wanted to see if it still gave me the same thrills as the last time I rode it in 1963. But that was to be for a later day, which never came.

This day was reserved to visit the grand dame of New York City, the Statue of Liberty. Taking the train to Battery Park at the lower tip of Manhattan, we purchased our tickets at the Castle Clinton, once a fortress guardian for the harbor, then a concert venue (the American debut of Jenny Lind), then an immigration port of entry, and now the ticket office for our lady. Circular in design, it is only fitting that one must pass through a fortress to gain access to greet the great lady. On the fifteen minute boat trip to Governors Island it is easy to imagine the awe and deep feelings of overwhelming joy of the millions of immigrants who first envisioned her while sailing through the Verrazano Narrows into New York Harbor. The statue, donated by France over one hundred years ago, stands on another fort, one of five which guarded the harbor. The pedestal rises eleven stories and the lady herself stands one hundred fifty-one feet. Once again security is very tight and visitors are not allowed either in the museum, on the pedestal, or into the crown. But just being in her presence was as said in Hebrew, "Dayenu" (It would have been enough).

Embarking on the boat again we went to Ellis Island, built in 1892 to process the great flood of immigrants. Both of our ancestors arrived before that date, so they might have come through Castle Clinton, AKA, Gardens or a different port of entry. Charlie Walker was our Ranger tour guide. Once a drill instructor, he has a voice to match. He also missed his calling to the stage, because the tour he gave was more of a living presentation with a cast of characters than a boring recitation of facts and figures. polyamorous dating site He definitely loves his job. The experience of Ellis Island was reserved for passengers in steerage class. Remembering the movie "Titanic", steerage was the lowest of the low. The passengers in first and second class were processed on board ship. After they disembarked, the ship proceeded to Ellis Island. There the steerage class ran the gauntlet of the eyes of the inspectors. I was reminded of the pictures of the holocaust where the prisoners were "selected". If you walked funny, protested, or looked frail, your clothing was chalk-marked for further inspection and processing. Many of these people were fleeing tyrannical regimes and were terrified of uniformed men. Here in America they were being ordered about by more men. Families were separated, while the processing took place- men on one side and women and children on the other side of the room. The good news is that the process generally took less than five hours and only 2% of the twelve million immigrants were deported back to their home lands. The ones who remained took the trains Westbound out of New Jersey or stayed in NYC, digging the subways or other back breaking jobs.

Arriving back at Battery Park we walked to Broadway. At the entrance was the sculpture of the Peace Globe which stood in the World Trade Center Plaza. Miraculously it withstood the tragedy and is now at the foot of Broadway being kept vigil by an eternal flame. Although damaged, the globe still stands for peace in this world.

Walked through the financial district, which looks like a war zone, barricades and armed police patrolling the area. Our goal was Federal Hall at the corners of Nassau, Broad and Wall streets. Federal Hall was the first capital of the United States. Here Washington was sworn in as president and the Congress met. The building has long been torn down. In its place is a Neo-Classical designed building, Parthenon-like exterior and Pantheon-like interior. Used as a customs house and then as a depository for US gold reserves during the Civil War, it is now a museum remembering our first capital. One of their prized possessions is the Bible which Washington used for his inauguration (the one that President Bartlett wanted to use on "The West Wing").

Walking down famed Wall Street, where never have so many been raped by so few (written over five years ago), we went into Trinity Church where many come to pray after losing their life savings down the street. Built in 1696, the church has withstood many Wall Street crashes. Notable people buried there include Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton.

Many people talked to us about visiting St. John the Divine Cathedral. Happily, we took their advice. Started in 1892, this Gothic house of worship is over two football fields in length. The cathedral is still unfinished, but is still spectacular. Each set of stained glass windows has a different theme: poetry, medicine, law, etc. Standing in the immense interior is a humbling experience not to be missed. Around the high altar are side chapels, one which is reserved for local artists to show their work. At this time the children from the Cathedral's school have their artwork on display.

From St John's is a short bus ride to Grant's tomb, where he and his wife lay at rest. The interior is similar to Napoleon's tomb in Paris. Mrs.Grant chose New York, because the people were kind to them after they had become penniless. The tomb sits high on the palisades overlooking Riverside Park and the Hudson River.

