OH, THE DRAMA OF A NEW PHONE!

I am not one to get “obsessed” with technology. But I got a new phone this weekend, and have literally not stopped playing with it since I brought it home. Well, maybe “playing with it” is not the correct choice of words. Perhaps it’s more like, I don’t know, trying to figure out how to make a telephone call and send a simple text. And then moving on to the next step of trying to import my Outlook contacts into the phone, which I was ASSURED by SEVERAL salespeople that it was an extremely easy process to do. Lastly, putting my music and photos on.

So let’s start at the beginning: making a call. Okay, I exaggerated on this one. Yes, once I figured out how to bring up the dial pad, I was good there. Then texting. Nope, kept getting an error code. Well, I decided to skip that and move onto getting my contacts in there. Hmmm, didn’t see anything in the book on importing anything from Outlook. Okay, got my emails set up, but my contacts aren’t in my email accounts. Kept reading, but no, nothing there. So I decided to wait until morning and call them.

I was on the phone with Sprint for (and I am NOT making this up NOR am I exaggerating on this one) OVER 2 hours. The end result? After going up FOUR levels of technical support, I finally got my texting fixed, and I found out (now get this) that there actually is NO WAY to import anything from Microsoft Outlook. Really! The only thing I can do is export my contacts to my newly set up Google account (which you must have for these new Android phones, because Google actually designed the software) and then Google’s address book will sync with my phone.

Now truly, this is a pretty easy process, but WHY did the salespeople tell me it could be done directly from Outlook and WHY did it take 4 technical support reps to come up with this solution? One of the reps actually even conferenced in Samsung, the maker of the phone! (Which, by the way, I thought was very service-oriented of him to try to find a possible solution for me. Who would have thought that the Samsung rep would know even less about the phone than the Sprint rep?)

Okay, so I get over that hurdle, and attempt my music. Coming from the iPod world, I’m a little worried, and sure enough, I can’t figure out how to manually transfer songs from iTunes to my phone. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that all my music was also in my Microsoft Media Player. No playlists, but at least it’s all there. I’ll work on playlists later.

Lastly, I try to put photos on, but find I’ve already run out of memory. Crap! So now I have to get a larger SD card and pray that when I change cards, I don’t lose everything that’s on there already. Maybe I’ll call them to ask them to walk me through it. Any guesses on how long I’ll be on the phone?

Oh, and by the way, if you call or text me and I don’t answer, sorry. I haven’t learned my new ring tones yet!

Karen

SO WHAT ARE YOU REALLY THANKFUL FOR?

I know this time of year we’re supposed to reflect upon all the things that we are thankful for, like our health, our families, etc, etc, etc. Not that I’m not thankful for these things, but I want to dig a little deeper and confess what I’m REALLY thankful for.

Here goes:

1. Saturday Morning Cartoons. I know, you’re thinking that those have been around forever. Well, not in my world, they haven’t. We weren’t allowed to watch cartoons in the mornings like everybody else in the world. Really! So to me, snuggling with my kids in bed on a Saturday morning, watching cartoons, is a real treat!
   
2. On-Line Banking. I admit it – I’m REALLY bad at paying bills. So the fact that I can wait until the very last minute and send it off via the internet and know that it will get there on time is a HUGE relief!
   
3. Drive Thru Pharmacies. I’ll admit this one, too – I’m really lazy! If I can accomplish an errand without actually leaving my car, I’m all for it.
   
4. Social Media. WOW, what a great place to meet new friends, find old friends, and market my book. I am amazed at how many really good friends I have on sites like Twitter whom I have never met, and probably never will, but we’d probably do almost anything for each other. And I’m thrilled at finding some friends from years and years ago on Facebook. They were never forgotten, but I certainly never thought they’d be in my life again. So, so glad they are (you know who you are, especially my Central School buds!).
   
5. Washable Markers and Paints. Need I say more?
   
6. Roomba (Robotic Vacuum). I HATE to vacuum, but now I can do it every day without lifting a finger. How awesome is that? DH programmed it, and it runs every morning at 9:00 am. Every so often it escapes where it’s supposed to be and picks up something it shouldn’t, but to occasionally look for it under a couch is a small price to pay!
   
7. Digital Cameras. Kids (and husbands) can take as many pictures as they want!
   
8. Mindless Books. When I read, I don’t want to learn anything. I just want to be taken away into a mystery or a steamy romance or a comedy. (Yes, I’m a book slut!) The most I want to think about is Whodunit or Whosgonnadoit? And there are PLENTY of books that fit the bill on this one!
   
