Newbie Goes Live

My name is Julie Blair. And I am a techie illiterate.
For years now, I have pretty well hidden this fact.
I could answer e-mails. I could log onto websites. I made nearly $400 one fall EBaying my kids’ outgrown clothing.
The truth is, I’ve gotten by nicely thanks to a stable of enablers.
As a professional journalist, I’ve had people to rely on to make technology work for me. The newspaper’s librarian culled clips as background for stories; staff photographers did my photos or downloaded the images I shot on a point-and-shoot camera; the graphics department laid out my first book.
After all, I rationalized, I was so busy applying my talents to writing content, I didn’t have time to figure out the nuts and bolts of the systems that kept me afloat.
The truth is, I run short on patience and understanding.
Meanwhile, my husband is ready to divorce me.
I’ve bugged him to program the DVR, dispatch our family’s digital photos, set up the answering machine.
My ugliest confession: I was absolutely flummoxed for years when I had to plug in the printer to the computer.
His patience is wearing thin.
“I’m right-brained,” I’d whine.
He’d point out I’ve managed to earn two degrees from fine institutions of higher education. Then to shut me up, he’d plug in the cord.
But the gig is up—it has to be.
In an age where everybody and everything—including my four-year-old twins—are expected to have a deep understanding of technology, I can no longer afford to be illiterate. I’ve simply got to slow down, real the manuals and make some mistakes.
Hence, the birth of chocolatecoveredpajamas.blogspot.com.
This blog will serve as a means for me to understand the techie world and begin to get comfortable with it. Maybe someday soon, I’ll learn to harness its power.
Until then, I aim to start by posting my own family essays.
And as we all know, the biggest incentive for writers is to give them an audience.
Thanks for supporting me.

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