Saturday, April 21, 2007

Techno-Klutz

I know I am not an unintelligent woman, so why is it when I decide to do a class involving a computer everything goes wrong? (or at least it feels that way).

I have a desktop computer and the requirements for this Print Magic class by Anna Williams included a laptop. My excellent friend Janice agreed that I could borrow hers. The laptop duly arrives at my house and, being the 'Brownies Be Prepared" person I am, I decided to check out how to turn it on. Simple? Not when I am around. It crashed and suffered symptoms that He of Honey Bunch Fame called "blue screen death". Pace around the room. Worry. Gulp - Gasp - Panic! What am I going to say to Janice? Frantic text messages, emails and phone call result in the response, "Don't worry, you haven't killed it, it has got a fault." Phew! However I won't be able to use it this weekend. Okay, stop the panic.

Next day ring The Cloth Shop. They are busy and the phone goes to voice mail. Leave a message. Ring the tutor to say I won't have a laptop as promised. It's alright, I can use her husband's. Calm prevails.

First day of the class today and I insert the CD of photo images I have taken of the Wintergardens (there being not even a pale imitation of any kind of flowers at my house - I gave up even pretending to garden years ago.) The said CD was 'burned' under the careful tutorage of He of (you know the rest). NOTHING THERE! That will teach me to check the CD after burning, won't it. The very well organised tutor has images she has taken on CD if we want to use hers. Thank you Anna, these little things are why you are a great tutor.

I'm chugging along nicely with the borrowed image and I decide to take some photos of the class in progress (so I have something to blog about.) I take 3 photos and the batteries run out. Guess where the spares are? So no photo of what I have done so far. Maybe tomorrow?

Here are some of the ladies in the class. On the right Katherine, owner of The Cloth Shop, and one of the students are peering intently at the printer to make sure it doesn't throw a hissy fit:

The yummy lunch made up for all the frustrations:

I wish I could say this is my work, but I can't. These are the work of our fabulously patient tutor, Anna.

7 comments:

Janice said...

oh, dear Helen! what frustrations heaped on frustrations! never mind, it does look as if the lunch was fabulous consolation. I've never seen such a nicely served lunch at a workshop! And the examples of Anna's work are excellent. Are they fractured and then printed as one piece or are they fractured, printed and sewn together?

meggie said...

That must be a very interesting workshop!
And yes, the lunch does look yummy!LOL.

Tanya said...

Well, learning stimulates the brain and headaches give the aspirin people something to smile about.

atet said...

Ouch -- I admit that I love technology but at times, like when you have a day (or two) like yours I question whether or not I like it quite so much. Things seemed simpler when we didn't have so many things to make our lives "easier".

Glad to see that despite the techno-glitches you still had a wonderful workshop!

YankeeQuilter said...

That looks like a wonderful workshop! Love the photos! Sometimes I just get techno-tired...

YankeeQuilter said...

That looks like a wonderful workshop! Love the photos! Sometimes I just get techno-tired...

Diana said...

Sorry to hear about all the computer glitches. Don't despair about the CD. My computer-savy son tells me that this happens--sometimes you can't play a burned CD on another computer.

I love those fractured pictures.