Sunday, July 27, 2014
I drove upriver Friday evening and returned today. The Hairless Hunk had said I'd lost four trees in a recent windstorm. You know, when he said "lost", I was thinking like previous tree losses, when the trees broke someway up the trunk. Most of the trees at the country house are black locust, and they tend to be brittle. I was not expecting major uprooting! The kind with the roots in the air and a huge hole in the lawn. Sigh. I wish I had taken my camera (no, my phone isn't that smart, or maybe it is but I'm not).
The Hunk has a watchmacallit, you know, with a front loader scoop on one end, and a steam shovel-looking thingy on the other. That, a chain saw, and a few hundred dollars will take care of it I guess.
I'm getting tired of losing trees up there. In 18 years we've lost more than 35 trees to wind. I guess that's a disadvantage of living on a ridge with a wonderful view. The hunk has been transplanting young maples and oaks he finds hither and yon, and most of them have been doing well, so there's that.
Heh heh, another topic, the Hunk likes to trim tree branches high enough that people can walk under them without meeting branches. (I had a husband that used to do that, too. Him, I divorced.) I noticed yesterday that he'd trimmed my huge old mulberry tree so high that I'll never be able to pick berries.
The Hunk also trims tree branches near the house that drop too low, too close to the house roof. I laughed at him one time for that, pointing out that the branches above the ones he cut would simply drop down as they grow, because now without competition from lower branches they can go lower to get more sun. It's a no-win situation. You either have to remove almost all the branches on that side of the tree, or remove the tree. He looked confused. "They drop down?"
-------------------------------------
I was listening to Sirius Classic radio on the drive up. One show was The Great Gildersleeve. Gildersleeve and a neighbor were shoveling coal into a basement when another neighbor came along and told Gildersleeve his face was dirty and he needed to wash it, adding, "I didn't know you could get that dirty on radio!"
I cracked up.
-------------------------------------
It's usually a 2.5 hour drive between the two houses, about 135 miles, plus any potty breaks. I left at about 11:30 this morning, figuring I'd avoid most of the "returning to the city" traffic and be home about 2-ish. I got home at a little after 4. Multiple multi-mile sections of 0-20 mph, with no apparent explanation. So I guess I have reaffirmed that Sunday travel at any time of day is no good.
I don't understand.
-------------------------------------
Coming home today, I got the "something horribly wrong" check engine light on Hal, the BMW. Poor old Fred, the van, is having battery troubles. And I'm supposed to meet the furnace man at the country house next Thursday, and I was going to call some A/C people for quotes Thursday and Friday. Another sigh. I hope BMW can take Hal tomorrow, I hope it's a quick fix, I hope I don't have to put 275 miles on a rental car.
Sometimes I hate the world.
-------------------------------------
You know something? No matter how many pieces of track you have for a train set, unless all you want to make is a plain circle or oval, you won't have enough of the right shapes and sizes to do what you want. There will always be one critical piece missing.
Must be some kind of natural law.
Thomas and Friends' wooden track pieces are even reversible, track on both sides so the curved pieces can go either way, and it still doesn't help.
Sigh.
I'll probably go to bed early tonight.
.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Thursday, July 24, 2014
3968 Wind
Thursday, July 24, 2014
I was so happy about the condition of the country house when I visited two weeks ago. The microwave still had the correct time, so it hadn't even lost power all winter.
I couldn't go last week because Daughter, Hercules, and the Nugget had gone camping, and I was charged with taking care of the cats and watering the tomatoes. I wouldn't have gone anyway, because the temperatures up there were in the high 80s low 90s, and it would have been simply too hot to do anything in the house. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be low 80s, so I plan to drive up this afternoon, returning Saturday.
Next week I want to schedule visits from a few a/c companies. I need to get that moving.
This morning I got an email from the Hairless Hunk. There was a windstorm yesterday. I lost four trees. He said none hit the house, they all fell to the east, but ... damn! Over the past 10 years I've lost at least a dozen mature trees to wind. Price of living on a ridge, I guess. (While Jay was alive, we had only one severe tree incident, but that time we lost 20 trees in one fell swoop.)
I hope none are crossing the driveway. I can no longer walk up that drive.
.
I was so happy about the condition of the country house when I visited two weeks ago. The microwave still had the correct time, so it hadn't even lost power all winter.
I couldn't go last week because Daughter, Hercules, and the Nugget had gone camping, and I was charged with taking care of the cats and watering the tomatoes. I wouldn't have gone anyway, because the temperatures up there were in the high 80s low 90s, and it would have been simply too hot to do anything in the house. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be low 80s, so I plan to drive up this afternoon, returning Saturday.
Next week I want to schedule visits from a few a/c companies. I need to get that moving.
This morning I got an email from the Hairless Hunk. There was a windstorm yesterday. I lost four trees. He said none hit the house, they all fell to the east, but ... damn! Over the past 10 years I've lost at least a dozen mature trees to wind. Price of living on a ridge, I guess. (While Jay was alive, we had only one severe tree incident, but that time we lost 20 trees in one fell swoop.)
I hope none are crossing the driveway. I can no longer walk up that drive.
.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
3967 I think it was made in China....
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Want a fun job, in a foreign country, a different culture? There should be lots of jobs available writing for toy companies in China.
I bought the Nugget a train set (Thomas and Friends). The following is from the online description. Points 5 and 6 were particularly amusing.
5.suitable for: age 3-69 years old
6. children should be warning in adult
care use. do not put toys, thrown each other. small parts do not eat,
lest produce risk events.toys like found damaged, please be careful save
or recycled. avoid fell into, exposure to the sun, damp.
.
.
3966 They're after me?
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
I am not one of those people who stick a little finger out to catch the turn signal as I turn the steering wheel. I mean, why bother, if you don't signal a turn until you are actually IN the turn? I signal just before I slow down to make the turn, you know, like to let anyone behind me know what's coming up next.
Three times in the past two weeks I signaled a left turn, slowed down, started the turn, AND SOME IDIOT SCREAMED PAST ME ON THE LEFT!
This afternoon it was as I was turning into my own driveway. This is a narrow residential dead-end. I had signaled about four houses up. I pressed the button to open the garage door about that same time. The speed limit is 25. I had slowed down to make the tight turn into the driveway, had started the turn, and wham! There was a car passing me.