9. Craig’s List. As long as you can avoid the scammers, it’s a great place to buy and sell. Especially those non-returnable impulse buys!
   
10. But, of course, all kidding aside, I’m thankful for my awesome family (yes, that includes my sisters and my girlfriends who are like sisters to me!), our good fortune and our good health. I never, ever lose sight of how truly lucky we are.
    

Karen

Tuesday Tidbit- Uh, oh.

It is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I would like to be able to tell you that I have it all together. I would like to be able to tell you that I have all my grocery shopping done, that the house is nearly clean and I'm baking my pies ahead of time. I would like to be able to tell you that I have THE BEST recipe for turkey, but I can't because I lost it. No, I can't talk about it nicely yet.

What I will tell you is this. Here it is, my big, grand, great, fabulous, cure-all advice that will save the day for those gathering at my house for Thanksgiving. . . .

If Momma is in the kitchen with the apron AND the tiara on, don't go in. Even if she calls you. If she calls you a second time, you might peek around the corner, but only if you are wearing protective headgear. And a shield. Better yet, just wear full tactical gear until the meal is on the table. And afterwards offer to help clean up.

Seriously, now, it's not that bad. I'm a little overwhelmed with putting the house back together as DH insisted that the new carpet (which I, admittedly, absolutely Love! Love! Love!) installed the Monday before Thanksgiving. And I just tallied up an extra six guests for dinner (but since it IS my sister, it's perfectly wonderful). And I still have to find time to swing by the mall before my VS coupon for free underwear expires on Friday, and you know I am not going anywhere NEAR the mall on Friday. But having my apron and tiara on, well, just helps me put it all in perspective.

To all the women in charge of preparing the house and meal this coming Thursday, I say, do what you need to do to help yourself along. If that means it's a tiara and apron, go for it. If it entails buying the extra pie instead of baking it, I give you permission. If you need to let the phone ring off the hook and not answer it until this coming Saturday, by all means, please do. If you happen to be a man preparing and cleaning, the tiara and apron is not as advisable. . . but hey, I'm willing to have an open mind here.

Whatever you need to do, just remain thankful and all will be well.

Yours, wishing you the happiest Thanksgiving,

Melissa

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

An amazing thing happened to me the other day. My sister and I were having lunch at Ghengis Grill, which is one of those places (in case you don’t have one where you live, because if you do have one and have never been there, you are CRAZY!) where you fill up your bowl with a protein and veggies and pick a sauce and a carb, and they stir fry it all up for you. (Mmmm, I think it’s time to go back already!)

We were taking a while in line because, of course, we were talking about everything except what we were putting in our bowls, when we realized that there was a gentleman being very patient in back of us by himself. So we offered to let him go ahead, but he said it wasn’t a big deal and stayed behind us. Now my sister and I can make conversation with just about anybody, so of course that’s what we did. We chatted with him for the 3 or 4 minutes we were in line, and that was that.

Or so we thought.

When we asked for the check, our waitress told us that our lunch had already been taken care of by somebody who wished to remain anonymous. We were floored. Frankly, we had already forgotten about the nice man in line, but we asked her if it was him. She wasn’t supposed to tell us, but since we didn’t know him anyway, she confirmed that he was the one.

WOW!

I mean, how wonderful to be a recipient of a random act of kindness. I absolutely must “pay it forward” and do the same for another, so hopefully I will recognize the opportunity when it presents itself to me.

So THANK YOU to the wonderful, anonymous man who showed us what true kindness looks like!

Karen (and her sister, Margee)

Friday Funny-Thanksgiving Baking Gone Awry

In light of the Thanksgiving Holiday, I feel it is my duty to call to mind one of my absolute favorite kid stories. It's probably one of my favorites because unlike most of my stories, I was actually a spectator in this one. For me, it was PK (prekids). So, forgive me if I am repeating this story, but I laugh at it every single time.

My older sister and her husband came over to be with the family for a little while as my mother was baking her traditional pies for the Thanksgiving meal. After all, what would Thanksgiving be without chocolate pie, cheesecake pie, pumpkin pie pecan pie, and the family favorite, coconut cream pie. We were all gathered in the kitchen, talking and playing with their son, who was all of 2 1/2 while mom was baking her wonderfully flawless pies.

