FLICKR and Yahoo Suck.

May I share a frustration with you?

For a little over a year now, I have been trying to upgrade my FLICKR account to a "pro" account. It is relatively inexpensive, and it allows the user unlimited photo uploads, and various other benefits that the free account doesn't offer.

For some reason, FLICKR doesn't seem to want me.

Let me preface this by saying I am not completely illiterate in computing, networking, and such. I work on a computer daily, I shop, bank, and pay bills online. I can set up a simple network, and I can do some simple programming. The bottom line; I am not an idiot.

OK, so every time I try to upgrade my FLICKR account, I get stuck in an endless loop of Yahoo log in screens asking for my password.

Over and over and over.

I can log into Yahoo just fine for other things.

I can log into my Flickr account just fine. I can up load photos just fine.

It is only when I try to upgrade the account that I get stuck in an endless loop of password hell.

I have changed usernames.

I have changed passwords.

I have cleared cookies.

I have cleared cache.

I have disabled firewalls.

I have sent dozens and dozens of emails.

I have received dozens and dozens of condescending replies assuring me that I need to set my computer to accept cookies and all problems will vanish.

I want to shove cookies up those emailer's asses is what I want to do.

I know how to accept cookies. I have tried this from 6 different computers from 4 different locations. I have tried it in Internet Explorer and in Firefox.

I shop online. I have purchased everything from books, movies, golf clubs computers, cameras, even furniture online. I have never had a problem. It is this one thing.

A Year.

A freaking year. You would think in all that time someone in the Yahoo organization would step up to the plate and resolve this issue.

For the last time morons - IT IS NOT MY COMPUTER!!!!!!!!! There must be a glitch in my account. Again 6 different computers from 4 different locations.

A freaking YEAR!!!!!!

The Tubes Are Full Of Cool People

The blogosphere has given me more than a voice. It has given me friends.

It goes without saying that all of you are dear to me. I consider myself friends with at least most of the bloggers in my blog role.

There are of course, sites where I only visit every once in a while. There are a few sites were I lurk, not feeling like I have anything to add to the discussion.

And then there is Mimi Smartypants.

I guess you could consider her a "Mommy Blogger", as her site is mostly about her daughter, Nora.

I wish I could meet Nora. She reminds me a lot of Clinton at that age. Nora loves her some Darth Vader:

When it is not stupid jokes, it is (still) stupid Star Wars questions. How does Darth Vader take a bath? I don't know, wet wipes? Sponge on a stick? He pushes the button that says "Wash" on his control panel thingy? The good part of her obsession is that she frequently talks like and even quotes Mr. Vader in her James Earl Jones voice, which is the cutest thing ever. She would kill me if I said that to her, though. She would use the Force to choke me with her mind. Every time I watch Nora walk somewhere I just know she is hearing the Imperial March in her head.

Mimi herself sounds like the kind of person I'd like to have a drink with, or certainly live next door to:

Today either I am abnormally hostile or people are abnormally weird, because strangers keep TALKING to me and LOOKING at me funny and just generally EXISTING IN MY SPACE, and I am super-sick of it. When I went to order my grilled cheese the grill guy (a new or perhaps substitute grill guy, not the awesomely taciturn grill guy who just gestures at you with his spatula in lieu of verbally taking an order) was all like "Grilled cheese! For the grilled cheese girl! Coming right up!" and I was all like "Shut your mouth before I shove you in the fryer" but of course I did not say that. Then I was waiting for an elevator and a different guy was giving me awkward half-smiles and doing some kind of eyebrow thing and I wanted to suggest that he keep his eyebrows to himself, unless he had brought enough for the whole class---which he kind of had, they were pretty bushy. Maybe the eyebrows were new and he was showing them off. In retrospect that was probably a tic or something. Okay, he gets a pass. People I work near, but do not normally speak to, keep punishing me with "Hi" and "How's it going" today. Arrggh! Politeness! Civility! I can't take it anymore!

If you don't visit Mimi Smartypants, you should. Alas, don't go there seeking a community, she doesn't have comments on her site.

I'm so glad Al Gore invented the Inter-Tubes, because all of you make my life richer, and fuller. It's wonderful that I don't need to live close to someone to be friends with them.

Love Is Just Breaking Out All Over . . .

. . . . The Tubes that is!
First Jen and Bob.

Now Heather and Boxer!!!! (You can read his post here)

Wow! Just wow. Guys, I 'm thrilled, thrilled THRILLED for you.

Heather, aka Gourmet Goddess has been a regular here pretty much since I signed on.

So for four very nice people, who have found love thanks to Al Gore's invention - I give you this: