Bogieblog

Internet Security

For the last couple of days I have been wrangling with Norton's Internet Security (contains both anti-virus and firwall programs). Starting last weekend, I started having problems with the update engine - for some reason it couldn't connect to update. After researching the problem on Symantec's site (If I wanted to talk to someone it would cost me $24.95!), I found that it could be one of two problems:

• My Update engine was of an old version and needed to be updated


• I was using Express Update instead of regular

I figured out that I wasn't using the Express Update, so decided it must be an old version of Update (how that would happen I have no idea). So I downloaded the new Update engine and tried to install it. Guess what? It told my I was already up-to-date.

The only other option available to me (according to Symantec) was to uninstall everything involved with Norton's, including all the hidden files that a regular un-install doesn't touch, then install the new Update engine, then re-install Internet Security.

I did all that on Wednesday, then ran Automatic Update about 6 times to get all the new definitions. Life was good.

Most Livable

New Hampshire was ranked as this year's Most Livable State by the Morgan Quitno Press.

Useless Quiz

Take the Useless Quiz.

Link found through Venomous Kate.

Side Roads

A lot of side roads in this area are posted for a max load of 6 tons per vehicle at this time of year (this is a common thing for the smaller towns in this area). This is enough to allow a school bus or oil truck onto the road, but nothing much heavier. The reason is that the side roads are not made for the loads that main roads are built for. During the spring, when snow is melting, the side roads tend to get pockets under the pavement where either water pools or air is left from frost-heaves that are settling back down (this is my story and I'm making up the facts as I go along - actually I'm pretty sure this explaination is at least close to the real reason). Heavier vehicles can cause parts of the roads to buckle under their weight under those conditions.

Did you know that logging trucks outfitted with a second trailer, that is completely full of logs doesn't reach 6 tons? Or that 18-wheelers loaded to the top with wood chips doesn't seem to be over the maximum load limit either? Or, a dump truck with a trailer that is holding a loader?

I didn't know that any of those conditions met the 6 ton limit either. But, it must be true since those vehicle have been traversing our road since the load-limit signs have been put up.

This irks me as just a couple of years ago the town worked on our road so it is in decent shape. It had been worse than most dirt roads with all the humps, bumps and potholes it had. Our road hadn't been worked on (even re-paved) for something like 30 years. It won't be worked on for another 30 years (I'm not saying anything bad about our road crew - we don't give them the money to re-do the roads more often).

I understand that people want their lots cleared so they can build their houses, but geeze, it would be really nice if they held off for another month so the road stays in decent shape for another couple of years! Actually it was sort of nice when the road was in crappy condition because people had to keep their vehicle speeds down. However, after we spent the money to have the road repaired, I don't appreciate finding that the money has been wasted because people can't/won't read a simple sign!

Awards

This will probably be the last post on this year's Iditarod. Several mushers and their teams have won awards which couldn't be given out until the last team made it to Nome:

Rick Swenson received the covetted Leonard Seppala Humanitarian Award for the team best cared for. He started out the race with 16 dogs and finished the race with 14 dogs.

In a show of sportsmanship, Perry Solmonson received the Red Lantern Award for being the last musher in to Nome. He could have beaten G.B. Jones handily, but admired the way Jones continued through all kinds of bad luck (duct tape was seemingly his best friend this race).

The Rookie of the Year was Hugh Neff. Cim Smyth received two awards; the Fred Meyer Sportsmanship award and the Chevron Most Insperational Award. Ramey Smith received the Nome Kennel Club Fastest Time From Safety to Nome Award. Mitch Seavy's lead dog Tread won the Lolly Medley Golden Harness Award for outstanding lead dog of this year's race.

Other mushers and voluteers won awards besides those I have mentioned. For a complete list see this ADN new article (scroll down to the bottom).

Not Convinced

The calender keeps telling me it is spring, but I'm not convinced. The first day of spring, it snowed most of the day. There wasn't much accumulation because it was melting almost as fast as it was falling, but it was still snowing.

The second day of spring we got bouts of hail, sleet, snow, rain, snow, rain, snow and more snow.

the third day of spring it did not snow. The high was about 23 degrees (20 degrees below the average temp for this time of year) and the winds were whipping around at 20-30 MPH - but at least we didn't get any snow.

So far on the fourth day of spring it is 10 degrees. It should warm up later in the day and shouldn't snow. We'll see.

I'm still waiting to be convinced!

Gimpy Kitty Update

I took Tory to the vet yesterday afternoon to see if they could determine the cause of his limping. They found nothing except a possibly sore elbow (no swelling, wounds or). She (the vet) didn't feel that anything was broken. She decided the best thing to do was to give him a steroidal shot (in case there was swelling that was just slight enough that we couldn't tell) and to put him on antibiotics for a couple of days (as a precaution). If that doesn't work, then we will go for X-rays.

Fortunately, even though Tory is the most anti-social cat we have and he is not usually good with new situations (he gets spooked if a piece of furniture is moved or a box appears where one wasn't before), he took the manipulations needed to determine where he was sore very well. He is the cat that is calm when I cut his claws or check out any cuts or scrapes that he has. If it had been Indy (his sister), we would have had a much more difficult time. Indy is not calm when I cut her claws or inspect her for injuries - even though she is the most social of the cats and takes changes very well.

The antibiotic that I am giving Tory is a liquid and the same antibiotic that I had to give Indy a couple of years ago. I remember well having to trap Indy between my body and an arm, then I had to chase her head all over the place until I could finally force her mouth open so I could squirt the stuff in (I shudder to think what trying to give her a pill would be like - I really needed the hand to give her her medicine). With Tory, I just have to lift his chin and press the dropper against his mouth. At this point he opens his mouth and I can squirt it in with no trouble. He doesn't like the taste of the antibiotic (it smells like bubble gum - go figure), but he takes it calmly, shakes his head as if to get rid of the taste, then he gets something to eat. Of course I praise and pet him a lot for being such a good kitty!

His limp seems better today. So either because of, or in spite of, what we are giving him, he seems better.

Security Threat

Black Ice and Real Secure firewall users beware; there is a worm out there that will wreck your computer called the Real Witty Worm. If you use these programs, get thee off the Internet NOW (unplug/turn off the modem) andfind a friend that uses another firewall to download the patch. This worm is not spread by email, so you have to worry even if you don't open strange attachments.

Thanks to Joe for spreading the news.

Gimpy

Tory has been limping quite badly the Since Saturday evening. I'll be taking him in to the vet some time today so his right, front leg can be checked out. He has been upset with us because we won't let him out with his handicap (or maybe I should be PC and say "challenge"). Hopefully he has just sprained something - guess I'll find out.

A "Bad Day"

Guess we had a little excitement in town Saturday night!