I hate computers!!!! And the internet!! (Only sometimes)

I finally get my computer fixed and then the internet has been down or wonky for the past while.  Not only that but I filled up the memory card on my camera and I can't seem to access my pictures.  I swear I am cursed!  I haven't been able to access google or my gmail for what feels like ages.  So, here I am again...I am still recovering from going through withdrawal from all of you wonderful bloggers out there.  I can't even access your blogs from the computers at the school because of all the filters and restrictions they have to keep in place to protect our innocent young minds at the school!  lol  (If you believe that, I have a great deal for you on something!!lol)

Did I tell you that I won a shared third place from Cathy at the Life on the Muskoka River with her door matching game?  I have to very sheepishly admit that it was a very random matching on my part and pure fluke that I matched what I did.  Despite this, she sent me the most fabulous prizes!  I was overwhelmed by her generosity.  I love the red mittens - I kept telling myself to go buy a pair for ages but never got around to it - now I don't have to!  Then there is a great Canadian t-shirt, a Muskoka River mug, a cute keychain, a mushy music cd and I think the best thing of all - a small white bottle that had me perplexed (until I opened it) and then ecstatic  - it was a bottle of soap bubbles that you can blow into the air.  My cats and dog are terrified of the bubbles - who would have thought?  I thought they would love chasing them as much as I love making them!  Sigh. They just don't know a good thing when it floats past them... I will post a picture of my incredible prizes when I figure out my camera's dilemma.

Now that I have whined and cheered alternatively, I will be blogging more regularly once again.  You're stuck with me folks!   ;)

No password! No entry!

I changed my password to my Google accounts and then discovered, the next day, that the one I thought I had chosen was not actually my new password!! I had changed it but had not gone back to use it a couple times and as a result forgot it. I have to admit I did panic somewhat...ok quite a bit...more than I should have. I had not realized that not being on-line would even create a void for me. I sat and examined my feelings. I realized that I was actually quite bereft; I felt left out. It was like knowing about a party and not being invited into it.

I tried numerous words that I really like the sound of and had considered in the past for passwords. Words like shalloon, guidon, or flowers like day-lilies, or peonies came to mind but they definitely were not my new password. After numerous attempts I finally decided I should contact Google and see if they could help me track down my new, elusive code. I attempted to fill out the form, which I discovered is not for the non-memorizing types like me (like who ever memorizes email addresses or the like?), and submitted my information. I am still awaiting a reply. I have to give them a bit of leeway here because they did say 24 hours and it has only been about 18 hours...

I dug through the pile of papers on my desk in hopes that I had written down this elusive word. Again, I had no luck. This morning, I was grumbling and rolling words through my mind, all of which I quickly rejected knowing my pension for odd words - most were just too ordinary.

So, by now I was getting pretty pissed off with myself and Google! It was they who had informed me that my account had been hacked and to change my password. It was just so easy to blame them, when in fact it was neither of our doing. Damn hackers! It felt good to blame someone other than my rather elusive memory.

I told my husband, in hopes that I had given him the password. No luck. Now, I was definitely upset and hoping Google would have a password for me. So, I have to admit I waited - not very patiently.

I sat down and read the local rag. As I turned the page I happened upon a word that seemed surprisingly familiar...to the point where I ran downstairs and typed it into the password section. I hit paydirt!! I now know my password and have written it down elsewhere so I don't forget it again. Still haven't heard from Google though...

This got me to thinking about our aging society. We use passwords for everything; access to our bank accounts, our phone service, our computers, pin numbers for our debit and credit cards, just to name a few. I recently read an article in Time magazine how the number of people that will develop Alzheimers or age related dementia will be astronomical in the coming years. It makes me ask the question: What will happen to all the accounts that people don't access and lose track of? Are they contacted by the companies that they subscribe to? And just what if? It is kind of scary thinking about this but it can conceivably happen that we just forget and don't even know that we have forgotten, as is the case of many of these brain/memory related diseases.