My life in Mac

Who would have thought that a big city girl with her big city dreams and a husband who supports Apple Computers like they’re going out of style, would have fallen prey to the world of Mac? I’ll be the first to admit that I did not think it could happen to me. Growing up we were very fortunate to have computers readily available in our lives. We attended schools that supported technological education and our mother made sure that there was always one working computer in the house. Now, those first few computers had one color screen (green), accepted both floppy and hard disks, and Oregon Trail was what I seriously thought the West was like. Eventually our lives were “upgraded,” whatever that meant, and we were on top of the world with our ability to chat online and look up information that was probably sort-of true at times.  I never really payed much attention to whether or not I had an Apple or a PC. I knew that there was a difference, but it didn’t seem to matter. I cruised through my freshman year of college sharing one desktop computer with my 3 other roommates. We had dial-up internet and while it may have taken 45 minutes to log-on and check our e-mail, we somehow managed to share and even got a few papers typed and printed. Mind you, back then we were not required to type our papers and I soon learned that handwriting took up much more space than printed pages and so I often stuck to the handwriting to fill those 5-10 page papers. Still there were those suckers who thought they were so cool with their fancy fonts and double spacing. Way to go you!

I eventually made it through college, learning how to download my syllabi and assignments off the internet. In some classes I was lucky enough that the professors actually put their lecture notes online after class. I was also fortunate they didn’t grade students on attendance back then, at least not in the classes I was taking. Our university’s computer labs were upgraded and I enjoyed the free internet use in the public libraries. That was where I had my first real Mac experience. There were very few Mac’s in that lab. PC’s dominated the horizon. I would usually just sign up for the first available computer and scurry on over with my backpack and winter coat and boots and gloves and scarves and lunch and well, let’s just say I had a lot of stuff with me. I quickly caught on that the Mac’s were always being reserved for the IT students. That intrigued me and yet caused a bit of fear in me as well. They all had such stern looks on their faces like they were doing something so important us mere mortals would never understand. I steered clear.

The rest of my college career was spent on a variety of PC’s and eventually a HP laptop. I was content. No, I was more than content. For a long while I was happy. Things got done, papers were written, research was completed and my means of communicating with the outside world was up to par. I moved out of state and took my laptop with me. Things were going so well until my boyfriend at the time bought a Mac. Something in him changed. It was subtle, but after a while he was speaking a language I couldn’t understand. He was speaking of things that were beyond me. That were beyond my PC. He was speaking Mac.

I ignored it for so many years. And then I married that Mac man. I stayed on my side of the couch with my PC and he stayed on his with his Mac. We didn’t cross contaminate. Then Christmas 2006 found itself on our doorstep with the looming lure of a Macbook Pro. John got it and convinced me to take his old Powerbook. I did so reluctantly. I didn’t really care what type of computer I had, I just needed a way to use the internet and respond to e-mails. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t like change. In fact, I loathe it. But I thought I’d give the Mac a chance.

The whole reason I’m writing the blog is because I’ve had a change of heart. Last week I was asked to helped a friend out on her computer. I was lost, shocked, maybe even stunned to find myself trying to navigate the miserable patterns of the PC world. I found myself with a pounding headache and a new appreciation for the features my computer offers.  I am embarrassed and proud to be a part of this new club.  We go to an Apple Store almost every month even though we know exactly what they carry.  We even go there when there are no new products to buy.  We dream of Apple products that will revolutionize our TV watching experience and we talk of the latest applications.  I admit that I enjoy using Mac’s in school technology labs and I can help most K-6th graders with their Mac questions or problems.  I am happy with my computer.  I am happy with my Mac.

This blog is dedicated to my husband who deals with my insufferable inability to handle change…