Technology Hates Me

We all know I'm technologically challenged. Some days that is just more evident than others.

Before the holiday, I was having trouble with my work computer. Actually, it started a few weeks before that, but it came to a head just before the holiday. I think I got some kind of ick and the guys had worked on my computer trying to get rid of the ick.

Tuesday when I booted up, I made it about 1/2 hour before the whole thing thumbed its nose and me and just locked up. Mike and his partner came over, looked at it, then took the computer behind the building and shot it to put it out of its misery.

Ok, a little poetic license here. They didn't actually shoot it! But they might as well have.

The good news/bad news is that Mike headed right to Sam's Club and bought me a brand spanking new computer!

Yeah. New.

Have you ever had to switch over to a new computer? It SUCKS! I am not much for bells and whistles! I like my old bells and whistles! I knew my old bells and whistles! Holy crap, Windows 7 is not a cake walk.

Ok, maybe Windows 7 can be a cake walk, but Office 10 SUCKS! O M G. I was working in Excel today and I was trying to recreate a spreadsheet. It's a spreadsheet with many lines, so I like to freeze the panes above to keep my column headers showing. Simple click of the mouse. Ok, two clicks actually. It took me ten minutes today to figure out how to freeze the dang panes! C'mon now, this is basic crap! Wait until I get to the hard stuff!!

Another thing about upgrading is that nothing seems to be compatible with what I had. I had a nice little printer right on my desk that I did 99% of my printing on. This old little printer had a parallel port (like I know what that means! Buzz words courtesy of Ron!!) and the computer only has USB ports. The powers that be at work feel that even if they got a connector that changes the parallel to a USB, the drivers will be so old that Windows 7 will not run the printer.

That's exactly what happened with the big printer in Mike's office. While I don't print much on that printer, what I do print over there is probably more important than what I print on my printer. Nothing would make that printer connect to my computer. There were no drivers available on line and the disc WITH the drivers wouldn't load onto the computer. So, I could SEE the printer (when Mike wheeled it into my office and plugged it directly in) but I still can't use it.

So, I am absolutely printer-less. I had no idea how many times a day I print until I don't have a printer!

I did come to a part of my day where I had to get stuff printed out. Mike switched desks with me so that I could work off of his computer which is connected to a printer and he would work off of my computer. Easy, right. If you've ever seen Mike's office, you'd have an idea of how little space I had to work with! (I love you, brother!) But, I muddled through. I was worried though when I heard Mike say something about not remembering the last time he had that much desk space to work on! I told him not to get used to it!

Eventually, we switched back to our normal desks and all is well with my world. Or at least with my desk. I have no printer and they can't get my work email to log me on! C'mon now people! What more can go wrong?

HA! Never ask that question, because something else will go wrong! Case in point, my damn cell phone!

On my way to work this morning, my friend Robert from Houston called me. I didn't have my Garmin on for the blue tooth but I did just get a new blue tooth ear thingie recently. It's not like I know how to work it, but I have it!

I asked Robert to hold on while I got my blue tooth turned on. While driving, that task was just too difficult and I couldn't figure it out. I threw the blue tooth back in my purse and I just put my phone on speaker phone to finish my call. Then the problems started.

I got a call later in the afternoon and I answered it to hear nothing. Come to find out, the person on the phone could hear me, I just couldn't hear them. I did what I always do when technology confuses me. I got ahold of Ron on speaker phone, the only way my phone seemed to work.

I told Ron about the blue tooth and then it hit me! I DID turn the blue tooth on so when my phone connected, it was running through the damn blue tooth that was in my purse! I'm telling you, it was NOT my day with technology!

So there you go. Overwhelmed again. Here's hoping that tomorrow brings solutions to my problems at work. I think my cell phone is ok for the moment! But just in case, if you need me, try sending smoke signals. I really need to give up on technology for awhile.