Mad About Spam and Pippa’s Mad About Macarons’ Book Giveaway
Do you remember Monty Python’s Flying Circus? Growing up in Scotland in the 70s, we used to watch this outrageous BBC comedy – even although I hadn’t a clue why Dad would laugh so much over such silly stuff; he’d be in tears clutching his stomach from belly laughter. Now that I’m ‘grown up’, I’m doing the same. Except I’m laughing out of sheer frustration.
If you have a website, a blog, or work on the internet, you will understand what it is to be swamped with SPAM – and I’m not referring to the luncheon meat in tins. Blogging since February, the amount of spam has hit 1500 messages. It might not sound a lot but when you’re dealing with this stuff manually, it’s a pain in the backside (and believe me, I know what that means, too!)
Did you know that the word, “Spam” derives from this Monty Python sketch? If you have never seen it, you MUST take out a silly minute to watch this. You’ll get the idea why spam was the chosen word…
Monty Python: Spam par CrazyCat
It’s eccentric but I do love this part of the menu:
- Spam, egg, spam, sausage and bacon
- Spam, spam, spam and eggs
- Lobster thermidor, crevettes and mornay sauce garnished with truffle paté, with fried egg on top and spam.
We want mimosa macarons without spam!
- get rid of cellulite on thighs
- registry cleaner reviews
- buying digital cameras (Who am I to complain if they at least offer me one to test on the blog ;-))
- grants for single mothers (perhaps a reference to feeling like a desperate housewife on one post?)
Spammers should pick these without gloves
Then with the post, If you go down to the woods today, there have been particular messages asking about gall bladder symptoms and wait for it, “Adultdating: Russian Brides are not just a dream”…
- The latest: Buy friends on Facebook (is that not sad?)
- Buy designer Vuitton or Gucci handbags at a fraction of the price (Attention! Don’t let the French see this. They are extremely serious when dealing with copies!)
This one is cute: it comes now and again for the recipes posted as part of the egg yolk recipe series:
- kitchen cabinets: a well known finish is eggshell
And one of my favourites:
- “we love Madaboutmacarons.com and have bookmarked it. Buy electronic cigarettes!” (Update: since posting this, I’ve had another one: I’ve made myself a bargain since mentioning this. Now it’s “Buy Cheap Electronic Cigarettes!)
Rose-cardamom panna cotta with spicy spam cherry macarons without spam
The worst spam are the normal looking addresses and comments which look harmless: at first you read the comment and you could honestly be taken in. Lovely post, great writing, I must subscribe to your rss feed; Madaboutmacarons.com is the best ever! etc. When you read that, the obvious reaction is to think, “Cool, somebody thinks it great” and hit “approve comment”. Oops. That just opened up the site to even more spam with 14 comments in the space of an hour from the same silly spammer via different email addresses.
My website designer has disappeared and left me in this stuff. HELP! Isn’t it enough I blog, cook, and take all the photos? That’s without the actual life part that goes around it all. It’s high time for a spam filter – but each time I want to tackle it myself, the confidence just vanishes as fast as the designer. Not much luck that we’ve hit holiday season, either.
Spam Saltimbocca without the spam, please
Spam, chocolate & beet macarons without the spam
Chocolate, spam & beetroot macarons without spam sound just perfect to me. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier – great to discover yours 🙂
Jill, I think you are the only one who can make a post about SPAM so entertaining. I’m sorry you’re getting bombarded with such craziness…electronic cigarettes???? I’m just relieved you didn’t make spam macarons 😉 xo
Some of those spam messages are pretty funny. I would love to know if it is ever effective at what it’s creators want it to do!
Oh – fun! Spam is here to stay. I have taken to not approving any anonymous comments- always spam. And my following is not huge! At the end of the day, if you can laugh- you are way ahead of the game.
Oh, ugh, sorry you are getting so much awful spam. I get a bit, but Blogger usually catches most of it for me.
I used to love Monty Python and I definitely remember the Spam skit!
