Category: by Barbie-dull

Posts originally in Dullicious, where I blogged as Barbie-dull between 2005 and 2008.

An unbelievable coincidence

On the way to lunch yesterday, I was chatting with a colleague and learnt she’s moving house this Friday to a tiny town I used to live in back in 2004. Pretty soon in the conversation we found out she’s moving exactly in the house I was in! How odd is that?!

I found out that my yucca is still there, healthy, right in front of the living room windows. I had inherited this yucca years ago, in 2000, I think, when a former W3C colleague left for the US and A. This yucca followed me in all the houses I’ve been in since then (5 different houses) and I left it in the garden of this house when I left. It was obviously in an ideal spot. When my ex moved out of the house a few months ago, he didn’t have the heart to unearth the yucca. My colleague will take good care of it, I’m certain.

I also found out that my garden dwarf is still there! Well, it’s now in the basement and she’s more than happy to give it back to me. What a coincidence! I’m still marveling at it.

This dwarf also has a story. I received it as a birthday gift in 2002, a joke that I deeply enjoyed. Actually it’s a birthday gift that I shared with my ex boyfriend and when I left, I left the garden dwarf, Gringoire. I thought he had left the house with him. Gringoire must be far less shiny now and his colours must have worn off a bit. I’ll see soon.

Update 05sep2007: Indeed, far less shiny with worn out colours, but it’s Gringoire, all right!

My garden dwarf and me
My garden dwarf and me

SFR.fr momentary blunder

I’m annoyed at SFR (cell phone carrier) everytime I receive spam by SMS or MMS, so I logged onto my account on their website today in order to check once and for all if I could specifically request to not receive their promotional SMSs or MMSs.

I didn’t recognise my subscription type. And my latest invoice was incredibly expensive. “Leafing” through it, I was astonished that this latest invoice had 72 pages (when usually it’s 2 or 3)!

I was struck to realise I was looking at somebody else’s data. Her personal information, her banking information, her invoices for the past 6 months. I could browse it all and also change things. The top of each page all had “Coralie Mercier”, though, next to a link to log out.

I called them on the phone to let them know. I don’t think the guy really understood how wrong it was. He said he’d lodge a complaint. He made me wait a couple minutes while doing so and then said he would report I had somebody else’s invoice on screen instead of mine. I corrected him that I had access to all of this person’s data and options. He said “ah. ok”. And then added, almost robot-like, that it usually takes 5 business days for complaints to be processed. He thanked me for my call and wished me a good day.

It’s fixed now, I just checked.

the Deathly Hallows

I’ve been quite ignorant about the Harry Potter 7th book, although I’ve bought and read the others before. And then, about 10 days prior to the release, I chatted briefly with Richard who mentioned he had ordered it and would receive it at 8 a.m. on the morning of the release. I started to consider I could order it on Amazon. I also meant to order the DVD of Young Frankenstein.

A couple days before the release, the book was available. It wasn’t an option to receive it on the Saturday morning. Nevermind, I was already happy it was available. I forgot to order the DVD, though.

So I’ve had the book a few days now. I won’t be as fast as a bunch of colleagues who have already devoured it 😉

The only person getting his work done by Friday is Robinson Crusoe

[This post originally appeared in Dullicious, where I blogged as Barbie-dull for several years.]

Pascale forwarded a joke which was titled “The only person getting his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe“.

Of the 20 signs “You Need a Really Long Vacation” and “You Are "Burned Out" Because of Work“, here’s my selection:

  • You refer to the tomatoes grown in your garden as deliverables.
  • You think a “half-day” means leaving at 5 o’clock.
  • You leave for a party and instinctively take your ID badge.