Today I made a comment on a post entitled I Just Want Internet @Sweet Mother, who was having issues with, who else, the cable company. WP has been doing some tweaking and the notify me of follow-up comments via email box is now auto checked. If you don’t want to be notified of follow-up comments, you must now uncheck the box.

I did not uncheck the box.

Well, a nice blogger pointed this out and it was all good. Or so I thought. I tried to post a thank you, and even though I was logged into WP as my marvelous self I got the red-letter warning to enter my email. Posting another comment was a no go. Yes, I tried clicking the sweet little blue circle with the W in it. ARRRRRGGGG! Didn’t work.

Did Facebook purchase WordPress and I just don’t know about it? Am I going to read about another billion dollar baby in the WSJ weekend edition? If so, bloggers be prepared to be tweaked into oblivion by “improvements” like this opt out of new comment notifications requirement.

Speaking of billion dollar babies, I had just discovered Instagram a couple of days before the big hook up with FB. Of course, I am perpetually late to the party, but it didn’t take long for this fun photo sharing toy to become an obsession with me. I have posted just over 100 pics and found some really talented photographers to follow. Today I received my very first InstaSpam. Lucky me! This person, if it is a person, has only posted this one photo and they are following 173 people, if they are people.

It seems, IG purists are not too happy about the FB/IG hook up because the popular page is now being loaded with crap.  Some think it’s necessary to start imposing rules of engagement. Like no photos taken with real cameras. Only iPhones. One more tech toy bites the dust.

Yeah, I’m rethinking the whole Instagram thing.

 

This afternoon I was having lunch with a friend, who is here on business from California. He was the second person to purchase my book; my husband was the first. Anyway, my friend & I were enjoying ourselves so much that I didn’t once feel the need to check my phone for anything until it was time for him to head to the airport. That’s when I saw that I had 32 new emails. I thought maybe word of mouth about my book had finally reached the masses and I was receiving notifications of sales out the wazoo.

Nope, they were follow-up comment notifications. All except one. It was an email about a book review that I have been waiting for and am so happy to share here.

Summoning the Strength by Stephanie Briggs is the tale of a  withered marriage, corrupting selfishness, and the importance of  community. Ms. Briggs ties together theme after theme in the story of a  woman who takes controversial control over her own life. The damages of  domestic abuse rises to the surface as a key theme, played out in the  lives of the main character and her community. Community itself keeps  Katherine strong throughout her loveless marriage. The beginning of the  book, especially, contributes a small-town charm. Glimpses into the  lives of passers-by in the story broaden both the themes and the  reader’s experience.

This book is a prime example of how story can give voice to those we’d  never hear otherwise. Ms. Briggs addresses the vital importance of  community and the hidden, deadly nature of domestic abuse. A veteran of  the U.S. Air Force and a supporter of every woman’s strength, Ms. Briggs  flavors this important story with her valuable perspective on life.

~Kate Brauning ~The Bookshelf

This post is unusually late for me, but while I was trying to send a thank you to Kate for the very nice review and email the above photos to myself, my iPhone went into some kind of buffering spasm. Simultaneously my PC decided to also go into a frenzy. It’s Friday; can’t call tech support, god I would be on the phone with them all weekend!

While the virus software was running, I ran outside and snapped this pic with my Nikon. It will NOT be posted on IG. BTW~while editing this post, there have been 7 8 new comments on I Just Want Internet.~Have a great weekend everybody.