Apparently domain names can be big money.  I was of course completely shocked since the domain I had just paid for cost me all of $10.00 for the year.   Yet, believe it or not, I actually began to consider it.  The domain name the company was offering was EXACTLY the name I wanted but when I registered it was taken (now I know by whom).   So, my mind began to race and paranoia began to set in.  I really did want that domain name; I mean it is part of my brand. What if someone else buys it and my whole online identity is stripped from me?   Okay so you can see where my mind is heading.  Totally paranoid! 

This went on for about two weeks, each email I received was more urgent than the last and my deadline for making the decision was coming to a close.  It seems since I had a domain name that was close to the one they were offering, I was able to get first crack at it…providing I met the minimum bid of $397.00 (BTW, I did my research, and yes they were legit).

I was actually torn on this decision, every fibre of my being said “If you buy this for $397.00 you are an idiot”.  Yet I wanted it…I for some reason felt I needed this domain or something catastrophic was going to happen.   

Luckily for me, I have Laura.  Laura my right hand at MJVA, is also my voice of reason.   After weighing the pros and cons with her, it became quite clear that these thoughts running through my brain was exactly what this company was hoping for.  I, of course couldn’t give them the satisfaction and hand over $397.00 for one silly domain.    The bottom line was the domain was only valuable if someone was willing to pay that much for it. My guess is there would only be a handful of people who had some attachment to this domain name.  I got my answer the next week when a representative called me on the phone and said they would be able to give it to me for $99.00.  Ha, I told him I have never paid more than $30.00 for a domain and I wouldn’t be willing to pay more than that for this one.  At this point forget the paranoia, I was just mad.

Of course, there was no way he could sell me it for less than $99.00…and that’s fine, I walked away feeling good about my decision and never heard from them again.  My guess is, in two months from now when they are still trying to off load it, I’ll be approached again, but I’ll stick to my guns.

I do have to say, it was a learning experience, up until this point I didn’t really know how much a domain name would really affect me.  But, for a while it did.   

Apparently I’m not the only one. I read an article once that business.com sold for 7.5 million back in 1999, and sex.com raked in 14 million in 2006.  Can you imagine 14 million dollars for one domain name!  Do you know how many mouths 14 million would feed?  Unbelievable!

My $397.00 seems like a few pennies in the pot compared to what others have actually paid for a domain name.  However I paid for two weeks of groceries with that $397.00, money well spent in my family.

So, I wonder what domain will end up garnering the next big lump sum….

“Do I hear a 100 million for: 

lets-stop-being-stupid-and-do-something-useful-with-our-millions.com?

Of course as always I returned to the never-ending spam and I went right to work on some new projects that I can’t wait to share with you….just not now, but soon!  

I’m also being extremely brave this summer….I’ve decided to go day care free for the entire summer.  I know….what is she thinking right?  Well, I figured since my daughter is now 4 years old, there would be a little less maintenance and I’d find that balance pretty quickly.  

HA…okay, so it’s been one week and already I’m beginning to question my decision.

I have to give her credit though; for the most part she has been finding things to occupy herself while I’m working.  The problem is the way she keeps herself occupied. She doesn’t have the nickname “Hurricane Hannah” for nothing.  My house is open season for her and by the time I am done work, my living space looks like a disaster zone.   The only thing missing is the yellow tape with “Danger, keep out”.   Seriously, no joke, you cannot walk two feet without stepping on Barbie’s head, or getting a piece of lego stuck to the bottom of your foot.   It can literally take me hours to pick up after her…. but it does allow me to work, so maybe the clean up time isn’t that bad.  

The one thing I have really been noticing is how well spent that $200.00/month for Speech Therapy is. Boy, oh boy….does she talk, and talk, and talk, I’ll have to thank her speech therapist for doing such a bang up job! Being that I am the sole focus of her attention all day now, I get her full verbal talents.  My daughter is on continuous play and there is absolutely no mute button.   She’ll talk about just about anything and everything, and she’s always got loads of questions.  

“Mommy are you working on the puter?”  -hasn’t quite got the word computer yet, we’re working on it.

“Mommy is that your paper?” pointing to the paper in the printer.

“Mommy what colour is it?”

“Mommy is Dad at work?”

“Does Mommy start with M?”

 “Mommy, is the sky blue?”

 And those questions were delivered in about 3 minutes flat….so you get the picture!   

 Don’t get me wrong, I am not completely bald yet, there have been some very nice moments through it all such as eating our lunch together, curling up on the couch during breaks and just being more “there” for her.  Something I wasn’t when daycare was present.

 All in all, the first week has been a bit of a challenge and an adjustment, but I guess being brave hasn’t been so bad after all. There are plenty rewards that come along with it.

The event is being held on Thursday, June 24^th, a full day of fun-filled activities, engaging speakers, giveaways and networking opportunities.   All Virtual Assistants or anyone who is interested in the VA profession is invited.  I hope those of you reading this will come out and join us.

The event takes place entirely online, so you won’t have to leave the comfort of your own home to enjoy the experience.  Gotta love that virtual thing!  Also, it’s entirely FREE too…you especially have to love that.

If you are interested in finding out more about the event or to register, please visit: http://virtuallyanythingispossible.eventbrite.com/

Well you know how some people are really not great at hiding their reactions of disbelief?  This was one of them.  Apparently the fact that I was a College Instructor was a little bit of a shock for this particular teacher.   Yes, I have my nose pierced and a few tattoos on display; however is it really that unbelievable that someone such as me could teach at a higher education level?    I didn’t think so, until I saw her reaction.

Okay maybe I’ve been so immersed in my virtual surroundings that I have forgotten that physical appearance still garners some reaction from people.  I guess for me, working in a virtual world the appearance of others has never really played a huge role.  Not having that face to face interaction with most people that I communicate with on a daily basis allows me to focus on other things oppose to whether or not based on their looks they are qualified to do what they do.

I’m not sure what a College Instructor is suppose to look like, but apparently to this person, I really didn’t fit the bill and I’m okay with that.  The problem doesn’t lie with me but her perception of what I was supposed to be. 

“Looks can be deceiving.” We hear that saying all the time, but it didn’t really hit home for me until I was on that side.   It was one of those “really, we still do this?”  kind of moments for me, one that I wanted to share with you.

I started thinking about this a little more.  Has it really come to this?  We have to have a provincial “day off” to make that time for our family?  I understand it, and I truly do appreciate this time off.  

I mean, let’s face it our lives can be a little chaotic to say the least; sometimes unintentionally family takes a back seat.  I know that’s terrible to say, but for some of us, it’s a reality.  We need to work, bills need to get paid and sometimes that means spending more time at the computer and less time with our family.    So, having a day off just for spending time with our family is really a wonderful idea. 

What did I do this Family Day?  Well I played some “squishy” (my daughter’s term for play doh),  I watched Dora about 50 times,  we had a really simple dinner of hot dogs and french fries and it was fantastic!  It was about catching up, really being present to what was going on and being appreciative of those that I love.

Don’t get me wrong, I am always appreciative of the family I have, I just had an extra day without work to show it.  

Now I know not everyone gets this holiday (although I think everyone should), that doesn’t mean you can’t plan your own “Family Day.”  All you need is a date on the calendar and a family to spend time with.  I’m pretty sure you have both of those. 

Enjoy your “Family Day”