Adjacent to the tomb is Sukaru Park, so named because of the numerous cherry trees in the park, which were donated by the Japanese government. In the park is a statue of General Daniel Butterworth, the composer of Taps (remember Berkeley Plantation in Virginia). He is looking over to Grant's tomb, keeping his eyes on that hallowed ground.

Across the street is Riverside Church, a Presbyterian Church noted for its grand carillon of over seventy bells. The nave of the church is Gothic in style, but not quite as large St. John's. The Church is part of Union Theological Seminary, which is connected with Columbia University also present in the neighborhood.

Hopped on the train again to Theodore Roosevelt's Birthplace. This is a large brownstone at 28 East 20th Street. The original house was torn down and a reconstructed one was erected according the similar design plans of others in the neighborhood. His sisters, still alive gave instructions about floor plans and the arrangement of furniture in the house, as they had remembered. Roosevelt, born in to a very wealthy family, suffered from asthma. After losing his first wife and mother within the same week, he moved out to North Dakota to find himself. There he rediscovered his love for nature and the independence of the common working man. To prove his virility, he longed for a war, which he got when the Battleship Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, Cuba. The Spanish were blamed for the sinking. He formed the Rough Riders in San Antonio, Texas, and the rest is history. Of his presidency he claimed that the building of the Panama Canal was his greatest achievement. Even though he was a war monger and empire builder, he is the first American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his help in ending the Russian Japanese War.

A short distance South is Greenwich Village, not quite the Bohemian atmosphere it was in the 60s. It is still a thriving area of restaurants, small theaters, interesting shops, and people watching. Washington Square, the quasi-official entrance to the area, still has its checker and chess tables set up with games constantly going on.

[discovering-ellie]

August 25, 2021 - Post Two

Day Twelve mid-day check in. Today's card comes from the "Relaxation" section of the deck because, well, it was her turn to shine. Tomorrow starts the cycle all over again

Front: "Straight back, soft belly"

Back: "Posture is important. The physical shape with which we meet the world can have a big impact on how we feel and how we act. Nothing embodies the ideals of mindfulness better than the combination of a straight back and a soft belly. The straight back encourages alertness and brightness, and the soft belly fosters a sense of relaxation and openness. Practice this position by bringing your attention to your posture several times a day -- when you're brushing your teeth or waiting for a bus. Notice how mindful posture impacts how your meet whatever comes your way."

My Interpretation: Man, calling me out on my posture now, huh? Honestly, because of my height and stature, I try to have relatively decent posture. I've seen people with a similar height and build to mine with absolutely awful posture (forward slumping shoulders, bowed neck -- think of how Vincent D'Onofrio's character looked once the bug alien took over his body in Men in Black) and that is absolutely NOT what I want to look like. However, during moments where I'm tense, like when my personal space is invaded or I'm stressed out for another reason, my posture goes out the window.

Also, the idea of a soft belly is honestly off-putting to me. I'm extremely insecure about my stomach/midsection (then again, who isn't?) and the idea of letting that be "soft" is just..... yeah. No thank you. There's a reason why I tend to wear oversized clothes a la Spirit Jerseys and huge ass hoodies.

Plan of Action: I mean, I don't know.... practice my posture? Trying to maintain my posture even during moments of stress where all I want to do is curl up into a ball until I'm left alone again? I know this isn't something I'll be able to master overnight but, in time, I think I'll be able to do that.

DBT Skills Card Update: The personal space issue at work is getting a little bit better I think? Kinda sorta maybe? There was a little bit of a hiccup this morning in which my coworker, for some reason, decided to squeak between me and a shelving unit in a room I was still working in just to see a certain dog and play with it but, other than that, things have shown some progress. I just hope that this progress isn't a fluke.

I don't know where else to put this, so I'm going to throw it in with the DBT Skills card since this situation is still pretty much about setting boundaries and expectations (specifically the part that states "...set expectations about how you want to be treated and establish clear boundaries to protect yourself, if necessary").

Last night, I received another couple of text messages from my dad, who I have not spoken to since the end of April following the blow up we had on Facebook where he ended up blocking and deleting me and, in turn, so did a number of my other relatives in, I don't know, solidarity or something. At that point, I decided that I wasn't going to accept that sort of treatment or behavior from him and I have not attempted to contact him since. Until he approaches me with an apology (which, honestly, is not very likely to come from him), I'm not going to give him any form of a response. I have more important things to focus on right now than being guilt tripped (is it technically gaslighting? I honestly don't know) into an apology for something that I don't need to apologize for.

