Challenged...

Technology is not my best friend. Anytime there is something new out there Brent has to drag me practically kicking and screaming to using it. I can tell you that part of it is the way my brain is wired, I like routines, I like the comfort of the same, I am never going to be described as spontaneous. So new tech is always a nope for me. Until Brent sort of gently pushes me into it, while I dig my heels in and try to fight progress.

But the other reason is that it often does not work for me the way it works for everyone else. I used to get super frustrated by it. And, honestly, at times I still do. There is nothing more crazy making than having someone tell you that something should work if you just do the thing you've been doing over and over again and it DOES NOT WORK.

I'm not quite Harry Dresden levels of tech issues, but sometimes it's close. Last week Brent was trying to get my computer updated on some programs. After the third thing he told me to change I told him that he could just do it because it was getting beyond my comfort level. So he sat down to do something that should take just a few minutes...

After the third or fourth time he said, "It shouldn't be doing this" I just had to give him the "I know but what are you going to do?" smile. Because that's always the way. My computer does what it wants to do and how dare you insist it not? He did eventually get it all working the way it should but I would have given up hours before he did and just called it good enough.

Back when I was SuperMom to a legion of people across the globe they would send me detailed instructions, often including screenshots, on ways to improve my computer, or use programs, or turn off or on features. I would send them back screenshots showing that my computer did not have the prompts theirs did. Even though as Vignesh once said, "your computer cannot be running without that program." Well, Viggie, apparently it can.

Do you remember when the facetune programs first came out, before they all switched to scammers trying to steal your data? When everyone was doing the funny filters and aging and gender swaps and all of that? I posted a screenshot of the program running on my phone, a clear picture of my face, and the error message on the bottom of the screen for why it wouldn't work. No face detected.

I've had to have strangers turn on the water or the hand dryers in public restrooms. Any sort of touch screen always is greeted with me wondering if it is actually going to record my touch or not. My phone does so about 75% of the time, but there are times where it just doesn't acknowledged that I'm touching it at all.

I guess I don't always give off a human vibe.

Which, fair enough.

I've been using computers for decades. I wouldn't say I'm technologically ignorant. I'm not the old lady who needs her VCR clock programmed for her (I'm not sure what the 2026 equivalent of that is). But I do know that whatever cool thing you think my computer can do, it probably won't. I do know that if I have to have tech working to get something done I need to budget in a lot of extra time. And I better hope someone else can turn on the sink for me so I can wash my hands.

I also do a lot of work arounds and odd things that Brent has had to get used to. Like using his accounts instead of trying to set up my own on our household things. Trust me, it's just easier to log on as him so things actually work.

This blog inspired by just giving up and listening to Tidal through my earbuds because I cannot make it play through the small speaker and the large speaker is too much for first thing in the morning....