browser life

I'm back to copying medical records yet AGAIN, so I'm gonna sneak in some time to review the movies I've rented since mid-March. After I'm done scanning the records, I'll be going back to unpacking and thus will have limited blogging time again. I have FINALLY finished unpacking the upstairs, believe it or not, YAYYYYYY, and will tackle organizing my vast music collection and photo gallery downstairs next.

Dan and I watched "World Trade Center" about a month ago. It stars Nicolas Cage (although for most of the movie you just see his face in silhouette) and was directed by Oliver Stone. I had opted to skip it in the theatre because I didn't know how graphic or melodramatic it might be. I am pleased to report that for this film, Stone wisely held back, knowing that the subject matter itself was dramatic enough. So rather than extensive footage of people jumping from the towers and hitting the pavement (although it was implied), the focus was the point of view of a crew of transit authority workers who were attempting a rescue when the World Trade Center collapsed upon them. This was based on a true story, which adds quite a bit to the OMG factor. Stone also spent quite a bit of time showing the reaction of the families, friends and co-workers. He captured their fear, confusion and anger quite well. The movie was much better than I was expecting, and a fitting tribute to those who serve and protect as well as those who love them.

Next, I got into Jane Austen mode with "Pride and Prejudice". This came out in 2005 and stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet, a girl of marriage age who usually has her nose in a book. She is smart and outspoken and stands in stark contrast to her giggly fashionista younger sisters and shy but lovely older sister. When Elizabeth sees gorgeous Mr. Darcy at a society function, she is attracted but also repulsed by his cold, no-nonsense manner. As Elizabeth has no male siblings and the family is not rich, the business of getting five girls to marry well is of utmost importance to the quality of their future. Elizabeth receives a proposal from a parson who could provide a modest but stable future, but she does the unthinkable by turning him down because she does not love him, and her mother comes unglued. After several misunderstandings and a great deal of misery on the part of both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, they finally both swallow their pride and admit they love each other. Ms. Knightley really shines in this movie, and the humor of the book is not neglected, so this is quite a pleasure to watch. If you like period pieces, or even if you think you hate them but love a good story, I highly recommend this one.

For variety, my next DVD was stand-up comedy, "Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired", which came out last year and was taped in Seattle, I think. For some reason, Wanda Sykes isn't half as funny on TV as she is live, so this was a real treat. Her style isn't for everyone, but she's not vulgar for shock value, she's just really honest. She can take just about any subject, like, say, the outrageous cost of prescription drugs for the elderly, and make it so funny that tears will be coming out my eyes. My favorite routine of hers is about how convenient it would be if a certain female body part were detachable. While not as controversial as the Carlos Mencia or Eddie Izzard DVD's I've seen so far, Wanda Sykes is the most hilarious.

After my laugh fest, I returned to Jane Austen-ville with "Emma". This 1996 gem stars Gwenyth Paltrow as the title character, a busybody matchmaker who can't spot her own perfect match even though it's right under her nose. If this sounds vaguely familiar, "Clueless" was a version of this set in present day. Paltrow's Emma has it all: wealth, social standing, artistic talent, charm. But she mainly uses these qualities to get eligible men interested in her friends and is baffled when her plans backfire. While doing so, she constantly squabbles with her not-quite brother and doesn't realize that she has fallen in love with him until it's almost too late. My favorite scene is when Emma becomes unnerved during archery and misses the target completely, which mirrors her efforts as Cupid. This movie is funny and clever and extremely well-done, and I would watch it again many times over. Even better than "Pride and Prejudice".

