Our web diary

Painting

I have started painting our apartment townhouse. I have been thinking/talking about doing this since October but there were obstacles in my path.
First -- what colour? and is it worth it (this is a rental after all and I do not want to have to paint everything back to white before we leave.
Next I had to consider Sean's painting skills. While I dithered over what colour to paint the rest of the townhouse, Sean picked a strong marine blue for his computer room and wasted no time. He painted two of the four walls and let me just say the blue on the walls looks great, but on the trim, the closet doors and on the carpet it's not so wonderful.
Lastly, I was sort of waiting until I knew we were hanging around here for a while. So when we renewed our lease in Febuary I knew it was "now or never". Last weekend I bought my supplies and today I finished the downstairs area.
I have now painted the same living/dining area the same colour that we already had (soft white) except it's a satin finish versus a flat finish. Trust me it makes a difference. Sean thinks I have lost my mind.

I also tried out a colour blocking technique in a slightly darker colour "Sand Fossil" on one of the walls and went wild with beige ("Antique white") in one of the living room corners.

I have run out of paint and still have the upstairs to do. Perhaps I'll get a little more daring up there. A nice mauve maybe, don't you think Sean would love that?!?

Weekend

The last weekend seemed to go by so quickly. We did not do anything that special. I picked up a boat load of flowers which will end up on the Photoblog here at some point. Some others are posted on the website http://www.rivinus.com/2004/march_20.htm

Marlene had some more driving lessons. She spent an hour and a half going in circles. She also made it out onto some residential streets.

This will be the last weekend for a while that I will have time to take pictures. The new work thing has me working the next two weekends, so I doubt I will be up for much other than sleep.

Reflector

I picked up a bounce reflector the other day. You can see a test shot with it in the camera stuff area.

TCW buys Star Freight

It became official on Thursday that the company I work for, Tennessee Commercial Warehouse (TCW), has purchased Star Freight of Charlotte. Star Freight is is a slightly smaller operation than TCW with operations in Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, and Savannah. Those operations will be combined with TCW in the coming weeks.

This buyout will almost double the book of business for TCW. It will triple the terminal size here in Charlotte. Which why we bought the 12 acre facility mentioned earlier. We have also bought a 17 acre facility in Atlanta. I am about to see my revenue jump from around 2.8 million per year to somewhere between 8-10 million per year. Not a bad piece of the pie for me. My office staff will increase to between 6-7 and we will be running a 24/7 operation starting the 29th.

One of reasons I left Maersk was that I was no longer managing people. This acquisition means that I will now have around 30 direct reports. So it would appear that my move was a good one.

Six Minute Man

Marlene said, "I'm impressed." this morning. That is always a good way to start the morning. You see it only took me six minutes this morning.

No we are not talking about that. We are talking about my being able to wake up, get showered and dressed in 6 minutes. I had never really noticed the actual time, but I do know that I am pretty fast in the morning. I think it goes back to living close to College and wanting to sleep as much as I could.

As a guy, the clothing selection is much easier. I usually wear brown shoes, dockers, and a polo shirt. That means I don't waste time on clothing selection. The shoes are probably where most women get stuck. I only wear one pair of shoes during the week. Shoe selection alone could take an hour for a woman. Dockers are also a godsend in the morning ritual. All of my shirts will go with my dockers. I make sure of this when I am buying the shirts.

The last thing that really helps a guy is that we don't have to spend any time on makeup. I think women have bamboozled themselves into this morning ritual. Women look better naturally than with makeup. Sure you might want it to accent some features when going out at night, but it should not be part of a daily thing. Luckily, Marlene does not wear that much make up, but I have known girls that can spend an hour messing with the stuff.

Vonage

We received our Vonage box today. Our long distance bill can be quite high between my calls to friends and Marlene's calls to Canada. We usually end up spending around 60 dollars a month. I had seen an article on the Colonel's site on Vonage. I kind of brushed it off because the last time I had checked they did not offer service to Canada. Well now they do and their long distance plans included Canada at the same rates.

We signed up for the 500 minute plan at $14.95 per month and 3.9 cents per minute past that amount. That is a 35 dollar a month savings after taxes. I still have the Bell South basic line if the Vonage does not work out. We also have two cell phones. We will pull the Bell South line if it works well enough.

The setup was pretty straightforward. You hook the Vonage unit into the Cable modem and then out to the router. The Vonage box takes about 5 minutes to download updates from their server. When the light is green, the line is clean and ready for service.

I like things that work exactly how I expect them to work

Here are some pictures.

Vonage Box	Cable modem left Linksys Router right	Cable modem with Vonage box on top. This plugs into the phone.  Yeah, I know it is a spaghetti mess.

Driving Lessons 2

After another busy day of working on the move, we finally got Marlene back to her driving lessons.

