Trying to come into the 21st century: Machinery and technology hate me. Why oh why?

English: , 2002, hammers a nail during work at a Habitat for Humanity house in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am really trying, but it’s hard! I just got a new Ipad and this is the Ipad application. I am getting dizzy looking at all the stuff you can do with the Ipad. Music, books, and aps, etc. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted an Ipad. I load aps, free of course, but then I am bewildered by them. I added some Facebook thing, and I absolutely didn’t know what to do with it. Group chat? I tried it, but then I located ancient messages I sent people years ago. I’ve had a Mac for years, but I still don’t feel like I really understand it.

I live with a guy who keeps stuff going forever. We really have dial phones in our family room, two of them. You can’t dial out, but you can talk on them. He says, “he can hear on them.” It’s true they are comfy around the ear.

He has an Acer computer he bought 5 years ago, and it works perfectly for him. He is what I call a machine person. He has a relationship with inanimate objects. This makes it impossible for us to get rid of old objects. He keeps them going and going and going.

I don’t feel in control of inanimate objects

Me, on the other hand, I’m not so successful. I break something looking at it. I wouldn’t dare go without an insurance policy on any new item because I know it will eventually break. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if this new screen I am currently staring at suddenly started to shatter. Without me doing a thing.

I tried working on Habitat for Humanity. They allowed me to hammer two boards together, but ended up taking them apart, and they told me to do something else. I was able to take the floor apart. I must say I couldn’t wait until quitting time. On the other hand some young girl was using the wood-cutter with expertise. So, it’s not a girl thing.

What is simpler than painting a wall? I usually get more paint on me than anything else.

I can spell and feel like I have some control over words. I guess we all have our strong points. Unfortunately, in this world today, inanimate objects are more important than spelling. So, I will keep trying to conquer the techno world, or at least have a general idea of what’s going on!

I’ve never used the Ipad on WordPress. I will see how it all comes out!

Not that good—I had to edit it on the Mama computer. Sigh……..

Sometimes, Knowing I’m Just an Animal Creeps Me Out! How about you?

The Shaggy Dog (2006 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As I sat in a restaurant happily chowing down on my tuna melt, I looked around. Everyone else in the restaurant was also chomping down on their food. Some were doing it more politely than others.  When you think about it, it’s really disgusting. We’re all put together the same way, need food to eat and that’s how we get energy. It goes through our digestive system the same way; and you know how that ends up.  Just like the other animals. Of course, we have a more sophisticated way of doing away with our waste.

Women get pregnant and have babies just like elephants, dogs, cats, cows, horses, and other mammals. Horses seem farther ahead. When they have a foal, it stands right up. No waiting for a year to a year-and-a-half.

Human beings are born with bigger heads. Their body has to catch up with their heads. That’s really weird. It’s like we’re the space aliens, when you think about it.

Sometimes, when I realize we are all just animals, I get creeped out. I know some of you may say, we’re spiritual, and that’s how we’re different. I say, ” how do you know animals don’t have their own way of being spiritual?” Maybe we’re not smart enough to see it.

They have families, just like us

Animals even form family groups, just like us. When we had birds, it was interesting to notice that both the mother and father bird were very attentive to the babies until they pushed them out on the perch. After they did that, they acted like they didn’t know them at all.

When I went whale watching in New England, it was interesting to learn that they form very strong family groups. They follow each other across the ocean. There’s real loyalty in that group, just like human beings.

The chimp family at The Columbus  Ohio Zoo has an established family group: mother, father, kids, grandparents and great grandparents. When one of the babies was sick and taken away, the grandma and mother were obviously depressed. They just laid around until the baby returned to the family group.

Watching little kids is like watching puppies or little monkeys. They play just like other animals. They like to explore and touch each other and innocently destroy anything in their path. Any eighteen-month kid will stick about anything in their mouth. Once they learn to walk, they are like little puppies that need to go to Obedience school.  It’s a good thing our little kids smile disarmingly at us; otherwise, we might throw up our hands and walk away.

Go to the zoo and watch the chimps. Better yet, watch the human animals watching the chimps. And why do we like to watch other animals in the first place? I get creeped out when I think about our DNA being 99% like the great apes. When you look into those zoo ape’s eyes, from a distance, they do look almost human.

What’s really strange is that human beings keep other animals for pets. They like the love they get from the creature. It’s less complicated than a human relationship. (Unfortunately, this human being sneezes their brains out and breaks out in hives from cats, dogs, etc;, or I’m sure I’d have one too.)

In the Animal Kingdom they destroy each other, just like us

Just watch the animal kingdom on TV. They are always going after each other, and protecting their territories. They tear each other to ribbons, just like human beings.

How are human beings different? They’re smart enough to have discovered weapons that will destroy the whole human race. That, terrifies me. So, I try not to think about it. We also fade away, just like other animals. The older I get, the more I really try not to think about that.

Movies about people turning into animals still scares me

When I was a little kid, my family went to the movie theater to watch the original Disney movie, “The Shaggy Dog.” It’s about a kid turning into a giant shaggy dog. Everyone else was enjoying the film and laughing. I burst out in very loud sobs, and my parents had to take me home.

A classic 1941 werewolf movie, “The Wolf Man,” that  I caught on TV at age 8, scared me to death for at least 2 years. If I see that movie is playing on TV, I won’t put it on. Even though it’s only a movie, I don’t want to revisit it.

Am I the only one that gets creeped out at the idea that we’re only animals?

What creeps you out? Care to share?

Related articles

• My big fat BIG dream (iamjustabee.wordpress.com)
• Pamela Chiesi Animal Rights Activist Now Proposes to Treat All Animals the Same as Humans (prweb.com)
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes (mrmovietimes.com)

Saying goodbye to a friend, Barbara Perrin

I got the news of my friend’s death through an email. That is now life in the 21st century. In case you may have known her, her name was Barbara Perrin. Maybe you ran across her in the writing community.

My friend wasn’t my closest friend. We didn’t call each other on a regular basis, or go many places together. But, the relationship was getting warmer. She had a subtle sense of humor.

We attended a 3 day writers group together several months ago. We talked and talked in the hotel room. She was really proud of her son.  I felt like I could tell her anything. How many people can you trust like that?

I met her at a  casual writer’s group several years ago. She’d come every week, all the way from Westerville, Ohio to Reynoldsburg, Ohio. I could depend on her walking in every Thursday, getting some coffee, and sitting down at the table in the back of the room.

She was an editor by trade, and edited some things I wrote. It was something you’d expect someone to charge for, but she generously did it for free. I learned more than a few things from her.

She was a kind and gentle person, one who knew how to be tactful and get along with others. She seemed to have all the patience in the world.

Her stories were really different, and she had a wonderful way with words.  Her stories were about different types of things from an angle you wouldn’t expect. They were quite artistic. One of her stories was published in the last Columbus Creative Cooperative, and she was so excited about it. The editors were looking forward to the one she was writing for the Bicentennial edition.

When they didn’t receive it, they kept trying to contact her. Her only son called them, and gave them the news. That’s why I found out about it through email. The editor sent out the news to everyone who belongs to the group.

There was no obituary in the newspaper. She died like she lived, quietly.

Today, I went to the writer’s group where I met her.  Only one other person who knew her was there.  I missed her so much, especially her kind blue eyes. The group, like all things, changes with time. Both of us felt so  sad about her death.

She was missing. And the fact is she’s not coming back. We both kept hoping maybe she’d show up, although we knew it wasn’t logical or possible.

That is what happens when someone dies  They are missing.

Barbara Perrin is in the top row on the right. She’s wearing denim and a scarf.

Rest in peace.