Finally, on Tuesday, I watched "High Fidelity". How on earth did I miss this movie when it was released in 2000? John Cusak and a mostly-star cast address breakups, make ups, and tunes for all occasions. Cusak is the owner of a Chicago used vinyl record store whose life is comprised of top five lists and failed romances. When he is dumped by the latest girlfriend because he has no ambition, he does some awkward, hilarious and somewhat self-serving soul searching in an attempt to find out what when wrong with his previous relationships. He looks up some of his exes, wanting to know why they broke up with him, only to find out that time has colored his memory, causing him to forget that he was actually the culprit in some cases. One ex is happily married, one is lonely and regrets having cheated on Cusak, and one is exasperated that he even wants to bring up the past. Fortunately, Cusak's is not the most immature character in the film; his two record shop employees are. Jack Black plays a music snob who bullies uneducated customers and insists that he's gonna get his own band someday. The other guy is a socially awkward music geek who loves to correct Black when he gets something wrong. The funniest part is when Cusak confronts his most recent ex's new lover, played by Tim Robbins, and envisions all sorts of violent revenge that of course never happens. I also enjoyed when Bruce Springsteen appears in a daydream to dispense advice. This movie was based on a book set in London, but the switch to Chicago is surprisingly successful. Awesome screenplay, hilarious pandering to the camera, and it almost goes without saying that it has a great soundtrack. Definitely in my top five John Cusak movies of all time, heh heh.

I'm caught up for now. I should be getting "Mrs. Henderson Presents" tomorrow. At least I'm not stuck in a one-genre rut, heh heh.

It has been awhile since I blogged about family members, so I can't remember what has or has not been said. Some of the following post may be either old news or a complete surprise accordingly. And I still have a stinkin' migraine, so please forgive any garbled sentences.

First of all, BOTH my sister AND my sister-in-law are expecting babies! They are due within about a week of each other, which is interesting since the mommies are the same age too. Both babies will arrive sometime around the end of August/beginning of September.

My sister-in-law will be having a boy, so our three-year-old niece will have some competition, heh heh. Apparently, a shopping frenzy is afoot in anticipation of the new arrival. Don't know if there are any names picked out yet, but I'm going to refer to him as my nephew-to-be for now.

My sister has chosen not to be informed of the gender of her child in advance. I wonder if doctors ever slip up and say "him" or "her" when referring to the baby? My sister is picking out girl names and her husband is in charge of boy names.

My sister-in-law's baby has so far been given a clean bill of health, but my sister just found out that her child has Down's syndrome. I think it is a good thing that it was discovered early so the parents have time to prepare themselves for possible challenges ahead. My sister has been doing research and checking out support groups.

Baby "B", as I'm going to refer to my sister's child for now, so far does not appear to have any heart-related problems, which is a relief as up to 50 percent of kids with Down's syndrome have heart defects. The docs will be doing a fetal EKG this week. No other physical abnormalities have been noted, just the chromosomal aberration that determines Down's.

I don't know that much about Down's syndrome except that it usually results in delays in physical development and learning. There is no way to know how profound those will be until after the baby is born. Most of these kids are mobile and able to communicate, but it may take them longer than the average child to achieve such milestones as walking and forming sentences and potty training.

While I am sad and a bit unnerved at the news of the Down's syndrome, and part of me wants to think it is unfair, I also know that my sister will be able to handle it. She is still having a child like she always wanted, the pregancy is progressing normally, and she is in good health. She is probably still going to have a happy child.

My sister is being monitored quite closely by a team of doctors, and there will be a pediatrician present at delivery to check immediately for any problems with the baby after it is born. Apparently, Down's syndrome babies respond favorably to physical therapy for muscle coordination and development, so this might be something that is done. As for education, schooling is less isolated than it once was so the child has opportunities for socialization as well as learning.

That's all I've got on this subject for now. I plan to relate news on my own health at some point after I get done copying medical records for ANOTHER rheumatologist; long story. I also am quite backlogged on mini-reviews for the Netflix movies I've seen recently, so those should be forthcoming.

Peace out.

I wanted to post something on this a few days ago, but I've had a migraine brewing and was waiting for it to go away. Unfortunately, it has only grown worse, so I'm just gonna go ahead before I lose the ability to form a sentence. But due to the headache, please excuse any incoherence contained herein.

After the shootings at Virginia Tech on April 16, I was in need of some spiritual comfort. When I lived in Denver, my church addressed this need very well. So I headed to a church in Sioux Falls this past Sunday that was the same denomination, figuring there would be some discussion of the incident and some prayers for peace and healing.

The entire service, however, was dedicated to Earth Day. There were skits and songs and a sermon about redirecting our focus to better respect nature. All important in their own way, of course, but I was completely shocked that they never once mentioned those in need in Virginia or indeed offered prayers for anyone outside the church.

