Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Alarm

It's October 1st, but don't be alarmed: I'm not going to talk about the government shutdown. It's the first Tuesday of the month, so the sirens went off here at 10:00 a.m., the monthly test, sort of a mournful, scary sound, though, since the sad sound means the sirens are working, vaguely reassuring.

Meanwhile, I was vaguely alarmed at the recent loss of sound from videos on youtube or posted on Facebook. I knew I would be too technologically challenged to sort out what my computer had done to mute or block sound, so I asked my son. Other helpful people had advised me to turn on my speakers or turn up the volume. I am not being sarcastic here. I do know that this is often the solution, as is unplugging and re-plugging one's computer when it keeps kicking you off the Internet. Thank you, Al Gore.

My son instructed me, by email, to go to Chrome, click the 3 bars in the upper right corner, and clear my browsing history. I had a choice here, about how far back to clear it, and chose From the beginning of time. I found this thrilling as well as alarming, and waited to see if I would actually explode, or just disintegrate little by little.

Also, I am reading The Fermata, by Nicholson Baker, about a guy who can stop time. People kept telling me I would love Nicholson Baker, and I saw him interviewed by Stephen Colbert and thought it was time to give him a try. Why did people think I would like a book about a guy who can stop time in order to take off women's shirts? Well, true, they thought I would like The Anthologist, about a poet, which was not on the shelf at the library, and Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper, a nonfiction book about preserving words on paper, also missing, and I probably will, because I am pretty darned fascinated (and simultaneously alarmed) by The Fermata.

So, anyway, just because sound was paused indefinitely on my computer, it didn't mean 3 million other people couldn't hear the delightful daughter of Ben Ames sing "Tonight You Belong To Me" to ward off fear of fireworks. They could! I couldn't! Not till I cleared my browsing history From the beginning of time. And now I can. She is very cute.

And that, my friends, is a Random Coinciday in the blog.

8 comments:

Emily said...

Here, the sirens go off on Wednesday. So tomorrow, I'll hear them.

Kathleen said...

Happy vaguely reassuring, mournful, alarming sound, Emily!

Collagemama said...

Clearing browsing history to the beginning of time is always a scary exciting rush for me, too. (Though the NSA will probably keep the records anyway...)

Maureen said...

I can identify. This morning I couldn't read my son's text message until I cleared all the others out, certain ones I saved because I liked to re-read them. I hope the NSA loves D.'s "I love you" as much as I did.

Collagemama said...

Coincidence for you. I am reading Traveling Sprinkler.

Kathleen said...

You know I love coincidence! How are you liking the book? I need to read The Anthologist first, I guess, and then Traveling Sprinkler, and the library doesn't have either of them at the moment.

The Fermata continued to alarm me when I wasn't giggling innerly: intellectual hilarity.

Collagemama said...

Traveling Sprinkler propelled me along, but seemed a bit like listening to the crazy neighbor on the other side of the fence. Three and a half stars, and trying to find my cd of bassoon concertos. The book stands alone.

Kathleen said...

Good to know. Speaking of bassoons, I recommend "Cougar Bassoon" on Prayer for the Wild Things, Paul Winter....