Driveway Surfing

The Kindness Test

2010-04-02T11:06:00.000-04:00

I've changed the name of my book, from The Generosity Experiment to The Kindness Test, reduced the Early Buyer price by $4 (back to $20), reduced the number of "units" available to 2000, and extended the early buyer deadline until May 30, 2010.

The message of the book is that we all need to be more conscious of the impact we make on others we encounter through the course of our day, conduct business with, and pass by without noticing. The choices we make with each person may impact not only the other person's life, but our own, in ways we could not imagine. Being needlessly unkind to another could result in your missing out on wonderful things that you have dreamed of but never thought you could achieve or receive. In other words, not being as kind to others as you would like others to be to you could work against you in ways that you haven't imagined. You may be acting against your own best interests, and that is rarely, if ever, a smart idea.

My book will give you many examples of tests I have conducted with:

Doctors
Dentists
Hospitals
Police
Veterinarians
Hotels
Real estate agents
Churches
Lawyers
Neighbors
Best Friends
Banks
Former clients
Etc.

And no, I was never undercover... although I now offer to be an undercover client to businesses. I always disclosed upfront that I was writing a book about my encounters with everyone. Despite my honesty most people, not all, treated me with rejection, disrespect, avoidance, contempt and in some cases abuse and threats of physical harm... no matter how kind and generous I was to them. That says to me that our society needs a major overhaul in the area of Kindness to Others.

This book will ruffle quite a few feathers I'm afraid. You'll want to read this book, if only to find out who has been naughty and nice! Most of the stories are quite stunning. Often truth is stranger than fiction and these are true stories with no embellishment. And in many cases I gave people named in the book a second chance to do the right thing. You'll get to see who did and who didn't.

If you order The Kindness Test now, you'll get the first copies when its finished, but if you are one of the 2,000 early buyers you can share in the profits. You'll get your entire investment of $20 back after the sale of 5,700 books. If I sell 10,000 books, you get an additional $24 back. If I sell 20,000 books you should see $110 in total returned to you.

OK, that's not a big pile of money, but tell me this: How many authors can you name who share the profits of their book sales with their readers? Besides me.

Oh, and if you recommend me for a paid speaking engagement on the subject of The Kindness Test that is booked, confirmed with a deposit, and actually takes place, you will receive 10-25% of my speaking fee... depending on how much effort you invest in getting me booked. The bigger the event, the bigger my fee. And what comes to you could be a nice little pile of money.

Think about it... but not too long.

The 50th post

2010-04-01T10:29:00.000-04:00

This is what my "new" web site says:

Andrea Reynolds' Multi-Million Dollar Crusade for Justice

Because of my good deeds, I've been the target of criminal acts and hate campaigns...so I've launched my own campaign.

For now I'm collecting what people owe me or compensation for what people have done, not done, or done badly. Then I will spend my time promoting "big ticket" work like speaking, corporate consulting and syndication. No more offering physical work to people who don't appreciate the value of the work I can do to help them solve their problems and make good money. If they want my help they can buy my book that tells them how they can do it themselves. Or they can pay me a retainer.

And because I have now posted 50 posts here and don't have a single follower, this will be my last post on this blog. I'll be starting another blog on my web site to document my progress contacting people and companies who should compensate me or send me a refund.

Of all the nerve!

2010-04-01T10:06:00.000-04:00

What are people thinking?

I'm destitute, trying to find ways to keep a roof over my head and earn an honest living, and people are treating me with such disrespect. Don't they get it?

I've been rejected more than a dozen times for offering to provide free housesitting and pet-sitting for which I used to get paid a nice hourly rate, so I give up. When I hired pet-sitters in 2005 to look in on my 2 cats for a day I paid $25 a visit, two visits per day. Now I'm being rejected over and over when I offer to look after pets 24 hours a day... for free! Go figure.

And on a daily basis I get requests from strangers who say they want to be "friends." That usually turns out to mean they want me to come to their home (even drive hundreds of miles to get there), spend a month of my time de-cluttering, painting and staging it so it sells fast and for more money, but they don't offer me payment or even a place to stay. One man (who owns two homes) said to me (who you know is homeless): "I can't pay you; money is very tight." I explained my financial situation to him, and I never heard from him again. I hope he was ashamed of his intent to exploit me.

One man promised me "some money" when the house sells. That could be 6 months from now and "some money" could mean $50 in his mind for 160 hours' worth of my heavy labor, or he could take it off the market and he could rationalize that he doesn't have to pay for all the work I did. I suspect he will get his realtor to do the work for free before he takes his home off the market. (I have good reason to believe he will.) Tsk, tsk.

I am so disgusted by the way I've been treated. Or should I say, how people behave with such an unreasonable expectation of entitlement. This is arrogance and disrespect to the max. News flash, guys: Slavery in the United States was abolished in 1865! (Yes, these people will be in my book.)

And if the above scenarios aren't bad enough, I'm also receiving requests from strangers that I send them money so they can spend it on promotion of their self-published novels. Are they kidding me? I'm homeless and people I have never heard of want me to subsidize their careers? But are they willing to buy my books - at a reduced price, no less - so they can learn how to secure funds for their publishing projects? Of course not. They refuse to spend less than $10, but want me to throw bigger money at them with no expectation of return? Hah!

If someone isn't willing to invest in their own education so they can learn how to raise money as I did, they aren't worthy of anyone's investment.

Change of plans

2010-04-01T09:44:00.001-04:00

"Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere."

That's taken from a TV commercial for a drug for depression. I'm not depressed, but I hurt everywhere. Sleeping on a lumpy couch or on a camping cot doesn't help, nor does being awakened often during the night by one or more cats, but I suspect those aren't the culprits, just hindrances. I suspect that stress, worry and lack of physical exercise over the years have had a detrimental effect on my health. And sleeping in a damp van that doesn't get any warmer than 50 degrees even with a heater on, is probably giving me arthritis, if I don't already have arthritis.

It may be fibromyalgia, but it may not be. All I know is that I hurt all over... my fingers, wrists, back, shoulders, head, neck, legs, feet, toes. And I can't go on like this, at least not while it's still cold at night.

So I need to change plans and take care of myself, even if only for a few months, no matter what the cost. If I don't take care of myself my 90 year old father may outlive me.

The first step is to come in out of the cold. I've rented a small studio with a bed, desk, bathroom and kitchenette. The second step is to get dental care. I need two root canals to start with.

All this will be very expensive so I've got to stop trying to offer services that nobody wants to pay for and will be changing my strategy.

Updated news release

2010-03-22T10:52:00.002-04:00

Writer Seeks Companies with Heart… (and parking) so she can write book about creative generosity

Have you seen this van around Erie?

[Erie PA] Would you invite a woman to park her “kindness-mobile” in your company parking lot for a week or a month so she can write a book about generosity of spirit? Would you, if you received favorable promotion on her blog, website, book, and keynote speeches? What if she also kept an eye on your premises? (As an investigative journalist she is a keen observer and was the first to spot two house fires and also identify a serial burglar so police could bring him to justice.)

A shady spot is imperative. In direct sun the internal temperature of the van

can quickly become 100 degrees which could kill Casper the cat.

Andrea Reynolds is an unconventional 60 year old, former public relations consultant and freelance broadcaster who is starting again with no income or savings after multiple years of personal and business crises… some resulting from heartless company officials. She knows there are companies with a generous spirit everywhere, she just has to find them…so she can write about them. (She’s already met plenty of the other kind.) She returned to Erie to be her elderly father's patient advocate.