I understand that they perhaps didn't want to glamorize the shooter any more than necessary, but what about the people who died and all who knew them? Aren't they particularly in need of prayers at this time as well as those who were injured or traumatized by this? Did they really think that ignoring what happened was the best course of action?

This is so at odds with what I am accustomed to and need. My church in Denver mentioned world events both positive and negative at every service, asked for the joys and concerns of the congregation and beyond, and prayed for peace and healing for those known and not known each and every time. Is that not normal?

I am so confused. Sioux Falls has churches on practically every corner, but I did not hear of any special services or support/discussion at a single local church regarding the events of April 16. But the national news mentioned that there were several in Denver.

I realize that Sioux Falls has never had a major tragic event that put them in the national spotlight, like the Columbine shootings. But I was participating in interfaith peace prayers in Denver long before April 1999. My church pastors would lead courses about world religions and understanding cultural differences, open to anyone who wanted to learn.

It wasn't just the churches of Sioux Falls that seemed oblivious. The local newspaper had a few stories about Virignia Tech, but not much detail; they dedicated a lot more discussion to more pressing issues such as whether a new local swimming pool was gonna be indoors or outdoors. Same with the newspaper message forums and even the ladies in my aquacise class.

Do the people of Sioux Falls not care what happens in other parts of the country or the world? Do they think nothing bad can ever occur here, that their faith will make them immune from tragedy? Or do they believe if they don't talk about evil, it will go away?

From what I have seen of Sioux Falls in the past five months, especially from reading the newspaper every day and watching local newscasts, it would seems as though the majority of residents have blinders on. They deny there is any homelessness here even though I have seen street people; they deny there is bigotry even though I have seen the evidence of homophobia and ignorance of other cultures; they deny there is any religious zealotry even though I read letters to the editor telling anyone who is an atheist/liberal/free thinker to move somewhere else if they can't accept what Jesus wants. I have never lived nor visited anyplace that was perfect, but if you interviewed the typical Sioux Falls resident, you might draw the conclusion that this place is as close as it gets.

Anyway, even though the church I attended did not pray for the families and friends of those who suffered in the Virginia Tech tragedy, I made a point of doing so. And I ask those of you reading this to send along your prayers/positive vibes/whatever suits your particular faith or lifestyle. I will conclude with a list of the names of those who died so that they might particularly be remembered:
Ross Alameddine
Christopher Bishop
Brian Bluhm
Ryan Clark
Austin Cloyd
Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
Daniel Cueva
Kevin Granata
Matthew Gwaltney
Caitlin Hammaren
Jeremy Herbstritt
Rachael Hill
Emily Hilscher
Jarrett Lane
Matthew La Porte
Henry Lee
Liviu Librescu
G.V. Loganathan
Partahi Lumbantoruan
Lauren McCain
Daniel O'Neil
Juan Ortiz
Minal Panchal
Erin Peterson
Michael Pohle Jr.
Julia Pryde
Mary Read
Reema Samaha
Waleed Shaalan
Leslie Sherman
Maxine Turner
Nicole White

Peace be with you.

Time for some much-needed comic relief. As a Mac owner, I found this hysterically funny. Thanks to Dr. Karen for the therapy....

iRack

Probably should mention this originally aired on MadTV....

I was wrong about one thing in my Wednesday post. I thought that we would never know what was going on in the mind of Cho Seung-Hui, who murdered over 30 students and professors at Virginia Tech before shooting himself. What I didn't know at the time was that he had sent NBC a gruesome manifesto including audio and video of rambling tirades of hatred and Cho posing with guns, knives and even a hammer.

This man was clearly psychotic and paranoid, possibly schizophrenic. His rants were directed at a nameless "you", whom he taunted for being rich and spoiled and whom he blamed for forcing him into a corner and whose blood on his hands could never be washed off. He compared himself to Jesus, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

Yet despite this graphic glimpse into the mind of a deranged murderer, I keep hearing that the real problem is our "deteriorating society", a lack of morals, our failure to shield our children from evil, the conspiracy to keep God out of the schools. Oh, and that this sort of thing didn't happen prior to the AIDS epidemic or whatever scapegoat suits the purpose. I find this view so disturbing that I would feel remiss in not addressing it.