Recently, it has come to my attention that he's been telling certain people a different version of this event -- one where I yelled at him on Facebook in front of all of my friends before deleting and blocking him. Then, he's telling other people that he's so very concerned about me and that I'm not answering any of his calls or texts. Dude, what calls? You haven't called me once aside from a Facetime which was probably a butt dial since you've never used Facetime with me in your life. When he said this to someone, he had sent me a total of one text. One. Yet, he's framing it like he's sent me many and I'm the big, mean, awful child who's ignoring a concerned parent.

This brings us to last night. He sends me another text stating that he's having dinner in Gainesville and is wondering how I'm doing. I, having the standpoint that I currently have, don't answer. He sends another. "You know, if you are ignoring me because you don't want to talk to me. Just ask me not to bother you anymore. I know I am not a perfect person, but I never thought I was that rotten either."

Sorry, not sorry, but I'm not going to take the bait and respond to that, either. It never ends well for me when I've attempted that on other people in the past, and it's certainly not going to end well if I take the bait and respond. I've come too far along in my progress to allow myself to get pulled back into those patterns and behaviors so, despite how frustrating it is, I'm holding firm in my boundary. Admittedly, it's a little difficult because, even still, I want to be like "I'm not answering you until you apologize for x, y, and z" but I also know that that's not effective, either. It gives him exactly what he wants and, ultimately, a forced or coerced apology is almost never a genuine one. I'm hoping that he'll come to the realization on his own but, in the meantime, I guess I'll just have to remain Public Enemy #1.

ACT Skills (aka "Big Emotions") Update: It would be irresponsible of me to not tack this on after mentioning the situation that stressed me out in the beginning of the DBT section. It wasn't necessarily a "big" emotion per se, but a medium to small one that still needed to be recognized. *What was the emotion? - Stress *How long did it last? - 10-15 minutes *What prompted it? - The unnecessary invasion of my personal space while I was trying to complete my morning work *How did it physically feel? - It was a tenseness in my chest. Not very intense, but still tense *What did I do? - I acknowledged the feeling and left the room to take a couple of deep breaths for a minute or two. After going back into the room, I practiced the Expansion technique by acknowledging my stress and where I felt it, and then adding that I could also feel my anxiety ring as I turned it. During this time, I continued with my deep breathing until the feeling left. Afterwards, I tried using a "rainbow grounding" technique -- which is essentially like a version of I Spy where I find an item corresponding to each color of the rainbow and take in a breath for each color as I name the item.

"I am already everything I am trying to be. I will see that if I stop for a minute."

[lordofmyland]

🤴🏾The LORD Diddy aka Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), also known by the stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy or Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive, actor and entrepreneur. Combs was born in New York City but was raised in Mount Vernon, New York. He worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his own record label, Bad Boy Entertainment, in 1993. . Combs has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and is the producer of MTV's Making the Band. In 2018, Forbes estimated his net worth at $825 million, making him the second-richest hip hop recording artist, after Jay-Z. Fortune magazine listed Combs at number twelve on their top 40 of entrepreneurs under 40 in 2002. . Combs is the head of Combs Enterprises, an umbrella company for his portfolio of businesses. In addition to his clothing line, Combs owned two restaurants called Justin's, named after his son. The original New York location closed in September 2007; the Atlanta location closed in June 2012. He is the designer of the Dallas Mavericks alternate jersey. In October 2007 Combs agreed to help develop the Cîroc vodka brand for a 50 percent share of the profits. Combs acquired the Enyce clothing line from Liz Claiborne for $20 million on October 21, 2008. Combs has a major equity stake in Revolt TV, a television network that also has a film production branch. It began broadcasting in 2014. In February 2015, Combs teamed up with actor Mark Wahlberg and businessman Ronald Burkle of Yucaipa Companies to purchase a majority holding in Aquahydrate, a calorie-free beverage for athletes. John Cochran, former president of Fiji Water, is CEO of the company. - #lordofmyland https://www.instagram.com/p/B1RZ9O_n44P4liw1QbFqRjsDWf0m1cR_NTp_RY0/?igshid=oconuvi8n8z1

