Procrastinator's Countdown to Christmas

I know I've mentioned this previously, I'm a less than enthusiastic technology user.  I've recently learned how to access my e-mail on my smart phone...which is apparently much smarter than I am since I've had the phone for a couple of years.

In fact, I'm eligible for a new phone but as I told my son the other day, I've only just gotten familiar with this one, why would I want something new?

Is it only me, or is this world getting more complicated?

This post wasn't supposed to be about my limited tech knowledge.  Oops, I guess I got sidetracked.
Anyway, after all the bragging I did about being ready for Christmas a couple of posts ago....it seems I'm not nearly as ready as I thought.

I should be finishing up the snowflakes I made for my staff.  Instead I'm writing this post.  It won't take much time but I've been putting it off all weekend.

I did get a little Christmas baking done (and I mean just a little) last evening.  I made a small batch of shortbread cookies which I expect will be all gone in the next of couple of days. The butter is softening on the counter as I write, but I haven't decided what else I'll bake.  Time to dig out the cookbooks.

On the other hand all of the gifts are wrapped and under the tree....with the exception of the Santa gifts.  It has been a tradition for many years that Santa brings socks.  I picked them up while shopping on Friday so all it will take is a little wrapping paper.

The turkey is out in the sun room resting in the recliner.  This might seem like an ought place for it to hang out, but we've had frigid weather here for what seems like forever but was likely 7-10 days.  This morning the temp was a balmy -29C (-20F) not counting in the windchill.  It must be warming up slightly though as we're starting to get a few flakes of snow.  By Thursday we're forecast to have temperatures closer to freezing.  I guess I'll have to find room in the freezer soon for the bird.

At this point, I'm not sure who will be here for Christmas dinner.  I informed my daughter, that while her on-again, off-again boyfriend is welcome, his roommates are not.  As a result there is some potential neither of them will be here.  I did invite a long time friend C to join us.  She currently does not have custody of her youngest child, will spend the morning with him and his dad, and then join us in the afternoon.  She's been part of our lives since my son was just a baby and while we don't see each other as much as we once did, she's part of the family.

In other words, there are still a lot of things to be done or determined before Christmas gets here.  Perhaps I'd best end this post and get at it before the list of things to do gets any longer!

Are you ready for Christmas? Just seven more sleeps!

Have a great week everyone!

Just call me Luddie

That's short for Luddite.  Although I'm not entirely against technology (I wouldn't have a blog if I were), quite frankly it baffles me.  At work, there are the information technology gurus that are a phone call away and at home I have my built techie, my son C.

But sometimes I try to figure things out on my own. Today was one of those days.  In anticipation of my trip to Parksville in February I purchased myself a GPS.  It was on sale at Canadian Tire for less than $90 which seemed to be a bargain.  After a couple of hours of frustration I wasn't so sure.

The little sticker on the GPS had the following instructions:
Before using your device:
1.  Charge your device (we recommend 2 to 4 hours charging time)
2.  Ensure you have a clear view of the sky.
3.  Register now and start receiving all the benefits.

Seriously?  Thanks for the all the help!

Charging the device I understood but I really didn't understand why the sky had to be clear.  Registering the device....okay I did that and I was directed to still another website for updates. From there I had to download some program or application.  I did so and....nothing.  All the while my device was charging and every few minutes or so I'd get a pop up message that told me the USB was connected to the unit and I should do something with a PC application.  Uh, okay what application would that be?   The one I downloaded but couldn't find when I searched for it in my computer files?  Or some other program?

At this point, I didn't know if I had done something wrong, or if I'd bought a defective model. I went to the manufacturer's website, downloaded and printed a copy of the 30 page user's manual.  Although it covers pretty much anything you want to do with the device when it is powered up, there was nothing in it that would tell me how to get started.

After all this I was frustrated and ready to toss in the towel.  I asked my son to take a look, only to be told he really doesn't know much about GPS because he uses the one on his cellphone.  Hmmm...seems to me he showed me how to use the one on my phone a couple of months ago.  Maybe I didn't need to buy one after all. Sigh!

So I did what I generally do when annoyed with myself, I went shopping.  Right, spend a little more money!  Off I went to Walmart.  In my defence I did need cat litter, paprika, and Mrs. Dash seasoning, and while I was there I bought a container for cat food, a dozen hotdog buns, carrots, and some candy for the office.

By the time I arrived at home, the device was finished charging and it appeared to be working as the map showed my location (even without a clear sky!). The time is off by an hour and I can't find the instructions to change it though I'm sure it probably has something to do with the time zone.  Being from Saskatchewan where we never change our clocks, I never know which time zone we're in.*   I've decided to wait a day or two to try it out in the car....perhaps by then my frustration level will have decreased.

I did learn some lessons today.  Patience is not only a virtue but a necessity when it comes to technology.  I cannot expect the instructions to make sense to the uninitiated because they won't be sufficiently detailed. This afternoon I had a call from my younger brother, who is even more tech averse than I am...if that's possible, and he mentioned how frustrated he gets with the IT division when they tell him to go to this page or that page and click this or that.  As he says, the pages aren't labelled.  Yep...we're definitely related.

So to those of you who understand (and embrace) technology you have my utmost respect, along with a bit envy.  Maybe someday I'll be able to do this stuff on my own...but I doubt it.

Have a great week everyone!

*I just know that in winter we're in the same time zone as Winnipeg, Manitoba....winter, Winnipeg so that means we're now on the same time as Alberta.  That must mean we're in the Mountain time zone now...I think.

Funny Friday