MikkiStreak

Wow Kate!!! I was wondering how everything had gone--- I'm glad you had such a positive experience! You looked so beautiful!!! Your dress was gorgeous, especially with the flared skirt!

Dear Seaf, Please restrain yourself from the desire to beat your head against a wall. The brain inside knows you're pissed and is trying to find a solution. If you're going to bang the shit out of something, it really should be either your FI for stress relief, or FSIL to knock some fucking sense into her. Option 1 is better because Option 2 will just leave you with about as much common sense as FSIL has, apparently. Signed, The Shaking Rage Within

Quote: Originally Posted by starchild I had a Monster account and they notified me that our information (resume/contact/etc.) had been basically stolen. They have a security policy too and gave us a big "we're sorry and working to assure it doesn't happen again" but meanwhile my personal stuff was out there...and it wasn't money related but it still worried me....money related info would enrage me. I just don't know if it's for me, but the idea is great in theory. Along these lines too---- the automatic assumption is that someone is going to hack into the servers. But there's a much easier way that a *lot* of people out there do without and without realizing it. I actually have a client now who is a web hosting company. One of their employees was using our software and in the process of downloading a secure document, she got a virus message and it locked up her PC. The company freaked out: their internal security department seized her PC to start investigating. I tested our software at their request and absolutely KNEW it wasn't delivered via our software. But- they shut all their employees out of our software for 24 hours until they came to that conclusion on their own. Long story short---- this client shared her internal IT ticket with me because they weren't telling her much. In the information they told her, they happened to mention the virus file path. So I did a little digging and discovered this particular virus was distributed via JavaScripts (which IE *heavily* depends on) in an email. The virus was coded to shut down all their firewalls and virus software and then scan all the PC's at their root directory (out of the desktop view, basically) and when it found financial information, it compiled a zip file and emailed it back to a particular domain. Had her PC not locked up and given her an error message with a false data string (pointing the finger at our software), she probably wouldn't have known she had this virus. These are the people who are a risk to anyone's secure information. Not the equipment---- it's the employees.

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan "Safety, security, and privacy Yodlee is the dominant player in this industry, and the company says it is fanatical about security. All data are encrypted and stored on computers in a building at an undisclosed address. To get into the data center, employees have to go through several identity checks, including a hand scan. Yodlee promises that it won't share personally identifiable information with third parties. On the other hand, if you sign up for aggregation service through your bank's Web site, Yodlee says it can't control what the bank does with any information it gleans. You'll have to check your bank's privacy policy." Sounds secure, but if hackers were to target something, a website with a collection of accounts would be a good thing to target. The security statements are kind of generic. And the reality is that, almost every company has the same risk when it comes to hosted accounts. In this situation: Yodlee hires an off-site company to host their client websites. That hosting company (like every other one out there) doesn't publish their datacenter information. They encrypt data coming into the server, and when it's extracted, it's un-encrypted. Here's the question: What other companies use the same hosting company that Yoodle uses? Are each client on a separate server for security purposes? How does Yoodle submit their client data to the hosting company--- via encrypted FTP sites? Or does the data company get into the servers for Yoodle and extract the info in a file feed? And who all has access to the database of information from Yoodle? The statement about security access into the host datacenter is fine, except: if someone wants the database information, are they really going to find the host location, or just hack into the servers? I'm extremely leery of online things like this, but I also have had my identity stolen twice, and working in technology gives me a different perspective on things. I don't even keep my personal information or financial information on my PC anymore. I keep it on a disk in a safety deposit box at the bank.

It's better to be safe than sorry, but at the same time, I'm wondering how many people might be making the statements either to share in your excitement? If they got an invitation, would they actually shell out the money to attend? It's hard for me to imagine when all of us have a hard enough time getting our own families and close friends to attend. I can't even imagine any of our acquaintances actually spending the money to go...

OMG Jill---- I just sat here reading and thinking "Damn, I want to be a guest at a wedding like that!" That was amazing with all the things you had planned for the guests, but even more amazing was all the "events" of the reception. I can't wait to see your pictures!!!

1) The classics: Miracle on 34th Street; It's a Wonderful Life 2) The kid in me: How the Grinch Stole Christmas; Little Drummer Boy; The Muppet Christmas 3) The odd-ball in me: Silent Night, Deadly Night; Toys; A Christmas Story

I agree with Carrie---- it depends on how significant you view the courthouse ceremony. I'm one of the opposite views on this tho---- most of the brides on here don't view the legal ceremony as their "real" wedding. I'm the opposite---- I look at the legal ceremony as the real wedding because to me, it's the epitome of what our wedding is supposed to be----- it's about us, and our commitment to each other; to me, our MX will be the celebration of our marriage for our family/friends, but the legal is about us and our marriage. When we do our legal ceremony, we're planning on exchanging the rings and will continue wearing them. I think it's also something to ask Jeremy about tho too. I had never thought much about it, but Frank told me awhile back that he really wants to do the legal ceremony soon regardless of when the MX happens because he's anxious to wear his ring and be married. Girls get the engagement ring so everyone can visibly see they are getting ready to be married. But guys don't get that visible "status" until they get the ring on their finger at the wedding.