What a cute post, Jill! Yes {sigh}, it’s amazing that folks have so much time for spam. For the most part, my installed “akismet” catches most of them and even pulls some to the side for me to review, that aren’t spam. It’s helped alot.
I do enjoy eating Spam, from time-to-time with eggs! 🙂
Beautiful mac images.
Haha what a great post!!! I get the cigarette spam too and they crack me up! You are so unbelievably talented when it comes to making macarons! I sure I hope I win the giveaway, I’d love to learn!! 🙂
Haha! I laughed out loud while ready this post. I like the “electronic cigarettes”- sounds intriguing. Your macaroons look delicious, by the way. I am attempting my first macaroon recipe this Friday for a friend’s bridal shower.
LOL! 🙂 I thought you really used Spam in a macaron!! I love this post!! 🙂
Jill, you crack me up with SPAM :)) I can’t stop laughing. maybe somehow eating macarons makes the tights cellulite disappear or you give up smoking :))
I haven’t had spam problems on my blog so far, hopefully it stays this way.
Funny post, love the sketch, have the book but can’t stand the stuff either way!
Spam is definitely annoying. I’m using intensedebate and it really helps to minimize it. Loved your post 🙂
I am now singing, “Spam, spam, spam, spam…”. Hubby is a Monty Python fan and does on occasion burst into song, so regretfully bits of it stick in my mind! Hubby does have a wonderous sense of humour and one Christmas put a tin of Spam in my stocking! Still haven’t opened it!!!
Seriously though, there is nothing worse than being in pain and then having to cope with niggly problems, it is enough to make you scream and shout. So far I have been lucky and have no Spam.
Having been away for two weeks though I have a definite craving for macarons. My mouth is watering at the thought of Rose-cardamom panna cotta with spicy spam cherry macarons without spam, and I have no aged egg whites. Why, oh why, did I not freeze some before I went away.
Oh, Sue – your husband sounds hilarious. Spam for Xmas? I can imagine you have to have a sense of humour, too. 😉
I’m sure you’ll have other egg whites later. In the meantime, just to say thanks for telling me about the lime blossom tree. I thought it was just linden blossom but you let me see the light on my 2 posts previously. Merci beaucoup! I’m so glad you understand the spam post. It was a bit of a risky one this time but this back and spam are driving me nuts.
I have used Akismet for ages and every once in a while there’s a false positive that needs to be rescued but mostly it’s fantastic. I couldn’t run a blog without it.
I remember Monty Python. I’m probably your father’s age. 🙂
Thanks for this, Maureen. Definitely going to look into this Akismet. Sounds great.
Jill, can’t help sniggering. Thanks for cheering me up especially when you are in such discomfort. I mean electronic cigarettes??? The mind boggles 🙂
I know what you mean about growing up with Monty Python. My dad was the same -Fawlty Towers was another classic!
Hope you are on the road to recovery!
This was such a hilarious post. I love Monthy Pythons but never thought of SPAM related to that them since I have to deal with a lot of computer spams in my job. But the eatable Spam is not very appealing to me. Just had it once when a a true American friend brought me to her home town’s diner. It was fun reading your post.:-)
I have always loved that Monty Python sketch. I have not had too much trouble as yet but I am only starting to build up hits. I use intense debate as a plugin for blogger but have to make sure they have not mistakenly pushed something into spam folder
That does sound seriously annoying. The non-meat kind of Spam I mean. Shameless people should be shoved into the nettle bush, I agree.
The spam can definitely get frustrating – 1500? I couldn’t even imagine!
The observation about buying friends on facebook made me laugh out loud. That really is sad! It’s a tough call, I’ll tell you…personally I sometimes get a little annoyed when I have to fill out the captcha codes (cause like you, I have a tendency to get it wrong) but then you don’t want a spam-blast hitting up your own post if you’re unprotected. Sigh. No idea how to fix it.
…are those really Spam macarons?
Hehee – spam macarons without spam so I guess there’s no spam in sight (phew!)
