Back in the Game 8/15/2012This article has almost nothing to do with being a mother.
Writing has always been something I enjoy. From early on I have found it fairly easy to organize thoughts into sentences and paragraphs I hope communicated a clear message. My ability to quickly take my thoughts and put them out there in a coherent and understandable form greatly improved with the infusion of computers in my life. |
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I am the first to admit my handwriting is terrible (high fourth grade at best) and my spelling is almost as bad. My fifth grade teacher told me my handwriting was so poor because my brain thought too fast and my hand couldn’t keep up. Thank you Mrs. Shilstone – I (even then) happily accepted your diagnosis of my condition and have found comfort in my fast thoughts and messy product ever since. The spelling is more likely genetic (sorry mom). But I’ve been tested and know my phonetic processing is not nearly on level with my other cognitive skills. I learn best by seeing, not hearing. I found out in graduate school my discrepancy (if detected earlier) might have saved me a few years of French. There is a strong correlation between poor spelling and difficulty learning a second language so if your kids are bad spellers think Latin – no one speaks it - or Italian – a much more phonetically straight forward language.
Enjoying a moment with the boys.
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This takes me to my home just over a month ago. The home computer purchased just a year and a half earlier was acting, well strange. It started to all of a sudden shut itself down. Humm, something to look into….tomorrow…. when I have some quiet time. It’s funny (in a now that I look back at it sort of way) how not making the time then cost me so much time later on.
The computer caught something, what I cannot really say. DOS never became my second language although I probably could have handle the abbreviations needed to progress further than I did with French (C: cd\d, Dsdir). |
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When “safety mode” became the only way I could interface with the computer I knew the problem was real. It was at this point the extra time needed for management of the problem really kicked in. I (thankfully) went through my files and copied to an external drive anything I wanted to save (go me!!). I thought it best to be prepared for the worst. But then the strangest thing happened. After a weekend away from home the silly machine started to work again. It felt better, good machine, it just needed a rest.
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Matthew learing the ways of the world
from big brother William.
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Wrong! Whoever was responsible for the bug, virus, malware, or coffee spill that messed up the computer really had a flair for the dramatic. Within two days of the self-heal the computer would not boot up period. All I could see was a blinking light in the upper left corner of the screen,… ugh. I ended up talking to 3 technicians on the phone and shelling out over $100 for their "assistance" and, more importantly, a lovely 4 CD box set from SONY containing the recovery and reinstallation of Windows 7 (MAC people go ahead, have a your gloat moment here). It took a day (while doing multiple loads of laundry) to reinstall the system, as well as all the other programs that had been wiped off the computer (Word for one).
I realized it’s hard to write for a web page without access to the web never mind spell check. So my apologies for the long delay. Do not think it’s because I haven’t had anything grand to say (really though– do I ever?) –it’s because my ample screen time of late has been spend in the painful pursuit of simple function. Sure being a mother cost me in the beginning the time needed to fully recognize the problem I faced. But to be fair it was the human in me that chose to ignore the problem that ultimately cost the most.
I realized it’s hard to write for a web page without access to the web never mind spell check. So my apologies for the long delay. Do not think it’s because I haven’t had anything grand to say (really though– do I ever?) –it’s because my ample screen time of late has been spend in the painful pursuit of simple function. Sure being a mother cost me in the beginning the time needed to fully recognize the problem I faced. But to be fair it was the human in me that chose to ignore the problem that ultimately cost the most.
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Copyright 2012 Motherhood Uncorked
Please do not copy or reproduce without permission.
Links are just fine, though.
Please do not copy or reproduce without permission.
Links are just fine, though.