Reynolds is accepting invitations to park from: Auto Dealers, Chiropractors, Churches, Colleges, Dentists, Grocery Stores, Health and Fitness Clubs, Hospitals, Inns and Hotels, Law firms, Libraries, Physicians, Radio and TV stations, Realtors, Restaurants, Veterinarians, etc.

A place to park with an outside electrical outlet would be heaven.

With no mortgage or rent Reynolds will live on less than $500 a month (including food, gas and storage unit)…so she can write, publish and promote her next book, The Generosity Experiment. Equipped with nearly everything she needs – except for water and electricity – her 2002 Econoline van will be home for up to two years for her and her cat Casper.

"I'm not home-less; I'm home-free," Reynolds insists. "This is my choice. I want to work, but until people are willing to pay me for my professional consulting, writing and speaking skills and books again, driveway surfing is how I live within my means. I prefer it to couch surfing."

Reynolds is offering to share the profits from sales of this book with up to 2400 early buyers. Until April 30, any individual can claim a book for $24, have his/her name listed as a patron and share a portion of the profits. If she can sell 10,000 additional books through her online and offline promotion, each “patron” will double her/his investment. Her mailing address is: Andrea Reynolds, Suite 647, 2501 West 12^th Street, Erie PA 16505.

- - - E N D - - -

350 words

For interviews and appearances, please contact Andrea Reynolds, crisiswriter@gmail.com (814) 431-9278 (cellular) or (412) 440-3704 (voicemail) or www.Twitter.com/ReynoldsIntl More info: her website, www.AndreaReynolds.com and her blog, http://DrivewaySurfing.blogspot.com.

Andrea Reynolds, Suite 647, 2501 West 12th Street, Erie PA 16505

Earning my keep

2010-03-14T12:24:00.000-04:00

I'm so grateful to Delly and Jason for giving me a place to stay out of the cold while I wait to receive invitations to park or house-sit. I'm doing multiple things to be a good house guest... after all, I wrote a booklet on Bed and Breakfast Guest Etiquette.

1. I'm trying to take up as little space as possible with my things in the kitchen, living room and bathroom.
2. I'm trying to be as quiet as possible by keeping the volume down on the TV, my laptop (TV shows and podcasts) and have ver few phone calls a week.
3. I'm eating up their leftovers to make more room in the crowded fridge.
4. In lieu of payment for electricity, I'm contributing a few items to the household.
5. I'm making myself useful by providing HandyAnde services I normally charge $30-$60 an hour for. By providing at least an hour of my services a day ($30 x 30 = $900/month) as a home economist I feel as though I'm giving value for my presence. Some of my tasks:

scooping out the 5 cat litter boxes
picking up milk, cat litter, cat box refills as needed
sweeping the laminated and linoleum floors
unclogging the shower drain
washing dishes by hand throughout the day
cooking parts of dinners
refilling pet water bowl
organizing some cupboards
keeping pets company when "mom and dad" are out of the house
adjusting the window blinds in the morning and late afternoon (for the pets and plants)
investigating unfamiliar noises
breaking up cat fights
combing cats to reduce the possibility of hairballs.

This is what I do when I'm house and pet sitting. So hire me already... it costs you nothing!

Housesit Disappointment

2010-03-14T11:22:00.000-04:00

I was confirmed to spend a month as a house sitter and pet sitter for a cat in Oakville Ontario starting March 11, and I was thrilled to be returning to a familiar location. I had postponed my trip to Ontario by a week to get a missing connector for my solar panel and power box, and had outfitted my van with all the equipment and supplies I would need for a month. Then the homeowner emailed me that she had changed her mind and hired someone else. I was stunned. Not only because my hopes were dashed of having a quiet month to write as I maintained her home and cared for her cat, but because I didn't want to impose on my friends longer than necessary, and now I had nowhere to go. I felt stranded.

While I like staying where I am, I always worry about being an unwanted guest. But I realized too, that this homeowner is not a kind person and she could have handled this differently. I don't think she realizes that I would be writing about how she treated me, in my blog and my book.

So I'm actively looking for housesitting situation of a week to several months in NW Pennsylvania, NE Ohio, NW New York, and southern Ontario. I'd love for them to be back-to back, but I'm happy to have an invitation to keep your home or business secure in your absence.

You can read about my background as a house and pet sitter on this page: www.AndreaReynolds.com/housesit.html

Gradually recovering

2010-03-02T10:46:00.000-05:00

I'm still in pain from all the moving and snow shoveling. (I've been so tired I've been spoonerizing my words, and saying show snoveling.) Everything hurts: my fingers, thumbs, shoulders, arms, back, legs, feet, toes. Even getting in and out of my van is difficult. I've hardly been changing clothes; hurts too much to move. I'm not sleeping well, so my body is not healing as fast as it should.

Delly and Jason have been wonderful and very accommodating. They parked their cars in the street so I can park in their driveway. I slept on the living room couch last night and Casper stayed awake near me, guarding me from all the cats. I thought there might be some cat fights, but nothing occurred but some growling and hissing. I was grateful he was not causing problems. The night before I heard Casper banging on the door to get out of his room so I went upstairs to keep him company so he wouldn't wake my friends. I slay down on the hardwood floor, but found a comforter in the open closet that I could lay on and cover myself with.

Tonight we are going to try to sleep in the van with the heater. It's cold and damp in there. The heater will dry it up a bit. There is an outlet on the porch we can use. I'll be making a big chef's salad for dinner, but before then I'll shower, get some clothes from the van and do some laundry. But right now - it's 10:37 AM - I think I'll try to catch another hour of sleep. It might help.

Tomorrow I'll buy some groceries and see what else I need from storage. I'm gearing up to do two things over the next week or two:
1. Take a day trip to Niagara Region Ontario to get the part I need for my solar panel.
2. Confirm at least one housesitting assignment, and maybe a series of them.

Meanwhile I'll work on updating my web site, writing some letters to people who owe me money, promoting my Generosity Experiment book, and getting my 2009 taxes done. (Hoping for a refund.)

Staying warm in the van

2010-03-02T10:18:00.000-05:00

I almost forgot to write about how we (Casper and I) will stay warm. If we have access to electricity with my 100 foot utility cord I can plug in my small box heater. With the Reflectix insulation - top, bottom and sides - and my wool and flannel curtains at the windows we may need the heater only intermittently.

With my Canadian Tire Eliminator power box - rechargeable - I can plug in my heating pad for Casper to lie on. Knowing him, he won't lie on it. He doesn't like to have blankets over him either. I brought the box he likes to hide in, a long one, that I could slip into one of the unused sleeping bags I won. I could put the heating pad between the underside of the box and the sleeping bag "sleeve". The box sits on top of two small carpets...ones that Casper knows. If I can get him to go inside the box and stay there at night, he can be warm even when we don't have the box heater.

The downside is we need to recharge the power box each day. Without electricity, that's not possible. Once I get a proper plug from Canadian Tire in Canada, I will be able to use my solar panel to recharge the power box. They were sold to me - $600 for both - as being compatible... but they weren't.

Erased my presence

2010-03-02T09:37:00.000-05:00

... in the old apartment. That's what I/tenants are asked to do. Sad actually, that all traces of our existence in our once-homes must be eradicated. I think it's symbolic of how landlords think of tenants: we tenants are disposable and memories of us are unwanted.

I vacuumed, mopped, plastered holes, erased marks on the wall, cleaned fixtures and appliances, removed all trash - except for a paper bag on the kitchen counter. Got everything out by 9 PM and dropped off the keys in the management office's rent check box. My friend Jason loaded up his car because my van was stuck in his driveway. The last item to leave was Casper. We even grabbed my mailbox and the door mat.
We threw everything into my van, which, obviously was not ready for sleeping.

