Newfangled Toys And Oldfangled Thinking!

Newfangled Toys and Oldfangled Thinking translated simply means high tech electronics and older minds that are still learning how to operate Smart phones.

Ok, I admit that I am not a teckie even though many think I am because I write a Blog and take photos and post.

No, what you see is someone who by mostly trial and error found a formula that works…..

…..most of the time.

And the other times gives me a few headaches because parts of the formula work one week and not the next.

Which leads me to my newest “headache”.

But let’s start at the beginning.

Like when my computer did a crash and burn because of overload.

Yes, I have had overload before and I just added more storage,

Only, this time, my laptop not only did a crash and burn, …

…but it gasped a few last breaths, coughed and sputtered a few times more,

 ….much like Lucy Riccardo when she was doing an overly dramatic death scene on a grand staircase on a movie soundstage in Hollywood.

Remember the episode I am talking about?

One heard a gunshot in the background and Lucy clutched her side where the supposed bullet hit and proceeded to descend the staircase, gasping as she moved from one side of the staircase to the other until she finally reached the bottom of the stairs where she collapsed, ….gasped a few more times, slithered to the floor where she rolled over and died!

 Yep! That is pretty much what happened to my laptop!

As I sat there stunned that I had just lost not only a complete post and all the co-ordinating photos, but a lot of other “stuff” too.

I sighed.

Deeply!

As I was lamenting my predicament to the Captain…he became my knight in shining armor once more.

“You have been needing a new laptop for some time now…” he assured me. “I am going to buy you an Apple like mine!”

“You are not teasing me, are you?” I smiled sheepishly.  “We are talking about a real computer and not a red apple piece of fruit?”

He laughed with that twinkle in his eye, but I knew he meant a real Apple computer.

I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive.

 

I have many friends who have Apple laptops and just as many of them have had a love/hate relationship with these very expensive devices…many Apples cost as much as a month long family cruise! Even the “mouse” that I needed cost $85.00 because I am just not crazy about using a touchpad with only my fingers. (fingers are for eating finger food, not for swirling and clicking on a touch pad, just sayin’) 🙂

Many have no problem with the learning curve of an Apple, while others tell of the many trips back to the Apple Store for one-on-one help with the silly, highly technical things.

I used to listen with a bit of abstract concern because I have always had Dell Computers…

…..and even though I would have a “crisis” now and then…it didn’t usually require a team of high tech people to explain away the issue in terminology of a rocket scientist.

Still….I was anxious to have ANY laptop at this point so when the Captain brought home the stainless steel looking laptop with the shiny silver apple on the lid, I was a very happy camper to say the least.

I brushed away any thoughts of issues because I knew the Captain had lots of experience with his Apple(s) and would always be my standby, in-house tech!

I love how lightweight this laptop is, and I love the ease of using the keys with just a slight touch of my finger….although it did take a bit of getting used to.

I also loved the programs that either came with or were added by the Captain.

And then it happened. I found myself in a predicament of…”now, what do I do?” …and the Captain was nowhere in sight.

I tried this.

I tried that.

And then I tried this again.

I struggled, I used every resource available to me including a You Tube video of some teenage whipper-snapper who knew so much technical stuff that he left me in the dust with his quick tutorial.

Yep, it was one step forward and three back. Just when I thought I had everything under control, a widget or plugin would drive me in the other direction.

I was slowly becoming a bit frustrated when… 

Suddenly, I heard a small voice in my head and I realized it was my Mother.

Now my Mom has been gone for over 16 years, but she was always my champion no matter what I endeavored to do.

She knew NOTHING about anything high tech.  She never owned a cell phone or IPad or even a food processor as far as that goes.

But as I stood there on the corner of “What was I thinking?” and “I can’t do this!”, I could hear my Mom’s familiar words of support that she always had for me.

I was lucky in that my Mom was always there for me. Through all my growing up years. Yes, all the times of thinking only I knew what was best for me, my deep sighs, the rolling of my eyes and missing curfews and the time I told her that I wanted to work at the soda fountain of the Bennington drugstore for the rest of my life.

Every step of the way

Every high every low

Every time I achieved, she celebrated.  Every time I stumbled, which was often… she was there to pick me up.  

Unless, you have lost your Mother….I am not sure you will be able to relate, but if you have, you know what encouragement it is to have your parent in your corner, no matter what.

Yep, “you can do this,” she would often say.

And she was right….I could do this and I did.

That is not to say this techie laptop won’t give me fits again.  I am sure it will.

But we all have it in us to learn something new with a Newfangled Toy even if we have an “Oldfangled Mind”!

Have a great and Blessed Day my dear readers.

And so ends my first post with my new toy.

Stay tuned…more to come! 🙂