There’s been a lot of stuff going on in the last two months. Here is a brief summary:
June 22 - Officially resigned from job at the really crappy web hosting company that shall remain nameless. Now I have three shirts with this company’s logo that I no longer have any use for. I guess I can always use an extra rag, or maybe I can get two or thee bucks for them on eBay.
June 24 - Officially started new job at a really awesome web hosting company that shall also remain nameless.
July 6 - Got the Impala stuck in mud. Second time since January. AAA was, as always, happy to help. I should probably learn my lesson about taking a car through mud that wasn’t designed for it, but here we are. . .
July 8 - Hit a deer with the Impala on a country road. I managed to slow down quite a bit but still ended up hitting the deer. My car made out better than the deer did.
July 14 - Picked up car from our trusty family mechanic. Fixed the damage done by the deer, replaced brake pads, miscellaneous suspension stuff, and got two new tires.
July 16 - Get a speeding ticket just outside of Dallas. 80 in a 60, and this one’s going to be reported to my insurance company, since it was the second ticket within 12 months! 
July 22 - Drove 1000 miles from Houston, TX to Orlando, FL. Took 15 hours, including a one hour nap at a rest stop just east of Pensacola, FL. Florida has the best rest stops, by the way. Mississippi, the worst, at least along I-10 as most of them are closed. WTF.
July 22 - August 5: Met awesome people in the office and datacenter, discovered the joys of Smoky Bones and Krystals and Steak and Shake, got bit and licked by Kayla’s dog, and enjoyed Central Florida!
August 5 - Drove 1000 miles from Orlando, FL to Houston, TX. Took 13 hours this time due to time zone change and no nap, although in hindsight the “no nap” part was a bad idea.
August 7 - Stayed up until 5:30AM to write this post, even though I have to be up by 11AM to start work for the day. Crap.
This has got to be one of the most bizarre (well, most bizarre spam related) things I’ve seen in months now. I’ve seen my fair share of “e-card” sites being used to send spam, but this is the first time I’ve run into a service like Flickr being abused for this purpose.
Check out what one of my spam traps caught this morning:
—–Original Message—–
From: A CRY FOR HELP (via Flickr) [mailto:evelynsanchez3000@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 7:24 AM
To: myspamcatcher
Subject: [Flickr] A CRY FOR HELP has invited you to join!
Hi ,
A CRY FOR HELP would like to share some photos with you!
Dear Friend,
I know this letter will definitely come as a surprise to you but I hope as you read on, you will come to understand.
I have decided- after about four and a half month of thinking about the whole issue- to seek your help in carrying out my last wishes. I don?t really know you but I have prayed, thought about it and moreover I have no choice now and for another reason I prefer not to disclose. My names are Mrs. Evelyn Sanchez. I am 67 years old and was born and grew up in Malaga, Spain. I and my late husband had two children but as God would have it.
They died in an auto accident six years ago. Before this happened, my business and concern for making money was all I lived for. I never really cared about other values in life. But since the loss of my family, I have found a new desire to assist helpless families. I have been helping orphans in orphanages/motherless babies? homes, especially in Africa. I have also donated some funds for humanitarian aid and rehabilitation of prostitutes in Rio de janiero, Brazil, when I was healthier.
I know by now you might be wondering why this entire long letter.Presently, I am hospitalized having been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the lungs with but a few months to live. I can no longer talk and I am just able to use the laptop. I am not afraid of death any longer though.
Like I told you earlier, my husbands business and mine really thrived when I was healthy and He alive. We really worked hard for the sake of our children. As my health deterioted, my extended family members swooped down on everything my husband and I worked hard to earn. Seeing that there are no offspring(s) to inherit it coupled with the fact that I am dying. They never really liked me anyway but my husband stood by me all those years.
This is my plea; I made most of my money through exporting vintage wines to African countries like South Africa, Benin Republic and Nigeria. One of the companies that owed me at Cross River State, Nigeria sent me an email 5 months ago. The have paid my fund totaling One Million Three Hundred and Twenty Thousand USA dollars into my account over there.
I don?t have need for this fund anymore. I made money out of Africa and now that I am dying, I want to give back to them. If you agree to help me as I pray you will. I will get you in contact with my Account Manager over there.
(Mr. Maurice Phido).I will also furnish you with all the necessary documents that will help you receive the fund soonest.
All I need from you is to assure me as follows:
1. That you will get in contact with my Account Manager as soon as we agree.
2. That as soon as I am able to furnish you with all necessary details and documents involved, you will do all within your means to get the fund even in the event of my demise.
2. That you will help me to distribute 50% of this fund to Orphanages/motherless babies homes and viable Non-GovernmentalA Organizations engaged in the eradication of poverty among African children and 25% in the same kind of organizations in other parts of the globe.
3. Use 5% of the fund to reimburse yourself of any exigencies you might incur in the process of receiving and distributing the fund.
4. The balance of 20% is for you.
I am really sorry for any in convenience this letter might have caused you.
I pray my terms are okay by you? If so, get back to me so I can direct you to my Account Manager for all further correspondence.
Email Address:evelynsanchez500@yahoo.com
God Bless You,
Evelyn Sanchez.
Signing up for Flickr is free, and takes less than a minute. Just click here:
http://www.flickr.com/welcome/url/to/join/here
See you there!
A CRY FOR HELP
p.s. If you are not interested, just ignore this email.
Flickr won’t bug you again and there’s nothing special you have to do.
Sorry, “A CRY FOR HELP”. I won’t be joining you on Flickr…
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