Grouchy People

I find myself writing a political rant, or rant of any kind and ask myself why? Usually it is because my sense of injustice has been awakened and I am feeling helpless and frustrated.

Sometimes, though, it is just because I am not feeling well and don’t realize it. If you happen to telephone during one of these times I am not always as patient as I should be. What would be amusing some other time, feels annoying.

A typical scenario might go something like this. I lie down for just a few minutes and end up falling asleep. The phone rings and you are excited. You just bought a new computer and want to tell me all about it. I told you to call and I said I would help you set it up, but right now I’m only feeling exhausted. Instead of simply telling you this, I trudge on.

You just bought your first flash drive, at my insistence. I tell you to put it in the computer, but you can’t open the package! That is actually pretty funny -- usually, but tonight I hear the edge in my voice as you wage war with the packaging industry, even shedding blood before you finally win.

I tell you to put it in your USB port and you say it doesn’t fit! I try to explain what a USB port is and tell you to look at the place where you plug in your mouse. I can’t see what is going on, but in the process of trying to do this, you knock your keyboard off the desk. Twice! I finally realize that I could have said it is the same place you plug in your digital camera and we are on our way!

I ask what you see on your screen and finally realize you must have inadvertently opened something else, because it makes no sense at all. I used to think your computer must be very unique. Now I know that it is only you that are unique.

I tell you to click on Start and you do. I say look for My Computer and you shriek, “There is a long list of stuff that just popped up and I can’t see anything else.” After a while I realize you opened the program list. We finally get to My Computer and I ask if you see anything like Devices With Removable Storage, or Drive F, or anything similar?

You don’t. I don’t understand, so I decide that maybe we need to take out the flash drive and start over. I try to explain where the icon is for removing it safely and after many attempts finally ask if you can see the clock on your computer’s lower right side. “No.” You say. “It is on the upper right side!” Aha! Go there I tell you and find a little computer looking thing with a green light over it. Even after you find it, we need another few minutes for you to be able to click on it properly and remove your flash drive.

Forty minutes into this phone call we finally try to move your pictures onto the flash drive and even that requires many explanations, and tries at getting both your pictures (once you find them,) and the flash drive screen both in front of you.

Then someone comes to your door and you need to go!

I finally realize that I am in no condition to be doing this and tell you not to call back tonight. Call tomorrow, because otherwise I am going to terminate a relationship that has existed since you and I were born!