So, it’s actually 05:10 am on July 1, 2008. My friend’s server, where this domain currently resides, has been in flux. I’m glad that all is regaining stability, even though my friend hasn’t yet re-set the server time. Ah, heck. It’s not like I wanted to go the entire month of June without a single entry…

A curious thing happened last evening (June 30th) while I was performing some outdoor sanity preservation. It’s better to pull weeds than my hair, right? Well, this was just one of those kinds of situations.

As I quietly sat on an old patio chair cushion yanking fistfuls of Queen Anne’s Lace from the ground, my big ol’ pit bull-boxer grrrl started on a barking spree. I though little of it at first. She does have a propensity towards doggie co-dependence. I continued my weed therapy as the dwindling rays crept deeper behind the western tree line.

“Owrooo!” This she followed with a snort.

“Hi, sweetie. Yes, you’re a pretty girl.” Five minutes passed.

“Owrooo-rawf-rawf!” She stamped her massive front paws for added emphasis.

“Look,” I snapped, waving a clutch of two-foot long annoyances. “There’s a lot more of these than there are of you. Take a number, kiddo!” Now she was staring intently towards the driveway which was out of my view. Thirty seconds passed.

“Arooo-arr-arr-arr!!!” Now she was leaping onto the remnants of the former house’s raised cement deck and straining to bring her chained electric co-op cable spool with her. More frantic barking. WTF?!? This now required investigation.

As I carefully maneuvered a damaged spine, growing belly, and subsequently off-kilter center of gravity into an upright position, I heard the high-pitched, shrill screams from the driveway. Big Grrrl’s daughter was playing with a small living creature. I quickly hurried to the other dog, shooing her away from her tiny, terrified prey.

“Shorty” is an injured baby cottontail rabbit. S/he is napping comfortably right now in my all-too-ample cleavage. Not yet aware that my domain is back up, initial discussion has already begun over @ Newsvine. If Shorty makes it, there will likely be a separate article written. Stay tuned!

I’ve been avoiding writing a new entry for several days. Thirteen years ago an old sponsor recovered. Tomorrow that anniversary rolls around again.

My friend’s server, where this neglected excuse of a domain currently resides, was down for several days last week. This was during Memorial Day weekend. I wanted so badly to be able to just let it all flow - all the loneliness, sorrow and pain - here in this damned blog, but was unable to. Instead, this was my only available outlet. Did it help calm these feelings of detachment and isolation? No, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this entry.

It’s not just that I’m missing Tommy and the Beltway 12-step crew. It’s not that I have next to no real-time interactions with other adults, recovering or “normal.” It’s not that tire and lube shops don’t operate on Sundays so that I can justify attending the nearest UU service which is roughly a 100 mile round-trip. It’s not that McDonald’s hardly serves any foods without glutens even though that’s the only family-friendly place to catch a quick bite while a second-rate auto shop fucks my family’s budget to the tune of over $200.

It’s not that the central A/C is borked and we’ve been forced to deal with praying for whatever cool breezes might grace an upholstered sweatbox which has no cross-ventilation. It’s not that I can’t run the dishwasher until some faulty kitchen wiring is fixed - and that my guys are seriously domestic housework-impaired. There is an automatic dishwasher. Her name is Chris…

It’s not that I can’t do laundry at reasonable hours because the humidity exuded from the dryer is stifling. It’s not that I can only bake during the wee hours also, because of the comfort issues. It’s not because of the sinus and chest nastiness I’m fighting, thanks to pollens and dust wafting through constantly open windows. It’s not that being four months pregnant prevents me from seeking OTC relief.

It’s not that I’m frustrated with life on life’s terms.

It is that I’m pissed off with the current terms of my life. I’m tired and hurting, both in body and spirit. I want to be left the fuck alone, but that’s probably not such a good idea. God/dess, please help me.

Inspiration: Nobody’s Home
Lyrics: Pink-Floyd-Lyrics.com
Artist: Pink Floyd
Album: The Wall

I’ve got a flash drive with my site and blog in.
Got a rural home with my kids and pets in.
When I’m a good girl, they sometimes grant me some peace in.

