And the plot thickens...

The day after my wife's Facebook account got hacked (see previous entry), we scrambled to protect ourselves on all of our other accounts across the virtual world.  And being the good internet citizen, I reported the problem to Facebook security.

What is the thanks I get for this?  They disable MY Facebook account with no explanation.  I received an email that said my account had been compromised and that I should change the password.  Oh, and I should reply to their email with my security word in the email.  Now that is just plain wrong.  I have NEVER heard of entering a security word into an email.  This looks like an email from the hacker.

So again, I sent a copy of this to Facebook security.

No reply.  The big Facebook wall.  Now I know why they call it a "wall" on Facebook.  Because it is just a big computer.  There are no people there to take care of actual problems.  I'm not sure I should be into this anymore, but I'm kind of addicted at this point.  I keep up with a lot of my friends this way.  It's a conundrum.

      

This is from the bizarro file.  This morning I was wasting my usual amount of time on Facebook when the chat window popped up from my spousal unit.  This is interesting for a number of reasons:  she rarely gets on Facebook, she is currently out of town playing golf, and she never calls me by my first name (which "she" did in the chat window).  I simply couldn't imagine her standing on a tee box at the 10th tee musing "I wonder what my PK is doing at home?  I'll use Facebook to find out!"  Like I said, she doesn't use Facebook at home, much less on her Blackberry.  So I called the bluff of the phisher:

Spouse:

Hey PK

8:28amPK

hi

what are you doing on FB?

8:29amSpouse

we are in need of help that why came on here for help

not good at the moment

8:30amPK

call me

8:30amSpouse

ouch all cell phone as being stolen away from us by the robbers

8:31amSpouse

we have being in big shit in London by the robbers

Would have been funny if it wasn't scary.  So this morning has been about shutting down the Facebook account and protecting ourselves in other ways.  So if you are on Facebook, beware.  The phishers are lurking.

      

We recently started a remodeling job on our house.  I didn't know this at first, but we started on the outside for a reason - to get used to the noise and dust gradually before we move it indoors.  I'm learning a whole new way of speaking and listening that requires subtitles and translation.  Don't get me wrong, I've done some projects in the past, so I have some notion how contractors work.  But I've never done a project this large.  When a contractor says, or doesn't say something, I'm beginning to learn that it speaks volumes.  Here are some examples:

1. "It's a family owned business." - This means that one person in the family is the only one left in the business - generally the meanest, biggest pain in the butt that none of the other family members could deal with anymore so they all got out and are now working at the local grocery store.
2. "Please check our references." - They give you a cherry-picked list of people to call who are probably relatives that were never part of the business (why do they all have the same last name?).  These are relatives that the contractor has yet to piss off.  They built the relative/reference a new closet for free, and now they are qualified to over-exaggerate their praises.
3. "That isn't a service we offer, but we can refer you to someone."  - Translation:  "Don't you know who we are?  We wouldn't touch that kind of work with a 10-foot pole.  We know a schmoe who will do it for almost nothing, but you get what you pay for."
4. "We supervise all of our subcontractors." - I worked with an interior designer once that "supervised" by calling the subcontractors but never showed up at the jobsite.  So she had no idea what kind of mess was created or left behind each night when they left.  She got a LOT of crabby phone calls from me.  I particularly like the tile guy she sent with his pit bull tied to the front door.  Charming.
5. "We are pet friendly." - I think this means they won't nail gun the cats to a wall if they get in the way, but after that, all bets are off.

Okay, this makes me sound a bit pessimistic, and we are just barely getting started on the project.  Let's just say that I've had some interesting experiences in the past (I once criticized a painter for painting over dust & dirt, and he suddenly left the job site for a "painting emergency").  This time around, I am spending quite a bit of time on "due diligence" - checking the Better Business Bureau, verifying licenses, bonding, insurance, and we joined Angie's LIst to make sure we aren't getting any real duds.

So wish us luck.  I've got my noise cancelling earphones.  And my sedatives and Aleve.  I'm ready.

      

I have written a little about my father having health issues.  His problems stem from a syndrome in which is his involuntary nervous system slowly stops functioning which causes all kinds of problems, including shrinkage of the brain and dementia that results from that.  Because of his high level of intelligence, he was able to "fake" his sanity for quite a while whenever he talked to health and emergency professionals.  This includes the police which he occasionally called to the house when he was delusional.  He is now in full-time skilled nursing care because his physical and mental functioning has deteriorated to the point that my mother cannot care for him.  He still insists nothing is wrong with him, but is no longer able to convince anyone of this.

I have recently had some experiences that have helped me to understand my father's mindset.  I feel very fortunate to have inherited both of my parents' intelligence.  I've done well in school over the years, and understanding abstract concepts has normally been a skill I have excelled at accomplishing.  Math, spelling, and grammar never gave me much problems.  Until the last few years.

