sucky week

I can't REALLY complain, seeing as I have a job and good health and enough money to take care of the crap I'm going to complain about, but still...

1. Somehow my home computer got infected with a particularly nasty piece of adware that slows everything down and generates pop-up ads. In BOTH IE and Firefox, even though I only use Firefox for browsing. The weird thing is that the ads are (perhaps coincidentally) similar to the sites I am on - I went to my church's website and then got a pop-up from some "faith community" (and a hint to them: being part of a pop-up ad adware scheme? Makes Baby Jesus cry and makes Adult Jesus about as angry as He was at the moneychangers. Or so I assume.)

I tried running and getting updates to all the spyware detection and removal packages I have (three) and apparently this thing is able to defeat all of them. Once I get the bigger problems I'm dealing with now sorted, I'm taking the computer to the local techs and hoping they can find and obliterate the program.

2. The campus internet connectivity is all messed up. Some of us cannot print. I had to withstand a colleague's tirade this morning because he could not access some of his files in the classroom. (He doesn't really have an anger "problem," but at times he expresses an almost Christian-Bale-like hostility towards computers. I don't like listening to multiple f-bombs before 10 in the morning.)

3. My car is in the shop. They don't know for sure what's wrong with it because "It don't throw codes" as the mechanic told me. (It has been stalling sometimes when I bring it to a complete stop). I don't know. I just want my car back. I just want to be able to drive to the grocery store without fearing my car is going to poop out.

4. I have a rental car. Everything is in a different place from my real car and it feels all wrong. I have turned the windshield wipers on trying to get it into park. It is also a tiny little car - because I am cheap and didn't want to pay the extra sawbuck for a larger car - and I cannot get in or out of it gracefully at all. And I am not an unusually large (in height or girth) woman.

5. My right wrist is messed up. I don't know if I slept on it wrong or if it's arthritis from overuse (typing, knitting, sewing, crocheting, and now, learning to play the piano). It doesn't hurt badly but it hurts a little and it bothers me because I fear a doctor in my future telling me, "Stop knitting and crocheting and sewing and playing the piano. You can still type but only for work."

6. I feel like the government is getting progressively closer to Hoovering (heh) up all the money I have as part of some stupid "stimulus package" or "bailout deal" or something. How 'bout this, guys: let those of us who were blessed enough to stay out of debt alone, let us keep to the course we're on, don't make it so we have to GO into debt to cover our tax bills. And for the love of all that's holy, don't throw a $400 check at us and figure we'll dance like happy monkeys because we have money to spend on stuff. Being "given" a check at this point will only make me suspicious that it will be taken- double - out of my hide at some point.

6a. I also fear we are getting closer and closer to a Health Police in this nation, who will tell me that I can only eat things like Pickled Broccoli Stems (seriously, that is like the wtf recipe of the year). Or that they're going to hound me for being "metabo" like they do in Japan because my waist is bigger around than 28". (I wonder how well my insurance covers treatment for eating disorders. Because seriously, if someone hounds me too much about my weight, I'm afraid that's what would happen.)

7. Former Gov. Blago, Senator Daschle, Eliot Spitzer, et al: you disgust me. Especially "but I NEEEEEEED my car service" Daschle, at this point. Anyone who tells their constituents to tighten their belts while at the same time living high on the hog. I'm SICK and EFFING TIRED of being told to tighten my belt, turn down the thermostat, buy the cheap food, not drive anywhere...and then see some pol doing the OPPOSITE of all things. (If it's Opposite Day, tell us, so we can be in on the fun). I know, business as usual, but it still ticks me off, that the OLD PEOPLE in my town who CAN NO LONGER DRIVE have essentially NO bus service to help them, and some crook like Daschle gets driven around on the taxpayer's dime.


Like I said, I shouldn't be complaining, but I am.