by jphilo | Mar 25, 2016 | Top Ten Tuesday
Though she’s a Gloomy Gus, Debbie Downer has a way of making people laugh. So did this personalized Debbie Downer list from March of 2012. Hopefully, it’ll turn you into a Perky Polly on this Fantastic Friday.
10. Spring is way too early this year. See this post for further explanation.
Wah. Wah.
9. It’s been cloudy and rainy. Which is poking holes in my summer drought theory.
Wah. Wah.
8. I caught a cold on the Ides of March. Etu, immune system?
Wah. Wah.
7. I didn’t take out stock in a tissue company before this cold started.
Wah. Wah.
6. My recent upgrade to OS X Lion has not gone as smoothly as Apple promised.
Wah. Wah.
5. iCloud is looming on the horizon.
Wah. Wah.
4. The agent who promised she’d be in touch soon about my proposal still hasn’t.
Wah. Wah.
3. I can now order from the Senior Citizen menu at I Hop.
Wah. Wah.
2. No chocolate since Ash Wednesday.
Wah. Wah.
1. Debbie Downer would be ashamed to post this list, but I’m not.
Wah. Wah.
by jphilo | Nov 12, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
The past week and a half have been chock full of grandma duty and other family fun. So much fun, blogging is on the back burner. Therefore, for the next few days Gravel Road will reprise popular posts from the past. Today’s post first appeared on March 23, 2012. Enjoy!
This March we’ve had lots of good news. A grandchild on the way. Our Ohio kids moving closer to home in August. A sizable tax refund. Even so, I feel like Debbie Downer’s double today. Since I can’t stop the feeling, here are my top ten reasons for being a Debbie Downer when I should be Perky Polly:
10. Spring is way too early this year. See this post for further explanation.
Wah. Wah.
9. It’s been cloudy and rainy. Which is poking holes in my summer drought theory.
Wah. Wah.
8. I caught a cold on the Ides of March. Etu, immune system?
Wah. Wah.
7. I didn’t take out stock in a tissue company before this cold started.
Wah. Wah.
6. My recent upgrade to OS X Lion has not gone as smoothly as Apple promised.
Wah. Wah.
5. iCloud is looming on the horizon.
Wah. Wah.
4. The agent who promised she’d be in touch soon about my proposal still hasn’t.
Wah. Wah.
3. I can now order from the Senior Citizen menu at I Hop.
Wah. Wah.
2. No chocolate since Ash Wednesday.
Wah. Wah.
1. Debbie Downer would be ashamed to post this list, but I’m not.
Wah. Wah.
by jphilo | May 8, 2012 | Top Ten Tuesday
A mere month ago, the phrase “iPad 3” filled my heart with fear and frustration. But now, I am head over heels in iPad <3. How did such an about face happen? This top ten list of things to <3 about an iPad 3 gives you an idea.
10. It’s much easier to wrestle from beneath the airplane seat (where the flight goddesses insist it be placed during take off and landing) than a Mac laptop. The strangers seated beside me – the ones normally elbowed black and blue during the technology retrieval wrestling match – <3 the iPad 3 for this reason, too.
9. The note feature, where I jot down ideas and to-do list items, sends the list to my email box 12 hours later. By then, my 55-year-old brain has forgotten about the list, so the iPad 3 has become my personal assistant.
8. The Kindle app makes it easy to check out library books or order them from Amazon. So far, no matter how hard I try, it’s been impossible to destroy the process!
7. The Kindle feature means it’s also easier to travel light. However, the feature does not help me stay awake at night long enough to read more than a paragraph or two. (Apple research and development people, would you get to work on that?)
6. Fingerprints on the touch screen give the obsessive-compulsive part of my personality something to obsess about. Now if someone would invent a microfiber sleeve cuff, I’ll be set for life. (Another idea for the Apple R & D department.)
5. Going to Apple Store classes with all the other old people determined to get their money’s worth from their new gizmos makes me feel young, since most of them look older than me.
4. Thanks to the iPad 3, the Square app, and the card swiper do-hickey, I can now accept plastic when manning my book table. I haven’t used it yet, but my sister says it’s really easy to use. She said the same thing when she taught me to play jacks, jump rope, and color in the lines, and was right, so I believe her about this, too.