I took several standardized tests that required me to brush up on my math skills back in 2002 and another one around 2003, and breezed through all of them - no problems.  Recently, I tried to brush up on my math skills to take the GMAT, and nothing was working correctly in my head.  The simplest arithmetic concepts not only were no longer in my head, but I couldn't refresh them and make them "stick".  I had been noticing in the past few years that remembering things - simple things - like my zip code, or how to spell words, or even a word I wanted to use in a sentence - would often elude me.  Sometimes I thought I was going nuts.  The amount of study effort that it required for me to succeed in my college classes was much higher than it used to be.  Plus, I was listening much slower than I used to.  But I chalked it up to menopausal brain fog.  And the fact that technology was simply speeding up people around me.  But I worried that I was getting early dementia like my father!

One of the classes I recently completed was Anatomy & Physiology.  We studied how neurotransmitters work inside the brain.  That made me wonder if any medication could cause this change in cognitive function that I was experiencing.  Low and behold, I discovered that a medication that I started taking several years ago, Topamax, indeed has a known set of side effects of impairing memory and cognitive function (like spelling and word recall).  Unfortunately, part of the problem is I can't remember when the symptoms started and I can't remember when I started taking the medication to know if the two absolutely correlate with one another.

I can honestly say that I have not had any severe migraines since I started taking the medication, but if the cost is that I can no longer function at my peak intelligence, then the cost is too high.  I'll take a few headaches and mood swings for the ability to solve a polynomial, thank you.

      

I haven't blogged in so long it's simply pathetic.  But I'm still alive.  Barely.  I finished the spring semester of classes with my poor, aching menopause-soaked brain intact.  Well, sort of.  I'm now in summer school, but it's relatively low key.  I'm a teaching assistant for the very class I just finished taking, and it is very humbling because it shows me how quickly I have forgotten everything I just learned.  Very sad indeed.  And still the vast majority of the students in the class are far younger than me and grew up with games and computers, so their minds work at warp speed.  I feel like they are circling me like sharks.  It's unnerving.  They can quickly ask me questions at the same time point out the mistakes I make at answering them.  Damn.

Which brings me to my point of frustration.  I have had an interest in teaching at the community college level for several years, but knew that I needed a masters degree to do it.  Since I am now on the waiting list for my allied health program, I thought this would be a good time to start an MBA, right?  The only thing standing in my way is a little thing called the GMAT since my undergrad GPA was high enough.  No big deal, just brush up on a few things and take a test.  I was always decent in math and verbal skills, so it should be easy enough.  Or so I thought.

Wrong again, addle-brained one.  I got this prep book and took some of the "diagnostic" and practice tests, and pretty much failed every one of them.  It's like those computer games invented for 12 year-olds - those with brains that can function at warp speed do the best.  Those of us who take our time and think things through - well, is there a polite way of saying "you are toast, you suck".  In my day of game playing (this will "date" me), it would have been a "tilt" and the game would have been over (remember pinball?).

So here is my version of some of the GMAT practice questions:

1. If the sky in a Van Gogh painting is red and the building is green, what is the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with one leg  having a length of (X * blue)?
   • bribe a contractor to calculate the length for you
   • Y * pink
   • who cares?  no one in business cares about  the arts except as a tax write off.
   • red & green are Christmas colors, so the length of any piece of garland strung by elves across the hypotenuse
   • not enough data to guess an answer
2. A scientist is studying  the correlation of global warming to the increase of methane between the layers of suburban insulation.  In order to study this, he has imbedded sensors in walls of homes to "sniff" and measure the amount of methane gas that was produced by the insulation in the walls.  At the same time, lab assistants were installed in the homes to count the number of farts produced by the occupants in order to subtract these from the calculation.  What statement below is an assumption in the scientist's study?
   • farts are propelling the rotation of the earth, and lab assistants need to be in every home in suburbia to ensure that people continue to fart
   • the government should fund this study in order to make sure that real science is not lost to theology
   • Al Gore is a major farter
   • Van Gogh never farted.  That's why he saw things in different colors.
   • all of the above
3. If Y = T, and X + 7 = F, W * 2 = 49/7, then WTF = ?
   • T = tarantula
   • can we please use calculators, I mean seriously!
   • W = what
   • I think we know where this is going
   • let's not get vulgar
4. If a crowd is standing before a long field yelling loudly but speaking in soft whispers, a speech is not given to be plausible in the long term technologically due to the fence of transmission.  Prevention of softness is possible, but not a speed trap set up to determine how to implement in the long term.  If the permeability is a flag of a bridge of toilet paper, then what option is the best contradiction?
   • jump from a bungee cord with general ledger software
   • step forward under a flying rug with pierced lemon drops
   • eat pizza through your nose with asparagus into cactus flowers
   • throw rocks at tomatoes when the clock strikes 27 o'clock
   • none of the above

Okay, I think you get the idea.  I mean really, what do these questions on this test measure except that you have figured out how to play the game.  I guess that is what business is all about - how to play the game.  But it is frustrating for a menopause brain, I'm telling you.