Third time similar situation in just two weeks. And every single time it was a huge SUV. White one today. End of last week it was a red one.
I left the car running after I pulled into the garage and checked the turn signals. They're working.
I don't understand.
.
I am not one of those people who stick a little finger out to catch the turn signal as I turn the steering wheel. I mean, why bother, if you don't signal a turn until you are actually IN the turn? I signal just before I slow down to make the turn, you know, like to let anyone behind me know what's coming up next.
Three times in the past two weeks I signaled a left turn, slowed down, started the turn, AND SOME IDIOT SCREAMED PAST ME ON THE LEFT!
This afternoon it was as I was turning into my own driveway. This is a narrow residential dead-end. I had signaled about four houses up. I pressed the button to open the garage door about that same time. The speed limit is 25. I had slowed down to make the tight turn into the driveway, had started the turn, and wham! There was a car passing me.
Third time similar situation in just two weeks. And every single time it was a huge SUV. White one today. End of last week it was a red one.
I left the car running after I pulled into the garage and checked the turn signals. They're working.
I don't understand.
.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
3965 Three examples of "Duh!"
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Overheard a conversation across the street. Apparently the neighbor has a "boa constructor". I had an immediate mental image of an elf stringing feathers.
-----------------------------------
I had mentioned that the fuel service for the country house reported that they were unable to make the spring oil delivery because the tank was still full of December's oil, which means the country house had NO HEAT all winter! What with medical problems and a bad winter, I hadn't been to the house since last summer.
I freaked a little. Only a little because the well pump had been turned off, so it's not like the house would have filled with water if a pipe had burst, and I had left several faucets open so the danger of bursting was low, but still I had no idea what damage could have occurred. There were containers of liquids, you know, who knows what might have happened. I didn't know what might be wrong with the furnace. And I shuddered to think about the spiders and mice having taken over completely, and the yellow jackets.....
So I made an exploratory trip. I worried all the way up the highways.
Nothing is wrong. The place looked great. It even smelled good. The lawn looks wonderful. The porch is not full of wasp nests. There's no mouse poop in the kitchen and they didn't move into my bed or furniture. Everything is exactly as I left it. I didn't try turning the water on, so there's still a possibility of leaking pipes somewhere, but I can check that later and handle it as needed.
There's not even anything wrong with the furnace. I don't know why I did it, but apparently last summer I had turned the furnace off at the thermostat. Duh.
I'm so happy.
--------------------------------------
You need to see this video. It's so cute! It's kind of blah at the beginning, but the end is perfect. You need to watch from the beginning to fully understand the effort the gray cat had put in. Kitty treats are stored in the top drawer, and the kitties are determined to get them. The sound doesn't need to be high, but you DO need to be able to hear the music. (I swear the gray cat called the other an idiot.)
[http://youtu.be/H5SPc1Gn6N8]
.
Overheard a conversation across the street. Apparently the neighbor has a "boa constructor". I had an immediate mental image of an elf stringing feathers.
-----------------------------------
I had mentioned that the fuel service for the country house reported that they were unable to make the spring oil delivery because the tank was still full of December's oil, which means the country house had NO HEAT all winter! What with medical problems and a bad winter, I hadn't been to the house since last summer.
I freaked a little. Only a little because the well pump had been turned off, so it's not like the house would have filled with water if a pipe had burst, and I had left several faucets open so the danger of bursting was low, but still I had no idea what damage could have occurred. There were containers of liquids, you know, who knows what might have happened. I didn't know what might be wrong with the furnace. And I shuddered to think about the spiders and mice having taken over completely, and the yellow jackets.....
So I made an exploratory trip. I worried all the way up the highways.
Nothing is wrong. The place looked great. It even smelled good. The lawn looks wonderful. The porch is not full of wasp nests. There's no mouse poop in the kitchen and they didn't move into my bed or furniture. Everything is exactly as I left it. I didn't try turning the water on, so there's still a possibility of leaking pipes somewhere, but I can check that later and handle it as needed.
There's not even anything wrong with the furnace. I don't know why I did it, but apparently last summer I had turned the furnace off at the thermostat. Duh.
I'm so happy.
--------------------------------------
You need to see this video. It's so cute! It's kind of blah at the beginning, but the end is perfect. You need to watch from the beginning to fully understand the effort the gray cat had put in. Kitty treats are stored in the top drawer, and the kitties are determined to get them. The sound doesn't need to be high, but you DO need to be able to hear the music. (I swear the gray cat called the other an idiot.)
[http://youtu.be/H5SPc1Gn6N8]
.
Friday, July 18, 2014
3964 Another fish attack!
Friday, July 18, 2014
I forgot to mention back in post 3960 - once I had figured out how to download stuff to my new tablet, I went out and got the Friskies cat fishing game. You see cats playing with it all over YouTube. The fish swim around on the screen, and the fascinated cats pat them to make them disappear.
Well, Jasper is one of the most timid cats in the world. The first few times I put it on the floor, he ran. "Eek! Strange thing!" Finally he understood it wasn't going to attack him, and the next few times he cautiously watched from around the corner. Finally he crept up to within two feet of it, and then the damn thing MEOWED! I hadn't noticed there were meows in addition to bubbling and splashing sounds until then.
I'll have to give him time to forget, and maybe try again with the sound off.
.
I forgot to mention back in post 3960 - once I had figured out how to download stuff to my new tablet, I went out and got the Friskies cat fishing game. You see cats playing with it all over YouTube. The fish swim around on the screen, and the fascinated cats pat them to make them disappear.
Well, Jasper is one of the most timid cats in the world. The first few times I put it on the floor, he ran. "Eek! Strange thing!" Finally he understood it wasn't going to attack him, and the next few times he cautiously watched from around the corner. Finally he crept up to within two feet of it, and then the damn thing MEOWED! I hadn't noticed there were meows in addition to bubbling and splashing sounds until then.
I'll have to give him time to forget, and maybe try again with the sound off.
.
3963 Arrogance
Friday, July 18, 2014
The entire world, it seems, is up in arms over the plane shot down over the Ukraine.
In 1988, a friend, Daughter, and I were touring the canals of England in a narrowboat. We flew a small US flag off the stern. Pretty cool.
Then one evening the news was full of reports that the US had shot down an Iranian passenger plane in Iranian airspace. No survivors. Lots of children. The story is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655 (do read it, it's short). The United States has never admitted responsibility, nor apologized to Iran.