[chirpsythismorning]

[thatsnotcanonpodcasts]

Spaceport, Steam, The Boys

Welcome back to the latest episode of tom foolery from the Nerds, we have another amazing showing for you this week. Starting off we have Buck telling us about Spaceport America and how Virgin Galactic has moved in and is closer to carrying passengers into space. So get those cheque books out, prepare to sell a kidney because tickets are $250,000 each. But you will need to wait in line as 600 are already sold. But hey, at least this will be a much more comfortable ride then that of Laika, the dog kidnapped from the streets of Moscow and sent into space all those years ago. This has got to be one of the coolest joy flights out there (when it finally gets airborne).

Next up the Professor brings us news about Steam becoming strict in relation to release dates. That’s right folks, no longer can dodgy developer’s use Steam’s coming soon feature as free advertising. No, Steam has come out with the metaphysical switch and spanked those fiendish louts for being such naughty children. From now on if the release date needs to be changed you need to listen in to find out exactly what happens. What, you thought we would tell you everything here? Come of it, we tell you in the podcast so listen in.

Then we have DJ looking into The Boys the new show from Amazon. This show is being advertised as the most successful show ever, which is saying something as they have a number of great shows. The premise of the show is a battle between the Heroes and a group fighting to bring them down. Buck gives us a heads up that one superhero dies during season one, but not how. All we know is that it is a crappy way to die. DJ is excited about the rise of indie comics and the refreshing change that is happening by using these for content rather than just relying Marvel and DC for superheroes. Want to know more? So do we, listen in and tell us what you think.

We look at the games the Nerds are playing and have some discussion around them, with some interesting facts coming out. We know, sorry for educating you with random facts against your will. As normal we have the shout outs, remembrances, birthdays, and events of interest for the week, or do we? You will need to open the show and listen in to find out, also why this metaphysical question is asked. Anyway, please remember to take care of yourselves, look out for each other and stay hydrated.

EPISODE NOTES:

Spaceport America - https://phys.org/news/2019-08-virgin-galactic-unveiling-mission-space.html

Changes to Steam release date system - https://www.pcgamesn.com/steam-release-date-coming-soon

The Boys and the rise of the indie comics in screen media - https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a28666172/the-boys-amazon-most-successful-shows/

Games currently playing

Buck

– Company of heroes 2 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/231430/Company_of_Heroes_2/

Professor

- Zombicide: Invader - https://cmon.com/product/zombicide/zombicide-invader

DJ

– Red Dead Redemption 2 - https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/

Other topics discussed

Branson thinks Trump is not a real billionaire

- https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/richard-branson-scathing-letter-president-donald-trump-virgin-billionaire-a7975706.html

Laika (Soviet space dog to orbit the Earth.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika

2014 Virgin Galactic crash

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VSS_Enterprise_crash

Successful Virgin Galactic after the 2014 Virgin Galactic crash

- https://www.engadget.com/2018/04/05/virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-powered-flight-test/

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (Mach 3+strategic reconnaissance aircraft)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird

Virgin Galactic Purpose statement

- https://www.virgingalactic.com/purpose/

On August 13, 2019, NASA at the Trident Basin in Cape Canaveral, Florida, astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Bob Behnken work with teams from NASA and SpaceX to rehearse crew extraction from SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which will be used to carry humans to the International Space Station. The pair will fly to the space station aboard the Crew Dragon for the SpaceX Demo-2 mission.

- https://i.imgur.com/7ftObLc.jpg

- https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/nasa-and-spacex-dragon-crew-extraction-rehearsal

Steam Greenlight closing down

- https://steamcommunity.com/games/593110/announcements/detail/1265922321514182595

Steam Direct

- https://partner.steamgames.com/steamdirect

The Steam store now lets you mark games you’ve played on other platforms

- https://www.pcgamesn.com/steam-ignore

Watchmen (2009 superhero movie)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen_(film)

Danger 5 (Australian Comics)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_5

Doom (1996 Game comics)

- https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/Doom_comic

Date with Danger comics

- https://www.amazon.com.au/Date-Danger-Golden-Age-Comic/dp/1500809241

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Two Tribes (1984 song)

