June 3, 2002Monday Mission 6/3/02
1. Who or where do you go to when you need help for web-related problems?
Jeff or Brian, depends on the problem and who's available.
2. There is a big mess of gossip going on in Blogland due to revelations about a very popular Blogger. I got very caught up in reading all the links to links about it until I stopped myself realizing it was none of my business. Do you ever get caught up in gossip, either speading it or listening to it? How does it make you feel? Or have you ever been the subject of gossip?
I don't think I get caught up in gossip. I'm usually only interested if it's someone I'm close to, or if it affects me in any way. Gossip can be a horrible, nasty thing.
3. In a relationship, when your other takes a dig at you (read: a fight), do you go for the jugular and get "in their face" or try to peacefully smooth things out and have a calm discussion?
Depends on the subject matter at hand, but usually I just get upset and defensive and pretty pissy for a while.
4. A friend once told me "You can tell when someone is bored with what you are saying to them when they reply with 'That's interesting.'" And I have found this to be pretty dang true. How do you know when someone has lost interest in what you are saying?
They don't look directly at you; they're easily distracted by other things. Give generic responses, or no response at all. Start talking about something completely unrelated to the conversation.
5. Ever get jealous of the popularity other Blogs?
No, not really.
6. What is your favorite dirty word? (those who don't curse can pick your favorite happy word)
Don't know.
7. (the continuing story...) OK, we are definitely doing that again. But seeing as it is nearly 6am now, how about breakfast? Anywhere you'd like to go or should we fix our own? What do you like? Or is there something else we need to do first?
Waffle House baby!
BONUS: What have I done to deserve this?
You started it!
Posted by Olivia at 11:52 AM | Comments (1)
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June 4, 2002Young love
I guess since Brian has already mentioned it, it's ok for me to as well. Congratulations Mike & Lauren!! I think this is so great!! Oh yeh, they just got engaged! :) I'm so happy for you both!
Aren't they cute???
Posted by Olivia at 9:47 AM | Comments (5)
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June 5, 2002Joy of Tech 6/4/02
Yup, this is what my life is like sometimes. Don't you wish you were me? :)
Posted by Olivia at 11:17 AM | Comments (4)
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June 6, 2002Snickers
I never realized how tasty Snickers are. That was one of those foods (if candy is a food) that I never ate as a kid. But now, I get Snickers and Dr. Pepper cravings. How weird is that?
Posted by Olivia at 4:52 PM | Comments (2)
Find me in: Chit Chat
June 7, 2002Attitude: Indifferent
I really don't feel like working today.
No really. Not at all. Usually, Fridays are my "get everything cleaned up and put away" days, but today..eh, not so much.
***
Well, I started this entry when I got back from lunch at 1:15. It's now 3pm. Figures. I actually had to do some work.
Have I mentioned how much I despise FrontPage? Well, let me mention it again. I despise FrontPage.
Well, now I feel better. And now, back to stupid FrontPage.
Posted by Olivia at 3:06 PM | Comments (5)
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June 10, 2002Monday Mission 6/10/02
1. Do you have a side of the bed on which you prefer to sleep? Do you sleep on that side even when traveling or does it matter?
I don't really have a preference is which side of the bed, but I like to face outward. It's nice to be able to sleep on either side, but when you have someone else who only likes one side, it's kinda hard to switch it up.
2. What is your favorite "Theme Park?" How come and when was the last time you were there?
Not sure if I have a favorite theme park, just favorite rides. But if I had to pick, it would be Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, just because I have so many memories from there. Living in that area for three years during high school allowed for many weekends to be spent there and Water Country USA.
3. What is your most and least favorite thing about staying in hotels?
Favorite: Don't have to clean up, make the bed, or worry about, well, just the normal, everyday things you worry about at home.
Least Favorite: Worrying that the linens aren't clean, having too-fluffy pillows, not having the comforts of home.
