14 posts tagged “qotd”

How do you sign your emails?
Submitted by rosemarypepper.

Cheers,
Annie

But depending on the situation, sometimes:

Annie

Stay well,
Annie

Take care,
Annie

What do you always forget to pack? 
Submitted by quornflour.

Nothing! I'm a pack rat, so it's more often the case that I need to unpack and thin out my travel gear. I don't know if I'll ever be able to travel light.

What is your home decorating style, and how has it changed over time? Do you have plans to redecorate? 
Submitted by enSue.

Ghetto Craptabulous: The mesh of new and old stuff from pack rat collection at old residence for 10 years and Imitation New at current residence (things are still in boxes after 2...3? years). Plans to redecorate? Not any time soon - continue paging through issues of IKEA or Pottery Barn.

What is your favorite greasy spoon?
Submitted by S@ngarang.

For lunch I go to La Mesita.
It's located in the Stater Brother's shopping center on Magnolia Avenue and Rimpau, way in the back corner next to a nail salon. The restaurant is a bit small, but ultra homey and cozy...and they serve alcohol (or you can get endless refills on their sodas)! Tuesday and Friday are their deal days, where beef or chicken tacos and floutas are available for only $0.99. If visiting on a non-deal day, try one of their generously filled combo plates; the carne asada/wet burrito I've had comes with rice, beans and chips. Stop by their salsa bar, but watch out for the salsa caliente.

You must have been a fashion victim at least once in your life. What hideous blunder did you commit? 
Submitted by Tina. 

I'm a child of the 80s! I have photos of me in tees with wacky sayings (Don't Worry Be Happy) or graphic art in neon colors that included sailboats, palm trees and ocean waves. But the best part? I sported those hideous pastic tee shirt clips in matching neon colors! Not to mention that my bangs were shapped like a wave and didn't move with all the hairspray I'd put on. Fun dorky times, I've gotta find a photo.

What's the most obsessive-compulsive thing you do in a normal day?
Submitted by Nikki. 

I'm compulsive about how I lotionate! I shuffle lots of papers daily (we're trying to go paperless but so far PDF hasn't been quite portable) so right after my shower and again before leaving for work and again right when I get to work, I'll layer on the lotion all over my hands. The method to my madness really starts after my shower as I'd read that your body absorbs more moisture after a shower. The first layer is Cetaphil Moisturing Cream followed by a bit of vaseline (as in petroleum jelly), followed by the True Blue cuticle cream from Bath & Body, followed by plain old Vaseline Lotion. It sounds crazy, I know! But it's not like I mix all items together and apply it at once. I work the cream/lotion in until it's absorbed and reapply. As long as this compulsion prevents that dry crackly hand feeling and the hangnails from catching on any papers, this bit of crazy behavior is good for me.

What are your resolutions for 2007?

Sleep less. Who needs beauty rest when there's a "To-Do" list of resolutions for 2007?

Spend less time in the shower. Since when I got into the whole "must-shower-in-the-morning-or-I'm-not-awake" routine, I dunno (damn you Lush!), but I could be saving a whole lotta time and water by cutting down on my shower regimen.

Drink less coffee; more water. I don't have a coffee maker at home, so the coffee intake consists of whatever comes out of these little straw packages. It's easy and convenient and helps when you've got boiling hot water on standby 24/7, something typically Chinese to have in the home. If I don't get my morning fix at home, I'll get it once I'm at the office, where I sugar up whatever is brewing (+2 French Vanilla creamers and +1 Splenda), depending on who made the mix. My officemate--who tries uncessfully on commenting on the number of points I consume with one cup of coffee--is a water drinking fiend. We went an entire month where we drank 8+ cups of water (don't forget the restroom key!) from 8am-5pm, as a subsitute to the coffee (and then cigarettes) consumption.