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXWVpcypf0w

Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Soviet sniper in the Red Army during World War II, credited with 309 kills. She is regarded as one of the top military snipers of all time and the most successful female sniper in history.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyudmila_Pavlichenko

Roza Shanina, Soviet sniper during World War II who was credited with fifty-nine confirmed kills, including twelve soldiers during the Battle of Vilnius.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roza_Shanina

Enemy of The Gates (2001 war movie)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enemy_at_the_Gates

Vasily Zaitsev, Soviet sniper and a Hero of the Soviet Union during World War II. A feature-length film, Enemy at the Gates (2001), starring Jude Law as Zaytsev, was based on part of William Craig's non-fiction book Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad (1973), which includes a "snipers' duel" between Zaytsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director, Major Erwin König.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Zaitsev_(sniper)

Simo Häyhä aka White Death, Finnish sniper. He is believed to have killed over 500 men during the 1939–40 Winter War, the highest number of sniper kills in any major war.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simo_H%C3%A4yh%C3%A4

Deadliest Warrior (2009 TV Series)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadliest_Warrior

Zombicide Board games

- Zombicide Season 1 - https://www.cmon.com/product/zombicide/zombicide-season-1

- Zombicide: Black Plague - https://www.cmon.com/product/zombicide/zombicide-black-plague

How to pronounce Jacque Tits properly

- https://www.quora.com/Is-mathematician-Jacques-Titss-last-name-pronounced-like-the-English-word-tits-or-like-the-English-word-teat

Everybody Wants to be a Cat (TNC Podcast)

- https://thatsnotcanon.com/ewtbacpodcast

Floof and Pupper Podcast (TNC Podcast)

- https://thatsnotcanon.com/floofandpupperpodcast

Shoutouts

10 Aug 2019 - 500th anniversary of Magellan's circumnavigation voyage. The expedition's goal, which it accomplished, was to find a western route to the Moluccas (Spice Islands). Magellan left Spain on 20 September 1519, sailed across the Atlantic, and discovered the strait that bears his name, allowing him to pass through South America into the Pacific Ocean (which he named). The fleet crossed the Pacific, stopping in the Philippines, and eventually reached the Moluccas after two years. A much-depleted crew finally returned to Spain on 6 September 1522. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan%27s_circumnavigation

12 Aug 1099 – First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon, Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade. - Believed to be the result of computer games, but unproven - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ascalon

12 Aug 1952 – The Night of the Murdered Poets: Thirteen prominent Jewish intellectuals are murdered in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Murdered_Poets

12 Aug 1981 – The IBM Personal Computer is released. It was created by a team of engineers and designers under the direction of Philip Don Estridge of the IBM Entry Systems Division in Boca Raton, Florida. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer

Remembrances

12 Aug 1848 - George Stephenson, English civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians a great example of diligent application and thirst for improvement. Self-help advocate Samuel Smiles particularly praised his achievements. His chosen rail gauge, sometimes called 'Stephenson gauge', was the basis for the 4 feet 8 1⁄2 inches (1,435 mm) standard gauge used by most of the world's railways. Pioneered by Stephenson, rail transport was one of the most important technological inventions of the 19th century and a key component of the Industrial Revolution. He died from pleurisy at the age of 67 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stephenson

12 Aug 1914 - John Phillip Holland, Irish engineer who developed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the US Navy, and the first Royal Navy submarine, Holland 1. This was the first submarine having power to run submerged for any considerable distance, and the first to combine electric motors for submerged travel and gasoline engines for use on the surface. He died from pneumonia at age of 72 inNewark, New Jersey. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Philip_Holland

12 Aug 1955 - James B. Sumner, American chemist. He discovered that enzymes can be crystallized, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1946 with John Howard Northrop and Wendell Meredith Stanley. He was also the first to prove that enzymes are proteins. He died from cancer at the age of 67 in Buffalo, New York. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_B._Sumner

