Adventures with Technology

 I had been having issues with my laptop telling me that my connection to wifi was weak and even buffering at times once I was connected.  If I went into Jim's study, the problem was solved so clearly getting closer to the router was the answer.

But the problem was exasperated when we had continual buffering trying to watch NFL on Thursday evenings on Amazon Prime Video on our living room TV.

So we made an appointment using our xfinity app and met with a young man at the xfinity store at Mercer Mall last Friday.  He gave us a new router with more speed (and only $3 a month more) and a new box for the bedroom TV.  He sent us off with what we consider scary words, "It's very easy to hook them up."  

Jim began the process and almost immediately I lost all wifi connections.  The "vanderkam" option was gone. I felt lost without my connection to the world out there! It was almost a panicky feeling! 

 As it turned out, something got unplugged accidentally.  Jim patiently worked on setting up the new router.  When it asked for a cord that we didn't have, he boldly skipped that step.  And...amazingly the connection worked and my laptop is connecting far better even in the room far from the router.  Now the test will be Thursday evening.  Can we watch the big game without the buffering?

Jim also hooked up the new box and remote in the bedroom so we can get more channels there.  And that too is working just fine! 

I give my husband a great deal of credit for staying patient and following directions.  I give xfinity credit for good instructions for the most part.  

October 29:  Thursday night football was still buffering.  We watched on Jim's laptop instead of our large TV.  Susan suggested a firestick.  Maybe that will be our next step.  

Meanwhile Susan helped Jim set up Adobe Acrobat Reader because Oxford University Press said that is what he has to use to look at the page proofs of his R H Charles manuscript.  She skillfully downloaded it and gave him instructions in how to use it.  To be continued...!  

One Big Adventure; One Little Adventure

Laura's latest book has just been released--Tranquility by Tuesday. Much of what she proposes is not relevant for me at this stage of my life in retirement. But her idea of one big adventure each week and one little adventure is something I need to adopt.

 

So yesterday we had our "one big adventure." We hoped to see more autumn color than we did along busy highways but we had a memorable time nevertheless. We drove about 75 miles to the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and enjoyed seeing the Wyeth art featured there. We walked a bit along the river. We left home around 1:15 and were back home around 7:15 having decided to make it a day trip and not an overnight outing. 

 Learning about the Wyeth family of three generations of artists was interesting. In fact, Jim splurged on a biography of Andrew Wyeth purchased in the museum shop so our visit will be extended as we read more about them. We were surprised to see several works featuring African-American models who lived in Chadds Ford. 

 We had an early supper of drinks and sandwiches at Chadds Ford Tavern on our way home. I was disappointed when the clerk at the museum acted as if there was no village of Chadds Ford to walk around. She may have been wrong because I think there is a historic district. Maybe we'll go back again and spend the night.

 In any case it was a great outing and because it was six hours or more it qualifies as one of Laura's "big adventures." Tomorrow we hope to celebrate Laura's book at her book launch party at her home--a possible "little adventure."

Covid--2 1/2 years and Still Here

 

View from our little balcony

I blogged only two times in September.  Life is very routine and there is nothing to blog about.  That is probably good!  But I have been thinking about how Covid is still a factor in our lives.  Except....this afternoon we shopped at Target and we both forgot to put on our masks.  Mine was on my wrist--where it doesn't do any good!  Jim's was in his pocket.  When we noticed our lapse, we put them on.  Target was the first place we wore masks 2 1/2 years ago--when we saw the signs on the door telling us to do so via NJ advisories.  Target seems like such a big, open store that we don't feel too concerned about our forgetting. 

We both had another Covid booster on Monday at the CVS in Plainsboro. This was our 5th Covid shot.  Unlike our first shots,  scheduling was very easy on the CVS app on my iphone.  Jim read me the various Medicare and prescription drug numbers as I filled out the required applications for each of us. We texted the pharmacy when we were in the parking lot and they let us know when we could come in to the store.  There was a very short wait while the technician was helping someone else.  She said she gave 200 shots in a day!  Jim had no reaction to his booster.  I felt chilled and a bit nauseous and tired all day on Tuesday but was just fine again on Wednesday.  

Last Sunday our pastor was unable to worship at church because he got Covid--probably after a presbytery meeting in which one delegate let everyone know that he was positive afterwards.  An associate pastor read his sermon.  A good friend back in South Bend is isolating in her home and is frustrated by a continued positive home test.  She is tired of isolating but doesn't want to expose her family.  The days of worrying about ventilators and personal protective equipment and available hospital beds are gone but Covid is not.  So we are still careful when we remember to be careful!  May we be spared--we are thankful that we have been so far!