Hacked!

I am hacked! The reason for this state of being is that my e-mail was hacked this week. Apparently, Yahoo! had a number of security problems exposed this past week, which resulted in the hacking of a number of e-mail accounts - mine among them. I discovered this problem on Thursday afternoon when my best friend telephone to ask what was wrong. In response to my confusion to this question, she informed me that we had been chatting and that I had told her that I needed her. However, at the time of her phone call, I had just returned from teaching class, which meant that I was not chatting with anyone.

I quickly discovered that I could not access any of my e-mail (from both Yahoo! and Google), and began the process of regaining access to my own accounts. During this process, I learned that the hacker had sent an e-mail (purported to be from me) to everyone in my contact list requesting money from them due to a robbery and kidnapping in London. I receive about 12 phone calls immediately from concerned friends and family as well as a host of e-mails (which I obviously did not receive until later) inquiring as to my condition. While informing everyone I was not in London, and had not been robbed or kidnapped, I immediately posted this information to Facebook. As an aside, it is amazing how many individuals immediately checked Facebook after receiving the e-mail to ascertain my status. I believe this is an intriguing social commentary on the state of contemporary society.

The most annoying aspect of this is that I was forced to change all of my login and password information for all of my online accounts. When I sat down to make a list of these accounts, I thought that I had only a few account, but as I began to change all of these accounts, I began to add accounts to my list. When I finally finished, I realized that I have almost 40 online accounts of some sort. I spent the better part of six hours changing all of this information, and was surprised to learn that some of the changes actually required a telephone conversation with the company.

While I am incredibly hacked off at the annoyance and problems caused by the hacking of my e-mail, I am also relieved that to this point the hacker has not accessed anything other than my e-mail. I am now much more aware of the fact that regardless of the security measures that one takes (and I take them) there is no 100 percent effective method for online security. Thus, I persevere with my security protocols, recognizing that my accounts may be hacked again.

Health Care?

It is with great sadness I report that I have a sinus infection. I figure this out about 4:00 am this morning when I couldn't sleep because of drainage. I arose this morning and completed a few tasks about the house before heading off to the doctor's office. I arrived promptly at 11:55, and was called back to see the doctor at 2:15. After repeating the list of symptoms that I had already written down, informing the nurse of the medicines to which I am allergic (written elsewhere in my chart had she bothered to look), and submitting to temperature, pulse, and blood pressure checks, the nurse departed at 2:21 stating that the doctor would be in shortly. Fast forward to 3:05 when the nurse practitioner arrives. I'm not saying that nurse practitioners are not qualified to dispense medical advice as a whole, BUT this woman clearly had no business being employed by a medical office. After reconfirming all of the information I had written down and told the nurse (who wrote it down again), she proudly pronounced, "I think you have a sinus infection." I wanted to exclaim, "Really! I would never have guessed that - especially since I wrote it down, told your nurse, and then told you that's what was wrong with me!" However, it was blatantly obvious that such sarcasm would have been lost on this woman, so I chose to keep my mouth shut. When she asked if I had any final questions, I said, "Yes, actually, I do." I informed her that I've recently been reading about the male birth control pills that are currently in clinical trials and asked a variety of questions on the topic. She was surprised to learn that such advances in medical science had been made. The piece de resistance was when I (a communication scholar who took anatomy in 7TH GRADE) had to  confirm some basic facts about anatomy for this woman. My anatomy lesson for today: Men are generally capable of producing sperm throughout their entire lives, while women have a finite number of eggs. As I sat waiting to have my prescriptions filled (yes, apparently a trained monkey can write scripts) I began to wonder how I have reached the point where, without any medical training other than my own reading, my scientist best friend, and my 7th grade anatomy class, I can provide a more accurate diagnosis that a supposedly trained medical professional. What a waste of three hours of my life!

