Here's a story about someone you all know and love. :-)

Dennis Olson said he does not have any regrets.

He may have spent $20,000 on food, drinking water, medical supplies and a generator to prepare for last year's Y2K threat, but he said it's better to be safe than sorry.

``It's only money and you can always make more, but (buying) a boat would have been fun,'' said Olson, an electrical engineer and computer consultant who lives in Hudson, Wis.

Olson, 42, stockpiled 400 boxes of Hamburger Helper, 175 pounds of pasta, 50 bars of soap and nine tubes of toothpaste in his basement. Since the turn-of-the-millennium computer scare, Olson, his wife and two teen-age sons anonymously donated about 40 percent of the food. They are keeping two months' supply of food in case of natural or economic disaster, he said.

Olson was worried about the Y2K-related problems until fall 1999, when he said he realized there really wasn't a threat. He didn't return some of the items, including an enormous first-aid kit.

``First-aid supplies are always a good thing to have around. You may never need them but people do get hit with tornadoes,'' Olson said.

Olson plans to keep the generator as backup and has used it several times this year, he said.

``It's just a more comfortable lifestyle living a bit prepared for the unexpected things that can happen,'' Olson said.

Olson still keeps in touch with the survivalist friends he met during the more than 1,000 hours he spent on the Internet preparing for the threat, he said.

``They've kept the main board up and running throughout this whole last year. These days instead of the Y2K, they talk about economic hardships and potential natural disaster issues,'' he said.

The group still advocates keeping a handy supply of essential items, just in case.

``In a way it's just common sense, but the common sense we had in this county 50 years ago rather than we what we have today,'' he said.

-- Black Adder (dark@places.com), December 31, 2000

Answers

Umm, there must be a typo - "Olson was worried about the Y2K-related problems until fall 1999, when he said he realized there really wasn't a threat." It should read "Olson was worried about the Y2K- related problems until fall 2000, whne he said he realized there really wasn't a threat."

-- Mother of Jehosophat! (for@cryin'.outLoud!), December 31, 2000.

Ummmmm. Dennis is still worried, but he spends most of his time gloating about having a working generator in the face of all the ice- storm related power outages. To each their own. Time to move on. There are plenty of other shills to make fun of.

-- (anotherbrick@the.wall), December 31, 2000.

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=004K7v

Despite no disasters, Y2K survivalists say they had last laugh

-- Y2K (a@year.later), December 31, 2000.

Y2K Bug: The Year 2000 in review
http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=004J6U

-- Black Adder (dark@places.com), December 31, 2000.

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=004IUI

Y2K Hubbub Largely Forgotten, but Lessons Remain a Year Later

-- Y2K (a@year.later), December 31, 2000.