Famous Birthdays

12 Aug 1887 - Erwin Schrödinger, Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist who developed a number of fundamental results in the field of quantum theory: the Schrödinger equation provides a way to calculate the wave function of a system and how it changes dynamically in time. In addition, he was the author of many works in various fields of physics: statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, physics of dielectrics, colour theory, electrodynamics,general relativity, and cosmology, and he made several attempts to construct a unified field theory. He paid great attention to the philosophical aspects of science, ancient and oriental philosophical concepts, ethics, and religion. He also wrote on philosophy and theoretical biology. He is also known for his "Schrödinger's cat" thought-experiment. He was born in Vienna - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwin_Schr%C3%B6dinger

12 Aug 1918 - Guy Gibson , was a distinguished bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was the first Commanding Officer of No. 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area of Germany. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, in the aftermath of the raid in May 1943 and became the most highly decorated British serviceman at that time. He completed over 170 war operations before dying in action at the age of 26. He was born in Simla - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Gibson

12 Aug 1930 - Jacques Tits, a Belgium-bornFrenchmathematician who works on group theory and incidence geometry. He introduced Tits buildings, the Tits alternative, the Tits group, and the Tits metric. He was born in Uccle - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Tits

Events of Interest

12 Aug 1492 – Christopher Columbus arrives in the Canary Islands on his first voyage to the New World. - https://www.thoughtco.com/first-new-world-voyage-christopher-columbus-2136437

12 Aug 1865 – Joseph Lister, British surgeon and scientist, performs 1st antiseptic surgery. He did it by applying a piece of lint dipped in carbolic acid solution onto the wound of a seven-year-old boy at Glasgow Infirmary, who had sustained a compound fracture after a cart wheel had passed over his leg. After four days, he renewed the pad and discovered that no infection had developed, and after a total of six weeks he was amazed to discover that the boy's bones had fused back together. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Lister

12 Aug 1990 – Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton found to date, is discovered by Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota. It is one of the largest, most extensive, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimens ever found, at over 90% recovered by bulk. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_(dinosaur)

Intro

Artist – Goblins from Mars

Song Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)

Song Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJ

Follow us on

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/

Email - Nerds.Amalgamated@gmail.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamated

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrS

iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094

RSS - http://www.thatsnotcanonproductions.com/topshelfnerdspodcast?format=rss 

[rebeccahpedersen]

Tall Tales From The Trenches On Feelgood Friday!

TorontoRealtyBlog

Last Friday, when I offered another edition of “Photos of the Week,” a couple of readers mentioned that rather than sharing negative reviews of listings, photos, and seller/agent behaviour, I should provide some feel-good examples of listings done right.

So in the spirit of positivity, let me offer you a story for “Feelgood Friday.”

Perhaps I don’t often share enough of the good stories, and despite this chaotic market, there are many.

Last week, I sold a condo listing amid 13 offers, and the ending sent chills up my spine…

You’ve heard this from me before, but I honestly don’t enjoy working on the selling side on “offer night” during multiple offers.

Most listing agents love it.

I mean, what’s not to love?

Power?  Status?  Envy?

That’s not me, I’m sorry.

Call me dramatic, but when I receive 13 offers on a listing, I can’t help but think about the twelve buyers, and buyer agents, who go home disappointed.

Once the “winning” bid has been accepted, I personally call all the agents with unsuccessful offers to tell them that I appreciate their offer, and their efforts, and that I hope to see them again out there in the real estate trenches.

In today’s market, when you have 13 offers on a property, the person-to-person connection often goes out the window.  More to the point, the buyer-to-seller connection goes with it.

Some of my clients couldn’t possibly care less who buys their house or condo, and yet to some, it’s tremendously important.

The first property sale I ever witnessed was my childhood home, which I mentioned in my Pick5 video today, on Parkhurst Boulevard in Leaside.

It was the spring of 1992, and I was 12-years-old.

I remember my father telling me, as I was upset that we had sold the house and were moving that a “young couple” were going to buy the house, and “start a family.”

In my mind, this was our house.  I belonged to us, and no matter what happened, and who moved in, it would always be our house.

Once we had moved out of our home, and into our new one on Bessborough Drive, we went back to the vacant house on Parkhurst, God knows why.  I think my brother, sister, and myself wanted to say some sort of “goodbye” before the deal closed, and another family moved in.

I remember laying on the floor of my bedroom so vividly, I can almost smell the 80’s carpet fibres, which always seemed a little dirty, and a little greasy.  My mom was trying to round up her three kids to get going, and she walked by the doorway to my tiny room, saw me laying on the floor with my arms outstretched as though I were hugging my room, and said aloud, “Oh my God, I knew this was a mistake.”

