Monday, June 10, 2013

The creeps

I'm up blogging right now mostly because I'm too creeped out to sleep. My next door neighbor told me today there have been a bunch of break ins in the neighborhood lately, and that her neighbor on the other side caught some guy trying to break in to her front door. Ugh! I am so, so scared of this. I mean, I have a burglar alarm and bars on all my windows, but still...someone could get in here if they really wanted to. I've had two break ins in my life (not in this house) and I don't think I've ever recovered from either of them. I really don't know what I'd do if my burglar alarm went off in the middle of the night - thank God there's a bolt on my bedroom door, but still...with a little baby to protect...let's just pray the cold finger of crime doesn't come down on my head, shall we?

In happier news, visited my Jewish temple preschool today. I liked it - and it's not expensive - but also not cheap. So far they're the front runner, though. It's very small (no wait list), multi-cultural and non-religious, has a completely shaded play yard (a rare thing in LA), and a toddler introduction phase for kids just under two where you go along with your child for a few weeks so they get used to the idea. Of course Bumpus has already spent five-six hours at the Baby Kennel on weekends so he's with the program. He'll be there Sunday when I go to see a movie. I have about five more schools I'd like to visit before committing - one in particular that's very cheap. Hopefully I can make a decision and have a plan for when B turns two soon. 

Today I was approached by a friend who makes portable dance floors about buying one from him for my event. We've been talking about this for years but I kind of let it drop because it felt too long term for me - currently I rent dance floors for my event every year and it's a huge expense (the hotel has nowhere near enough floor for me to use). He said he's been thinking about it again lately and really wants me to come to his factory and check it out and talk numbers - how much I need, what he'd charge, how many years it would take for me to pay him (I'm only willing to pay per year what I pay to rent now, which is about $12,000). I would also have to pay for maintenance of the floor, storage, and a crew to set up/tear down each year. But I've already done fifteen events - imagine if I had this paid for in a few years, one day soon I could potentially save $10,000 a year-! Not to mention have a dance floor to rent out to other people. It's a pretty incredible opportunity and I'm so glad he brought it up today. Let's hope this really goes somewhere.

5 comments:

  1. Oh so scary about the break ins...I don't have an alarm & am thinking more & more about getting one.

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  2. Keep a baseball bat near your bed. It's an effective weapon but won't hurt B if he comes across it.

    I'm glad I have my dog for creepy nights. She's only 30 lbs but has a deep, ferocious bark and growl when someone approaches our house.

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  3. I noticed next to our daycare that neighbors have "beware of dog" signs attached to their fencing. I know they don't have a dog but the signs look really menacing - maybe you could get some? Another idea is to get timers from your local hardware store to have lights go on at alternating times after dark. ;)

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  4. Sorry to hear your are feeling creeped out! The "Beware of the dog" sign sounds like a great idea to me - so does the dance floor, an investment really if it saves you long term and you could rent it out

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  5. Scary about the break-ins. Do what you need to do to feel comfortable. The dance floor sounds like a really great investment. I hope that it works out. :-)

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