Junk Food

So - I was just updating my profile and decided to explain the significance of "the Happiness of Pursuit". This got me thinking about tombstones and "life slogans" and little traditions - things I say all the time.

For instance - I have a pat answer to the question, "cremation or burial?". I always answer that I want to be cremated and have my ashes spread at James Coney Island. You know - that great hot dog place we have here in Houston. You might ask, WHY? Well - it's simply a tradition. James Coney Island is the place I celebrated many of my landmarks in womanhood. (why I chose a hot dog place is beyond me - but Freud would have a field day!). Here's the story:

When I was 13 and started my (whisper) period, my mother wanted to celebrate. She told me that when my sister embarked on her "life as a woman", she was given the choice of where to go for a celebration luncheon. She chose the Sakowitz lunch room (very swank Ladies who Lunch place back then). I was now given the choice and I chose James Coney Island - it was my favorite place to eat after all.

So since then other womanly landmarks celebrated there with Mom include:

• My first bra
  
• Turning 16
  
• My debut (eeek)
  
• and my wedding (the first) - this actually wasn't at JCI - we were in Lynchburg, Virginia which is not blessed with same - so we had a chili dog at the Cavalier.

I don't eat hot dogs any more (nitrates!) but the flowerbed at James Coney Island remains for me the eventual repository of my remains. At least that is the story I like to tell.

xoxo

PS - I forgot to mention that the births of my children were not celebrated in this way. My boy's birth was toasted with a fried egg and cheese sandwich and an Oreo shake from the Pig Stand - and my daughter's was marked by the consumption of an entire Pecan Pie from Goode Company BBQ.

I think I'll go and make myself a salad now...

Molly - we will miss you.

This is so sad - the news that yesterday one of Texas's greatest women passed on. She was such a beacon - I hope that the rest of us Texas bitches can step up!!

She said:

"So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was."

Thank you Molly. You Goddess.

xoxo

What the hell is my problem!!

I don't have any!! My whining about gmail - pfffft. What a crock. I just finished reading some of Sunshine's (see links - Days of my Life) posts about her life in Iraq. In fact, I have spent the last several days "discovering" the Blogosphere. I am in awe. I am humbled. I am swept away by the sheer wall of noise out there that is humanity - (many of them) - at it's finest.

Must go - had to post. Love and Peace and Angels.

xoxo

Well, it worked!

Lynnette over at Rebellin Woman is right - you raise some hell in a blog and people sit up and notice! This time, the person that noticed was Lynette herself!!

Thanks girl!!

Google finally emailed me on Thursday with "the message" I could have my account back. A mere hour or so after I filed a report with the IC3. Yeah!! So - a total of 4 days before I got my identity back.

I spent the rest of the evening making sure that everything was clean in my mailbox. The only strange messages were a request for login info from Orkut and from eHarmony. I have to tell ya - There are a couple of dozen guys in New Jersey that want me baby!! (had to cancel that account - sorry fellas...)

OK - so some lessons learned here:

1. diversify passwords!! Often! (being brain dead is not an excuse!)
2. email passwords should always be distinct from any others you use!
3. Don't upload your Outlook contacts into an online mail server! Those cleverly hidden Amex account numbers won't fool anyone.
4. If you are a Gmail user - make sure you have a back up email address. You can find this under Google account settings.

I was shocked at how this consumed my life this week. OK - yes, I can be just a tad obsessive - but... I do a great deal of business online and securing all of that took a lot of time and energy.
(maybe I should use the phone more...)

So - this weekend we are hanging out, listening to the rain and I have a stack of books to read, a Grey's Anatomy and several movies to watch and my child's Pinewood Derby car to root for!

Ahhhhhh....it's nice to be out of computer hell.

Day 4 - Is there anybody home at Google??

STILL have not heard from Google. Nice huh?

People - a simple phone call will do!! Or an email!!

Wait! I just got another automated response from Google asking me to fill out a form (the same one I have filled out 4 times already...)
This was in response to me forwarding them a message I got from IC3 - the Internet Crimes Complaint Center. I found out about IC3 at this blog:

http://www.pajamamarket.com/pajama_market_small_busin/2006/07/my_gmail_was_ha.html

Hmmm - I hope it helps!!

To my readers - if you are interested in learning more about this issue, I have found several blogs that relate similar experiences:

http://www.somewhatfrank.com/2005/11/gmail_hacked_it.html


http://www.rebellin.net/archives/000899.html


http://optimalaccess.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=203307

Enjoy -

Day 3 - still waiting!!

To all you fabulous folks at Google -

You say you care! You say you take security issues seriously! So - WHY have I not heard from you? (I know, I know - you get what you pay for). But I bought into your hype. Your coolness, your concern for your fellow man, your serious w/out suits ideology. But this is serious - at least to me!!

Please block my account so the hacker can't access it!! And give me a chance to reclaim my data!!

Sincerely -

My Gmail was Hacked and no help from Google so far!!

Two days ago, some idiot hacker broke into my Gmail account, changed my password and now has free access to all my info and mail - and I can't do a damn thing about it.

Unfortunately, the email account I opened my Gmail account with is now defunct - so I have no way to retrieve my "new" password. Google's site states that in this situation, people like me should wait for 5 (!) days of account inactivity, and then try to retrieve my password again - at which time I can answer my secret question and gain access. That would be great (not) as long as my account was truly inactive - but with the asshat hacker there keeping it active - I have no chance.

I have filled out several online forms to Google security and have sent several emails - but have heard absolutely NADA from Google.

So what gives??

The hacker used my Gmail account to request my login info from Ebay, accessed my Ebay account, changed my password there and effectively locked me out of that. BIG difference here though - Ebay, has live online help and resolved the issue right away.

I have spent the last two days changing the login info from all the accounts I had linked to my Gmail account - fortunately most had decent and diverse passwords - so no problems so far.

I opened this Blog with the intention of getting Google's attention, and to learn more about this issue. After reading several similar stories on different blogs today, I have realized that I may need to raise some hell in order to make sure I get my email account back.

Feedback anyone?

Thanks -