Delly and Jason were kind enough to invite me to sleep on the couch and gave Casper a room where he wouldn't be overwhelmed by their 5 cats and 2 dogs (and 1 guinea pig). More about my stay here next post.

Last day in the apartment

2010-02-28T10:31:00.000-05:00

This morning I awoke in a state of panic at the thought of being home-less tonight. Not for myself, but for Casper. I know he isn't taking this move well. He is seeing familiar objects go out the door and not return. He's seen strangers take things away; perhaps he thinks he's next. He went to the vet on Friday and I think he may be fearing he is destined for more surgery. I try to reassure him with talking, petting and hugging but he is hiding, alternately in an upstairs closet and a box he commandeered that came with assemble-it-yourself plastic shelving.

Today I will be busy with little time to devote to comforting him. My agenda is:

1. Mop the kitchen and bathroom floors. The vacuuming was finished last night.
2. Clean the kitchen sink and countertops. The cupboard doors were done yesterday.
3. Collect all the night lights which we can use in the van.
4. Bring the cot and bedding downstairs.
5. Take a shower and then clean out the tub and sink.
6. Dismantle, wash, and pack the cat's water fountain.
7. Take all the trash to the dumpster.
8. Dismantle the cable TV, phones, and router.
9. Bring my remaining clothes, bath supplies, and cot downstairs.
10. Shovel the porch, walk and path to the street so I can fill the van.
11. Make a trip to the storage unit with the vacuum, TVs, mops, brooms and mailbox.
12. Organize the storage room a bit better.
13. Put into the van: floor insulation, carpet, commode, fridge, curtains, heater, laptop desk, clothes, 100 foot utility cord, water jug, etc.
14. Have dinner with Delly and Jason... and relax while Casper waits for me at the apartment.
15. Return to the apartment to get the microwave, laptop, powerbox, scratching post, litter box, and anything left.
16, Drop off keys to the management office.
17. Return to Delly and Jason's to park for the night and hook up to their electricity to heat the van.

Hopefully, things will go as smoothly as they have so far this week. Monday I will figure out where our next nights will be until our first housesitting assignment.

Dead shoes

2010-02-27T17:38:00.000-05:00

I threw these out yesterday. They were my favorite shoes, especially in winter. But they'd lost their traction in the snow, and then, two days ago, the heel came off the right shoe. I decided that it was time to let them go as they had long served their purpose. I bought them in 1987. Twenty-three years. I guess I got my money's worth out of them.

I've been letting go of lots of things that aren't working for me. I also let go of some old tennis shoes that had cracked bottoms, toe holes and no laces.

I still have 3 more pairs of canvas shoes. but they are getting soaked in the snow. My friends Delly and Jason came by today to help me move one more van load to storage and asked why I wasn't wearing boots. I didn't have any. So Jason drove home and brought me a pair of warm boots that he doesn't like to wear.

I love them because I can slip into them easily, can walk faster without slipping and falling, and they keep my feet warm and dry. What a great gift!

Today was Moving Day

2010-02-26T21:21:00.000-05:00

I had, by way of a monetary gift, enough money to be able to rent a 10-foot truck and hire two guys to move all the heavy boxes for me. I found Jim and Chuck Breter (brothers) on U-Haul's affiliate site, MovingHelp.com. They were very professional, knew how to pack well, got the truck loaded and unloaded in 2 hours, drove the truck and even gassed it up for me. All this after a thick blanket of snow. It was worth every dime for the peace of mind it gave me. At my age I couldn't have done it all myself. I'd recommend them to anyone. That's saying something considering I'm a veteran of over 100 moves.

Because I didn't have to do all the lifting, I had enough energy to take Casper to the veterinarian to have his stitches out; and clean the stove, kitchen cupboards, and fridge components. All I have left to do to clean the apartment is vacuum the carpets, mop the floors and clean the bathroom fixtures. I can get those done tomorrow, a day early.

There are a few things more to take over to the storage unit tomorrow and my friends Delly and Jason have offered to help me. I'll be seeing them again on Sunday evening as they have invited me over for dinner. I'll leave Casper in the apartment and then pick him up to spend Sunday night in the van.

I think I know a way to keep us semi-warm. I'll tell you how in a future post.

"The Talk"

2010-02-23T09:36:00.001-05:00

Just when I have only one week to pack and load all my personal and business possessions and I'm panicking because I don't know how I'll get it all done myself, my father decides he needs to discuss his funeral and his important papers.

Naturally, this is a difficult discussion at the best of times: talking about when he will die. He feels it will be soon, I think it will be several years. He's doing pretty well, getting around, getting groceries, getting the mail and going to dinner in the dining hall. His comprehension is slow, but at 90 that's to be expected. I think he'll be around for quite a while yet.

I was trying to explain that without Power of Attorney I can't step in and make decisions about his finances - there was a problem with his bank account that I couldn't fix - or his health when he is hospitalized. His wife still has Power of Attorney for him and she doesn't want to relinquish it. I'm not sure what she is thinking since she has given Power of Attorney over her affairs to her eldest son because she is no longer able to make decisions for herself. But she isn't ready to allow me to be POA for my father, her husband. All Dad needs to do is call his attorney and have the document changed, and she would never know, but for now, it will remain the way she wants it. I realize she just doesn't want to be eliminated from decision-making, and she wouldn't because I always confer with her. Perhaps in her mind the change of POA would mean the marriage is dissolved. It's hard to know what she's thinking. I didn't like that Dad said to her face that she's mentally incompetent. She knows that, but who wants to be told that?

Another challenging subject was confusion over the the Will versus the POA. I tried to explain that the POA confers decision-making rights to one person only (either my step-mother or me, not both) when the subject (my Dad) is still living; and the Will - where I am designated as the Alternate Executrix after my step-mother - confers the obligation to carry out Dad's wishes after his death. Dad got angry and yelled at me, "You think you know everything." He kept trying to tell me that his Will gives me Power of Attorney now, but that's not what the Will says. And on his written instruction sheet he has handwritten that I have POA, but it's not a legal document because it's not signed, witnessed or dated and it's not accepted by financial institutions. I did study basic law in university, but that doesn't make me an expert so I kept my mouth shut. I let the matter go because it's not worth his getting so upset. I'll just deal with things as best I can as events occur.

Now I have copies of the critical documents and a key to his storage locker. But the upshot of all of this is: he feels I should remain in Erie until....

That means I must remain here indefinitely instead of executing my plan to travel to see North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

Maybe it's best.

Hopes dashed

2010-02-20T09:50:00.000-05:00

Last night I received a phone message and email from a lady out-of-state who told me she needed someone to clear out a family member's home - a hoarder - and ready it for sale and contacted me on a referral from someone who found my website, Handy Ande. I confirmed that I will work with hoarders. So to get started I gave her some advice and local contacts she needed before contracting with me to do the work. I figured if I showed her how helpful and motivated I am she would seal the deal before March 1.

As a result I was in high spirits for the first time in a very long time. This would mean someone thought me worthy of hiring, a big project in my realm of competency, a reason to get out of bed in the morning, an income, and a place to park for the duration of the project. I spent a few hours exchanging emails with her instead of packing for tomorrow's loading, but it was for a good cause.

Then... she followed up with an email that broke my heart. She thanked me for all the advice, that she didn't want me to go by the house and check it from the outside, that she had friends who would do that, that she would take it from here. And goodbye. I was crushed.

