It's good to Google

Researching Blog Libel this morning due to recent events, best and easiest bit of information on the subject that I found so far is HERE, and in its comments.

In a nut-shell? My suspicions are confirmed. There's no money to be made in legal action against the average blogger who doesn't have "Deep Pockets", so no Lawyers are willing to take the case. And clients are usually advised as such. Unless the person suing in interested in spending thousands of dollars in legal fees just so they can say "I was right and have a court document to prove it", there's nothing to be gained unless the person you are suing actually has any money... and even then you have to be able to PROVE financial damages.

Last night it was difficult to sleep because, even though I was pretty sure this was the case, my mind kept on going to the "Yeah, but what if..." well of futility.

As it stands right now, though, I'm really interested to hear from Roy and see what his side of the story is! There's no money to be made in this situation on either side, and i would love nothing more than to have this anger and hatred that I've been carrying around for nearly 20 years to just go away! I love that we both think we're the person who has been wronged here... it's very 'Zen' for me. Kind of like how even somebody like HITLER thought he was doing a great thing for the world, ya know? In his mind, he was the HERO!

Some good quotes that make me feel better re: Legal Action:

• "...malice with reckless disregard for the truth would have to be proved"
• "Many blogs are more like personal diaries and do not make tempting targets for litigation"

How I know

I'm officially done with worrying about Roy. And I'm not just saying that... I've received cues from my mind that tell me so!

You know how you can *say* something like "I'm through with that person" but your brain keeps drifting back to that person and keeps asking you questions like "What if you're wrong?" and "Maybe you should do it THIS way instead..."? Well that's where I've been all morning. I couldn't concentrate on anything else.

But now? My mind has moved on! I'm reading stuff on the internet and actually comprehending what I'm reading! I'm listening to music and actually HEARING the music! And my mind is free to be brilliant once again, as is evidenced by my very next post!

Y'know what they need?

Tomorrow is dotgirl's Birthday (99% positive that it's the 9th and not the 11th... I have ALWAYS had trouble remembering, but not this year!). For an entire MONTH she will be every bit as old as me! In the past she and I have been as close as Brother and Sister, but in recent years we've slacked-off and become more of the type of people who get together maybe 2 or 3 times a year.

This has of course brought me to a position of 8wanting* to buy her a Birthday Present, but having absolutely no idea what to get her!

I could take a chance and get her something I *think* she would like, but there's an awfully strong chance that it'll just become some clutter in her house tha she never uses and/or has to take the time to go and exchange for something she *actually* wants. And since the most precious commodity these days is TIME, giving her a gift is kind of like saying "Her eyou go! I decided to steal an afternoon from you this year! You're welcome!"

This problem is *kind of* solved by the advent of The On-Line Gift Certificate. You pick a general interest of the giftee, you buy them a Gift Certificate, they go pick out a gift from the comfort of their home computer while wearing stained undies and an embarrassing t-shirt.

HOWEVER! Gift Certificates are cold and impersonal! She and i both agreed MANY years ago that a Gift Certificate is like saying "I have no idea who you are or what you would like. If I give you $20 to spend at a specific store do you promise to not hate me?"

SO! MY SOLUTION! On-Line Gift Certificates that allow you to show a person what you would suggest they buy with this certificate! "Dear dotgirl, here is a Gift Certificate to Omaha Steaks! It's enough to buy a case of those bacon-wrapped sirloins that you used to like so much, or maybe a few bottles of that fancy BBQ Sauce you liked so much!" And when the recipient clicks on the link to activate the gift certificate, they could be taken to an entire PAGE full of the different stuff that the gifter has suggested might be purchased with said gift certificate.

This way you can show that you care, you can show that you actually put some thought in to it, and you can prove that you're not just trying to buy them off this year :)