small change BIG CHANGE

It’s funny how a minor decision can cause major changes! (The best example of this may be the small decision not to wear a condom!)

Those of you who know me well understand that I am old school, for the most part. I listen to CDs from the ‘90s, I have a television which is not HD, I read books which I buy from an actual book store, I enjoy VHS tapes, I prefer PC to MAC, etc.

I truly believe that technology will cause us to lose basic life skills. Before cell phones, everyone had his or her own mental rolodex, consisting of hundreds of phone numbers. Now, the only numbers I remember are the ones from the past. I couldn’t tell you anyone’s cell phone number. (I can barely recall my own!)

I refused to signup facebook or twitter, but I want to establish a writing career, so I was forced to join the social media sites. Just like I expected, I can’t live without my phone. (How would I be able to forgive myself if I didn’t read the latest status update or tweet? No fucking way? I can’t believe OOMF did that! *It’s a twitter thing!*)

These new phones are magnificent, but make sure to keep a charger close by. My phone’s battery lasts about 23 minutes—half hour on a good day. (I have a charger by my bed, a charger connected to my desktop, a charger in the living room, a car charger, and one at work!) I can remember a time when having a flip phone with a caller ID window on the front was BOSS!

I have made a couple references about my displeasure with Comcast. Don’t get me wrong, the service is great. On-demand is wonderful and the NFL Red Zone channel is unmatched, but I was pissed because my receiver turned off whenever it felt like. I am the type to put up with a lot, so I didn’t do anything about the problem for several months; I just learned to accept the fact that I received a malfunctioning box.

There was an answer, DirecTV. I thought this would be a minor change, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Overall DirecTV is great. There are the days when a heavy rain will knock out the connection, but I had a horrible Comcast box so I am used to the inconvenience.

I own a dinosaur. Not an actual dinosaur, I am talking about my desk top. It is old and slow, and I call it Computersaurus Rex. I have an older version of windows with non of the latest perks. I actually used Computersaurus Rex to write my first novel—391 pages! (I am extremely proud of my accomplishment!) Computersaurus Rex can only be compared to an old water heater, which takes a long time to provide hot water. I remember watching Seinfeld and listening to Jerry describe the quirks of his old apartment. Elaine was spending the weekend, apartment-sitting for Jerry, and he said, “Before you take a shower, turn on the hot water, leave the apartment and run all of your errands, when you come back the water will be hot.” Computersaurus Rex is the same way! (I also have an old printer which was top of the line when I purchased it, but now it takes about two minutes to print one page. I wonder if my old typewrite still works? It was the best—the typewriter came with a delete button! That was big; no need for white out!)

In today’s fast pace world, Computersaurus Rex needs to be in the scrap heap, but I love the old machine. “Why are you talking about your computer?” I’ll tell you. Comcast was our previous Internet provider, and Computersaurus Rex was the home computer, which controlled the wireless. When we made the switch to DirecTV, the wireless location was changed. I have all of the necessary products, but Computersaurus Rex is unable to connect to the Internet.

For several days, I had to adjust my writing procedure. Instead of using Computersaurus Rex to write and post my blog entries, I had to ask my brother to use his laptop, for the uploading. I eventually gave in and purchased a laptop. I wasn’t looking for anything fancy; just Microsoft Word and an Internet connection. Did I stop using Computersaurus Rex for writing? HELL NO! I’m old school!

I currently write on Computersaurus Rex, then save the document on a DOK. (Disk On Key. It is an old school USB drive with only 8mb of space. I bet most of you didn’t even know they came that small.) I copy the document from the DOK and use my new laptop to upload the blog entry. I just can’t seem to type on the new laptop; the keys are way to sensitive and so is the mouse. I constantly click on objects by mistake. I once attempted to type on a MAC and I felt like an eighty-seven year old man. I simply don’t like change. (You guessed it, I am currently typing this entry on my old friend.) I honestly don’t think I will ever get rid of Computersaurus Rex! The dinosaur will have to stop working for me to stop using it as my primary writing tool.

I made the small change from Comcast to DirecTV, and I lost the Internet connection to my old friend. He’s just not the same anymore! A small change led to a BIG CHANGE!

I have many idiosyncrasies which people may find un-cool, but I love learning and I love challenging myself. If one was to open any of my old notebooks, he or she would discover several lists of U.S. states and capitals. “Why?” Because I like to test my self and find out how many I can remember!

I’ll try it one more time for old time sakes. (Play along—See how many you can get!)

1. Massachusetts, Boston
2. Florida, Tallahassee
3. Connecticut, Hartford
4. New Hampshire, Concord
5. Maine, Augusta
6. Vermont, Montpelier
7. Rhode Island, Providence
8. Idaho, Boise
9. Louisiana, Baton Rouge
10. Illinois, Springfield
11. New York, Albany
12. Montana, Helena
13. Mississippi, Jackson
14.  Missouri, Jefferson City
15. California, Sacramento
16. Arizona, Phoenix
17. New Mexico, Santa Fe
18. Wyoming, Cheyenne
19. New Jersey, Trenton
20. Delaware, Dover
21. Georgia, Atlanta
22. Tennessee, Nashville
23. Kentucky, Lexington – Frankfurt (I never remember this one either!)
24. Iowa, Sioux City – Des Moines (I can’t believe I couldn’t remember Des Moines!)
25. Michigan, Lansing
26. Indiana, Indianapolis
27. Washington, Seattle – Olympia (How is it not Seattle?)
28. Oregon, Salem
29. Hawaii, Honolulu
30. Alaska, Juneau
31. Alabama, Montgomery
32. Nevada, Carson City
33. Colorado, Denver
34. Utah, Salt Lake City
35. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg
36. Maryland, Annapolis
37. Virginia, Richmond
38. West Virginia, Charleston
39. North Dakota, Bismarck
40. South Dakota, Pierre
41. South Carolina, Columbia
42. Ohio, Columbus
43. North Carolina, Raleigh
44. Kansas, Kansas City – Topeka (I always forget this one!)
45. Texas, Austin
46. Oklahoma, Oklahoma City
47. Minnesota, St Paul
48. Nebraska, Lincoln
49. Wisconsin, Madison
50. Arkansas, Little Rock

96% I didn’t cheat, but it definitely took me twenty minutes to remember Arkansas, which is ridiculous since Arkansas plays in the SEC with the Mighty Florida Gators!

Post your results in the comment section if you decide to play along!

These are the types of activities that keep me from ever being bored!

@PeteTeix617