Intermittent Me

I tried posting yesterday from home, just an update on my overall status.

I couldn't. Because my computer kept blocking an automated malicious PDF download from an ad that keeps popping up on the Post an Entry page. For those of you on paid accounts, I think you're okay. But those not on paid accounts really need to watch out for this. You can render the auto-downloaded malicious PDF (which invisibly drops itself into your Temporary Internet folder) useless by using Acrobat Reader 8.1.3 or 9.0.

I haven't been able to get a clear answer on what mailicious PDFs do, but it seems that among other things, they open back doors for people to turn computers into spam zombies, and worse.

Surprisingly, it was Norton Internet Security's firewall that spotted the activity and stopped it cold each time. ZoneAlarm was apparently busy stopping other attempted intrusions.

I'm posting from work, where they've stopped the malicious ad without blocking the rest of the page script, so I can actually put something up.

Just letting y'all know.

I hope everyone who celebrates it had an excellent Thanksgiving! We...did nothing Thanksgiving-y at all.

Of course, it's 89 degrees with 3000% humidity, so the idea of putting anything in an oven, let alone turning the damn thing on, is ludicrous and will instigate heat rash all by itself.

Thinking of friends and family.

Cheers!

Lion Brand Yarn is opening a shop on 15th Street. I thought it was vitally important that you know.

An update from the source:

My enquiry has been assigned reference number CSC38595E and will be dealt with in due course.

How happy and satisfied I feel. Our State is truly glorious. :P

Times like these that I feel like tearing up my Tory membership card and trampling on it. (The council is Tory.)

This is bolstered by a chat I had with him briefly before leaving home to get years of tartar excised from my teeth:

[08:29] [REDACTED]: They responded to my enquiries by referring me to the Citizens' Committee, the Citizens' Committee seemed surprised I was even asking them anything
[08:29] [REDACTED]: And told me to ask the local council
[08:29] [REDACTED]: The local council referred me back to the Citizens' Committee
[08:31] [REDACTED]: Who finally responded to me by saying that the police head office had evidently not been specific to the officers, but the public head office isn't open to contact
[08:31] [REDACTED]: So I would have to ask the local council

Despite that little narrative, it looks like he's made a little progress, at least, and he definitely doesn't sound so spooked.

Thanks to those who responded--and Dr Toc, if you're willing, I'd love to chat with you about the differences you found between living in the US and the UK. I'm going through something similar in Australia...

I know, I know, I missed November 12. I needed sleep. And I have a nice clear weekend ahead of me for some real writing gangbusters.

Does it count for NaNo if you run out of steam on an idea and then immediately start hacking at a new one? It's two different ideas, but it's consistent, or persistent, writing. Just wondering...

13,165 / 50,000 (26.3%)

It's the 11th of November here in Australia at the moment. So I leave you with this image, a photo I took at the Australian War Memorial.

So tired. Bought the mister some absinthe at a food and wine show here in Brisbane; I ended up having some with him. Thinking straight, but very drowsy. Did nearly 2000 more words, though. I can't let gryphonrose get too far ahead, can I?

7,207 / 50,000 (14.4%)

I'd talk about the election, but a lot of people have said it better than I can. But at some point I may share thoughts. The gist for me, though, is enormous relief, and no small amount of pride.

Anyway, the real reason I'm doing this is to play "keep-up-with-the-gryphonrose"s. I'm struggling through NaNoWriMo myself, but I'll try to hack it this time. Sad thing is, I'm a day ahead of all y'all in the US, and I've already lost a couple of days to just--well, to just.

So, here we are:

4,413 / 50,000 (8.8%)

Getting there. I was having a tough time at the beginning because I couldn't get the hang of the story. Now I think I might be getting there.

My oven, as some of you already know, is...recalcitrant. Uncooperative. Inexplicable. Baffling. Perhaps even malicious.

I have tried everything in my limited power, and all my stupid chocolate chip cookies keep getting burned on the bottom. It's not so bad with dark chocolate chips, but the white ones are simply impossible.

I've got a convection (fan-forced) oven, in which I can turn the damn fan off. Fan on, fan off, lower element only, upper and lower element, centigrade range from 190 (375 Fahrenheit equivalent) to 150 for when I bothered with the fan-forcing.

Nothing helped. Some cookies were rescuable, but some just were beyond hope.

Advice? I've got a dark-colored teflon cookie pan/sheet thing. I use the higher of my two racks for baking (yes, I know the double entendres abound in that sentence). I don't have a second sheet to use as a buffer, but I've been told that might work. My thermostat might also be inaccurate (read: possessed). And since the bulb's burned out and replacing it requires a certified Mr. Goodwrench technician, I have to keep opening the stupid door to check on baking progress.

Advice? Assistance? Commiseration? No one-upmanship, that'll just make me cross.

I'm still feeling out a topic for NaNoWriMo. I'm quite well aware I'm running out of time.

But as I was napping with my mister this afternoon, he had the BB World Service on. And I heard a promo for this. Deadline's March of 2009.

I've got plenty of empty notebooks and more than enough time to transcribe. Let's see what happens.