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12:52 PM - 18.10.04
Choosing
The milkman was just dropping off our milk at 2 in the am when my youngest decided that he would shovel the walk. Snow don't you know. The potential for ice to form below the powder was the reason for the dark of the night foray. Hope the milkman was suitably impressed. Sometimes being night owls is a good thing.

Woke up this morning to a message from my financial officer. Still one of our people not paid and she is getting really angry. Can't blame her. Could I forward any e-mails that might give the staff member some idea of what we['ve done to make sure she gets paid. Sent off several then got a return call. Missing was the September timesheet confirmation. Went into my e-mail again and realized that all the "sent" emails from March 19 2004 to October 12 2004 were missing. Checked all the other folders to see if it was a problem in them all and found that only the sent folder had been wiped clean of email from those dates. The firewall and anti-virus protections I have been paying for since last August were both disabled at some point early last week so I can only guess that that was where the problem originated. I had the federal computer on while I was searching my computer trying to find the folder for my Outlook account. I was talking with the support person for my DSL connections at the same time trying to get help reactivating the firewall and anti-virus programs. He said the email should all still be in there, but when I was able to finally open the SENT folder up the emails in question were missing from there too. Just after we hung up the alarm on the Elections Canada computer went off and it shut down that internet connection. Haven't been able to log into that e-mail since. Mercury is not retrograde - this should not be happening.

What did I do? Called and left a voicemail for my supervisor requesting that he send any of the email I had sent him over that period of time back to me. Not only have I lost critical data about the last two downtown contracts I had but I've also lost all the elections communication that I sent from my computer as well as the communications from my friends who are overseas in rather dangerous situations. That last bit is what is the most worrisome. If the email has been accessed and removed by some hacker with malicious intent, then it may put them at risk. Considered other options for tracking down the source of the problem - hopefully so I can get it fixed, but I was too upset to think things through.

Decided my best course of action was to move forward with the day so I went and voted. Municipal elections today. Mayor, Aldermen/councillors, and school board trustees all up for assessment. I had to dig out both my socks and my winter boots before I could venture out. Bummer. Got to the school that was the polling station and realized a lot of the people staffing it had worked for me a few months ago. Spent some time chatting and discussing possibilities with respect to the timing of the next Federal event. Then I headed off to the high school in the community. Why? The YMCA has a community program ther and my youngest has to do a dance module in his phys ed module or he can't get his high school diploma. The only course available was ballroom dance. I suspect that will be a hard sell to get him to go. Next popped into the drug store and grabbed a couple of boxes of diskettes as well as packages of Hallowe'en candy - the kind I don't like so I won't be tempted to eat it.

When I arrived home I sat down and started saving my other data from both computers so it doesn't become corrupted or disappear like the sent emails. Three hours worth of work and I'm still not done. However the most critical material has been saved elsewhere now. If I do disappear from Diaryland - dear diary - it isn't because I've deserted you, I would never do that. Anyway I'd better go back to work trying to salvage what I can before anything else goes wrong. Good night, dear diary, the ghost stories are going to have to wait just a little bit longer I'm afraid.

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