Enjablog

Woohoo! I got an acceptance letter from Virginia Tech today.

Was I worried about getting rejected? Not really… but, at the same time, I thought I wasn’t done filling out the application yet.

I spoke with my former adviser and he told me to go ahead and submit my app without my GREs and I could submit them later. So, I did.

And then: today! I got an acceptance letter!

Woohoo!!

I received a letter from Walgreens last week informing me that my credit card denied payment to them, so my account was now back to a negative balance. They did nothing to speak of rectifying the situation through my credit card company. They just offered me other options to pay them. I called them up and said “No thanks.”

The people at Walgreens were not too pleased with that response. The first woman I spoke with, Kat, told me that that was my choice. But they would still pursue payment. The second woman I spoke with, Jeanine H. (she “couldn’t” give me her last name), said she would look into it and make sure they checked with the post office to find out what happened to the package. She assured me that they would still not be able to refund more than $20 of my bill and I told her that was unacceptable and I wouldn’t give them a second payment. If they are able to settle it sufficiently with my credit card company, they could have my payment. Otherwise, too bad.

This whole 30-day, 60-day, or 90-day prescriptions all cost the same is crap. I requested and paid for 90 days. I gave them a prescription for 90 days. That doesn’t mean I should pay the same amount no matter what they send me.

So, yesterday, I received an excited call from Walgreens. They had found my package! It was sent to me and signed for on August 5th. Signed by [Enjanerd Petouie]. Buncha hotards. That was the second package. The one of which I already confirmed receipt. The one for which we’re not looking. The one for which they are trying to charge twice my co-pay for 1/3 of the product.

We’re looking for the one charged to my credit card on July 7th. The one that supposedly arrived in Orlando on July 12. The one that is no longer in the online USPS system because this file is so freakin’ old!

I hate Walgreens.

QOTD from a letter from Walgreens: “It’s time to make your life easier! Order from Walgreens mail service online!”

Free ice cream tonight! Coldstone Creamery. Go! Go!

Cold Stone Creamery Calendar of Events

Navy Launches New Class Of Warship In Wisconsin

Boss and Boss Jr are out of town this week and we have a few deliverables due. Before heading out, Boss Jr briefed me on what everyone was up to. I figured it was just because I’m so nosy and like to be in everyone’s business. But when The Boss left, he said, “[Enjanerd], you’re in charge now. Don’t let the power go to your head.”

*And then she naively laughed*

1) Of course the power has gone to my head.
2) Why would I want to be in charge of these people!? No one listens or does their work well.

Today:

New Guy: “The document you told me to update… it’s not calculated the way you said it should be. What should i do?”
Me: “update it.”
New Guy: “All of it?”
Me: “yes.”
New Guy: “But that’s a lot of work”

Duh. *sarcasm* Because I wanted to give you something easy that should take an hour to do and then have you waste away the afternoon, still do it wrong, and then come back complaining to me that you’re bored and have nothing to do.*/sarcasm*

Followed, no less than 10 minutes later, by his useless partner in crime:

Useless Guy: “Someone else already started the document you told me to work on this morning. Should I use that one or the old version and update it?”

Let me note that it was 3pm at that point.

Me: “Update the one that’s already started. Did you just find this? I thought you were updating the other document in that folder.”
Useless Guy: “I uhh… um. I thought I was supposed to use the other… uh…”
*starts to back up toward the door*
Useless Guy: “Ok, so the new one and not the old one, right? … ok”

He mumbled that part at the end as I glared at him and after he scurried out the door, he looked back to see if I was still glaring at him. Which I was.

So… I goof off. I goof off a lot. I’ve been caught goofing off. But people at work still seem to like me. I think it’s because I still get stuff done. Now, I know other people goof off. I catch them from time to time too, but usually people make the effort to alt-tab or minimize and pretend like they’re being productive. Useless guy? I have never caught him working. Seriously. He’s always on CNN taking polls or checking the weather or something. That is, if he’s not on the phone. How can someone be so comfortable slacking off at a job where he’s not even past his 3-month probation period? I’m at the point where I’m willing to give up my $1k referral bonus for him if they would just get rid of him. Well, mostly because I’m ashamed that it’s on record that my name has any connection with his.