Can't imagine why they hate us.
Anyway, we took the flag off the boat and pretended we were Canadian.
.
The entire world, it seems, is up in arms over the plane shot down over the Ukraine.
In 1988, a friend, Daughter, and I were touring the canals of England in a narrowboat. We flew a small US flag off the stern. Pretty cool.
Then one evening the news was full of reports that the US had shot down an Iranian passenger plane in Iranian airspace. No survivors. Lots of children. The story is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655 (do read it, it's short). The United States has never admitted responsibility, nor apologized to Iran.
Can't imagine why they hate us.
Anyway, we took the flag off the boat and pretended we were Canadian.
.
3962 Another new toy
Friday, July 18, 2014
My floors always look filthy, because I hate vacuuming. Mainly because when I bought vacuums for this house (one upstairs, one down) the only bagless vacuums I could find at a reasonable price with good reviews were uprights. That's all they had in stores --- uprights. No canisters anywhere. I'd never owned an upright before, and I quickly learned I passionately hate them.
I hate them. A nice little canister sits in the middle of the room bothering nobody but the cat, while you clean all around it. I flat out don't understand why anyone likes uprights.
So, I went online shopping, and I found the BISSELL Zing Bagless Canister Vacuum Cleaner at Lowes. I have all bare floors and short nap oriental rugs, so I don't need a beater bar, just good strong suction. This little thing weighs only a few pounds, I can carry it up while I'm doing the stairs, and the suction is enough to cause panic if you touch the wrong thing. So far I LOVE it! It has absolutely nothing I don't need and everything I do need.
Best of all, it's only $49.99. (Actually, it was on sale when I bought it, so it was less than $40, I think.)
No, I'm not getting paid for this praise. In fact, I'm hoping Lowes won't mind my use of their photo.
.
My floors always look filthy, because I hate vacuuming. Mainly because when I bought vacuums for this house (one upstairs, one down) the only bagless vacuums I could find at a reasonable price with good reviews were uprights. That's all they had in stores --- uprights. No canisters anywhere. I'd never owned an upright before, and I quickly learned I passionately hate them.
You can't get under stuff.
You can't see what it's about to suck up.
Using the attachments is awkward. I've toppled the upright a few times.
You can't reach the ceiling/wall seam to get cobwebs.
The damn things are HEAVY and difficult to maneuver. They maneuver like a rotary push mower on a deep lawn (remember those?).
Because I'm so short, the angle is steep and the entire weight of them hangs off my arm. This is my biggest complaint.
I hate them. A nice little canister sits in the middle of the room bothering nobody but the cat, while you clean all around it. I flat out don't understand why anyone likes uprights.
So, I went online shopping, and I found the BISSELL Zing Bagless Canister Vacuum Cleaner at Lowes. I have all bare floors and short nap oriental rugs, so I don't need a beater bar, just good strong suction. This little thing weighs only a few pounds, I can carry it up while I'm doing the stairs, and the suction is enough to cause panic if you touch the wrong thing. So far I LOVE it! It has absolutely nothing I don't need and everything I do need.
Best of all, it's only $49.99. (Actually, it was on sale when I bought it, so it was less than $40, I think.)
.
3961 Most embarrassing moment, fish warning
Friday, July 18, 2014
A frequent challenge is to tell folks about your most embarrassing moment.
Yeah, I've had a few, but mostly I don't embarrass easily. I shrug stuff off, especially if it's a momentary thing. Like, who cares. So until I a few years ago, I couldn't really think of one worth mentioning.
And then one day I went with a friend to a show in NYC. She knew a lot of the dancers. We drove downriver (from the country house), located the place, parked the car, and then went to a restaurant near the venue. We had sushi.
Bad idea.
A little while later we were standing in front of the theater, and I had a burst of diarrhea. No warning whatsoever. It's not even like I felt like I had to release some gas or something. There was just suddenly an awful feeling in my underwear. Just bloop, and it was there.
In the ladies' room, I cleaned me up as best I could, washed up my panties and tossed them in the trash (I think, although in my panic I may have rolled them in paper towels and stuck them in my purse in case I had to show a doctor - it was the strangest, uh, output, I'd ever seen). A little had got on the crotch of my slacks, so I washed that, too, and spent the rest of the evening with a wet crotch. But the worst was, I'm sure, the smell. My friend assured me it was ok, but I know that the smell of feces is strong and permeates.
I sat there in the audience sure I smelled like a dirty diaper, and tried not to get too close to anyone at the afterparty. Driving home, my friend didn't open the car windows, so I don't know.
But that has to be the most embarrassing several hours of my entire life. And it wasn't just about me. I'm sure I must have embarrassed my friend, too, and that felt even worse. After all, she brought me.
-------------------------------------
Here we are, several years later, and I've found out what happened.
There's a fish called escolar. It's often sold in restaurants, listed on a menu as "white tuna". Escolar is very oily, which makes it taste especially good, some people love it. But most people suffer bouts of oily diarrhea (often described as "leakage") within an hour of eating it. It is banned in several countries.
From http://nowiknow.com/its-fishy/ by dan lewis.
It was the damn sushi, and the FDA says the restaurant should not have served it as tuna. I doubt that I had more than six ounces, but maybe I'm just one of those hypersensitive folks.
For some horror stories, search for "escolar diarrhea".
.
A frequent challenge is to tell folks about your most embarrassing moment.
Yeah, I've had a few, but mostly I don't embarrass easily. I shrug stuff off, especially if it's a momentary thing. Like, who cares. So until I a few years ago, I couldn't really think of one worth mentioning.
And then one day I went with a friend to a show in NYC. She knew a lot of the dancers. We drove downriver (from the country house), located the place, parked the car, and then went to a restaurant near the venue. We had sushi.
Bad idea.
A little while later we were standing in front of the theater, and I had a burst of diarrhea. No warning whatsoever. It's not even like I felt like I had to release some gas or something. There was just suddenly an awful feeling in my underwear. Just bloop, and it was there.
In the ladies' room, I cleaned me up as best I could, washed up my panties and tossed them in the trash (I think, although in my panic I may have rolled them in paper towels and stuck them in my purse in case I had to show a doctor - it was the strangest, uh, output, I'd ever seen). A little had got on the crotch of my slacks, so I washed that, too, and spent the rest of the evening with a wet crotch. But the worst was, I'm sure, the smell. My friend assured me it was ok, but I know that the smell of feces is strong and permeates.
