I was muttering last night that I had nothing interesting to say in my blog. I decided to look at the MSN news then go to bed. In the midst of the MSN News, I suddenly received an instant message from-I suppose- MS Instant Messenger (I have never used it, signed up for it or otherwise considered it. I signed up and got an ICQ ID about five years ago and used it three times. I am not the chat type.) At any rate the message came through. "HANG UP BITCH!!!"
I couldn't help but reflect on the vagaries of computers. In the first place, my computer doesn't give me anything to hang up or place to hang it. I suppose I could put the mouse on top of the monitor, but it still isn't really hanging. I could log off the computer. Again, not technically hanging up.

The rest of the message intrigued me as well since I don't technically qualify as a "bitch" either through gender or genetics. I remember when I was teaching, I used to post grades outside my office door, and I was -- rather frequently I'm afraid--- often referred to, through the door, as a "son of a bitch". I was philosophical about that. My mother had long since passed away and certainly didn't qualify, so I accepted the fact that it was not intended as an insult to her, therefore, the innacuracy of the description disqualified the speaker's judgement. I guess the most intriguing thought is how the message wandered through cyberspace and found its way to my computer. I have visions of millions of little messages afflicted with inaccurate addresses rushing around the cyber universe looking for an opening in someone's firewall. Poor things.