Busy

Work and life have been keeping me busy. I am reading "Deception" by Eleanor Cooney and Daniel Altieri, and listening to "Melting Stones" by Tamora Pierce on CD. Plus, I picked up a new book at work, called "Your Neighbor's Secret Life Online" by Stephen Dean, about the sort of things that lead to trouble on the internet, and how information stays on your computer and your cellphone (and your Blackberry or PDA, even when you may think you have wiped it clean.

And it's not just illegal activities that can lead to harm, like Pedophiles trolling for young kids or, shall we say "Alternative Sexual Practices" that might shock and horrify members of middle America, but things that may seem more harmless, like going wild buying stuff on online sites, which can have serious effects on your credit cards and budget. He points out how online buying, 24 hour access to selling sites and the like have made it easier for hoarders and packrats to sink deeper into the morass of an addiction to accumulating things, even stuff they have no use for and will never use nor sell.

He covers, in a general way, some of the alternative sexual practices that are rife online. In a small community, one may have problems meeting someone who is in to spanking, or coprophilia, or "golden showers", but online, there are specialized sites where people who like that sort of thing can easily meet someone who shares their likes or needs. The best part of Mr. Dean's book is that he doesn't look down on people who need such things, only to remark that certain practices (such as pedophilia) are illegal and to show how hidden desires for such things can lead to inter-family strain when a spouse has to look for such practices outside of their marriage.

I am almost finished listening to "Melting Stones" by Tamora Pierce, so it's off to finish the last CD now.