You didn’t really think I would do it, did you? 😉
Love the Monty Python clip. Classic. Now I wonder what spammers will attach to this post. Hope you have now thoroughly confused them!
you are too funny! Every now and then I have a spell where I get a lot of spam, but then it tapers off, luckily blogger stops it all. Lets hope my new home on wordpress does as well. Now I was almost expecting a spam macaroon, and I am very glad I didn’t see one! of course if you had made it I know it would have been spamtastic!
Spamtastic? Love it! Hate to say, Dennis, that this site uses WordPress but I’m sure your new home will have the proper locks to these foot-in-the-door spammers.
Jill my dear,
I feel your pain. There’s help. Have you installed Akismet on your blog? It’s a plugin that filters spam. I use the SI Askimet version. Now as for as reconciliating the cellulite thighs with your delightful macarons…now we’re onto something! Cute post and any blogger will appreciate it.
Thank you so much – I shall check out Akismet, although would have no idea how to import it. All this techie stuff is beyond me!
I’m not sure if you run your blog on WordPress. If you do just go to plugins. Then do search for SI Askimet. Then click the little box that says install.
Done.
Now, if you need a behind the scenes explanation I’d be totally lost. But at least that’s enough to stop the non-edible spam.
Wow – that sounds so easy, thank you! I’ve installed it but now need to pay. I take it that’s normal? Apologies, I am a Scot! 😉
Hahahahahahahaha I just cannot stop laughing Jill! What a fantastic post! I get some of that spam too and I find it quote funny at times… I just wish it didn’t take away so much of my time for deleting it!!! I would love some of that Rose-cardamom panna cotta with spicy spam cherry macarons without spam!!!! 🙂
Jill…this was just too funny! Sometimes I get spam that isn’t even coherent. A bunch of code. Or sometimes you get those ‘kind’ messages that allure you at first until you see it’s attached to the name of a tire company who wants free advertising! Your March into Spring with Mimosa Macarons (without spam) look divine! : )
NO MORE SPAM!!!!
LOL I totally thought you were gonna post Spam macarons and was about to be a bit scared. I started off with CAPTCHA but fortunately I haven’t been hit with much spam (*knock on wood*) so I took it off as I realized being a commenter on other blogs how obnoxious captcha is! Your spam-less macs look great 😉
I am fortunate enough not to get so many SPAM messages. Electronic cigerettes! Yikes!
Oh my, Jill! I looked at those gorgeous cherry spam macarons and thought ‘oh no, she didn’t!’… Whew… Thank goodness you didn’t! I would gladly eat those and the spam-less beet spam chocolate macs, too… LOVED this post… you had me laughing out loud… you are just hilarious! 😀 I give this the prestigious ‘Funniest Post of the Month’ award. 😀 Ok.. Now I’m off to buy some friends…
PS: I really think you should consider buying an electronic cigarette though. After all, they did bookmark MaM! :p
Well if macarons could cure cellulite you bet your bottom dollar I would eat them all day long (just as a preventative measure).
Man the enjoyment that would bring.
Rachel, this is too funny. You know, I didn’t even mention this one, but who needs “viagra for women” when you’ve got macarons?! 🙂
Jill, I was absolutely intrigued when I heard you were featuring spam. You made me laugh although the electronic spam is just as nasty as the fatty pink stuff in a tin. Bleaugh!
Your Spam, Choc and Beet macarons (without the spam) look and sound lovely.
Thanks, Hester. I was a bit nervous posting this one as it was a bit ‘different’ but at least you’re with me on the beetroot and choc macarons – who wants this spam stuff? As you say, electronic or the pink stuff! Time these spammers got a life.
LOL! Yes, Monty Python is HILARIOUS! (only to those who have a real sense of humor!). And yes, I hate the SPAM. URG! I try to check the mailbox semi-regularly though because from time to time a real message gets marked as SPAM. Why can’t those spammers just leave us alone?!?!?
With you totally, Tiffany. Time they go and spam somewhere else. But alas, since I even posted this, I received another dozen more of the pink electronic unwanted stuff! There has to be a way to get rid of them.