?`s and ANNEswers

Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Web Site Angst

Posted on January 2, 2006

I’ve spent the better part of the day on various web sites, trying to get answers to questions about the new technology I received for Christmas. (New technology always requires a learning curve!) I got a Z22 PALM and a new Dell 1300 laptop, as well as a couple gift cards. This means that there are install challenges, as well as login-in-to-spend challenges.

I’m not sure I’m up to it.

I tried to install the new PALM, only to find that my computer and the handheld could not communicate. So I went to the PALM web site to ask for help. I wanted to talk with someone out there in the ether world, but the web site never offered up a telephone number. In fact, when I tried to send a message, as a second resort, I was referred back to the web site. This is circular thinking at its best. If it hadn’t been for my computer assistant, a whiz named Kyle, I would still be frustrated.

For the record, the solution to my problem lay in moving the handheld cable from one USB port on my CPU to the other. Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh! Who would have thought?

Next, my new computer is loaded with stuff I don’t want. I don’t want Google as my Internet connection. I don’t want McAfee when I have Kyle. Nor do I want a variety of other already-installed-on-a-free-trial-basis programs.

It makes me think the whole process is about marketing. Various companies agree to work with Dell and provide free programs for a limited amount of time so they can pop up in your face and scare you into buying their full package. In addition, the e-mail program I use needs to be installed on my new laptop, as does Microsoft Word (a pricey little program when you purchase it independently of a new computer.) So I’m dead in the water, until these programs can be installed.

I think I will like having a state-of-the-art laptop, which this one certainly is. I’ve already viewed a DVD and learned about MP10 options. I’ve customized my desktop and screen saver. And I’ve installed my new PALM software without a glitch.

It’s the first phase of the learning curve.

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

Out with the Old

Posted on January 1, 2006

As the first day of the New Year waned, I read the local Sunday newspaper and found a most interesting article about words that should be banned in 2006. No, they’re not the four-letter sort, although they’re just as uncreative. Rather, they are words that were used to the point of mis-use, over-use, and abuse.

Evidently, Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, has been compiling such a list since 1976; so for those of you who are not familiar with my local newspaper and might have missed this article, I am printing the list of words the school says we should shun.

In no particular order, Lake Superior State University seeks to banish: surreal, hunker down, person of interest, community of learners, up-or-down vote, breaking news, designer breed, FEMA, first-time caller, pass the savings on to you, 97 percent fat-free, an accident that didn’t have to happen, junk science, git-r-done, talking points, and holiday tree.

I love the school’s rationale for eliminating FEMA. “IF they don’t do anything, we don’t need their acronym,” wrote a member of the word banning committee. (Never mind that he used a plural pronoun for a singular noun, something that is becoming more and more commonplace.)

I also loved another committee member’s comments about “first-time caller,” a phrase frequently heard on call-in talk radio. Miguel McCormick asked, “Who in any universe gives a care?” Note that he said “any universe,” not just ours.

The article also mentioned banned words from earlier years. They included “metrosexual” in 2004, “chad” in 2001, baby boomer” in 1989, and – going way back – “dйtente” in 1976. Maybe next year’s list will include “IM me,” “Let’s TIVO the game,” and “No interest, no payments until 2007.”

See more 10 Minutes in category , , | Leave a comment

Final Blog

Posted on December 31, 2005

This is my final blog for 2005. I started writing “Ten Minutes to Write, Less Time to Read” in May, 2004 and have logged hundreds of blogs and thousands of words since. I think I’ve reached beyond my family and friends too. At least that’s what my webmaster tells me.

Today I’m reminded of last year’s New Year’s resolution, the one I translated into Greek, with the help of my computer’s font list and then turned into a screen saver. It said, “Write more, drink less.”

Well, I’ve certainly written more. In addition to blogging almost daily, I wrote a 50,000 word novel in May, jotted off copious emails, and continued to write real-live letters from time to time. As for drinking less, I’d say I fell short, although I certainly didn’t drink more.

