Meltdown

Okay, so this is not the post I intended to write today. I am already two or three themes behind in my mind. Plus the fact, that after a speaking engagement Sunday evening, a dear friend exhorted me to "practice what I preached" and to say "yes" to my own desire to write. She encouraged me to post the contents of the musings I shared with the ladies gathered at a girl-friend evening. That will have to wait for another day.

Today, I am tangled in the mesh of the internet. (They don't use terms like web and net for no reason.) In order to act as discussion leader for a Saturday group coming up, I need to have listened to some online audios. Easy enough? One would think so. It seems my ipad does not support the  (blah, blah, blah) whatever it is, so the material had to go to Dropbox where I could access it on the desk-top (cozy & cute, not!) and listen directly from there. More steps, more ID's and PW's and a more-than-patient friend who made that happen from across town. Now then, I end up with six or seven emails from Google Chrome after resetting security codes, etc because I had not used that particular device in a long time. All set to listen and the audios (hurrah!) are actually loaded on Dropbox. I click the little arrow and see the seconds ticking away. No sound. The speakers are on. I crawl into the scary place under the desk and check the wad of cords through spider remains (more of those webs) and dust bunnies to be sure all are connected to the PC, electricity and one another. Alas, no sound. The little volume icon on the screen indicates sound is at full tilt. Not so.  Groan. 

Okay, after several hours (truly) I give up.

Moving right along to the next project for the day, I decide to attempt to send photos to Walmart to have copies made. This feat I accomplished last week (all by myself) and it worked. For some reason, strange things are popping up on the screen today and I cannot get beyond "upload photos". They are all just sitting there staring at me, with no icon in sight that would help me move any closer to the pick-up counter at Walmart. Sigh.

More hours gone.

I quit. I am running away to Key West. Alexander (who had the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day) announced to all that he was headed to Australia. Not going there. That would take a plane ticket, more frustration with the internet, and result in eyes more red and swollen than those I wear at the moment. I have labored over the wonderful, modern technology for ions of time this morning with no results. Prayed, tried hard, (my kids often think I am feigning ignorance), researched and cried. I cannot do this. I am going to thank God for the way He has made me and be open to learning new tricks, if He  has that in the plan for this "old dog". Meanwhile, I am going to leave the enigma of the web behind and do what I know how to do today.  I will craft a note of encouragement and blessing to several young people in my life who are about to graduate....another to my friend whose son is marrying in two weeks as she moves her mother into hospice. I will clean up the yard sale remains, bake for tomorrow's church supper, fold laundry and dwell in my own domain. 

PS And why, you may ask, is she not using this time to dig deeper into the annals of computer science. I have sniffled enough for one day. Sometimes, we just need to see an immediate result. My daddy used to say, "An honest confession is good for the soul" (or is that scripture? Sometimes, I mix the two.) I confess that I cannot, at this point, embrace the plethora of creative & educational options for this generation out there on the net. Give me my pen & paper, scissors & hard copies, spatula & rolling pen.