This sounds lame, funny and strange all at the same time. About a year and a half ago I wanted to send an article to my girlfriend without using my real name or email address. Why should those morons know who I am just because I want to use their email feature. (Never mind that I sold my girlfriend out...I didn't think about that one.) So, I used the name Smoochy Bear and the email address smoochy@bear.net. Completely stupid and something random I picked up here. Well, I sent her a greeting card today using the same info and it turns out that someone actually reads the email to this domain in a catch all account. He decided to send her an email containing the following:

bad <bad@bear.net> wrote:

Whoever your "smoochy bear" is, tell him or her that they are a fucking
asshole and to stop using our domain name to sign their fucking emails.
We don't appreciate the SPAM that their scummy actions cause us.

If they don't have the balls to identify who they are, why even bother
reading their stupid ecards?

Oh, and if they continue their fraudulent ways, we will take legal
action against them, please pass that message on to them.

Now, this is kind of harsh since this is the first time we got anything from him about emailing this stuff. She responded (maybe not in the best way but):

To: Bear

It must be awful that you have been burned so bad in your life that you have to throw dirty words at total strangers, just because you get a few annoying emails. I will pass along your comments to the love of my life, and let him know that his cute pet name is bothering some lonely soul that has a stick up his butt.

I apologize for the inconvenience, and I really hope you find some place to displace that anger. And I hope you find someone that will love you as my smoochy bear loves me!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Now things are strating to get interesting since he comes up with a reply. Not only sending it to her but also to the abuse emails at Gmail.

Hey loser,

It must be awful to not have anyone to sleep with other than a criminal - after all, forging an email address is a federal crime. So instead of getting him to do the right thing and stop his criminal activities, you lash out at us? That says way more about you then us. I suspect he is the same one that is signing up for the various porn sites we have received emails from in the past week under that same name. So while maybe he is the love of your life, apparently you are not the love of his life. and of course that he just 'randomly' choose this domain is unlikely, I suspect when the database is back online I will find a profile from him advertising for sex with another man.

Got to love how people attack the messenger when they are the ones that do something wrong. I frankly don't give a shit about his pet name, as long as he stops committing a CRIME (look it up bitch) by forging an email address. If bedding a criminal is your idea of fun, then go for it.

To gmail/google:

This asshole is pissed because we sent them an email telling them to inform the loser that is sending them ecards using a FORGED email address at our domain. Their response is below. As to their so-called (scum) love of their life, this person has apparently been forging this email address for a while causing multiple emails from various websites and mailing lists to be sent to us. Frankly, we don't feel she has any reason to be pissed at us, considering it is someone SHE knows that is committing a crime by forging emails.

Maybe this dipshit needs to have her email account terminated - oh and the scum that has been forging the email address has also sent us a threatening email. Kind of makes you wonder what kind of people they are.

Nothing he accused in his message is true but he still decided to commit liable anyways. What's the next step to get this idiot to just drop the issue. Per his request, nothing else will ever go to that email address or anything at bear.net. Yet, he continues to believe that I have it out for him and have nothing better to do other than sign him up for different accounts.

Flaming Lips. Good song. Good band.

I'm not entering with a grand procession nor am I trying to gain attention. This is an explanation of my journey of sole seeking in the world and looking for something I never had before - a definition of who I am, for the curious.

Thomas Freidman says that the only way to survive in the new economy is for countries to stop living in memories and start living in dreams. Don't think about how great you were; start pushing for the next big thing. It not only applies to countries in the new economy of the 21st century, but to life.

Starting on September 5th, I'll be returning to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee full time to finish off the undergraduate portion of my education. In one year, I can stand on stage and know that I finally have those degrees in computer science and business. I'll finally have reached a dream I've only had for the past 9 years.

Of course, this means that I had to quit my job. I gave notice two weeks ago and they're going to keep me on so I can document and because my boss wants to help me out on this endeavor. While I was giving my notice, my boss and I got into a discussion about my career. After some discussion, we both knew that my job as a programmer didn't make me happy. It's entrepreneurship that makes me happy. It's writing the documentation. It's training people and providing secondary sales support. I now have my new direction in life.

I've also started to embark on setting up a company. I'd tell you the details but I don't have that many NDAs. I'd like to use this journal to share that adventure. Right now, I've got the graphic designer working hard on the logos, business cards, etc. I've been spending so much free time on this project and I'm so excited about it.

I won't say running off into this unknown isn't scary. It's damn scary but I'm not going to live only in my memories. I'm going to start living in my dreams. I don't think I could have done this without learning to accepting my disease, learning to live with my disease and learning to love my disease*.

- Dan

* I don't want some people to know so I'm leaving it a little cryptic. Maybe you'll remember from earlier. If it's really killing you, email me.