Malware - Part 3

Again, let me reiterate the fact that I am by no means an expert on the issue. I don't claim to be. What I do tend to be is patient and capable of explaining technical jargon into laymen terms. That is what folks say to me. That I explain things to them that they can more readily understand.

My brain is going a million miles a minute this morning. Is it the coffee? is it fluctuating hormones? I have no idea. As I research this malware - Part 3 was to be "How they infect" I started pasting notes into notepad and there is just so much to tell all of you.

I need to slow down or I am going to lose you.

Big breath.

The first line in my notes reads "Gator". When I was troubleshooting somebody's "Internet connection" as being slow or problematic I would routinely look in their taskbar for that god-awful icon of a gator or weatherbug. 

What is the taskbar? It is that blue or gray bar (usually) at the bottom of your screen that lets you know what time it is, what day it is and what software is running in the background and what windows /tabs you have open and where to find your START button. This may have all changed with Windows 7. I have not worked with Windows 7 long enough to see what it has at the bottom of the screen. Also, if you run a Mac this post probably does not pertain to you.

Now, why would the two programs bother me? Because back in the day they were adware/spyware programs. A sure sign that the end user had fallen for the gimmick while surfing the Internet that "weather bug" could save your life! It would alert you of any dangerous weather in your area or coming your way. It was cute, it gave you the temperature at a glance. Sigh.

What the end user did not realize is that it also monitored every move they made on the Internet. Search for the word "cell phone" and you can bet money that you would start receiving popups that tried to entice you into purchasing a cell phone. That is why when you are surfing the Internet and a few hours or even minutes after you research a product you start seeing pop up ads in your browser. And you think "WTF?" How do they know? Well, it is machine code. Quick and dirty. Lightning fast. This little "free" and cute program called weather bug seems harmless enough. It just wants to save your life, eh? 

You can read more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WeatherBug

Secretaries in the school would panic and tell me "Don't delete weather bug! My principal said we have to  keep that to alert us of impending weather!" Double sigh.

And I can't write a post on malware without mentioning the evil of all evils. Gator. I was relieved to see this little icon disappear from end user's taskbar through the years. Until I did some research for this post. I just discovered that Gator has changed it's name to Claria. Some of my research may be outdated but it is still a good read and will help to educate you on what malware and drive by downloading is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gator

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.12/spyware.html

http://www.pcpitstop.com/gator/default.asp

My second note in my list says "Privacy Policy". How many of you actually read this when downloading software? Pages and pages of legal jargon that will make you go blind. Nobody? I didn't think so. You can read about it some more here:

http://www.safeshopping.org/privacy.shtml

I had more stuff in the list, but this is enough to digest for now. One little analogy I would like to mention. When you drive your car (I am always comparing operating a computer to operating a vehicle), sometimes you get careless and you hit that chuck hole. You try to avoid this but once in a while we get in a hurry.

This can be similar to clicking on a pop up inadvertently. Do you ever notice that sometimes when you go to browse and you are reading away and you move your cursor up the screen to click on a link or a picture or to go somewhere else,  and a split second before you click -  a stupid pop up jumps up and you click it instead of the link or picture you intended? That is NO accident. The software is designed that way to get you to click on that pop up. And, poof! You may have just become a victim. That one little click may have installed spyware or adware on your computer. Like a chuck hole the damage may not be apparent right away but come later over time.

I know. What is an end user supposed to do? Drive carefully. Browse carefully. There is a reason that browsers update their programs. Because malicious individuals with malicious intent always find a way to worm their way into the code of the browser and take advantage of the average surfer. Update or check for updates on your browser often. Most browsers will alert you when there is an update to their product. If not, you can usually find it under the "Help" pull-down menu or in the Tools area. To find what version of the browser you are currently using, click on the Help pull-down menu and choose About Firefox (or whatever browser you prefer to use).

Ditch IE. That's right. I said ditch Internet Explorer. It is the most used browser in the world and the one most targeted by malicious code writers.

I hate toolbars - Malware - Part 2

Toolbars are evil. If you have problems with your computer and you have installed a toolbar (Yahoo/Google or other) you may have unknowingly installed a malicious toolbar that disguises itself as a legitimate toolbar. How do you know the difference? I have no idea. I steer completely away from them.

For part 2 of malware I have cheated. The definition of malware (and other yucky stuff) is better described at this link:  http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2004/11/malware.ars

I use malwarebytes and scan my computer about once a month. I find very few problems, I think Norton has started taking care of everything, I don't know. The link for the free software is here: http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Download or buy. I don't buy, I have been happy with the free one. I am not certain what the purchased copy would entail. Maybe it shows you pictures of them slapping malware creators around. Hmmm. I might pay money for that. 

Malicious software (malware). In a nutshell and with that link above you should be able to research the definition. I did a little bit of part 3 also (how they infect) - with bogus toolbars. Part 4 will be why they infect.  Then part 5 - what you can do (malwarebytes.org). If I make it that far. I may get bored (I think I already am).

On another note - I did have to go to that school today. The tech person (she) really ticked me off. She was so helpless. She has been doing this job for years, now. She lost her help and school begins next week so I imagine her panic mode is due to stress or a big chip on her shoulder or both. She wanted me to come down and wave a magic wand. It was not going to happen. Lightning storms are a bitch on electronics. School administrators - that is the cold hard fact. You buy cheap equipment, it fries like bacon in a hot skillet. This school is full of cheap equipment. I am sorry. I know they need (want) to save money - but it never pays in the long run to buy cheap stuff. Especially electronics.

HP (hewlett packard) makes switches with a lifetime warranty. LIFETIME warranty, folks! Needless to say, I rarely have to send one back because it does not die or fry. I actually do not even think they are that much more expensive than some of the generic models. Most of the cheaper ones are out of business. There is a reason for that. 

Back to the tech. She was negative on every suggestion I gave her. I was not even able to finish my sentences before she was nay-saying it with "Can't do that!"  or "No, they won't have it!"  Finally I threw up my hands and said "Then, I can't help you."  She will probably call my director and say I was unwilling to help. That is her method of operation. 

