Speaking Of

Fiorella is the beloved of the mosquito community. There's something about her that attracts them even as she sleeps.  Blame her DNA.

Speaking of DNA, the headline in today's newspaper is "Illness linked to SUVs hits APD hardest," which reminds Fio once again that we  live in an acronym age, an age of LOL, WTF, LGBT, GOP, DNC,  and POTUS. Linguists of the future will have no trouble tracing the decline of American English back to the internet.

Speaking of the internet, it will also have to take responsibility for print news going down the tubes. Newspapers in the thick of the action like the NY Times and the Washington Post still attract readers, but for how long? It's so much easier to listen to broadcast programs or read capsules on your computer.

Running Late

Greetings, Fellow Mortals!

Yes, Fio is running late.  A little problema with her computadora, claro que si. To be preciso, her internet wouldn't open up.  Panic--was it another internet attack?  Fio sped off to ever-reliable Click, where her internet opened up immediately, so she brought la computadora back home and her esposo labored in his oficina for half an hora and finally got la machina working right, although Fio has to go round-about ways to reach Google News, Facebook, and her G-mail.

Will Fiorella every have a nice, peaceful, productive day again or has she already entered the gates of electronic hell?

That's Fit to Print

Television news bit into newspaper news, and internet news bit into television news.  What's next?

Time marches on.

In the News

Heavens to Betsy, whatever could have happened to North Korea's internet?  Maybe Santa took a wrong turn and cut through the cloud or the ether or whatever.

Ho-ho-ho!

Electronic Frustration

Hellooooooo! Long time, no see!

Fiorella has been through electronic hell lately.  The laptop finally works and she was able to email her revised manuscript to her editor this morning--just before she lost her internet again.  Husband was able to get the web working this evening, but, because he had to change Fio's password so she could use another computer over the weekend, she couldn't get onto the blog today, even with the new password.  Several hours of frustration later, she was finally allowed to get on board and write this blog.  It's almost 10:00, but your Fio will go to bed happy.

Now, about the TV that's out of whack. . . .

Jello, Jello!

Fiorella admits it--she can't even cook Jello.  In fact, she probably blew out the microwave trying to boil water for it.  But the whole scene is in keeping with her weekend.  Friday night's lightning storm took out her internet, as you may have figured, so she took herself off to her neighborhood Starbuck's, rented herself an on-line connection by buying two slices of pound cake and a cup of milk, then settled down to write enough blogs to tide her over till the ECPI repairman came on Monday afternoon.

But every time she pushed "publish," the blog disappeared into the ether.  With a full stomach and a heavy heart, she resigned herself to fate and departed the premises.

The technician fixed everything this afternoon so it was with great joy that Fio opened up her laptop after the he left.  But, not matter how many outlets she plugged into, she still couldn't get any internet access.  She had visions of another week lost while another repairman showed up.  Maybe her laptop had been fried by a lightning strike and she'd have get to hire Click to transfer all her data to a new one.  Maybe God was, at last, as she had predicted, turning off the electricity.

A call to husband, then to ECPI's Darren, who has worked long-distance miracles before., and, lo and behold, as Fio was on the phone with him, the internet clicked in! Fiorella's world has been set to rights, even though she still can't cook Jello.

Solicitation

One thing Fio can tell you: the state of English instruction in Russia is abysmal. "Im Kate. wright me." the message implores. But it isn't Kate, who's just back from her honeymoon with William--it's Elza.

"My name is Elza,im From Russia I like to internet meeting," she continues, finally identifying herself. "I find you mail in google. If you are interesting to chat, meet, change photos, hot webcam talk with me please visit my site:xxxxx. Simle find "Elza"

Obviously the Cold War is over.

Irritated

Fiorella's sick and tired of pop-up ads on the internet, especially the ones with sound tracks. And of the unremitting stream of sex ads on her e-mail--viagra, penis enhancers, Russian women who want to strike up conversations with her. Not to mention the "replica" watches, discount drugs, Nigerian financial opportunities, and quickie college degrees.

Whatever happened to the promise that computer communication would enlighten and educate the world?