I got knit socks keeping my feet warm.
Got those stiffened hand blues.
Got online streamed crap to numb out what’s left of my brain.
This sole monitor light
Gives me eye-strained sight.
And reminders of a life left behind.
And that is how I know
When I try to get through
Via messenger to you
There’ll be nobody on.

I’ve got straight hair flowing down my back.
And too many cat claw snags
All down the sleeves of my black satin Pink Floyd coat.
I’ve got nicotine stains on my fingers.
And a cup of cold coffee sitting there
On the old ‘puter table which props up my mortal remains.

Malaise makes my lip curl
As I fight the urge to hurl
When all I need is a laugh.
Ooooh, Babe when Trillian’s on

All my compadres are gone.

I’ve got virtual spring rolls to share
But as usual, no one’s there.

So, do you feel like becoming anyone’s online pet today? No? Neither do I, but that’s exactly what someone (who really should have known better) tried to turn me into. This gaffe was attempted through the unnamed individual adding a CommentCherry.com application called Own Everyone to his MySpace page. This OpenSocial app is yet another piece of internet detritus spawned by CherryTap.com.

Now, I don’t know which aspect I find more offensive:

1. that people would believe pimping out their friends under the mistakenly assumed guise of “harmless fun” is anything but anti-social, not to mention downright insulting!
2. that any app with OpenSocial’s clawmarks anywhere near it can be trusted as benign

Sure, these kinds of insidious bullshit are rife throughout many social networking sites. Also rampant is the degree in which participation - especially where 3rd party apps are concerned - poses a ripple-down security risk.

If you’ve got a social network contact who’s fond of such insipid cattle-mentality nonsense and/or who’s chronically clueless, do yourself and the rest of your contacts a public service. Delete the hapless wonder before they cause you and your friends unimaginable grief. Internet privacy and security is everyone’s concern.

As for the rest of the idiots, freaks and trolls… Let the bodies hit the floor!

Stagnation. Flux. Reflux. Lance, drain, disinfect, let it heal.

Yeah, it’s been a lot like that lately. Still pregnant and just passed the 11 week mark. First trimester is quickly drawing to a close, but tell that to my crazy hormones. They’ll argue with you. Yesterday’s WIC appointment with the county nutritionist revealed that I’ve only gained a quarter of a pound since April 1st. I hated to tell her that on the 1st I was wearing a sweatshirt, denim jeans and heavy-duty cross-trainers on the scale vs. yesterday’s tee shirt, cotton shorts and sock-clad feet.

The nutritionist and I spoke about my dietary challenges. This pregnancy has already proven to be taxing in that respect. I’m still not medically diagnosed with Celiac disease. However, there is a family history of Celiac and gluten intolerance. I’ve been as gluten-free as possible for nearly a year- and my overall health has improved because of this. However, being unable to ease bouts of nausea by munching dry Cheerios or saltines is the pits. This chick can only eat so many tortilla chips without wanting to inflict damage. I’d kill for a bagel right about now.

I’m relieved that the worst of this season’s rains seem to be behind this region now. We had some crazy flooding with the last major round on the 10th. Several residents in lower lying areas had to be evacuated, their homes invaded by more than two feet of creek water and most bridges impassable. A few motorists - including at least one local First Responder - found themselves in life-threatening situations. Ironic thing is that this First Responder was en route to a stranded motorist call. Thank goodness everyone survived the deluge. Material items are generally replaceable. Decent neighbors and good friends are not.

Speaking of loved ones… Finally heard from him. It’s all good. Insanely busy, but good. That’s what he gets for taking up housekeeping with a new paramour and her child. He seemed in great spirits, though. As long as she treats him decently she’ll have no worries from me. He’s been through enough already. All I want is to know that he’s happy and healthy regardless of with whomever he chooses to share his daily life.