The massacre was carried out by a man who was extremely mentally ill. This man had an imaginary girlfriend, identity issues, was stalking co-eds, threatened suicide, and so disturbed professors and classmates with his writings that the police were consulted. He could not be engaged in ordinary face to face conversation; he was so silent that his fellow students wrongfully assumed that he did not know how to speak English.

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were also mentally ill, particularly Harris, who was having problems with his anti-depressant medication Luvox. By the time they opened fire at Columbine High School in my former hometown of Denver, Harris had been reported to the police multiple times for threats of violence in person and on the internet, his teachers had expressed concern at his violent writings, and both worshipped Hitler, who has nothing to do with American society. The only thing I see as being our society's fault is the ease with which these killers were able to obtain automatic weapons and outrageous amounts of ammo.

Violence has existed since the dawn of man. There are several bloodbaths described in the Bible. Ancient Greeks and Romans wrote about the depravity of their societies and lack of morality thereof; it's not like senseless murder is anything unique to the US.

Could Cho Seung-Hui's killing spree have been prevented? Maybe. But speculation in hindsight is just that.

Perhaps if he had been committed to an institution when he was sent to counseling for being suicidal, someone would have evenutally seen that he posed as much a threat to others as he did to himself. Perhaps if any of the girls he stalked had pressed charges, his criminal record would have caused him to fail the background check when he attempted to purchase those guns. Perhaps if it were impossible or nearly so for a civilian to acquire automatic weapons, we'd be looking at much fewer casualties assuming Cho would use regular pistols instead.

But someone as mentally ill as Cho might have used other illegal means to carry out the same end. He was probably intelligent enough to disguise his true motives from even the most seasoned psychiatric expert (I was able to quite easily fool a mental hospital into early release when I was a suicidal teen, so I know it can be done). And he was quite successful at appearing non-threatening to most people even when they realized there was something not quite right about him.

When I was a kid, I avoided one of my classmates who was teased for being overweight. It wasn't his weight I cared about; it was the way he unsettled me when he looked at me, some sort of blackness behind his gaze, but there was nothing overtly threatening about him beyond that, so he never got into any sort of trouble. Until he sexually assaulted a younger kid, that is.

Perhaps in a different society, it would have been more difficult to obtain the means to kill so many at once. But these killers would not have been model citizens anywhere in the world. They just would have been less famous.

Got this article a few days ago in the Fibrohugs newsletter. It's a fascinating possible explanation for fibromyalgia, and one that certainly makes sense to me. For more news, please see the Fibrohugs site, which is on my Links list.....

Accelerated brain gray matter loss in fibromyalgia patients: premature aging of the brain?

April 16th, 2007 by fmsglobalnews
Kuchinad A, Schweinhardt P, Seminowicz DA, Wood PB, Chizh BA, Bushnell MC.

McGill Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B2.

Fibromyalgia is an intractable widespread pain disorder that is most frequently diagnosed in women. It has traditionally been classified as either a musculoskeletal disease or a psychological disorder. Accumulating evidence now suggests that fibromyalgia may be associated with CNS dysfunction. In this study, we investigate anatomical changes in the brain associated with fibromyalgia. Using voxel-based morphometric analysis of magnetic resonance brain images, we examined the brains of 10 female fibromyalgia patients and 10 healthy controls. We found that fibromyalgia patients had significantly less total gray matter volume and showed a 3.3 times greater age-associated decrease in gray matter than healthy controls. The longer the individuals had had fibromyalgia, the greater the gray matter loss, with each year of fibromyalgia being equivalent to 9.5 times the loss in normal aging. In addition, fibromyalgia patients demonstrated significantly less gray matter density than healthy controls in several brain regions, including the cingulate, insular and medial frontal cortices, and parahippocampal gyri. The neuroanatomical changes that we see in fibromyalgia patients contribute additional evidence of CNS involvement in fibromyalgia. In particular, fibromyalgia appears to be associated with an acceleration of age-related changes in the very substance of the brain. Moreover, the regions in which we demonstrate objective changes may be functionally linked to core features of the disorder including affective disturbances and chronic widespread pain.

