Entries this day: Dream Failed_spam Roundtheworldbybike.com Work

Dream

11:34am JST Tuesday 01 February 2005

Living in a new house with a bunch of new people who were basically all younger than me, but still considered adults. There was a completely beautiful girl there who I had met the previous Wednesday. At that time she had said she wanted to learn all the lines of her play by the next Thursday, or even the next Wednesday, if possible.

Now it was the next Wednesday and we were talking about whatever, and she mentioned her play and I quoted her on having said what she said the previous Wednesday. She was all, "wow; you remember!" and her boyfriend was all, "that's cause you're beautiful; people will do anything to make you happy."

I concurred. Then he was all bragging, "well I got to kiss her nandake," and I'm like "from that point of view, you can't see her, so it doesn't matter, plus I'm not sure it's polite for you reveal the details of her private life."

They went to their bed and then another woman came in looking for people with whom to watch a cartoon movie. I was like, "cool" but then thought "oh man; I haven't written a journal entry about what just happened [I'll have to remember all the details]"

We seemed to be the only ones interested, and I realized I was only interested because she was attractive.

Oh, Rob. and I woke up.

Failed spam

1:27pm JST Tuesday 01 February 2005

I wonder if this is the inner workings of a spam message gone awry... Is this from a newbie spam script kiddie whose variables didn't get replaced before being sent?

From: Bridget Crain <angsbz@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 18:21:15 -0400
Subject: Message subject
To: rob@robnugen.com

%CHILL
%DICK

%CONTACT http://%URL/d/1.php

%BYE
%ASSHOLE s

I received it a couple days ago. I googled "http://%URL/d/1.php" and this template seems to have hit the internet as early as 23 January 2005. Each template that I've seen has a random singe letter character after the closing %ASSHOLE tag.

For the record, google found 3 matches on www (5 actually, but 2 were omitted) and 8 on groups (usenet). 0 matches in images, news, froogle, answers.

I didn't find any references to it on the wider internet (searched theregister.co.uk, cert.org, slashdot.org, wired.com, theinquirer.net, wikipedia.net and others) except in what appear to be spam traps. No articles about it. No human written comments about it except on usenet.

I posted a short variant of what I'm writing now on one of the usenet groups. The only thread written in English by humans who were curious (not angry) about the message and not posting off-topic in something like rec.fan.sf.vampire

I'm quite curious to know.. does this seeding the net with failed spam represents one single botched campaign???

I wonder what the (unexecuted) code looks like.

My hilarious brother Fred said I should reply and ask.

Dear %LOSER,

%YOURE_PATHETIC_INTRO

%BRAINDEAD_QUESTION

Here is the original message:
> %QUOTE

%BYE

12:52am JST Wednesday 02 February 2005

Ah, cool. I found an exact pattern matching spam. It's one of the lonely housewife spams I've been getting.

I know it might seem a little desperate, but how would you like to keep me some company?
I am getting divorced from my Husband, and need a part time man in my life.

Write me back here: http://godatetonight.com/d/1.php

Sincerely Yours,
Ashley z

See? Line for line, it lines up.

%CHILL
%DICK

%CONTACT http://%URL/d/1.php

%BYE
%ASSHOLE s

Oh, but hmmmm... using ASSHOLE as the closing doesn't make sense to me.

Roundtheworldbybike.com

3:11pm JST Tuesday 01 February 2005

Kickass.

Jen showed me an article in Metropolis about a guy who is riding around the world. He'll be in Shibuya tomorrow night for a presentation. Nice.

- - - -

This helps me probe my brain about the possibility of my plan. Start with small trips first; that worked for him. It's possible to do. He was mugged once and is still going well.

I recognize I don't want to seek any sponsors; just do it for me. Support and sponsors can come if they choose.

Work

8:21pm JST Tuesday 01 February 2005

Today at work I've had three students so far, and now I'm on a big three hour break, which I arranged for myself when I was feeling so pooey that I couldn't imagine being better ever, much less by Tuesday.

But, I'm pretty much 99% perfect now; I coulda done a full day worth of lessons.

I chatted with one of my favorite students, Mari, who has only 1 more lesson left! I'm thankful that she chose me for one of her last two lessons. I gave her my email address; she's going to Cambridge for three months starting in about a week!

Then I had a student who doesn't study, so I was my usual impatient-with-students-who-don't-study (sometimes hypocritically so) self.

Next, I had Makiko, my current favorite student, whose pregnancy is beginning to show. She has only four lessons remaining, and wants to choose me for at least a double lesson to get through Lesson 11 of her book, which she has decided is tricky. Lesson 11 is the one that uses this grammar. I just thought of a way I can teach it to her easily.

I wonder if I'll remember the way I'm thinking or think of a different way when the lesson time comes.

Right now I'm chillin on the staircase at Tokyu Store with Hitomi, who met me for cheap dinner during my three hour break. We bought pitas from Katsu and wandered over to Yamada Denki to chow. I ate mine inside, but she didn't think it would be polite for her to do the same, so we tried going to Sweets Forest to eat on one of their many benches. But they were closed so we sat while she ate at one of the tables outside in the cold.

We found these benches in Tokyu Store which woulda been perfect for chowing (and are super close to Katsu's shop), but weren't remembered when we first started looking for a place to eat.