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10 October 1998 |
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My email address is getting into some very odd places. Last week I got an email from someone saying, "I like the quote you used in your ad." Well, I spew stuff to all corners of the net, so really I could not think of what he meant, although I don't recall placing an ad anywhere. I didn't feel like getting into it, though. I figured he must have seen my Yahoo profile or something. In it is this quote: "I want someone who takes life by the throat and throttles the hell out of it." --Carsten WhimsterI dunno if Carsten remembers saying that, but I liked it and used it. Prolly shoulda asked him first, though. Oh, well, I gave him credit anyway. Today I got an email from a fellow telling me details of his appearance and stature in life, then described how a prospective date might go. I have no idea who this person is, and though I am tempted to reproduce the letter here, I certainly do not want to embarrass the guy any farther than I have up to the period at the end of this sentence. This, plus that other email, is leading me to wonder if someone has placed a singles ad in my behalf. Then again, the mystery email I got yesterday indicated that I was likely to be one of the 2-3 special people to help expand a business into New Jersey. When I replied that I was committed already, he didn't know what I meant. So maybe it isn't just a singles ad. Or maybe it isn't related. One thing that does have me burning is that ever since I contacted Circle of Fire regarding some problems with two citizenships, my spam intake has more than tripled. What makes me suspicious is that COF left me a telegram in Active Worlds saying that my email was bouncing and could I please email them again with a valid address. I chuckled at the thought of Dataman's mail server choking on COF mail (old rivalry there) and gave them three addresses that all funnel into my main email account. Now, guess what addresses are in the "to" sections of these elements of the spam avalanche I'm under. Uh huh. I'm attacking each triplet of spam as it comes in, by forwarding all three copies of each iteration to abuse@ whatever the rest of the sending address is. In some instances it takes more research, as the part after the @ is a domain name identical to the part before the @. But that's ok, a quick look into the full header ("View" "Page Source" in Netscape, "File" "Properties" "Details" in Outlook) tells me where it really came from and the abuse department there gets the forwards. I've gotten very encouraging replies from the abuse departments. This deluge slacked off abruptly about a week or so after it started. I somehow doubt it had anything to do with my efforts, but it was most appreciated. Course, I shouldn't really be surprised to get unusual emails. I've left my email address in 16 places according to the LookSmart search I just ran. Most of these were pages concerning AW or online journalling, although I see that the author of Cut While Shaving posted to the net all (?) the emails he got during his brief stint at journalling, including of course my naive one asking him to peek at my Warehouse. To be a careful netizen, I'd need to put extra characters in the return address of my email and newsgroup postings, never leave my email address at clubs and chats, and never put a mailto link on my pages. I don't care to do that, though. I like making things easier for people I do know and like, so things remain the way they are. It's Saturday, and thank God, I don't have to make a pilgrimage down to DC this week. I'm enjoying the relaxation, catching up on the email, and hell, I even cooked breakfast this morning, well half of it. My sister made the toast. That's not as trivial as it sounds; her toast kicks hell out of mine, at least according to my kids. We are talking oven toast here, as my toaster is at work being useless. We figured out it was because she uses real butter and bakes her toast. I use margarine and broil mine. The part of breakfast I made was sausage, and damn was it good. No, I don't keep kosher. That's a whole nuther post. The only time of the year I buy mags like Ladies Home Journal and Womans Day is Halloween, because they have costume ideas in them. Otherwise, they disgust the hell outta me, so full are they of misinformation and beauty ads, and other tools of conformity. I nearly gagged at the ad of some teen idol guy holding a necklace with a blue pendant inspired by the one in Titanic. Below his picture is one of two "me-too" generic mall-walkers at the movie theater getting popcorn, both wearing this necklace. I wanted to cry. Where is your soul? Where is your individuality? Why do you two want to look exactly like each other, and why on earth do you want thousands of girls in America looking just like you? Express who you are, not who this child hunk is suggesting you should be. Ok, now that I've offended any big fans of WD or LHJ or the other mags similar to them who might have bumped across my site, I should explain that people who read, enjoy, and emulate these mags are perfectly nice, wonderful people. It's just so conformist. Be normal. Be like us. Cut your hair this way. Wear this blush this way. That hairstyle is passe. Buy this porcelain doll. Do these exercises. Decorate your house these colors, now that fall is here. Update your wardrobe. Add space to your tiny bedroom. Learn to clean house quickly. Care about the causes we support. You should have your own unique and individual style, provided it falls within these parameters. I want to see an ad for unamerican.com there. Now that would really make me buy the mag. I've just been told I should go see What Dreams May Come. Right now. Okay... --Spring
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