The Paranoia Helpline

A woman I have only been friends with a short period of time has started calling me very regularly for computer help. Last time she had jiggled all the cords, checked the power and could hear the Microsoft doing-doing-DOINNNNGGGG song but the monitor wasn't coming on, and did I think that she might have to replace the monitor? She certainly thought so, but did I, was her question. I assured her that if she had jiggled all the cords then it certainly seemed that way to me.

She's also asked me to secure her wireless network and set up user accounts on her laptop which she got from work for her family members.

Here's why it's weird to be called for help:

At Christmas time I was invited to a party at her place and I was told to bring a friend. In the car on the way over I mentioned to my hostage, I mean FRIEND, that I thought this person didn't like me... no specific reason, but I just got that impression. At our arrival I introduced my friend to this woman, then we wandered into the kitchen for some drinks where she introduced the friend I had brought but she totally blanked on my name. In the car on the way home my friend and I giggled about her forgetting my name.

So now I'm 911 for computer help. It is so odd. It makes me think that she might only tolerate me for the help.

Or I might be paranoid.

The Post Office

I bet you the post office would be dead by now, except for bills, flyers and online shopping. I'm thinking Canada Post will be doing ok from now on. I'm too lazy to go out and drive around looking for things I want.

online privacy

The strange thing about being online is privacy and anonymity. I've read a few articles that recommend transparency for married couples -- shared emails, no secrets -- as a way to bolster a healthy relationship.

I would like to say: WTF?

I cannot think of anything more annoying that getting an email back from someone's husband when I email the wife. Men, you see, think differently, which can be so annoying. And they seem to never get their own mail. This is why the post office invented junk mail, so that the boys would have something to read.

Back to emails: they think if an email comes in, any email must be answered. Void of complete thought and regard they email back something so stupid you would think they surely set out to annoy you. Even better: the female half wonders why she never hears from you after she gets married.

I would recommend no shared emails. I thank my friends who do not currently share an email, and would ask them to never consider combining emails.

Disgraceful

It is disgraceful that I as a web developer/designer have not taken the time to create my own template for my blog or figured out tags.

I'm just saying it's disgraceful, not that it will change.

The CBC lies

Right now JPod is supposed to be on tv. But it is not, which is sad because I had planned on it for tonight. I think it's one of the best new shows that nobody is watching yet... never mind it is a Canadian show, it's also based on a Canadian book! Oooh how exciting!

So far the first few episodes stick pretty close to the book -- and that was totally hilarious! The Douglas Coupland book was not my first Coupland book, but it's an insta-favourite. I'm not sure what exactly appeals to me: the whole Dilbert-stuck-in-a-cube theme, complete with crazy colleagues that you love to bits as well as the teeth-clenching irritating colleagues that you wish you didn't have to work with, the annoyingly cheerful and totally useless/clueless boss, people that get paid more than you and don't deserve it, is one very familiar thing I love about it but I also love that the characters have way more interesting lives than I do. Heck, even the character's parents have more interesting lives than I do -- the one guy's mom grows pot in the basement and the father is an dismal but aspiring second-career second-rate actor who is also a sex fiend. The other guy's mom is a commune-living-hippie-feminist who named him "Juniper" as a baby, though he had his name legally changed to John Doe.

It's a bunch of code monkeys working on a game with corporate trying to thwart their plan, and a manager who stymies every creative thought. Well worth checking out.

That is if it comes on the CBC when it is supposed to. :(