It happened suddenly. One minute we were together, touching, my hands on his body, as close as always, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, signs of dire distress. It sounded like a heave or a deep sigh. But I heard a click in there somewhere as well. Something more than the whirl of a distant fan. I heard danger. I heard Mac’s finally gasp.
And then, after four years together, nine to ten hours a day, seven days a week, for all 52 weeks of the year – half of those trying to work, the other half simply searching together for answers – it was over.
Lately, he was the first thing I reached for in the morning after my husband, who gets up early, was gone. I pulled him off the table and woke him up from his sleep. I demanded that he bring me the New York Times. That was always the start.
High Tech, Low Tech, and On-line Afflictions
Technology
My Privacy Policy
Every website has one...and so should you. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE
the Internet. I make my living because of it. I've been shopping on it
since Day 1. Used AOL before there was a World Wide Web when you had to
dial-up to get on. Being married to someone known in our circle as The
Man – because he can fix any computer problem – leads people to believe
that I'm as tech savvy as he is. People are continuously surprised when
they discover how low-tech I actually am. There seems to be a
disconnect when I explain that I just work on the computer, I don't
understand how it works. Sure, I can install software, program my
iPhone and even add more memory to a machine in a pinch, but when it
comes to setting up an email account, using a Blackberry, texting from
my phone or posting a video to YouTube, I have less knowledge than a
5th Grader.
You won't find me on MySpace, Linked In or Facebook. Partially because
I run three websites and want to have a life away from my
computer...though I love it so... but mainly because I find the idea of
"social networking" more than a little creepy. Is it really social if
you're just typing on a computer by yourself?
The Silence of Summer
With the NBA Finals over (Yeah Celtics!), the Stanley Cup won, March
Madness completed and the race for the Triple Crown decided, we can
finally relax because the demon (a.k.a. the Super Sports Freak) has
subsided…at least for now. Summer is upon us and the only sport we need
to worry about is baseball and no one really cares about the outcome of
these games until Labor Day. Well, except my husband…and millions of
other men around the world.
I had no idea what I was getting into when I married a sports fanatic.
When we were dating it didn’t really seem important. Then when we moved
in together, I realized that if I wanted to spend any quality time with
The Man, I better get interested in the game. Any game. I initially
picked basketball because it seemed to have the least amount of rules
and was over quickly. Of course, my skill at retaining useless
knowledge and obnoxious competitive streak soon had me winning the office pool for March Madness and
using my husband’s vast love for the game to help me pick the right
players for my Fantasy Basketball Team, which I also won. The men in
the pool, i.e. everyone else, were not amused.
I Love Ooma
If you haven’t heard of Ooma, you will soon. I discovered it because I
was sick and tired of paying ATT&T for a landline we rarely ever
used that cost us over $40 a month with no extras. We
didn’t even have call waiting, which was nice for us, but the busy
signal always freaked our friends out. At least they knew we were home
even if they couldn’t reach us.
One day last fall I came across a message on one of my geek boards
about a box that uses your current phone number and phones over the
Internet. More research showed that everyone was talking about Ooma, a
system that seemed to be as popular as Uma Thurman among the nerd
community. I was a bit skeptical until I saw over 75 positive reviews
on Amazon. It seemed this system was exactly what I was looking for.
Unlike Vonage a similar service that has a monthly fee, once you
purchase the Ooma system (about $200), you never have to pay another
phone bill again. That’s right I said NEVER. Plus, getting to keep our
existing home phone number (for a small fee) was essential. We’ve had
it for 12 years and it’s the one number my wife can actually remember.
The iPhone 6: Worth the Upgrade?
I’ve had both the new iPhones for a little over a month and at this point I can safely say they are the best smart phones ever made and if you are eligible for an upgrade I give you the top reasons to pull the trigger adn perhaps get one for someone special (or yourself) this upcoming holiday season:
BATTERY LIFE:
It seemed that battery life was getting worse with each new phone advancement since the original iPhone debuted in 2010. Actually I think it’s more a case of how much we now use these devices to track weather, stocks, activity, traffic, etc. in real time causing the device to be “always on”. With the new 6 and especially the 6+ I’m shocked at how long I can go in my busy day before I even see 25% remaining.
APPLE PAY:
This is going to be huge!!! No more handing my card to someone who now knows my name, number and that “secret” security code on the back!! With Apple Pay you never give up any information, just enter your card numbers into the phone, it secures and stores the info only on the phone, and approves my purchase without anyone else knowing it was me.
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