She gets no extras from me or my co-workers. We are tired of listening to her whining and her negativity. If somebody is willing to try and work with me I will bend over backwards for them. I will research a problem into the wee  hours of the night. I will read until my eyes are dry and I can't hold my head up. Not this lady. I smiled all the way out to my car. I really wanted to scream "YOU STUPID BITCH!"  I waited until I was 100 feet down the road and then screamed it out to my windshield.

Sigh. Tomorrow is another day.

I got sidetracked

I am still researching the malware issue. I do not like to talk about something unless I do my research first.

I got sidetracked anyway. Today I got a call from a school. The tech person thinks they have a fiber connection problem. I asked her if she would take one of the questionable fiber cable and plug it into a working transceiver. She said she knew nothing about fiber and wouldn't touch it.

For the record - the equipment I am responsible for is working fine. I am not responsible for this schools' fiber optic cable connection. She got huffy with me. As they tend to do when the pressure is on. She lost her help and school starts in one week. She is under pressure.

Sigh. I know I will have to drive the thirty miles one way to plug the cable in and test it. A huge waste of tax payers money if you ask me. If it does not work in the "good" transceiver then she is going to have to call in professional fiber optic workers to replace it.

The cable she will have to unplug is the round ones pictured above. You slide the silver cover down and turn it so that the notch slips off. There is no "electrical" bite or danger. As long as you don't look into the beam of light coming from the other end.

I know my manager will send me out there. Meanwhile, my work is falling behind. Stupid storms!

Malware mindset

Above is a map I lifted from the Internet. You can read the article here.

First of all, let me reiterate the fact that I am by no means an expert on the issue. I don't claim to be. What I do tend to be is patient and capable of explaining technical jargon into laymen terms. That is what folks say to me. That I explain things to them that they can more readily understand.

How many of you (especially those of you still working) run across a tech person who rolls their eyes and snorts when they see you using the computer or come to help you with a problem? It sort of makes it hard to ask them for help again, doesn't  it?

I truly want to help people. I truly empathize with the average end user. I've made some crazy mistakes with the computer and I never put anybody down. For a tech person to help an end user and "LORD" over them is rude and just shows how ignorant they really are. Disclaimer: I do rib friends and family. I can't help it. That is who I am. I laugh "with" them - never AT them.

Now, for the mindset. I feel that this topic is too massive to bore you to tears with one post. So my first post will be about your mindset. Fear. Fear of the unknown.

Let us step back into the past and think of the automobile. When it first came out on the market. Did anybody foresee all the accidents that would happen 100 years later with the advent of this machine that we cannot live without? Once you start driving a car, do you just say - "Oh, it's too dangerous, I am going to quit."  Not likely. Of course there are the few that do stop, but it is not common. Once we begin driving we are hooked. It is a necessity to live in our part of the world. 

The computer seems to have become a necessity, also. Like it or not. A lot of folks would say "Buy a Mac - then all your (virus/malware) problems will disappear."  Again, not likely. Reverting back to my automobile analogy what if people told you "Buy a diesel, your fuel pump problems will be a thing of the past!"  How many of us would ditch our gasoline-fueled vehicles and opt for a diesel? Eh? Yeah. That's what I thought. If everybody purchased a Mac (Apple product) then the devious attackers would just focus on a way to infiltrate that machine. Thieves find a way.

This ends my first post on malware. Your mindset. Is there a solution? Not likely. Just as there is no solution to the vehicle accidents that happen all the time. Your best defense is to be vigilant. You take a risk each time you drive your car. You take a higher risk if you drive your car without insurance. If you run your computer without anti-virus you are being foolish. I am not convinced that the "free" anti-virus programs are worth the risk. I could be wrong. I purchase Norton Anti-virus religiously and update it. I purchase the 3-pack license and put it on all my computers. Note: I am not an advocate of their 360 product, however they may have improved it since I ran it on my machine.

McAfee/Kaspersky/Sophos/Trend Micro and many other products are surely just as good. I prefer Norton because that is what I was first exposed to when I began working with personal computers. Problems? Sure. But they were ironed out and Norton went above and beyond to help me and then they throw in an extra 100 days or something equivalent to compensate you for your trouble. That's kind of hard to beat in my book.

With that being said - a virus is different from malware. Your better antivirus programs will protect against both.

To be continued.

Big Brothers

Isn't it nice to have a big brother? I like in the picture how the older brother is still supporting the back of his little brother's head and neck. This one is from my party on the 2nd of July. I don't think I shot the photo because the date does not look like one shown on my camera's pictures.

The Cloudmaker

When I drive to Coshocton I always look for the cloud maker.

The issue with this factory though, is the smell. Ugh! It stinks.Back in the mid 70's I worked as a short order cook in a restaurant. Every Friday we would get steak delivered fresh. It came in a cardboard box and blood always soaked the box. That smell has stayed with me for years. I believe this is the reason I could not eat steak for years after becoming an adult. Well, I also worked at Ponderosa Steak house for one summer after the cook job. (Long before the buffet era). I guess both combined turned me off of steak for about twenty years.

Now? I can't get enough steak! Yum! I'll take mine medium, please. NO SAUCE! If a steak is fixed correctly it needs no sauce. If I get a lousy tasting steak I will add a little Worcestershire sauce, but that is all. And then I won't return to that establishment.

Still dealing with pain but not near as bad as before. In fact I thought the worst was over until I took a swig of my hot coffee this morning. Searing pain! I thought my head was going to pop off. LOL! I can laugh now because the pain has abated. Big sigh.

Tuesday morning I sat here (I had another vacation day - great planning!) and at 8:00 I called the dentist and they told me to come right over. As soon as I got there my pain disappeared. Don't you hate that?! I think the dentist thought I was a nut case. Except he has been seeing me for over ten years and I have never had to come in for an emergency before. Well, they took x-rays and that started the pain. I was near tears. He explained roots and gums and nerves to me and I just wanted to cry. In other words, he could not see anything wrong. He wrote me a prescription for an anti-biotic that aims for the tissues inside the body. I guess I will get that filled today and begin taking it. The z-pack is long gone. My ear still hurts but may just be a side effect of this tooth/jaw issue.