From what I could figure out, from re-reading her emails, she thought I was a licensed realtor who would do all the clearing out, junk removal, cleaning and sanitizing, storage of useful items, painting, repairing, staging with rented furniture, advertising and selling for the standard realtor's commission. I know that won't happen. No realtor in this area will do it for a pittance.

First of all, the home in its present state isn't worth $100,000. It's a stigmatized property that nobody will even look at unless considerable work is done first. Even if it could sell for $100,000 the agent's commission would only be $1500, far less than that after the costs of advertising, office expenses paid to the broker, etc. No agent is going to do a month's work, plus sell it, for $1000 or less.

I can tell you what will happen because it has happened before many times to me. She will later discover that I was the best person to handle this challenge and she will come back to me after others have disappointed her and she has wasted time and money trying to find someone who will do it cheap, but poorly. They always come back to me after they have hurt my feelings to ask if I will do it for nothing or for dirt cheap.

I won't. I take these things personally. Insult me or treat me as less than the professional I am and you've lost me. I don't do well having my hopes raised and then dashed. Once the damage has been done, I can't summon up the interest to do the work at any price.

It's not about ego; it's about not being kind or considerate of another person's feelings and circumstances. I won't work for people who feel entitled to slave labor from me. Another story for my book.

Day of Rest

2010-02-18T16:39:00.000-05:00

I've been overdoing it. During the night and this morning I was in acute lower back pain, so much so that I could hardly walk and was literally in tears. Two Ibuprofen tablets and a heating pad were doing little, so I have spent the day (so far) in bed watching HGTV and keeping hydrated. Casper has been sleeping at my feet; I think he knows I'm not doing well today. Twelve hours later the pain has subsided only a little, not enough for me to do any physical work today.

Depression has been setting in. Actually the feeling is more a mixture of overwhelm, anxiety, fear of the unknown, and a feeling that I don't have a sense of where I belong. First, I'm realizing I need moving help. About all I can do is get everything packed and labeled. I really need to delegate the moving to others. I don't know exactly how this will come about, but I'll find a way.

My hope is that if I take it easy today I may be able to get all the packing done tomorrow, and quite a bit of the moving on Saturday and Sunday, the only days when the weather is expected to be sunny.

Casper is home

2010-02-18T08:58:00.000-05:00

and he's eating like a horse. Must be the painkillers making him ravenous. He has 2 little stitches below each eye and he is no longer squinting with his right eye. He's back to his old tricks calling me through the night, walking in front of me to slow me and trip me. And he's as demanding as ever. But he's home and healthy.

Now I need to put my attention on how Casper and I will stay warm in my van. Candles and propane scare me and electricity seems to be a non-option.

House and Pet Sitting

2010-02-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

Last night I registered as a housesitter at Housecarers.com. (Click on the title above to read my profile.) This is my second time as a member.

If you would like me to look after your home and cats and/or dogs in your absence, it will cost you nothing. I can housesit anywhere in the US or Canada, but will give preference to those places that are not a great distance for now. I still need to access my storage unit.

You receive a free service from me, and Casper and I have a warm place to stay for free and electricity to be able to write. I'll be the only one writing.

Casper comes with a big dog cage where he can be confined if necessary. He is up-to-date on his shots and tested negative for any fatal diseases.

So go on, take that long vacation you've been hesitating to take. I'll watch over your plants and precious pets, take in your mail, and keep your place occupied to keep the vandals and burglars away.

While the cat's away

2010-02-16T13:36:00.000-05:00

... I'm getting a lot done.

When Casper has to stay overnight at the animal hospital it's the only time I can get a full night's sleep. It's likely that he will stay overnight at the hospital tonight which means a full night's sleep for me. Hallelujah.

From experience I know that when Casper and I live in the van I will need to sleep on his schedule or I won't get enough sleep. That means cat naps through the day and night.

Last night he woke me dozens of times because he wanted food and I couldn't give him any after 8 PM. He jumped on my chest several times, sat on my neck, swatted my face with his tail, called me frequently from other rooms, and also went scavenging through piles of unpacked office supplies searching for errant bits of kibble. I was sleep-deprived, stiff and achey this morning. But when it was time to leave the house he was very good about getting into his carrier, which is unusual for him.

I've just made coordinating, red wool, plaid curtains for the van windows, and am just about to finish a teal flannel curtain for the door to close off the cabin, and matching flannel sheets. Those should keep us warm.

Next I'll pack the china and glassware, dismantle the bed, then work on my web site and get cracking on my crowdfunding. I have long realized that Casper inhibits my creativity. He is a very narcissistic, demanding cat who interrupts my writing about every ten to fifteen minutes. So I'm making the most of this 24 hour period. Who knows when it will come again?

My U-Haul Storage Unit

2010-02-15T23:34:00.000-05:00

This is it. I emptied the van and then brought over a load of plastic shelf units which will hold a lot of small boxes. Eventually the walls will be lined with boxes and there will be boxes down the center, making two long aisles and two short ones... one midway and one at the back. Things on the left side will go back in the van on the last day.

Pain

2010-02-15T09:21:00.000-05:00

I was worried that my weekend snow shoveling would result in pain and it has. This isn't muscle pain from exertion so much as it is kidney stone movement. I'm taking two extra strength acetaminophen tablets every 5 hours. I got up at 4:30 AM to take more because the pain kept me awake. Because I wanted to avoid this pain I had asked management for some help and they refused. This pain was preventable, but management has no compassion and for some reason wants to continue to act like a bully, even though they know that I am documenting their actions in photos and words in this blog for their current and prospective tenants to see.

But my concern, on this first day of moving things to my storage unit, is how I will manage the pain and the daily dragging, lifting, carrying and pushing perhaps 200 heavy items over the next 13 days. The task seems daunting for a woman my age. Last year when I moved in to this apartment I said I would never again do all the moving myself. I intended to stay in this apartment for a long time... at least until I could get my life back on track and start to earn income again so I could afford to hire movers. Sadly, I can't stay where I'm treated so badly, and without income I am once again in a position where I have to depend on myself to move my things.

Landmark Square Apartments has taught me that if you ask for something completely within reason in Erie Pennsylvania you will not only be refused, or ignored, but treated like dirt for asking. What will drive me from now on is knowing that I am getting away from mean-spirited people.

I'd appreciate any prayers you can offer to reduce this pain so I can get through the next two weeks.

Moving Mountains (of snow)

2010-02-14T19:11:00.000-05:00

How can I get a washer and dryer into my van (by myself) - let alone more than 100 heavy boxes - with this mound of snow in the way?

Landmark Square Apartments management is doing nothing to make it easier for trucks who need to load, unload or provide services to the apartments. Management has a snow blower that could be used to eliminate parts of the snow mounds they created between the sidewalk and the street, but they refuse.

I asked management on Thursday for a cut-away so I could start loading my van on Monday. They told me they don't want me to pull my van up on the sidewalk; but, that's exactly what they asked me to do when I moved in! Now they tell me I have to use the tiny cut-away path they improved upon - which I created myself a few weeks earlier for my neighbors who walked their dogs and who had to carry groceries from their cars parked across the street - which is NOT in front of my steps. AND management insists I must ask the city if I may park on the other side of the street when loading my van.

This is passive-aggressive behavior... again. This is no way to treat good tenants who are quiet, obey the rules and pay rent on time every time. (New tenants, be forewarned: once you live here you will be treated as if you were bad children.)

Yet, you will see in the pictures that nobody - carpet cleaners they hire and incoming tenants - is doing that, but instead they are both inconvenienced and are blocking traffic. When I tried to pass the carpet cleaning van in my van (same size), I couldn't do it without exchanging paint with the other van and had to back up and use a less convenient route. On Saturday, when new tenants parked their rented truck in the street to unload, they blocked traffic and cars had to back up. There were no parking spaces on the other side of the street for them to park and I doubt if they asked the city - on a weekend - for permission to park on the "wrong" side of the street, facing the wrong direction. My intention is to avoid inconveniencing my neighbors.