Ugh, another thing that drives me nuts with the forum issues: I log in, get the blank page and can't see anything, but the forum 'refreshes' my new post count and the new threads are gone until someone adds a post to them.... Paula, those look really good! It just amazes me how the pocket folder gives such a classy look to invites---- so was this your design, or the one the printer originally suggested? I remember you being disappointed in the design concept they proposed to you and you were going to try and rework the design.

I'm not much of a pack-rat, but here's how I figure out when to keep and when to toss: When was the last time you looked at the item? If it were hanging around and you saw it all the time, would you still think of it the same way, or would you eventually think it needs to go? I keep cards that Frank gives me (because he always writes a song or poem in it for me), but for the stuff from my youth--- I figure if the memory were that great, I wouldn't need the reminder to pull out every once in awhile.

I absolutely love my job and the company I work for. After spending years of being miserable about mistreatment in my last job, it doesn't take a whole lot to please me about work. But, as we're growing so quickly (130 people when I started 4 months ago and now we're up to almost 200, and have opened 2 new international offices, with another one in the works) and implementing things in anticipation of going public, we're evaluating our own hiring methods. About 70% of the company hires are employee referrals. They do the typical things: background check, references, etc.... The developers have skills based testing they submit. But I just checked my email from home and they sent out this message to everyone saying that they're going to implement a test for all new hires. And what better way to see what they're going to get for candidate results, than to have all the current employees take this test. So I go to the website and it's an emotional profiling test. I've had to take these in the past and it's not a problem of passing/not passing----- But----- does it seem odd to anyone else that they are asking existing employees to take this test? I guess I look at it and think, if you're trying to see what results you're going to get back--- then isn't that what this company is for? To tell them the historical percentages of pass/fails, interpretations to the answers, etc...? I don't know, I just closed the browser for now. I'm curious what other people are going to think about this when they see it on Monday.

Yea gotta say the Saks thing doesn't surprise me. I would have looked at the grumpy old bitch and been tempted to say in a really bad NY accent-- "You fuckin' talkin' ta me?!?" Age is no excuse for bad manners. In fact, age is LESS of an excuse because these people grew up in the generation that took pride in following the rules of etiquette and showing off their manners.

Some pricing may also depend on whether you are using them as your wedding photographer too. I've seen photographers wedding packages include the engagement shoot, but if you contact them just to do an engagement, a lot of times they'll reduce a normal session fee just to get a chance at your wedding business.

The thing I noticed is where the article said that WHEN a person is logged onto facebook and then makes a purchase.... So, the implication to that is, if you're not logged into your facebook account, then it shouldn't be able to track your purchases with your cookies. This is one reason why I'm a huge advocate of changing browser options to delete cookies upon closing, to never look for updates to existing web pages, and to set the cache memory to about 1MB and clear it frequently to avoid mis-communication between my PC and other websites.

I agree with Paula. I haven't been able to "attach" images on in for months, regardless of file type/size. After one of the forum upgrades was done awhile back, I think almost everyone wound up uploading to Photobucket and then using the image info to insert into a post.

hehehehe.... Andrea, I really adore you. You guys are just uninhibited & fearless, and that is probably my favorite quality in people because they are just SOOOO much fun to be with! Between the bump and grind photos, the S&M photos, and now running from dinosaurs---- you make me want to fly to CA just to meet you! This is so totally the kind of thing Frank and I do on trips too.

Quote: Originally Posted by MoBride Those are good replies. Tim and I do plan on having a child (soon if possible, God!), and he is adopting my daughter. However, I know the feeling you're talking about. At a familly BBQ this summer one of Tim's aunts was talking about her grandchildren and his mother had the nerve to say I don't know what that's like since I don't have any grand children and make a pitiful face at him. The worst part of the whole thing is that my daughter was sitting right there. before Tim could jump down his mother's throat his aunt did and told her that she does have a granddaughter. I wonder why she doesn't see it like that? Oh yea, same here.... my nephews have actually been known to say they don't consider my daughter a "real" member of the family. Which doubly drives me nuts since me and my siblings were all adopted, so technically that means I'm not "really" his aunt, and his dad isn't "really" my brother...