The dentist also mentioned another mouth guard. He made one for me years ago (about $500) that insurance did not cover. I may have used it one week. I hated it. This one would be spongier he said. We decided to wait on this.

Edith Ann

My grand great nephew and niece sitting in the Adirondack chair at the motel.

One of my nephews got a photo of me in the chair (Edith Ann style) when we first got there. He showed it to everybody. I pretended to delete it. He grabbed the cell phone off of me. I got my wish. Later during the night he jumped into the pool with the phone in his pocket. That photo will never see the light of day again. 

He was also escorted to his room by the security guard. It was 4:00 a.m. when he was in the pool. The others must have left him or got out when the security guard found them. They jumped the fence.

Think about it. 30 people. Most of us went to bed. I counted at least 2 bottles of vodka, one bottle of gin, one bottle of cinnamon schnapps, one bottle of bourbon and one bottle of something else I never did get the name of. And folks - this was before the real drinker arrived. She was running late and I heard tell she brought the makings for White Russians and cherry vodka. This is not including the beer.

It may be needless to say, but two nephews did not make it to the reunion at all. Hangovers I understand. I have been there. I am not proud of it. One year I drank so many long island iced teas at this motel I ruined the next day (for myself) when the family drove to the New River Gorge bridge. I was still on the floor in the motel room because it hurt to lay in the bed. That seemed to do it for me. I have not been drunk since.

But to not come to the reunion when you did not drink? I am having a hard time with this issue. My daughter and her boyfriend came when we were finishing the reunion. I was livid.

Anyway - remember Edith Ann?

Mayhem

This is a photo of our first family reunion. We had our third Sunday. It is some sort of controlled chaos.

Edit:  Well, I thought  I had scheduled this post to show up on Sunday morning, but when it did not and I checked, it said it was just a draft. Oh well.

So tired from the trip. My jaw is not better. I finished the z-pack yesterday and I am in a lot of pain. I am just waiting for dentist and doctor office to open so I can start calling them to see who can see me first and find out where in the heck this pain is coming from.

malaise

I did go to the doctor's office. The doctor wasn't in. (Sounds like the beginning of a cheesy song). When I called they said that a nurse practitioner could see me. I said "Anybody!"

She diagnosed sinusitis. Whatever. I was given the above. I am in pain and I am grouchy to say the least. The Advil takes the edge off but I do get sick of taking it. I have not taken any today and I have been up for over 2 hours. I don't like to take medicine on an empty stomach and so far I only have coffee in my stomach.

My ear hurts, my jaw hurts. I find myself clenching my teeth during the day and at night. I relax the jaw when I realize that I am doing this, I think it is a brace against the pain. One neighbor said (before I told her I was ill) that the right side of my face looked swelled and she asked if I had a migraine. I told her that I had an earache that had moved into the right side of my jaw and teeth.

I also have had a condition that I rarely find others having. My gums itch when I am ill. Like insane itching. Like a mosquito bite that won't stop itching. It drives me nuts! I have been know to brush them raw when they itch like this. All of this on the right side of my mouth. Only the gums on the top itch. Never the bottom. The bottom right is the area where I just missed getting a root canal. The dentist stopped at the last minute and said "I don't think we need to do a root canal".  Sometimes I wish he had and it would all be over now because this is the area I have a lot of pain and trouble with.

At the time I saw the nurse, my throat did not hurt, but it does now. Another worry. As I age I believe I may be forming allergies. Sigh. I suppose I'll mention it to the doctor during my next visit. I get a stuffy nose often, my eyes hurt almost daily (not the red, itchy burning pain - a deep penetrating ache). They water like crazy sometimes, though. I don't sneeze but I often have an annoying cough.

I promised pics of the BBQ basket and I took some with my cell phone. Sorry if they are blurry or subpar.

I included a BBQ bug zapper, a hamburger press and the above apron in the basket. It is very heavy and full. I have to wrap it in cellophane yet and tie ribbons around it.

Here is the candy jar I made. Can you guess how many starburst candies are in there? I had to count them four times because I kept getting distracted. I figured two counts were the same and I went with that. Who is going to re-count anyway?

Basically, I am not getting much done in preparation for our week-end trip. I better get my rear in gear today. Time for toast and a dose of Advil. Is it just me or am I rhyming?

Toothpicks in the heat

I lifted this photo off the Internet. It took me a long time to find the hairstyle and I still did not get it exact. I work with many schools. About 45 separate districts. I work with the network technician and any help they may be fortunate enough to have. Although the photo above is a woman the hairstyle is similar to a guy I work with now and then.

He is as thin as a toothpick. We met on Tuesday at the high school to install some new equipment in his buildings. To save on gas I rode with him to the next building. No A/C. The little elementary building had no A/C running because the building is empty during the summer. The computer equipment was protesting loudly in a (90 degree Fahrenheit plus) little tiny closet.

I didn't give a rat's ass about the equipment right then.  I worked as quickly as I could. By the time I was done I was a mess. I was soaked with sweat. 

I am 51 and I believe I am starting the first stages of menopause. I was miserable to say the least. I saved the taxpayers a few dollars by riding with him but I swear - next time guys --  I may have to drive my own car.

Then on the way home from the high school I ran my A/C in my car full blast. 

I have had a very painful earache since Tuesday night. Sigh.

It is to the point where I feel that I need to visit the doctor. The pain woke me up Tuesday night. I've had cotton stuffed in my ear for two days. I always hated that feeling but do not care at this stage. My teeth on that side hurt something awful, too. They are very sensitive right now to cold/hot.

I do not have time for the doctor. I work in a another town forty miles away all day today. That leaves tomorrow. I have tomorrow off to begin my long week-end to prepare for my family reunion out of state. What do you think the odds are of me getting in to see her tomorrow on a Friday? Ha! I don't even think she works on Friday anyway. I have never had a Friday appointment. 

Then Saturday we leave for the reunion. I do not want a repeat of my fireworks party where I am sick and cannot enjoy the festivities. Ugh.

