Sunday, September 3, 2006

GREMLINS IN MY ALERTS!

Okay AOL THIS MEANS WAR!  You return all my Alerts immediately or I'll write more poetry, you hear?  This is maddening, just absolutely ... what's that word ... oh yeah, maddening - THIS IS MADDENING!!!!  It's 2 a.m. and I can't sleep, I shall TRY then see what the morrow brings, but if they don't work, if they don't, if they ... why have a service that doesn't serve I ask you?  I'm fit to be tied.  What does that mean, anyway, "fit to be tied" I think I'll vent some of this anger and write about some of our everyday sayings and their origins, now THERE'S something of interest lol.

"Don't let the cat out of the bag" that comes from the days of old when Knights were bold and England kept it's prisoners well-beaten.  The cat-o-nine tails was a commonly used torture device and was kept in a bag by the warder's seat.  When inmates would talk to each other and conspire for food and other non-essentials, they'd say, "Be careful ye don't let the cat out of the bag!"  There.

"Shiver me timbers!" once again brings us to the mother country, where the ships were made from treated wood, and each time a cannon ball would hit, the wooden timbers would shake and rattle on the ship.  We use it like, if we're startled or amazed, like I am now at this computer.  There.

"The short end of the stick" I spent a little time as a kid trying to find it, no kidding.  Obviously originated in the "drawing straws" thing, but feels like what AOL is giving me right now.  There!

"Never look a gift-horse in the mouth" comes from AOL's generous-sounding offer to lower our costs to almost nil but they "disappear" your Alerts in exchange.  ARGH!!!!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

'alerts' drive me nuts, I never use them. I'm afraid I show my age and still just surf my favorite journals <grin>
Patrick

Anonymous said...

If we took all the people at aol who give a rat's hole about us, their valued customers, and lined them up end to end, we'd have a very short distance between two points. But such is the wave of the future.

Hugs,
Bonnie and Walt

Anonymous said...

Lol..give 'em what for hun!!

Lv Stevie
xxx

Anonymous said...

Now this I totally understand.  I thought that it was just happening to me.  However, I am not getting alerts at all.  When I check my email all of a sudden I have journal entries that everyone has written.  What's up with that?  Can I please scream with you?

Anonymous said...

Agggh ... I'm screaming with you. Sometimes I get alerts sometimes I don't .... it is maddening!!!
Kate.
http://journals.aol.co.uk/bobandkate/AnAnalysisofLife/

Anonymous said...

LOL...too cute.  Shiver me timbers...where in the world have the alerts disappeared to?  It appears AOL has blundered once more.  Whoo hoo to more partying.  HUGS  Chris

Anonymous said...

LO and Behold, Cathy, those are some good reasons to be PO'D at AOL.   A lot of people have been complaining that they haven't been getting their alerts.  I haven't had a problem.. I don't think.  I wasn't getting any for awhile last night, but I just assumed it was because of the long weekend and people just weren't journaling.
Hope there working for you this morning.  I just got up and had 14 waiting in my in box!

Hugs
Jackie

Anonymous said...

{{{{{Cathy}}}}}

I learned some things over hear about those old saying.  I'm sorry that the problem with the alerts is what led to this though!  :)  :(   Alerts seem to go whacky from time to time.    The comments alerts are working, that's how I found out about the one you left for me in my journal's awards entry.     I Hope the problems with the alerts is over soon...its been causing grief all over J-Land.

Vivian

Anonymous said...

Hi! Thanks so much for the warm welcome to J-Land. I love it here. There are so many great people here and I can't wait to get to know you all! By the way I love your poetry.
So sorry about the Alerts being off - it really is maddening!
much love,
Luann
http://journals.aol.com/poobigirl/daystar/

Anonymous said...

GREAT SAYINGS!