I sat there in the audience sure I smelled like a dirty diaper, and tried not to get too close to anyone at the afterparty. Driving home, my friend didn't open the car windows, so I don't know.
But that has to be the most embarrassing several hours of my entire life. And it wasn't just about me. I'm sure I must have embarrassed my friend, too, and that felt even worse. After all, she brought me.
-------------------------------------
Here we are, several years later, and I've found out what happened.
There's a fish called escolar. It's often sold in restaurants, listed on a menu as "white tuna". Escolar is very oily, which makes it taste especially good, some people love it. But most people suffer bouts of oily diarrhea (often described as "leakage") within an hour of eating it. It is banned in several countries.
"Typically, "white tuna" refers to albacore, the stuff you find in cans of StarKist, Bumble Bee, or Chicken of the Sea branded tunas here in the United States. But according to a Boston Globe report from 2011 (recounted by ABC News as the Globe has a wonky paywall), there's a good chance -- a very good chance -- you're getting something else instead. Every single one of the 23 types of white tuna they tested turned out to be escolar, a cheaper alternative to tuna.
And the word "alternative" is used lightly -- because escolar is not really an acceptable one. Not only is escolar not tuna, it's probably not something you want to be eating a lot of. Escolar is often referred to as the "Ex-lax fish" because eating too much of it -- more than six ounces -- tends to afflict the feasting customer with a bad case of the runs. That's probably not the after-dinner experience you're after when you order the tuna.
From http://nowiknow.com/its-fishy/ by dan lewis.
It was the damn sushi, and the FDA says the restaurant should not have served it as tuna. I doubt that I had more than six ounces, but maybe I'm just one of those hypersensitive folks.
For some horror stories, search for "escolar diarrhea".
.
3960 New Toy
Friday, July 18, 2014
Last Sunday I ordered a Sony Xperia Z 10.1" 32GB Android Tablet from Woot.com.
I'd been thinking about buying something small for maybe a month, but the thought of actually walking into a store and asking for something was overwhelming, because I had no idea whatsoever what I want or need. I don't have the words, the language, and I didn't want to be SOLD something that wouldn't be adequate, or would be overwhelming and cost more than I needed to pay.
Sigh.
And then Woot popped into my Feedly reader with the above.
I did some research. You do have to be careful with woots. Usually the stuff they offer is overstocks, or refurbished, or is on the way out replaced by the next generation, but the prices make a lot of it still a good deal. I've bought all my televisions over the past few years from Woot, refurbished, and have had no problems. And they will ship anything right to your door, no matter how large or how heavy, for a standard $5.
I read reviews of the Sony Xperia tablet on several different websites, and all of them had only highest praise. (Well, some people complained about a slow data transfer rate, but it turns out the device has an option to optimize data for people who pay by the byte, and if you turn that off, then there's no problem.) Unusual for Woot, it's apparently a the latest model, brand new, not refurbished. The price on Amazon is $599. Woot was selling it for $379, a savings of 37%.
I bit, and bought. I figure if I don't like it, I could resell it for that.
It arrived Wednesday evening (that's another thing about Woot --- they're fast). I opened the box and started playing with it yesterday. At first it was pure frustration. There were no instructions, no "how to", nothing. The startup guide said to go to the website for help. Uh, how? Then I figured out Chrome was on it. The biggest problem was that it kept going to sleep EVERY TEN SECONDS! Took me a while (and a trip to the help website using my laptop) to find out where the settings were, and I discovered the settings had it shutting itself off every ten seconds as a protection against it being accidentally turned on during shipping. Gee, maybe that info should have been in the quick start guide, huh? (Believe it or not, some of the negative reviews on Amazon are because of that very thing, "It keeps turning off!")
Little by little I've discovered how to use it. My biggest problem at this point is that it's a touchscreen and a stylus won't work, and my fingernails are very long, so I kept "clicking" the wrong stuff, until I discovered how to enlarge the screen contents, and that puts more space between the "buttons".
Well, so far I think I might like it a lot. I took it to bed with me last night and watched videos. I might have to get a Netflicks (is that the right name?) subscription.
Last Sunday I ordered a Sony Xperia Z 10.1" 32GB Android Tablet from Woot.com.
I'd been thinking about buying something small for maybe a month, but the thought of actually walking into a store and asking for something was overwhelming, because I had no idea whatsoever what I want or need. I don't have the words, the language, and I didn't want to be SOLD something that wouldn't be adequate, or would be overwhelming and cost more than I needed to pay.
Sigh.
And then Woot popped into my Feedly reader with the above.
I did some research. You do have to be careful with woots. Usually the stuff they offer is overstocks, or refurbished, or is on the way out replaced by the next generation, but the prices make a lot of it still a good deal. I've bought all my televisions over the past few years from Woot, refurbished, and have had no problems. And they will ship anything right to your door, no matter how large or how heavy, for a standard $5.
I read reviews of the Sony Xperia tablet on several different websites, and all of them had only highest praise. (Well, some people complained about a slow data transfer rate, but it turns out the device has an option to optimize data for people who pay by the byte, and if you turn that off, then there's no problem.) Unusual for Woot, it's apparently a the latest model, brand new, not refurbished. The price on Amazon is $599. Woot was selling it for $379, a savings of 37%.
I bit, and bought. I figure if I don't like it, I could resell it for that.
It arrived Wednesday evening (that's another thing about Woot --- they're fast). I opened the box and started playing with it yesterday. At first it was pure frustration. There were no instructions, no "how to", nothing. The startup guide said to go to the website for help. Uh, how? Then I figured out Chrome was on it. The biggest problem was that it kept going to sleep EVERY TEN SECONDS! Took me a while (and a trip to the help website using my laptop) to find out where the settings were, and I discovered the settings had it shutting itself off every ten seconds as a protection against it being accidentally turned on during shipping. Gee, maybe that info should have been in the quick start guide, huh? (Believe it or not, some of the negative reviews on Amazon are because of that very thing, "It keeps turning off!")
Little by little I've discovered how to use it. My biggest problem at this point is that it's a touchscreen and a stylus won't work, and my fingernails are very long, so I kept "clicking" the wrong stuff, until I discovered how to enlarge the screen contents, and that puts more space between the "buttons".