Every once in a while, I take a browse through my spam filter to make sure nothing is getting accidentally trashed. You will be shocked to see what I received today. Shocked, I tell you.

I no longer get spam from Nigerian princes. Oh, no. American soldiers trying to give me a piece of Hussein’s riches. Oh boy!

FROM: Sgt. Andrew Smith
Good day to you My name is Sgt. Andrew Smith I am an American soldier, I am serving in the military of the 1st Armored Division in Iraq. I am now in Kuwait in the mean time, I and my partner moved funds belonging to Saddam Hussein, the total is $25,000,000.00 (Twenty Five million US dollars) this money is being kept safe in a security company. Click on this link to read about even that took place here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm Basically since we are working for the American government we cannot keep these funds, but we want to transfer and move the funds to you, so that you can keep it for us in your safe account or an offshore account. We will divide the total funds in three ways, since we are 3 that is involved. This means that you will take 30percent, I will take 30percent, and my partner will take 30percent, 10percent will be kept aside for expenses. This business is confidential, and it should not be discussed with anyone. There is no risk involved whatsoever. If you are interested I will send you the full details, my job is to find a good partner that we can trust and that will assist us. Can i trust you? When you receive this letter,kindly send me an e-mail signifying your interest including your most confidential telephone/fax numbers for quick communication also your contact details. This business is risk free. Please reply me via this email:sgt_andrewsmith01@hotmail.com Respectfully submitted
Sgt. Andrew Smith

Maybe I will have to give him Ian’s most confidential telephone number (703-555-5555).

What a day… The whole family crossed over the bridge to have dinner at my sis’s place in MD. My father was very concerned about this trek, so he made sure to arrange carpools and help others arrange them as well. Everyone arrived successfully.

We started out with some cheesy appetizers, one of which I brought back from my adventure in Wisconsin. I stood around getting all filled up on cheese and crab dip before the hot dogs and hamburgers were done. There were dumplings, green bean salad, melons, pineapple, and lots of other food. We spent the afternoon watching football and admiring the greatness that is HD.

Also got some good gossips. No idea how reliable it is, but good stuff nonetheless. :)

QOTD: “Wow, look how crisp that yellow line is!”

Tuesday morning.

Get up, showered, ready to go. No hairbrush, no toothbrush, no lotion, no deodorant. Oh, I’m going to make a good impression today!

At least I had new clothes though. Grabbed some breakfast with the coworkers and headed over to the shipyard. We watched a little presentation thingy, did introductions with the important people, and then we were off to the ship!

Let me paint you a picture… It had been raining in Wisconsin for about a week. This place was mostly dirt. Let me emphasize was. When we arrived, the path from the main building to the ship was entirely mud, with occasional puddles and small ponds. I am so glad Ian brought me sneakers. Not only would I have been completely embarrassed wearing dress shoes to a ship yard, then more embarrassed meeting important people dressed like that, but I would be completely incompetent at walking. If I managed not to sink into the mud, I would have my heels catching on things on the ship and falling through grates. *Graceful.*

Anyway, the tour was awesome. This is something I’ve been involved with for the last 6 months and it was amazing to see all the plans in real life. This is the first time I’ve been on a ship that I was actually familiar with. Our tour was somewhat guided, but we just went wherever people wanted to look. I got to see the mission areas, machinery rooms, bridge, flight deck, and passed through a lot of what will be crew quarters and such.

Partway through this requested tour, I guess some people wanted to go see other things. So we got split up on our way to the next destination. I knew where my half of the group was headed, so I tracked back to find the missing people. And on my journey, I was, of course, given the little girl treatment. I passed a few people working in a passageway and headed up a deck to see if the people hadn’t come down yet. Nope. Back down to where I started. One of the guys stops me to ask if I’m lost.

“No, I’m looking for the other half of our tour group. They wandered off and I’m trying to round them up.”

“Ok… If you need help, I can take you back to the main deck.”

“Um… I don’t think they went there. I’m going to keep looking. Thanks.”

Head down a deck to see if they had gone one deck too far. Don’t see or hear any of them nearby, so back up. Double-check forward and then head back past the guys in the passageway. The same guy, again, offers to help me find my way back to the main deck. This is my third time past them. Despite my previous explanation, surely, I must be lost.

