Growing in 'hipness'

In this day and age, what I am about to share is really no big deal whatsoever. Especially for many of you here in the blogosphere. But for my family and I, technology newbies that we are, tonight is a momentous event. Allow me to briefly paint a picture.

I have worked on a computer with my line of work for all of my nearly fifteen years with my current employer. It started with some 'home-grown' programs pertaining to our line of work and our interaction with our customers. When the information superhighway came along, it took a few years, but I did indeed use that tool for research and quicker communication. And then I also found Excel. Call me Mr. Spreadsheet. But in the midst of all this, two realities were more than evident. First, while I used some of these tools, I did so only to a minimal, 'just-enough' level. I slowly grew in my understanding of different programs and software and even tackled a few larger projects (I served on the Y2K readiness committee...remember those?), but I was never the first guy you would go to in order to solve a computer problem. That is still basically true. Second, all of my budding computer prowess was relegated to work. We just never quite had the budget, knowledge or initiative to apply technology at home. We did purchase a Dell laptop at one point and were so excited about it. After it was outdated within a few months and we were sheepishly acknowledging that we still were using dial up, that thrill quickly wore off. In fact, with as much Excel as I do at work, I had my home budget on a bunch of graph paper until just last August.

But times, they are a-changing! I am sitting here typing an entry into this new blog. If I wanted to include a funny link, I could figure it out (I hope!). We just put the finishing touches on another DVD that we created. We'll send it in tomorrow to a unique web site for their eventual use. (Proof that there is still plenty of room to grow...haven't figured out how to get the file to work via email). I am switching back and forth to our email account to track other projects that I am trying to finalize tonight. But the coolest thing is that my wife is sitting across the room from me listening to an eBay tele-seminar...from the computer. We recently purchased a year of Skype and are using it right now on the computer as I type this. So, while I am using this big glowing thing (actually not so big...flatscreen, baby!) on the desk to do two or three things, my wife is gaining more technological knowledge which can likewise be applied. No wonder my son got out of bed to investigate what in the world was going on out here. He is seeing the transformation of his parents from techno-awkward to better-than-functional.