4. Did you ever take family vacations that required looooooong car rides? Were siblings involved ("Stop touching me! Don't cross this line!)? Were the trips just unbearable or did you make up some "car ride games" to pass the time?
Oh yes. My family and I made numerous trips from CO to SC in the '80s and two trips from SC to CA and CA to AR in the '90s. When you're little you don't notice the monotonous days as much, and you have lots of toys to entertain yourself which (or little brothers to annoy or be annoyed by). But once you become a teenager and up car trips seem to take forever. My brother and I would play highway bingo; remember the little cards with the pictures? And the little plastic windows you slide over when you've "spotted" that item? Yeh, we had a lot of those. We had several other travel games we would bring along to help pass the time. Now, I read or sleep. My parents must have driven me around to get me to sleep when I was little because as soon as I get in the car, I'm out. :)
5. With all the drilled peep-holes and spy-cams we hear about on the news, have you ever felt self-conscious about taking off your clothes in a hotel bathroom? Has wondering if someone was on the other side of that mirror on the wall above the dresser made you think twice about "gettin' busy?"
Yeh, it's a little creepy.
6. Describe the most romantic vacation you have ever taken or if that does not apply ;) , tell me about the worst vacation you have ever taken.
Hmm...I can't think of any really bad vacations I've ever had. Sure, some parts weren't the greatest, but overall they ended up good.
7. (continued) After a full tummy and four days of sleep, I'd say I've never felt better. Since it is nearly noon, how about you come over and we'll hang out on the deck. I have a pool, hot tub and lotsa eats and drink. But feel free to bring whatever else you think we need! How should we spend this fine afternoon at the pool?
We'll sun ourselves for a few hours, then dive on in! I hope you have lots of pool toys, because I'm easily bored in the water. :)
BONUS: Have you got it, do you get it, if so, how often?
I wish I had it. :(
Posted by Olivia at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)
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June 11, 2002Summer Slam Winchester, VA
I starting writing this yesterday and never finished. Doh.
Another long weekend out in the sun. Friday, after packing and dropping Gizmo off, Jeff & I drove to Bridgewater to spend the night at his parent's house. Saturday we got up and drove to Winchester for Summer Slam, the second show in the Show-N-Shine circuit. Since we got there around 11:30, most people were already there at set up; registration and camping had started on Friday.
Saturday the weather was perfect, if not a bit cool at times. Jeff & I walked around taking pictures and talking to people. Along the way we ran into several people from CustomTacos. It was really cool to get to meet some of the guys. About 3pm, the burnout competition started, and while Jeff was taking pictures of that, Chris, from Florida finally rolled in.
While Chris washed his truck (800+ miles gathers a lot of dirt), all the guys from CustomTacos gathered around to meet everyone. We decided to head over to Taco Bell (what else!) for some lunch..er..dinner, as it was 4:30 by then. It was so cool driving down the street with 6 Tacomas all in a line.
Shortly after eating everyone went their separate ways. Jeff & I headed back to the fair grounds and hung out with the staff for a while, then went in search of Chris and his friend (name?) Matt & his girlfriend, Kelly, joined us and we all just talked for the next few hours. By 11:30pm is was pretty chilly and since we had to follow someone back to Mark & Julia's we figured we should go find out when everyone was leaving. Mark was going to stay for a while, but Chris and Carrie were heading out. It had been a long day so we packed up and followed them.
Julia and Mark's house is in the mountains. And I mean in the mountains. Once we turned off the main road, onto the first of many gravel roads, we wound up, down, and around before ever reaching our destination. Jeff's poor truck never should have gone down there. But we made it ok. After being greeted by many cats (exact replicas of Gizmo) and one very large dog, we hit the sack.