3. I can buy a month of Verizon service for $20 before traveling. Being able to access the internet in any airport is worth the investment, especially during 6 hour flight delays. And when Hiram and I are on the road and the one in the passenger seat, we love being able to update our websites. (www.jolenephilo.com, www.DifferentDream.com, and www.philoguitar.com.)
2. Using the iPad 3 to type notes at church or workshops makes me feel so techie and with it and disguises the fact that I need the notes feature in order to remember anything.. In fact, while I type away, the people around me are probably thinking, “Wow, look at that young woman typing on her iPad. Surely, it’ll be decades until she can order from the senior citizen’s menu at IHOP.”
1. The iGeniuses at the Apple Store love me. They recognize my face when I walk in the store. Most of them know my name. Not only that, they laugh whenever I ask a question. Who knew a 55-year-old, who doesn’t look it and can’t remember any of their names, could bring so much cheer to the lives of lonely, intelligent, twenty-something techie geeks?
Do you have an iPad? Leave a comment about what you <3 about yours.
by jphilo | Mar 23, 2012 | Daily Life
This March we’ve had lots of good news. A grandchild on the way. Our Ohio kids moving closer to home in August. A sizable tax refund. Even so, I feel like Debbie Downer’s double today. Since I can’t stop the feeling, here are my top ten reasons for being a Debbie Downer when I should be Perky Polly:
10. Spring is way too early this year. See this post for further explanation.
Wah. Wah.
9. It’s been cloudy and rainy. Which is poking holes in my summer drought theory.
Wah. Wah.
8. I caught a cold on the Ides of March. Etu, immune system?
Wah. Wah.
7. I didn’t take out stock in a tissue company before this cold started.
Wah. Wah.
6. My recent upgrade to OS X Lion has not gone as smoothly as Apple promised.
Wah. Wah.
5. iCloud is looming on the horizon.
Wah. Wah.
4. The agent who promised she’d be in touch soon about my proposal still hasn’t.
Wah. Wah.
3. I can now order from the Senior Citizen menu at I Hop.
Wah. Wah.
2. No chocolate since Ash Wednesday.
Wah. Wah.
1. Debbie Downer would be ashamed to post this list, but I’m not.
Wah. Wah.
by jphilo | Mar 16, 2012 | Daily Life
This morning, I thought today’s post would be about the boiled peanuts we sampled at Hominy Grill in Charleston, South Carolina a few weeks back. The plan was to wax eloquent about this bizarre food, which our waiter said will soon be featured on the Bizarre Foods television show.
But that was before my day from support center hell began.
My descent into darkness began with a call to Mom’s long term care insurance company support center. It was the third such call in a week long effort to solve the mystery of the missing invoices. Invoices they say were never received. Invoices Mom’s in-home care service worker can prove were faxed, but she cheerfully resent yesterday. Hence my call today to see if they’d arrived.
They had.
Buoyed by success, I felt strong enough to tackle two more mysteries. The mystery of the missing Address Book contacts after installing OS X Lion on my Mac and moving to iCloud yesterday – for those of you already lost in the string of technical jargon, join the crowd. The only advantage I have over you is that I can spell the jargon – and the mystery of the missing invoice documenting the purchase of OS X Lion.
I shouldn’t have been so buoyed by success.
After three hours in the Apple Support Inferno, the first mystery was solved. My 800+ contacts are now safely restored to my computer’s Address Book. The invoice, on the other hand, the kind that usually hits the email inbox two seconds after clicking “purchase” has not yet arrived. The email that did arrive said, “They understand the importance of this issue,” and “They are looking into it,” and “It should arrive within 24 – 48 hours,” and if I’d like to chat further, call this number.”
I’m waiting the 24 – 48 hours.
Still, the day didn’t go up in smoke. My contact list is intact. Not only that, the list is floating around in the iCloud somewhere. Plus, I provided some dandy ammunition for MobileMe support person Joshua when he enters the “Can You Top This Level of Ignorance?” break room contest. Also during our online chat, I put together and baked an apple crisp. And because I’ve had enough Apple this afternoon, there’s no temptation to sample the crisp before taking it to friends later today.
I can’t stand the heat and am staying out of the kitchen.