Marlene concentrating on driving.

Picture of the parking lot Marlene is starting in right now.

Toyo Sushi and Grill

The Toyo Sushi and Grill is located in Providence Square on International Drive, which happens to be in our apartment complex. After a long day with Sean's office move we decided we did not want to venture too far for dinner.
Although the place is pretty humble we were both pleasantly surprised by the warm atmosphere and friendly staff. Even though it was decorated with some of the kitschy things restaurants use to come up with a theme it was done sparingly and artistically. One of the couples that came in after us chose to sit at the bar where they could watch their sushi being prepared. Sean ordered the Beef Teriyaki Negamaki and I ordered the Spicy Mexican shrimp roll sushi and the California Roll. The presentation was really cool, especially my sushi plate which was a wooden platter, with wasabi, pickled ginger, the sushi laid out artistically and garnished with a carrot butterfly. Really really good sushi. The Mexican roll was $6 and the California roll was $3.50. We each had ice tea and then switched to red wine -- ok no wine list but as Sean said "it was a good day". For dessert we shared fried banana with vanilla ice cream. The bill came to $40 plus tip. This was definitely a case of not judging a book by it's cover. I know when my sister comes to visit we'll definitely have a great place to go for sushi. I took my fancy carrot garnish home so Sean could take a picture.

Moving Day

Big news for my work this weekend. We bought a 12 acre piece of land in Charlotte this week. This facilty has a 22 door LTL dock included so we will be moving into the cross-docking, LTL, and distribution business shortly. We have been moving towards this for several months and now it has finally happened. It become official that this was the move weekend on Wednesday. That gave me a few furious days to line up furniture, address changes, etc into place. We moved most of the office stuff on Friday night. The new furniture was set up this morning.

There is still quite a bit to do getting things settled, but the bulk of it had been completed. Here is a picture of the lower yard and some of the upper yard.

Ain't it Grand?

Yesterday I ventured on my own to South Park Mall to check out the new Nordstrom's at their grand opening. I don't think there were that many people at the mall even at Christmas. It's one of those human nature things that makes me laugh, we know it's going to be around for a while so why exactly do we feel the need to be there on the very first day?
It was actually kind of fun, and I didn't stay long before I made my way to the Starbucks for a much needed cappucino before heading home.

In other news, the online immigration site indicates my work permit has been approved and will be mailed out. Since my fingerprinting appointment was on Tuesday and it was approved the same week, how grand is that?!

Fingerprinting, eh?

Just as information for any of our new readers, Sean and I are in a mixed marriage. He's an American from the South, and I'm a Canadian from the west coast. So unlike most couples we have the added dimension of dealing with the INS as well as a couple of cultural differences.
I crossed the border on a fiancee visa and we got legally married here in Charlotte. In November we sent in the paperwork for my conditional resident status, work permit and a travel document. At the end of December I got my receipts back including a letter requesting an additional $50 for the fingerprinting fee. Sent in the check and in January I got back a letter with a phone number I was to call to make an appointment.
Today was Fingerprinting and Biometrics day. I called in about 6 weeks ago to get this appointment (the first available) at 8am this morning. 45 minutes later I had filled in a form which included questions about my height, weight, eye colour and hair colour (aka "biometrics"), did the digital finger-printing thing and had my photo taken. In an effort to make conversation with the guy holding my hand I said, "No more ink pads, huh?". He told me they still have those for the bad people. "I'm not Martha Stewart," I quickly replied. It got a laugh. I know I know everyone's a comedian.
It may be similar to my experience at the DMV last week where if you get in early the process is quick whereas if you get there mid-day you are there for hours just waiting, but it was for me the same frustration I've had with this whole process. Once you get to the next step the immigration officers are usually pleasant, courteous and even efficient, but getting an appointment for that next step takes forever. Hopefully the employment authorization is just around the corner and not yet another 6 weeks away.
I am sure it makes no difference but they give you a comment card to fill out before you leave and well if you know Marlene, you should know if you ask for comments you'll get comments.

Camera Stuff

I got two new lens this week a Tokina 20-35 F2.8 ATX 234 Pro and a Tamron 90 2.8 Macro SP. Pictures are all over the website from the Southeastern Home and Garden Living show and in my photography blog

Marlene and Sean Rivinus

The March portrait pictures of Marlene and Sean have been updated on the website.

Home and Garden Show

We went to the Southern Spring Home and Garden Show at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart this weekend. If you have never been to one of these shows you may not know what to expect otherwise you are well aware you are paying admission to an infomercial but sometimes there are pleasant surprises none the less.
Well $5 for parking and $18 for 2 adult admissions didn't buy too much in this showcase.

