Could It Be That Simple ?

I am by NO means a tech-savvy person.  You know how some people naturally seem capable around computers or technology?  Not me.  On some level it is a minor miracle every day that I am able to successfully navigate different systems or electronics.  I jokingly say this is why my wife and I continued having children ... so they can help us as things continue to get more complicated.

That said, I have tried very hard to keep up with different technological advances.  I spent the better part of a full day at work testing different bells and whistles when we migrated from LotusNotes to Outlook.  I am now quite capable of doing some impressive (to me anyway) things with my calendar and emails and contact lists, etc.  I also challenge myself, on at least a semi-regular basis, to download new apps on my iPad or phone and/or to use new software on my home or work computer.  This probably still leaves me behind really effective users of system enhancements, but it keeps me close enough to the conversation that I can ask for help without being unable to describe what I'm actually trying to do.

Regardless, I am always surprised when things turn out the way I wanted them to, or even more so in situations where I can help someone else with their technological challenges.  A fellow Blogger had shared with me several months ago some struggles that she was having with her Blog.  She complained (and rightly so) that her blog was no longer allowing her to insert pictures where she wanted them, or move them around, or adjust the text with bold or italicized type, etc.  At the time, I just expressed my sympathies, knowing full well there wouldn't be anything I could do to help.

Then this past week, I happened to be speaking with her at a time we were near a computer, so I helped her pull up her blog.  I quickly saw how terribly formatted the screen was and couldn't believe she had even continued blogging under these circumstances.  It was horrible!
So after a few minutes of just surveying the scene, I noticed a two-button-like section on the task bar just below the title section of the blog post.  One option showed "Compose" and the other was titled "HTML."  I clicked on the button labeled compose and immediately the Blog text looked just like I am used to seeing when I write mine.  It was "fixed" just like that.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy so I tested the set-up by writing a ghost post.  I used different text styles, added pictures (both from the computer and from a web address), rearranged where everything laid on the screen, and tested the view of the post.  It worked.  My fellow Blogger was ecstatic and I was happy to have helped.  :)


Song Of The Day:
I thought I had shared the following song on my blog previously, but a quick search of my songs of the day list revealed it had never been used.  Score!  So please enjoy the excellent a capella stylings of Straight No Chaser and their rendition of "Fix You" which was originally done by Coldplay.  Some of the lyrics state I will try ... to fix you and that's always all I can offer when it comes to technology.

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How Do You Handle A Snow Day With 7 Kids In The House ?

I did not make it to work today.  Thursdays are my "short" day (I work four 9-hour days and one 4-hour day each week.  The 4-hour day is Thursday) each week.  This means I am usually at work on those days from about 8 - 8:30am until Noon - 12:30pm.  So when the news came in that my office wasn't opening until 10:00am, I decided that it was definitely not worth the 20-minute drive each way to be at work for just 2 hours today.

I think my wife was very glad I made that decision.

You see, we have seven (7) children, five (5) of which are in school during the weekdays.  Except when there is a Snow Day!  My wife is pretty amazing, but being fair you must realize the burden* that seven children under one roof on a school day that has become a non-school day quickly become.  Kids, like adults, need their routine.  Sure it sounds cool to have a "free day" but this quickly disappears into "What do I do now?!" kinds of questions.

So my contribution to the household today was entertaining our oldest two boys (ages 13 and 11) with a Risk board game marathon!  After a few reminders of the actual rules and some courtesy rules (remember their ages and think about how you acted sometimes during games at that stage of your life), we spent well over 5 hours playing a total of 3 games of Risk.  There were a few breaks in between for lunch and to shovel the front sidewalks and driveway, but we had an absolute blast playing together!

The four (4) girls spent a little while playing out back in the snow, but that didn't last too long because it was windy and cold  But our oldest daughter (Brooklyn, age 9) did reasonably well taking care of her younger sisters (including showers for all of them just before dinner time).

The evening ended with "pizza and movie night" for the kids down in the movie room, while Karen and I took our newborn (Spencer, still not 3 months old yet) with us out to eat at Texas Roadhouse**.

It was a pretty great snow day at The Case Place.  :)

Song Of The Day:
On the theme of "global domination" as related to the Risk board game map, the song for today is an a capella version (of course!) of one of my favorite songs from my high school days.  "Worlds Apart" was originally performed by Jude Cole (one hit-wonder?) but this is the version by Straight No Chaser, which I actually like better than the original.  I hope you like it!

*Please understand that I do not think of any children as any sort of "burden."  I simply mean that keeping that many children happy for a long period of time when their "routine" has been thrown out the window is not easy.

**Yes, you read that right.  I have actually gone back to Texas Roadhouse.  It had been two years and I heard the manager had been replaced.  We've been back three times since and the service has been significantly improved ... dare I say, very good !!!

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