The Cruelty of Strangers

Well, I figured since we got my purse from the restaurant, and it was in the mail back to me, that I didn't need to cancel my cards. I guess that was another dumb move on my own part, because as it turns out, though they left some of my cash in the wallet, they swiped my ATM card, and went to town in every gas station in South Florida. Who knew I could buy nearly a thousand dollars of gas in a day!

I hope you're enjoying your fuel, cigarettes, beer, and whatever other junk you spent all my money on. Piece of *&%#.

The Kindness of Strangers

As you may know, I was in Daytona for the past three days. It was alright, but I was ready to come home. I had been gone already a week before that, and the weather there was rainy.

My ticket was to return at 7:00 pm today, but really this morning we were close to being done with the portion of the project we could do, so I called Delta to see if I could switch to the 1:00 or 4:00 flight instead, but they said that both flights were not only full, but overbooked. Since we didn't have much to do, I didn't go to Mike's to work until I'd taken a bit of time to pack and work out, and since we didn't have too much to do, at 3:00 we were done. I figured I might as well try to get to the airport for the 4:00 and try my luck. I checked in at the counter and the lady said that indeed the flight was overbooked, but that she'd let the gate attendant know I was coming just incase there was an empty seat. On my way to the gate, I went through security and totally forgot that I had nail scissors in my suitcase. I hadn't thought about it because we'd driven to Florida originally, but that was obviously something they weren't going to allow on the plane. After removing them from my bag, the security agent handed me an envelope and told me that it is a Daytona Airport service that they'll mail you what they remove from your bag! I thought that was pretty cool.

So I arrive at the gate, and ask the attendant about the chances of me getting on the flight, and she said "honey, I just paid 5 people to switch to the later flight, sorry, this flight is overbooked". Oh well. I sat down and started to figure out what I'd do with this time, when I heard my name over the loudspeaker. "would Passenger Bela Jacobson please step to the gate desk...thank you". So I go over there, and she tells me that two people have not yet arrived, and if they don't come, that I'd get a ticket! that was fabulous. "All you need is to pay the $25 change fee and we'll take care of it." I pulled out $25 and handed it to her, and she says "maam, you need to pay with a credit card please", which in any other day, I wouldn't have even thought to hand her cash to begin with, but keep in mind that I don't have my purse, so all I have is cash! she tells me that if I don't have a credit card, I can't switch flights. Disappointed, I sit down, and the lady that had been behind me in line walks over and says "excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear your situation. I wonder if they'd let me pay for it with my credit card, and then you could get on the flight!" So, we went to the desk, and they allowed us to do it. I gave her the money in cash, and was very excited to come back three hours earlier.

I guess this is a lesson for us all that we should consider doing some more good in our lives. Especially if it is no skin off our back. Pass it on. Thanks Mira from LA!

Eerie

24 hours before I lost my purse, my brother lost his wallet. That is very eerie. and we both did the same thing. We both stupidly left it somewhere. No need to pickpocket the Jacobson kids, we'll just leave our money for you!

Cruise, Football, and stupidity.

I'm sure you are all having Bela withdrawl. ok, at least lie to me about it. The cruise was alright. I, like many of you already know, am not a huge fan of cruises, I just like spending time with fun people. Unfortunately, spending every waking hour with family for a week is a little tedious sometimes. I already get to do that at home. There were a total of 22 of us on the cruise. It stopped in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, USVI; and St. Maarten, a Dutch/French territory island. Of the 6 days of sailing of the 7 day cruise, two days were overcast, and really too windy to sit outside. They did have a good gym, which was nice, but it's really hard running on a treadmill when the waters are rough. You keep getting thrown off! The food in the dining room was really good though. It's really nice having two waiters waiting on you for 4 courses, for seven days. Yum. Thanksgiving was weird though. although they offered turkey in the restaurant, it didn't really feel like thanksgiving. Oh well. We went to the beach on St. Maarten and for a little while in St. Thomas. and in all three stops, we shopped a bit. It's weird how different people choose to spend their money. One of my cousins, who drives a porche and is dating this woman who came along...his girlfriend went shopping and bought a watch for $12,000. Now, I am perfectly content with my Fossil watch. It tells time, and I don't have to take it off to go swimming. Granted, there are no diamonds in it, but I think $12K for a watch is a bit excessive, even if you've "been wanting that specific watch for 5 years". All I could think about was "that is half a downpayment!!!!" But hey, to each their own.

On the football side, I am proud to say we beat #3 Miami last weekend, and i got back in town in time to watch the GT/UGA game on TV last night. It is lonely to watch it alone in a hotel room, but at least I wasn't with any of my UGA friends so they couldn't rub it in the loss. I must say though, it was a fabulous game. Much better than the past few years. As Brandon put it, UGA may have won for the last four years, but in the end, I'm still smarter than you ;-)

I am in Daytona Beach now, and will be here till Tuesday evening. we ate lunch yesterday in Miami before getting on the road, and a couple hours later, I realized I left my purse where we ate. I felt so stupid. I have never left my purse anywhere. well, we called, and they still had my purse (less $30), and my uncle went to pick it up and will ship it to me. The hard part, is that I have to fly, and spend 3 days out of town before I get home. Luckily, I had my passport with me, not in my purse, so at least I'll still be able to get my flight home. But I feel naked without my cell phone, wallet, or camera. For the time being, I am borrowing my mom's cell phone, so if you want to call me, IM me and I'll give you the number (remember, I don't have almost any numbers that I know by heart)

Gone for a while...

