Sunday, October 22, 2006

Remember Me

I'm sure I'm not the only person who subscribes to things on the internet. You create a sign in name. A sign in name is similar to the name you will be fighting under in Laserquest or your wrestling name if you were a professional wrestler. Then you create a password. blah blah blah

I think there must be about a dozen passwords that I must remember floating around in cyberspace at any one time. Does it help to use the same password for more than one thing? It sure does! I'm sure that somebody will no doubt tell me that that isn't safe and I should have separate passwords for everything. Well so what! I have to balance computer safety with memorability and the small amount of space in my brain that can feasibly be dedicated to remembering passwords. Don't even talk to me about a P.I.N. - personal identity number that must be remembered if I want to use my bank card or credit card!



With websites that asks you to create a sign in name and a password, there is often a little box you can tick if you want the profile to be recognised the next time you log on. This will excuse you from having to sign in with your password. Naturally, if you're logging in from the computer at the local library, you don't want any old Tom, Dick and Harry getting into it so don't have this ticked when you're not at your home (safe) computer. The Washington Post remembers me when I log in as does the Chicago Tribune. E-bay remembers me too, this is good because I don't know if I remember what my password is for that one. The one website that I use most frequently at the moment is blogger-beta and it never remembers me. I always tick the "remember me" box but it never does remember me. It might have something to do with "settings" but I don't want to go messing with THOSE again. I just get left ticking the remember me box, knowing full well that the next time I have to sign in, I'll have to type in my user name and password again. It's like I'm not worth remembering.



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Here is somebody who has remembered who I am for well over 30 years. My old friend Sushumna or Sushi for short. She's a childhood friend from the time that me and my family spent in NE Minneapolis. We attended the same school, Holy Cross and were in the same class. She has just posted these photos to me. I was so pleased to get them! Sushi still lives in Minneapolis, not too far from where we lived when we were children. From these pictures I can see that she hasn't changed a bit! She is still stunningly beautiful and just as kind as she is pretty.

We have known each other since the age of about 12. I always thought that she was much more exotic than the rest of my Minnesota playmates. For one, she had this beautiful brown hair and skin. Her name was unusual and most exotic of all, she was a vegetarian! Her father had founded the Meditation Centre on University Avenue. All my other friends' fathers did things like work in factories, or were mailmen, plumbers and policemen. They weren't nearly so interesting as to deliver lectures on yoga and meditation. I wonder if there are any photos floating around of the two of us way back then . . .

We lost touch for years and years. In the time that we were out of contact, I got married again and moved overseas. Odd that I should be the one of us to be the far flung one.

It was due to hanging out with Sushi and her family that started my love for Bollywood movies. I tagged along with Sushi and her family when they went to showings of these movies at the University of Minnesota. I even wore a sari to one of the movies once. I remember not having that much confidence that it would stay up. There was lots of folding and tucking in involved. The sari did stay up but I remember feeling not so overly confident about it.

I found Sushi through the Internet. Her brother is a blogger and I stumbled upon his blog in a late night search. He was kind enough to pass my e-mail address on to her and now we're in contact again. It is comforting to have contact with her again.

12 comments:

J-Funk said...

It always comes back to Minneapolis or Iowa in the end, doesn't it?

I wish I had gone to that Meditation place on University when I was there! (If it's still there...) It sounds like a cool place.

Peggy said...

The Meditation Center is still there!

Anonymous said...

I can relate to your gazillion passwords Peggy. One thing I might mention in case you may not be aware of it....

Normally the reason your computer remembers your passwords and usernames is because there are "cookies" on your computer that contain that information. If you clean the "cookies" off your computer as I do from time to time, when you go to those sites requiring passwords and usernames you will have to re-enter them. Thus...you will have to remember what they are.

I would strongly suggest that as time permits and the old memory serves them up for you, that you write them down somewhere for safe keeping.

I think it is great that you and your friend Sushi found each other again after all those years.

Betty said...

I have found some old friends through the internet, too. And, it's wonderful. And about those passwords. I'm doing good to remembr one or two, and never can remember my PIN numbers. The world needs to have pity on the old folks, like me.

Anonymous said...

Oh yes! Passwords! I hate them too and usernames...
But Alan g is right, we should always have them somewhere on paper; and not misplace the paper (talking for myself of course!)
I loved your story with your friend. The Internet is a wonderful thingh

Jay said...

I only have a couple of different versions of passwords that I use. I know that's probably bad, but I do it anyway.

That's a great story about finding your friend through the internet. I've looked for a few people, and have been tracked down by two that I went to high school with.

Bob said...

Good day Peggy. I know what you mean about signing in to Blogger as I used to have a lot of trouble, sometimes it wouldn't even let me even after typing in my name and password. I think for me it was something to do with cookies. I had this software on that only allowed certain cookies and because it wasn't allowing the ones from Blogger it wouldn't let me sign in. I have since stopped the software and had no more trouble. I just found an old school friend online too.

gawilli said...

Sure is nice that you were able to locate your friend Sushi. Isn't technology wonderful sometimes?

As for passwords - my biggest fear is that something will happen to me and Willi won't be able to take care of business because almost everything is password or pin protected now. We have a list in a secret hiding place.

I've got some reading to to! Missed some of your posts!

Anonymous said...

Peggy - still have not gotten use to Beta - "Back in the" is really me. Duh.

Anonymous said...

so look on my blog in a bit....i do have a photo of you and Sushi (and Sally, too). I forget what the pioneer outfits were for....

Xtreme English said...

oh, those passwords! I have two little pieces of paper upon which i have written both user name and password for a whole slug of accounts. if i don't write them down, i'm sunk. all i have to do is keep track of two little pieces of paper (mad, hysterical laughter).....

Anonymous said...

Whoa. Sushi is, like, HOT!