I can't miss today. I do not return to work until Wednesday of next week. This equipment must be installed today so that the school office can work. Administration staff works all summer to continue purchase orders, state paperwork and payroll. Just to name a few.

Besides, don't you just hate people who call off sick the day before their vacation or the day right after? I don't want to be that person!

Time for more Advil.

Rx

It is one of those weeks where the days zip by and I am not home in the evenings and time slips away and I get no computer time. I barely get time to do the necessities like taking care of the pets and washing clothes. There are not any dishes because I am not home long enough to dirty any except for a coffee cup or water glass.

I wanted to have my hair (roots) touched up before the reunion and I ran out of time to do it myself. I opted for a salon. A rare treat, indeed. Two main reasons. I don't get a migraine when they do it and it never goes "brassy" when they color it. Well, I didn't get the migraine.

I turn my cell phone off during appointments like this because I think that is annoying and rude to have a cell phone ring during anything like this. I finished and took my bright orange head out to the car and checked my messages. Hmmm. 3 missed calls and they were just five minutes ago.

My daughter did not answer her phone but her beau did. He handed the phone over to her. They were headed to the ER but since daughter was speaking to me on the phone and her beau was driving I assumed it was not too serious. She felt that she had a bladder infection and was passing blood.

Mom's don't hear much more in  a case like this. I just wanted to know one thing. Which hospital? It was the one in my town and I met them there. I was kind of skeptical of the ER visit because daughter has never been before and never had to wait while they see everyone else first.

The wait was over three hours. I told her it would be long.  I even took a break to go home to take the dogs out (my house is about 1/2 mile away) and got my cell phone charger. Even though my daughter was fighting an infection and was in some pain her beau and I spent about two solid hours going over our cell phones with updates and tests. 

With the reunion coming up I set up a group of texts to family so that I can keep them updated on our whereabouts during the drive down. For example, if our car caravan stops at lunch I want to let others know the time and location so that if they are within minutes of the restaurant, they can stop in also.

With over 10 cars going the same direction but not necessarily the exact same time and some drive faster than others and some of us have to stop more than others - I felt it would be nice to keep updates.

I sent a test text out Sunday morning. Out of 17 people, five answered right away. At 4 p.m. on Monday another five answered. All within a five minute time span. That leaves 7 not accounted for. One I know will never answer because I accidentally sent it to her home phone. Good luck with that one! I was a bit dismayed that quite a few got the message over 24 hours later. Well, that would not work. That is the reason we spent two hours performing software updates and tests.

Anyway, back at the ER. My daughter was diagnosed with a problem and it had moved to her kidneys. She was given medicine straight away and given two prescriptions. She is feeling much better, now. That was Monday evening.

While in the waiting room of the ER I observed people. There were two women in particular. One was robust and one was younger and thinner. Both had their tops literally bulging out of the tiny, skimpy shirts they were wearing. Both had small children.

Seriously. The robust one sat across from us for two hours and she had to bend over many times to pick up what her daughter dropped on the floor and I swore she was going to fall right out of her tiny top. I am still surprised I did not see a nipple. My daughter's beau and I gave each other looks like "Holy cow!" each time and my poor daughter was too out of it to notice anything.

The younger one was skinnier and had a younger baby but she was very exposed. I found it kind of amusing that the two with the exposed bosoms  were the ones with young children. As long as there are low cut tops, I guess the species will survive in some form or another.

Coming soon

This is the view from the top of the hill at our motel in WV. This photo was taken last year.

I broke down and bought the coffee. I had to go to wallet mart. I needed other (dry/paper) products. I rarely get my groceries there. I paid $9.78 for a 2 1/2 lb can. When I mentioned the price difference to the cashier she said "Yeah, but 'the grocery store'  has milk cheaper than we do."  She is correct. I guess it all evens out.

I picked up things for the BBQ gift basket that I am making for the reunion.

Gift baskets are a nice way to raise money for an event. Somebody creates a basket with a theme and there is a paper sack or a container for people to place a ticket in. They buy six tickets for five dollars or a dollar each and place the one half of their ticket in the container for that basket.  They keep the other half so they know the number on the ticket if it is called for the winner.

My daughter and I won a puppy basket and a movie basket at a fund raiser earlier this year. 

You can really get carried away. I will (of course) take pictures as I create and assemble the basket. My brother is doing a fisherman themed one, one sister is doing a ladies luxury basket, one a cookie basket, one a lottery and the other one a children's themed basket.

I found a nice basket at Jo-Ann Fabrics for $2. Marked down from $8. I purchased two of them and will give my brother one for the fishing basket. I picked up grilling chips, spatula and tongs, BBQ sauce and grilling seasonings and since Borders is going out of business stopped at Walden's (part of Borders) and found a book on grilling recipes for $4.

The object (at least for me) is to get creative with it and have fun! A lot of it is in the packaging and the display of the basket. The prettier and more attractive it is the better chance it has of getting more tickets.

What big ears you have!

A photo of Belle from a couple of weeks ago. She is changing rapidly. My daughter and her beau cannot see it because they see her every day all day. I see her once a week or so. Her nose is now twice as long, her ears twice as big, a huge tail, very long skinny SKINNY body and lovely almond shaped eyes. The vet says she will fill out. She eats like a horse, or like a growing German Shepherd puppy.

Ugh. my mouse battery is near dead. Sigh. I have a long list for the store today. Very long. I need everything. Double AA batteries and coffee for starters. Yes, my plan to drink coffee at work is fine except I did not take into consideration the week-ends. I had a wee bit left this morning and drank it all. Good to the last drop. I have the time to shop around today to find a better deal than I saw last week at the grocery store. The dollar store has it for $9.95 a 2 1/2 pound can. Maxwell House. Beats the grocery store price of $14.95. Sheesh!  Maybe I can find it on sale somewhere. Sigh. I hate shopping.

Misery loves company

I had a few items on my list of things to get at the grocery store. Coffee was on the list. I came home without it. My reasoning? I'll drink it at work! 

I figure Hell, I have headaches all the time anyway! At least not having my cup of java in the morning will give me a reason to have the headache. At least for a week or so.

