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Question for the week
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The Wildest Thing Posted: 05/12/12 I just learned that Maurice Sendak died this past week. He who created Where the Wild Things Are and other children’s stories was a staple at bedtime when my children were growing up. The story of Max, who was sent to bed without supper and embarks on an amazing journey but still returns in time for a still-warm meal his mother brings to his bedroom door, abides in my memory. Even if my children have forgotten, I still have copies of this Sendak classic in both English and French on my bookcase. It doesn’t matter that the French retitled it Max and the Maxi-Monsters. Some said Sendak’s monsters were too awful, ugly, repugnant. But I don’t know a child who didn’t love them. And what did it matter, when Max turns out to be the biggest monster of all? Wouldn’t any child like that role over imaginary demons or haughty parents? Sendak wrote other children’s stories, but Max was his most beloved character. I choose to believe that the author was writing something autobiographical. So I salute Max and Maurice Sendak and plan to re-read Where the Wild Things Are regularly. Please join me, and we’ll revel in the wild rumpus that is the heart of the story. What better way to remember the author.
Afterthought Posted: 05/10/12 I’ve been thinking that my tech woes might not be behind me. Sure, I’ve purchased a new computer and have managed to retrieve all my files. Sure, my website has returned and I’m receiving emails regularly. But what about my wireless router, which – if I understand things correctly – is my connection to the company that provides my Internet access? What if it goes down? Or becomes obsolete, as a router in my distant past actually did. I suspect that, once again, I will feel stranded and will have to call Comcast, which provides my Internet access through this little router box. Knowing Comcast, I will be assigned a date on which a technician will appear. But it won’t be tomorrow or at any other time that is convenient to me. Maybe I’m becoming a pessimist with all these computer concerns. But then maybe I’m becoming wiser and planning for the future. In either case, I’m certainly more aware of how connected we have become on a virtual level. We used to just pick up the telephone and talk to the person on the other end. We shared jokes, we solved problems, we made dates. Now we have email trails. Back then we put our appointments in a calendar and simply showed up at the appointed time. Now we dicker back and forth, changing times and locations on a whim. We even have reminders on our computerized calendars that tell us what to do fifteen minutes from now. Back then, that would have required too much erasing. I know we’ll never return to the “Time before Internet,” but I wish we could at least recapture some of its simplicity.
Back Online Posted: 05/09/12 After three weeks, I’m finally back up and running. Or back up and online. Running has nothing to do with it. And the operative phrase is “back up.” As in, returned to a previous live status. My old computer bit the dust and took nine days to be replaced by a new computer that was obviously smarter than I. I hired a tech guy to get my old files off the dead machine and then struggled to find them. I was about to turn the corner when my website went down. The problem with this is that I receive email via my own website instead of Yahoo or Gmail or some other public site. So even though I had an up-to-date computer, nothing was getting through to it because my website went AWOL. When you live on the Internet, being offline is very frustrating. I fretted and fumed, called my tech people and whined, waited for responses. In the end, my website returned and my emails came through. Now I’m finally back to square one. Except . . . how can I prevent a nine day hiatus from happening again? Granted a new computer should offset some of this concern, but it seems I’m still at the mercy of other tech people who manage my website. It makes me think snail mail wasn’t so bad after all.
Disconnected Posted: 04/20/12 On April 19, 2012 at approximately 5 PM in the afternoon my computer crashed. It reminded me of the final moments of the Titanic. The lights on my screen flickered, attempted to regain equilibrium, and then plunged into darkness. I felt adrift. If I had been on the actual Titanic, I probably would have occupied a steerage berth and gone to a steerage passenger’s grave. But with my computer, it’s fair to say I was in first class. With that in mind, and also the fact that this is a land operation, I called a local computer repair store with which I’ve had previous experience. For a premium fee, I could be seen immediately. Since I use my computer in business, this was a premium fee situation. I took my computer to the company’s offices, regaled the receptionist with my story, and headed home. I’ve been disconnected ever since. It seems strange. I can’t answer emails as they come over the email transom. I can’t initiate any on my own. And I can’t send files anywhere. Even though my husband is most generous with allowing me to use his computer, none of my files resides there. I’ll learn tomorrow if my computer is salvageable; and, frankly, I don’t care either way. If it’s still in working condition, I’ll be skeptical that this crash won’t happen again. If it’s not in working condition, then the search begins for a replacement. Wish me luck!
Previous entries Due to the volume of entries, Anne's Ten Minutes A Day are now categorized by date and by topics. Some essays are found under more than one topic. Otherwise, select from the categories below.
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