“Thanks, but I helped design this ship. I’m pretty familiar with it… But if you see the rest of our tour group come through, will you send them back to the machinery room please?”

*pause*

“Oh… Ok.”

“Thanks!”

I’m ok with not bringing a camera onboard and all those rules, but damn, I wish I had a camera for the look on that guy’s face. Priceless.

Did some shmoozing after the tour, found a phone for our afternoon telecon, then headed back toward the airport. Our scheduled departure time was 6:20, so we made an attempt at getting an earlier flight back. They were booked, so we spent the afternoon in beautiful Green Bay. Stopped off for some cheese, drove around looking for a place to eat, and then decided on lunch at Curly’s Pub in Lambeau field… where The Admiral and his posse were hanging out drinking and playing pool. Their flight was delayed, so they needed to kill some time as well. They departed shortly after we arrived and we were on our way after a quick bite.

Arrive at the airport: 5:00pm Eastern Time.

First task: retrieve bags. We got them back just in time… to check them back in for our return trip. *Fantastic.* Worst part? Turns out, they had been there at least at 4am, according to the woman at the ticket counter. Apparently, our original connecting flight had also been delayed because of the storm in Chicago and our bags were able to be transferred in time. Too bad no one told us. :(

The more bad news: Thunderstorms in Chicago, again.

Delays posted in half hour increments. Around 7:45, The Boss goes up to ask when the earliest flight the next day would be if we just stayed the night there. All the morning flights were booked, so 12:50pm. We would arrive at National at 7:50pm. Oh, I don’t think so. This time, we’re sticking with our bags. We’re waiting for the storm to pass. And, oh, did we wait.

I received a phone call from my grandmother while we were waiting. I was sitting on the end of a row of chairs with my coworker and boss nearby. Pretty normal conversation. In chinese, but just conversational… until my grandmother asked me if I was home from work. At which point, I explained that I was actually at the airport on my way home. So, she asked where I was. “Wis-kahn-soon.” Where? “Wis-kahn-soon.” And… repeat. I think I said that 4 times before I stopped trying. And realized that people were staring at me.

Actual departure time: 8:30pm
Arrival at National: 1:15am
Cab ride home: 30 minutes, $26. (Slowest driver ever. Or maybe I was a little impatient and cranky at that point…)

Total time at the airport/on the plane: 8 hours.
Total round trip: 16 hours.

Purpose: Tour a ship with an admiral and some captains (and various less important people).
Destination: Marinette, Wisconsin

Scheduled departure: 2:55pm Monday from National -> Chicago/O’Hare -> Green Bay
Status: Canceled.

Rescheduled departure: 5:45pm (same as above)
Status: Delayed.
Actual departure: 6:30
Scheduled connecting flight: 7:00

So, we (boss and coworker) go up to the ticket counter to find out if there’s another connection that we can catch later. Nope. But we can catch an 8 o’clock flight with a different airline connecting through Detroit. Ok, that sounds fine. We’ll get there at 11 and have to drive another hour… but they’re an hour behind, so our 8am meeting is kind of like 9am. So that’s not that bad.

Oh, but there’s a catch. It’s now 6:15. The plane to Chicago is about to depart and we can’t get our bags back. It’s just overnight, right? That’s not that big a deal… Oh, but wait. Thanks to the whole no liquids/gels things my coworkers and I had all checked our bags of stuff for overnight. All we had with us were laptops and papers for work. Our bags would arrive from Chicago Tuesday morning at 10am. Lotta good that does us for meeting The Admiral at 8am.

Well, no choice now. We can’t get on the plane. We can’t get our stuff off the plane. Sigh…

Let me mention at this point that I went to the airport straight from work. I was wearing slacks, a dress shirt, and heels. The fancy clothes aren’t that big a deal, since we were just touring the ship and not actually doing anything on it. As long as I was careful about not leaning on walls, I’d be ok. But dress shoes? No way.

We have almost 2 hours before our next flight at this point, so I start calling Ian. He doesn’t answer. I call again. I text message him. I email him. I call again. About half an hour later, he calls back and tells me he’s not feeling well. But even so, I have him drag himself out of bed to bring me a bag full of stuff — shoes, jeans, shirt. He makes it there just in time for us to go through security and head to the departure gate. Even with my thorough screening (they made me stand in the kiddie area behind the plexiglass!), we get there before they begin boarding. Woo!