So with terrible back pain I am shoveling the packed snow away myself, a little each day so that I can load my van. The Property Manager's mother is my age. Would she expect her mother to do this kind of work, when it would take her crew less than a minute to do it with a snow blower?

And yes, the property manager knows that I'm writing a book about people who do exactly what she is doing instead of showing kindness and compassion... when offered a choice.

Oh, and the small cut-away that management acquiesced to? To be able to access my van's three side doors from it would have meant that my van would block the fire hydrant for hours at a time. Brilliant. (At least they did remove the snow from the hydrant.)

If Landmark Square Apartments could make two cut-aways around the fire hydrant after I asked for one for me, why not one big cut-away at the bottom of my steps as well? But that would show kindness and consideration for someone who has contributed to their salaries for a year, wouldn't it?

This is what I accomplished yesterday.

And this what I did today. (It snowed again overnight so I had more to remove.)

Casper's Surgery

2010-02-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

I took Casper to a different veterinarian today. We saw Dr. Palumbo. Very nice. Thirty-some years ago I remember there was a vet at that clinic named Dr. Felix - great name for a cat doctor - and he is still there.

Dr. Palumbo is willing to fit Casper's surgery in on Tuesday so he can convalesce in a warm apartment while we still have it. This photo is a not-so-awful look at his right eye. It's actually worse now. You can see that the hair on his lower lid is irritating his eye ball. It's a medical condition called entropion. If the surgery isn't done soon the hair can scrape his corneas.

He's having both eyes done on Tuesday the 16th. It's not cosmetic surgery like a blepheroplasty; it's corrective... and will cost me about $300 in addition to the cost of today's visit. (Now I need to raise more money.)

As his mom, I worry about him having surgery and being put under at his age - 13.5 years old - and will be a nervous nelly until I can bring him home. Following will be a week of trying to keep him from scratching at the stitches and also giving him eye ointment. Not so easy when I'll be moving things to the storage unit daily. On the day of his surgery I will be making red plaid, wool privacy curtains for the van. Measuring, cutting and sewing should keep me occupied.

Worrying...

2010-02-11T08:55:00.000-05:00

Things on my mind this week:

How will I get everything packed by Monday?
Will I be able to dig the van out of the snow in the parking lot?
Where will I be able to park my van at my front door every day to fill it now that there is a tall snow mound where I'm supposed to park it so I'm not blocking traffic?
Will it keep snowing every day that I'm trying to move my things out of the apartment?
Will I be able to fill my van by myself without having more kidney stone attacks?
Will Casper need surgery on his eye before we move out?
How will we stay warm after we move out?
Where will we go on the night of Feb. 28.
Where will we go after that?
Will Casper keep me awake all night long in the van?
Will someone buy my old computer so I'll have 4 fewer heavy loads to take to the van?
Will someone take my heavy Ikea table so I won't have to lift and carry it.
Will Time-Warner really charge me a $150 penalty for canceling services?
How will I manage to keep doctor appointments if I have to leave Casper in the cold while I wait inside?
Where will we get electricity at night to keep warm?
Where will we get water to wash dishes and keep clean?
Will I be so exhausted and sore from moving my things that cleaning the apartment is too painful?
Should we head to Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Texas for a few months?
Should we return to Toronto for the summer?
How will I earn money again now that I'll be free to work?
Where would I feel welcome?

My wish list

2010-02-09T20:03:00.001-05:00

I'd be grateful to receive any of the following in exchange for your name on my web site as one of my angels. Or you can be anonymous if you choose... just use the mailing address I've posted in the sidebar. Gift cards can be purchased in many stores, including WalMart.

Grocery store gift cards: Wegman's, Giant Eagle, Zehrs, Top's, WalMart.
Gas company gift cards: Country Fair, Get Go (Giant Eagle), Kwik Fill.
Restaurant gift cards: Perkins, Denny's KFC, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Tim Horton's. (Remember Casper can't come in and I can't leave him in the heat or cold for more than 5-10 minutes.)
TracFone airtime cards for my prepaid wireless phone.
Showers ($10 each) at TravelCenters of America and Pilot Travel Centers
AARP membership
National Writers Union Membership
2400 early book buyers
Invitations to speak to corporations, conventions, conferences.
Invitations to housesit and pet sit.
Invitations to write columns.
Press and media interviews to promote the book crowdfunding and publication.
Speakers who would like representation.
Invitations to park in church, office, corporation parking lots (with a little water and electricity) in exchange for night watchman duties.
Invitations to share a meal. (Smoke-free environments please).

The wish list on my web site is woefully out-of-date, but will be updated when I can. Thank you for considering the above.

My crowd-funded book

2010-02-09T17:33:00.000-05:00

I'm seeking funds from up to 2400 individuals and companies who will support my book writing and publishing project based on my 14 year experience of starting over after a home invasion in my bed and breakfast and subsequent change of status in my community after putting the man in jail.

Your investment of $24 today gets you:
1. A finished copy of my book. Working title: The Kindness Experiment or The Generosity Experiment, and
2. A substantial share of the book's profits, and
3. Credit in the book and on my web site as a patron by name, and
4. Access to a patrons-only forum (not yet established).

If I sell an additional 10,000 additional copies of my book, early buyers will receive double their money back... and keep the book of course. Patrons may also receive a percentage of the profits from spin-off services from the book: such as paid speaking and column writing assignments.

Two units have been sold officially, so 2398 units are still available. The early sales campaign will end when all units are sold or April 30, whichever comes first.

My goal is to raise $57,000 (gross) so I can live frugally over two years (under $500 a month) as I write the book, cover production expenses, and promote the book through a variety of ways.

There are a dozen or more ways you can support what I'm doing.

My moving plan

2010-02-08T22:10:00.002-05:00

Now until Feb. 27: Continue to sell and give away big things.
Feb. 9: Notify post office and utilities of cut-off date and forwarding address.
Feb. 10-14: Pack and label all my stuff into easy-carry storage bins and move it all to the living room.
Feb. 15: Take "possession" of the storage unit already reserved for me and empty current contents of my van into it.
Feb. 15: Take over my plastic shelf units onto which I can place smaller boxes. Arrange boxes in "rooms" so I can find things easily.
Feb. 16-26: Take over 1-2 van loads a day, accepting help when it's offered, between 7 AM and 7 PM.
Feb. 27: Put things back in van that I'll live with.
Feb. 28: Clean/vacuum apartment and load up any items still left like microwave, toaster oven, etc. Drop off keys to management office. Take extra items to storage.
Feb. 28: Spend the night somewhere?

Dad turns 90

2010-02-08T11:33:00.000-05:00

... tomorrow. He will likely be celebrating with his friends in the complex and step-children from his other marriages. I am never invited to these events - like birthdays, weddings, Christmas or Thanksgiving - because, as my father said it so succinctly ten years ago: "You're not family; you're just offspring." I'm his only child, but he hates my mother and I'm a constant reminder of her. He has liked his other three wives and their children, and taught them all to dislike me.

So now that I'm no longer useful to him because of my own health issues (kidney stones), he doesn't bother to communicate with me. He has "volunteers" as he calls them. They aren't volunteers they are women helpers paid by the retirement complex. I actually applied to be employed as one of them in November, but was rejected. They won't hire a smart, mature woman with a degree in home economics, but they will hire a 17 year old who doesn't know how to make soup out of can. (I had to teach her.)

