No Joke

While tomorrow is April 1st, the concern about the Conficker Worm is no joke. On Sunday, 60 Minutes had a segment about this computer hacker worm.


From 60 Minutes: Lesley Stahl conversation with Steve Trilling, a Symantec vice president

"You sell the anti-virus, anti-worm stuff. I mean, how do I know you're not just saying, 'Go out and get this,' 'cause you sell it? I mean, you know… there's a sort of conflict of interest here," Stahl pointed out.

"Well look, Lesley, in 60 minutes we are blocking nearly 400,000 threats around the world. If you're goin' out on the Internet and you're not protected, it's like walkin' outta your house and leavin' the door open," Trilling argued.

I can't help but wonder how much of this virus is hyped by the companies like Symantec that sell anti-virus software. They certainly benefit by mass panic.

I have noticed some phishy emails from "Facebook Friends" as well as suspicious messages on my FaceBook account. At least 90% of my emails are junk (or worse). Spam filters only do so much. I have a rule of thumb, "When in doubt Junk it out"

I have decided to stay away from FaceBook & Twitter for awhile as I see more potential for harm than good.

It's been fun while it lasted.

Spring has Sprung

I had to get outside today before it rains and the temperatures drop. I had to get a photo of the first flowers to pop up. I think these flowers may have morphed from Paperwhites into a Paperwhite/Yellow Daffodil Hybrid. My uncle had sent us some Paperwhite bulbs that were all white the first year. The next two years they have been popping up with a yellow center.

I can't wait for my Tulips to pop up!

Sum It Up Sunday - All A-Twitter

Finally Jumped On The Band-Wagon

This past week, I finally set up a Twitter account. As if I didn't have enough time-sucking hobbies on the web! I'm still trying to make sense of it all. The 140 character limit can be maddening. Also the frequency of some vs the infrequency of others can be overwhelming. I'm not yet sure how to use this tool.

I guess it's good for when I have a tidbit that is short, even by Friday Fragment standards or if I want to try to draw attention to a post or event.

Barack's Teleprompter

A friend sent me a link to a new blog, http://baracksteleprompter.blogspot.com/ which is a smartly written blog from the point of view of the President's teleprompter, TOTUS. While much of the humor is over my head, I still feel a bit guilty for following it.

The blog is written by Mark Hemingway who is a writer for the National Review, a vehicle for the Republican Party. I wonder if "The Big Guy" reads this new blog. If so, does he find it entertaining?


Bad Momma's Secret to Housecleaning

I let my middle-son invite a friend from school over yesterday. The rules are simple. If you want to invite a friend for a "play date", you must help clean the house.

Works like a charm. We need to entertain more often.

Media Overload

Between blogs, websites, FaceBook, LinkedIn and Twitter, I have 9 places to post information on the internet. I have maxed out my ability to disseminate tidbits of creativity and knowledge.

On that note, time for my caffeine infusion so I can make it through the day!

Happy Spring!!!!

Pop-Up Ad ( or should I say "Plump-Up" ?)

I saw this ad pop up in my email browser. My first thought was "Allergic Reaction".

Then I wondered if this is a real result or some good Photoshop work.

Is this a good thing? Who wants lips this big? Is this a "Lip Plumper Gone Bad" Result?

Do you or someone you know use a lip plumper? What do you think about this ad?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Sum It Up Sunday - Birthdays, Bicycles & Barbies, Oh My!

Topping off the birthday list: My baby turned 8 on Friday! No bad luck here! We decided to make it a birthday weekend with just the family. Friday we went to Colin's favorite restaurant for dinner. We were going to go shopping afterwards but it was late and we went toy shopping on Saturday. The older two boys wanted to buy their brother a gift and have him help pick it out. As we were wandering the aisles, I stumbled upon the Barbie collection.
Both Barbie and I turn 50 this year; although that Biotch looks soooo much better. note to self: get name of her plastic surgeon!

I decided I want a Barbie for my birthday next month. Is that weird? Having all boys, I miss out on all the princess and Barbie stuff.

As I scanned the aisle, there were so many cool choices: Tatoo Barbie, Birthday Barbie with an extra pink tiara for a human friend, Barbie in her Pink Bedroom, Pool Party Barbie.......my head was swirling. Too many options.

And then I saw her. The one I must have. A vision of gold and sparkly lovlieness. I want her!!!! 50th Anniversary Barbie
And then I looked at the price tag. $50! Holy crap! How do I justify this????

What to do? Maybe I'll have a Barbie themed party with a Barbie Cake ( I saw the cutest one in Meijer!)...... hmmm... I have a month to mull this over.
Speaking of birthdays.... This month I celebrate my second year of blogging. I'll have to do a special post. Not one of those 100 things about me. Just a simple year in review /bloggy lessons I learned this past year.





Spring is Almost Here!
We had a brief Spring-like day on Tuesday and I went for a bike ride with Alex. It's been a while since I had any real exercise. I was a bit sore afterward; especially going up and down the stairs!
note to self: better start getting in shape, summer is just around the corner.



Another WTF ?- On Thursday we started getting a series of unanswered phone calls, 8 in all from a phone number we didn't recognize. We were also left two puzzling messages on the machine.
The 1st message was left Thursday afternoon from a man wondering why our number showed up on his wife's phone. The 2nd message came at 12:05 a.m. on Friday morning when we were
sleeping. This time from a woman who was curious who we were. She saw our number in her caller ID & didn't recognize it.
The only possible explanation I could think of was the number I misdialed a week ago. I only let it ring 2 times before hanging up. TWO RINGS. I didn't hang up on anyone when they answered. I just let it ring twice before realizing I may have dialed the wrong number! The owner of that phone called back & I already said "Sorry, I dialed the wrong number."

