Monthly Archives: August 2012

Me and my computer – a love/hate relationship!

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I have been very slow to take on technology.  Part of that is due to the fact that my mind does not seem to think in a fashion that is compatible with a software designer’s way of doing things.  The way I learn best is for someone to show me how, I take notes and then I do it.  If I take this route, and I end up doing it several times, I usually manage to learn the process.  If I have trouble, then I like to find an answer in a book – a book that has pages I can turn and that sits on my bookshelf.

My iPad has aps on it that I have no idea how to use and no idea how to find out how to use them.  I touch buttons and nothing happens.  I’ve stopped purchasing aps.  Unfortunately most computer related information is not in books.  And when I use the help feature it never works for me because my question is not phrased so that the computer understands what I need.  I wish I had a grandchild who could be my computer guru and iPad coach!  I think I would be much further along in my ability to use these tools more effectively.

Idea for the Day: A Notebook for Notes!!!

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You never know what interesting things will come to you via e-mail, Facebook, web surfing, you tube etc.  I’m the person who has every intention of remembering something – but when it comes to actually recalling the specifics, my mind goes blank.

Now I keep a spiral notebook on my computer desk and every time I come across something I want to remember I put it in my book – quotes, web sites that I don’t want to bookmark but I want to remember some day, names of artists I want to “google” some time,  – the list is endless.  Since I’ve started this practice, I have been very happy with the result – Anything I’ve found interesting from the internet is in my notebook.  Occasionally I’ll go through it and re-discover things that I’ve neglected to remember and that I want to explore further.

p.s. – If you use a cell phone or an iPad to explore the web when you are away from your computer, keep colored “stickies” in your pocket or purse. Then when you want to note something  write it on a stickie and later stick it in the notebook for future reference.

Family Dinners:

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When we retired twenty years ago, I made it clear that I did not want the full-time responsibility of meal planning and preparation.  My husband and I have worked out a wonderful way of sharing meal preparation.   We each are responsible for getting our own breakfast and lunch, but we take turns cooking the evening meal for a whole week at a time.

The week that we cook we are responsible for everything – shopping, cooking and clean-up.  This approach has so many benefits – the week you don’t cook you are a guest in your own home.  We both agreed at the onset that the “cook” was not obligated to prepare “gourmet fare”.  On a busy day one could rely on “take-out”, “eat-out” or pantry foods such as scrambled eggs, tuna sandwiches or even a TV dinner or cereal!!

I find that the week I cook, it becomes a lot more fun because it feels like I am starting a fresh page for the week’s meals.  The week that I am in charge, I “own” the kitchen including the pantry and refrigerator, left-overs etc.

With this approach I really enjoy cooking because I know I don’t have to do it all the time. I’ve become much more adventuresome in trying out new recipes because I am more willing to invest extra time in meal planning and shopping.

Corn-on-the-cob:

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Recently I learned a really fun way to cook corn on the cob:

  1.   Rinse the unshucked ear of corn.
  2. Chop off the stem leaving the husk whole.
  3. Place the whole ear in the microwave and cook for 4 minutes.
  4. Using a heat-proof glove (like ov-glove) remove the steaming ear.
  5. Hold it upright – stem end on the counter, and pluck off the husk.  Everything comes off – even the silk.  It’s such a great technique.
  6. The corn tastes really “corney” – especially with a little salt and butter!  YUM!