I was playing around with some blog search engines a few days ago and stumbled across an excellent one written by a woman in my age group who also has Sjogren's syndrome. Check it out....

Much to My Sjogren

Isn't the name clever? I will also be adding this one to my Links list.

The second half of April has been bittersweet for me most of the past ten years. The timing seems particularly ironic this year as I'm experiencing absolutely beautiful weather during my first spring in Sioux Falls. Looking outdoors at the green grass and the prancing squirrels and listening to song birds in my yard, the scene is much more suggestive of new life than of untimely death.

But on April 28, 1997, my mother died of metastatic cancer at age 54. She had only been diagnosed four months prior, and her decline was swift and brutal. She was not ready to die.

On April 20, 1999, mere hours after I came home from the hospital from gallbladder surgery, I switched on the local news and got word that someone was inside Columbine high school across town and was shooting at students and teachers. I saw live images of a severely injured boy jumping out a window and a sign inside a classroom that read "1 bleeding to death". I saw hundreds of children fleeing the building in long lines, hands on their heads to prove that they weren't the ones with the weapons.

And then yesterday, which I believe was Holocaust Remembrance Day, a student entered one, possibly two college buildings on the Virginia Tech campus with two guns and an almost incomprehensible amount of ammo and fired away. He killed over 30 students and professors before pulling the trigger on himself. Over 20 others received gunshot wounds; most of the people who died had been shot at least three times each.

I had gotten to a reasonably healthy frame of mind about my mother's death when the shootings at Columbine High School happened, but because grief was not yet a distant memory, the sense of helplessness and loss was somewhat familiar even if it was in a different context. I commiserated with and, when I could, consoled others of all ages from all over the country and even some from halfway across the world. Even though I only knew the dead through co-workers, the fact that their appalling murders occurred in my hometown affected me personally in a permanent way.

And I was thinking about Columbine High the past week or so, partly because the anniversary was near and partly because I came across reminders when I was unpacking. I had saved some news stories from the days, weeks, months and years that followed, more with positive slants than negative. I had also saved essays, letters and poetry I had written as well as photos I had taken of the memorial because I don't feel we can learn from tragedy if we forget about it.

Then I switched on the tv while eating lunch yesterday, and remnants of that familiar sting came flooding back. That helpless nausea and darkness in the pit of the stomach. The initial disbelief, the hoping that the numbers on the screen are exaggerated, the realization that it has happened AGAIN.

Again, students jumping out of windows. Again, educators literally risking their lives to save their pupils. Again, a perpetrator dead so we will never really know what he was thinking.

Obviously, he was suicidal. I've been there, done that. What I do not and probably will never understand is how one goes from wanting to end one's own life to wanting to take others with them, particlarly others who are not related and may not have even known the person.

Even though my only connection to Virginia is that I was born there and once had a boyfriend that lived there, my heart still goes out to all affected. I feel an actual heaviness in my chest that I know all too well as grief. But fortunately, I also know from experience that these wounds can heal, although not always on the timetable we would wish.

I do wish that April showers didn't necessarily mean tears.

After subjecting my fuzzy brain to the rigeurs of the Medicare website and utilizing search engines and message boards for a few days, I finally reached a point of clarity as to how the rules for coverage actually applied to me. The system certainly isn't conducive to being easily understood by disabled people with cognitive dysfunction. Because of that, I would like to share what I found out in case anyone else is in the same situation of being disabled with an insured spouse.

Basically, if you are disabled and have been on SSDI for two years, you are automatically eligible for Medicare Part A, no matter what your current insurance status. Part A is hospital coverage. If you currently have medical insurance through your former employer or via your spouse, Part A will be secondary to whatever you have now.

Medicare Part B is medical insurance. If you already have medical insurance through an old employer or your spouse, you can opt out of Part B without a penalty as long as your current insurance is comparable to what Part B offers. If you lose your current insurance, you can sign up for Part B at the standard premium rate as long as you do so within two months.

Medicare Part D is prescription drug coverage. If you already have a policy via a former employer or your spouse, you can skip Part D if your policy is "creditable", meaning that it provides coverage equal to or better than Medicare's. Check the benefit documents on your current policy to see if it is listed as creditable.