Okay, time to post this entry. Me sitting on my duff and tapping away at the keyboard isn’t getting my signature potato salad made for tomorrow’s pig roast at the town VFD. I’m actually excited about this gathering. The past several months haven’t been easy for this area. We’re all long overdue for some much deserved community fun time.

The post below was written in response to one of my group’s members who believes that one of his accounts has been compromised. It’s cross-posted here and elsewhere because:

1. I get tired of re-writing these types of 101s.
2. I don’t need tons of .txt files taking up my valuable hard drive space.

Dear reader, if you already know this material, then give yourself a pat on the back. You’re already ahead of the curve. ;oD

---

Thanks for the alert. There’s far more to keylogging and brute force cracking than stated in the initial post. The info below is written for everyone’s benefit. Online security and privacy affects us all. A compromised account is a potential liability which can extend far beyond the scope of a single individual.

Script kiddies are a dime a dozen, and easy to thwart. One simple, common sense approach is to have a single email address which is used exclusively for online account registrations and NOTHING else. Protect this info diligently and never post it publicly anywhere!

Personal email - communications between folks with whom one actually wants to interact - are best managed from yet another separate email account, ideally through a different host than the one used for account registrations. Make it implicitly clear to your personal contacts that mass forwards and other nonsense are not appreciated. Each stranger who gets access to either your personal or registrations-only addresses increases EVERY listed recipient’s liability exponentially.

A third separate email account is suggested for online group items such as eDigests and newsletters. Since most groups generally tend to be lax on protection of members’ info, including visibility of email addys, expect at least a little spam.

All email accounts should have full message headers enabled. This gives pertinent info such as IP addresses to and from, and other server/handling data. Note: Gmail does NOT have full header display controls! Other email hosts’ controls can usually be accessed through one’s Account Options section. Check your email provider’s Help/FAQ documentation for specific info.

By far, the most effective means of protecting any internet account is through the use of strong passwords. These should be at least eight characters in length and contain both letters and numerals (alpha-numeric). Passwords are CaSe SeNsItIvE and most keyloggers used by one’s garden variety script kiddie are usually not sophisticated enough to detect use of the Caps Lock key. When formulating your password, hit the Caps Lock key, enter your desired password, then hit Caps Lock once more to toggle it off again. Once your password is set you will have to use this keying sequence every time you log on. Using the Caps Lock strategy is simple and really doesn’t take long to become habit, honest.

Hope these tips help. Need more? Just shout.

Namaste’ - Chris / fugi

If anyone knows the origins of this image, please give me a shout. I’ve been wanting for years to give its creator proper credit. FYI, this is as close to a general announcement that will appear. November. So far, so good. ;oD

Been somewhat active on Newsvine lately. There are several discussions being tracked upon which I have not commented. One topic in particular, strikes some very deep chords within me: racism. I just don’t get the general mindset of bigots. Never have, despite polarizing personal experiences which would probably sway some folks to hate everyone. For those so inclined, please see my beginning video commentary @ Dr. Seuss’ classic, The Sneetches…

Multiply-wise… I’m more than a little bent to find that some people are pushing for Multiply to join the Open ID clusterfuck. Pardon my language. I am vehemently opposed to this proposition- can ya tell?

Comments from the unwashed masses… On “Everyone” posts to MP, unless an individual is registered here I don’t give a rip what they want to say. This is precisely why my general blog is on Multiply. This is also precisely why my personal blog is a WordPress stand-alone added to my domain.

If I wanted to subject myself to the unwashed masses out in the Big Room I would attend Burning Man. If I wanted to subject myself to every John/Jane Sixpack with internet access I would be a proponent for Open ID/Open Social.

If Multiply opts to incorporate Open ID into their services, I pray they’ll have the presence of mind to enable registered members with the ability to block posts from those accessing MP reply functions via Open ID channels vs. directly through a registered Multiply account. Case in point: Blogger, which allows replies 1) anonymously (no!), 2) optional info fields (still “anonymous”- no!), or 3) through a registered Blogger or Open ID (ex. Google) account.