Quote: Originally Posted by AnnR I've definitely done this before, and like others have said - they've been pretty casual. Just ask her about past work-related experiences, what she liked/didn't like, etc. But don't make it a formal interview - just getting to know her work ethics and stuff like that, and if she'll be a good fit. I'd strongly suggest asking too many personal questions just to avoid potential HR issues! Definitely agree with Ann---- there are some personal questions that are actually illegal to ask because of OFCCP/EEO laws. Age, marital status, etc... avoid. But hobbies, interests are fairly ok subjects. Our department does group interviews. I loved mine when I was going through the hire process. It was really laid back and we were laughing and joking around the entire time. In fact, when I interviewed I wasn't really that interested in the job. But the group interview completely changed my perspective and I walked out of it really wanting the job. We do the group interviews to mostly get a feel for how well the person will integrate into our group. But it's also an opportunity for us to get a feel for the person's background/experience to make sure they can "hit the ground running" in the job without needing a lot of hand-holding/training. When I went to my group interview, I think they asked me maybe 2 questions pertaining to my background/experience. The rest of the time, we talked about art & photography, and the more we talked, the more the group humor came out. It lasted about an hour. Now that I sit in on the group interviews, I see how rare that is---- they usually last 20 minutes and are more awkward and "formal".

Quote: Originally Posted by DougsGirl Dear random people, co-workers, and family I hardly ever see, Please please please stop asking me if Doug and I are going to have a baby when we get married. Some people make a lifestyle choice and don't feel the need to explain themselves to everyone just because we want to share our lives with each other! Please stop replying to my answer of, "No, we already have 2 kids." with, "But they're HIS kids." because do you think I don't realize that I didn't give birth to them? Get it into your thick skull that this does not mean I love them any less than if I had. I am not only marrying Doug but also getting a built in family as well, and we don't need a baby of our "own" to complete us right now. Thanks for listening! Wow that sounded really angry and vent-y. I would never really say that out loud to anyone, but I guess that is what this is for right? Ummm..... I'd be tempted to reply with... "Well, if children were produced in our marriage, they'd be HIS kids too, unless of course you're advocating getting a sperm doner" or maybe.... "yes, we will have children because isn't that the ONLY reason people get married?" (Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer...) PS---- this is my pet peeve too. That, and the apparent "hope" in his family's eyes when they see either one of us interacting with children. What's sad is that I've gotten so sick of dealing with the 'look' and the 'commentary' that I now ignore & avoid children when I'm in their presence...

hehehe---- tipping the tides and votin for you Twink!!!

Carrie, 4, 5, and 6 look great!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by LadyP At our school we can not call 911 without the parent being present or permission. We had a 5 year old get shot in the leg( the fatty part of the calf) from a stray bullet amile away and couldnt get in contact with mom. the nurse dialed 911 and the mother tried to sue. I gotta vent on that one---- that is the STUPIDEST f-ing thing I've ever heard!!!!!! All it's going to take is ONE child to have a life-threatening need and when the school doesn't call, the parents are going to sue the ever-living shit out of them. This is just ridiculous---- what parent doesn't want 911 called when their kid is SHOT?!?!? My god, I need to vacate this thread because this just makes me want to fly out there and throttle this dumb-ass woman....

I don't know about the difference between the tickets, but I would say to keep in mind that the closer to the arena (if you call it that) floor you are, the more dirt you'll get on your food and yourselves. When I went, we thought it would be really cool to sit really close and I had that "grittiness" in my mouth and nose for hours.... The only one I've been to is here is Dallas several years ago, so I'm not sure what the other are like tho...

Quote: Originally Posted by Raeka I'll go first heheh I haven't nominated in a while but I would say Maria(MikiStreak): I just love reading her advice and experiences... quite the character too Paula: Does she ever miss an important event? heheh You can tell just how thoughtful she is with birthdays and weddings. Julie(Julser): I just love her to pieces. She has a giant heart and gave alot of helpful information for current brides to be. She also helped me find the perfect pair of earings on ebay for my special day. Quote: Originally Posted by Chiquita Hmm... okay. New Bride: JulieG BTB: NYJen and MikkiStreak Quote: Originally Posted by PaulaV Thanks for the nominations I would like to nominate: BTB: MikkiStreak Bride: JulieG Thank you guys for the nomination, as well as everyone else who's nominated me over the last several months (I remember you guys too!). I have such great friends on here and all of you have given me such good warm fuzzies with the nominations! The MoTM should be given as a sign of appreciation and you guys have definitely made me feel appreciated! But, to be honest, I'd rather bow out because I've always felt that the nominations should reflect what the person has contributed to the forum during that particular month (giving advice, organizing something on behalf of the brides, sharing information about wedding sources, or planning documents, etc...) and I really haven't done that in the last couples months because I've had so much other stuff going on. But I'm flattered and wish everyone the best of luck.

Give me 2 weeks and I'll post pictures, right after "Drunk Christmas Tree" night. It's become our annual tradition: We have a handful of friends over, I cook a "fancy" meal, we do a gift exchange, then we whip out the Pennsylvania Dutch and about 3 bottles later- the tree is done (which gets more and more interesting looking every year), dishes are broken, and we're all passed out all over the place...