Well, so far I think I might like it a lot. I took it to bed with me last night and watched videos. I might have to get a Netflicks (is that the right name?) subscription.
Friday, June 20, 2014
3959 Yellow?
Friday, June 20, 2014
I came across a quote from Pablo Picasso this morning: "There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun."
And it occurred to me --- that's another thing that I don't understand. The sun has never looked yellow to me (except when seen through a thick city smog). The sun I see in the sky is white.
When I was little, the teachers yelled at me because I made the sun white in my pictures. They wanted me to paint it yellow and I didn't know why. Kinda like when the other kids laughed at me because I made far away mountains blue-gray. "Ha! She thinks trees are blue!" I'd point out the windows to the distant mountains, which were definitely blue, and they still didn't see it.
I don't get it. Why does everyone always show the sun as yellow? Does everyone else always see it as yellow? Is it shown as yellow because that's what it's "supposed" to be?
Is it any wonder I grew up thinking there was something definitely wrong with me?
I don't understand.
.
I came across a quote from Pablo Picasso this morning: "There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun."
And it occurred to me --- that's another thing that I don't understand. The sun has never looked yellow to me (except when seen through a thick city smog). The sun I see in the sky is white.
When I was little, the teachers yelled at me because I made the sun white in my pictures. They wanted me to paint it yellow and I didn't know why. Kinda like when the other kids laughed at me because I made far away mountains blue-gray. "Ha! She thinks trees are blue!" I'd point out the windows to the distant mountains, which were definitely blue, and they still didn't see it.
I don't get it. Why does everyone always show the sun as yellow? Does everyone else always see it as yellow? Is it shown as yellow because that's what it's "supposed" to be?
Is it any wonder I grew up thinking there was something definitely wrong with me?
I don't understand.
.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
3958 Urgent! Please carefully consider this and join in the effort.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
This is Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution:
[I believe there are currently 15 states with term limits. In two other states, term limits had been passed, then were rescinded by subsequent legislatures (not surprising -- I'm just surprised there weren't more) and one was overturned by the courts. If you are interested, here's a list of states and their term limit status: http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/chart-of-term-limits-states.aspx.]
So, people are trying to generate a popular petition movement. "WE want it, and we want it now!" You sign the petition and it will be presented to the legislature of your state. Here's the text of the proposed amendment, http://www.termlimitsforuscongress.com/e-petition.html, and the online petition itself. "Signing" consists of filling it out and sending it in online.
I don't have to argue why this is a good idea. The chances of it passing anywhere in our lifetimes is slim. But we must make our desires known or the chances are zero.
I urge you to "sign". Pass the links on to everyone you know. It does require your personal information, like name, address, email address, but even I have no fear. I'm even making a donation.
Forward it to everyone you know. But, SIGN ONLY ONE petition, otherwise your petition might be thrown out.
--------------------------
Almost forgot - there's a main Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TermLimitsforUSCongress, and some have been set up for particular states - just search in Facebook for "term limits for us congress" and your state name.
This is Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution:
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.There's a movement afoot for an amendment setting congressional term limits - specifically 12 years. There's no way on earth members of Congress will agree to do away with their own lucrative power trip. It has to be started in the state legislatures, and there will likely be resistance there, too, since they might be afraid of the same happening to them, if it hasn't already.
[I believe there are currently 15 states with term limits. In two other states, term limits had been passed, then were rescinded by subsequent legislatures (not surprising -- I'm just surprised there weren't more) and one was overturned by the courts. If you are interested, here's a list of states and their term limit status: http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/chart-of-term-limits-states.aspx.]
So, people are trying to generate a popular petition movement. "WE want it, and we want it now!" You sign the petition and it will be presented to the legislature of your state. Here's the text of the proposed amendment, http://www.termlimitsforuscongress.com/e-petition.html, and the online petition itself. "Signing" consists of filling it out and sending it in online.
I don't have to argue why this is a good idea. The chances of it passing anywhere in our lifetimes is slim. But we must make our desires known or the chances are zero.
I urge you to "sign". Pass the links on to everyone you know. It does require your personal information, like name, address, email address, but even I have no fear. I'm even making a donation.
Forward it to everyone you know. But, SIGN ONLY ONE petition, otherwise your petition might be thrown out.
The petition is at
--------------------------
Almost forgot - there's a main Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TermLimitsforUSCongress, and some have been set up for particular states - just search in Facebook for "term limits for us congress" and your state name.
3957 Midnight Serenade,
Thursday, June 12, 2014
There's a bird out back who sings all night, or at least until 3 am, which is the latest I've been awake to hear him.
The song is beautiful, so clear and ringing. You can listen for an hour and not hear the same run twice, so I think it's a mockingbird.
I got the idea to record him on video a few nights ago even if we can't see anything, but since then there's been rain or wind or both, so even though he's still singing, I don't think it would record well. The first clear quiet night, I'll try, and then we will have a guest appearance on the blog.
I can't help but wonder --- when does he sleep?
--------------------------------
Feedly has been down all day yesterday, up for a short time last night and down again today. That's where I get the feeds for all the sites I follow, so I am in addiction withdrawal.
Some nasty group has launched a distributed denial of service (DDoS - that's when attackers use hijacked systems or robots to overload a site with traffic so nobody else can use it), and are holding it for ransom.
Several sites and services have been hit with DDoS attacks lately and are fighting back rather than pay the ransom. If you do pay the ransom, they will never stop. You can fight against viruses that take over systems and use them as robots to launch an attack, that's the old way to launch a DDoS, but now there are actually servers you can rent to do the job, and if DDoS ever becomes profitable, you may as well take the internet out to the back forty and shoot it.
How does the ransom get paid, anyway? Do you fill a file with bitcoins and leave it in the cloud somewhere?
Law enforcement is working on it. This is probably the worst vulnerability of the internet, the easiest and surest way to take ANY sites down, and the least preventable.
.
There's a bird out back who sings all night, or at least until 3 am, which is the latest I've been awake to hear him.
The song is beautiful, so clear and ringing. You can listen for an hour and not hear the same run twice, so I think it's a mockingbird.
I got the idea to record him on video a few nights ago even if we can't see anything, but since then there's been rain or wind or both, so even though he's still singing, I don't think it would record well. The first clear quiet night, I'll try, and then we will have a guest appearance on the blog.
