The instinctual
Fear and wonder of fire
Holds us in a trance.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Trying to learn two new languages at the same time is very frustrating, particularly if you’re already suppose to know one of those languages.
To prepare for a short trip to the states I’m trying to learn how to use a new notepad. In order to pay bills, for example, I’ve got to turn my pop up blocker off. The notepad is trying to explain to me, in what appears to be English, what I’m suppose to do, but it’s pretty clear at times that we’re not understanding each other.
Removing pop up blockers is suppose to be an easy three step process: 1. Open Internet Explorer on your desk top, 2. Under tools, go to internet options, and 3. Go to the privacy tab under pop ups. Sounds like a quick 5 minute process.
About an hour later I finally figured it out.
On my notepad screen is an icon for Explorer. I tap it and it opens to the Internet, but there’s no tool tab. What my computer was refusing to make clear to me, because it thought it must have been obvious, was that two rectangular icons to the left and two icons down, was a nice amber rectangle marked “desktop”. That’s what I was suppose to click on first.
I was told Explorer. I tapped it. If the damned computer really wanted me to tap desktop first I wish it would’ve said so in a language that was clear to me. After bungling the first step way too many times, I was relieved that the following steps were rather quick and painless.
When I try to speak Spanish here, most of the people are at least appreciative enough to smile and try to understand me. But the computer just lets me sit there and stew. I suppose I should be grateful that it’s not laughing at me, at least not out loud.
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