Technologically Imperfect...

It seems there just isn't hope for a perfect email program... one that makes sure you get ALL the mail you need, keeps your subscriptions up to date, and filters out anything with content about Viagra or penis extensions.

In my imagination, there is a little elf sitting inside my computer sorting my emails according to priority and ensuring that everything I truly want to read will make it to my desktop before I can hit the delete button. Sure, he may stop for a brief pause as he takes a sip of his coffee or he might hit the wrong button from time to time. I mean, no one is perfect. Not even that little elf sorting my emails.

But lately, that little elf has been on vacation. And as you all know from your own experiences, when you get a new postman that fills in life just isn't the same. Over the last week, I had about 1500 pieces of unread email. No problem for my perfectionist elf, but a bit of trouble for his fill-in.

Outgoing messages have ended up in cyber space someplace, my subscriptions to blogs (which I used to get DAILY mind you) have now dwindled down to a precious few, with the majority of ones stopping around the 8th or so. At first I thought it was strange that Blog X didn't have any new postings for awhile, but when I went to the site and saw that indeed they had posted that very day I began to wonder what was going on.

Now my MSN email program has been reliable and dependable for quite a few years. I've grown comfortable with it, and it has served me well. So this obvious glitch somewhere has made me a little unsettled to say the least. I knew something was up several months ago, when one of my friends had been emailing and posting to a board we belong to, and I never saw any of her posts. Then, just last week, her posts started appearing again right out of the blue.

Obviously the little elf was having some trouble. Now while he may be munching on cookies and drinking a hot toddy inside my processor, I'm left to wonder if my email arrived and if I am actually still subscribed to many of these sites. Perhaps he pulled a fast one, after being laden down with too many emails to handle, and instead started bouncing them back to the sender faster than a check without funds. And those automated senders decided to unsubscribe me from their list...

I guess that's the problem with technology nowadays. It is fast, and convenient. But when it messes up, watch out! We've become accustomed to having things ready at the push of a button, and the days of long ago when we had to actually WAIT for that check in the mail or that birthday card from our favorite uncle are almost obsolete. Heck, why wait when your uncle can send you an e-card with an e-certificate attached for immediate shopping.... and checks, well, direct deposit is the way to go in today's society.

So amidst the hiccups and the burps of technology (or too many hot toddies) we end up depending on something that isn't foolproof. I apologize for those that think I unsubscribed them, or had their emails bounce back, or never received my message. I'm still wading through a few hundred messages, and I may still find yours in the meantime. Working a FT job outside the home doesn't leave me lots of time to get things done as fast as I should. But my seasonal layoff is coming up, and with that comes more computer time. And more time just to figure out what the heck that little elf has been doing. Bear with me as I delve into the realm of the unknown, and try to figure out what's been going on. In the meantime, thanks for your patience!