Curing fresh olives?

I asked this question a year ago, and since the Fluther community has grown so much, I thought I’d try again in case any new users have expertise in this area. During October in California you can buy fresh (uncured) olives in the farmers’ market. So once again this year I bought two pounds of fresh olives and am attempting to cure them myself. This link tells more about my attempt last year. They came out okay, but not great. i.e., edible, but you might not want to serve them at a dinner party. Anyone have experience with this and have any input? Here’s the procedure I used last year: http://fluther.com/disc/213/how-do-i-cure-olives/
The olive farmer who sold them to me said that I can soak them in brine (without changing the water) for two straight weeks, then soak in fresh water for two weeks, changing the water every day. This is different from the way I did it last year (soaking in brine, changing brine every day, and then straight into the olive oil). Any thoughts on which way is better?