Blogger Craze (or Crazy!)

What am I doing? When I was growing up (in the '60's!), I never dreamed (or would have been able to comprehend) the concept of the Internet, let alone blogging! My days were filled with "nontechnical" stuff like: Bike Riding, Jump-rope, Chinese- Jump-rope, Swinging on Monkey Vines, "Playing" church (when we weren't AT church...Aw, come on, you did that too,right?), Playing Ping-Pong on the kitchen table (since we didn't have a regular PP table, we were "inventive" and modified...worked well!), Singing with my cousins (we always learned the song a'cappella first! The birds were our audience...), and the list goes on....and it does NOT include electrical devices! Mercy, we still had a "party-line" on our telephone until I was in High School!

If you try to explain to your kids that you did not have an ipod, Computer, Cell phone,TV, VCR, DVD, TiVo, Cable, Video games, Wii System or ANY type of personal player, they are amazed! You grew up on Mars, right? Yes, we missed out on this stuff, but in turn, they missed out on ours! Of course, since it was my life, I feel that I was not the one getting the raw deal. Now, if I had all these "gadget" advantages and then they were taken away, I'm sure I would feel differently!

Now that I have "turned on" to the "techie" age, there is no turning back. My older brother brought me a computer (loaded with DOS software, pre-Windows) years ago. Since then, I have been a "Self Taught Computer Geek (STCG)". It has been fun and scary at the same time. Just thinking back....

When I started at the local bank in the early '90's, I went from part-time teller to full-time Bookkeeping Supervisor pretty fast. Also, during the "Year 2000" scare, I manned the "Y2K" Coordinator post...which eventually led me to be the Information Technology Coordinator (IT) for the bank. The astounding part of all this is the fact that I do not have a degree for any of these positions. Thankful God gave me the power to learn quickly....a must if you want to move up in ANY job!

Since leaving the bank and coming to my present post at the CCCOA (local senior center), we have went from having two computers (for Director and Fiscal Officers only....NOT on-line) to having all staff "PC" equipped.

From "no gadgets" to having:

• An Intercom System
• CB Radios in all vehicles (7)
• Voice Mail Telephone System w/Caller ID
  
• Four TV's (one a beautiful 60" flat screen Plasma- wall mounted)
• Stage w/full sound system
• Email
  
• Web Page
  
• Two Laptops
• Fourteen (14) PCs, Five (5) of which are on an open lab for the seniors- ALL Internet ready and networked
  
• Server room bigger than my girl's bedroom growing up. We have server for everything- proxy, mail, storage, backup.....and more!
  

WOW, what changes have been made! Anytime I need a picture, definition, map or just want to know the weather, I can click online for the answers. Pretty soon, the answers will just pop up automatically because the PC will be reading my mind! Shouldn't be too hard, it is smarter than me already! (Brings to mind all the movies like "Rise of the Machines"- Terminator 3).

So, we have arrived in the "Internet" age. Remember how hard it was to get a picture developed? Had to wait for days? I don't even want to "confess" how many "rolls" are at my house "undeveloped". (Alright hubby, I know the sack of film from ____ years ago is still in the closet! Let it go!) Well, the days of waiting for this process is OVER! I can now take a picture, download it and send/print it within minutes!

Now, since we have come thru all the "stages" (email, cell-phone, i pod, i phone...), we have now reached the "blogger state" as I call it. At least it is a new stage for me! I hadn't even started reading "blogs" until my new BF~ LS turned me on to her "GirlyMuse" site (You need to check it out at www.girlymuse.com). She just started in January of this year, and my first "blogging" day was last week....she is the professional, my mentor in this endeavor.

I went to a blogger site yesterday and was totally "ostracized". The language (tech lingo) threw me for a loop. I will have to get a "Blogging 4 Dummies" book to figure this all out (there is one out there, right?).

For now, I am loving the new options coming my way. I do know that, as age dictates, there will come a day when I no longer feel the need to "learn about all the new stuff" out there. I can see myself holding onto an old laptop while everyone is walking around "talking to the air" (because the Internet will be hard-wired to our brain by then!) . I will hold on to my old "antique" the same way others in the past have held onto their 8 track tape players, turn-tables and VCR Players. :)

So here I am, living in a rural area (in WV where EVERYWHERE is rural!), reaching out to anyone, anywhere with my thoughts and "bits of experienced wisdom" on life. Hoping to "find" someone who needs my touch. Jesus told us to be his hands....this is just another way to "reach" out and touch through whatever means provided....technology! May we always use it for good.

"Reach" back to me through the comments section. Let's use all the options/avenues available to us for in this new age. Back to ya....from the STCG:)