Sunday started off hot and ended hot. Thank goodness it was cooler on Saturday! We spent a large majority of the day with the staff, in the picnic area, in the shade. After an extensive search of Winchester for a SunTrust, Jeff and I grabbed some lunch around 3 and returned to the show. Judging had ended earlier and Julia was frantically tallying up scores to get ready for the awards presentation. Jeff & I helped wrap them up while Jay went ahead and started. What a nerve-racking experience that was! Hopefully Jeff, the wonder-boy, will be able to whip out a database program for them to use for next summer!
After the awards most show participants got out of there pretty quick and we were left with a field of trash to clean up. Since camping is allowed at this show, there were two fields to go through. Jeff & I started on the showground area about 5:30. People can be such pigs..it was a mess. By 7:30 or so we had picked up most of it and were exhausted! Needless to say, most of our muscles hurt now. And it was so hot!
With nothing left to do, we hit the road. After a semi-brief stop in Bridgewater, we arrived in Richmond around midnight. What a tiring, but extremely fun, weekend :) And what did you all do??
Oh, yeh, thanks to Jeff, for all the pictures (that he doesn't know I stole) and visit CustomTacos!
Posted by Olivia at 3:10 PM | Comments (4)
Find me in: The Garage
June 12, 2002Encounter with Dr Hanks
Well, this day has been one of my least favorites, to put it nicely. I'm hoping that dinner out tonight will help improve my mood.
I had my first encounter today with the terrible Dean of the College (to be referenced as JH).
My rant is kind of long and boring, but if you want to read it, go for it!
Here's a brief run down:
JH is trying to pay for a catered business lunch.
In order for me to pay this invoice, we need an invoice, and internal purchase requistion (IPR), list of attendees, and meal exception form.
I received the invoice 3/29/02. Until this afternoon, all I had was the IPR and the invoice. Not gonna work.
So through various emails with JH's secretary (whom I'm told is a "dingbat"), I tell her what I need.
Well, it seems Ms. Dingbat still doesn't understand and later decides that they've already been sent to me.
Since I had yet to receive anything, I request another copy. (Any normal person whould now just send another copy over, right?)
But no, JH gets involved and send a nasty email to me, my boss' boss, and the head honcho of Finance & Administration. (See organizational chart if you're lost)
It's a big long mess, but basicall, my boss write back defending me. JH responds saying that my boss' reply was "out of line" and that she will be speaking to her supervisor.
What a way to start the day
Here's the email conversation if you're interested. The stuff in the [brackets] I added/changed to protect the "innocent"
Posted by Olivia at 5:48 PM | Comments (3)
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June 13, 2002Birthdays and Alaska
I suppose I too, should wish Mike a happy 24th!! Welcome to the club!
And Mr & Mrs P, have a safe and wonderful trip!! See you when you get back!
Posted by Olivia at 11:48 AM | Comments (1)
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June 14, 2002Friday Five 6/14/02
1. How often do you do laundry?
Usually every week. But it gets spread out, so I feel like I'm doing something with laundry every day.
2. What's in a typical wash load?
Clothes, clothes, and more clothes. And we don't even have that many..hmm..maybe that's the problem. If I buy more clothes, I'll have to wash less often..
3. Front or top loader? Powder or liquid detergent?
Top loader, but I would love to have a front load. I hear they're more energy and water efficient. And less rough on your clothes. Liquid Food Lion brand detergent. Fancy, I know :)
4. Do you use fabric softener in the rinse cycle?
Nope.
5. Dryer or clothesline?
Dryer. I don't like the idea of bugs flying into my clothes outside. Yuck!
Posted by Olivia at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)
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June 17, 2002B'Oscars, Watermelon Punch, & Big Boob Award
This weekend turned into the complete opposite of our original plan.
Plan: Meet the Pollocks in town for dinner, sleep at their house Friday night (boys play Quake), play in pool Saturday, camp Saturday night
Did: Stopped in Staunton for dinner, slept at the Pollock's Friday night, shopped in Lexington Saturday, played games in cabin, slept at the Pollock's Saturday night, boys played Quake Sunday in Richmond.