WTF??? I was going to call them back at 6:30 a.m. but my husband stopped me and warned me not to call them. Instead my hubby called our carrier(Time Warner) to check the numbers they called from to see if we had called them.

Time Warner only showed the 8 calls they made to us. None to them. WTF? If it is the lady I spoke to last week, it was a different number. WTH did I call? Why would someone be that obsessed with a single unrecognizable number?

I was ready on Saturday to answer our phone but the calls stopped. As much as I want to call them back, I agree with my husband this is not a good idea. Then there would be a record of us calling them AND I'm not sure what kind of whackos we are dealing with.

Fill'er Up!


Finally, gas prices on still fluctuating below $2! I took this photo on Thursday and yesterday the same station was a nickle cheaper at $1.79!

And that's the week in review..... and now time for a breakfast of birthday cake and coffee. Yum!

How to Fix Damn Near Everything

There's a great book with the same name, How To Fix Damn Near Everything by Franklynn Peterson, that is an "Easy-to-Follow Guide" to repairing all sorts of household items.

But that is not what this post is about....

I have been having issues at work with an automatic overhead door that has seen better days. The tenant before me must have left the latch locked in place when using the opener and there is a huge dent and rip in the top panel. The bottom panel is also dented by what looks like either a bad or impatient driver (that was not me!).

The end result is a door that gaps a bit on the sides.


The Repairman Cometh
For the second time in 5 months, a repairman was called in to see why the door is starting to slip during the last inch of closing. I was worried about further heat loss as well as critters sneaking in at night.

After tinkering a bit with the drive train, the workman focused his attention on the warped door. Using a combination of fist, hammer & feet, he employed a method I like to use at home. One that always gets me in trouble with my husband. A little trick I like to call...
"The Kicking The Crap Out of It Until It is Fixed Method"


Guess what? It works!!!
Next time I do this at home, I think I'll include a repair bill for $85 an hour! That ought to get me some respect!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Owly

Wordless Wednesday about a Wordless Book!

Friday Fragments - WTF Moments

wtf moment	41 up, 1 down
	A moment where something so surprising or ridiculous happens that the onlooker can only exclaim "wtf?!". I was sitting down at the table for our formal dinner when this dude with aviators, a flannel shirt, and a mullet walked in. It was the ultimate wtf moment. by sixoclockshadow May 12, 2005 share this

There's a dictionary for that!
I found the above definition in the Urban Dictionary after writing about my 1st WTF moment of the week. I was curious if "WTF Moment" was being used and googled the term. I discovered the Urban Dictionary and fell out of my chair lmao while reading some of the definitions. Definitely worth perusing when you have some extra time on your hands!

If U Seek Amy.. and you find her, ask her if WTF is swearing.

Right after I posted about my WTF Moment, I saw a segment on the news about a young boy who was fed-up with his friends swearing to be cool. He started a No Cussing Club and has become a media darling and famous overnight.The club has over 20,000 members.

Don't think they're gonna let me in.....

Elmo??? WTF?!!!

"Grandparents Say Elmo Toy Spouts Inappropriate Message"

This was a featured story this week in our local news. Something about Elmo asking a child for sex.

Sorry, Wrong Number

Last night I realized I had miss-dialed a phone number just as it was ringing. I quickly hung up when I realized my mistake. Two minutes later my phone rang.

"Hello"

"Yes. Someone just called my number???"

"Um, that would be me. I'm sorry, I realized I had miss-dialed."

"Oh .....*click*"

WTF??? What was I supposed to do, wait & leave a message???? I always assume when I don't recognize a number that called and hung up, that it either was a wrong number or not important. Next time "someone I accidentally called and didn't leave a message for" calls me back I'm gonna pretend I'm a charity and ask for a donation.

How about The Sisters of Perpetual Motion Home for Wayward Children???

Final WTF Moment of the Week...

Drum roll please..... and the WTF of the day goes to Colin, my youngest, for waiting until I am dropping him off in the carpool lane at school this morning to realize he left his backpack at home.

WTF? The thing weighs 20 lbs, Colin! I swear the kid would forget his head if it wasn't attached!

(reminds me of the time his older brother went to school without his shoes... but that's a whole other story.)

Wordless Wednesday - Texting For Babies

(Devon let a baby friend use his phone; something about needing to make a deal on E*Trade)

WTF Moment

I came home to this lovely offer sitting on the kitchen table. My DH (this time the D is not for dear) not only opened my mail but neatly left this money-saving proposal on top of my reading pile. Even though he was not here at the time, I imagined the smirk on his face.* (think I can get him for tampering with my mail?)

A.A.R.P.?!!!! W.T.F.???

In another month I will be half a century old, 5 decades, 5o Fabulous Years Young! Other than a few more gray hairs, wrinkles and aches, I feel pretty good and not much different from my 30's. I am no where near retirement age.

Or am I????

My back is starting to ache, I feel extra frown lines forming and I swear I just felt another patch of hair turn to gray.


I just had a Senior Moment.

Thank you A.A.R.P.!

*the reason my hubby thinks this is so amusing is that he is 1 1/2 years younger than me. (I look years younger, though.) ;p