The garden show was good, the layout was good but the lighting for whatever reason was quite dark and a little gloomy. From Sean's pictures you can see the orchid display was really amazing and was the only area we both really enjoyed. I smiled indulgently at the whole outdoor rooms with fireplaces etc for your patio -- look I just want some idea of how to make a small patio outside my house look remotely interesting and colourful without forking over a lot of cash -- but some people have money for fountains and fake boulders and more power to them.
The home show part was disappointing compared to the garden area -- I expected and got the appliance displays, vinyl siding booths and the standard hot tub display but I was looking for better showcases of design. The few designer showcases we did see lacked inspiration. I am sorry but a very large painting of the face of a giraffe is not what I would choose to add some whimsy to a stuffy study. Oh yeah I don't have a study, but trust me Sean's computer room would not be improved with this print and/or a lot of fussy pillows.
Anyways there was not a lot to look at here and what there was was not terribly interesting.
The merchandise area was just too overcrowded to really enjoy and I left unable to determine just what people had purchased in the bags they were carrying. I think we have spent the same quality time at a shopping center with a Home Depot, Linens and Things and a furniture store and the parking is free. Then again shopping centers don't always provide the same photo opportunities...

Driving Ms. Marlene

It's a tough thing to admit, but at the age of 33 I have never actually driven a car. I can come up with all sorts of reasons (excuses) for this lapse, but I have managed in the past to get around the big cities I've lived in with their well established public transit systems and have not thereby really needed, or been able to afford a vehicle. This will not work here in Charlotte, NC.
On Weds of last week I got my learner's permit, and although I've had one of those before this time I have a husband who is going to make sure I use it.
Yesterday was day one of driving lessons.
We started at the gas station with lesson number one -- put gas in the car, check the tire pressure, and the oil.
Lesson number 2 took place in a vacant church parking lot. Oh Lord I could feel the anxiety just sitting in the driver's seat, but Sean talked me through it and after a few laps I could feel myself relaxing. I decided to end the lesson when another car pulled in and parked. I didn't really feel like I would have hit it but I didn't want to take any other chances.
Hopefully our marriage will survive this trial by fire. My sister has reassured me that our love may not be tested but patience might be.

Web updates

I have updated the camera section by adding a lens grouping. This makes the main entry less cluttered.

I have also added photographs from the Southeasten Home and Garden show. Marlene will write more about that later.

Red Rock Bakery and Cafe

The Red Rock Cafe Bar and Bakery is located at the intersection of Fairview and Providence Road in the Strawberry Hill shopping center. This is on the northeast corner of the intersection and can be easily missed while driving.

We went in for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. There were a few bridal showers going on, but the place was empty for the most part. We asked for a smoking table and were told there was only one. This is the new trend in the restaurant business these days. So we opted to sit at the bar. The bar is located right in the center of the restaurant. All of the partrons have to go through the bar to get anywhere else. It would have made more sense for them to have a smoking section with more than one table and not have smoking at the bar.

We ordered two beers, a rueben, and a hamburger. Nothing really to write home about here. The rueben was tasty, but very soggy. It seemed that it had been sitting waiting for the hamburger to be cooked. The fries were excellent. I wish Greg's would have these fries instead of the ones they serve.

Overall it was ok. It was about what you could expect from a Harpers, Ruby Tuesdays, or any other chain restaurant. I think the best part was using the match books later for the product shot.

Dad

Yesterday was my father's 74th birthday. He has postponed celebrations until after he is released from the neck brace he's been in since falling in January.
Dad is in good spirits though and was teasing me about planting rubber trees in our neighbourhood now that I have my learner's licence and am impelled to take up driving when I called to wish him well yesterday.
My parents have taught me much over the years and continue to be an inspiration to me in the art of survival. Apparently being a little crazy doesn't hurt. Happy birthday Papi!
This picture of my Dad and I was taken in September 2003.

Two and a half men

Marlene and I were watching sitcoms tonight. We started out with "Everybody Loves Raymond" which led into "Two and a half men." The premise for the show is one of Charlie's old girlfriends, Jill, wants to "see" him again. Charlie, being the typical hornball, has other things in mind for the meeting. Well Jill had a surprise for Charlie.

Charlies old flame Jill is now Bill. She has had a sex change. Now this is a funny enough premise for a sitcom. It's gets even better when Bill and Charlies mom hook up one night. So now you have Charlie, who has slept with Jill and Charlies mom sleeping with Bill. Talk about an "eww factor."

The episode was quite a riot I don't think I'll forget the line from Bill, 'They are made of teflon." You can guess on your own what is made of teflon. Hint it is not the pans...Though they are usually in pants.

Usage Stats

Usage Stats for February:

• 2694 Hits
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Top 5 Search Strings

• Columbia Zoo
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Sorry no hits for the Kermit Cake Topper this month. Maybe next month. The top referrer for the month was google. :) So we appear to have been properly googlized.