I think I’m safe in stating that there are plenty of us here on MP who got fed up long ago with being sold-out wholesale elsewhere for the convenience or profit of others. Give us a break, already.

Just checked the MUDS discussion again. If Multiply goes the OpenID route, I will have little use for this service. Who wants to start swapping .rss info for mutual tracking of those within our MP networks? Think I’m joking? Guess again, friends. Shutting the hell up now. Thanks for reading.

This is not yet widespread knowledge. I’m anxious but guardedly happy. I don’t even want to put the “m” word out there. Heavens no- not the “m” word again…

It’s been said that fear is the opposite of faith. It’s also been said that faith without works is dead. Guess who’s doing a lot of praying and organizing?

Also, it’s a good thing I’ve finally embarked upon learning how to knit in the round. After finishing a few pairs of socks I’ll probably be knitting lots of very tiny items for a while. Looks like I’m going to need some double-pointed needles way smaller than 4mm! ;oD

It still never ceases to amaze me how so many people don’t learn from their misadventures. When these gaffes develop into a pattern with no tangible proactive measures implemented on the part of the hapless afflicted, these situations qualify under the new definition of insanity:

insanity - repeating the same dysfunctional behaviors
over and over, yet each time expecting
a different positive result

Case in point, a PM recieved from an individual whom I’ve helped - and attempted to educate - on various internet related personal matters for longer than I probably should have…

“Hi Honey, long time no hear from. I hate to ask you but I desperately need your help. I will even give you my phone number so we don’t have to type back and forth. This is kind of urgent because someone is putting mine and [a close relative’s] name all over the internet and I need to know the legalities, ramifications and if there is anything we could do about it.”

I’m not going to waste my time with lengthy explorations of this individual’s systematic self-sabotage. All I will say is that I’ve developed a mercenary attitude where such pleas are concerned. Want my skills? Fucking pay me. Guess what? Damned few could afford my fees to investigate, let alone clean up what boils down to other’s he said/she said bullshit.

One can’t seriously expect to consistently invite or perpetuate havoc-rich interactions online without putting themselves and others at risk, now can they? It’s time some people got a major reality check. I’ll break out my trusty clue-by-four pro bono. Otherwise, take the drama elsewhere.

Yikes. There’s some kind of funky paradigm shift occurring within the blogosphere, and most of it appears to be motivated by capitalism. Several blog hosts are switching gears in major ways. Granted, large-scale free hosting entails some formidable overhead. Everyone wants to get paid for something. The thing is that too many entities want to get paid for nothing.

“What the heck are you talking about, fugi?”

I’m glad you asked. Or didn’t. Anyway… Those of us who’ve been blogging consistently (and sometimes successfully) for any significant length of time can attest to the reality that those free providers have already potentially profited off of our work. Simply from the vantage point of a casual observer, seeing the number of page visits to some blogs is tough to discount. Bottom line is that internet-wise, site traffic equals potential profit to someone. However, it’s rarely the author.

So, why on earth would someone fork over their hard-earned money simply to blog unless this cost could at least be offset as a legitimate tax-deductible business expense? Aren’t there already enough consumerism-based blogs choking up channels ideally intended for meaningful communication?

The increase in the number of hosts on which I’ve already invested countless hours of time only to have my labors capitalized upon by corporate gluttons sickens me. Further exasperation comes by way of no-reply emails informing me that for only a few dollars a month I can enhance my experience of getting ripped off by a service that’s become little more than a bad joke.

No thank you. Game over. I’m not even going to bother logging into those host’s servers to delete my content. At this rate I don’t give a rip if it all eventually gets the axe. I will know that I had an active presence on those services- and so will others.

Doing for oneself can often be the most empowering, proactive form of getting even. I’m going to be copying and pasting years’ worth of blog entries currently hosted elsewhere to preserve what’s mine. I find that blogging in itself can be far more beneficial than incalculable time wasted with dozens of so-called mental health professionals. And blogging doesn’t cost me a dime!