Where'd the e-mails go?

There are some days that I am so brilliant I out-shine the best of the people around me.

On Tuesday I opened my e-mail and it showed I had not received a single e-mail in about 12 hours. This is impossible. I receive several e-mails on a daily basis and they are always in the inbox first thing when I turn on the computer.

Not on Tuesday.

I checked the spam folder to see if they might have been directed there, although they never have been.

Nope. Nothing unusual there.

Next I logged on to my Internet provider and checked my e-mail right at the source. That file was empty.

So I checked the FAQ (also known as frequently asked questions) page on the Internet provider's Web site. Nothing seemed to explain my missing e-mails.

I noticed there was a contact number to call or I could log on to the company's chat and chat by computer with a technical advisor. I like the give and take and quick response from chatting, so I opted for that method of communication.

When I logged on to the chat, I received a quick response from "Hyasinth" (yes, it's spelled with an 's'). I told her as briefly as I could that I had not received any e-mails for at least 12 hours and I just knew there should be some e-mails there.

Hyasinth suggested several several things for me to try, including checking my e-mail on their Web site.

Sorry, I typed back to Hyasinth, I've already done that and there's nothing there.

Hyasinth then typed out detailed instructions on how I could change the settings on my system so there would always be a copy of my e-mails on the server.

"Well, that will take care of the problem in the future, but what about all the e-mails I am missing today?" I typed to Hyacinth.

"I'm sorry," Hyasinth typed back, "but there is no way for us to recover e-mails that aren't there."

There was a pause after she sent the message.

"Is there anything else I can do for you today?" Hyasinth typed.

I fumed, thinking of a few things I wanted to suggest, but you'll be proud of me. I politely typed, "I guess not. Thank you."

I logged off the Internet provider's Web site and went back to my e-mail in-box. Just as I did, I heard the little "ding" that lets me know I have new e-mails.

But there was nothing there!

I was beginning to get really annoyed with the situation and myself. Where the heck were those e-mails going?

I don't know how your system is designed, but I use Microsoft Outlook and its inbox is organized with headings "Today," "Yesterday," "Monday" and older e-mails may be under the heading "Last Week" or even "Last Month."

There were e-mails in the folder marked "Yesterday" but nothing in the "Today" folder.

Then I looked to the left of the "Date: Today" sub-heading. Off to the far left side of the sub-title was a tiny box with a tinier plus sign in it. I looked at the other sub-headings that had e-mails under them, and instead of the plus sign, there were minus signs.

I clicked on the tiny plus sign by the "Today" sub-heading, and as if by magic the symbol turned to a minus sign and 24 messages tumbled down the page.

I'm just glad Hyasinth doesn't read this blog.