Now, my nephew, being their first child, was being schooled by his father in all things male. As I said, being their first child, it is easy to see how one would not think about the possible ramifications of schooling him in such a fashion. His current word that he had been taught (and I have no idea what lead up to this lesson, nor do I think I WANT to know) was "kahonies". /Kuh- HOHN- ays/ as in, yes, those male body parts. Apparently, there had been some issue earlier in the week and my DBL (Dear Brother-in-Law) felt that was an appropriate lesson to learn. Now that I am eight+ years down the parenting path, I can see why this might have been an option.

Back to the pies. In the interest of keeping my nephew entertained while all the pies were being baked, DBL began juggling a few oranges that had been sitting on the table. My mother had just filled and covered the chocolate and pumpkin pies. Mind you, they were beautiful and perfect. My nephew was watching with great intent, as my DBL, dressed in sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt, was juggling those oranges. Now, who knows what goes through a little boys mind, and how they connect things, but as DBL was juggling those oranges, my sweet, precious nephew toddles up to him, reaches up his little hand, grabs onto DBL area and TWISTS, all the while saying "KaHONAYS!" as if having a true revelation as to what they really were.

Immediately, the oranges being juggled got a boost into the air as DBL's hands went to the area of pain and he doubled over. All three oranges landed, leaving permanent dents in mom's beautiful pies. All we could do was laugh at DBL as he recovered in a heap in the floor. My mother, in fact, laughed so hard that she fell off the swivel chair and broke it.

The moral of the story: Be very careful which words you teach your little boy. You just never know what the ramifications will be. (This includes me teaching him the word"Fathead", but that's another story for another day).

Yours, still giggling so many years later!

Melissa

Thursday Thoughts-Simplifying Thankfulness

Thankfulness is defined by Wikipedia as a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. Webster's dictionary defines it as conscious of benefit received. In today's society, it's so easy to be flippant or jaded and not recognize things for which we can truly be grateful.

Can you imagine living in the 1800's? Think about taking a full three months to travel across the States- by wagon nonetheless. How about living without air-conditioning? Central heat? Internet? Cell phones? How about knowing that if it really comes down to it, if you needed a meal, you could find a friend who would be more than willing to help out. At the absolute least, there are many government and charitable programs that are willing to feed those in need. (BTW, please see Karen's Monday post if you are interested in helping out a family with Thanksgiving dinner this year).

I know that we are in rough economic times. We can find plenty of things to complain about. But if you have a friend to your name, a family member that loves you, a place to lay your head, you have something to be thankful for. If you're reading this post, you are a literate, breathing human being, with at least an elementary education (which is more than a lot of African and Southeast Asian Cultures get) and you are breathing in and out. And that is something for which to be simply thankful.

Yours, getting down to the basics of thankfulness,

Melissa

I JUST WANNA HAVE FUN!

The other day, Melissa and I were working, checking out templates for our new, and hopefully improved, website. I started playing around on one of them (you know how when you run your arrow over a menu selection, it makes a funny noise and gets bigger or something?) and she looked at me (with love in her eyes!) and said “You’re such a child!”

I took that as a huge compliment, but I’m really pretty sure she didn’t mean it completely like that!

Let me share one very important fact with you: Melissa is still in that Thirty-something stage (youngster!), while I am deep into my Forty-something stage. I only mention that because here is one thing I have observed about how we age:

• When we are in our teens, we think we know everything and we can’t wait to grow up.
• When we are in our twenties, we realize we knew NOTHING while in our teens. We are feeling very grown up now because we have real jobs and our own apartments and pay our own taxes now. However, we actually feel we have some insight, perhaps because we work with older (ahem – in their thirties!) people who are much more tied down, so we realize that now is the time to have fun. And we do!
• Suddenly, we are the ones in our thirties, and realize that we knew NOTHING in our twenties. We have families and mortgages and pets and mini-vans. We chide ourselves for wasting time by having had TOO much fun in our twenties, and try to compensate by being VERY grown up. Sometimes it seems that the word FUN is rarely in our vocabulary anymore. Okay, I’m exaggerating, but there are times that it seems as though we are so busy trying make something of ourselves, that we tend to have tunnel-vision.
• Then we’re in our forties. Maybe our kids are older, maybe we waited to have families until we were older ourselves, maybe life just threw us a curve ball or two. But by now our life experiences have taught us that we need to have more fun! We know that we don’t know everything, and we know that we never will. We’re learning (hopefully) how to prioritize the big things in life, and how not to “sweat the small stuff.”

As my brilliant (she made me say that!) sister said, “We are not childish, we are child-like.” And I think that’s a great way to be!

Karen