I do get my caffeine fix once I get to the office. They have a basket for donations there. I have cut way back on my intake.

Headache? Yeah. But, how would I know if it is from caffeine withdrawal or just my daily nuisance? At least now I have a good reason to feel the pain.

Anyway, I found this mug on line and figured since my boxer has been on my mind a lot lately, I chose this one.

$14.59 for a 2.25 pound container of coffee, my ass!

I had no idea

What I was getting myself into. I have always picked up rescued mutts. Ones that have been picked over and left. Ones that nobody wants.

A pure breed (such as this boxer) is a high energy, multi-faceted creature. I feel sorry for him that he got stuck with me. He needs somebody who is on the go and can take him with them. Somebody who goes hiking, to the beach. I would love to see him run along the ocean shore.

Sigh. He does not need to be stuck with somebody who gets migraines all the time. I tried for weeks to find him a new home when I first found him. That was a fiasco. He is such an adorable animal.

Tired and still....nothing

I'm more or less melting just like the rest of you in this dreadful heat wave. Sticking close to the A/C indoors and hoping above all else that the unit does not falter. I was away visiting daughter yesterday afternoon and saw my stove light blinking when I came home. It did rain and storm a bit where I was at but we did not lose power there. 

I did need to boot my computer this morning and the system sounds like a jet engine. I have not had the motivation to take any photos. This one was taken in May in a mirror at work. I work by myself now in the office and I love it. My co-worker was a real nut case. I do not miss her one iota. I am sort of a loner, anyway.

I can see my camera from where I am sitting but have no idea where the battery charger is located. Canon cameras are mostly black and when the sun is this hot, you don't want anything black outside. 

My big dogs got their kennel cough (Bordetella) vaccinations yesterday. Cheech and Chong go in for theirs this Friday. I am boarding them somewhere new this year while we go to our family reunion in WV. They also were behind on distemper so they got their shot for that, also. Their papers are now ready for the new boarders.

We are going to vote on having the reunion on a Saturday next year. So many folks travel and "have" to be back to work Monday morning and they leave early on Sunday. I take both Monday and Tuesday off. Monday for traveling back home and Tuesday for resting. Yep. Every year I need to rest from my break. I do more work in one day of "vacation" than I do all week at work. That is probably because my job is very little physical activity anymore. 

I do have 10 fiber switches to install this summer/fall. They are about the size of...what? Bigger and much heavier than a VCR - maybe a heavy digital box that goes with your hi def TV? Something like that. I will try to remember to take pics.

I did get to spend some time with Cheech and Chong yesterday and it might be my imagination but I swear their eyes are imploring me to take them home. :(  It haunts me. Belle will be a huge German Shepherd and currently is their size. I think they realize that soon she is going to be the big Alpha dog in that house.

Since I was out and about yesterday that leaves today to try to clean up my house. I can find a phobia for fear of cleaning, but they mean bathing. I do not have THAT fear! Thank God! I do have phono/photo/ and osmo phobias. I feel that I am hypersensitive to sounds/light and smells.

There is a fear of the color of purple? Really?

Friday

Too tired to write anything. I can't think of anything. I was watching a recorded version of Morgan Freeman's "Through the Wormhole" and stayed up too late last night.

Plop!

In this blistering heat that is overtaking much of the country this week, here is wishing all of us a little relief - and soon. May your air conditioners remain functional.

I don't get to experience this often but my dogs almost knock me over trying to get back INTO the house with the A/C.

Still growing

I have approximately five moonflower plants growing. According to past posts they are full bloom by the first week in August. The shortage of rainfall this year may delay that, I don't know.

I transplanted one from the front of the house back to the west side of my house. That is where the original twelve or so plants were when I moved in. Fingers crossed that they build back up again.

I am not entirely positive how I am keeping them going. Just pure dumb luck. This one is in the front of the house and is from seed.

It is pouring the rain outside and lightning. My dogs will not budge off the back porch. You are not supposed to shower during a thunderstorm. It has been like this for 35 minutes. I am supposed to be getting ready for work. Headaches have been horrendous this past week because of the weather.

Things that I know for certain trigger my headache (whether migraine or cluster or tension):

strong smells especially clorox or most any cleaning product (hence why I do not clean often)

and perfume/cologne

bright lights

stress

loud sudden noises (fear of balloons)

stifling heat and/or hot sun

change in air pressure due to storm activity

lack of sleep or too much sleep

sometimes onions

hormonal changes

physical exertion - sometimes walking the dogs can be a pain, especially in the heat

laughing or coughing hard

too much caffeine or  caffeine withdrawal

Anesthesia side effects

multi-vitamins

skipping meals

dehydration

too much alcohol (naturally)

There are probably more, just can't think of them right now. I think the storm may be slowing down. Nope here it comes again. Sigh.

Macaroni Salad

I figure I have not posted any food pics since April, so here is my macaroni salad from my party. I add Ranch dressing and sweet pickle juice. I also slice up some of the sweet pickles in the salad and I add sliced green olives. As you can see here I also add little cherry tomatoes and celery but they are more for decoration.

I have a big day ahead of me. A few family members are getting together to tackle some weeds and shrub that have grown over at my Mom's house. She passed away in 2000 and we are still hanging on to the old place. It is in shambles but I think my oldest sister is ready to let it go, now. She bought the house in the sixties when she was in her early 20's for my Mom to live in. Prior to that we had to move around a lot as we were getting thrown out of places or the houses we lived in became condemned. Being the youngest I had the least exposure to this nomad lifestyle and I was able to benefit from the security of having a solid home since I was six years old. All thanks to my oldest sister and brother.

I do not fare well in the hot sun and the heat. We will see how it goes.

Panorama

I didn't even know my cell phone camera could do this. I was relaxing out in the back yard a few days ago and was messing with my cell phone and the camera. Left to right:  the very edge of my patio. My neighbor's duplex (two very sweet ladies live in them). My little gray house (with all the garbage cans - yes I am trashy). The road where you can see the duplex across the street. My other neighbor's house - two story gray (also super nice people, I am blessed!). The huge pine tree that provides us beautiful shade during the hot summer months. The little white house on the other side of my neighbor's house and my neighbor's garage with the orange/red wheel barrel leaning up against it.

