So, can my crack dealer make change?

Ran into a situation Monday.

It actually began Friday, when I received a $100 bill as part of a transaction.

The C-Note sat in my wallet all weekend. Then, Monday, I went to Hardee's for lunch.

They don't take $100 bills. Fifties either, as it turns out, though I didn't have one those, so...

Anyway, there I was, with legal tender (for all debts, public and private), and I couldn't spend it.

As it turned out, they take credit cards. So, I broke out my Visa card, and paid the bill.

But that $100 bill? Useless. At Hardee's. McDonald's, too. As well as Wendy's. And all the other places a cheapskate like me eats lunch.

So, I can't use it for food.

I'm wondering if I should accuse Hardee's of being racist. I'm not sure why. It just seems the thing to do these days.

Armageddon

It's 2009. The Democrats have a larger majority in Congress. The U.S. is preparing for the Obama inauguration. The History Channel is running Armageddon Week. A coincidence? I think not.

Hardee's new menu offering

Stopped by Hardee's for breakfast yesterday.

I enjoy Hardee's for just about any quick meal. Their burgers they changed to a few years ago are great. But their biscuits have been the best for many years.

So, if I'm stopping somewhere for a quick breakfast, Hardee's is my choice.

And, yesterday, I stopped by Hardee's.

I wasn't the only one.

As you can see by the picture, some deer hunters decided to stop by, too. Only, they didn't hit the drive-through. Rather, they parked and went inside.

Parked right up front. With the tailgate down, and the gutted deer sitting there, facing not just the drive-through window, but the main dining room windows, too.

And it wasn't just those of us in the drive-through lane, drive-though window, or restaurant that noticed.

A german shepherd noticed, too.

I suppose he may hang around Hardee's for the occasional dropped food, or tossed leftovers in the dumpster. But yesterday morning, he got a bonus on the menu: a deer on a platter. Or on a tailgate of a pick-up.

Fido kept looking toward the restaurant, then back at the deer. He'd sniff, then look toward the restaurant. Right as I pulled away, the dog jumped up, putting his front legs on the tailgate, and leaned in toward the deer.

I didn't stick around to see if there were any leftovers.

And I've decided not to go to Hardee's for breakfast this morning.

New Year's Resolutions for 2009

Lake City, Florida readies for the big drop at midnight.

The new year is here. And we must strive to make 2009 a better year than 2008. In that spirit, I'm offering my resolutions for the new year:

• do a better job of helping out around the house
• be tolerant of other people's point of view
• stop repeating myself
• drive the speed limit at all times
• not throw rocks at the neighbors' dogs
• give the new president a chance
• stop repeating myself
• stop making fun of rednecks
• stop making fun of yankees
• stop making fun of liberals
• be a role model for children
• pay attention when others are talking
• stop repeating myself
• compliment others
• become a serious blogger
• sprout wings and fly

Offhand, I'd say they will all be equally fulfilled.

Driving your own car is racist

In Russell County, Alabama, (just across the river from Columbus, Georgia, for the geographically impaired) there was a discussion last week about using county vehicles. The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer has the story, but here's a summary: One county commissioner -- one of the four white ones -- brought up for a vote a policy saying that county commissioners could use the county-owned Ford Explorer only when traveling outside the local counties (Russell County, Alabama and Muscogee County, Georgia). Commissioners would have to use their own personal vehicle when driving in the local counties, and could be reimbursed at the standard rate. Another commissioner -- one of the three black ones -- called the proposed policy "racist." The vote was 3-3-1. That broke down to three whites voting "yes," three blacks voting "no," and one white abstaining. They finally ended up agreeing to research what the policy has been, since nobody remembered. Without knowing what the previous policy was, assuming there was one, it seems to me that a county vehicle could be used for county business, regardless of where the business is. A policy that says you can't use a county vehicle for county business in the county is ... stupid. Not racist, just stupid. Calling it "racist" is ... racist. And stupid. At least it's nice to know that stupidity is color-blind.

Virus removal

Because so many people use a Microsoft Windows operating system, most viruses and other malicious software ("malware") are targeted for Windows users.

So, because of the large number of viruses out there targeting Windows, it could happen that you get a virus.

Three reasons

There are three primary reasons (in order) you could get a virus:

1. Bad computer habits
2. Missing or outdated security applications
3. Bad luck

Not much can be done about the bad luck. However, many will blame bad luck first. But, if you haven't taken care of the first two, bad luck isn't the reason. Bad decisions would be more likely.

I've written about the bad habits and the security applications. You need to understand the importance of those.

If you don't think they're important, you're wrong. And that's experience talking.

I've had bad computer habits. Cutting down on those has helped. It's called learning from experience.

I've run without (or with outdated) security applications. I learned my lesson. It's called learning from experience.

I've also encountered bad luck. It happens. But if you haven't corrected bad computer habits or aren't running up-to-date security software, bad luck's the least of your problems.

Shut up and help

Alight, let's assume you have a virus on your Windows computer. If it's because of bad habits, or because of lack of security protection software, or because of bad luck, you're in the same situation: You have a problem and need to fix it.

How?

First, you need to use an anti-virus software package to clean things up. Or try to, anyway.

I have had success with the AVG and with the Avast! packages. Get one of those.

How?

If you can connect to the Internet, you can download AVG or Avast! by clicking on either link.

But sometimes, the virus will intercept your attempts to go to one of those pages and redirect you somewhere else. AntiVirus 2009 Pro (not to be confused with legitimate packages like the similarly-named Panda package) is one that does this.

If you can't access the Websites, you need to go to a safe, protected computer, take a USB key ("flash drive"), and download a package. If you must use another computer, go ahead and download both to the flash drive. You may need them both.

Attempt to install one of the packages on the infected computer. If one fails, try the other. I have always had success with one or the other; however you may find neither works. If that's the case, try other packages on this list. I've not used them all, so I can't speak to all of them.

Once you've installed and run the antivirus package, have it clean or remove everything it finds. This may take a while. This may take hours. Do it anyway.

Once you've cleaned the computer, you're not done. Scan it again. Then, if everything is still clean, you're still not done.

There's more?

Reboot your computer. Then, scan it again. Yes, I said scan it again.

You see, some viruses can reconstitute themselves after a reboot.

Keep scanning and cleaning and rebooting until everything is gone. If you find you're stuck in a loop -- the same virus keeps being removed but keeps coming back -- try another antivirus package (Avast! or AVG).

Eventually, one should do the job.

Next, you need to keep your computer safe. Microsoft actually has a good summary of things to do here.

They'll try to sell you their security package, Microsoft Live OneCare. It's a good package. But keep in mind what you just used to clean your computer. You may want to consider giving that application the job full-time. And, you may want to buy their full suite of protections software as a reward for a job well done.

The final step

The last thing you can do is prevent problems in the future. You can help by following the suggestions here.

The best way to get a virus off your computer is to not let it on to start with.

Virus protection

Most computer users are running computers with a Microsoft Windows operating system. That, all by itself, makes a computer susceptible to a virus or other dangerous or malicious software ("malware").

I'm not trashing Microsoft; I'm stating a fact. Microsoft Windows is so prevalent that it's a target for those that create viruses or other malicious software.

It's common for many computer users to get a virus. The most common reason is a lack of proper protection. That involves not having good, up-to-date security software. It also involves careful computer habits.