a quick update

My email updates came through, so I'm assuming that yours did too. It seems that when I complain, the program works. Or maybe it just sends updates once a day, regardless of how often I complain . . . or post. Either way, I promise to move on to other topics, and I take back all the ugly things I said about the computer barons . . . for now.

I also tested the unsubscribe feature. It works, so you can subscribe without fears of being inescapably bombarded by my Canadian witticisms. You still need to beware of digital swine flu though. Here are tips on how to protect yourself:

• avoid visiting sites hosted by pigs (otherwise known as swine)
• wear a mask if you do visit a site hosted by pigs, and wash your hands after touching the keyboard
• don't ever let a pig use your computer
• if you do let a pig use your computer, always disinfect the keyboard afterwards and wash your hands before eating

I was told today that the pig farmers don't like the term "swine flu." Technically it's the H1N1 virus, so I guess they're right, but it's a lot easier to make swine flu jokes than H1N1 jokes. They are apparently afraid that we'll stop eating their product . . . but if there are any pig farmers reading this blog, fret not, I still love pork chops. And regardless of who is to blame for the flu, I still recommend disinfecting the keyboard after a pig uses your computer.

I had a revelation today at the wood pile: firewood and volunteer firefighters are similar in some ways. Up until last year, Upsalanians firewood of choice has always been birch. Further south, people prefer maple, or oak, or elm, or hickory, which are are far superior to our native birch, but which don't grow here because of our frigid winters. How's that for logic. The trees that make awesome firewood grow down south where they don't need it.

Since the demise of the logging industry, we've been reduced to burning spruce, balsam, poplar, and other inferior woods compared to birch. They aren't even considered burnable to those accustomed to the heat contained in oak or maple . . . but when it's -40 it sure beats burning snowballs.

So here's the analogy. Volunteer fire departments that actually have populations to draw from can afford to be choosy when recruiting . . . they choose the maple and oak volunteers and turn away the spruce, poplar and even birch ones. We get maple and oak recruits too, but when the pagers go off, a poplar volunteer sure beats fighting fires with snowballs.