Telsec Business Centres Inc.

Trekkies and superhero fans took over the Metro Convention Centre this weekend. I took my girlfriend down to FanExp on Sunday to meet up with some friends of mine who had some spare passes to the extravaganza. I parked my car at my downtown Toronto office space and took the short walk to the Metro Convention Centre.

When we arrived at the convention centre, there were hundreds of fans who had been lined up for hours around a city block trying to get into the convention centre without a prepaid pass. I was not about to join that line up because my friends already had passes for us, were already inside and in the line up to meet William Shatner. Unlike my friends who are diehard super fans of sci-fi and comic books, my interest was only casual and long line ups were not my thing. Also from what I understood, even once inside people were walking shoulder to shoulder trying to navigate the aisles of comic book stands and vendors selling science fiction memorabilia and Japanese Anime accessories and toys.

For super fans like my friends, there was plenty of big name celebrities from TV’s original Batman and Robin, as well as the Star Trek series, including the man who starred as the original Captain Kirk. Yes, Adam West, Burt Ward and William Shatner. But none of these people drew the crowds that Stan Lee (The creator of Spiderman) had waiting for him. At 88 Years old, Lee still comes out to expos like this one and manages to steal the show without even trying.

Other Celebrities included Julie Newmar who played Catwoman in the 1960′S Batman TV series, Dean Stockwell who played John Cavil on Battlestar Galactica  and Al on Quantum Leap, Michael Dorn who played Lieutenant Commander Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine most know for his role on the 1960’s show McHale’s Navy. Those are just some of the over 140 guests from the world of Sci-Fi, Comics, Gaming and the world of Horror.

Instead of Standing in line to get into FanExpo and then lining up to meet the various celebrities and stars, my girlfriend and I decided to walk along Front Street and check out BuskerFest instead. BuskerFest, now in its 11^th year is one of the largest festivals of its kind in North America and is the last major festivals in Toronto’s summer entertainment season.

BuskerFest is produced by Epilepsy Toronto with the support of their title sponsor Scotiabank. Over the last ten years, BuskerFest has raised almost one million dollars for Epilepsy Toronto, a non-profit organization that for the past 50 years has been enabling people with epilepsy to live with dignity and independence.

After a long hot day in the sun, we decided to head home around 4 P.M. Before jumping in the car and driving home, I wanted to go upstairs and check my mail at my Toronto office space, as I had not been in the office for a number of days.

As I was leaving my office and walking down the hall, I was surprised to run into a person who I met only a few weeks ago that was looking for office space for lease Toronto. It seems that shortly after I had told them about Telsec Business Centres, they contacted Josie Graziosi and rented a team space for 7 people. I felt good that they had taken my advice and really loved the office.

As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I have not been spending much time in my downtown office space this week and have instead been playing tour guide to a visitor from Australia. Some of my clients see this as me taking a vacation and they are contacting me by my cell when they need help, but potential new clients would not understand me taking a mini vacation when they are looking for my services right now.

The only reason I am able to have this time away from my Toronto office space and take day trips to tourist attractions is that I have a professional receptionist who can screen and route my calls to my cell phone, without me having to be in my office space downtown Toronto.

Today we had a very hot and humid day, so our plan was to maybe go to the Olympic Pools at Woodbine Beach. Thinking that it would be faster to change at home and drive down to the pool. We all changed at my place and proceeded to the pool. When we got to the pool, we found that not only was the pool at capacity, but there was a long line up waiting for people to get in. We did not know what the back up plan was, so we joined the line and hoped it would move quickly.

The line did not go anywhere for almost 20 minutes, but that is when I got the call. A friend of mine wanted to know if I wanted go swimming at their place. I jumped on the opportunity and we left the line to head to my friends place.

My friends pool was an unheated outdoor pool, but at this temperature, none of us thought it would matter. We all still had our swim suites on and proceeded to dip our feet in …. yikes it was cold.  The Australian visitor was the first to jump in, followed by our hostess. My girlfriend and I were still on the fence, deciding if the water  was too cold. The Aussi convinced her to take the plunge.  This left me as the last man standing outside the pool.

I was still the only one outside of the water and was considering taking it slow and walking in from the shallow end slowly. the geers and taunts started. I stepped back out of the pool and walked to the deep end.  After more taunts, I decided to take the plunge.  #%* it was that cold. A few moments later I noticed that there was something still in the pockets of my swim shorts, it was my phone.  I quickly pulled my phone out of my pocket and put it on the deck… it was dead.

Knowing that my office space Toronto receptionist was transferring my calls to my cell, I quickly called the receptionist using my friends phone and explained the situation. She was able to change the note on my profile and direct my calls to my voice mail with the excuse that I was in a “out of office” meeting.

After blow drying my phone, we found it does still work, but I will need to replace it soon.   More importantly, my clients did not know anything was wrong and I was able to answer their voice mail when I got to a phone that I could collect their messages.

My mistake with the cell phone and it not being able to swim, all worked out.

Last Sunday I went down to my downtown office space to take some preliminary test shots of the boardroom and the seminar training room. On my way in I stopped at McDonalds on Front Street  for an Egg McMuffin. This McDonalds does not have a drive through or a parking lot, so I pulled down the side street and ran in. As I was coming out there was a parking enforcement officer writing me a ticket. When I read the ticket it said parking in a no stopping zone – $60. This was crazy, where was the sign. It seems the sign was hidden under an overhanging tree branch.  I knew I had to fight this one.

I was not able to get to the parking enforcement court last week, but I finally got there today. I got into a line that said something like report here first (basically where you get the right forms to request trial), only to finally get to the counter and be told that I was in the wrong line. I had to go down the hall and to the left for that office.

I was finally in the right line with the right paperwork, only to be stuck behind a very irate gentleman who could not understand why he got two tickets within hours of each other for parking in front of his home. When he got up to the counter he really gave the woman behind the glass a piece of his mind because she told him she could not reverse the tickets and he would have to go back out of line to fill out the forms to request a trial date. I knew I did not want to be served by her, as this man got her really angry with his shouting and accusations, so I let the lady behind me go first and I would wait for the other wicket.

When I finally got to the wicket and presented my ticket, my trial request form and photo evidence to show that sign was not visible and hoping that I might be able to get off without going to trial.  The clerk entered my info and apologized that she was not able to reverse it. I was prepared to go to court and fight it, but if I could get it reversed that would have been a bonus.  Then after she stamped and handed me my receipt that said I had requested a trial date and said ” you will get a letter in about 8 months with your trial date”. What?  8 months just to get a date for the trial.

When I got back here to my Toronto office space, I went into the kitchen to get an always complimentary coffee, I told another person standing there what had just happened at the courthouse. They told me that city hall lost their trial request paperwork and never sent them a trial date, then an unpaid parking ticket showed up on the bill when they went to renew their vehicle sticker.

With a municipal election coming up in November, I think this should be an election issue. The candidate who says they will ensure a parking ticket trial within 3 months or the ticket is reversed, will get my vote.