I can't help but wonder --- when does he sleep?
--------------------------------
Feedly has been down all day yesterday, up for a short time last night and down again today. That's where I get the feeds for all the sites I follow, so I am in addiction withdrawal.
Some nasty group has launched a distributed denial of service (DDoS - that's when attackers use hijacked systems or robots to overload a site with traffic so nobody else can use it), and are holding it for ransom.
Several sites and services have been hit with DDoS attacks lately and are fighting back rather than pay the ransom. If you do pay the ransom, they will never stop. You can fight against viruses that take over systems and use them as robots to launch an attack, that's the old way to launch a DDoS, but now there are actually servers you can rent to do the job, and if DDoS ever becomes profitable, you may as well take the internet out to the back forty and shoot it.
How does the ransom get paid, anyway? Do you fill a file with bitcoins and leave it in the cloud somewhere?
Law enforcement is working on it. This is probably the worst vulnerability of the internet, the easiest and surest way to take ANY sites down, and the least preventable.
.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
3956 Yeah. Go Jon.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Do love me some Jon Stewart. A 5 minute clip that felt much too short:
https://screen.yahoo.com/the-daily-show/operation-deserter-storm-home-where-040000233.html
Do these people have any idea how nasty they sound? Nasty, stupid, small-town gossiping self-serving rabble-rousers, and then they wonder why people are killing each other?
Facts? We don't need no freakin' facts! You just listen up here to what I want you to think!
Aren't these the people who are supposed to be examples to us of how to deal with each other? Is it any wonder social media is a snake pit?
.
Do love me some Jon Stewart. A 5 minute clip that felt much too short:
https://screen.yahoo.com/the-daily-show/operation-deserter-storm-home-where-040000233.html
Do these people have any idea how nasty they sound? Nasty, stupid, small-town gossiping self-serving rabble-rousers, and then they wonder why people are killing each other?
Facts? We don't need no freakin' facts! You just listen up here to what I want you to think!
Aren't these the people who are supposed to be examples to us of how to deal with each other? Is it any wonder social media is a snake pit?
.
3955 Hair
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
I took this photo back in late May. I don't think I posted it here yet.
Growing it out again. It took a long time because it was so short on top, but I kept trimming the bottom and and growing the top through all those painful yuck periods, and it's finally getting there.
I hated my hair short. I got it cut because some influential people told me I'd look better with it short. I hate hate hated it short. I've had longish hair all my life, and I just don't feel like me with it short. Even bangs. I don't like bangs on me. When it gets long enough on the sides I'll probably usually tie it back, but at least I know it's ME! Never short again, no matter how "mature" I get.
I think people were trying to make me look more sophisticated. Surprise -- I make no pretension to sophistication, ever. Get used to it.
.
I took this photo back in late May. I don't think I posted it here yet.
Growing it out again. It took a long time because it was so short on top, but I kept trimming the bottom and and growing the top through all those painful yuck periods, and it's finally getting there.
I hated my hair short. I got it cut because some influential people told me I'd look better with it short. I hate hate hated it short. I've had longish hair all my life, and I just don't feel like me with it short. Even bangs. I don't like bangs on me. When it gets long enough on the sides I'll probably usually tie it back, but at least I know it's ME! Never short again, no matter how "mature" I get.
I think people were trying to make me look more sophisticated. Surprise -- I make no pretension to sophistication, ever. Get used to it.
.
3954 What it's like being married to a programmer
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Dear, could you go to the store for me?
Yeah, okay. What do you need?
A loaf of bread. Oh, and if they have brown eggs, get a dozen.
A half hour later, he returns with a dozen loaves of bread.
.
Dear, could you go to the store for me?
Yeah, okay. What do you need?
A loaf of bread. Oh, and if they have brown eggs, get a dozen.
A half hour later, he returns with a dozen loaves of bread.
.
Sunday, June 08, 2014
3953 Anyone else confused?
Sunday, June 8, 2014
I'm confused.
The kid walked off the base. Most military folks consider him a deserter. Therefore they are furious that five prisoners were released to get him back, ESPECIALLY since so many good men were killed attempting to search for him and bring him back when he first walked away. That's what they keep throwing out, anyway.
Now, let me get this straight: Military folks think getting him back is NOT worth the release of five prisoners, but getting him back WAS worth the deaths of multiple fellow soldiers.
Huh?
I don't understand.
People keep describing the released prisoners as "dangerous terrorists". Note that they have been rotting in Gitmo precisely because we don't have enough evidence against those five to go to trial and win. In other words, because we can't prove them guilty in a trial, we declared them guilty without a trial? Convenient. And scary. Imagine if your local cops and prosecutor could do that.
People are continuing the "dangerous" descriptor without ever having looked at how and why they ended up in Gitmo. Salon.com has a story on them, "The worst Bowe Bergdahl trutherism, debunked - John McCain says released Gitmo prisoners are historically dangerous. Records tell a different story". For the important part, scan down to point number 3.
If these guys are now "dangerous terrorists", we MADE them so! And I wouldn't blame them a bit.
As I am writing this, one of those Sunday morning political talk shows is on TV in the background, and some pompous fathead just equated the five prisoners to five Nazi generals.
Sometimes I hate people.
.
I'm confused.
The kid walked off the base. Most military folks consider him a deserter. Therefore they are furious that five prisoners were released to get him back, ESPECIALLY since so many good men were killed attempting to search for him and bring him back when he first walked away. That's what they keep throwing out, anyway.
Now, let me get this straight: Military folks think getting him back is NOT worth the release of five prisoners, but getting him back WAS worth the deaths of multiple fellow soldiers.
Huh?
I don't understand.
People keep describing the released prisoners as "dangerous terrorists". Note that they have been rotting in Gitmo precisely because we don't have enough evidence against those five to go to trial and win. In other words, because we can't prove them guilty in a trial, we declared them guilty without a trial? Convenient. And scary. Imagine if your local cops and prosecutor could do that.
People are continuing the "dangerous" descriptor without ever having looked at how and why they ended up in Gitmo. Salon.com has a story on them, "The worst Bowe Bergdahl trutherism, debunked - John McCain says released Gitmo prisoners are historically dangerous. Records tell a different story". For the important part, scan down to point number 3.
