Is this the end?

    The new versions of Firefox and Thunderbird led to new versions of Adobe Reader and Java. (Each of the latter two also gave me the opportunity to download in addition software I didn't want, and each thoughtfully checked the Yes box for me as well. I unchecked each, thinking again how nice a life without Java and Adobe Reader would be.) The downloads were lengthy (this is still dialup) but manageable. Then I decided to restart, since that's usually a good idea after adding big new software.
    A week later, here I am again. When Windows makes you restart, at least it gives you a Blue Screen of Suspended Animation saying something like "Updating... don't turn off your computer" but all I got was a black screen and no explanation. Annoyed, I turned the computer off many times, which no doubt didn't help. But eventually everything booted up. 'Course, I probably didn't reboot after the Firefox and Thunderbird updates, so it was 4 rather than 2 new programs that Windows had to make way for. But still. Seems like somebody could have thrown in a little box telling me not to panic, that Windows is updating files. Don't you think?
    Dreams last night were gothically peculiar, including being in somebody else's gigantic house for a change, but all I remember apart from that was that for my birthday (which it isn't) my friend Walt gave me pictures of my friend Robert in imaginary places from other dreams. I thought that was a nice bit of thorough work for my subconscious mind, or anyway I did when I woke up.