Marilynne's World

I’ve been on a tangent about spam quite a while now, but I have to tell you about a recent email spam.  I belong to the San Diego chapter of Sisters in Crime – also known within out chapter as Sisters and Misters in Crime (SMinC) – because we have many male chapter members.  I used to write a newsletter, but now I just forward email for SMinC because it takes a lot less time and the news I send is much more timely.

I wanted to send our members a post about the KillerNashville writing contest and conference.  Usually I just forward the newsletter as it is.  This is a no-frills forwarding.  It goes looking just how it came in.

Well, I ran into trouble because the word killer was all over the email.  My own cable company, COX, wouldn’t let the email go out and called it spam.  It is not fun to have about 50 emails returned.  I tried three times and each time my email was rejected.  What to do?  I didn’t know.

Then the ex-president emailed me the same notice.  I told her I’d try once more.  I deleted any and all references to killer in the email, including the word buried in the email address.  That left only the graphic, which had all the information included.  I sent it out once more and heavens to Betsy it worked.

I think that somehow COX had marked my own email as outgoing spam.  When I forwarded it from someone else – carefully removing the k word, it worked.  It’s good to know COX is on the ball, but frustrating when it’s working against you.

I am, however, considering moving my blog over to Cox and getting the benefit of some of that spam protection.

Have a good day.

Marilynne

If you read my last post, you’ll know I listed a bunch of spammers.  Now they’ve disappeared – mysteriously – and I hope they won’t be back.  Actually, I hope Nike and Coach handbags crunched them, but I have no way of telling.

Here’s a comment I just received, that’s commenting on my spam post.  If you think of it in context, it’s really funny.

• “Superb composed article. It will likely be useful to anybody who usess [her error, not mine] it, which includes yours actually . Sustain the great operate – for positive i will verify out more posts.”

The poster is selling handbags.  Since I was complaining about spam in the post she commented on, I know without looking at the commentator’s “name” that it’s spam.

• Another spammer (SeyCDZg), commenting on an old blog “Blogs for writers that I simply love.” He had this to say.
  • XGCYdD [EXTRA]  XGCTdD
  • Those letters were stacked in the comment.  It looks like code to me.  No way I would approve this comment.

• Let’s try another.  This commenter called himself  “buy email addresses” and told me where I could buy them.  He also commented on my spam rant.

• This one has me baffled.  “plastic surgeon board” tells me that “that is a great launch, I’ll be back again later to have a look at other posts that you have on your website.”  That almost sounds legitimate, except that I’ve owned this website for years and he’s commenting on my spam rant.

• Last of all, “telegrafi” tries flattery.  He says “Thanks for sharing excellent information.  Your site is very cool.  I’m impressed by the details that youi;ve [his error, not mine] had on this site.  It reveals how nicely you understand this subject.
  • There’s more.  It’s very flattering.  He’s commenting on a photograph of my daughter and her new husband showing their wedding rings.  That isn’t up for comments.  It shows me he has other plans.  Sure enough.  At the end of his flattery he gives his web site in hopes you’ll click on it – or I’ll click on it.  Unfortunately, he hasn’t given me a reason to go there, so I guess I won’t go there to HIS website and rant about spam.

All of these comments went into my blog trash.  I’m interested in hearing comments from people who want to truly discuss the post, those who just want to say hello, and the like.  I’m not interested in spam.  I am thinking you aren’t either.

I hope this is helping you understand how I get rid of the spam that gets past my two spam cleaners.  Yes, I have two of them and the spammers get by it by commenting to photos and very old posts.  That, in itself, tells me I don’t want to read their comments and I definitely don’t want them on my web site.

So, if you have a comment that is just a friendly hello or something similar please feel free.  I don’t even mind if you don’t like the site and have some comments that might make it better.  I love comments, but I don’t love spammers.

Marilynne

I woke this morning thinking about Valentine’s Day.  I used to hate it.  My hate had its roots in grade school.  When I was in grade school, Valentine’s Day could be hurtful.  We’d each decorate a shoebox and put a slot in it for valentines.  Then for a few days the valentines would go into the box anonymously.    I was fairly popular at school, but I dreaded opening my box.

