Angry Birds, Pylons and Pigs. . .

"The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball."
Doug Larson 

Grandsons, Madness and Mayhem
In their crocheted caps
by Crochet Rochelle

Last year, before Christmas, I was trying to come up with a significant gift for my father. Those of you with senior parents will understand how difficult it is to purchase a gift for someone who has accumulated things over a lifetime of 75-plus years. My father has an obsolete computer which does not have the capacity to keep up with current technology so I asked my mother if he might like a computer tablet. 

She thought Dad would enjoy a tablet. She explained that he could get his email and use the device for reading. My father worked at a computer before he retired and has a rudimentary understanding of how they operate. My mother, however, is computer illiterate. Even so, knowing that “Myth Busters” had debunked the idea that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,”and with minimum trepidation, I bought the tablet.

Ever the optimist, I set up an email account and downloaded Facebook and Words With Friends. My Dad seemed to be pleased with the gift and paid close attention while I gave him a brief tutorial on operating the tablet and accessing his applications. He quickly disabused me of the notion that he would play any games with a brusque “I don’t play games!” He also informed me that he wouldn’t remember any of the instructions I had painstakingly taken him through! It was at this point that I realized the challenge I had inadvertently embraced.

I monitored Dad’s tablet from my own and it wasn’t long before I realized someone was playing his Words with Friends application. Then, I noticed he was commenting occasionally on Facebook! I was excited, thinking that he was getting the hang of the new technology! This illusion was quickly cleared away when I received a call from my mom stating that Dad’s Facebook page had disappeared. 

She also wanted me to add her name to the Facebook page! It turns out that she was playing Words With Friends and she wanted to comment on Facebook but didn’t want folks to think it was only Dad commenting? I should have guessed. Although my dad loves to tell a story and visit with people, he hasn’t been one to offer random comments on others' thoughts or feelings.

The next time I went to see my parents, my mom had several questions for me and wanted me to download some different games for her. Mom is in her 80’s and likes to play the age card when she wants you to cut her some slack but she is as sharp as a tack when she wants to be so I downloaded  Angry Birds and Where’s My Water. With just a brief introduction she started playing the Angry Birds game.

The next time I visited, Mom needed help because she couldn’t get the Angry Birds game to work. She said, “I knocked down all the pylons but didn’t get any stars and I can’t move on to the next game!” I sat down and looked at the game with her. I immediately noticed the green piggies were still alive and mocking us. “Look” I said, “You don’t get stars until you kill all the pigs!” 

Disgusted, she said, “Well I didn’t know I was aiming to kill pigs, I thought I was just knocking stuff down!”  So, now she knows and I, alas, have unwittingly become the world’s most underpaid IT consultant! So if any of you out in Facebook-land get comments from my parents, I’ll leave you to guess which one left them.

I think I am slowly getting them to use the tablet without fear of starting some dreadful, world altering domino effect out in cyberspace and I do think they are having a little bit of fun with the tablet. I love that they are courageous enough to learn something new!

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."
Henry Ford

Image found at:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Angry-Birds-for-Windows-Phone-Now-Free-to-Download-for-a-Limited-Time-350257.shtml

 

 

 

Cranky Pants. . .

An excerpt from FATHER WILLIAM
By Lewis Carroll

"You are old, Father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head--
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"
 
"In my youth," Father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again. . ."

Have you ever wondered why the older generation can at times appear to be a bit irritable and impatient? Recently, I had a close up and personal experience with this phenomenon. You see, younger folks would consider me to be part of that “older” generation! Now, I do not see myself in that light of course. My husband just passed his 60th birthday and that means I am following close behind but we have decided to go with the “60 is the new 50” ideal. This is much more comfortable for us!

I was shopping one evening after work at a local, discount, superstore, which shall remain nameless. I had thought that after the holidays, people would stay home! But no, apparently there were hundreds of others like myself that needed something from this particular store and apparently it was necessary for them to bring their extended families and all their children with them! With perseverance, I did my poor best to navigate the crowded isles without taking out any of the small rowdy shoppers.

I gathered my items and proceeded to the checkout. There were at least 10 check-stands but only 2 were open. I got into line prepared to patiently wait; however, my patience waned at about the 10 minute mark. I’m not sure what the issue was but I finally reached the check out and smiled expectantly at the clerk. I was anticipating some kind of acknowledgement of my extraordinary patience; however, the clerk seemed uninterested in my accomplishment. She didn’t offer a smile or a greeting; in fact, she seemed to view me as just one more aggravation in her day. I, of course, was instantly irritated! I thought my long suffering deserved at least a “Hello, how was your day?”

Needless to say, that set the tone for the rest of my shopping trip. I made my way to a take-out pizza store. The red-shirted, pizza making marionettes were lined up behind the pizza bar. When I walked in, they immediately smiled brightly and in unison, cried out, “Hello! Welcome! How can we help you?” I was instantly irritated! I gave them my order without a smile or an acknowledgment of their good spirits. When my order was finished, they handed it over with a “Thank you for coming in! Have a nice evening!” I left the store without returning their good humor.

On my way home, I checked my rear view mirror and caught a glimpse of my own face. To my consternation, my reflection was cranky! I realized that I had put on cranky pants without missing a beat! What had triggered this paradoxical response to my situation? I have some theories. As we age, we deal with physical aches and pains that weren’t present in our youth. Add to that an increasing awareness of our own mortality. Those two things alone could cause crankiness! I find I have less tolerance for the indiscretions of youth and less patience for stupidity, noise, bad manners and the list could go on (I’m laughing at myself now!).

I am not normally (my family may dispute this) a cranky person. A friend once told me, “The older we get, the more like ourselves we become,” so there in my car, I had a proverbial “Comin’ to Jesus” meeting. I know that I have the ability to control my crankiness. I’m not at the mercy of my fluctuating emotions. I am not entitled to a bad attitude because the rest of the world does not comply with my exacting standards! I don’t even comply with those!

In short, I had a good chuckle at my own expense and as I headed home to my husband, my son and three of my five grandchildren, I remembered that I have a great deal to be thankful for! First and foremost, I am getting older, which absolutely beats the alternative and second, I get to clean up on all those great senior discounts!

 ". . . You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose--
What made you so awfully clever?"
 
"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father; "don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down-stairs!"

Artist--John Tenniel