So what will my New Year’s resolution be this time around? If I’m to translate it into Greek, it needs to be short. Maybe something like “I blog, therefore I am.” Or “Writing never killed anyone; drinking has.” Or perhaps something that has absolutely nothing to do with what has come before. Maybe my newly found interest in exercise could be a goal. In which case the phrase would read “Build body before blogging.”

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

Winding Down

Posted on December 30, 2005

It’s the eve of New Year’s Eve, but life is already winding down. Perhaps it’s because it’s also a Friday, and most employers are sending employees home at the usual five o’clock hour with no expectation to see them again before Tuesday, January 3. In other years, employees often worked a half or whole day on New Year’s Eve.

I’m winding down too, having waited until almost ten o’clock at night to blog. We’ve had company all week and today was the first day I’ve been at home, alone, catching up on year-end activities, doing the residual laundry houseguests leave behind, and generally sifting through piles that have accumulated on my desk . . . and my floor.

It felt good to spend the day this way. It was structured and orderly and quiet.

Actually New Year’s Eve will be the same. We are having dinner with close friends and possibly staying up until midnight. But if we don’t make it, there’ll be no recriminations. Just being together at the end of the year is enough.

Another aspect of New Year’s falling on a weekend is that there is Monday in which to recover. I plan to take advantage of this. There’ll be no mail, few phone calls, and even fewer bids for my attention; because the world at large, at least in the United States, isn’t expected to show up for business until Tuesday.

And who knows? By then, I could be completely caught up.

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

No Rocket Science Here

Posted on December 29, 2005

A recent headline on the front page of the local Herald Palladium noted that experts do not understand why college graduates are more illiterate than ever. The article didn’t say what the experts were expert at studying, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to come up with a list of reasons why students are becoming more and more illiterate.

I offer the following possibilities.

I believe television and now the Internet proliferate the idea that knowledge is dispensed in five to ten minute intervals, which are broken by commercials or pop-ups. This is distracting, to say the least. It also reduces the attention span of the audience, who now thinks that studying something for half an hour is an interminable length of time.

In addition, there is an attitude that learning has to be “fun.” The truth is learning is painful. It is repetitive and boring; and it challenges the most ardent student. As such, it is not Sesame Street. While I credit that program with introducing language and math concepts to a young audience, I believe the staccato tempo of the program could contribute to attention deficit disorder. And I feel for the kindergarten teacher who has to follow in those footsteps. He or she must be entertaining, quick, funny, and clever.

Then there is technology. A recent houseguest of ours, age 26, noted that she never attended a math class without a calculator. What happened to memorizing the multiplication table? I see a manifestation of this at the supermarket, when I can make change in my head faster than the check out clerk can do on a machine. So if the world’s electrical power is turned off, who has the greater chance of surviving?

More theories?

English grammar is not valued any more. When the majority of the population says “Him and me is going to the movies” or “Mom gave cookies to her and I” we’ve lost the battle against speaking correctly. Maybe some would say, “So what, as long as we understand what each other is saying.” Well, I prefer to think that intelligent people everywhere are distinguished by the language they use, which – in turn – suggests the knowledge they have. Which – in turn – supports their ability to govern themselves.

In the long run, if our college graduates’ skills are dumbed down, then it means our society at large will experience the same thing.

See more 10 Minutes in category , , | Leave a comment

Changing Times

Posted on December 28, 2005

The world is a less formal place than it was when I was growing up. And, before you dismiss my complaint as that of some curmudgeon, let me add it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Just different.

Take thank you notes. My mother made me write them dutifully in longhand; but then there was no other way, except for a verbal thank you. Today, we have email; and, while I don’t think it replaces the personal touch of a handwritten and stamped note, it is better than nothing in this busy world.

Take stamps. The U.S. Postal Service now allows people to create their own postage stamps with a service from www.stamps.com. You can download a photo of the family’s new baby or the most recent wedding or the office party and – voila! – it’s a stamp with the correct amount of postage affixed to it. All legal too. A great gift for new Grandmas . . . and practical too. It might even encourage a renewal in letter writing.

