All you amateurs - don't quit

A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit. Richard Bach

Official launch of Blissy's Blog to the world!

I have never posted this to anyone other than hubby before but I felt some of you might find it interesting . . . or NOT . . . LOL.

Blissy's Blog: Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Click on the link above to see how it all started - if you dare.

If you want to start your own blog - and believe me you only need to know how to type to do it! - see the link at the very top in the blue border - Get Your Own Blog. Notice Next Blog? You can randomly look through other people's using that link.

Some of these musings are FUNNY, some SILLY, some SERIOUS. There's a place you can leave comments as well (at the end of each day's entry - and don't be shy!). Also, you are free to email them to anyone you wish and they may make comments as well.

p.s. if you have a blog I'd love to see it and link your blog to mine, if you wish. Who knows, maybe BOTH of us will become published authors.

Spyware Page to Check Out for Help: CASTLE COPS.COM

Castle Cops

The link above is a very useful one for all kinds of problems: spyware, foistware, malware, viruses, trojans.

These volunteers will help you out or if you're brave enough (or stupid enough like myself)...lol...try and do it yourself!

Foistware, Malware, Spyware - No More!

O.K. I've had it with these browser hijackings, trojans, worms, viruses, popups, malware (malicious stuff you would never download yourself), and foistware (that's where it downloads automatically and you have no say - just like the government about your money when you pay your taxes and they spend billions on something like a study of fruit flies copulating in summer - another crime!).

This is a free country but unfortunately (or fortunately sometimes) the internet was never controlled originally and even if they had laws how the hell would they even enforce them? No way on earth they could.

Is it just me or what? I downloaded (as Microsoft recommends - it has a signed certificate etc. so you can trust it) Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP and it's apparently good for blocking popups and certain sheeeeeeeeet like I mention above.

I currently run Ad-ware & Spy Sweeper (both remove crap no one in their right mind wants running on their system) as well as the updated XP (SP2) that prevents popups etc. in the firewall it has attached to it.

Now, somehow these brilliant minds that create all this turmoil in my daily life, have figured out a way to bypass the programs and once removed they'll reinstall themselves again as the programs go to web sites you don't even see opening in your browser!

The fact that you don't see them opening is extremely friggin' frustrating so now I've resorted to using my Content Advisor within Internet Options (never felt the need before to block certain sites from being viewed but I see this as possibly one way of avoiding this predicament).

So I basically have to become smarter than the companies trying to get into my computer and figure out where I surf, what I search, what I buy, when I'm on my puter, and God knows what else they're able to acquire without MY permission.

Have you ever tried removing this stuff? Well I have and it used to be easy. Go to Symantec or some other techie page on puters and they give you step by step instructions. They even tell you how to edit your registry (that's the part of your system that actually runs everything kind of). I was brave enough to do the reg edit and remove the programs so they wouldn't come back. And I was able to really do it - I know some of you might find that intimidating but I love to learn.

Well they (brilliant minds who wish to rape our computers) have managed to make some pretty sophisticated software (as far as I'm concerned) so now there's P A G E S of instructions to get rid of this garbage. So don't be fooling around with your registry unless you are a computer geek as it can seriously make things worse. Always do a restore point or backup your registry before you attempt anything. Basically, don't try this at home kids!

I have spent ages (hours and hours) trying to get it out of my CPU (box that has the brain that runs the puter that lets you surf, im, chat, and all those wonderful things we love to do on the Net) then these vile programs manage to download themselves without my invitation again, for the upteenth time in a day.

Now you can just picture me at my desk tearing my hair out right? I'm losing hair as it is (is that a peri-menopausal symptom I wonder - that's another rant you'll want to read!

I can't afford to be trying to eliminate all this data collection they (brilliant minds that probably paid some 12 year old hacker to write these convoluted programs) are doing.

I have one program that was downloaded that calls itself "Home Page Protector". Sounds good right? You think it prevents these creeps from changing your home page as some web sites attempt to do.