Read the paper (more). It's a sad sign when the first thing I tend to flip to in the LA Times are: comics, astrology or sudoku (not necessarily in that order). I've a bit of attention deficit disorder when it comes to reading the paper, which is complicated by a lack of hand-eye coordination in turning the pages without getting that annoying crinkle right smack dab in the middle of the page you're reading. So headlines and snippets will jump out at me and I'll get distracted on my way to finishing one article (except Steve Lopez's articles as most of the time his pieces are all on one page...except for that piece he did on music, but that was riviting enough for me to pay attention.) Alas, there's a bit of a catch-22 involved here, as when I do wake up early enough to read the morning paper, it's with a cup of coffee. Ooh! Exciting - reading the morning paper with a hot cup of water! Maybe some that I saved from the shower! [note: sarcasm]

Get out and walk. I list this last because it's probably the thing I'm least likely to do, unless some mutt puppy has the good graces to adopt me. I'm hoping that'll happen (so I can refrain from developing the Elmira complex), because we just learned that there's a dog park by our house! Forget the skate park, there'll be crazy doggies running amok at the park. MUCH more entertaining that the mechanical loop of the treadmill (and my ADD with musak and/or videos while on it).

2007 - year of the pig. Let's see how this year'll be different...

Have you ever Googled your own name? How did you feel about the results?
Submitted by elen.

HAHAHAHA. When I google my Americanized name (not my legal name), I find Annie Lin the musician! I wouldn't and don't mind being confused with a singer-songwriter from New York, but somehow, I don't think the same could be said the other way around.

I guess I should be glad and breathing a small sigh of relief that's all that comes up! Well, strike that, it's all about how you search, isn't it?

What's your method for calculating a tip?

Gra•tu•ity (n): Money given return for some service or favor
Origin late 15th cent. (denoting graciousness or favor): from Old French gratuite or medieval Latin gratuitas 'gift,' from Latin gratus 'pleasing, thankful'

I'm horrible at math, so I generally over tip. My mental calculation is as follows: x times 8 = tip amount (rather than having to do additional math of x times 2 = amount and then x - amount = tip). Sometimes, if I'm lazy, I'll just double the tax. When the service is particularly horrible (long wait, no small talk, bad seating, etc) I'll leave a measly tip, but even that makes me feel guilty.

What was your very first job? 
Submitted by Laurel.

Glider's Diner at Knotts Berry Farm.
Driving to work at Glider's Diner was the first time I drove myself...well, anywhere. I was so exhilirated at being able to go somewhere on my own that the more I thought about it, the more it caused a pang of sadness (seperation anxiety from being a twin, I guess). I got a bit teary eyed at my independence halfway along the 605/91 freeway interchange before I realized that, as a new driver, clouding up my vision wouldn't be a good idea (I didn't wear contacts then).  I was an emotional wreck by the time I finally got to employee parking lot, and in my haste to be on time, I left my keys in the car with the engine on. I guees I had too much on my mind because I heard the car alarm buzzing, but the warning didn't register until after I'd closed the door. Cell phones were a rarity then (gasp!), so I had to find a pay phone to call home and see who would be able to deliver a set of spare keys.

To add to my stress level, I started berating myself when I noticed that the majority of staffers were in their everyday clothes and changed when they got to work. There I was, walking around "back stage" in that horrid polyester diner outft (bright blue one piece dress, apron, nylons (ew), and my Reeboks) trying to find "my station" only to annoy my lead because I'd forgotten my name badge when I finally found the diner. My first on the job duty? I refilled the ketchup/mustard/relish jars, restocked the napkins and wiped down the dining area. After that, it was on to the assembly line to prep the pizza (square, not round) and prep the condiments (lettuce, tomatos, cheese and ketchup/mustard/mayo guns) for the burgers. I reeked of grease by my lunch break, when I met up with my friend T who stopped by to drop off the spare keys. She worked over at Camp Snoopy, and I envied her costume as I secretly did want to be a camp counselor and wear the (still polyester) khakis, tee and bandana (but the colors were a yucky tan and olive). We couldn't help but laugh after scoping one another out.

I lasted on the job for about 3 weeks. I learned how to flip a burger while avoiding the greasy splatter, to rely on salt to prevent from slipping in a freezer, and never to go into another server's register. Oh: and I also got some great behind the scenes view of how a Halloween Haunt personality is created.