PAGE COLLECTIONS -- CHECK THEM OUT!

Friday, February 16, 2018

Of Lent and Computer Crashes

It's been an interesting week. My computer crashed last Saturday while we were vacationing in Florida. One minute it was working fine and the next all I could get after the welcome message was a black screen.

You never realize how dependent you are on technology until it fails you. It seems the poor computer was dying. Fortunately, my techie son-in-law could retrieve the data from the hard drive and I now have an Apple (installed tonight) that I need to learn how to use. Oh goodie! He assures me it is more secure than my old laptop and besides four of my children have switched to Apple and think they're great. Who am I to argue with all my smart, tech-savvy kids?


Whenever I get a new device that I have to learn how to use, I want to bang my head against a tree. You know the old saying, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks?" Well, this old dog proves it wrong. You can teach the old dog (I hesitate to use the appropriate term for a female of the species), but it takes a heck of a long uphill learning curve. Frankly, I'd rather be back in Florida communing with the Great White Egret who came to our campsite every morning for a visit.

Great White Egret was among the
many shore birds we saw on our Florida trip.
But since it's Lent, this is really an appropriate time for practicing patience with the little annoyances of life and this is certainly one of them. So I added it to my Lenten sacrifice. I would happily shut down my blog, stop writing the Les Femmes newsletter, and retire to the beach to collect seashells. But I promised the Blessed Mother as long as she provided the wherewithal to publish, I'd keep it up and so far (for 21 years) she has. Whoddu thunk it?

The blog is an extension of the newsletter ministry of sharing and defending the faith. So I'll learn how to use my apple and the next time Fr. Tom Collins stops by for a visit I'll ask him to bless it. In the meantime I'll pray for the intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Francis de Sales that I use this new computer to do God's work which I lay before my editor, the Blessed Mother.

Oh, and one more thing, Lord. Can you please make this old dog learn quickly? It took me 45 minutes to figure out how to add a photo of the egret to this post and I still can't find how to get to specific photo files. (Sigh.)


7 comments:

  1. Our daughter bought us an Apple computer 8 or 9 years ago. At first, I HATED it and she volunteered to return it for another PC. But, I told her let it be; I'd learn how to use it. We are now on our 2nd Apple, slightly larger and with twice the memory and I would never go back. You can and will learn too.

    Mary Fran

    ReplyDelete
  2. When I bought my Apple laptop computer 4 years ago the salesman asked me if I wanted to sign up for lessons. The lessons were one to one for an hour and for whenever I wanted and by appointment. The price was $99. for one year of lessons. $99. was a lot of money for me. Since I am elderly and not computer savvy I wrote a check for the $99. I took the lessons for 3 years, every year I paid the money. It was the best money I ever spent. The lessons have ended for me and for Apple, they do not offer them anymore. While they still have the lessons they are no longer one to one, but with a group and one teacher.

    ReplyDelete
  3. All I can say is, Egrets or not, we must be birds of a feather!
    My regrets? Considering all computers to be from hell, I never considered having mine blessed! Oy, veh!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Whenever you need to figure out how to perform a specific task on your computer, google it and add the words "on Mac". I, another old dog, have managed to do amazing things on mine because of that tip.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy learning, Mary Ann. We bought a car at the end of January. The owner's manual is frightening. When I drove it the first time, I felt I had really accomplished something by having turned it on and off and unlocked and locked the door!

    It has now been "programmed" to open the garage door and call home.

    A slow process for this "old dog" but each day I tackle one more challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks so much to all you dear ones for your encouragement. I trust I'll love my Mac in a few months even is we do have a "testy" relationship right now.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I’ve been with Apple/Mac for about 30 years. I have had my MacBook Pro 13 inch since 2011 and I love it. In fact, I just upgraded the software to High Sierra last night. You couldn’t pay me to buy a PC (or win one for that matter - I’d give it away).

    Any time I can’t remember how to do something, or need to learn, I google the question, both for my phone and my computer - someone always comes up with the answer.

    Plus, Apple WAY more safe than PCs!

    ReplyDelete