If these guys are now "dangerous terrorists", we MADE them so! And I wouldn't blame them a bit.
As I am writing this, one of those Sunday morning political talk shows is on TV in the background, and some pompous fathead just equated the five prisoners to five Nazi generals.
Sometimes I hate people.
.
Saturday, June 07, 2014
3952 Research, Relax
Saturday, June 7, 2014
I read some more stuff about optical migraines and TIAs. Of course, I can't find the precise websites now, but here's a synopsis.
Optic migraine and classic migraine come from the same cause, which "they think" is likely constriction of blood vessels in the brain. Up to several days before a migraine, you can get hints that it's coming, usually a feeling of tenseness, or depression, or nausea, or constipation ... buncha stuff.
For the past two weeks I've had a feeling of impending doom, and I didn't go to the country house on Thursday as planned because I didn't feel right in my belly.
Next you get the aura. Various kinds. An optical migraine is the enlarging jagged flashing in the visual field.
The migraine starts from the constriction of blood vessels. With me it's all aura, no pain. The flashing is not in my eyes - it's in my brain.
This is followed by the next phase, when the blood vessels release and dilate, which can cause other symptoms and a throbbing headache. Those "other" symptoms are interesting. They can include physical weakness, difficulty speaking, difficulty understanding language, memory problems, and so on.
That can look exactly like a TIA (mini-stroke)!
The whole thing, for an optical migraine, shouldn't take more than an hour or two, with no lasting deficits. My episode was less than an hour altogether, and the scary garbled speech and blanking on names was maybe a half hour tops. No headache after.
Then after it's all over, you feel wonderful, light and healthy.
And I did, no remaining impending doom of the previous two weeks, I felt fantastic, energetic, EVEN THOUGH I was afraid I'd just maybe had a bit of a stroke.
So, my conclusion is that if you experience the symptoms of a stroke or TIA but have NOT experienced any kind of migraine in conjunction, then take an aspirin and go to the ER immediately.
If you experience the symptoms with or after a migraine, classic or optic, then see your doctor and get checked out, because who knows. Maybe it was coincidence. Maybe not, especially if strokes run in your bloodlines.
=============================
I am not aware of experiencing any garbled speech or memory problems after any other ocular migraine I've had, but then again, for most of them, I was alone. I very well might not have noticed, not having done anything to expose or test it. Reading once the jagged flashes were gone didn't seem to be a problem.
.
I read some more stuff about optical migraines and TIAs. Of course, I can't find the precise websites now, but here's a synopsis.
Optic migraine and classic migraine come from the same cause, which "they think" is likely constriction of blood vessels in the brain. Up to several days before a migraine, you can get hints that it's coming, usually a feeling of tenseness, or depression, or nausea, or constipation ... buncha stuff.
For the past two weeks I've had a feeling of impending doom, and I didn't go to the country house on Thursday as planned because I didn't feel right in my belly.
Next you get the aura. Various kinds. An optical migraine is the enlarging jagged flashing in the visual field.
The migraine starts from the constriction of blood vessels. With me it's all aura, no pain. The flashing is not in my eyes - it's in my brain.
This is followed by the next phase, when the blood vessels release and dilate, which can cause other symptoms and a throbbing headache. Those "other" symptoms are interesting. They can include physical weakness, difficulty speaking, difficulty understanding language, memory problems, and so on.
That can look exactly like a TIA (mini-stroke)!
The whole thing, for an optical migraine, shouldn't take more than an hour or two, with no lasting deficits. My episode was less than an hour altogether, and the scary garbled speech and blanking on names was maybe a half hour tops. No headache after.
Then after it's all over, you feel wonderful, light and healthy.
And I did, no remaining impending doom of the previous two weeks, I felt fantastic, energetic, EVEN THOUGH I was afraid I'd just maybe had a bit of a stroke.
So, my conclusion is that if you experience the symptoms of a stroke or TIA but have NOT experienced any kind of migraine in conjunction, then take an aspirin and go to the ER immediately.
If you experience the symptoms with or after a migraine, classic or optic, then see your doctor and get checked out, because who knows. Maybe it was coincidence. Maybe not, especially if strokes run in your bloodlines.
=============================
I am not aware of experiencing any garbled speech or memory problems after any other ocular migraine I've had, but then again, for most of them, I was alone. I very well might not have noticed, not having done anything to expose or test it. Reading once the jagged flashes were gone didn't seem to be a problem.
.
Friday, June 06, 2014
3951 Migraine
Friday, June 6, 2014
Just for the record, I just started an optic (or ocular) migraine about a minute ago. It's spreading, and soon I won't be able to see anything. No pain, no danger, this is just so I can look up a record of how often I have them. (I'm glad I'm not driving.)
--------------------------------
I looked up the past ocular migraines:
1996
02/25/06
12/05/06
05/12/07
07/20/07
11/11/10
10/13/11
06/06/14
--------------------------------
The above was about 12/30 pm today. When it started I was reading an article about WWII American soldiers in England, and the article mentioned Hyde Park, in England. That sounded familiar, like there's a Hyde Park in New York state, but I couldn't remember where. I tried to bring up Google maps to look it up, but I couldn't remember how to get to a website. I was very frustrated, but finally figured it out. Hyde Park, NY, is the next town south of Rhinebeck, which is south of the country house. I know it well. Have to drive through it to get to Poughkeepie. I was very confused. How could I not remember where Hyde Park is? Within a few minutes the ocular migraine had spread to most of my field of vision and I was unable to read the laptop screen, so I gave up and went upstairs to take a bath.
I was soaking in the tub trying to read a book (the visual disturbance had pretty much dissipated by then), and I came across a reference to Franklin Roosevelt. I couldn't remember who he was. Then I couldn't remember my daughter's name. I could remember the Nugget's first name, but not her middle or last name. I panicked. I worked very hard, and was able to come up with some names that sounded right. I tried to say them out loud, and what came out was garbled. I knew what I wanted to say, I could make the right sounds in my head, but what came out of my mouth was a mess.
Finally I said them right. I ran through some other names, like Piper's, the Hairless Hunk, The Man. It was very difficult to remember them, especially their last names, and even when I thought I had them I wasn't sure it was right. Over the period of maybe 15 minutes it got better. I could remember names and I could say them out loud. Within 20 minutes I was not only 100% ok, but I even feel good, better than I have in the past two weeks..
