Computers for dummies? Best make it mind games for morons. Yes indeed people, Nessie is becoming increasingly disillusioned with a great many things… Not least of all her complete incompetence to be technical in any way!
“Mum, the computer is making a funny noise and telling me it has a problem” Came the shout from Wee Ness the other day.
“Okay, I’ll fix it in a minute” Was my overly confident reply
“Err, no… Why don’t we quit while we’re ahead and just call granny to fix it?”
“Wee Ness, I’m more than confident that I’m able to fix a simple computer error”
“I’m sure you are… But whether you actually can or not remains to be seen. Let’s play it safe, not blow up the computer and call granny”
“I’M going to fix it”
“Bye, bye computer” She sighed
“Wee Ness, go to your room”
It’s not that Wee Ness was being rude, well, she was but she had good reason and for that fact I can forgive her. I am known throughout my family and friends as being so monumentally inept at anything with an electrical feed that the usual ‘I’m going to spend some time on the computer/television/vibrating bed’ is usually met with looks of concern and or sniggering.
Nessie’s a book lassie you see. I love the look, smell and texture of them. Computers don’t smell of anything… unless it’s overheating, in which case they smell of burning and that, I’m told, is bad.
You won’t loose 10 pages of your essay/novel/last Will and Testament if you’ve written it in a book (excluding acts of unintentional vandalism perpetrated by your nearest and dearest… spilt coffee, food smears, felt tip drawings etc). You will loose it all if your computer takes exception to you and decides to give you the middle finger by scrapping the whole lot and apologizing by giving you the message
‘Oops, you made an error. You’re work has been lost. Contact your internet provider and have a nice day… dumbass!’
I think books are quite personal and sentimental. Computers always strike me (metaphorically of course) as quite sterile. When I open a book I’m always reminded of the person who bought it for me or who suggested it. I’ve never looked at a computer and thought of anyone other than the wee man in the local repair shop who finds me and my retardation so funny that he actually weeps throughout my constant conversations with him about my ineptitude.
My mother (the afore mentioned Granny), is a complete computer wiz and takes great delight in spending hours elbow deep in spare computer parts. She has torn apart 6 of my home computers now and built me 4 out of the remains. She has added umpteen hard dives to the motherboard (none of which I’ve actually figured out how to access), she made sure we have an ‘uber’ fan attached to the modem so that nothing begins to melt as a result of overuse (again) and she’s added more spy wear technology than is necessary for access to NASA.
She’s ‘pimped’ my drive… As it were, and man, I wish she’d stop. Not least of all because I feel her time would be better spent teaching me how to switch my monitor on and of without using a remote control released in the 1960’s, or perhaps how to delete my cookies (hmmm, cookies!). For a while I was able to comfort myself and my daughter with the immortal line
“Computers are a young person’s game. In my day we had to look everything up in books”
Not only does this line not hold due to the startling fact I’m only 31 but now, here comes Granny; mid fifties, dyslexic and has the ability to fix absolutely anything with a piece of string, a rubber band and the belief that one day her daughter WILL learn… Well, I never said she was smart!
We call mum/ granny Macguiver. She has fixed absolutely every electrical implement in this house at least eight times. In fact it’s getting to the point that our microwave now looks like it was made on Blue Peter… But it works and that, in my jealous narrow resenting little mind… Makes me look like the adopted Butt monkey my brother always claimed I was.
Has this knowledge inspired me to find a way to fix my fear for all things technological? No, no it has not. While I’d love to come across as the superwoman my mother does, I’m more than happy to sit back and be me. I get all the work done for me, no one expects anything… And I’m able to send my smart arse daughter to her room every time she voices the truth.
Hey, I’m not saying its right, but man it’s good to be a ‘pooter tard’!
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i thoroughly enjoy all your rants :]
ReplyDeleteAnd yet you have a blog, which I'm told (by that little box at the upper right part of the screen) has a twitter feed...
ReplyDeleteYou and your mom are just wired differently (for lack of a better phrase). I love surfing the net and checking my email, but have no interest in being able to build (or reprogram) the machine that makes it happen. Though it might be good to learn some basics. Like, oh, I don't know, turning it on, opening a web browser and - hey, wait a minute!
Besides, my guess is that you're not a complete "'pooter tard" (I do, after all, only know you online), but that you are just not technically inclined. You'd rather play with words than wires, and why not? Not everyone needs to be a hardcore computer geek. Some people need to be book geeks. Of course, I might be biased on this one :)
And, I think you should buy Wee Ness an ice cream or something, and reward her for speaking the truth and looking out for the wellbeing of your electronics. Someone has to! ;)
I love driving a well built car, but couldn't fix one if I had to. Kitchen appliances, indoor toilets, television, hair dryers and cell phones all join cars and computers as things that I rely on but have to rely on others to fix....and quickly.... when broken. Most are too expensive to just ditch and buy new although that is always tempting the 2nd, 5th, or 10th time they start smoking, spring a strange leak, or make noises as yet unheard by a human ear. (come to think of it, this sounds like many "malfunctioning" men I know..... :)
ReplyDeleteDoes it make me inept that I am not as good with pipes, connectors, or circuts as the next gal? Of course not! I am just selectively gifted as we all are - including you, Ness. The trick is knowing who to call and when to call them. It also helps to know how to get the best price, exchange the right favor, or wear the right blouse to get whatever you need fixed....the cheapest and quickest way possible but that is a topic for another time : )
Along with the ice cream mentioned above, I would share a conversation with Wee Ness about how you don't have to be good at everything - just very good at something. Too many women sacrifice the confidence of the latter for the guilt of failing to acheive the former.
Sounds like it's time for Granny to train Wee Ness on all things MacGyver. That could come in handy one day...
ReplyDeletesorry ness thought i left a comment earlier, when l get to workin on most enything,much less the computer, not only do i lose the parts, i lose the tools i was using to fix with. good job
ReplyDeleteYou are hilarious!! I love reading your posts!!
ReplyDeletelmao! Pretty funny stuff, Ness. http://saraseigfriedphotos.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteNess, You're not going off the deep end. Are you?
ReplyDeleteness, are you ok?
ReplyDeletemissing ness
Where are you?
ReplyDeletecome back- comeback- come back
ReplyDeleteenuff already we miss you
Got Jesus, sista?
ReplyDeleteGit Him.
You'll die without Him.
God bless you
Got Jesus, sista?
ReplyDeleteGit Him.
You'll die without Him.
God bless you