The Perils of Moving

In preparation for my move in two weeks, I am currently in the process of packing up my house; shutting off utilities; turning on utilities; and planning the move itself.  It has been four years since my last move, and I seem to have forgotten the number of "bugs" that joyously appear throughout the process.  This truly has been a learning process.  Thus, I thought I would share some of the lessons learned from this process:

1. Planning ahead isn't always wise.  I contacted my phone company about six weeks prior to my move to discuss the termination date of my current phone and to turn on the new phone.  Last week, I was forced to contact them again to get them to turn my home service back on after they shut it off too early.  I also went ahead and filled out my change of address form through the USPS (specifying the date of my move).  My mail service ceased last week, which again prompted a phone call to have my mail service restored.  I've received mail the past two days, but I'm not sure what happened to about four days worth of mail.

2.  Moving = Discounts.  Completing my change of address from on USPS's website prompted the delivery of a number of coupons and discounts for a variety of moving services as well as for major stores (i.e., Lowe's, Best Buy, etc.).

3.  Don't trust shipping dates.  I ordered some furniture online (it was on sale and I got free shipping).  I based the delivery location on the estimated shipping date - furniture arriving before the move shipped to Athens and furniture arriving after the move shipped to Seneca.  It turns out that these dates were grossly overestimated.  The furniture that was not supposed to arrive in Seneca until August 6 is already present.  The wonderful shipping company - CEVA - agreed to hold it until I arrive in Seneca.  What a great company!

4.  Things NEVER happen on time.  Although I begin my move two weeks from today, I still do not have a contract or a host of other items associated with my new job.  This is a bit stressful as I am moving to start a job that I technically still do not have.  While everyone (literally) that I'm communicating with at Clemson keeps telling me not to worry.  Apparently this is indicative of their process.

On the Subject of Friends

The social scientist in me knows that this is completely impossible, but I'm thinking of cutting my friend group down to those people who I know actually care about me.  I've had more interactions with friends this week than I typically have in a week.  I'm intrigued by the fact that some of the best moments I had with friends have been in the past week, as well as some of the worst.

An awesome friend, my best friend actually, had to endure several days of me venting about another friend.  What makes her my best friend is that when I called and took my frustration with the other friend out on her (and I really did let it all out), she simply listened, agreed, and commiserated with me.  While that is the hallmark of a truly great friend, she even went a step further.  She actually got pissed at the other friend (a mutual friend) for the way the friend was treating me.  I've been reflecting on this support for the past day, and I cannot express how thankful I am to have friends who care deeply about me and about what's going on in my life.  It's also wonderful to have friends who will stand up for you even when you're not willing to stand up for yourself!

I also had a chance to spend two hours reconnecting with a friend this past Thursday.  It never ceases to amaze me that in a matter of mere minutes, my close friends and I can catch up on each others' lives.  That's another hallmark of a great friend: someone who understands you and wants to know what's going on in your life.  It's amazing to me that these people manage to quickly update me on their lives, while simultaneously probing me about my own.  What a way to show friendship!

I've also had the opportunity to pray for a variety of things going on in friends' lives this week.  While this isn't all that amazing as I am glad to do this, several friends have let me know that they're praying for me this week.  I know that I'm truly blessed with great friends when they're taking time to pray for me.  What an amazing way to honor a friend!

So back to my original thought about excising some individuals from my friend group.  I'm thinking that I'm no longer interested in the people who aren't true friends.  I'm wasting my time surrounding myself with people who are not committed to me and who are not willing to respect me as another human being.  Cognitively, I know this isn't possible, but I think it's a great attempt at strengthening current friendships and letting insincere ones die.

Perspective

Recently, I have been feeling depressed about the state of my economy.  I'm currently unemployed (26 tenure track applications and 3 visiting applications) with no apparent prospects.  I have begun to pack some of my belongings as I am selling some of my furniture and I had to move out of my office on campus.  Packing without a clue as to where you are moving is a bit weird.  I think I have a part-time summer job that will at least pay my rent and put food on my table (although not much more than that), but I received my last paycheck on May 8 and I don't know when another is coming.

However, as I walked to the mailbox this afternoon, something happened that completely changed my perspective.  There was a couple, who didn't appear too much older than myself digging through one of the dumpsters in my townhome complex.  As soon as the couple saw me, they made a beeline for their vehicle, so I was not able to see if I could be of help to them.  This encounter made me grateful that I am where I am.  I may not know what the future holds and I may not be financially stable right now, but there are many people in the world who have less than myself.  One might say that my experience this afternoon was a reality check.  I am now much more thankful for what I do have.  Although I'm still worried about the future, I have a new perspective.  I'm also on the lookout for the couple who was digging through our dumpster - maybe I can help them in the future.