Where in the hell are my dogs?

My Alien

Well, what did you expect? I've adopted just about every other creature known to man. How about a new species? Here he is hovering behind the chair that my cats are sleeping on.  I love how  perfectly formed his little hand is. It is a "he" isn't it?

Splish Splash

My grand/great nephew taking a bath at my sister's house. 

(His grandmother).

I got lost reading about Bobby Darin and now have no time for a post. I didn't have anything worthwhile to write about anyway.

No sleeping in this morning

I was trying to sleep past six a.m. My boxer was whining. Something had awoken me. As I finally dragged myself out of bed I noticed the oven clock and coffee pot clock blinking. Oh, the electric had gone off and back on. I think they are the only two clocks I have that are affected by electricity. Sigh. No wonder.

I really could go back to sleep. Not in bed. That is too hard. I can only nap or doze in the chair in front of the television. Maybe I will watch some television. I watched "The Fighter" with M Walhberg and C Bale. C Bale is  a strange duck. I do admire the way he is not typecast into one acting role. He branches out. I have only seen about six of his movies. He kind of creeps me out. It made me nervous to watch him in this movie. For some reason his character made me very uncomfortable.Perhaps it was the tendency to a violent outburst - the unpredictability of his actions. Even though it makes me uncomfortable, I love this in a character. To me that is art. Mark was also good but so predictable. Or rather, his character was.

I am not a boxer/fighter fan by any stretch of the imagination but I do like a good human interest story.

I really like M Leo and how she portrayed her character. I had seen her before in Frozen River. She played the mother of the two boys in The Fighter and she portrayed somebody very believable, very real in my opinion. She reminds me of somebody that drank and smoked and cursed a lot in life. Somebody for who the term "rode hard and put away wet" could apply.

I cannot finish this post without a shout out to A Adams. I thought she did very well, also. I've seen six of her movies also and am pleasantly surprised with her ability to change into character, also. She does tend to look the same however, but at least she uses an accent, a personality change, etc.. in her roles. I consider it good acting when I am reading the movies they have made on imdb.com and come across a movie I had seen and am like "She was in THAT movie? As what character? No way!" Then when I re-watch the move, "Oh, I see her, now." Such was the case with Amy in "Catch Me if You Can".

Did I ever tell you that I went to a seminar in 1979 and the speaker was none other than F Abagnale, Jr.? A few years back my nephew was telling me the story of this movie he had watched and I got a strange feeling of deja-vu. As I listened, something inside me began to click. What? This sounds so familiar to me! Then it hit me. The speaker I had listened to in 1979 told his story and in 2002 they made a movie of his life. Very strange for me.

Introducing....

Belle.

Lest you think I have gone off the deep end, relax. This is my daughter's boyfriend's new puppy. When my daughter moved in with him she took Cheech and Chong with her. They have a big two story house and plan to fence in the back yard. My daughter and her boyfriend worked out their problems (or are working them out) from a  few weeks ago. Mama big sigh of relief.

That leaves me with the five cats and two bigger dogs. The boxer and our old Sable.

The floor is holding up well. I find that I am a bit put out by the dirt I can now see every day. Well, carpet was good for hiding that! The cats are having a field day with little objects (such as a milk jug lid ring) and sliding around on the floor. The boxer's back legs still slide out from under him from time to time but I think they are all adjusting.

I finally was able to watch "True Grit".  Very well played. It has been a while since I read the book, but I really enjoyed the movie. I knew when the more savage parts were coming and yes, I hid my eyes. I still get grossed out by them.

In an effort to reduce my week-end migraines, I got my self up at six a.m. this morning. I am trying to keep the same schedule that I keep during the week. I walked the dogs a bit longer than usual since I have more time. The air is beautiful and fresh at this time. No heat, yet.

I have no plans this week-end. Just housework (if I feel like it) and relax. I am gearing up for the family reunion coming up the first Sunday in August. I want to create a gift basket to auction off and need to decide what food dish I am going to take. There is no electricity at the shelter house. My niece brought a huge generator the first year but it was so loud. We had 150 show that first year, not so many last year. I hope that the event is not losing momentum.

I looked at some portable generators, but I would only need it that one time out of the year. And, with my family - somebody would always be borrowing it. I have one sister I can think of in particular and when she "borrows" something you never see it again. She has an uncanny way of being unavailable when you attempt to track the item down and get it back. And you always have to go after it - she never returns it herself. Do you have a family  member like this?

Guarding

He may look as if he is sleeping but he is actually guarding my lone moonflower plant. Somebody sat him down into the dirt from the patio. I don't know who, but I found him this way. Maybe he moved there himself? Hmmm?

Obsessive?

I like to work puzzles. My Mom was the same. I noticed my obsessive-compulsive behavior (of course I did not know it had a name back then) when I would work a book of fill-it-in puzzles. I refused to enter and cross off a word unless I went in order (or down the line, so to speak). This meant all the three letter words had to be placed in the puzzle before I moved onto the four letter words, etc... It was a great exercise in memory. The puzzles with numbers was especially challenging. LOL!

I have a book (above) of picture puzzles where you find the difference. I refuse to move on to the next puzzle until I have discovered all of the differences in the puzzle before it. It can be maddening. I do the same with word search puzzles. I have to find them in order and refuse to move ahead. Would this be obsessive compulsive? I guess it would.

Somebody did this

It was not me. I took it off later in the evening. He left it on there during the party.  He may have thought it was just a collar and did not notice or feel or see the flags. He was the life of the party. He is bushed in this photo. Cheech and Chong came for a visit and he and Cheech ran around the yard in their crazy way they used to until poor Slade just plain tuckered out (as seen here). Although this time they had to dodge coolers, lawn chairs, people, other dogs and dog cables. It proved to be quite entertaining.

Me, on the other hand. I was in pain (head,back,legs and feet) and no amount of medicine was helping. With 35 people in attendance somebody always needed something where I had to get up and move. In my opinion it was the worst party I have thrown, yet. My sour mood and attitude (which I tried many times to change) put a damper on the whole thing. Grrrr!

