Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Microwave.


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In the early 80's my Mother bought a Microwave oven.
Nothing elaborate - just a very plain functional Microwave.
Which she couldn't use.
The keyboard may as well have been written in Chinese - she couldn't make any sense of it at all.
And was terrified of it actually.

She called me up

Mom said - I can't stand it
Suzan said - you'll get used to it and wonder how you ever lived without it.
Mom said - Why do they have to make it so confusing?
Suzan said - It's very simple Mom, really
Mom said - Well I'll never use it, I can tell you that.

It took her quite a while - we didn't live in the same province so I couldn't just scoot over - and show her which buttons to press to use the thing - and so it sat on the kitchen counter like a kitchen decoration for some time. ( See?  I have all the modern appliances in MY kitchen !!! )
Until she got brave.
And then cocky - and eventually it was something she couldn't live without.

In the early 90's she got a bank card.
She was frozen with fear.
She'd go to the ATM machine - stare at all the buttons - run home and call me ( by this time she had moved back to our Province ) and I'd go with her and show her how to do the transactions..........
It took her a long time - for what seemed forever I was an extension of that bank card - I'd simply go to the bank with her - she'd put the card in - and tell me what she wanted to do.
( unlike my girlfriend's Mother - who insisted she didn't need any " damn " help and tried to fold money into the slat where the actual card goes )
My Mother was quite willing to hand over the operation to me.
Until she got brave.
And then cocky.

While sympathetic for sure - I can remember being very frustrated.  I mean these were easy things to do -
they only involved pressing keyboards after all -

My girlfriends and I would giggle over our parent's lack of computer skills - some of which led to some pretty hilarious situations............

One girlfriend's Mother decided she needed a cell phone - which she would lend to her grandson from time to time.............until the day ( she was in her 70's ) the phone rang loudly while she was waiting in a line for a bus - and the ring tone was a filthy rap song -
She looked around the group of ladies - all shocked at these lyrics supposedly coming out of nowhere AND sharing their disgust over the lyrics - until she realized the music was coming from HER purse.

Yes - we would smuggly giggle.
They're of such a different generation after all.

In the 70's, one of my first jobs was working on a very rudimentary computer - I sat and did data entry all day for Sun Life insurance.............it was an entry position - one step up from mail room duties really - and a boring job to say the least.
But my Mother AND Grandmother would tell everyone - Susie works on a computer - as proudly as if I were a Lawyer.
Such was the mindset of a generation that had never seen a computer much less worked on one.

But those days are long gone right?
Everyone knows how to operate a microwave today - and everyone goes to an ATM when necessary.
We're an enlightened people.

______________________________________________________________________________

2014 - Easter - Birthday
My computer dies -
And my incredible Son in Law decides to get me a new one -
And he installs it -
And they leave -
And I sit down excitedly -
And I look at the screen -

And I call my daughter

Mom says - I can't stand it
Lindsay says - You'll get used to it - and wonder why you didn't update years ago
Mom says - Why do they have to make it so complicated?
Lindsay says - It's very simple really
Mom says - Well I don't think I can use it, period
Mom says - I have to stop blogging now - I simply can't use it -

They came over last night -

Lindsay says - Tell me exactly what it is that you don't like
Mom says - Well my inbox for example - why are there so many icons everywhere - the old one didn't have half as many as this one !
Mom says - And why am I seeing the last email received instead of all of them together?
Lindsay took the mouse - and clicked to expand the window -
AND
voila - I had a normal ( my version ) outlook screen again
Mom says - Oh - is that all I had to do?

____________________________________________________________________________

Dear God, I've become my Mother......................
Can you imagine?
Even though I worked on computers in the 70's LMHO  !!!