      

For years I have used the moniker "Purrkitten" for various reasons:  login ID, passwords (don't even try it),  computer node names, etc.  When I set up this website for my blog, I started getting some "interest" from, how shall I say this, people who thought this might be a more "risqué" venture.  Needless to say, this was not my intent.  Sorry, folks, no porn here.  No need to censor out any pornography from Purrkitten.

However, I have been watching, reading, and listening to reports that colleges and employers now go out into the virtual world and see what kind of material folks post about their lives.  So you won't find any shots of me drinking heavily (FYI - I don't drink), or partying (oh yeah, I don't do drugs either) - but they may find out my political views and that I have a bit of a biting, cynical outlook on life.  And I tend to be very analytical and speak my mind.  I like to think those are qualities that an employer or college would like to have in an employee or student.  And if the occasional curse word slips out - excuse me.  I'm also a human being.

So if big brother is lurking - howdy!  I hope you enjoy my rantings and they help you get to know me better.  Hope it doesn't hurt my chances of getting into your school or getting a job with your organization.  If it does - well, I guess that's just karma.  Call me and I'll explain that one to you.

      

It's a rare day these days that I post two entries, but I got this email from a friend that had a letter written by a woman named Wendi Aarons.  A quick Google found her blog, and I had to share it.  Now I have to tell you that I've had surgical alteration where this is no longer an issue, but there was a day where I could TOTALLY relate to every word she writes.  Enjoy!

      

When I get home from school, I'm usually rolling in just about in time to tune into the repeats of "Two and Half Men" on one of the local TV stations.  This is something I absolutely live for these days.  I will forego using the bathroom on the way home just to make it home in time to watch these shows (they have back to back episodes) for the comedic relief.  I think I am completely addicted to "Two and Half Men".  Even if I have seen the shows before, I will watch them again, and laugh AGAIN.  The benefits of short term memory loss during menopause I guess.

Chuck Lorre is some kind of strange and evil comedy genius.  I think I knew it from watching the show, but I am really sure of it from reading his vanity cards at the end of the show.  I have a DVR, so I can pause the frame and read them in detail.  I need to have a blog #111 like his vanity card #111 that says "I don't have anything to say today, so I'm repeating this blog".  But that assumes that I have the same writing talent that he does, which I don't.  Sometimes I laugh as hard at the vanity cards as I do at the show.  If you  haven't seen them, please check them out.  They are a riot.  He says things in these cards that I have been thinking, but haven't said.  Like why poetry and song is so non-linear and difficult to understand.  He commented on Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind": 

When Bob Dylan sang, quite assertively, that "the answer was blowin' in the wind," I knew it was not. The only thing blowin' in the wind was wind, dirt, leaves and miscellaneous crap light enough to become temporarily airborne. Not that I could share this with anyone. It was not for me to question the voice of my generation. But privately I always thought it would have been a better song if he simply told us what the 'answer' was. ("How many roads must a man walk down, before they could call him a man?" Nine. Six if he jogs.)

Exactly.  How much more simple could it be?  This is why I don't know the words to so many songs of my youth.  They just don't make any sense.  But they have nice rhythms and guitar solos.

      

It's spring break - at least at one of the school campuses that I'm currently attending.  I'm exhausted, and I've been napping every chance I get.  The title of this entry deserves an explanation.  I'm taking a class in medical terminology which breaks everything down into word parts.  "A" means "without", "blog" is a blog (duh), and "ia" means "condition".  So the new word I have created "ablogia", means "condition without blog" which is what is happening during this semester while I am studying so damn much.  I just haven't had time to write my thoughts here as much as I would like.  I'm nearly brain dead from all this studying, and the semester is only half over as of spring break.  Medical terminology and anatomy & physiology is not for the feint of heart.

But just two more months, then I can put it all behind me and say "I accomplished this!".  Then maybe I'll go back to being an accountant when it's all said and done.  How sad is that?

      

I've been watching and reading some news (when I have time, school is keeping me very busy) and I'm fascinated by the state of the Republican party right now.  There was recently a conservative conference where one of the keynote speaker was, of all people, Rush Limbaugh - he is now the voice of the conservative movement???  The Republicans are really in trouble.

I listen to what they have to say and try to find something to agree with, and I think I found something that I like.  The stimulus package could have been broken down into smaller pieces and looked at as individual components.  It would have made it more transparent and easier to understand.  Also, it would have given Republicans an opportunity to support parts of it (not that they would have) and not other parts.

As for the complaints about having the legislative leaders (Pelosi et al) write the stimulus bill:  isn't that what legislators are supposed to do, write and introduce laws to the legislature?  Basic civics 101 folks.

I'm just as worried as the next guy that the stimulus plan is going to work, but the Republicans tried trickle down economics for years and it has failed us.  Now it's time to try "stimulation" economics:  let the little guy buy stuff to stimulate the companies to hire people to support the demand, thus making money increasing stock value for investors who happen to be retirement and college savers.  What a concept.