Take gifts themselves. Many now come with gift receipts so that the recipient can return the item if it’s a duplicate or simply unwanted. Combined with the gift card craze, this strategy seems to be an instant disclaimer about the thought the giver put into the gift.

And finally, take telephone etiquette. That is, take the lack of it. I spent an hour on the phone today talking with someone who wanted to sell me something I was truly interested in. Yet, on more than one occasion in that sixty minutes, he admitted to cleaning out his desk and reading other mail while talking with me. I felt dissed. I’ve had other conversations where I could clearly tell the other party was deleting spam or ironing or playing solitaire.

So, as Dylan has taught us, “the times they are a changin’.” And, whether for good or bad, we are probably not able to stop this trend. Rather it boils down to what one will and will not accept in daily life. For me, I accept email thank yous, personal postage stamps and gift receipts. I do NOT accept the new telephone etiquette, although I’m probably a voice crying in the wilderness.

See more 10 Minutes in category , , | Leave a comment

Final Preparations

Posted on December 23, 2005

It’s the Eve of Christmas Eve; and, judging from various emails and personal contacts, my friends and family are involved in an eclectic assortment of preparations, not all of them geared to the holiday.

My next door neighbor, Clara, is celebrating the fourth anniversary of the death of her husband. I popped in today to say “Hi,” and she was planning to go to the cemetery to visit his grave. She seems accepting of the fact he died so close to Christmas, but it’s taken her a while to come to that point of view.

My Aunt Alice in Denver is setting the table and getting ready for the onslaught of children and grandchildren that descend Christmas Day. She enjoys putting together table settings. For Christmas it’s white plates, red napkins, and goblets on a lacy, cream colored tablecloth. Along with candles and silver napkin rings. Earl’s daughter, Adaire, is up to the same thing.

My son Keith and his partner, Chris, are in New York City and happy that both the retail holiday season and the MTA strike that crippled the city’s public transportation systems are over. Even if the wrangling over returns and contracts isn’t.

I am sure there are people I’ve never met who are grabbing their last-minute gifts, searching for stocking stuffers, and grocery-shopping with coupon fever. I am also sure some of the rich and famous have already left the building, never to return until the holiday is history. But I doubt Bill O’Reilly is one of them.

As for me, I’ve spent the day playing piano poorly, making a spicy new vegetarian chili, and reading O’Reilly’s continuing comments about Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays. I went to mail some letters and passed a church marquis that read: “Happy Holidays? Maybe you mean Happy Holy Days.” I liked it.

So I’m not sure I’ll find time to blog on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, as I’m having my other son, Kevin, and his significant other for five days. I’m also doing dinner on Christmas Eve and then attending dinner Christmas Day at Adaire’s. It will be filled with fun and gifts and laughter. What better reason to take a time-out and wait to write until Monday or Tuesday? Like the rich and famous, I’m leaving the building.

In the meantime, as Tiny Tim once said, “God bless us everyone.”

See more 10 Minutes in category , , , | Leave a comment

Get A Life

Posted on December 21, 2005

Bill O’Reilly is still haranguing merchants and others who choose to say “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas.” He believes that substituting the former for the latter is a slap in the face for Christians everywhere. He feels it demeans not only Christmas but also the platform on which this country was founded.

I couldn’t disagree more.

Granted, for the recent past, it’s been politically correct to say “Happy Holidays” so as to include Jewish and Kwanzaan and even non-Christian sects in our greeting. After all, their holidays frequently coincide with the Christian calendar.

I’m not sure when this tradition of “Happy Holiday” actually began, but I embraced it wholeheartedly. I felt that, even though our country was founded primarily on Judeo-Christian principles, it was in keeping with the freedom of religion and the acceptance of others that is the foundation of our country’s greatness. I felt it was inclusive.