When we moved to Bessborough, I still thought of Parkhurst as “my house.”

Our family jogging route took us from Bessborough Drive along the outskirts of Leaside – Bayview, Southvale, Laird, and then back up Parkhurst to Bayview again.  We jogged by our old home hundreds of times.

We moved to Parkhurst from a house around the corner on Airdrie Road shortly after I was born in 1980, and lived there until 1992 – a total of twelve years.

I remember in 2005, chatting with my sister, when she said, “Can you believe the family who moved into our old house on Parkhurst has now been there longer than us?”

It was crazy-talk to me.

Longer than us?  Really?  How could that be?

“Time flies,” and all that?  Twelve years?

I remember when I was coaching Bantam baseball from 2007 to 2013, at some point one of the kids mentioned a party at the house (why do parents leave they teenagers alone???), and my head popped up.  I gave them the address, and they said, “Yeah, you know it?”

Time flies, indeed.  It seemed that the non-existent child from the “young couple” who were “going to start a family” as my Dad told me back in 1992, was now a 17-year-old, throwing parties with the kids I coached.

Well, guess what?  That family is still there.

They’ve been there now for a whopping twenty-six years, by my count.

And I think it’s fair to say, that of all the people that have ever owned that particular property, the 26-year tenure really makes it their house.

I think if you took a quick poll, and perhaps we should do that, you’d find that the ratio of people who care, and don’t care, about who buys their home, is about 50/50.

When I received 13 offers on my condo listing last week, my sellers said they really wanted to know who was buying the property from them.

They’re a really nice couple, and I could tell from the first time I entered their condo, that they take an immense amount of pride in their home.  They also like to entertain, and left behind in that condo, as is the case with everybody who moves, are a slew of good memories, great times with friends and family, and a few years of their lives.

When we settled on the “winning” bid of the thirteen offers, I called the buyer agent to let her know.  She was a little surprised, as anybody would be in the midst of thirteen offers, and she said, “My client will not believe this!”

She told me again, “You will not believe how much this means to my client, just, wow.”

I’ve heard it before; emotions run high in these situations, and the reactions are often hyperbolic.

I emailed the accepted offer, and asked the agent where she was, and where I could get the certified bank draft for the deposit.

And then things started to get really interesting.

“She’s at King & Sherbourne,” the agent said.  “I’m in the west end; I could go meet her, then meet you, wherever you are.”

I told her that I actually live two blocks from King & Sherbourne, and provided she trusted me interacting with her buyer-client, I was happy to save her the trip at 9pm in the evening, and go meet the buyer myself.

She took me up on the offer, and was quite grateful.

“Let me give you the address,” she told me, and I said, “I already know.”

Creepy-sounding, but it wasn’t.  “230 King Street East?” I asked.

“Yes, wow, how did you know?”

“I lived there for five years,” I told her.  “When you said ‘King & Sherbourne,’ I had a feeling.”

Ironically, in hindsight, I realize it could have been 39 Sherbourne Street, aka “King Plus Condo,” which is directly across from King’s Court at 230 King Street.

But I just had a feeling it was my old stomping grounds, and I got in my car, and headed down.

I got to the condo, and walked in through the beautiful lobby (it’s an old bank where they’ve preserved the interior as it was in the 1900’s, and even have ‘before’ photos posted on the walls), then found a seat on the padded benches in a separate waiting area off the mailroom.

It was on that very bench, on the same side, in the very same spot, where I waited for a friend of mine to meet me, along with my mother, back in 2005 when I was looking at purchasing a condo in the building.  And here I was, years later, waiting for somebody else, who was looking to buy a condo.

Not exactly the same situation; this lady was looking to buy someplace else, but the coincidence wasn’t lost on me.

I met the woman, as she peeked around the corner and asked, “David?”

She was carrying with her a dog that, I swear – I actually did a double-take as I thought it was my dog.

The resemblance was uncanny.

“That’s my dog’s face,” I told her.  “The nose, the eyes, the little teeth – this is my dog!”

It was a half Maltese, half Yorkie, just like my dog.  Yet another coincidence.