One really important thing to keep in mind: if you decide to sign up for a Part D plan, you may lose ALL of your current medical insurance provided by your former employer or your spouse. Do NOT make any changes to your coverage until you have spoken with a benefits administrator for your current insurance. Once you end employer-based medical insurance, you probably won't be able to ever get it back.

If you do find you have creditable insurance and don't need Medicare Part B, fill out the back of the card you have been sent stating that you don't want medical insurance and mail it using the postage-paid envelope they provide. You must do this PRIOR to the date your coverage is scheduled to begin. You will be sent a new card later on that says you have Medicare Part A only.

I am pleased to report that I do have creditable insurance via my spouse's employer. I found a CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) statement to that effect that I will keep in a safe place so that I have proof should Medicare screw up and try to penalize me for not taking Part B or D right now. I really am very lucky.

I feel like a freakin' genius right now. Not bad for someone who often has a 30 second attention span and can't remember what she said five minutes ago. I rock Medicare.

Author Kurt Vonnegut has died. He was the face of irony, humor and intelligence for my and other generations. He will be missed....

Novelist Kurt Vonnegut dies at 84

Kurt Vonnegut made this ridiculous life bearable

I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture of his in Wichita during the 1980's. In addition to being hilarious at times, his thought process was brilliant. And it was refreshing to hear a voice in support of independent thinking during the Reagan era.

He was an original, and he encouraged all who would listen to be original as well. He endured much hardship and very nearly did not survive the darkest times, but I found him inspiring.

I shall remember him fondly.

Am taking a short break from unpacking, but am having to spend it trying to figure out what Medicare coverage I should sign up for as I am eligible in July and have to send a form back if I don't take Part B. I fully understand why all those poor retired people had such a horrible time figuring it out! I went to the Medicare website and am now even more confused than before because there doesn't seem to be any info geared toward the disabled who are married to someone with insurance through their employer.

In the meantime, I thought I'd pass along these excellent articles which I received via the Fibrohugs newsletter (their site is in my Links list). The first is about aquacise, which is something I do three times a week. The second is about chronic myofascial pain (which I have) and how it affects fibromyalgia.....

Aerobics class enjoys exercise, camaraderie

Overlooking Myofascial Trigger Points: The Key to YOUR Pain?

Hope to get back to real blogging soon.

More funnies I found in the course of unpacking. I'm thinking of putting a humor page on my spiritual website at some point, and these will likely be on there.....

A new pastor moved into town and went out on Saturday to visit his parishioners. All went well until he came to one house. It was obvious that someone was home, but no one came to the door after he had knocked several times.

Finally, he took out his card, wrote on the back "Revelation 3:20" and stuck it in the door.

The next day, as he was counting the offering, he found his card in the collection plate. Below his message was the notation "Genesis 3:10".

Revelation 3:20 reads: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and opens the door, I will come to him and will dine with him, and he will with me."

Genesis 3:10 reads: "And he said, 'I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you are receiving notes by e-mail, it's wise to remember how easily this wonderful technology can be misused, sometimes unintentionally, with serious consequences.

Consider the case of the Illinois man who left the snow-filled streets of Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day. When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick e-mail. Unable to find the scrap of paper on which he had written her e-mail address, he did his best to type it in from memory. Unfortunately, he missed one letter, and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher's wife, whose husband had passed away only the day before. When the grieving widow checked her e-mail, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream, and fell to the floor in a dead faint. As the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen:

Dearest Wife,

Just got checked in. Everything is prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Signed,
Your eternally loving husband

P.S. Sure is hot down here.

Ran across all kinds of funnies while unpacking recently. Here's a golden oldie blonde joke.....

A man was in his front yard mowing grass when his attractive blonde neighbor came out of the house and went straight to the mailbox. She opened it, slammed it shut and then stormed back in the house.

A little later she came out of her house again, went to the mailbox and again opened it and slammed it shut. Angrily, back into the house she went.

As the man was getting ready to edge the lawn, here she came out again, marched to the mailbox, opened it and then slammed it closed harder than ever.

Puzzled by her actions, the man asked her, "Is something wrong?" To which she replied, "There certainly is! My stupid computer keeps giving me a message saying 'YOU'VE GOT MAIL'!"