Saturday, November 10, 2012

My Precious

I am no PhilipEmeagwali but I do consider myself somewhat techno savvy. For example, I am the only one in my house who correctly programs the PVR to make sure we don’t miss a single episode of Pawn Stars. Also, I can change the clocks on all 3 family vehicles without reading a manual AND I know how to operate truly obscure programs like Multimate.

What I lack in the area of technological skill is patience. This is the reason why I’m having huge issues with Windows 8. It’s also the reason why I play Pogo Scrabble only against robots and not live partners. Robots don’t say “brb 1cpkg”. Which translates to “be right back number one child is puking”. I don’t care if your kid is vomiting when I’m waiting to put down the word ‘Qadi’ for 50 points!

Windows 8 is trying my patience and this is from a woman with 4 opinionated teenagers who test me daily. I’m sure there’s a reason why I have to look at giant colorful tiles before I can get to my real screen. I’m sure there’s also a reason why it took me half an hour to find the button to allow me to shut down the computer. 

I keep reminding myself that this laptop was a gift to myself; a reward because I successfully wrote three complete manuscripts in 14 months (a personal record). I deserve my new HP Envy dv6. Especially since I got my last laptop using air mile points and it ran as slow as I do after a round with my physiotherapist. But it’s hard to think of something as a reward when you find yourself yelling obscenities and threatening the piece of machinery with a sledgehammer.

Maybe I should’ve purchased a new laptop before Windows 8? The problem is I have a superstition about completing manuscripts on the same computer where I type the very first word. I was committed to completing those manuscripts on my old Toshiba and now my old work horse that allowed me to write Grounds to Kill and also the next 2 Ghost Dusters, has been retired to kiddie corner where it will be used solely to play Minecraft.

Maybe what I need to do is start a new manuscript on this baby. A new story will keep me focused on Microsoft Word and I can ignore all the other new fangled whatchamadingles associated with this new operating system. 

Now if I can only find Word.

Anything testing your patience these days?


11 comments:

Wendy Roberts said...

Wendy, for the record I only have 3 boy and one girl. Girls are more work. I can relate to the issues with syncing. My old PC info was synced to this laptop. They tell me the files are there. I just can't find it!!

You're right about Pawn Stars being MUCH better than Cajun Pawn Stars!

Anonymous said...

My biggest test of patience is my kids! They test me every day :(

Dru said...

Congrats on the new laptop. Anything new can try my patience especially new operating systems.

How is Windows 8 different from Windows 7?

Leslie Jensen said...

I've heard about Windows 8 and I am pretty savvy as well. I'm putting off a switch for now until I'm up for the frustrations of learning a whole new system. I myself don't have children, but I can sympathize since all of my friends have kiddos and I am always exhausted when I leave their houses! Here in the US, I have a DVR (through Dish Network satellite cable) that has now advanced to the point where you need some type of community college certificate to realize all of it's potential. I like too many shows to name, but do enjoy regular Pawn Stars, love American Pickers and Storage Wars (original and Texas versions). I'm a Texan (not the stereotypical redneck type - ha), so I have to watch that one.

Wendy Roberts said...

Wendy, 4 boys ... 3 ... is there really much difference lol! Yes, I like Storage Wars too!

Wendy Roberts said...

Dru, for me Windows 8 is like leaving for work & finding not only have all the subway routes changed, but you'll be actually heading north to go south lol! In the photo I posted you can see the tiles. The one with the flower actually will take you to your desktop so you can access the programs you're used to. But there are a lot more tiles than is shown in that picture so it took me half a day just to figure that out!

Wendy Roberts said...

Leslie, I just bought a new TV that sounds like you're DVR. The TV calls itself a "smart TV". Far as I'm concerned just because you have made every option far more confusing doesn't mean you're "smart"! I have many Texan friends and must say I've yet to meet the redneck type accept on TV and briefly at a diner outside of Dallas.

Leslie Jensen said...

We have a Smart TV as well. I haven't even touched that one yet. You are lucky about the Texans. I grew up outside of Houston and now split my time between Dallas and a small town to the South of Dallas (about 2 hours). In the small town, I have found a whole breed of ignorance and redneck-like behavior that rivals what I've seen on reality TV. It has been both eye-opening and disapointing, but in some instances, quite entertaining! By the way, I hope your shoulder is feeling better!

Leslie Jensen said...

Always embarassing to see a typo when commenting on a writer's blog. Forgive my foggy brain and poor spelling today!

Wendy Roberts said...

Leslie, you should blog about the rednecks you meet lol! Oh and misspellings are part of the fun. Often I'm the most guilty!

Wendy Roberts said...

Wendy, you're right. I have to rewind and pause shows all the time. Best feature is fast forwarding through all the commercials!