Mostly uneventful the rest of the flight. My reading light on the plane went out. My boss’s iPod slid off his seat during landing and slid 6 rows up. We got to ride the tram at the Detroit airport. Got to Green Bay and headed out to the hotel.

Total time at the airport/on the plane: 8 hours.

Stay tuned — Tuesday’s adventures.

Back from my 16-hour trip to the airport. I flew on the 5th anniversary of 9/11. I got screened, checked, pulled out of line, ticket marked, and checked again at the gate.

Totally swamped now that I’m back in the office. More adventures to follow. Highlight: shipyard tour! What I did when not at the airport: lunch at Lambeau field. Souvenir: Cheese. Worst part: My bag got to Chicago a day earlier than I did. My destination: Wisconsin.

I’m totally going overboard looking at wedding ideas on the internet. I’m hoping to skip the bridal magazine phase since I don’t think I want to pay for anything in there, but I’m still looking around on websites for ideas that I can do myself or improvise in cheaper ways. Err… I mean frugal. Or something.

Big news for the weekend, though: Found a location! I thought once we did this, I could stop obsessing. It didn’t work, but I’m getting close. A lot of the big details are getting set — date, location, bridal party, etc. So, I’m kind of just having fun looking at arts and crafts for centerpieces and favors.

Restrictions at this location: no red beverages, no glitter or confetti, no open flames. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to email me. I might even tell you what we have in mind so far. :)

When I started looking at locations, I started freaking out because it didn’t look like we could reserve a place for under $2k, pretty much the entire budget. But then I started looking for locations that didn’t look like princess weddings and it all started to be more reasonable. Then, we had to rule out outdoor venues because you’re not allowed to have alcohol there. Right now, our estimates show going over by a couple hundred dollars (that includes “rehearsal” dinner — not actually for rehearsing.), but I’m still trying to find out what I can get at a better price.

At first, it didn’t look it’d be possible to stay under budget, but now I’m taking it personally. This is a challenge to my personal beliefs. It must be possible to have a wedding for a “reasonable” price. And if we set a number for the budget, it will be done. There’s no point in setting a budget if we’re not going to stick to it. Flowers too expensive? Crossed off the list. People telling me everything has to match. Off the list. This is possible.

1. Vampires : Mirrors :: Episcopalians : Flash photography.
2. If someone forgets to unlock the doors to let the processional exit, make sure you have good ushers who are willing to scale walls and jump over bushes to open the doors from the inside.
3. Do not let your step-father talk to the bag-piper prior to the ceremony.
4. Be sure to seat the immature people together. They’ll have much more fun that way.
5. If you have candles at the tables, make sure you leave a book of matches for candles that go out. Some guests might take matters into their own hands…
6. Don’t invite people who have known you a long time. They have a few too many stories…
7. Leave embarrassing pictures of the groom around. People will sign them and leave happy notes.
8. Hotel, ceremony, and reception in the same building — the drinking never stops. Ingenious!
9. Lotto tickets make for awesome wedding favors. (Ian won $10!)
10. Every wedding must have the electric slide. It’s just not a real wedding otherwise.

It was a fun wedding. Got to see some people I haven’t seen in a while. (Namely, the bride and groom.) I finally met JL2’s father. I’ve only known JL2 12 years… I don’t know when I would have had the opportunity to meet him. Caught up with Roy and his girl. Hung out with the girl, mostly, while Roy was off doing groomsmanly stuff. And that’s about it. Lots of eating, drinking, and dancing.

Oh and the cake! One of the cake layers was red velvet cake. It was fantastic. Kudos to whoever chose that layer of the cake. The other layers were good, but just completely over-shadowed by the red velvet. Yes, Ian and I tried all the layers. :P

Is it bad that when one of my credit cards expired and I couldn’t find the replacement card that I know I received in the mail… I just signed up for a new card?

I had been meaning to for a while and my old card didn’t give me any kind of rewards back. So I should’ve gotten a new card long ago. But… the motivation I needed was reaching the expiration date on my old card. Now I have to memorize a new credit card number. Oh well.

*gasp*

Stingray Kills ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Irwin

Congrats to JL2 and bride!

Had a fantastic time at their wedding this weekend. So tired now though. More gossip to follow.