Bank of America
SUCKS!!!
Is there a better bank out there?! I’m ready to leave BOA!
More details after I get off of hold (for the fifth time this week)!!!!
Archive for May, 2008
Random Quiz/Survey
My brain is fried from two days of being audited. Only half a day to go, so I feel like taking a random survey that I saw on someone else’s blog.
1) How do you like your grilled cheese?
Mix together some cream cheese and dijon mustard. Spread it on the inside of one slice of bread. Add lots of cheddar. Cover outside of bread with real butter, then grill until golden brown. Then dip in tomato soup.
2) Where did you go on your last vacation?
Charleston, SC for the Cooper River Bridge Run
3) Who are your godparents?
My uncle Joe and aunt Marie. (Joe is my mother’s brother)
4) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Moving out of Georgia, to who knows where.
5) Where are you at noon everyday?
Every week day at noon I am at my desk looking forward to my lunch break in another 30 minutes.
6) How many speeding tickets have you gotten?
ZERO!
7) What is your favorite movie?
Can’t choose one: Chicago, Pirates of the Caribbean, Raising Arizona
8) What do you think of the I-phone?
Don’t know too much about it honestly, but it probably costs more than I am willing to spend and I’d probably never use it to its full potential.
9) What do you think of winter?
I HATE winter! I can only think of 3 good things about winter. 1. No mosquitoes. 2. You can keep food/drinks cold in the car. 3. Snuggling in blankets, scarves, sweaters.
10) Do you use a plan book?
Every day. I would die without it.
11) At what age do you plan on having kids?
The only plan is NOT NOW.
12) When was the last time you swam?
Last July in Tallulah Gorge.
13) What do you order at Subway?
6 inch Cold Cut Combo on wheat with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, black olives, mustard, oil and vinegar.
14) Do you keep your closets organized?
Clothes and linen closet are organized. Guest bedroom, office and hallway closets are a MESS!
15) How do you make headaches go away?
Sleep. Or extra-strength Tylenol if I’m desperate.
16) Have you owned a beta fish before? What was his name?
Nope.
17) If you moved out of state where would you go?
I hope to move out of this state in the next 3 to 5 years. I just want to live in or very near the mountains.
18) Did you attend pre-school?
Montessori
19) What do your shower curtains look like?
We have a glass door in our bathroom, and a plain white curtain in the guest bathroom.
20) Did you have an imaginary friend as a child?
Nope. Didn’t need one with a sister to pester all the day long!!
21) How do you make eggs?
Scrambled with cheese and salsa. Or fried for an egg and cheese sandwich.
22) Where do you wash your clothes?
At home.
23) Which parent do you look most like?
I’ve been told that I look more like my dad…but I’m not sure.
24) Who are the neighbors who live to the right of you?
Doris and Willy just moved in. They seem like nice people.
25) What are your thoughts on Tom Cruise?
I don’t have thoughts on Tom Cruise.
26) What is the next vehicle you wish to buy?
Some vehicle that has plenty of room for three dogs in the back, like an SUV or station wagon. I hear the Honda Element is a good dog car. Benjy wants a Toyota FJ Cruiser.
27) Do you pay bills online or by mail?
I just recently started using online bill pay. It’s great! But I still pay the “big” bills by mail (car and mortgage payments).
28) What would be the best gift someone could get you right now?
A nice “hybrid” bike with baskets for me to carry a few groceries.
29) What is something stressful you will deal with next week?
A customer audit.
30) What is something in your home that you collect?
Absolut vodka advertisements, bottle caps, cigar boxes.
31) What did you do last night?
Tried Zumba for the first time, ate a veggie burger, took a shower, crashed on the couch.
32) Who did you last see?
Co-workers.
33) How do you take your coffee?
I don’t like coffee. Ick!
34) What is the oldest thing in your fridge?
Probably some sort of condiment.
35) On your keyboard, what key is wearing out from pressing it so much?
No keys wearing out on the home computer.
36) Where do you put your keys when you come home?
In a clay bowl (that my momma made) by the front door.
37) Where do you go for Thanksgiving?
Try to be with either my parents or Benjy’s parents.
38) How old will you be in 2010?
I will turn 29 in 2010.
39) What actor/actress would play you in a movie?
My part in any movie would not be large enough to cast a big name actress. I’d probably be played by an “extra”.
40) How much cash is in your wallet?
No cash. I rarely carry it.
41) What color is your house?
White.
42) If you were starving to death would you eat a pet?
Don’t think so. I certainly don’t think I’d be able to kill the pet for food, but if the pet were already dead, and I was starving to death…probably.
43) Ever been to Alabama?
Twice I think.
44) What kind of accent do you have?
A southern accent kicks in every now and then.
45) What kind of alcoholic drinks are in your fridge right now?
