About a week ago, my desktop computer was hit by a virus called “Internet Security 2010.” It totally locked up my computer and prevented me from writing my blog, reading the news, and watching the financial markets. My computer is still at the local computer hospital. I called to find out the status but as of last Saturday, it’s still in recovery!

Isn’t it amazing how dependent we have become on our little electronic friends - computers, cell phones, ipods, etc. To my way of thinking, television died a long time ago - perhaps in the 60’s when I watched the tonight show with Johnny Carson, or the Sonny and Cher show. I still buy the Canandaigua Daily Messinger and enjoy reading the comics and a few local articles that appear there. The paper is delivered to my house in the afternoon on the day that it is printed, so looking at the national news articles is like reading yesterday’s internet news headlines two days late as I save the paper to read when I have my breakfast in the morning.

Speaking of viruses, remember last fall when we were continually bombarded with the news of the approaching flu season and the H1N1 swine flu virus? The President of the United States rolled up his sleeve and had a swine flu shot but there wasn’t any vaccine for the rest of us. The H1N1 vaccine is finally available at the place where I work, so I will get my shot in February just to be on the safe side. My computer had anti-virus software too but those software cures are developed after the disease hits! I am hoping that all of these human viruses and computer viruses will just vanish with the winter blahs so we can get on with Finger Lakes Living like it was intended!

James R. Bupp