Monday, March 15, 2010

Computer illiterate

It is with much trepidation that I bring myself back in front of a computer, but I need to jump back on the horse that threw me (stupid expression--I would run away so fast from a horse who threw me). I was typing a report for work (I like to say that because it almost makes me sound important) on our hand me down laptop (oops, lost my importance). I was typing in an email to send myself, because I don't think the computer has a word processing program on it--beggars can't be choosers! Notice I said "I don't think"? I, in no way, want to imply that I really know anything about said computer, and the AV club president here said "Yeah. probably not anything on there, go ahead with the email"...good enough for me. So I was well into my document (another word to make me look terribly busy) when I hit SOMETHING-by accident- and...POOF! I did not randomly click on something. I clumsily hit some random button on the keyboard. There was no "are you sure you want to delete this?" common courtesy inquiry. Just, "oh, heres a new screen you might enjoy, and we've hidden the one you were working on". No amount of help from my in-house staff could bring that baby back.

Note: I was a little offended a couple of weeks ago when I was impatiently trying to navigate around on a different blog service and was told "You'll just click on anything!" OK, so maybe I pressed a ridiculous number of icons in a short time, but it was made to sound like I was out on the street trying whatever drugs were put in front of me! I usually operate under the assumption that if nothing new happens on a computer screen within 3 seconds of my selecting something, I should select something else!

Back to the report (or lack thereof)...I found myself trying to perhaps exaggerate just how much I had done to elicit an amount of sympathy commensurate with how I was feeling, while at the same time keeping it real just incase he was able to retrieve what had disappeared. He did end up having to pull the sheet over the departed, and break the news that it was never to return.

By that time, I was already at the stove. When one thing goes wrong, I sometimes (ok, almost always) have to go accomplish something else...sooooo, I was making something to bring for our lunch meeting at work tomorrow, and some tollhouse bars. Not only do I have something to show for myself, but if I don't feel better, I also have something fresh from Nestle and me, certain to provide comfort (and cushioning). Do I find this whole process sane? Not necessarily, but it's how I currently roll.

With the success of my house smelling like yummy baked goods, I needed to find something to do to keep me from sticking my face in the molten melty goodness............aha, nobody was on the main family computer, so here I am!

Now I noticed yesterday that something was going haywire with the font size on my blog here. I tried to fix the most recent post so that you wouldn't need a magnifying glass to read it, and once I did that all other posts shrunk and the new version of the one I fixed could be read across the room. With each subsequent attempt, something else would get out of whack, so I gave up (blaming it on the same computer that ate my hard work). I estimate that about 10 people currently read this blog, so I didn't have to worry that I was sending huge masses of people away to discuss my lack of computer know-how. Then I saw the comment questioning the font size issue...I could've played it off like I meant to do this, but I decided to come clean...Nope, it is not my intent to have older posts look like they are shrinking away!

It is my intent to do the rough draft of my report with paper and pencil tomorrow--kicking it old-school!


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