Well, Today at noon I am leaving with my family to drive to Miami. Tomorrow morning, we are having brunch with my dad's mom, and then boarding a cruise ship for a week to go to the Eastern Carribean. We are taking the cruise with the entire extended family on my mom's side. Both her sisters, their kids, and the cousins that have kids are coming too. It'll be big. I'm sure it will be a thrilling event. We arrive back to port a week later on Saturday, having spent thanksgiving on a boat (exactly what the pilgrims were thankful for not doing).

On the way back, I will be spending 3 days in Daytona to work with one of my bosses on a project. He lives there, and I will be staying in a hotel on the beach for three nights. anyone up for a trip to Daytona? ;-)

Have a fabulous thanksgiving, everyone, and I'll talk to you all upon my return.

Bullseye.

Last thursday we took another trek to the shooting range during lunch. This time I shot a 9mm Springfield. You can see me with the gun, and a picture of my target. of 500 possible points (if I'd hit the bullseye every time), I scored a 402. so I'd suggest to not mess with me ;-) Richard took a picture while we were there. the other picture is of my target.

Walk it off...

Well, this weekend was all right. Jackets lost again after a hopeful comeback. I got to see the Munich Symphony for only $10, which was really cool, and my friend Chris was in town, and I got to hang out with him too! Overall, it was an uneventful weekend, but it was fun.

It has now been about a month since I hurt my foot, and so I decided to venture out to see how it’d hold up. I went for a ‘brisk’ walk on Sunday for about 4 miles, and out dancing last night. I am not sure if it is that I am just out of shape from not exercising for a month, or if my foot really isn’t healed, but my foot hurt a little near the end of the evening, so I rested up after that. Today is the real question. I am going to go running with Betsy, one of my co-workers after work. I sure hope that my foot holds out. I can’t wait to get back out there running, especially since the weather won’t hold out this nice for much longer.

Calendar Mistake

Of all the things that Calendars need to get right, there is one thing infinitely important. I was making travel plans at work, and I keep a calendar posted on the wall for a quick glance for dates. I nearly booked my ticket for the wrong day. Can you see why?

An email Forward....not forwarded.

I received this in an email with a threat if I didn't pass it on. I hate sending forwards, and I hate when people send forwards for the sole purpose of "having all their dreams come true", but I thought this was sweet, so enjoy this =)

The 21 rules of life.

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it
cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get
older, their conversational skills will be as
important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have
or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in
the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get
married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't
have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt
but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't
want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to
know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great
achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self;
Respect for others; and responsibility for all your
actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great
friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take
immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller
will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

Construction after 10.5 weeks

After the initial framework went up (see post on Sept 30), things didn't seem to move so fast. They have since put in the windows, built and shingled the roof, done the electrical wiring, installed the heating and air system, built stairs to the side of the house, and put up the walls and cieling of sheetrock. It sounds like a lot, but visually, there is not much of a difference. The estimated goal to be finished was 14 weeks from start time. I get a feeling that will not happen, but who knows... Here are the pictures of where they are currently:

easy to please

I was having a particularly confusing day at work, and I just opened a starburst packet that has 2 squares in it. I got pink and Red. that made me a bit happier. thought I'd share.

Now, if you go to the GT webpage directory and look up my name, I am no longer in existance according to GT. so sad!

mmm....men in Uniform...

Alright. This weekend was a ton of fun. I decided at the last minute to go to Pensacola to go to the Marine Ball with one ::very sweet, very good looking:: marine, Josh. Anyway, I went down Friday after work, and just returned late tonight. The ball is held each year on the Marine Corps birthday. There were easily over a thousand people there, mostly male marines with civilian dates, but a few females splashed around with male dates who all looked really uncomfortable being there. Anyway, the evening was filled with tradition, and although I didn't know any of it before, Josh was always making sure to fill me in on the rules before I managed to make him look stupid ;-) The ball was held in the Naval Air Museum, which was so cool, especially for the pilots in the crowd, who were all just drooling over the planes. Here are a couple pictures from last night. the rest are at http://www.belanaomi.com/photo.htm

I ::heart:: Gmail.

I love Google. I especially love Gmail (www.gmail.com). I really use it for nearly all its capabilities, and if you are curious why I like it so much, I could probably go on a half hour rant about why it's so great. That being said, I really hate the fact that they don't have a "sort" function like every other mail provider in the world. Yeah yeah, I know you can search, but sometimes, I just want to SORT my mail. Let's say I want to find everything with an attachment. I can't do that in Gmail. They should have a suggestions box somewhere so I can tell them that they need that option. ::Note: this just in, they DO have a suggestions box.

a guy rants on his site here at the bottom of the page:
http://www.danisaacs.com/blog/archives/2004_08.html

and unfortunately, I totally agree with him.

Who am I?

According to Similar minds big 30 test results, this is who I am:

Prince Charming

Well, already this week is interesting and exciting! Monday night Josh (cute Marines guy, Leah's roomate) called to see if I wanted to go to the Marine Ball with him. I've never been to a marine ball! but at the same time, it is in Pensacola, FL THIS weekend. I don't have a dress, and I have plans all weekend that I'd have to cancel. Most importantly of course, I'd also have to miss the Wake Forest vs. GT home game. So needless to say, it was a bit of a decision. Both options sounded like fun. I asked Josh what happens at this event, and he said "well, it's a ball!" so of course, I retorted with "the only balls I've ever heard of are the ones in fairy tales. Josh let me know that he would not really compare to prince charming, but that he'd try, so I let him know I wouldn't be packing my glass slippers. Eventually, I decided to go. I will let you know next week how it goes, but supposedly it is quite a big deal for them. I have to find a dress to wear this week though. I may borrow one if I can find one that fits, otherwise, I'll buy a new dress since I need one anyway, and this is a fabulous excuse for it =)