Collection of weirdness

Lots happened since the last post, but almost none of it significant enough to devote an entire post to. So it's time for a bullet-point-ridden collection of blog post-lets. Now with a full day's supply of Vitamin Weird!

• Systems sent out an email telling us that for some reason the program we use to block spam isn't working. So while symantec is dawdling along, trying to figure out what is wrong, I'm constantly being notified of new messages from strangers telling me to buy their pron and \/i@g@r@. Not to mention the messages from various faux e-card companies telling me I have "an ecard from a schoolmate!", "a message from a friend!", and (my fave) "a note from a worshipper!"*. It's really annoying, and I have a whole new appreciation for my systems department. Of course, if this goes on much longer, my appreciation will morph into "mild annoyance"...
• As creeped out as I am by the whole Baby Pagent movement** I had no idea to what lengths people would go to to get an "advantage. Case in point, getting their baby pictures professionally retouched by people interested in making kids look like they are evil Baby Phyllis Diller, a goblin, or a cabbage patch doll. Seriously, it's like seeing Chucky in drag, but more frightening.
• I was making some travel arrangements for work today, when the company travel agent told me I had a couple of vouchers (from flights I had to cancel) that I could use to pay for this trip. "Cool!" I thought to myself, now my $200 ticket would get paid for with my $309.80 voucher and all I'd have to pay is the $100 change fee. When I asked whether I could use the rest of the voucher to pay for it, she said American doesn't allow that anymore. So now I have a $200 ticket that only cost me $100 - but I also have the remaining $109.80 from the original voucher that will now cost me $100 if I ever want to use it - meaning I'll be able to save a whopping $9.80 on my next flight. Thanks American! Be sure to tell the moron who came up with this policy that he is the reason you people aren't profitable and all your customers hate you.

* As though I'm a minister in a church or something. If that ever happens they'd better come face me in person. No e-confessionals in the Church of Grrrbear, I tell you..

** Thanks Texas, you're right - it's a *great* idea to make our little girls dress up like hookers starting in infancy!