Over the last 24 hours, I've had a few technology slaps that I hadn't expected. Friday morning, the Beast asked to check her email, etc once she finished her online Spanish lesson. Within minutes, she said the computer wasn't working correctly. I suggested she shut it down and wait til Frankenbutt gets home from work; he is the IT guy in this family. I didn't really worry about it since Frankenbutt does all kinds of repairs to the computer, cars, house, even our hair when we have a salon screw up.
After dinner, I casually mentioned that the laptop was acting up and Frankenbutt took a look at it. There were several questions about what we were doing on the computer earlier today, how was it responding, etc. After an hour of worried expressions and exasperated breaths, I figured I better consider a different way to post my Friday night blog. I made a plan: I'll type my blog into an email to the Editor (the kid in Hawaii) and then talk her through publishing it online. It was surprisingly easy, with only one small glitch which she resolved on her end.
After dinner, I casually mentioned that the laptop was acting up and Frankenbutt took a look at it. There were several questions about what we were doing on the computer earlier today, how was it responding, etc. After an hour of worried expressions and exasperated breaths, I figured I better consider a different way to post my Friday night blog. I made a plan: I'll type my blog into an email to the Editor (the kid in Hawaii) and then talk her through publishing it online. It was surprisingly easy, with only one small glitch which she resolved on her end.
I went to sleep, figuring I'd wake to find that Frankenbutt had resolved the PC issues and it was restored to it's regular pain in the butt self. Twas not to be. Evidently, it's a serious problem involving a virus that was able to shut down our firewalls and antivirus protection. UGH!
With the bike trip less than 2 months away, we weighed whether we should dump money into repairing our old heavy laptop or put that money towards a new lightweight "mini" laptop. At $259 for a new "mini", and $89 just to "look at" our old 'puter, it seemed a no brainer. The new 10.1" Asus "EeePC" weighs only 5 lbs and is about 10x7" in size and only about an inch thick when closed. WOW! And I was impressed with my Blackberry before I saw this.
Frankenbutt suggested that we stop at the local Denny's and use their free Wifi in order to set up the free internet connection we use through "Tetherbridge", which basically utilizes my Blackberry phone's data plan to gain internet access at no additional charge (no monthly subscription). Although I prefer local diners over Denny's, I ordered a salad with chicken, cranberries, apples and pecans topped with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and it was quite yummy. Frankenbutt and the Beast enjoyed burgers while he worked on downloads and she read a book by her favorite author, Eoin Coifer.
With both of them engrossed in their activities, I finished my salad and stepped outside to return my Grandmom M's (I call her Gmom) phone call. I told her that today I am officially without a teenager for the first time in years. The Editor turned 20 today and the Beast is still 12 for a few more months. She remembered how she had kids enrolled in school for 30 years, whether it was elementary, high school or college. I asked her how old she was when she was surprised to find herself pregnant with her 4th child, at the same time that her own child had her first infant. She said she was 42 and that it happenned to be at the same time that Roe v. Wade was in the courts and the news headlines. She said that pregnancy was different because she had a decision to make that wasn't even in her conciousness with her 3 prior pregnancies. She chose to have her daughter, Janice, who is my husband's aunt and is 2 years younger than he.
I felt closer to her, knowing that we had shared similar experiences. I had grown up in an age of choice and I believe we should all have the right to make decisions for ourselves. In fact, as an independent woman I had pre-decided that if I ever I got pregnant before I was married, I'd known what I'd choose. At 23, I found myself in just that situation and realized it wasn't something I could ever have pre-decided. None of my religious upbringing or the women's movement could have prepared me for the overwhelming feelings that accompanied this unplanned pregnancy. I found myself clearly wanting to have that baby, although his father was a man whom I had a rocky relationship with, at best.
My son is 22 years old now and I made it through some rough years while he was young as I'm sure Gmom did when her daughter was young. As women, we face a lot of surprises and tough decisions and somehow we manage to make it work, often by relying on one another. I'm looking forward to overcoming the challenges of the bike ride ahead with my daughter at my side. I hope she finds strength in it and it gives her a foundation for tackling life's tough decisions ahead.
It's late and time to rest for tomorrow's bike ride. More later ... Until then, feel free to comment, email or tweet your thoughts. Miles ridden so far: 0 (training miles don't count)
With the bike trip less than 2 months away, we weighed whether we should dump money into repairing our old heavy laptop or put that money towards a new lightweight "mini" laptop. At $259 for a new "mini", and $89 just to "look at" our old 'puter, it seemed a no brainer. The new 10.1" Asus "EeePC" weighs only 5 lbs and is about 10x7" in size and only about an inch thick when closed. WOW! And I was impressed with my Blackberry before I saw this.
Frankenbutt suggested that we stop at the local Denny's and use their free Wifi in order to set up the free internet connection we use through "Tetherbridge", which basically utilizes my Blackberry phone's data plan to gain internet access at no additional charge (no monthly subscription). Although I prefer local diners over Denny's, I ordered a salad with chicken, cranberries, apples and pecans topped with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and it was quite yummy. Frankenbutt and the Beast enjoyed burgers while he worked on downloads and she read a book by her favorite author, Eoin Coifer.
With both of them engrossed in their activities, I finished my salad and stepped outside to return my Grandmom M's (I call her Gmom) phone call. I told her that today I am officially without a teenager for the first time in years. The Editor turned 20 today and the Beast is still 12 for a few more months. She remembered how she had kids enrolled in school for 30 years, whether it was elementary, high school or college. I asked her how old she was when she was surprised to find herself pregnant with her 4th child, at the same time that her own child had her first infant. She said she was 42 and that it happenned to be at the same time that Roe v. Wade was in the courts and the news headlines. She said that pregnancy was different because she had a decision to make that wasn't even in her conciousness with her 3 prior pregnancies. She chose to have her daughter, Janice, who is my husband's aunt and is 2 years younger than he.
I felt closer to her, knowing that we had shared similar experiences. I had grown up in an age of choice and I believe we should all have the right to make decisions for ourselves. In fact, as an independent woman I had pre-decided that if I ever I got pregnant before I was married, I'd known what I'd choose. At 23, I found myself in just that situation and realized it wasn't something I could ever have pre-decided. None of my religious upbringing or the women's movement could have prepared me for the overwhelming feelings that accompanied this unplanned pregnancy. I found myself clearly wanting to have that baby, although his father was a man whom I had a rocky relationship with, at best.
My son is 22 years old now and I made it through some rough years while he was young as I'm sure Gmom did when her daughter was young. As women, we face a lot of surprises and tough decisions and somehow we manage to make it work, often by relying on one another. I'm looking forward to overcoming the challenges of the bike ride ahead with my daughter at my side. I hope she finds strength in it and it gives her a foundation for tackling life's tough decisions ahead.
It's late and time to rest for tomorrow's bike ride. More later ... Until then, feel free to comment, email or tweet your thoughts. Miles ridden so far: 0 (training miles don't count)
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