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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Soggy September & Amusing Spam

SOGGY SEPTEMBER

Photo from interweb
Well, we know that Mother Nature has a sense of humor.  We experienced the driest three month stretch of June, July, and August on record and wished for a few days of rain all those months.  As the old adage says - "be careful what you wish for". Those dry months were followed by the wettest September in Corvallis on record.  The old record was from 1911 and we beat it by over and inch.  

According to the local Gazette Times Corvallis received 3.6 inches (9.14 cm) of rain from 10 am Friday through 8 am yesterday for a September total of 7.06 inches (17.93 cm) of rain.  Thank you Typhoon Pabuk - the remnants of which brought that liquid sunshine to the Pacific Northwest this last weekend.

We were one of the lucky ones and didn't lose power, but our old side fence blow over.  Typhoon-1, Fence-0.

So.... we haven't been doing much riding.  The last time we rode to Saturday coffee was the last time I was on the bike.  Troubadour has still been commuting on Lucy, but after a soggy ride in the storm last week he's been prudent and taken the car to work so far this week.  As I type this it is raining once again, or is that still raining. Makes me wish I'd brought my umbrella home from work for when I wait for the bus this morning.

What a difference from the 70-80 degrees temperatures and covered bridge rides of last September.

On a side note it is supposed to be dry this coming weekend and we are hoping to get out on the bikes.  Fingers crossed.

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AMUSING SPAM

Photo from interweb

Like most bloggers I get a bit of spam.  Luckily, I think because I don't moderate each comment, I rarely see them.  Occasionally I check the spam filter and I am amused by some of what has been caught.  

Here are a few excerpts from the funny ones and the post on which they were commented.

Sambucus Black Lace:  "Independent bookstore owners often live and work in the communities where their stores are located. In the meantime, we'll just put up a big sign: 'Coming soon, a Fox Books superstore and the end of civilization as you know it. And that was when an elegant blonde from Germany crossed my path'. Feel free to visit my web site"

Evergreen Aviation Museum - Part Deux: "You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I in finding this topic to be really something that I think I'd by no means understand. It kind of feels too complicated and extremely broad for me. I am looking ahead for your next put up, I'll try to get the dangle of it! Here is my webpage"

Bonneville T-100, 110th Anniversary Edition:  "Lovely jubbly fantastic thanks so much, stop by my website"  

A Sunny Sunday Ride:  "In these times of great propriety, public kissing was frowned upon. For an even better return on your initial investment, consider offering special deals on related merchandise to those who took part in the fun. Each color is individually fired at high temperatures to ensure no color bleeding and the longest durability.  Feel free to visit my website."

I think one of the things I find amusing is how a spam comment several sentences long contains many topics that just don't mesh together or have anything to do with the subject of the post.  It makes me wonder how the spammers stumble upon those particular posts.

So.....what is in your spam folder?  Anything amusing?

- Au Revoir

"  Into each life some rain must fall." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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40 comments:

  1. Trobairitz:

    we have the same moisture problem as yourselves. We also had tremendous rain from Friday to Sunday. More rain in those days than in an entire normal month. Plus temperatures are lower than normal by nearly 5°c. Normals should be 19°c, instead we are getting 13°c, and nighttime temps are down to 8°c.

    Long term forecast I heard on the radio is for October to be wetter or worse than normal too. I don't think it will clear up for the weekend. It is still raining but will stop on Thusday and start up again Friday night into Saturday.

    As for spam I don't get much BUT I get a lot of offers to host articles, or to review gear. Just got another one this morning which will pay me $120. per year if they can place ads on my Blog. I also had recent offers to review motorcycle stuff and they will send it to me to test out. Also sunglasses which I can also offer to my readers for FREE. I just don't respond. Never thought to post them for you to read

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, the whole PNW is getting hammered with rain. Luckily we haven't flooded which is a bonus.

      I too get the emails with offers for posts or to review products. What I posted is different. These aren't emails but comments that never made it to the blog as they were caught in Bloggers spam filter. Haven't you ever checked the comment section in the dashboard? Where you go to moderate comments or delete spam......

      Delete
    2. Trobairitz:

      All I can say is Y-I-K-E-S

      there are legitimate comments in there from David (scoot commute), Steve (Scooter in the sticks), RichardM (Richard's Page). Now they think I was ignoring them

      I don't usually check but if you need any Viagra info let me know

      bob
      Riding the Wet Coast

      Delete
    3. Glad you were able to find the legitimate comments. I check it every once in a while just to see what gets in there by accident. Now you know to check it too.