I have no idea whether he got someone to drive him to Pittsburgh last week. It's a three-hour drive each way and because my kidney stone still hasn't passed, sitting and highway riding are very uncomfortable for me. And having to keep hydrating and peeing every 15-20 minutes makes for a lot of stops. I've often had to go 7 hours without a "pit stop"when taking Dad to doctor appointments, treatments and hospital tests because he doesn't allow time for bathroom breaks.

And when Dad never says hello, goodbye or thank you to me, I feel unappreciated. So, I think, after 18 months it's time for me to stop putting my life on hold and take my life back. I'm sending Dad a birthday card today, but will wait until next week to tell him I'm moving out and planning to start my life over somewhere else. Without friends or family here, it's time to stop trying to look after him, but look after myself.

Speakers are funny

2010-02-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

At least once a day I hear from a speaker I've never heard of. I receive a nice introduction about what phenomenal speakers they are, how much money they deserve, and how intelligent they are; but they never say why they are contacting me. I ask.

Do they want my advice? Do they want me to congratulate them and tell them I think they are as wonderful as they tell me? Do they want me to publicize them so they get more of the adulation they crave? Do they want me to send them something? Do they want me to represent them? I don't know.

Sometimes I think they believe I own a speaker's bureau. I don't. I own a public relations firm (since 1979) and I negotiate bigger fees and contract terms for my clients. (I will help a non-client speaker if she wants assistance with a contract negotiation.) And if they are as intelligent as they claim they already will have spent time at my web site to see that before they contact me.

If they are brilliant they will contact me to hire me. If they are not representation-worthy they will do four things:

1. They will not bother to read through my web site.
2. They will not have the good manners to reply to my response.
3. They will not give me the information I need, in the form I ask for, to determine if I will want to work with them.
4. They will not hire me to help them generate high-paying speaking engagements nor ask me to increase their contract fees and terms.

Time after time, I write a reply never to hear from them again... except to be bombarded forever after with their emails, telling me something else wonderful about them. When this happens I just delete them, but I remember who they are.... and that's not a good thing.

Praise for Erie U-Haul

2010-02-04T18:33:00.000-05:00

It just keeps getting better.

U-Haul knows how to treat customers. They could teach Landmark Square Apartments a few lessons in civility, kindness and generosity.

A week or so ago, the deal they offered me on a 12 x 28 foot storage unit was: pay for the first month, get the second month for $10. Today they said the deal had expired. I was about to complain but the gentleman quickly said it's now: First month free, second month at the regular price. So in addition to saving quite a bit, today I saved $10 more.

So, for $185 (including tax) for the first two months I get a large storage unit that has two florescent light fixtures, an on-off switch, and two electric outlets. That means I can recharge my laptop and cell phone or power box at the same time. Plus there is a security alarm system for protection. The floors are urethaned (no floor stains) the lanes are concrete (no gravel to track inside) and I can have 24 hour access. And there is a dumpster outside for refuse. Their office is a big store where I could buy any tools I need. I already have my own locks.

While I don't intend to sleep in the unit - they didn't say I couldn't, but I didn't ask either - during the day I could make a cup of tea in my tiny microwave, shred old files, write and print out business letters, and do my taxes. It is usually pretty cold in February and March, but with my brand new room heater, I could warm it up for a few hours a day that I'd be there.

The U-Haul man even gave me the exact unit I had decided I wanted before I got there... without even asking. Things just go right when they are meant to be. I will start moving my things there on the 15th.

Van Dwelling Advantages

2010-02-04T10:11:00.000-05:00

Today is the fourth day in a row I have had to endure hammering, shouting, drilling, sawing, tobacco smoke, and toxic fumes (volatile organic compounds) for 8-9 hours a day, from management's employees on the other side of my wall. So I wrote this list of advantages of living in a van over living in an apartment.

1. If there is tobacco smoke or toxic fumes that makes me ill, I can turn my key in the ignition and drive away.

2. If there is shouting, hammering, or construction noise that disrupts my ability to think, write, and earn a living, I can drive away.

3. My rent will be reduced from $810 a month to $180 a month (for self-storage).

4. I can eliminate a monthly cable bill of $132 (digital phone, Internet and TV) by using MagicJack, prepaid cell phone, free Wifi, and a small TV with a converter box and antenna.

5. I can eliminate my $50 a month electric bill by paying friends per kilowatt hour for using their power at night to keep warm and recharging my power box, laptop, and cell phone at my storage unit. And I will have a solar panel to recharge my power box, a solar-powered radio and 2 solar lights.

6. I can eliminate a $200 a month heating bill in the winter by driving south where it's warmer.

7. I'll be living below my means - under $500 a month - and will save $900 a month or more in rent and utilities. And hopefully, I'll be able to pay off debts faster and start saving for retirement.

8. There will be no more pet fees - $500 a year - to pay a landlord (for what?): $200 non-refundable deposit and $25 a month additional rent for one cat.

9. There will be no more maintenance crew standing outside my window shouting, dropping cigarette butts on the ground and leaving garbage on porches... which tenants are fined for if they do it. (Double-standard.)

10. I will be living in a small space - 9 feet x 5 feet - which means consolidating and compacting what I own to live efficiently. This means eliminating the unnecessary, preventing impulsive purchases, hoarding and excessive consumer consumption.

11. I won't have to feel like I'm living in a fishbowl - 17 windows in this apartment. I'll be able to feel invisible, because most people don't realize I'm inside the van and I can write without being disturbed.

12. When I am invited to speak somewhere, I can interchange a few things in the van with things in storage (stool, podium, white board) and I'm on my way, lickety-split.

Not bad, eh? Can you think of any more?

$100 a day

2010-02-02T09:53:00.000-05:00

Management is hammering and banging next door again. Looks like they are laying new carpeting for an anticipated new tenant. I can't complain about renovation, I guess, as it won't last forever. It's ironic that they had no money to make my wet basement safe and habitable but they have money to renovate the empty apartment. Makes me feel that I'm a second-class tenant. Would that be sexism or age-ism?

But the smoke from management's employees is making me sick. It's making me so nauseous that I can't eat breakfast. It's wafting into my basement from large holes in my basement walls, circulating through my heating system and rising up the stairs to my kitchen through the louvred door. I complained yesterday, and either management did nothing to stop the smoke or they have no control over their employees.

Why must paying tenants be at the mercy of workers who receive their salary from tenants' rent?

So I emailed Landmark Square Apartments management and said that from yesterday on I would charge $100 a day for the aggravation from smoke. They think they are going to charge me for steam cleaning the carpets in my unit, but since it wasn't done before I moved in, I see no reason to pay for carpet cleaning.

We'll see what happens. I'm always prepared to go to court and will be able to show up with emails of correspondence and photos.

Dr. Kinsey

2010-02-01T18:31:00.000-05:00

This made me feel ancient.

Dr. Kinsey was my pediatrician. Today his great granddaughter and her little girl were in my living room. She is buying my sofa, loveseat and coffee table.

I really think that if it weren't for Dr. Kinsey I might not have thrived as a baby and grown to be an adult. So it gives me pleasure to hand over my living room furniture to his descendants.

Childish Landlord

2010-02-01T10:59:00.000-05:00

Today is the first of the month and the property manager probably read my notice of vacating in 30 days and my request to have my security deposit applied to my last month's rent. But there has been no response... of course.

So at 8 AM I hear shouting and pounding next door in the empty apartment (which has been vacant for 4 months). Then I smell cigarette smoke wafting into my apartment. Management's maintenance crew is smoking and it's coming through the large holes in the basement wall between the two apartments and into my first and second floors. I know who it is because they shout when they speak as if they are hearing impaired.

