I went viral!

Don't know how many people this affected yet, but when I got on my email this afternoon I found my auto-reply message propagating itself at a prodigious rate in one of the yahoogroups I belong to (one about astronomy sketches, as it happens)! Obviously, I misset the rules somehow, and it was looping back on itself. A little later I got an email from one of my blog subscribers wondering why I had just sent him 16 of the same message. (This is, I think, unrelated to the fact that he subscribes to my blog - just one of those happy accidents.) Any way, after the first episode I turned off the auto-reply. At least I think I did. But I don't know if it was widespread through my address book or anyone in my inbox or just random victims. My apologies to any and all.

It's a little like what happened to Craig Ferguson, host of CBS's Late Late Show, and one of my favorite personalities. He opened his show the other night explaining that when he gets angry with someone, he writes them a nasty email on his phone, explaining just exactly what he thinks of them at the moment, and then saves it as a draft and never sends it. It gets it out of his system and he moves on. Not a bad strategy, really. Except.... Something happened that day that was unexpected, and he got a call from his stage director asking what the ... um.. fuss was all about? Craig asked what he meant, and director guy said, this email you just sent me? Craig checked his phone, and ALL the draft messages had been sent. "I just spent a year's wages on flowers today!" he said mournfully.

I don't think I'm quite in that condition, but I can imagine a few people thinking I'm rubbing it in a little that I'm not working for the next three month. Sigh. One of the odd side-effects of this process.

Be that as it may, stay subscribed!