After a very late start Friday evening, we didn't arrive in Natural Bridge until after 11pm. Instead of meeting the Pollock's (Mike's grandparents) at the pizza place in town, we had to stop in Staunton at Cracker Barrel, so we wouldn't starve.
Half of us were very tired and fell asleep fairly soon after our arrival. Others of us (Jeff, Paul, Mike) decided it would be much more fun to sit on the porch until 3am talking about computers and cars.
By the time everyone woke up Saturday we had decided it wasn't quite warm enough to be in the pool. (And the dead squirrels didn't help). So instead we visited the booming town of Lexington.
They have a lot of really cute little shops, similar to Carytown. Lauren & I made the most purchases I think. Big surprise, right? We stopped in at The Palms for some lunch. The food was ok, the seat were hard, but the company was great :)
Shortly after arriving back at the Pollocks, we were served another meal. (Yikes, more food!) Because of the lack of rain and the fires up in the mountains, we couldn't have a campfire, so we chose to stay the in house instead of camping in the dark. So as to not bother our wonderful hosts, we headed across the way to Mike's uncle's guest cabin to spend the majority of our night. We played some very lively rounds of Scattegories and after Mike, Lauren & Jeff passed out, the rest of us (me, Chris, Paul & Brian) answered the questions from Battle of the Sexes. It's amazing what they assume that men & women will know.
Another late start on Sunday had us leaving around 3:30. From the mountain we were on, we could see the smoke (and the flame at night) from the forest fires, so we took a little detour to get a closer look. It was amazing how widespread it actually was. From far off it didn't seem that way. A quick stop at Taco Bell and we were back on the road.
Jeff & I picked up Gizmo, showered, and headed back over to Mike & Lauren's so the boys could finally play Quake. By midnight we were all pretty tired, so we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
Now, who wants to do my laundry, balance my checkbook, and wash my car, so I can get some sleep?
Posted by Olivia at 5:55 PM | Comments (3)
Find me in: Richmond Geeks
June 21, 2002Friday Five 6/21/02
1. Do you live in a house, an apartment or a condo?
Right now we're in an apartment, but just until our townhouse is finished in September!!
2. Do you rent or own?
I guess technically we're still only renting, but we're on our way to making house payments!
3. Does anyone else live with you?
My boyfriend, Jeff, and our insane cat, Gizmo.
4. How many times have you moved in your life?
This is an unfair question since I'm an Air Force brat! K, here's a brief run down:
Florence, SC-born here
Charleston, SC
Kingstree, SC
(Don't remember how many houses we lived in before moving to CO)
Colorado Springs, CO-1981(2?)-1986-when my dad joined the Air Force (1 house-that I remember)
Thatcham, England-1986-1988 (1 house)
Myrtle Beach, SC-1988-1992 (1 condo, 2 houses)
Tabb, VA-1992-1995 (1 townhouse, 2 houses)
Mililani, HI-1995-1996 (then I went to college) (hotel for several weeks, 2 houses)
Cabot, AR-1996-semi-present(parents still live there; I lived here about a week before school started back up) (hotel for several weeks, 1 house, soon to be 2)
Radford, VA-1996-2000)(2 dorms, 1 apartment)
Richmond, VA-2000-present (1 apartment, soon to be 1 house)
Check out the About Me page for more.
5. What are your plans for this weekend?
For once this summer, I can say it. I HAVE NO PLANS!!! Yay!!! We're actually going to be in town!
Posted by Olivia at 10:00 AM | Comments (2)
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June 24, 2002Monday Mission 6/24/02
1. Do you wear glasses/contact lenses? If so would you consider going through Lasik surgery? (Or if you already have, please tell us about it)
I do wear glasses. At this point I can't imagine having Lasik surgery. I won't even let them put drops in my eyes for the glaucoma test, so there's no way I could stare at a laser for 15-30 seconds. Yikes!