      Delete
  2. Some of the spam comments are pretty amusing but I'm glad that Blogger is working well enough to block them automatically. I've been hearing of the very wet September but hopefully it'll dry out by the later half of October. I'm stopping in Corvallis visit on my way back from Anaheim and plan to try and make Saturday coffee.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I too am glad that most of the spam gets blocked.

      Hopefully October will be drier. It was raining pretty good this morning but the sun is out now. For how long I don't know.

      Will be good to see you when you are in town. Let us know if you have time for dinner again too.

      Delete
  3. Sorry about all the rain! We've been dry here in Minnesota.

    Love the spam! I'll have to keep my eye out for an entry or two to post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you got more rain than we did this summer so I am sure you deserve a drier fall.

      Some times the spam is just boring, but every once in a while a gem shows up. One of those was from March I think and didn't delete it. I've been thinking of the spam post for a while saving the funny ones.

      Delete
  4. There's no normal now. I try not to think about the type of winter we will have!

    Stay warm and comfy! Is the cork floor pretty good about holding heat?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am inclined to agree - regarding weather there is no normal. Records keep getting broken whether it is for hot, cold or dry.

      We are enjoying the cork. It is supposed to stay an ambient temperature of about 70˚. I typically have cold feet so I still wear slippers sometimes even in summer. The cork is warm enough that we have two pieces put together and placed in front of the sink in the bathroom as the tile floor we put in there is freezing. It is a nice insulator and it is quiet when walking on it which we like.

      Delete
  5. Well, at least it is not snowing (yet). We had a moist and cold September which seems very unusual for this area (so we've been told) but by far not as bad as you guys had it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Luckily we rarely get snow and it only sticks longer than a day or two every few years. You never know with the upcoming winter though I hear rumors it will be a cold one.

      Delete
  6. Here, I am hoping the rain stays away a little longer. We got a good downpour on Saturday, which would have been a prime riding day otherwise (It still would have been, but my rain gear is worthless...). I gather we're going to be getting 3 days of rain this week, and the temperature is going to drop into highs in the 50s this weekend... I guess fall is coming whether I want it to or not.

    Spam: The ones that are total nonsense are confusing, aren't they? It makes me wonder what, exactly, the point of it was.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really hate it when the downpours come on what would have been a great riding day. Or your only day off to go for a long ride. So rude. We woke to 36 degrees this morning, brrrr.

      And the nonsense spam I think is just to get out there so the spammers can get paid. Maybe they get paid per post no matter if it is gibberish, they just want the links out there. Do they really think we click on the links though?

      Delete
  7. Sorry about the weather.
    As far as spam, I had integrated comments with Google Plus a while back and since then I got no more spam. Today Chris mentioned to me that once you integrate with Google Plus, only people with Google profiles can comment. I tested his theory and he is right, if I wasn't logged in to Google I didn't even see the comments button. I have now reverted back to regular comments and just saw your comment on my last blog entry. I'm going to leave the blog as it is, I will just have to keep an eye on spam I guess.
    I did go into comment moderation and saw there were two comments from people that regularly comment on my blog and had been marked spam, don't know why. I allowed the comments to go through.
    Sorry for the long explanation, I'm an IT guy :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I was able to comment when it was Google only, but I just unchecked the box that linked my comment to Google+ and didn't make it visible on my Google + profile.

      It is funny what get caught in the spam filter. Every once in a while one is in there that shouldn't be. I try and check it every week or two.

      Delete
  8. spam! it's really getting more comical (or stupid) by the day!

    holy moly, record rains already! we've had some cities hit record rain levels here as well. i wonder what this means of the upcoming season?...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stupid and comical. Some of the phrases are what I find funny.

      I am hoping the upcoming season isn't too bad but I've heard we are in for a harsh winter. Nothing we can do about it but wait and see.

      Delete
  9. I'm glad the rain waited until we were out of there! Now I have to go check my spam folder. The ones that amuse me are the messages full of typos where people try to sell you on their services as a writer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Be glad you didn't get all these inches of rain. It has really been miserable at the coast. Astoria got over 10 inches. You made it out of here just in time.