Smoke has been a primary issue for me. I said before I signed the lease that I needed a smoke-free environment because I have respiratory restriction when I am around the residue of cigarette smoke. I discovered after moving in that the previous tenant was an employee of the management company, had free rent plus a salary for several years, and "smoked like a chimney" according to the current maintenance workers. The Landlord simply spray-painted over years of accumulated tar and nicotine. Paint doesn't remove toxicity and carcinogens! In my bathroom you can see hundreds of yellow streaks of nicotine all over the walls and sink area. They are sticky to the touch.

I've asked management what they were prepared to do to keep me as a loyal tenant and there has been no response. However, they have erected huge banners at two street corners announcing, "Now Leasing" and "Free Rent."

Yes, that's right. They are offering free rent to attract new tenants, but they are doing nothing to keep good tenants they already have! And now they are deliberately making my last month here unpleasant. Now I have a kidney stone that isn't passing, a sore and bruised hip from the icy parking lot they won't salt or sand, a wrenched shoulder from that same fall, a cough and throat constriction from 11 months of living with toxins, and now nausea from the smoke. (You already know about the unsafe basement and the slippery porch floor because they refused to use no-slip paint on the warping floor boards that had no expansion gaps.)

I offered them a year of my public relations services to help them attract fabulous tenants for only a month's rent. Not only can Landmark Square not comprehend the gift I offered them and refused to acknowledge the gift, but now they are being childishly passive-aggressive during my last four weeks that I paid for.

And did I mention, they insisted I pay 4 months in advance before I moved in? Why do they want to lose a good tenant like me?

This is exactly what my book, The Generosity Experiment, is about: working against your own best interests when someone wants to help you achieve what you want.

And yes, the property manager knew about the premise of my book from Day One. What can I tell you?

Grandmother's Limoges

2010-01-30T18:59:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I'm selling my grandmother's Theodore Haviland Limoges china to a friend I met on Freecycle. She lives close by and already invited me to park in her driveway and in front of her house so I knew she was good people.

The set is probably worth $1500 to $2500 and I'm selling it for $100. It's been in the Reynolds family since my grandparents were married in 1906. But I have no children, grandchildren, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, or distant relations to hand them to.

I haven't held any dinner parties since 1985; and even if my life turned around and I was once again well-known, well-liked and had more than one friend to invite for dinner, I still have a complete set of Minton china that was my father's and step-mother's. They married in 1959. The pattern (Greenwich) was discontinued in 1979. Their marriage lasted until 1977 when my step-mother died of cancer.

It is worth it to me to sell my grandmother's Limoges china for a modest price to a young family that will be able to enjoy them for many more years. And selling the set now means two fewer boxes for me to move to storage for who-knows-how-many months or years. But I have photos of all the pieces to remember, and I think my grandmother would be happy.

Cheap Thrills (Romantic Dates)

2010-01-29T14:08:00.000-05:00

I've published a mini-ebook: Cheap Thrills: 65 No Cost, Low Cost Romantic Activity Ideas in time to plan your St. Valentine's Day. I want to help you keep romance alive without going into debt. I'll send it to you myself when I get your order.

Contents
Love Notes
Declare Your Love
Talk to Each Other
Make a Promise
Show Thoughtfulness
Rekindle the Flame
Have a Picnic
Go Exploring
Be Kids Again
Plan a Surprise
If You're Single

$3.95 Yes, this is another way I am raising money to defray living expenses besides selling all my furniture and giving up my apartment. Thanks for supporting my efforts.

This arrived yesterday

2010-01-29T09:23:00.000-05:00

Brand new. No cost to me. Haven't opened the box yet. To read the story behind this, click here. I'm going to be warm! Thank you, Holmes!

Ending my lease

2010-01-28T12:10:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day I can legally give my 30 days notice to the Property Manager at Landmark Square Apartments. I've given them multiple opportunities and offers to do the right thing and they continue to let me down. Their slogan is "Expect to be impressed." I'm still waiting. My experience is that their behavior toward single women of a certain age is cold-hearted bordering on age discrimination.

#1 For 11 months I have had a wet basement and notified them of it 4 days after I moved in. I'm required to step into puddles in order to put clean wet clothes into my dryer. This is dangerous and they know it. I know someone whose wife and unborn child died by electrocution because of the same situation.

Are they hoping I will be electrocuted? Their lease says that the tenant must pay the rent every month to the end of the lease even if they are dead. Dead tenants can't complain, so perhaps I've discovered their agenda.

Management insists that the only acceptable solution (to them) is putting more toxic tar on the wall. That solution doesn't work, as anyone can see, and I don't want to have to live with any more toxicity in my environment. Because they refuse to address the cause of the leaks, not just the symptom, which is to repair the outside of the foundation, I suggested an economical false floor of wood or plastic pallets so that I could keep my feet dry while the water flows underneath to the drain. I found a source of plastic pallets that would cost them $162.50 (about 20% of one month's rent). They refused.

#2 About 10 days ago I called their office and asked if they could refer me to someone who could dig my van out of their parking lot. The snow was packed solid around all 4 tires, and I had no boots or snow tires to get out. They wouldn't even return my phone call.

I did dig myself out and the exertion triggered an awful kidney stone attack. My first, so I didn't know what it was. It felt like I had a poker thrust through my lower abdomen back to front. The pain was so bad I was trembling and sweating.

#3 Two days ago I slipped and fell in their icy parking lot, landing on my hip - where the kidney stone is still lodged - and wrenching my shoulder. Fortunately I have enough personal padding that I didn't break a hip, but I'm sore. But what if I had osteoporosis? Many older women who break a hip don't live long and rarely leave the hospital except in a hearse. These three things - and there are so many more issues - give me cause to not only leave, but to tell others why they should not live here.

The tenants in the adjoining townhouse moved out in September. They were my age. The unit has been vacant ever since. That's a loss of $3,140 income to management, so far. In 30 days my unit will be vacant too. That will double their loss. I guess they feel their need to be right justifies the cost to their bottom line.

I offered to turn their business around to become fully occupied and profitable - I did it with my bed and breakfast - for one month's rent and they rejected my offer. Actually they completely ignored it. How rude. I tried to be part of the solution and was ignored, so I feel no guilt in letting the public know what I've experienced. Too bad the owners won't consider replacing me as their Property Manager, but they don't even want me as a tenant, so why would they want a profitable business?

What do you want to bet this post will turn up when prospective tenants do a Google or Bing search on Landmark Square Apartments in Erie Pennsylvania?

Frustration cake

2010-01-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

I made this Pineapple Upside-Down Cake last night. I had a piece this morning for breakfast. Want a piece? Just think: If I'm parked at your house I could make you one of these.

I bake when frustrated. I'd offered a Shop Vac to a guy who said he needed one for the 4 homes he just bought to refurbish. Never met him but his emails are long and rambling. I don't have that kind of time. Well, he keeps saying he's going to show up to get it but he seems to have too much on his plate. And he let me know in multiple paragraphs that his time and activities were more important than mine. I call that bad manners and disrespect. One of his emails said he was sitting outside my door in his car waiting for me. What, he couldn't knock on the door? I'm supposed to bring the Shop Vac out to him? He's what I call high maintenance. That's not how you treat a woman 20 years older. Next.

You can help

2010-01-26T13:32:00.004-05:00

I have 500 copies - 2 heavy boxes - of my printed booklet that I don't have the energy to move. And with a kidney stone that moves when I exert myself, I shouldn't be lifting anything heavy. That's why I'm selling and giving away everything heavy. I won't be able to afford moving help, so I'm doing it all myself.