She handed me the deposit cheque, and we chatted for a while.

She told me that the dog was a rescue, which was ironic, given I had literally just had a conversation with my wife about adopting a rescue dog.  Not any time soon, of course.  We have a dog, and a 17-month-old baby.  Another dog is not in the cards.  But my wife volunteers for a non-profit called “Save our Scruff,” which helps find owners for rescued and abused dogs, and she said if we ever get another dog, it’ll be a rescue.

As we chatted, I asked the new-buyer what the importance of her offer price was.

I realized as soon as the words came out of my mouth that it’s a far more personal question than it seems.

A buyer might offer $800,610, because they got married on June 10th.

I’ve seen all kinds of numbers, with all kinds of meanings.  Birthdays, anniversaries, lucky numbers in various cultures, favourite numbers, sports jersey numbers, number of children – anything you can think of.

Of course in this case, the lady said, “My Dad.”  And then added, “My Mum.”

“My dad died on that date,” she told me.  And as the lump in my throat started to grow, she said, “And my Mum on the other date.”

Oh boy.  Well, add “death date” to the list of potential numbers and meanings above.  I guess I didn’t think of that.

“I actually lost both my parents in a very short time,” she added.  “In the same month.”

Right.  I was so glad to bring that back up for her…

But you know what?  She wasn’t sad.  She was actually happy!

“My parents always wanted to help me buy a place,” she told me.  “And tonight, they did.”

Boy, was I ever caught off guard.

I have to be honest, maybe I’m not a deep enough person, but I never really thought of it that way.

We had 13 offers, and as is always the case, the bidding was close.

The dates of her parents’ passing were used in her offer price, and those numbers helped her win the property.

In essence, her parents did “help her buy a place.” as she put it.

It was heart-warming, and the coincidences were not lost on me.

But there was even more ahead.

She told me how she had been a tenant in the same unit for eight years, and how recently her landlord asked her to sign a new lease, at a much higher price than what was permitted by law.  When she respectfully declined, he sent her a Form N12 by email, with no subject line, and no text.  Just the form.

The form specified that a family member would be moving into the unit, specifically his son.  She added that she had known him for eight years as his tenant, and she was pretty sure he didn’t have a son…

Rather than dwell on her situation, she decided now would be the time to take the plunge into the housing market, and she started to look at condos.

I know a lot of buyers say this, so it sounds cliché, but she said, “As soon as I walked into the condo, I felt like I was home.”

“They had my stuff,” she said.  “Half the stuff I have, they have!”

They also had a dog, as did she, and she had always wanted a terrace for the pup.  This condo, by the way, happened to have a 300 square foot terrace.

The coincidences, similarities, and happenstance was just too much.  I stood there in the lobby of my old building, and smiled.

And then came the clincher.

She told me, “I just absolutely love that terrace!  I’ve always wanted one,” she said.  “I actually live above a huge terrace in my current unit.”

It made me think.

“Do you live above the units on the second floor – the ones with the 440 square foot terraces?” I asked.

“I do!” she said.

I knew these rather well, of course.  There are six units with 440 square foot terraces, as I used to own one.

“I used to live in one,” I said.  “Which unit are you in?” I asked her.

“Unit xx2,” she told me.

Go figure.

“Small world,” I said.  I used to live four floors below you.  Directly below you.  I’m was in Unit xy2.

We both laughed.

What are the odds?

She actually lived there, a few floors above me, for two years while I was there.

We shook hands, I went out to my car, and I went home feeling good.

This can often be a miserable business, and I’m sorry to say, but an overwhelming majority of interactions that you have with people, no matter what role they play, are negative.

So how good did I feel, meeting such a pleasant lady, with such a great story about bidding on and winning this condo, with all these incredible coincidences and personal connections?

That’s a rhetorical question.  And suffice it to say, you don’t have to guess how happy my sellers were to hear the following day what a great person they sold their beloved condo to.

Perhaps I’m being overly-sentimental, or maybe you caught me on an off day.

But most “tales from the trenches” don’t end well, so I’m glad I could provide you one on an otherwise feelgood-Friday…

The post Tall Tales From The Trenches On Feelgood Friday! appeared first on Toronto Real Estate Property Sales & Investments | Toronto Realty Blog by David Fleming.

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