Deflated

I just managed to crawl to my computer keyboard and touch up this picture I lifted and post it here. I suffered a massive migraine the day of the party and during the party and it really ticked me off. What can you do? I had taken all the medicine I possibly could and I felt horrible. It was a strange party. I had 35 show.

I got all my sistuhs with me

I could not imagine my life without my sisters in it. My mom had 8 children. Three boys and five girls. I am taking the photo and the four ladies above (outside of my daughter) are my life. Left to right, sister 1954, sister 1949, sister 1944 and sister 1956.

All four will be at my party today. And one brother. Many nieces and nephews and a handful of friends. I will have my camera out. I have noticed that recent years I have not taken many photos of the event. This is my 7th Independence day party. Held on the night that my town lets off their fireworks.

I provide the main food dishes, most everybody brings a covered dish. I supply soft drinks and some beer and most everybody brings their own alcohol. We make our own entertainment. There will be ping pong, badminton, corn hole and Frisbee tossing. I have a craft table set up for small children. My record is forty. I am not certain I can beat that number.

Smooth

It looks smooth, but the dirt is already driving me nuts! I bought a swiffer last night at the store and can see that I probably will have to dry sweep every day with these pests... pets. 

I should just get big fluffy socks and spray them with a nice cleaner (that is approved for this type of floor) and just slide around.

I got up from the table yesterday and (since it was within two hours of their feeding time) all the cats scrambled to the kitchen thinking they were getting some grub. This startled the boxer who was sleeping in the chair and in his foggy state forgot there was no carpet to stop his bound out of the chair and the massive canine slid all the way across the floor and I thought for certain he was going to wipe out the TV because he slid right into the TV stand landing up against it with a great big thud.

I cursed and he scrambled to get up and ran to the kitchen door and hung his head. I think he woke up, then.

I was speaking to my neighbor yesterday. She mentioned that it was her ninth wedding anniversary. They married the summer I moved into my house. What! That can't be! I've been here nine years? NINE years! I was in shock the rest of the evening.

This is all I can write today as my head is pounding for the second day in a row.  Advil is not touching them (and they are not a migraine). I know I need more sleep but if you can't sleep, you can't sleep. I'll try a nap later. This is all normal before my annual blow out.

Tacky!

Well, the fellas had moved all the furniture to one side of the room. After stirring (very thick stuff, very hard to mix) the primer, I poured some into the flimsy paint holder I purchased. And to think this was the stronger one! It bent every which way and I thought for sure I was going to have a huge mess. 

I placed the roller in and began to apply the primer. This ain't so bad, I thought. The cats were all still in the basement and the dogs were tied outside. I moved along rather quickly. I painted all one way and got as close to the furniture as I could so that when it dried I didn't have much left to do on the other side.

At exactly 4:55 p.m. it became quite evident to me that one gallon of primer was not going to do it. In a small panic mode I wondered what time that lumber place closed. It was a small local business and was only a few blocks from where I live.

I threw the dogs into the garage - not an easy feat as they remembered what happens when they go in there and I drove off like a mad woman. Whew. I made it in time and purchased another $30 can of primer.

I sat my tools down and waited for the first half to dry. The smell - my God, the smell! I had forgotten how paint fumes bother me. My lungs hurt, my head hurt. One cat had escaped. Teton is the reason for the paw prints above. She was in full panic mode. It was like she came up from the basement and her entire world had changed. She acted like WTF?

She scurried here and there getting paw prints all over the place. I realized it didn't matter what it looked like since the floor was going to go over top of it all, but I wondered about the paint on her paws. By this time the smell was becoming overwhelming. Well, I knew what I had to do. Experience taught me what I had to do. The A/C had to be shut off and doors and windows had to be opened.

Oh, it was hot outside. There was a storm brewing and the humidity was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

For the newer readers, let me take you back a couple of years. Okay, here. It was not hard to find. It was July  16th, 2006. You have to ventilate when you paint (which I knew but 90 degrees is hot, you know?!). We had been re-doing my daughters' bedroom and the polyurethane smell was overwhelming.

Back to my primer. I sat in the back bedroom on the computer and noticed that my chest was hurting. Dammit, I thought. I better not get pleurisy out of this mess. I have had pleurisy several times and it has always involved water - but this sure felt like it. The paint fumes were causing my left lung to hurt. After a while it dissipated.

I began checking the floor after forty minutes. Tacky, tacky, tacky! The weather was very close outside. Sultry (to quote Momma from the train).

I had left an area where I could get to the bathroom and walk to the kitchen. I said "Screw it!" and let the dogs in. I let the cats out of the basement and fed them. I packed my stuff and got in my car and left to meet my daughter and her beau for dinner. My head hurt, my back hurt and I was in a mood. The paint fumes had turned me into a crazy woman like somebody on a  bad drug trip. I snapped at my daughter and I yakked and yakked. I explained to them that I was under the influence (of paint fumes) and not to pay any attention to what came out of my mouth.

The reason I was over there? They got a new puppy. Puppy is an understatement. This is a female German shepherd. She was (at 8 weeks) almost as big as Cheech and Chong. Her paws are HUGE! I took a couple of pictures and after a while the paint buzz wore off. How do kids sniff glue? This is not fun. This is horrible! My head  hurt a little less and at ten o'clock I headed back home. I had already decided I would paint the rest of the room tonight.

I got home and the primer was still a bit tacky in places. Oh well, I thought. It has to be done. Moving the huge organ was the hardest part. It scraped across the floor and left the long strips where it removed the primer. I didn't give a sh!t by this time. I have no memory of where the cats were and the dogs. That is weird. They had to be in the house with me as at this time of night I would not leave the dogs outside.  Oh, the dogs were laying in the kitchen by the back door and the cats were just scared to come into the room, I guess.

I retired to the back bedroom and the computer again to deal yet again with a hurt lung and the overwhelming fumes. The boxer came in after a while and his paw prints are all over the back bedroom floor. Big white paw prints. Did I care? Not at this time, no. I just wanted it all to be over with. I had taken Advil and just wanted to go to bed. I waited a while to make sure the pets did not go ballilstic and I left all doors and windows open and went to bed.