And by buying 2-500 copies you can help me finance a mailbox at The UPS Store, and a storage unit at UHaul. Both are in Erie in case anyone wants to make an anonymous donation on my behalf.

The title is... No Surprises: 365 Critical Questions You Need to Ask Each Other Before You Marry... and how to ask them. Click on the title at the top of the post to take you to the order page.

Preparation Required

2010-01-26T07:53:00.000-05:00

In no particular order:
1. Pull credit reports.
2. Pay off utility bills.
3. Give notice to landlord.
4. Do 2009 taxes.
5. Collect money owed to me.
6. Pay personal debts.
7. Promote 2,398 units of book.
8. Attract driveway invitations.
9. Write news release to distribute.
10. Sell most of my big, heavy things.
11. Give away things I'll never need.
12. Mend clothes to wear.
13. Purge and consolidate files.
14. Shred old papers.
15. Empty old computer of files.
16. Pack what I'm keeping.
17. Find/rent storage facility. (Found, not rented.)
18. Rent a mailbox. (Found, not rented.)
19. Change address and have mail forwarded.
20. Empty van contents into storage unit so I can use the van for moving.
21. Secure van insulation with sticky Velcro.
22. Use up food in fridge and pantry.
23. Move everything to storage by myself.
24. Clean empty apartment.
25. Take photos of clean apartment.
26. Have carpets steam cleaned.
27. Get security deposit back.
28. Have dental work done.
29. Post The Generosity Experiment on Pledgie.com.
30. Build up my strength and stamina to survive moving.
31. Take my father to Pittsburgh for a surgical consult.

Pizza for brunch

2010-01-25T12:22:00.000-05:00

In a continued effort to cook and eat up what's left in my pantry and fridge, I just made this pizza: sliced green olives, diced ham slice, pineapple bits. I won't be able to do much pizza baking in my van.

Also today I'll make a quiche with the remaining ham and shredded cheese, and a large pineapple upside-down cake with the rest of the pineapple and maraschino cherries.

I'm making progress and eating well.

My first driveway invite

2010-01-25T11:47:00.002-05:00

I just gave away this TV stand through my local Freecycle group. The woman, Clara, who came to claim it reads this blog and invited me to, not only park in her driveway, but come in for a not shower. Totally unsolicited invitation and she gave me her address. Not an empty offer. She's in Millcreek, the west end of Erie.

I wish others who came to pick up freebies or purchase items from me at extremely low prices would offer to let me park outside where they live. Now that one person has got the ball rolling, maybe more will follow suit.... not just locally, but anywhere in North America.

I might bribe a church

2010-01-25T09:33:00.001-05:00

I wonder if a local church would accept this in exchange for the right for me to park - a letter of acceptance would be nice to show police, security guards - in their parking lot when few cars are there, and let me plug into their outside power.

Maybe this statue/art piece is worth some money and could be raffled off to raise funds for the homeless. That would be ironic.

I was a host

2010-01-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

A year ago during a blizzard I hosted strangers from Florida in my apartment and parking lot. A natural response from my bed and breakfast hosting days, it's in my blood to be a good host. I provided electricity during the night, Wifi, water, hot showers, laundry facilities, warm beds, daily meals and even some Canadian coins. Before they arrived I received packages on their behalf from their families. At the end of their stay 3-4 days later, I provided a ladder and broom to get the snow off the top of their rig.

From that experience I rrecognized that if I want to be a welcome guest it would be a good idea to not waste my host's utilities unnecessarily, but contribute something to meals and supplies that I consumed, do something to make the host's life a little easier, and write a thank you note.

What's in the van

2010-01-23T09:09:00.001-05:00

Here's a list of what I'll carry with me in the van:

Koolatron fridge
Solar shower + shower curtain
Hot water dispenser*
Mini-clothes washer*
5000 BTU air conditioner*
Heater*
Solar panel
Power box to recharge cell, laptop
4 man tent
4 sleeping bags
Adult potty
Camp cot
Cat litter box
Step stool
Mail box
Screen room
Screens for front windows
Pillows
Microwave*
Toaster oven*
Electric skillet/dutch oven*
Solar/windup radio
13" TV + antenna*
Laptop and printer
Personal shredder*
Tools
Cell phone
Magic Jack powered by laptop
Laptop desk/podium
Stool (for speaking)
Furniture dolly
Bundle buggy (shopping cart)
Cable modem*
Wireless router*
Dog crate (for cat)
Tarps + Tie downs
Pots, pans, dishes
Office supplies
Paper supplies
Privacy curtains
Mop, broom, shovel for cleaning van
Camping stove
Non-perishable foods
Golf umbrella
Sun glasses
First aid kit
Road maps
Compass
Solar lights
CD player
DVDs and CDs
Back up software
Binder of important documents
100 foot outdoor utility cord
50 foot garden hose
Drinking water jug
Washing water + sink
Gas can
Flashlights, batteries

*These items require electricity and can't run off the solar panel/power box.

The Itinerary

2010-01-22T00:34:00.002-05:00

Your invitations will determine my itinerary.

I hope to head in the direction of North Carolina and Tennessee in March, Texas and New Mexico in April and May, and then start heading north again to spend the summer in Ontario, Canada. After that, who knows?

If you live in one of those states (or province) or along the way, I'd love to receive a personal and private invitation to spend a night or three... or more outside your home.

If you'd like me - a former bed and breakfast host/owner - to house-sit or business-sit for you for a week or a few months, please just ask. I'll look after customers, plants, pets, as if they were my own.

What makes a good host

2010-01-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Ideally, a great parking spot would have shade in the hot weather, some kind of buffer from winter winds, access to an outside water faucet/spigot, and access to an outside electric outlet to power a small box heater or 5,000 BTU window air conditioner when they are necessary. Electricity will also power cooking appliances like a small microwave and toaster oven, water heater, small TV, night lights, a power box that supplies power to a small fridge, and a tiny clothes washer.

While it's not absolutely necessary, a great host might allow me to take a hot shower, do laundry, put up a screen room or tent in a secluded spot to sleep and write, invite me to share conversation over a meal, re-freeze my freezer packs, and invite the neighbors to come meet me. I'll even show them my van.

The Plan

2010-01-20T21:32:00.005-05:00

I've been in Erie Pennsylvania since early September 2008 because my 90 year old father has been having some medical issues. I aborted my travels to do this, but Erie offers me little human contact, no stimulating conversation, no income, and a lot of personal rejection. As much as I feel an obligation to be my father's health advocate and chauffeur, I am losing myself and my physical health is deteriorating. I need to find soft places to land where I feel acceptance and inclusion by kind people.

Not wanting to intrude on other people's privacy, I prefer living in my van in safe places than taking up space in people's homes. A fan of tiny houses, I actually feel more peaceful living inside my van than anywhere else, but I'd like to house-sit or business-sit for absent owners. Additionally, I'd be happy to act as "night watchman" in parking lots owned by churches, doctor's offices, veterinarians offices if I can have access to an outside electric outlet.

So, toward this end I am selling as much of my heavy, bulky items for much needed cash and so I don't have to put them in storage, and giving away what doesn't sell and what I absolutely don't want to keep or take with me in my 2002 Ford Econoline 250. (More about the van later.)

My apartment lease expires at the end of February so I intend to be out of the apartment and living full-time with my cat in my primitively outfitted van by Feb. 28, although it may be March 30 if the weather isn't conducive to moving (by myself) and living in the van. A blizzard will slow me down considerably.

This blog will update you on my progress. I hope you will become a follower.