( and I know - I just freaking know - that Lindsay will be giggling with her friends over this )

AND BY THE WAY - I BOUGHT A CONVECTION MICROWAVE - DON'T TELL ANYONE THAT I HAVE TO READ THE DIRECTIONS EVERY SINGLE TIME I USE IT 

But I wrote this post up without any problems - so I'm feeling a little Bill Gate ( ish ) this morning

Have a wonderful day all

Much love,
Billy Joe Gates ( AKA ) Suzan




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31 comments:

  1. Hahaha. What goes around comes around! :-) And I remember the days when my friends got jobs with data entry - they were key punch operators! I remember thinking that they had 'real' jobs, jobs that would last because they were involved in the latest technology! Now no one knows what key punch is. LOL

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    1. I think key punch operator's were for telex machines - which I worked on too lol -
      I remember ticker tapes wrapped all around my feet by the end of the day !!!
      Yes - what goes around ALWAYS comes around - my Daughter will discover that one day :)
      xxx

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  2. hahaha, I love your posts, and today's is perfect for me. My laptop died, and now I have to use my sons, and it is windows 8, which I HATE. and while I was muddling around I got a notice to update to 8.1???? someone stop the world, I want to get off. lol
    Debbi
    -YankeeBurrow

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    1. I can't stand it Debbi - lol - there was absolutely nothing wrong with the old one - except my kids tell me it's 12 years out of date LOL
      Good luck :)
      xxx

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  3. You gave me a good laugh this morning. I was terrified when they put a computer on my desk at work, but I got through it and I was again terrified when I started blogging, but here I am. I think we all get a little nervous when we get out of our comfort zone.
    So glad the computer is working for you - have a great day.
    Mary

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  4. When my kids tease me about my lack of computer skills I remind them that it isn't nice to tease the elderly.

    I just got a new Mac Book and although it looks almost exactly like my 5 year old Mac Book, there are still things I haven't figured out. On my Chrome icon there is now a circle with the #1 and I can't for the life of me figure out what it means. But, I refuse to be teased by my kids so I just ignore the #1.

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  5. Yep, we are finally the older generation :o)

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  6. Hey Mom, on a brighter side: soon your hearing will go and you won't hear us snickering at you. LOVE YOU, xxx

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  7. You are too young to remember computers the size of rooms (my school board data computer in 1973). And I lugged home on the weekend my heavy school PC so my toddler son could shoot squirrels and deer on a computer game in the mid 1980's. Now we don't book a hotel room on vacation in Europe unless they have FREE Wifi in the entire building! What has this world come to? Linda@Wetcreek Blog

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  8. Oh, you make me laugh out loud, Suzan. So funny. Neither my mother or mother-in-law had a microwave, if you can imagine. And I hate to admit it, but there are some things I still can't do with my over the range microwave. :-( I'm glad my hubby knows computers so well as he helps me a lot even though it's a Mac and totally different from a PC or whatever he uses. We are smart aren't we? But, someday all this will change and we'll become even more like our mothers. How times have changed!

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  9. Ha. I have a convection oven. I still don't know how to use that part of it :)

    xo
    Laura

    PS We all eventually turn into our mothers LOL

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  10. I loathe computer upgrades. If the programming companies were compassionate they'd make an Old People Option for every feature, just an accessible simpler option, cut out all that whippersnapper nonsense.
    When microwaves were introduced into the mainstream, my newly divorced father was the first in our family to purchase one. It was enormous, big enough to cook a turkey. For the first couple of months he just placed eggs in it and watched them explode. As each one of us would visit him we'd get the demonstration.
    I hope you had a great birthday, dear friend.

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  11. Oh Suzan you make me laugh and that is a very good thing! My Mom worked on a computer in the 70s too - and has to ask me questions about them now. And I totally see me headed that direction as I ask my daughter how to do this or that with my iPhone! What goes around comes around! Happy blogging :)

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  12. This was a great story. I am embarrassed to say in the other house we had two ovens with convection and we never read how to use them. In the new house we will have two ovens again the same brand and this time if it is the last thing we do I will read the directions.

