Ginny had a neat quote:
Smooth water does not make a skillful kayaker.
That’s my attitude towards life, especially lately. I’m focusing on developing my skills.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Jo Malone’s quote:
There is something magical about beginnings, about the challenges that come with territory not yet conquered, about being the underdog. I think Iād far rather stand at the beginning of something, looking up, rather than at a summit, looking down.
That quote doesn’t apply to me. I’m not interested in conquering anything…I want to keep developing my skills.
I thrive on having a certain amount of challenge in my life but I usually don’t have to look for them, they come to me. Andy and I keep saying,
Every time we turn around there’s something new to deal with.
For instance I didn’t get quite enough sleep Wednesday night, so I was planning to take a quick nap when I got back from the dentist Thursday afternoon. I wanted to be refreshed when Andy tackled his software problem that evening.
Instead our new answering machine came. Our old one had given up the ghost and we had missed some calls before we could replace it. No problem. It was the same model, what could go wrong?
So I plugged it in and phoned using my cell phone. Instead of getting the answering machine’s message I heard a female voice saying my phone number couldn’t receive calls. So I phoned tech support and actually got a good technician. She had me try some things and then did some good trouble shooting. She said she would phone twice. Just count the number of rings the phone made for the first call, then immediately answer the second one so I could talk to her. It rang three times for the first call even though the answering machine was set for four. Apparently my phone company was trying to switch me to voice mail after three rings but I don’t have that set up. So I switched the answering machine to pick up after two rings and everything should have been fine.
It seems to be working here, but when Kaitlin tried phoning last night she got the female warning and our phone hung up. We think that’s a problem on her end. Modern technology can be complicated!
Anyway, Andy did work on his problem Thursday evening. He needed a little help finding a couple of things on his PC at first. I had taken a couple of hours to poke around and get a feeling for where things were, so I was able to get him started and he actually got his software to work. It was a Windows 10 problem, not his software, so he’s back in business. That’s a big relief…I’m thrilled he could do it.
Okay, so then all we had to do is go was up to the land today to deal with our new modem and internet provider, right? Not quite. Our power went off for about two hours last night, from shortly before 8 until almost 10. After it came back on I ordered new batteries for our flashlights and another answering machine, to have as backups for the future.
Also my backup power supply had given up the ghost, so this morning I spent some time reading about what to replace it with. I tried to balance what would be most apt to give us some internet service with how heavy the device was. Weight is one thing we always have to look at now.
Is this a fascinating subject? Do I understand what’s going on? No, but I made a guess and will see what happens. Are these the kinds of challenges Jo Malone is talking about? Do I get excited by them? Certainly not at first. I usually groan but focus on staying relaxed and getting curious.
Will I ever have the chance to get to a summit and look down? No, and I’m not interested in that. I’m focusing on
Stay curious and open to life. No matter what happens keep learning and growing.
That works best for me.
October 23, 20121
maybe it’s how you’re looking at things!
I feel like you reached THREE different summits! LOL!
I’m rediscovering the reading of Thor Heyerdal’s Kon Tiki and loving it!
a big secret to enjoying Life is staying interested. š xoxo
Yes, the quality of our lives depends on how we focus our energy and our attention. š
Well, you take the quote “It’s always something” to new heights! You have such a great attutude, and I agree with it. I don’t want to conquer anything, just to learn from my mistakes and adventures. I hate having to figure out a new phone. thanks for posting my quote! And now, have you heard? Windows Eleven is here! I dread it.
I’ve heard that. š I don’t use Windows but Andy needs it for two of his programs.
I LOVE THIS POST! you and I share a lot of the same traits, and this curiosty and desire to conquer new devices and old devices is one of them. I fuss a lot when I get something like your answering machine, but actually enjoy trying to learn about it, not the part talking to a tech. i am both dreading and looking forward to windows 11. when they put out 10 I dove on it the week they offered, it is now staring me in the face on my new all in one desk top. I am with you, don’t care to climb summits but I do love to conquer tech stuff. each time something new pops up, like my chromebook, my phone, i spend hours poking it to see what I can find. and I like the fact I can ask my devices how and where to fix things and the answers pop up and I follow the instructions..
I don’t think of it as conquering as much as expanding my knowledge and skills. It’s more of a gigantic jigsaw puzzle that I will never finish but it’s exciting to put some pieces together. Today I tried turning on the router that comes with my modem down here. I set up a new Wi Fi network, but I get the warning that it’s not secure so I disabled it.
My usual router has WPA3 and the modem has only WPA2. The modem has the latest upgrades so I’ll leave the subject for now, but I’ll keep it in mind in case I get more information later. I don’t know what the difference is between WPA2 and WPA3, but that can wait.
I agree with Ginny! Truth be known, I’m cowed by new technology. Computers or cars — I don’t care what goes on underneath; I just expect it to operate. No doubt, people are becoming rich due to folks like me.
I’m that way about cars. Andy takes care of them, I do the IT. I think gadget makers make a lot more money from those of us who buy their toys. š
I agree with staying curious and open to life and to keep on learning things but I also need to reach the summit every now and then to get a sense of satisfaction for my efforts š
I get excited and happy when I learn something new, write a post that works, or solve a problem. But I also like that it’s not a one-time thing. It’s part of a huge, ongoing experience. For instance, I archive all of my posts so I have easy access to them. It’s fun to keep adding.
I always was curious…would have loved having google when I was young. I have a love/hate thing with new things now. I try to read and find out all about whatever it is…
I know, I was hungry for something like the internet when I was young. That’s why I appreciate it so much now.
I bumble along…
The trick is to enjoy the bumbling. š