Nova, debris hut and business
NOVA
Alright...guess what? Good old Nova isn't paying me or Greg. We were supposed to be paid for July on Aug.15, then there's a 2 week dely cause it's oversees or something (and a $65 fee), so that would put us at the end of Aug. beginning of Sep. Like, let's see... no later than Sept. 1. And guess what... they STILL haven't paid us anything. Now, we are on August pay period... with the 2 week dely, should be getting here in a week, but I gaurantee you it won't be. We've called and called and called and called and called... and they keep saying "There's been a problem with the oversees transfers." BULLSHIT. So today, Quinton emailed me and Greg saying that Nova isn't paying their rent on their apartments and people are getting evicted from their apartments, and now the senior officers want the CEO to resign and they are going to refuse to go to work until he does. And of couse, the teachers in Japan's paychecks are being delayed more and more and they keep trying to delay paying them. So basically, Greg and I are screwed and it looks like we're not going to be getting paid for the last 2 months we were there.
Which makes me ANGRY. Especially for the fact that we just worked for free for two months. Lovely. Makes me glad though that I called in sick on those days that I did during my last week (when I wasn't sick) and that I slept or read a book during my free periods. Though it was annoying then cause I had Yasuko (Japanese keener staff who was constantly telling Quinton to tell us to do something on our breaks- which we ignored and just made her more angry). Makes me wish I'd done even less around there... like NOT teaching students like Misako, who would refuse to talk during the lesson, she'd done every lesson about 7 times and would shout out the answers to the listening before I'd even read it, would mock and put down other students and was generally a cunt. Anyway... that's my rant on Nova.
They're about to get another phone call from me as soon as I post this. (ooowww... they should be scared... they're going to get a phone call.)
Debris Hut
On another note... Greg and I went into the woods today and made our first debris hut. Actually, we're only about 1/2 through. We didn't have very much debris in the area we chose. I think we chose a bad location... but there was a lot of moss around so we used that. We worked for about 3 hours, then it started getting dark and we only had about 1/3 the amount of debris we needed for the insulation and stuff, so we called it a night and we'll go back tomorrow. I want to collect some dry leaves from the river and use that in additon to what we have cause I think it'll be better than trying to collect moss and ferns. We didn't bring the camera, but we will tomorrow... I'll upgrade my account and post some pictures.
When we first went into the woods, I was in a pretty bad mood- period starting, apprehensive about going into the woods- and generally had a bad attitude about being there... like I was hoping for some divine intervention to happen and make it so I didn't have to be out there anymore, but after we'd been there for a while (I have NO idea how long, time seems to move at a different pace in the woods) my mood completely lifted and I noticed I was actually having fun. I think that happened around the time I started to see the hut coming together. Greg was working on the structure while I was collecting debris and when I say the poles up and the sticks on the sides, I thought, Wow this is really cool. And after that it was just fun.
We were going to sleep in it, but I totally underestimated how cold it was going to be and therefore didn't bring enough clothes, and the fact that we didn't quite finish it... so we'll sleep in it another night. We saw a rabbit hopping by as we were about to leave. And a chipmunk running down a tree earlier... it was about 2 feet above my head... looking at me suspiciouly.
Oh and get this... while we were collected debris in the forest I looked up and this dog came running toward us, barking. Then it saw me and it looked surprised and it looked over at Greg and it looked even more surprised and it started barking again. We weren't too far from the path (so we can find our way out), but it's amazing how even though I knew the hut was there, I still had to look for it. Well, when we saw the dog, we decided to hide and then this woman walked by, calling her dog, saying "What do you see, Max, there's nothing there, come on" and she looked in where the dog was and didn't see us, didn't see the hut. It was pretty cool actually... how well camoflauged it was. Then the dog ran out and we heard her say to some other people walking on the path "he's really friendly". Anyway... it was cool...
Greg got a green sweater too, but he'd been wearning a blue one at first, but when it got colder he put on the green one and called my name, and when I looked up, I almost didn't see him. Especially in the dark, I could see his jeans easily, but his top was almost invisible. It was pretty cool. I'm going to go back tomorrow and get one of the sweaters he got. I didn't today cause they're mens, but it doesn't really matter, I don't think.
On a related subject we ordered Tom Brown's The Quest which is out of print, but we found it used from Barnes and Noble.com. But of course (nothing seems to go smoothly lately) there's some problem and I have to call or email them to find out what it is. Though I'm a bit apprehensive that it's a third party trying to scam me... so we'll see...
Business
On the business front, we have now formed a corporation. It's called Newcope Projects Inc. We did that so we could put any business we from under that heading. We're starting with our healthy vending machines. Going to put ONLY healthy foods in the machines. Target schools and businesses and stuff. We do a lot of waiting around these days. Have to wait to get incorporated, then approved then registered, then we need to hear from the distributors. It's pretty mundane starting a business so far. And it sucks cause we just keep spening more and more money and nothing is coming in. (Not even from Nova--grr) But at least we have a free place to stay while we're doing all this.
Tomorrow we'll open our business bank account... exciting...
Then on Tuesday, we're going to Vancouver for a seminar on taxes... more exciting stuff...
But my newest idea, and the idea that I think we'll be the most fun and honestly, if it works out the most profitable and the most educational, is that I want to open a Color Me Mine franchise. Everything's there, they have the system all in place, all they have to do is teach it us and we have to implement it... so it would be an amazing learning experience, as well as it will bring in some cash. Plus, it'll be fun, I think. I sent in a request form yesterday, so hopefully they'll get back to me tomorrow and I can find out more details. I think Chilliwack could use a Color Me Mine franchise. It seems like the type of town that would love it.
It's strange cause it seems like there are two completely different worlds with two completely different sets of rules... one in the forest and one in this concrete jungle... where we don't learn anything about survival in this concrete world... nothing outside of this system that we've put in place anyway... take away the system and we're fucked. Not many people would have the first clue as to how to survive.. they'd die. It sucks, really that we're all so dependent on this artificial system.
Anyway... I guess that's all for now... I'll update again later.
Amy