Technology

I would like to dedicate this blog to those individuals who are currently 40ish and above living in this country with all the new technology they do not know how to work. Yes I am talking about you mom and dad, who have 12 televisions and do not know how to work any of them. There is nothing more painful than being in the generation that grew up with computers watching someone who is your superior, and it is not appropriate to correct them, type like a chicken on the computer one key at a time.

This blog came about this morning when my mother in law called me to tell me that she is starting a blog with her friend Tracy. They have always wanted to write a book about the hilarious happenings they have endured but it hasn't happened and they figured a blog would be the perfect way to tell their hilarious tales. I agree and I think my mother in law is hilarious so I am really excited about this blog and will definitely be posting it on here when they have it going.

So my mother in law calls me when Brooks has just gone down for a nap, and I am laying in bed staring at the ceiling, as I always do for the first 20 minutes I get to myself when he goes down. I call her back and she tells me about their idea to do the blog, and asks if I'll read their first entry and give her brutal honestly. I of course say yes I'd love to read the blog and she puts me on speakerphone so she and her friend can both hear my criticism. The hilarity ensues immediately as neither Julie or her friend can figure out how to email their first entry to me. I assume they have typed it out on word, and they are laughing about whether they should copy and paste it (as Julie says, make it all blue and then paste it) or send it as an attachment.

I head to my computer in the study of the house to read the blog and Julie and I both think we have hung up and I'll call her in a few minutes when I'm done reading the blog. Hilariously, I realize a couple minutes later that neither of us hung up and she is laughing on the phone still, and when I say Julie, she starts dying laughing realizing that she didn't hang up.

I admit I am really not the best with technology myself but I have learned enough to survive. But for the generation that is currently 12-30ish, are you as impatient with me waiting for the older generation to learn? I feel a little bit guilty as I type this because I know for example my dad would love to be able to just type like a 25 year old. However at this point, there is no reason for him to learn as he has people at work who can help him. On the few occasions I have helped him type stuff he sits and stares in amazement, asking me how I go so fast. Little shortcuts just blow his mind.

I have many stories about technology mishaps. About 8 years ago when we were leaving the Green Bay Packers box after a game, my grandmother Claire shouts for everyone to stop and come back, because someone has left their cell phone. We all head back in to the box and realize she is talking about the TV remote.

Perhaps some of the best techno mishaps happen when we travel. We are so used to fully charged phones, navigation systems, talking microwaves (sorry, I'm really rich), that we take for granted that our phones could go dead or, heaven forbid, the airlines could have problems. Oh it's too foggy to fly? Well I've got a college reunion to get to and I'm willing to risk my life to get to Milwaukee for $1 beers. Are we all in on this together fellow passengers? Show me the waiver, I'll sign, mama needs to re-live her 18-22 years. Tomorrow I'm going to blog specifically about traveling. So. Many. Stories.

The other day in HEB the woman ringing me up was not only older but was also new on the job. I try to be really patient in these situations but it's like watching paint dry watching someone struggle sometimes! But the poor gal just couldn't read the number on the apples to type in, couldn't read the coupon codes, etc. It was all I could do not to hop over the shelf and just check myself out.

Despite what we all go through with attempting to keep up with the world the 2000s, I think we can all agree on the best invention ever ever ever, and that is DVR, and double stuff oreos.