5/16/11

Digital Black Thumb


I'm trying not to take this personally.  Just now I tried to open a link I'd sent myself from my iPhone.  Often, when I read things on my iPhone, I send a link to my Microsoft Outlook mail program so that I can print it later.  I just did that, and I got the blaring horn sound and the confounding big red "X" and a message that said:

The operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer.  Please contact your network administrator.

What the f . . .?

These kinds of things happen to me all the time.  Mike is my "network administrator."  He has a master's degree in computer science.  I told him for years that I had a black thumb where computers are concerned.  He always told me it was user error.  But within the past six months, he's started believing me.  Now he just laughs and shakes his head when things go wrong for me.  The truth is that he can sit down at my computer and everything will be working fine.  Then he stands up and I sit down, and everything has gone whacky.

I once knew a woman who had to have a special non-static mat under her chair in the office because everything went kablooey when she touched it.  ("Kablooey" is a technical term meaning, "things previously working now stop working.")  She couldn't wear a digital watch because every one she had ever tried wouldn't keep time on her wrist.  I think whatever evil spell was cast upon her has been cast upon me also.

Fortunately, nothing I'm trying to do is urgent.  In fact, nothing I ever do is urgent.  Having been a social worker in an emergency room, not having things be urgent is a good way to live.  So I guess I'll wait for the master to get home.  He'll be able to fix it.  It'll be fixed until he gets up and I sit down.

6 comments:

Lucky Duck Dreams said...

I feel ya Barbara! Sometimes I think us creative types just see things differently from the geeks who did the programing(probably better) and so confuse our computers. I consider myself pretty computer savy but Im good at crashing stuff.

The Vegetarian Hunter said...

I know the feeling, not with my computer so much - just life in general. I am that girl you see at the grocery store frazzled, hair a mess, purse strap broken and change rolling across the floor. Ah yes, this was me yesterday actually, good times.

Anonymous said...

My geeky (computer degree) daughter just rolls her eyes and says (or types) PLBKAC!! Problem located between keyboard and chair! I tell her it's the PC - it likes her better than it likes me!
Jacque in SC
quiltnsrep(at)yahoo(dot)com

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

I'm definitely technology challenged. As long as it's working great, but don't throw anything out of the ordinary at me. I certainly sympathize with what you are going through.

Kelsey said...

To be fair, even us computer science folk have our computers yell at us all the time - we've just had it happen enough times we know from experience how to try to figure out how to fix it ourselves. ;)

Jo said...

Have faith that you are not alone in this!