Well what it can do for people who design, create and publish their pages on the Net are some really good things. Here's the blurb on their site describing how wonderful a program it is:

Why use Web Page Protector:

1. Encrypt and Protect everything within HTML web pages;

2. Prevent Web site plagiarism ;

3. Disable offline use ,disable web printing, and Save functions;

4. Prevent downloading of pictures, movies, files, texts, links or other data from your web site;

5. Prevent harmful Links, hide files and link address data;

6. you can bypass any web content Filter and "Fire Wall" and get more visitors to your site;

7. Stop junk mail and spam...

@ @* @**@ @* @** @*@ * *@ *@** @* @** @

This sounds great right? If you design web pages you want to keep things copyrighted and not let people steal your ideas (plagiarism) or your images.

Check out number 6 above - (also notice it's the only one that doesn't start with a capital letter in the description) to me this sounds like they're trying to disable my firewall and my Content Advisor. That's not playing fair.

I forgot to mention the MOST annoying thing all of these programs do - they take up all your CPU causing your computer to run slower than the original Commodores or Tandy somethingorothers (first home computers).

Well it's getting late and you're probably nodding off now reading this particular post (I know I am....lol). . They're not always so boring I assure you.

I need to get my butt into bed so ... beotch at ya later. Please comment if you're having these problems because I hate to think that "it's just me". lol

What on God's earth possessed us to have kids????

My daughter and I are fairly good friends. As much as the two of us can be & still adhere to the usually well calculated discipline & rules that hubby & I attempt to set out. As you know this is extremely difficult to manage in this day and age.

We're friends now - but she's only 11! I want to maintain that positive relationship - but not @ the expense of what is important in the job of parenting. I know she will benefit immensely if I maintain my ethics, rules & disciplinary style as she matures.

Guiding children is a challenge & thank God I have only one for if I were to have been blessed with more, I could never keep up with everything one needs to stay on top of - homework, keeping track of who her friends are, making sure she completes each chore as directed (that's a whole other topic) etc.  I'm sure she'll probably think I'm being a bitch but that's life.

I'm heading towards meno and she's almost at menstruation! OMG two women under the same roof that are totally hormonal and PMSing at various times and stages.

{Living with TWO loonie females will definitely be a challenge as well for hubby - for he's probably going through his own male meno...hehehehehe.}

** (Honey, when you read this - just remember I love u!) **

I figure the next 4-5 years will be the ultimate & major challenge of our guiding responsibilities as parents. After that, upon her driving debut and her increasing freedom she will hopefully make carefully considered choices. She is a child and I'm fully aware of how the teen years felt - to this day. Maybe not every issue as there are many more complicated situations than when I was a kid, however, enough to remember the really confusing things. Like boys.

Now this is a nightmare that I just can wait forever to be saddled with. Let me ask you dear readers who have children in their teens & pre-teen years or have raised same - what on God's earth possessed us to have kids????

Just kidding.

Martha, Martha, Martha

Click here for an update to my Martha Stewart comments

Why the heck would you willingly go to jail instead of appealing your sentence if you were innocent ...... I sure the hell wouldn't!

Martha says it's for the benefit of her company. I still wouldn't. She has enough money 10 times over to retire and have her entire family taken care of for life - what's up with her WANTING to go to jail now? Seems odd to me.

If I was found guilty of a crime I did not commit, they would have to drag me kicking and screaming to the heavens, into a jail cell - but not before I tried everything possible to exonerate myself. What do you think?

Is she guilty?

Tell me what you think about it - click on the comments tab below or email me at the envelope link.

O.K. So we know the "New Plan of Action" right?

Well it's another day in the city and it's September already.
Time flies when you're sick....and tired .... and sick and tired...

Fibromyalgia is not my friend - it was easier to be in pain and have the ability to do things than now - since I've started on Celebrex the pain is virtually non-existent unless I'm over tired. The downside? There is always one of those isn't there? I am so fatigued I can't do diddly.

O.K. So we know the "New Plan of Action" right? It's the same one that we take up every September (harking back to the first day of school I imagine) and the one we also adopt on New Year's Day. Well actually, I stopped trying to do the resolution thingy on New Year's - it never worked anyway.

Plan to get into shape, eat right and be perfect. There that outta do it for this year.

D'you think Martha Stewart is going to be taking emails in jail?

I sure could use some advice on just about every friggin thing known to man (or woman).