Canine Media Basketball
So I guess quite a lot has happened since last we spoke, but at the same time I don't think much really happened at all. You know what I mean? It's been a collection (or progression) of days that tires you, ravages you even, and reminds you just how much it takes just to get by.
Not that I've experienced any sort of unbearable suffering of Faulknerian scope since Friday - I'm just tired.
So I woke up on Saturday morning and decide to go on a bike ride. It was cold, just cold enough not to be able to wear shorts and be comfortable, but I chose to anyway. Wear shorts, I mean. Maybe as a form of subconscious punishment or something. And so as I'm passing my computer room, on my way out the door, I notice the data transfer LED on my cable modem is just going nuts. Usually a pretty good sign I'm getting hacked. Crap.
So I spent the next hour and a half tracking down the problem, and found I'd been hit by the Adore worm, which exploits a vulnerability in the RedHat print spooler. Apparently all that data being transferred was the worm looking out on the Internet for other hosts with the same vulnerability.
Luckily, since this worm has been out on the web for a while, there was a very easy-to-use script that seemed to take care of everything. Once I purged my system of that little bastard, I did all the stuff I was supposed to, like change all my passwords and block access to the email addresses to which my /etc/ftpusers, ifconfig, ps -aux, /root/.bash_history, /etc/hosts, and /etc/shadow information was emailed. As far as I can tell, I took taken care of everything, and unless I hear different, I'm going to consider the issue closed.
Oh yes, and I did upgrade all of my RPM's, so everything's secure now. And yes, I've been spending pretty much every free moment I have here. And if you have any suggestions, whether they be about handling security generally or the Adore worm specifically, I'd be happy to hear them. Just don't be a jerk and call me an idiot. I feel dumb enough as it is.
But man, that bike ride was great. I've tried making a point of riding my bike regularly for the past month (ever since we started getting consistently nice weather around here), and it's finally getting easier. I've cleared out my Winter Phlegm, and have finally been able to go out, ride as far as I want, and not be forced to come home because of one of those debilitating cramps in my side.
Also, I've been playing basketball again. Which I love doing. I mean, love. I don't think I've enjoyed playing basketball this much since, wow, probably before the NBA strike or something.
And oh! New photography: Pupah Dawg! (If that title looks cryptic to you, try yelling it like you might imagine James Brown would.)
But actually, she's not mine, she's my parents'. She's the most kick-ass canine I've ever been able to interact with - smart and energetic and neurotic. I think she wants to learn how to talk, but that will come in due time. Right now I'm trying to teach her how to play Frisbee. I'll post an update once she's able to snatch discs out of the air.
Her name is Sadie, by the way.
Oh, and a whole shipment of CD's came to me on Friday: Modest Mouse, Arlo, The White Stripes, and Chavez. All of it so good. Especially that Chavez. Fuck, I say, these guys are (or were?) amazing. They need to come here, play at the bar up the street under an assumed name. They could call themselves something like The Coffee Beans. I'd go there, to this show, and drink and have a complete Rock And Roll Moment, which would totally blow away that one time I saw Lotion play at CBGB's back in 1997.
But anyway, I should mention that I like that Arlo CD, and it's causing a bit of a problem. I mean, I can't listen to it without thinking those guys sound like the Journey Boston of Garage Rock. They have such simple, fuzzy melodies that are sweet like candy, and sappy lyrics that make any cynic embarrassed to say he actually authentically likes them. Yet here I am, that very same cynic, saying that I do in fact like them, without even the slightest hint of irony. I mean, do you hear any irony in my voice? I didn't think so.
OK, but now I'm blushing.
But one more thing before I stop rocking the whole Independent Music topic: apparently, another type of music I like is called Math Rock. Why am I not at all surprised at this?
Finally, you might be wondering what I'm reading. John Barth, I say to you. I'm just barely this side of 200 pages in, and am liking it more than I probably should. I mean considering I have an already unhealthy obsession with historical novels that take place in 18th Century England.