So, maybe this was a TIA (a.k.a. mini-stroke). Perhaps a tiny blood clot that dissolved quickly. Or maybe a blood vessel spasm (I've had those in my legs). I called the doctor I have been assigned by my new insurance, but his Friday hours are 8 to noon. I refuse to go to the ER.
My history regarding names is poor. I've had problems remembering names all my life. One time when Daughter was in high school I called the office to tell them I would be picking her up early for an appointment - and I couldn't remember her name! I had to hang up and look her name up. Not being able to remember names is for me normal. Sometimes I completely blank out. What was not normal was not being able to speak.
Whatever it was, it was over quickly, but I guess I should have some tests. Bleck. I'll call the doctor Monday. I am not happy about that.
I didn't want to, but I went over to Daughter's house about 4:45 and told her what had happened, and that for the next two days or so I will call her every two (waking) hours, and if I don't she should check on me. Naturally, she freaked out. So she insisted that I accompany her and the Nugget to the grocery store.
I didn't keel over dead or say anything weird, so she seems to have relaxed a bit.
Jeeze! Am I ever going to get up to the country house? This is getting ridiculous.
.
Just for the record, I just started an optic (or ocular) migraine about a minute ago. It's spreading, and soon I won't be able to see anything. No pain, no danger, this is just so I can look up a record of how often I have them. (I'm glad I'm not driving.)
--------------------------------
I looked up the past ocular migraines:
1996
02/25/06
12/05/06
05/12/07
07/20/07
11/11/10
10/13/11
06/06/14
--------------------------------
The above was about 12/30 pm today. When it started I was reading an article about WWII American soldiers in England, and the article mentioned Hyde Park, in England. That sounded familiar, like there's a Hyde Park in New York state, but I couldn't remember where. I tried to bring up Google maps to look it up, but I couldn't remember how to get to a website. I was very frustrated, but finally figured it out. Hyde Park, NY, is the next town south of Rhinebeck, which is south of the country house. I know it well. Have to drive through it to get to Poughkeepie. I was very confused. How could I not remember where Hyde Park is? Within a few minutes the ocular migraine had spread to most of my field of vision and I was unable to read the laptop screen, so I gave up and went upstairs to take a bath.
I was soaking in the tub trying to read a book (the visual disturbance had pretty much dissipated by then), and I came across a reference to Franklin Roosevelt. I couldn't remember who he was. Then I couldn't remember my daughter's name. I could remember the Nugget's first name, but not her middle or last name. I panicked. I worked very hard, and was able to come up with some names that sounded right. I tried to say them out loud, and what came out was garbled. I knew what I wanted to say, I could make the right sounds in my head, but what came out of my mouth was a mess.
Finally I said them right. I ran through some other names, like Piper's, the Hairless Hunk, The Man. It was very difficult to remember them, especially their last names, and even when I thought I had them I wasn't sure it was right. Over the period of maybe 15 minutes it got better. I could remember names and I could say them out loud. Within 20 minutes I was not only 100% ok, but I even feel good, better than I have in the past two weeks..
So, maybe this was a TIA (a.k.a. mini-stroke). Perhaps a tiny blood clot that dissolved quickly. Or maybe a blood vessel spasm (I've had those in my legs). I called the doctor I have been assigned by my new insurance, but his Friday hours are 8 to noon. I refuse to go to the ER.
My history regarding names is poor. I've had problems remembering names all my life. One time when Daughter was in high school I called the office to tell them I would be picking her up early for an appointment - and I couldn't remember her name! I had to hang up and look her name up. Not being able to remember names is for me normal. Sometimes I completely blank out. What was not normal was not being able to speak.
Whatever it was, it was over quickly, but I guess I should have some tests. Bleck. I'll call the doctor Monday. I am not happy about that.
I didn't want to, but I went over to Daughter's house about 4:45 and told her what had happened, and that for the next two days or so I will call her every two (waking) hours, and if I don't she should check on me. Naturally, she freaked out. So she insisted that I accompany her and the Nugget to the grocery store.
I didn't keel over dead or say anything weird, so she seems to have relaxed a bit.
Jeeze! Am I ever going to get up to the country house? This is getting ridiculous.
.
Thursday, June 05, 2014
3950 Dead AOL id comes back to life!
Thursday, June 5, 2014
I have Jay's old email id on AOL. I haven't used it in something like eight years, because we went through a period where on every AOL update I lost all my saved mail. I don't even remember the password. Back when I set up my Gmail account, I set AOL to forward all email to Gmail. Over the years I've been getting fewer and fewer bits of email forwarded from AOL, mostly ads from cruise lines. AOL, for all its faults, does a fairly good job of filtering out spam.
Suddenly I'm getting loads of crap forwarded from AOL, all unsolicited spam ads. It all seems to be coming through some kind of bulk mailer called "iBuilder".
Where the heck did they get that email address? How do I stop it?
(I may have shot myself in the foot. It's possible that something somewhere, like a local store I was shopping in, insisted that I give them an email address, and I shrugged and gave them the AOL id without even thinking about it.)
----------------------------------------
Bonus rant:
Alexander Fleming DID NOT "discover" penicillin. He merely named it and gave it a medical stamp of approval, and made it possible to make money on it. People had been strapping moldy bread to injuries for centuries before he came along.
.
I have Jay's old email id on AOL. I haven't used it in something like eight years, because we went through a period where on every AOL update I lost all my saved mail. I don't even remember the password. Back when I set up my Gmail account, I set AOL to forward all email to Gmail. Over the years I've been getting fewer and fewer bits of email forwarded from AOL, mostly ads from cruise lines. AOL, for all its faults, does a fairly good job of filtering out spam.
Suddenly I'm getting loads of crap forwarded from AOL, all unsolicited spam ads. It all seems to be coming through some kind of bulk mailer called "iBuilder".
Where the heck did they get that email address? How do I stop it?
(I may have shot myself in the foot. It's possible that something somewhere, like a local store I was shopping in, insisted that I give them an email address, and I shrugged and gave them the AOL id without even thinking about it.)
----------------------------------------
Bonus rant:
Alexander Fleming DID NOT "discover" penicillin. He merely named it and gave it a medical stamp of approval, and made it possible to make money on it. People had been strapping moldy bread to injuries for centuries before he came along.
.
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