2. Did you ever have to wear braces? How are your teeth? (any cavities, any pulled teeth, root canals, etc.)
I had braces back in middle school; for 3 years I think. My teeth could use some work now. I need my wisdom teeth pulled, then maybe they would straighten back out again.
3. What (if any) recent movies have moved you emotionally? Which one and how so?
I haven't seen anything recently.
4. I visited my dear Mema in the managed care facility Sunday and while she is doing well, I was sad for her. Living out your final days/years someplace like that seems so lonely to me. Would you rather live the remainder of your golden years in a rest home, or pass away before it came to that?
I think I'd rather pass on before I needed that type of care. Especially if I still had my mind, and it was my body failing. I think it would just drive me nuts.
5. Sometimes, but not nearly often enough, I will just stop and marvel at the amazing planet on which we live. The eco-system, life and death, nature, the perfect balance that keeps us alive, the universe, it can all be mind-boggling if you let your mind get carried away. What natural creation or phenomenon just flat-out leaves you with a sense of wonder?
When you stop and think about everything, how it all works together to create a balance, it's just amazing.
6. Have you ever been in a fist fight or a situation where you had to get physically violent with someone else? How did that come about? Any consequences?
No, and don't plan on it.
7. Many times I look back in hindsight and think of how I should have handled a situation. Are there any recent happenings that you wish you would have handled differently? What happened and what do you wish you'd done?
I can't think of anything specific that's major.
BONUS: How far away can you go, and still be dancing with me?
There's no dancing :)
Posted by Olivia at 1:10 PM | Comments (9)
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June 27, 2002Work, work work
You know, I haven't done a real entry in a while. You know why? Cause I have nothing to say. I haven't done anything lately. I go to work. I come home. I didn't even do anything this past weekend. I could write all about work, and how busy it's been, and much stuff I've done. But I don't want to bore you with the details of that. I've seen the effects of my stories. And it's not pretty. But just so you know, I'm still here. Typing away. All day. Typing away. :)
I bought a plant. It's still alive. Yay me!
Posted by Olivia at 2:38 PM | Comments (7)
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June 28, 2002Friday Five 6/28/02
When was the last time you...
1. ...sent a handwritten letter?
I honestly can't remember. I guess that's how long it's been! Wait, do Christmas cards count? :)
2. ...baked something from scratch or made something by hand?
Does throwing stuff in a bowl and mixing it count if no cooking was involved? Otherwise, I'm not sure I ever have, besides making cookies and stuff for Christmas at my parents.
3. ...camped in a tent?
July 2001. It would have been last weekend, but since it's been so dry we couldn't have a fire. And what's the point of camping without a campfire!
4. ...volunteered your time to church, school, or community?
Umm...uhh...
5. ...helped a stranger?
The last time I took a day off, I went to Wal Mart to pick up my pictures. There was a little old lady standing there, needing some help. She was trying to use the Kodak Picture thingy, but couldn't quite figure it out. So I stood there and helped her copy some family pictures and heard all about her son and the rest of her family.
Posted by Olivia at 9:34 AM | Comments (2)
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June 28, 2002Lumpy sauce
This fun little piece of information was found in the Keep Up To Date on Accounts Payable semi-monthly publication that is put on my desk to help clutter it up.
Smoothing the lumps out of a saucy European tax issue
No doubt you've been left scratching your head over some of the odd reasoning in tax laws, particularly when one little detail can put the product in a whole new classification.
The latest of that comes from Brussels, where European Union bureaucrats have been meeting constantly since January to solve a particularly taxing problem.
Specifically, they're trying to determine how many lumps a can of mushroom or pasta sauce can have (20% or 30%) before it's taxed as a vegetable instead of a sauce.
Since the vegetable tax rate is so much higher, expect makers to smooth out their sauces - and, at the same time, the tax issue.
This is brought to you by the letters A, P and the number 28. :)
Posted by Olivia at 11:22 AM | Comments (2)
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