Just Grandma and Me

Warning: Wailings of a non-iPhone expert. 

When I finally decided to upgrade my old iPhone, I couldn't wait to get it all set up. My kids, 15 year old John and soon to be 18 year old Tessa, are the household computer technicians. See, I like the iPhone but I hate this idea of having to sync everything with iTunes. I liked it when I used to drag stuff in and out of my Android phone, in and out of the computer or computers. Anyway, I had to seek my kids' advice. They've got their own iTunes accounts so they didn't fancy messing theirs up with mine in their Macs. Help me, John? John? John! Can you help me? Tess? Tess? Can you help me, now??? My kids with their very busy lives. Very soon, I might just have to make appointments with their secretaries just to see them.

My kids like to stare at my old iPhone. I did not have a single song in my old iPhone. Nope. But had 4000 photos. My kids gave up on me. They asked me whoever had 4000 pics stored in their phone? Why I even bothered upgrading to another iPhone if I didn't fully utilise the benefits of an iPhone. Simple. I told them I wanted a good camera with me all the time and I didn't want to lug one around if I could have it with my phone. There. The new iPhone will serve its purpose as far as I'm concerned.

Back to the 4000 photos. I had to get them OUT of my old iPhone. So I synced it to my computer but when I synced my new phone to the computer, yep. The 4000 photos went into my new iPhone. Sheesh. I figured I had to somehow save my 4000 pics somewhere in my computer and not sync it back with my new iPhone. Asked kid 1 and kid 2 where my 4000 pics had gone when I had synced my old phone with iTunes. These computer technicians were vague. Somewhere, they shrugged. They use Macs and they know where iTunes stores them on their Macs but my Windows PC....goodluck, Mum.

Son says to drag them out of my old phone OR new phone; or basically delete them from my phone.....again, goodluck, Mum. I try to drag it from the phone to PC and all is smooth until my PC tells me I am running very low on hard disk space. Task is aborted. What!? I spend the next 2 hours deleting my kids' programmes installed in my PC to make space! Hmmmph! Yes, they and their MACS but why not install Windows games on Mum's Windows PC, hmmm? Well, actually, it's a laptop without a screen which is now functioning as a PC (more about that in another post, maybe). To cut a long story short, it's too late into the night and I abort task too. Zzzzzzzz..

The next day, I'm back at the computer dragging my stuff into an external hard disk and son comes along to ask if I need help. I didn't actually, seeing as they had both bailed out on me when I needed them most. Hubs walks in and is pleased that John is helping. I go....'Gaaaaaaah! I've already figured what I have to do by myself! He JUST sat down!'. Son teases me, 'Okay ah...I'm leaving now, you're on your own'. I poke him and remind him that I was the one who first put a mouse in his hand when he had to tiptoe to reach the computer table. I was the one who put on the CD game/story 'Just Grandma and Me' by Mercer Mayer (a wonderful story, just Google it)!!! Hubs laughs and says, 'Face it, he's over taken you'.

Anyhow, I did it. It took me forerever, but I managed to get rid of the 4000 photos from my NEW iPhone. I have 2 videos left in it which refused to be transferred out. AND, ta-dah, I managed to sync songs from iTunes to my phone (all without my kids' help!).

What am I trying to say.
#1 -- I hate all this having to keep up with technology. It's not in line with trying to simplify my life. Yet, I love new technology. I contradict myself. Okay, I love new technology but I hate how I have to keep up with it. How do I keep life simple, short of buying a super simple phone from 7-11.

#2 -- I love it that my kids know so much about technology and they're there to fix stuff I am now too lazy to fix for them. But I hate it that they forget that I'M THE ONE WHO TAUGHT THEM HOW TO HOLD A MOUSE!!! I'M THE ONE WHO FIXED UP THEIR FIRST COMPUTER, UNTANGLED THE MAZE OF WIRES. READ THROUGHT A MAZE OF SET UP DISCS. PLOUGHED THROUGH THE WHOLE CRAPPY DIAL UP INTERNET SET UP. There! I said it and don't you kids ever forget..............I love you all to death, you cheekadees : )

#3 -- I now have no photos in my iPhone.

#4 -- I now have songs in my iPhone.

#5 -- I need to transfer the 4000 pics from my computer into my external hard disk before my computer konks on me.

#6 -- I feel like reading / playing Just Grandma and Me again.

Ha ha...sorry. The above was all said, tongue-in-cheek. I'm proud of my kids' abilities and my very vague skills in handling 'technology'.