The Fragility of Life

A number of recent events have reminded me of the fragility of life and how important it is to maximize the few years we have.  It strikes me that so much of what monopolizes our daily lives is incredibly insignificant in light of the tragedies that surround us.  Further, I am reminded of just how much I take for granted on a daily basis.

The University of Georgia and the Athens community endured quite a shock last weekend at the deaths of three members of the community - allegedly at the hands of a well-respected member of our academic community.  While this serves as a reminder that anyone can take life from us, it also highlighted the sense of insecurity that exists within the world.  As I looked out my office window this week, I witnessed the campus police (armed with AR-15s) patrolling the campus to protect everyone.  I ought not have to live in a society that needs this type of protection.  Life is something to be cherished; it shouldn't need this type of protection.

I found out this morning that a fellow former camp counselor was apparently murdered by her husband this week.  While the events of last weekend are saddening, they didn't touch me like Micah's death did.  Someone who I knew, whose family I know, who I spent summers with for a few years, who was an incredible person is gone.  We don't know why.  All that's left to do is grieve and question.  I shouldn't have to experience this.  Acts such as these shouldn't happen to people I know; they value life.  Micah's family and friends shouldn't have to go through this.  No one should.  Why can't everyone share the same value for life?

A few moments ago, I heard an accident at the intersection next to my home.  I looked out the window to see a SUV laying on it's side in the middle of the intersection.  While I don't believe anyone was seriously injured, it's clear that we can't control what happens to us.  Accidents happen.  Death happens.  Life is fragile, which means that we are fragile.  I am fragile, yet I don't want to accept it.

My final thought - LIVE LIFE!  It's all we can do.

Signs of the Times

My excursions today brought a few insights/questions to mind that I would like to share with my few, but loyal, readers.

The fountains are running again on campus.  Many of you are aware that Georgia has been in a severe drought for the past several years.  We have taken steps to conserve water and become much more conscious of our impact on the environment.  I'm proud to say that the residents of Clarke County sets records for water conservation (so much so that we're now facing increase water rates because the county can't afford to pay back it's bonds).  During the period of extreme conservation, the university shut down all of the fountains on campus to conserve water.  As I walked across campus today, I noticed the fountains are running again.  While this is a positive in terms of better conditions (i.e., rain), I am struck by the fact that conservation is only important in times of severe drought/water shortages.  Wouldn't the responsible action be to terminate fountains completely?

I also had occasion to venture into the library today (I needed some articles for my dissertation).  What surprised me most was that almost every table in the library was occupied.  I was aghast at the number of individuals utilizing the center of knowledge on campus.  Then, I remember that finals begin in a little over a week.  These are the students who are cramming for their final exams, rushing to finish papers and projects, and learning that they can no longer procrastinate.  I'm spending this week meeting with students to read drafts of papers and responding to a plethora of e-mail inquiries.  I am puzzled by the fact that students do not listen, read, or pay attention when I cover material in class.  It would actually save them so much time.  Why is that I do not understand my students?

Despite my routines and my ability to handle any situation, I can be surprised.  I typically pride myself on my ability to handle every situation with calm and rational abilities.  In short, I'm rarely thrown by a situation.  However, I was quite surprised this evening.  I began preparing dinner and I heard the sound of a lawnmower outside.  I rushed to the back door expecting to see some errant urchin dashing through the neighborhood on a stolen lawnmower (it is Athens after all).  Much to my surprise, it was the lawn service.  In the almost four years I have lived in this townhome, I can count on one hand the number of times the lawn people failed to show up on Tuesday morning between 5:30 and 6:00 am to maintain all of our lovely grass, shrubbery, and trees (they're excellent by the way).  I've spent the rest of the evening wondering what went wrong that they were so late today.  Now I'm wondering what this says about me.  Am I that weird/stressed?