      Delete
  10. Oh, and the finger puppet picture cracked me up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is one I keep and bring out every once in a while. I named it my blog monsters.

      Delete
  11. Sorry to hear about all the rain; we've had spectacular fall weather here - dry, sunny, and above normal temps. It won't last though. :(
    I love reading the spam comments. (I have to check once in a while as some legitimate posters get caught for some reason by the automatic filters.) While most are simply unintelligible some are truly hilarious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am glad you have had some beautiful weather. You need it after some of the rains you guys had earlier in the year while we were so dry.

      At least spam can keep us entertained.

      Delete
  12. We sure could use that rain here! My son and daughter-in-law flew out for the Ducks/Cal game last week (she's an alumna). Rained so hard that DIL gave up on the game; son hung in there until half-time so that he could see the band.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I felt bad for fans when I heard the Duck game started at 7:30 and the rains were supposed to really start coming down at 5. Something makes me think they are glad they aren't in Oregon anymore.

      Delete
  13. No one told me I didn't have to ride in the rain. . .

    Am I allowed to stay inside when it rains??

    HIGHWAY!!! Oh, we need to talk.

    Spam: They are hilarious! But I get so busy with work I usually just delete them when I see them. For me, I get an email every time I get a comment on all of our sites, which adds up to a great many emails. I do my best to post them all in a timely manner. So now you all know if you comment and it doesn't get posted right away, I'm probably riding in the god da*ned rain.

    Hell!

    Smooches,
    Sash
    www.SashMouth.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Because I use the Subaru with the heated seats as a daily driver I have the luxury of choosing whether to ride in the rain. I don't usually like to set out in the rain, but if it starts when I am already out there I don't mind as my gear is 100% waterproof - well except when my hair wicks it into my jacket and my gloves soak through.

      Delete
  14. I hope the rain is clearing for you by now Brandy and you get a ride or two in before the weather turns too cold. I know what you mean be careful what you wish for, but have to say the rain never lasts long here and is always so needed that I cant really complain if it keeps me off the bike for one weekend or two.

    Love your spam, I never get interesting stuff like that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a three day reprieve from the rain and it is supposed to be back tonight though not as bad as it has been.

      I rode to coffee Saturday morning and it was only 35˚F and foggy. Not a great ride, but it was sunny on the way home. Out of the 5 riders I was the only lady rider to brave the weather.

      Delete
  15. That's some funny stuff there! I haven't been getting much spam on my blog, even though I don't moderate or approve all comments before they get posted. Just require posters to have an OpenID account.

    ...and before I forget! Please visit my website! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love your website PuppyChow!! And in case people are reading this blog and have never been to his website - you should. He rides and takes amazing photographs.

      Delete
  16. Glad to know there are still some hurricanes/typhoons out there. None here and rainy season ends soon, just as the weather cools off a bit. Which I find perfect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you haven't been getting any hurricanes. How cool is cool for the Keys?

      Delete
  17. You might have to invest in another pair of "Bus Pants".....
    Just saying.......

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yeah, we've ridden so much rain I've had days that not only did my gloves soak through, but my boots, which really are waterproof. But I don't think most of them are waterproof forever. :)

    On the topic of spam, I just got this:

    What I came up with was a list of problems that normal users may find in their
    images. One word of caution about homemade
    tooth whiteners. The stronger the brew, the darker the color,
    and the more likely the coffee is to stain your teeth.

    Hahahahaha!!! What the hell??

    Smooches,
    Sash
    www.SashMouth.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spam is an odd thing isn't it? Just makes you wonder if it made sense in their head.

      Delete
  19. The rain is part of the riding for me. If I'm in the middle of a long distance ride, there's not much I can do but try to enjoy it and hope it passes soon. If it's raining locally, I usually postpone the ride.

    The spam is hilarious. I see that you receive the same crazy stuff that the rest of us do! What amazes me is that some folks still fall for the nigerian scams! I see it all the time in the local paper. C'mon, people....spam is to be enjoyed and laughed at, not taken as serious investment strategies.

    AND THAT IS WHEN THE DARK, SULTRY LATINA WALKED IN.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am the same with rain. Don't mind so much if it rains during a ride but hate setting out in it.

      I don't understand why people still fall for the Nigerian thing, but people keep sending their money. Fools. And if the spam started with the 'dark sultry Latina' - we just might keep reading.

      Delete