Critters of a Different Kind (and Other Stuff)

Just wanted to take a minute to catch you up on what’s going on with me and to share a couple of random thoughts.

I’m still battling critters, but this time they’re techno-critters.  I have a computer virus that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.  In fact, it has rendered my PC useless for getting on the internet, although I can still do some work on it.

Beware that if you see any program running on your computer that looks like this, you’ve got it too.  The program is called Internet Security 2010, and all it does is give you fake reports of viruses that it has “detected” on your computer.  I’m not sure where I got it, but it began showing up several days ago with all kinds of pop ups and dire warnings.

It tries to trick you into buying a full version of Internet Security 2010, but you’re not really buying anything.  Who knows who’s getting all the money unsuspecting folks are throwing away.  Meanwhile, I’m working with my anti-virus software techies to try to resolve the problem.  Since I don’t have internet access on that computer, I have to download their various diagnostic tools from another computer to a flash drive, then run them on the infected computer.

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Apple introduced its latest gadget today.  The iPad is scheduled to be available for purchase in March.  Although I love my iPhone, I’m not sure I could justify spending the $499 or more for an iPad. 

I imagine Apple is trying to compete with Amazon’s Kindle and other electronic readers with the added capability of being able to surf the web, watch movies, and other stuff.  For now, I can do most of those things on my iPhone, and I’m really not interested in watching movies on any screen smaller than my TV. 

I’m also not ready for an electronic book reader.  There’s just something about holding a book in your hand, and if you accidentally drop it into the bathtub or it slips into the footbath while you’re getting a pedicure, you haven’t ruined a $500 electronic toy.  I did that once with my cell phone, so I know from experience what water does to electronics.  Besides, I trade most of the books I read with my friend Janice, so an electronic reader would render our swap shop useless.

By the way, my sister-in-law Susie says that the iPad sounds like something Kimberly-Clark would make.

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Today for lunch I enjoyed a hot bowl of egg drop soup.  My house keeper brought it yesterday, and I was the beneficiary of the leftovers today.  She often stops at a local Chinese restaurant for egg drop soup, and she always shares it with me.

Anyway, just as I was finishing the last drop, my nose started pouring like someone had turned on a faucet.  That’s not the first time this has happened to me when I’ve eaten egg drop soup.  In fact, other times I’ve even wondered if I’ve somehow gotten some of that soup from my throat to my nose.  I know that sounds gross.

My curiosity got the best of me today, so I googled “egg drop soup nose runs.”  Although I couldn’t find anything specific to what I have experienced, I did find several references to the powers of egg drop soup in curing colds.  So maybe there’s something in it that cleans out your sinuses.

Just a thought.