This was before the rule that you gave everyone a valentine card.  In MY DAY you just gave valentines to your friends.  You didn’t have to give any at all.  These valentines meant something!  I always hoped for a lot of valentines.  I never got that many.  Maybe a few from my close friends.  Maybe one or two that said something like “Hello Valentine.  You’re the ugliest girl in class.  Stay away from me.”  There was always someone who got a fancy valentine or two instead of those little packaged valentines.  I guess you could say Valentine’s Day was a little hard on my ego.  Believe me, there were no ugly girls in my class.

So, grow me up and give me boyfriends.  Did a boyfriend ever give me a valentine or a box of candy?  Not that I can remember.  In my teens you read a lot about such things, but most of the girls I knew didn’t get gifts from their boyfriends.  But I really wanted a fancy valentine from my boyfriend.  But I didn’t get one.  At least there were no insulting cards either.

Grow me up some more and see me marrying the love of my life.  Look at those pictures I have with love in our eyes.  And I did get a huge frilly  box of chocolates for our first Valentine’s Day.  There was a catch.  My love had been in a bar the whole night playing pool and cards with the guys.  When he was leaving, the woman who sold cigarettes told him he’d better buy a valentine for his wife if he wanted to get in the door.  He woke me up with the big frilly heart-shaped box of chocolates and he was so drunk he told me how he came to buy them.  We weren’t there yet.

Skip ahead a bit.  We own a house and we’ve filled it with three daughters and lots of debt.  I finally told the love of my life how I felt about Valentine’s Day.  Everyone I knew was getting flowers and chocolates and all sorts of other things for Valentine’s Day, but not me.  How did he think that made me feel?  I hated Valentine’s Day.  It left him speechless.  After all, he worked hard to support us all.  He loved us all.  Wasn’t that enough?  Should be, I told him, but I want at least a card for Valentine’s Day.   Inspired, I told him, if you give me  a mushy (really romantic)  card I promise to believe every word of it.

I have a truly wonderful collection of mushy valentine cards he’s given me through the years.  I’ve learned to speak up about my expectations.  You see, I thought he should know these things without being told.  I guess I thought he’d learned it in his mother’s womb.  I was wrong.  Valentine’s Day has been pretty good since I told him about my hopes and expectations.

This morning when I got up there was a mushy Valentine’s Day card on my plate and a small box of chocolates underneath it.  The box is small, but the chocolates are very nice.  I asked for a small box because I shouldn’t have them, but this year I just wanted them.  I wanted chocolates and I wanted flowers.  He’s going to get the flowers tomorrow when they’re not so pricey.  Do I care?  No, I love anticipating what he’s going to buy.  We’re going out to dinner too.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.

Marilynne

I didn’t really know how to title this.  Roy and I had a great visit with our daughter Lisa and her friends Scott and Emily.  Venice Beach is a place like no other.  Kooky for sure.  Beachy for sure.  Why don’t I tell you in pictures?

I have a whole collection of characters that belong to me.

Scott, Lisa, Roy, Me

There were plenty of characters on the beach. I’ll add their pictures below.

A contortionist. I'd hate to be in that position for long, wouldn't you?

The contortionist was kind of bored and just sitting there. It was pretty warm and she was facing the sun.

Not sure who he's supposed to be, but it isn't Halloween is it?

The man on skates was entertaining. He had a smile for everyone and was willing to stop skating and just be kooky for his audience.

Wouldn't you like to look like that after a baby? But shopping?

Two ladies shopping:  I wouldn’t be caught dead dressing like that to go shopping, but this is the beach after all. I admit to wondering how she gave birth to that sweet baby and kept her figure.

The man in the foreground wanted to dance out there to the music.

Stunts with hoops and bicycles.  We watched the athletes swirl and do tricks inside the hoops for a long time. Someone had brought a boom box and the man with the bicycle just danced around them.

True character - patience getting it on just right.

Father and son. I took this photo because the father was showing great patience trying to get the bracelet onto his son’s arm. Most men would have thrown it down and stomped on it in frustration. It was taking a long time.

I hope you enjoyed the photos. I certainly enjoyed being at Venice Beach and visiting with our daughter and her friends while we took in this unusual beach scene. Turn around from the stores and there’s the beach.  Here’s one last photo to calm your eyes.

Our daughter, me and my husband. Photographer: Emily Siskin

Marilynne