I don’t consider myself old. Ask my kids, however, and being
the rude teens they can be, they will disagree.
Why?
Because it takes me a
little longer to figure out all the gadgets we have hooked up to the television
just so I can watch TV. I have a gadget-happy husband. And son. And daughter. Me? I like simple. Press a button, turn it on, watch/listen/whatever. Done.
But in our house? Nothing is that simple. The television is a maze of buttons and controllers and voice-operated commands. It
can be frustrating in the extreme and unless I have time to kill—because as
moms we have LOTS of time to kill right???—I don’t even bother. It’s soooo much easier to simply watch a movie
in my computer. LOL That I can handle.
Well, recently I attended one of the best workshops ever to
learn some new technology. New to me, anyway. I traveled cross-country for a
week-long intensive workshop that ran twelve-plus hours a day. I felt like I’d
gone back to college. But in the end the learning curve was so, so worth the
frustration I felt as this cough-cough old dog learned new tricks. But learn them I did. In fact, I learned them
so well I even impressed my young whippersnapper teens who apparently didn’t
think I was doing anything but taking a vacation. Heh.
But best of all? While on the west coast I was also able to
do some research on Portland, sightsee, and take in the glorious coast. Be sure
to check out the photos below and play the short video of the seals. They were
so funny, barking and complaining like grumpy old men.
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| Rock formations at low tide. Lincoln City, OR |
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| Starfish buddies. |
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| Doesn't he remind you of Patrick from SpongeBob? |
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| The most glorious sunset ever. All I could do was stand there and stare. Beautiful! |
I hope you enjoyed the pics and video. I had soooo many photos because it was such a fun, informative trip. I can't wait to go again.
So tell me-- Do you require a little more time and
explanation when it comes to new-fangled things? Or are you the first-in-line
type who conquers new technology with glee?
I’ll pick a name from those who comment and they’ll receive an electronic copy of my latest release, Blind Man’s Bluff.
Kay
Kay Stockham
www.kaystockham.com
North Star, MT series Sep 2011-Jan 2012
THE CRASH BEFORE CHRISTMAS, DEC 2011
RETURN TO EDEN, Apr 2012
SECRETS OF A SUMMER NIGHT, Oct 2012
BLIND MAN'S BLUFF, Oct 2012
@KayStockham - Twitter
Kay Stockham Fan Page - Facebook
22 comments:
You've made my son's day!!! My youngster now has your photo printed out with the words THE REAL PATRICK!
(I hope you don't mind!)
Not at all, Scarlet! I loooved the starfish. I took so many pictures of them. Glad he liked it! :)
Kay
Kay, I'm TV challenged, also. The "simple" age of computerized devices has left me with a TV that takes 3 remotes to control it! AUGH! My husband claims it's a ploy to force me to keep him since no one else could ever figure it out:-) I tell him a guy from the younger generation (like, oh I don't know--maybe Chris Hemsworth?) would understand it beautifully--and maybe wouldn't give TV such high priority:-)
Kay, I'm also techno-challenged. My youngest son took great delight in walking me through the steps of learning my latest phone. Sigh. But I loved the barking seals - what fun! - and oh, I am SO glad I'm not the only one who thinks "Patrick" when the word "starfish" is mentioned!
Great Pics and cute video..
I can deal with some new gadgets, but my new cell phone is giving me fits.. But i will prevail.. I won't let it get the best of me...
Great photos, Kay! And I'm with you on the technology - I get the eye-rolls and the sighs about it, too. I always point out that I could figure it all out if I wanted to - I just prefer not to. And that's mostly true. I think.
LOL Pamela, I don't know... I agree that the younger they are, the better they seem to be with technology. ;)
Kay
The sunset photo is definitely awe-inspiring!
I don't mind gadgets - I just have to study instructions before I do anything!
No need to put me in the draw - have the book, read it, liked it.
MarcieR
Yay! Another techno-challenged person. Kris, SpongeBob was popular in my house way back when it first began. The earlier shows were so much better.
Kay
Keep going, Kathleen! You can do it. The week of the workshop I was feeling the stress but now I have a handle on the programs and am doing great. Like I said, I've impressed my teens so it must be good. ;)
Kay
Margaret, the eye rolls are fun, aren't they? Sigh. I'm so glad they know everything so I don't have to! LOL
Kay
Yay, Marcie! So glad you liked BLIND MAN'S BLUFF. Thanks for posting!
Kay
Beautiful sunset photo, Kay!
I only learn as much technology as I NEED to, because I am time-challenged!
I'm ok with new technology, but I don't run out and get teh newest things. I'm happy to just have my old cell phone (no smart phone) and a universal remote for the TV. Usually I can pick stuff up fairly quickly with some help from my sister. My husband on the other hand, is a technophobe. Only got him started using a computer about 7 yrs ago and he still writes everything longhand and then types it. In the last year or two he finally got the hang of sending emails!
Sounds like it was fun trip, Kay. Will you next books be set in Oregon?
Cathyrn, I sooo know the feeling of being time-challenged. That's a goal of mine actually. To become more organized in that area and make better use of the time I have. I think it would work if other people would stop making plans for me. LOL
Kay
Snookie, I'm finishing up the Stone Gap Mountain series first but I have a plan for that research, yes. ;)
Kay
I just discovered last week that the eye on the tv for the remote is on the far left side, not the right, which is why I have been having extreme difficulty turning it on and off for the past three years. lol. There is no manual control. I can work the DVD and my computers programs without problem but I have yet to master the cell phone age of text and twitter.
I usually need the new devise explained to me--once or twice or ten+ times.
Linda, I can do online social networking, at least in the sense that I understand it, whether I do it or not. LOL It's such a time suck I tend to skip it. The devices on the other hand... Oy.
Kay
Chelle, LOL on your 10+ times. Same here! I get it eventually but it takes me a while.
Kay
And the winner is::: Kris! :) Kris, please email me privately to get your electronic copy of Blind Man's Bluff.
Thanks to all who posted and kept me company today in my techno fear.
Kay
It may have taken me a couple of weeks to learn how to answer a phone call on my cell without sending it to voicemail. This was a source of great amusement to the teens.
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