Sunday, August 8, 2010

An afternoon very frustrating....

I have not been here for awhile. Too hot to be in the garden just now, I am longing for the cooler days of autumn.

I have just finished an afternoon of computer training for my husband. He is a very bright and intelligent man who just turns to jelly in front of a computer. "It makes me feel stupid..." he says. I have quit telling him that it does that to everyone.

I just look at him.

This computer is a new HP laptop with Vista in it. He is using an Excel spreadsheet. This is work related, and he is EXTREMELY protective of the formula set into the spreadsheet. He keeps telling me how I can mess it all up if I hit the 'wrong thing'.... Really? I just look at him.
.
Sooooo...I am supposed to teach him all I know about the computer, but I should not even LOOK like I was going to touch his computer....???? He says "Why are you looking at me like that?"...

Finally, we got through two email exercises with attachments successfully. He wants to do that again. Amazing how enthusiastic he gets when something goes right. Amazing how he has just told me that I am a less than adequate teacher.

Amazing that I have not made equally complimentary remarks.

And when we are done, (because thankfully, the computer ran our of juice and shut down), he says that I am a better teacher than he is a student. I suspect he wants clean sheets, clean clothes and food next week. He has to say that.

I am not forgetting his snide remarks. I have a very long memory.

He has had a computer for years. He has a new computer that he got last Christmas. Why has he waited until now to learn something about it?

GRRRRR!!!
AND.....he insists on typing in all caps. I have gently explained that it is tacky, and people will think he is yelling at them. He says he doesn't know how to type....excuses, excuses.

I am going to throw some clay.

Does anyone doubt for a minute why I love 'throwing clay'?

My garden is weedy. I am frustrated by the fact that it is over 100 degrees every day, and was 81 degrees at 6:30 am- this morning. I can't work in that kind of heat, so I just water and water, and it will be o.k. until it cools off.

I hope your garden is flourishing.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hang in there, Janie; cooler weather is coming! If it would be any help to you in your role as teacher (I don't want to see you arrested for murder ;-)), 30 years ago, when I was teaching students who were unfamiliar with computers and afraid of them, I would tell them that the reason they had so much trouble communicating with the computer was not that the computer was so much smarter than them, but that it was so incredibly stupid (except about the few things that it did exceptionally well, like rapid calculations). To prove it, our first "computer" lesson would be in a classroom with no computers present, where they would have to develop a set of instructions to tell me how to put on a coat. At every step of the way, I would act like a computer, being very obtuse until everything was explained in excruciating detail. By the time I got the coat on, we were all in fits of laughter and they were no longer intimidated by the computer.
It's great to hear your voice again, even raised in frustration. I look forward to cooler weather when you can get out in your garden more and are excited to share it.-Jean

Diana Studer said...

That was hilarious. Reminds me of a brief period teaching people to use computers at the public library back in Camps Bay. Unfortunately the connection was v e r y s l o w. And one elderly gentleman wrote on his screen 'This is torture' but his wife persevered. The rain has stopped, the sun is shining, I am off into the garden. And how nice it was to see you back ;>)

gld said...

My husband won't even turn off the computer. He is retired so no real issue other than I keep all our financial records in Quicken. I told him he could just call the bank if in doubt and start keeping a check book again.

Your story almost made me laugh....except I know how your husband feels. My son is the one who got me started.......he is an electrical/computer engineer. To say he is too abrupt, and expected way too much from me is an understatement. He made me feel like a moron... He finally apologized and said that is why they had other people to do the training at Boeing. Thank God for that. There I am trying to learn to use the computer and he thinks I type too slow! Be patient with your husband.

On the other hand, he should do what you tell him to do.....you might mention that to him occasionally.

Good luck!!!!

Jean Campbell said...

It's about time!

One of the perks of old age is that one can yell at the spouse because he is hard of hearing.

Tell your sweet man that I said that if he can't use the shift to make caps, just type it all in lower case. The eye automatically inserts caps where needed and nobody notices much. All caps makes my brain tired.

Curbstone Valley Farm said...

Wondered where you were Janie! I'm sorry the computer lessons are a little frustrating. I used to tell my students that they only way they'd learn was by making mistakes, and that it doesn't matter what key you hit on the computer. What are you afraid of? You can't blow the thing up after all. Worse case scenario, you delete something. Hardly the end of the world :P Hope the future lessons run more smoothly, and that your weather cools down. Having one of our coldest summers on record here, be happy to trade you!

Chloe m said...

I hope things cool down for you soon!
He turns to jelly? That sounds like me with car stuff.
I have a problem concentrating so when my husband tried to explain stuff I just float away. I bet I frustrate him to no end.
YES, CAPS ARE ANNOYING. TELL HIM TO STOP USING THOSE :)

Have a good week, Janie,
Rosey

Wendy said...

ha ha!! THis was too funny. It reminds me of how people say you shouldn't teach your own kids how to play the piano or swim, etc.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Well Jane if there is a silver lining, and there is, may I point it out? Okay thanks.

From the mind of a writer, your prose was EXTREMELY [oops :)] well written. As a reader I could feel your exhaustion and empathize with your frustration. I could understand how you wanted to both exude patience with the student while simultaneously mentally [or not] knock your [or his] head against the wall. I could feel the 100 degree heat and the watering regimen to keep from completely melting and the sadness over missing the garden because of mother nature's extremes.

And perhaps you didn't feel the jubilation of a job well done but I did. Men can be such babies can't they?

I'm sending you a virtual empathetic hug and a cooling north wind. If only...

Gloria Bonde said...

I think it is not just the computer and your husband that is frustrating (well yes, probably some) but you are having garden withdrawal. You need to dig in the dirt! By the way, I am way impressed that you can teach him how to do a spreadsheet in excel. I still don't know how to do that. How about you teach me next :)

Stacie Shepp said...

Hey Janie,

I came to your site to invite you to join our new social network for gardeners, www.YourGardenShow.com

It's very easy to use and maybe both you and your husband will enjoy it when it is too hot outdoors to garden you can visit other people's gardens :)

I'll send you an e-mail as well with more info.

Stay Cool,
Stacie

Barbara said...

Hi Janie, I'm secretly glad to see that in some cases the traditional roles of "man=technical prowess", "woman=computer ignorant" are reversed in your case. At the place I used to work, any mail with a subject line in caps only was automatically classified as spam. I agree with the commenter that said you better get back out into your garden. The weather should be cooler now.

Andrea said...

hahaha, the sweetness of husbands and wives getting in! How sweet of you to teach him very patiently, if anybody will not agree, i doubt what you call that! enjoy the experiences.

Diana Studer said...

Hi Janie, are you still blogging? We miss you!

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

I just found this post! Janie, you are SO talented! Good for you! I love your pots, and the fox pot is clearly the fox, not-the-other-creature pot!