Technically Challenged Or Just Stupid

Today's story will come as no surprise to the people that really know me. And for the people who read it, and didn't already know me that well...don't feel bad for me. Don't feel sorry for me. And please, don't stop being  my friend because I am going to portray myself as stupid or inept. I may need your help one day. Please don't leave me.

I wondered if my friend Debbie would tell this story today. She could have. We discussed it. But as dually sad and entertaining as her story may have been, it would not be the complete story. The whole story of Michelle, The Technically Challenged Woman. The story is really about me and machinery in general. Not necessarily just computers and the Internet. No, I'm a lawnmower kicker from way back. It won't crank. It won't start. It wants to choke down. Solution..Kick it.  Back when people had televisions with antennas and the picture would be snowy or have squiggly lines through the picture....Smack it.

I have several stories. I'm not sure which one is going to be the most convincing. Perhaps I should start with my second real job. The year was 1986. It was a local finance company. A company with computers and fax machines. Neither of which had I had any exposure. The computer was difficult enough. But I learned. The fax machine however, threw me for quite a loop. We had several local vendors who used our company to finance their products for their customers. The object of the fax machine was to send the applications via it, to the vendor.

Well, it was my first time in ever using a fax machine. It was explained to me. I understood. I thought. So it began. I sent the application through, went and sat down. Ten minutes later, I came back by the fax machine. There it was again. Hmm....so I sent it through again. Took a payment from a customer. Went back to the fax machine, and there it was again. Strange. I know I sent it off. The phone rings, it is Bootsie, from the Cotton Gin. One of our air conditioner vendors. She asked me was I sending that application over. I said, yes, I'm trying to..she said well you are, stop, I've gotten it three times now. I hung up the phone confused. My manager asks me what that was all about. I told her I had kept sending the application to Bootsie, but it kept coming back out. So I thought she wasn't getting it. Yes....somewhere in my simple mind, I guess I thought the paper was supposed to GO THROUGH OUR MACHINE TO HERS....FROM ALBANY GEORGIA TO TIFTON GEORGIA. Please don't ask me why. I do not know.

Three weeks ago my Facebook account was hacked. I needed to change my password...according to my very wonderful, and patient friend, Debbie Kincaid-Carboni.  Well, bless her soul, she had to walk me through every step of that. One set of written instructions was not enough, she had to repeat herself several times. Poor Debbie.

This brings us to today. Today she was my INSANE friend. Because if I could not get something as simple as changing a password across to someone...I sure wouldn't have attempted anything more difficult. NEVER, would I have offered or made the suggestion.

Debbie Kincaid-Carboni "attempted" to help me via written direction on my FB email, how to get my Blog to run on my profile news feed. Well, her first mistake was thinking I was ever capable of understanding Internet terms and their uses. The directions she gave me were great. The problem was, I was trying to adhere those directions to my Blog itself, instead of Facebook. Which does not work. BECAUSE IT'S A FACEBOOK FUNCTION.  I finally had to ask her to call me. To help me. We were both laughing and giggling at my obvious stupidity.  I mean...even on the phone..I had a problem understanding. I'm not sure how many of you may know the term URL and what it means....but I...did not.

People like me should stick to the basics. Nothing extra. Nothing fancy. Just the basics. God bless my friends. God bless anyone who has ever tried to help me. Tried to help me with my cell phone, which I can barely answer. My spreadsheets at work which I am not allowed to update or touch. My bestie Stacey Mayo takes control of all that. I simply stand next to her and provide the information. My initial FB account that Joshua set up for me. Or the thousands of pictures that Zach had to teach me how to download. We won't even talk about years ago when the rotary dial phones went the way of the cordless. That phones that you can now store information on. Yeah...mine had no numbers stored. Surprised? I know you are not.

Keep it real. Keep it simple. Keep it kindergarten level. For people like me. And I can't guarantee you even then, that I'm gonna get it. And don't ever make the mistake of asking me for help, unless you have something that needs to be smacked or kicked. That..I can do.

copyright © 2011 Michelle Mount Mims