Artsa Notary’s First Blog Post
As I sit here in darkness, I’m listening to Bob Dylan’s Just Like a Woman. Why am I listening in the dark? I’m glad you asked! Because I’m at hour number 134, and ticking, of being left without power. Electrical power that is, just to be clear. In the dark you find you don’t know your laptop keyboard as well as you think you do in the light. Thank you very much, Polar Blast in S.W. Tennessee! January 2026 < Start Me Up!
What have I accomplished since last Sunday at 4:00 AM? I’m glad you asked! I admit it’s been a bit of a repeat of the day before, but there have been bursts when I go off script:
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There’s the moments of realizing the day can still be seized to catch up on my work-related to-do list, as much as one can without Internet, or a cell phone connection, which is one of the trials and tribulations of living in what some have called boonies.
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Then there’s the interruptions to those moments when it is necessary to tend to maintaining a household under these dire ice storm consequences. That’s a given.
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The off-the-cuff parts happen when that degree of Murphy’s law takes over and things happen. Like the main water line for this area burst from the cold. Those repairs, that took nearly two days to complete, awakened me with a monstrous, eerily sounding commode at 2:00 AM, as water got reintroduced to the plumbing system. There was a moment of half-asleep panic. Then there’s the time when a very considerate neighbor, while leaving from bringing me a fresh supply of gasoline to fuel my generator, came dangerously close to wiping out an outdoor spigot, my carport, and the car sitting underneath, protected from the ice and elements. How did that happen? I’m glad you asked! Because besides the cold, no power and a time without water, there’s ice that remains everywhere, and his big dually truck was no match for no traction and the effects of gravity. The calvary was called, and that required a bulldozer to get that truck pulled safely away from a collision that would have been a full catastrophe, instead of a half-comedy of errors. Whew! And Thank You God! Yes, I’ve been talking with Him.
I want my power back. I’m gonna get my power back. A hot shower will be the first order of things when there’s power and hot water. It’s gonna bring me back, awash from all the questions I’ve had to ponder this last week – like what’s going on the news of the day. It helps to consider it’s a good possibility it remains grim, if speaking honestly, and aloud.
So, what got me to start writing this blog that Internet Marketeers believe everyone who wants to be someone discoverable should adhere to? I’m glad you asked! Well, this time spent alone with an old blind dog named Delilah, and a very lovable kitten cat named Cisco (Was a Friend of Mine) gives you lots of time to pause. Pause to make sure you have what you need to get by, Pause to be certain you’ll have generator fuel for the space heaters at night, Pause to make plans when the power is restored, Pause to consider stuff, like why am I doing this alone with a young cat and an old dog? Somethings questions you just can’t answer, but then you learn you just gotta go with the flow. But I am allowed to ask why the flow is upstream. And finally, Pause to give attention to the sorts of things I’ve been putting off – sometimes that’s because life just happens and you must put your focus on those events. Other times it’s pure put-off-ness. We are probably all guilty of that. But here I am, doing the work.
What work is that? I’m glad you asked! I am a commissioned Notary in my State of Tennessee. I’ve been that way since March 2024. From equal parts life-altering events happening, and aiming to be a perfectionist, and almost anal about it, my coming out has been a mix of training and achieving certification in varying fields where I want to excel as a Notary. Then stopping, pausing, and gaining momentum back. But I’ve never wavered in the pursuit of my aspirations. I’ve picked up this mantra: “Success isn’t measure by the time it takes to get there, only that the goal remains in sight”.
So, as I Notary, what have placed as my aside-hustles that keeps me learning and improving the services offered, and then placing my hat into the notarial ring, so to speak? I’m glad you asked! Well, there’s this blog post, that also will show up in my up-and-running Facebook and Instagram pages, but there’s more. The list is growing, and I’m particularly enthused about the most recent endeavor in the realm of ‘Notarialism.’ Here is a list of all related services rendered by Artsa Notarial Services, the ‘doing business as’ name given to the professional side of ART, the happenstance initials I have in life, up to this point in it:
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General Notary Work that covers everyday Acknowledgments and Affirmations.
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Certified Loan (LSA) and Real Estate Transfers Signing Agent
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Certified Apostille Agent and Facilitator
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Foreign Document Translations, as an Affiliated source
And what I’m truly excited about getting back on track on, once this power outage Pause lets me return to? I’m glad you asked!
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Certified Notary Trust Delivery Agent, otherwise known as a CNTDA.
I will PAUSE, for now, from detailing the white glove service coming along for the ride when accepting such notarial assignments. What I do want to speak about at the rest of this moment, for now, is about how those services are served to the public. Is there another way besides meeting face to face with the notary? I’m glad you asked!
The notary for ARTSA Notarial Services, me, Anita R. Turner, is also a commissioned Remote Online Notary for the State of Tennessee. What does that mean? I’m glad you asked that question!
Remote Online Notary (RON) might well be a new terminology for many, quite like walking up to a stranger and not knowing what to say, or it speaks another language. It’s becoming more commonplace across the World. Tennessee, along with most all the 50 United States have passed legislature that permits online notaries to join platforms that hosts the lawful interactions between themselves and their signers. It goes so far as to permit legal notarizations from USA-connected citizens working or residing in foreign countries. Most of them belong to the Hague Convention, which is relevant when an Apostille or Authentication necessity prerequisite comes into play.
What does this mean for you, as someone who wants to have life made simpler, more cost efficient, and secure, as online notarizations carry with it very strict identity verification processes? I’m glad you asked! Online Notarizations, securely acquired from ARTSA Notarial Services, offers the following benefits:
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Convenience – An online video and audio recorded session can occur at a time of your choosing, without ever having to turn a car or truck key
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Cost Savings – Without traditional mobile notary service, the notary’s travel and time to meet face to face is eliminated from the over-all fee to obtain a notary’s certificate, signature and seal. Each of those three important elements can be furnished through a digital variation.
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The signers do not have to be in the same State as the notary. And, if there’s more than one signer inside your document(s), they do not have to be coming from the same location. This makes is possible to obtain legal notarizations utilizing computer keystrokes , a device’s camera, video recording, and identity validations. Except for ID verifications, prior to this swifter process, notarizations with signers in different parts of the US and the World once required snail mail or special delivery services to reach the end of a legally binding document.
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How simple is it to use remote online notarizations? I’m glad you asked! It’s not complicated and many of you likely have already found themselves using some of the same steps in other online places. If not, there is guidance available.