the tech support conversation
i blame it all on the senior center. i blame them for giving old folks access to computers. and for teaching them barely enough mad computer skillz to get them addicted. and for telling them that DSL is available in their area and it’s really, really cheap…
yes, my mom now has DSL.
yes, i set up one of my computers, at her house, to use.
why YES, i AM my mothers tech support.
2AM . MONDAY MORNING . ANSWERING THE PHONE . YES I WAS STILL UP .
me: hullo?
mom: the screen’s all black!
me: what? oh. just move the mouse or hit the space bar.
mom: it’s not working! nothing’s working!
me: reboot it. i mean, push the big button on the box thing.
mom: o.k.
me: [waiting.waiting.waiting] i thought you were going to bed?
mom: i was, but i thought i’d play some more solitaire…
me: is it ok now?
mom: umm, yes. which name do i click on?
me: doesn’t matter. just click one.
mom: right click or left click?
me: uh, left click.
mom: it’s not doing anything!
me: double-click it then.
mom: oh. okay. wait! it’s all blue!
me: what do you mean, it’s all blue?
mom: it’s all BLUE! the picture is gone!
me: WHAT picture?
mom: the one with the blue hills, that we changed from the ugly green thing…
me: oh, okay, we can find it again. right click on the desktop…, the desktop is the screen, where all the little picture/icon things are…, where your blue hills are supposed to be…
mom: where on the desktop?
me: ANYwhere…
mom: right click or left click?
me: RIGHT click. do you see a menu, i mean, a little box?
mom: yes.
me: click on the word PROPERTIES.
mom: right click or left click?
me: left click. click on the tab that says DESKTOP.
mom: right click or left click?
me: right click, I MEAN LEFT CLICK!
mom: o.k. i see a picture of the screen but the blue hills are not on it…
me: no, no, i KNOW. i don’t remember the name of the blue hills picture. just click on some of the names in the little white box under the picture … of the screen thing …
mom: right click or left click?
right click or left click. right click or left click. such a simple thing.
so why am i so confused??
i SO feel your pain.
I have that problem with one of my closest friends. He’s almost 40 but he’s never really used a computer. Sometimes I get calls from him asking me to tell him how to send email.
Technology. I love it so much but I hate it at the same time.
By the way, I scared Zakk the other day because I told him about my shirt that says “No, I Will Not Fix Your Computer” and he said “dude… my mom has that coffee mug!!!!”
I must be psychic.
My computer’s name is “Thumper” (taken from a cpu fan incident). Why do i have the feeling that the one you gave dear old mum will soon be known as “Pandora’s Box”? Poor Ratty.
I tried to teach my Mom “Word”….I finally gave up….the net would have been the end of me…