Disillusionment

It has finally been determined, from my own deductive efforts as well as by confirmation from my nephew Greg, the family Computer Professional, that most of the comments that have been appended to my recent blog entries are indeed Blog Spam. It became rather obvious when I received two that were worded almost exactly the same, did not comment specifically on my topic, and had links that sent me to Cheap Loan sites. My biggest mistake was to actually access the sites at all, even out of curiosity--with all the diabolical worms out there I should never present myself at all to unfamiliar sites.

I feel unbelievably, almost criminally naive not to have anticipated the invasion of the Spammers into the burgeoning Blogosphere. I am also rather disappointed, because I was beginning to think there were actually organic creatures reading and reacting to my opinions. But no, just more insidious profiteers and Cyberpirates taking advantage of my good will.

Well, it won't happen again. At least not to the ad bot sites that automatically pick up my blog and send it the innocuous comment. Blogger has seen to that by providing me with a screening technique, which I shall not divulge. This of course means that I will not be besieged by blog spam for Viagra and penis enlargement (NEITHER OF WHICH I NEED, FYI!) But if you want to comment about this blog, you will have to say "Happy Birthday, BronxCheersRic," or I will consider you bogus.

Actually my birthday was yesterday, but I didn't blog about it (is blog a verb as well as a noun?) because I refuse to do any work on my personal anniversary day, and a birthday is hardly a unique event. It just means I'm now &^$!**! years old, and, worse, have begun my &^$!**!@th year. Which sucks. If you care, and why should you, I didn't spend it very interestingly, though I did buy myself a gift, a new Logitech web cam, with which I will enter the world of cybervideo,until it bores me.

Since my birthday coincides with the end of summer it has a certain melancholy attached to it. The days all be shorter than the evenings for six months, it will cool off, the first heavy rain is falling on Los Angeles, and soon it will be, horror of horrors, Holiday Season. On the upside, this grueling marathon of a baseball season is about over, and I still think my favorite team the Yankees will poop out in the final two weeks, though they are virtually tied with the Red Sox (some things never change). And my Rotisserie Bronx Cheers, feeling the pressure of three other teams who could overtake us at any moment, has reverted again to The Beatles. That pastime will most certainly close its season in 13 days, and I'm exhausted by it anyway. I'll make some money back and then suffer through a postseason letdown as I wonder what all the fussing was about.

Meanwhile, for perspective's sake, another hurricane, this one named Rita, is sweeping across Florida and will be heading to the Gulf Coast. One local when interviewed said he couldn't believe God would allow a second hurricane to hit the devastated region. Of course the entire concept is a non-sequitur to me, but if He could allow the Holocaust and the Black Plague, I'm sure a double-hurricane whammy (like the four that struck Florida last year) could well be within a divine agenda. For the theistic apologists out there, let's just agree that the Greater Power is being somewhat negligent. There are a lot of planets to manage and He can't be everywhere at once.

Unless of course you opine that God=Nature, which I could buy, especially in the Cosmic Indifference that seems to be so evident nowadays.