    Cynthia

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  13. o h my gosh, if it wasn't so flipping funny it would be sad, I know the feeling, oh yes I do,

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  14. This really made me laugh! My daughter watches me on the computer or any other gadget and comments on the 'old fashioned' ways I do things! I thought I was more than capable :-)

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  15. Oh Suzan, I love you! You can always make my day :)

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  16. Thanks for making me feel better about hating my upgrades. What the hell was wrong with XP anyway??

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  17. In my family they call me the non-techie! I did, however, use one of the first microwaves in the late 1960's! I was a candy striper and there was one at the hospital so we could heat up our lunch sandwiches that we purchased from a new-fangled vending machine.....I started using hubby's computer in 2004 and got my own desk top in 2006. It died last year and I got a new laptop with Windows 8. I could not figure it out. Gave it to hubby and took his laptop with Windows 7 which I totally understand! So I really understand how you are feeling! Thanks for the laughs!

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  18. Great story...what goes around comes around! I didn't have a computer til 2010 when the iPad came out...cause I couldn't figure out how to use the mouse! So don't feel bad! ;)

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  19. Great story Suzan! And so true! I hate that I need help with computer stuff. I got a new computer with windows 8, hated it, so my son installed windows 7 on it. I hate learning new things. I've just recently started taking photos on manual instead of auto.... not sure what I was scared of. Anyways... I can relate girl!

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  20. It's inevitable...we all become our mother! And I have a convection oven and still have no idea how to use it. I just fire it up on regular and let it go. Someday I'll read the instructions.

    xoxo
    -andi

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  21. Oh haha, I remember my mom being baffled by the mouse..."I just can't get the hang of it!" She'd cry. We would assure her it wasn't that hard. I'm always wondering what my children giggle over. Ha. Thanks for the grins.
    Hugs,
    Cecilia

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  22. Ha! My mum bought a tablet and couldn't figure it out she decided to gift it to one of my boys, who laughed their heads off. I'm without a microwave at the moment mine blew up man I miss that thing! Glad you got it sorted

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  23. I cannot believe how many times a day I feel like I am becoming my mother! I especially feel that way when I ask one of my sons a question and they answer exactly in the manner that I would answer my own mother...patient and exasperated at the same time. (My mom still has questions about using her iPhone but, thankfully, fewer and fewer!)

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  24. This is so funny and true! My Mother was at my house this past weekend and had to get my son to help her with my microwave because it was different than hers. And I couldn't help her because I couldn't find my glasses!
    Great story!

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  25. Thanks for my giggles this morning, Suzan, I had a good chuckle over this post! You really need to write a book...it would be a best seller with all your anecdotes and conversations. Good luck with your new computer, it sounds like you're on your way!
    Debbie :)

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  26. My mom was the opposite. She was into computers long before I was. I wish she was still here as this blogging thing would have been right up her alley. Cheers to technology eh!

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  27. haha love this post, I have those Mom daughter conversations all the time, where my daughter has to help me with my computer problems. My father got a cordless phone and it took him months to figure it out, he used to hang up on us by pushing the wrong buttons. So when I heard he got a lap top and was on facebook I almost had a heart attack. My daughter probably laughs at my computer mistakes and tells her friends. But that's ok like you said it goes around, and some day her kids will make fun of her too. hugs Tobey

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  28. Oh yes, I remember it was a big deal for my mother to change from a rotary phone. She resisted for a long time because the phone company used to charge extra to have a push button phone. She died before the PC found it's way into every household, but I worked on the early HPs and PS2s and PC clones. I was quite good at programming batch files on a black and green screen. Now my son is the one who pushes me out of the way and "fixes" things when I can't figure out Windows 8.

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Due to a large amount of spam ( that I'm tired of going back to posts and deleting ) I'll be using comment moderation from now on !!!
Can I beat these spammers at their own game? Probably not - but I'm going
to try my damnedest !!!
xoxo