One Red Stripe, two Highland Oatmeal Porters, and two Oskar Blues Gordons.
One Day Late
…because of the holiday weekend.
Last week seems like it must have been fairly uneventful, because I’m not remembering anything significant about Monday through Thursday. Benjy was out of town one night for work. I worked a lot of overtime, but did my darnedest to keep my exercise routines. Oh yeah, and Benjy was excited to receive his RC stadium truck in the mail. He ordered this with some birthday money (Thank you John and Nan!).
Friday night, Benjy’s parents, Bill and Susan, came to town to visit for the weekend. They arrived around 10pm, so there was some time for visiting before bed.
Saturday morning, Bill and I (the early birds) went to check out the Athens Farmers Market. I didn’t buy anything, I’m waiting for the tomatoes and zucchini, but it looks like a promising Saturday morning destination for the next several months. Then I went to my yoga class and Bill drank coffee at the cafe a few doors down from the yoga studio. We went to Earthfare on the way home so I could get my tomato fix and we also picked up some blackberries, blueberries and pineapple. Yum! The rest of the day Saturday was spent leisurely around the house. We were interested in touring the Terrapin brewery, but they had cancelled tours for the holiday weekend. We played a game of bocce in the backyard, then we ventured out in the evening to walk to Fatz Cafe for dinner.
Sunday morning, Bill and I went for a run at a nearby park. We ran 5K in 33 minutes. Bill is turning 69 next week. I was impressed! I hope to be in that good of shape when I am 69 years old. After returning home for food and showers, I went to spend a few hours at work. Just some last minute organization before our audit this week. It is really nice to have the plant to myself, no distractions. After I’d gotten my fill of work on the weekend, I met back up with Benjy and his parents. We grabbed a pizza and went to Sandy Creek Park. We sat in the shade while we ate. Then Susan and I took the kayak out on the lake while Benjy and Bill played bocce. Susan and I kayaked for over an hour, paddled to the other side of the lake and back. I think we traveled a little over 2 miles. We were bird-watching while we were on the water and a Great Blue Heron flew right past us a couple of times. We could hear the wind ruffling through its wings as it flew by. Cool! We spent the evening at home, ordered some carry-out sushi, and I was quick to fall asleep on the couch as everyone chatted.
This morning, there was visiting mixed with household chores. It’s 4:30 pm. Bill and Susan just hit the road. Benjy and I need to go to the grocery store. Then I need to mow the lawn. Then maybe, just maybe, I’ll read a book about Costa Rica.
We hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
Work Hassles, Picnics, and Yard Work
After getting only 3 or 4 hours of sleep on Sunday night, then waking up late (because our alarm clock had fallen 30 minutes behind), and after a phone call informing me that the new girl at work that I’d been training had called out sick AGAIN, I decided to take a personal day off from work on Monday. I had planned on being productive around the house, but that didn’t really happen. But it was still nice to have the day off.
Tuesday I returned to work to learn that my boss had decided to fire the new girl. She had a serious attendance problem. So that sucked. Tuesday night we had our friend Daniel over for a few drinks and a game of bocce. Wednesday night Benjy was sent out of town for work again. The rest of the week was pretty uneventful.
Friday night was another Battlestar Galactica date night with Laci and Alan. We had a very yummy dinner at Mellow Mushroom, before catching up on two episodes of BSG. We came home pretty early Friday night because we had big plans for Saturday.
Saturday morning I went to yoga class. We had a substitute instructor and I was not a big fan. After yoga I wanted to check out opening day of the Athens Farmers Market. By the time I got there at 11am, they were all out of produce. Bummer. So I went to the organic food supermarket, Earth Fare, instead. Then we packed up some food and drove to Snellville for Jessica’s family picnic. The park we went to was full, so we ended up having the picnic at Jessica’s house. We sat on their deck, ate delicious food, and played a fierce game of Trivial Pursuit. I think I have a love-hate relationship with Trivial Pursuit, but other than that we had a good ol’ time. At about 11pm we headed back to Athens for the night.
Today we started off with our usual leisurely Sunday. Slept late and watched a movie, Mississippi Burning. Then a monumental event took place at the Benjerin Household. I cut the grass for the very first time EVER in my life. Benjy got a battery-powered Neuton Mower as a birthday gift from his parents. It was great fun and a pretty good workout. After that exciting experience I headed to the gym, and Benjy went for a long overdue haircut.
Now we are going to try and relax as much as possible before another work week begins. This will be my last week to get everything in order before two back-to-back audits at work. And it looks like Benjy will be sent out of town to a new job-site for two nights this week.
Enjoy this photo of Erin’s Lawn Mowing Achievement and check out the video (link coming soon). The Neuton is so quiet! We love it! Thank you Susan and Bill!
It’s Official!
We’re going to Costa Rica!!!
