It started out innocently enough.
Back in the early ‘90s, when I was working as a legal secretary, I was dragged kicking and screaming to the cutting edge of technology. I was telecommuting – a big deal, back then. Taking transcription in the comfort of my own home (most days, in my ‘jammies!) At that point, I knew absolutely nothing about computers except that they had a keyboard that mimicked my old Olivetti typewriter. My husband and I had some pretty fascinating conversations. He would patiently try to explain how the device worked. My eyes glazed over. When he said, “Okay, run the program. . .” I had no idea what he meant! Several times I lost a whole day’s work because I forgot to hit “save”, and the computer, inevitably, crashed. I took it personally. I began to picture myself throwing the damn thing out the second story window, à la Jane Fonda in Julia. It took me about a year to get to the point where I felt reasonably comfortable transcribing my boss’s dictation and sending it back to the office to be printed. As I think about it, it was an amazing process, and for a technophobe like me, it’s even more amazing that I finally got the hang of it.
It’s been some years since I retired from my secretarial duties, but my relationship with my computer has kind of blossomed into – well, into something – but I think it’s more of a weed than a rose.
Looking back, I see that my first computer “high” was when I realized that I could finally write anything – anything at all – no matter how mediocre, and the computer would make it beautiful! Now I disgorged reams of neatly organized, spell-checked, grammatically correct drivel. No longer would I have to toil in my crooked, left-handed long hand on a legal pad, re-write in the margins and erase, then decipher and type them out, then copy them, then store them in a file cabinet. Brilliant! All that busy work: Gone. All that storage space: No longer an issue! More time for writing, less hassle. Abracadabra!
Then, I discovered the joys of e-mail. Wow, what fun! I could stay in touch with friends and family all over the world, let alone all over the country! Even now, I am flabbergasted that I can e-mail back and forth with my sister several times a day! (She is in Beijing as I write this . . . ) A few years ago, my nephew actually e-mailed me from his laptop while riding a donkey somewhere in the wilderness of India. (Don’t try to pin me down on the location. I haven’t the foggiest!!)
At first I thought all of the little acronyms were just annoying, the little pictograms, the J)s, the <3s . . . Then, as if my body had been taken over by zombies, I too found myself adding LOL to every other sentence. LOL!! When I learned ROTFLMAO (rolling on the floor laughing my ass off hahahahahahaha!!), well, I felt I had finally arrived!! “Now I’m in with the in crowd!!!” I silently declared. My current favorite is “IMHO”. . . But why should I translate? (BTW, LOL, everyone knows it’s “in my humble opinion”, I know, right???!)
And the fonts! OMG, the fonts! I could even mimic handwriting – which I did for a long time !!! then got bored and went back 2 printing. And so, the love affair continued. J LOL!!!!!
And – OMG! I discovered “e-cards”!!!!! J) Now I can e-mail “everyone” I know for every possible occasion!!!!! 1- klik, and freinds & family all receive cute little animated greetings 4 XMAS!!!!! BUT WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!!!! Y STOP THERE???? Everyone is Isirh on St. Patrick’s Day! LOL &, IMHO, 0 says “luv” like an e-card for know particular reason – jst 2 say, “XOXOXOXO I <3 U!!!!!!”
Now, I’m “DESPRIT”!!!! LLI come hmoe & all I cn do0 is go to the cPTr and ht “Sned/Receeve”!!!!!!!
Anythgn 4 me?????????!!!!! Pour moi??????????????? YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!J J JsUT 4 J!!!!
OMG – ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!- ASDF A !!!!!!!!!!
Snet frm my Blkbery . . . .
© Robin Munson