Now O’Reilly champions that it detracts from the Christian view of Christmas. That it ignores Christ. He goes so far as to say it represents the secularism that is prominent in American society. I don’t disagree about the secularism, but I don’t believe that substituting “Happy Holidays” for “Merry Christmas” is responsible for it.

If you listen to O’Reilly, you have to assume that everyone who says “Happy Holidays” is subverting Christianity. Is it possible that people who use the phrase are simply being diplomatic and not subversive? Simply being broad-minded and not supporting secularism? I always thought Christians were supposed to be tolerant of others, but it doesn’t seem that O’Reilly’s version of Christianity acknowledges this.

As for me, I’ve chosen to say “Merry Christmas” for entirely different reasons. (See my blog of December 3 titled “Merry Christmas.”) And I don’t care whether Bill O’Reilly accepts my reasoning or not.

Pass it on.

See more 10 Minutes in category , , , | Leave a comment

Finally Finished

Posted on December 20, 2005

I am proud to announce that our bathroom project is one hundred percent finished, completed, finally over. I say this because yesterday I folded our new towels and put them in their proper places. I also hung the rest of the artwork in the master bathroom and admired the towel hooks that took forever to get here but were worth the wait.

We are done. Money spent. Project over. Mission accomplished. Time frame took twice as long, but budget is still intact.

That said, I think I will look upon these past couple months with ying and yang in mind. I learned a lot about remodeling; and, since Earl and I plan one more home, it was time well spent. At the same time, there are things I would do differently, which is probably always the way it is unless you plan to repeat what you just learned without deviation. I’m not capable of that.

So what do I like? I love the look, the skylights that were refurbished, the heated floors, the towel hooks, the toilet paper holders, the colors, the vanities — even though one bathroom is contemporary and the other is traditional. I don’t think I could choose a favorite.

I don’t like that I spent money on things that didn’t live up to my expectations. Like the thermostatic valve in the master bathroom. Or the work of our ceramic tiler who was in too much of a hurry to do a good job, but who was in a great hurry to sell his services.

Remodeling is like childbirth. In the process it’s acutely painful, but you forget the trauma as you return to your home and your normal life. Only now you have an added reason to do your best. Whether it’s a new baby or a new bathroom, you want to rise to the occasion. And Earl and I do.

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

The Worst of 2005

Posted on December 19, 2005

I subscribe to Charles Dickens’ view of the world: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” He was writing about the French Revolution, and I’m writing about 2005. But the basic principles apply; each time is both joyous and disheartening.

I’ve thought about my personal life and tried to recall anything I would put on the “Worst” list. Nothing comes to mind. Which means I’ve led an enchanted twelve months, enjoying family gatherings, personal achievement, and financial security. Oh sure, our bathroom remodeling took eight weeks rather than four; but in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t so bad to have bathrooms suitable for photographing in Architectural Digest.

Our flower gardens didn’t bloom as anticipated, due to the extended drought in southwestern Michigan; but with our sprinkler system they did their best. Mother Nature always holds the trump card.

So why bother with a “Worst” list? Well, for me it’s to recall those things in our society that need attention, maybe even fixing. And this year they include the following, not necessarily in order of significance:

1. Sandra Day O’Connor resigned from the Supreme Court. What’s sad about this is that it may go down in history as a turning point regarding the composition of the Supreme Court.

2. The drought in southwestern Michigan, where I live, caused great havoc for local farmers, many of whom are reeling from previous seasons of inopportune frost and rain.

3. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita sent millions packing. Many are still displaced; but, for the most part, the world has moved on. I guess Andy Warhol was right about everyone’s fifteen minutes of fame.

4. Over 2000 men and women have died in our most recent foray into world politics in the name of democracy.

As I write this, I realize that only one of these things on the list is capable of fixing. The rest seem to be in the realm of natural disasters. But if there are those out there who want to disagree or add to my list, please let me know. 2005 was a wonderful year for me and mine, but I believe the world at large was a more difficult place in which to maneuver.

See more 10 Minutes in category | Leave a comment