Benjy’s passport has been renewed and I just bought our plane tickets! We’ll be spending a week there…the first week of July. I’m very excited about planning the rest of the trip now!
YIPEE!
Staying Up Too Late
It has been another busy week.
Benjy’s carpentry skills are getting some recognition at work. He was asked to install a door at the office last week. At least he didn’t have to leave town at all for that. Also, his company won the contract for a big job at the UGA art school and Benjy was assigned as co-site-lead for that job. Benjy has also just informed me that he wants a subscription to an audio-visual magazine. Every week were are so happy and appreciative that Benjy has found this job! He is a happy boy.
I was able to get away from my traditional work duties a bit this week too. I spent one day visiting some United Way agencies for allocations purposes. I’m hoping to volunteer with some of these agencies in the not-too-distant future. I specifically miss working with children. I also spent three days at off-site training for work. Two days for “train-the-trainer” and one day for “management” training, which included labor law training and coaching and counseling training. It was nice to get away from the plant and I always enjoy spending time with co-workers away from work.
Friday night, Jess came to town for a visit. We enjoyed a dinner for two at Depalma’s while Benjy went to a co-worker’s graduation party. Then the three of us met up to doggie-sit for Laci and Alan. When we got back to our house, we played Rock Band until 1 or 2 in the morning. Jessica and I were both very impressed with ourselves for staying up that late.
Saturday morning, Jessica and I attended the Athens Indie Craftstravaganza. We saw our friend, and former roommate, Laurel Hill, and now we each own a pair of earrings made by Laurel. We also bought some jewelry from “Tree Love (for all)”. I can’t find a website for them, so I must take photos of the wonderful jewelry later. Jess and I also went out for lunch and shared some iTunes music before she headed home. Then Benjy and I went to Alan’s graduation shindig. He just received his Master’s degree in accounting. The shindig consisted of family, friends and food before most of us headed downtown for a few drinks. It is so rare that we go downtown anymore. We did our best to stay downtown past midnight so we didn’t feel too “old”. Alan and Laci joined us at our house for Rock Band until the wee hours, 3:30 am I think it was.
So today we slept very late. Watched some Wonderfalls. Took a ridiculously uncalled for nap. Watched some more Wonderfalls. And now I’m up ridiculously late again. I think it is safe to say that my sleep schedule will be out of whack for a few days now. It is so windy here today, and I’m really enjoying the sound of it…kind of feels like I’m at the beach! Anyway, I really should try to get some sleep before…ugh…work.
Happy Mother’s Day to our wonderful mommas, Nan and Susan!
Restaurants, Audits and Tick Bites…oh my!
Last Tuesday, Benjy went out of town for work again. On his way home on Wednesday (his birthday) he stopped by a hobby shop and got a new toy, a really fancy new radio controlled airplane. He is like a little kid.
Wednesday night we met all of our Athens friends to eat and drink at Cali-N-Titos. I can’t believe how busy it was for a Wednesday. But as usual, the food and atmosphere were great.
Thursday, I was very unenthusiastic about going to work because we were being audited by our customer’s customer (a large car manufacturer that you have definitely heard of). It is never fun to go through an audit, and we’ve never been visited by this company before, so we were all a little nervous. The audit went well, and I got to enjoy dinner at Harry Bissetts with some of my co-workers and a couple of customers. Harry Bissetts is a very nice restaurant that I’ve only gotten to eat at once before, so I really appreciated the experience. I tried raw oysters for the first time and was not impressed. But I really enjoyed my seafood jambalaya and my very refreshing cold beer. I was asleep by 8:00 pm.
Benjy didn’t have to work Friday so he played with his new toy, the radio controlled airplane. He has a co-worker that is also very interested in “rc” and has a large field perfect for playing in. Then we had our weekly Battlestar Galactica dinner with Laci and Alan. Laci made spaghetti and the BEST bruschetta I have ever had. Fresh tomatoes from a local produce stand made all the difference. I can’t wait to go to the farmer’s market in two weeks!
After my yoga class Saturday morning, I tried a new restaurant, Trax Cafe. The food was delicious and I have fallen so in love with all the great local restaurants here! The rest of the day we were both very lazy and took turns napping. Saturday evening, Benjy discovered a deer tick feasting in his thigh. We figure he probably picked it up when he was playing in the grassy field with rc toys on Friday. I put my squeamish tendencies aside and very gingerly removed the tick, head and all. Lets all keep our fingers crossed that the tick was disease-free.
Today Benjy played with his “rc” friend again, hopefully a tick-free experience today. I ran another 5K. This one was the hardest I have done so far. Very very hilly! It took me a little over 30 minutes, but I was still second in my age group, so I am very happy with that.
We have started watching a new television show via our Netflix subscription. The show is called Wonderfalls. It is one of those shows that tragically never made it past the first season. We are loving it! Anyone else seen it?