I awoke early (the guys would be here at nine) and began the prep for them. At 8:30 I again threw the cats into the basement. Now, cats are not all that stupid. They knew what was coming. I never did find Moose. I think she hid in my bedroom (for over 18 hours! Nice.) The others fought me like a banshee. I managed to get very few scratches on my arms. The dogs were tied outside. I took my reading glasses, cell phone and a puzzle book outside. 

Oh, it was beautiful out. They came. The put the floor in. These guys worked from 9:30 to 5:30 with one half hour lunch break. They worked hard. 

This all has a happy ending, folks. For once. No catastrophe this time. Very unusual for me. It just goes to show you that nothing goes smoothly. There is always a speed bump or two and I can sit back and laugh about it (as long as I have Advil).

I am working up quite a thirst for Saturday, though. I can tell  you that.

It should be interesting. The guy my daughter is living with works until 5. The other fellow is coming to the party. All invites were issued before this love triangle developed although as I look back I should have seen it developing over the past few months. I am NOT a fan of Jerry Springer. My sisters will be alerted that should I appear as if I am going to rip somebody's head off (which I have done or attempted to do before - while SOBER!) they are to interfere. 

I like the fireworks to remain in the sky.

What's this?

This my fellow bloggers would be primer.

Let me back track a little bit. I am 50 years old. Okay, 51. I have done a lot of things in my life - mostly on my own. This is not a boo-hoo story. Far from it. I love my life. I have fun.

Anyway, after years of back breaking work and what not, I have come to a place in my life where I would much rather pay somebody to do the work. Case in point. Putting a laminated floor down.

I know my limits! I am great with computers but lousy with housework and domestic duties. Not that I can't whip up a decent meal once in a while or decorate a room now and again and I throw a great party!

I am talking tools (especially measuring). Math was (IS) not my strong point. I lean more towards artsy and creative stuff.

So, after the two fellows pulled up my carpet and cleaned the floor the fellow in charge came to me and asked me if I planned to put down primer. I gave him a quizzical look. I had heard of primer for automobiles. I worked in an Automotive/Hardware store in the late 70's but this primer for floors I had not heard of.

He explained to me that Kilz is the best and I could apply it with a paint roller. All of which I have NONE!

Another little back track story. Before I moved into the house I had a professional painter come in and paint the walls in the living room/dining room and two bedrooms so I would not have to do it. I could do it, I just prefer to preserve my energy for me.

I had plans that evening and it was hot, humid and sticky. Off to the hardware store I went. Fifty dollars later I am back home stirring that milky mess that you see above.

He had told me you can paint half the floor, it dries in about an hour. Move all the furniture over to the one side and paint the other half.

Meanwhile I am thinking to myself "Listen buddy! You said NOTHING about this primer stuff when you quoted me the $2225 price tag for this floor. Why the fluck didn't you mention it back then?! So, I could prepare!" Mind you this is what I thought - not what I said. I nodded and smiled like the good little girl my mommy raised me to be.

Side note: As with ordering food in a restaurant NEVER piss off the person who you still depend on for quality work. 'Nuff said? I thought so. You get why I smiled and nodded instead of saying what I was thinking. I ain't stupid.

He explained that the primer would keep the urine odor from enticing my pets to urinate in the same spots that they had when the carpet was there. Of course urine (as urine will) soaks down through the carpet, down through the carpet padding and onto the wooden floor laid below. And to give this guy the benefit of the doubt, he really did not know the extent of the problem until he saw the dark urine stains on the floor below but still - he could have mentioned primer back in early May! Dammit.

Well, I did NOT want any odor left, so I made up my mind that I was going to put primer down. Whatever! I wanted to do it RIGHT!

So. It was four p.m. when he left. After getting a bite to eat and purchasing supplies I figured I could paint from 4:30 to 5:00. At six the painted side would be dry enough to move the furniture over and from six to seven I could paint the other half and head out the door to meet my family for dinner at 7:30.

Ha, ha, ha! Are you laughing? I am. You know. I can laugh about it, now.

To be continued....

He just doesn't "get" it

This is not my house. I lifted this photo for emphasis.

The fellows (all 2 of them) ripped out the old carpet. I had every thing out that I could physically move myself and my back is really feeling the strain. I placed all the cats (five) in the basement and the two dogs were placed in the garage. The boxer hates this.

I settled myself into my air conditioned kitchen and tidied up. I washed cupboards and counters and gave the microwave a good cleaning while the fellas worked in the living room.

I heard "Ma-am."

I thought they were done and was I was jubilant.

Nope. He had opened my coat closet door. Why in God's name would anybody open that door? My secret was exposed. I am a border line hoarder. OMG! 

He said "the closet". 

I could not look at him. I stared at the mountain of stuff and said "Oh, you need the closet cleaned out?"

He said "Yes, it was included in my estimate."

The closet carpet (floor space) looked to be about two feet long and maybe a foot wide. (After I removed the stuff because you sure as hell could not see the carpet before hand).

I was mortified. Do you realize how much "stuff" a hoarder can pack into a space of this size? I am  not talking two feet by one foot. I am talking about "up". Like when the city planners first realized that you can build up instead of out. The sky's the limit!

And I thought my back hurt before! I felt pressured and rushed. When I  work, I take breaks to give my back a well deserved rest. Not this time. And for Christ sake! Whoever invented the Lite Brite needs to be shot and needs to be shot, now! At least make those little pegs magnetized so I can take a huge magnet and run over them and pick up the damn things! Sheesh.

Sigh. And you know what? That isn't the worst of it! Oh, no!

But, I can't tell you the second part of this story because those torture-ers will be here any minute and I have to go hide my cats and put my dogs in the garage!

Needless to say, I did NOT get a picture of the closet before I cleaned it out. That is why I posted the above photo. If I HAD stopped and taken the time to take a picture of the closet, I have no idea what the fellow would do or say. I can only imagine. I think he was rolling his eyes as it was. I did not want to push him any further.

Sigh. To be continued....