I am not mechanical. That's a role my wife gladly embraces. I am, however, the technology specialist in our family. And we have developed a perfect symbiotic relationship. While I have reached equilibrium in my adult life, my earlier years were marked with mechanical breakdowns. I developed an aversion to putting together and fixing things boys are supposed to be well-suited for and interested in.
I've always been a visual person, however. If someone shows me how to change a tire, I can do it (and I can remember how to do it forever). However, something vital is missing if someone merely tells me how to do it. I get lost in the instructions, perhaps while trying to visualize what I'm supposed to do. It can only lead down an even steeper embankment if it's a manual written by someone whose first language is my first language or a person who has forgotten that he or she is not talking to the initiated.
These stories are, to put it simply, diary entries about my bouts with machines and other things with moving parts.
July 5, 2007
Today’s iPhone Lust-O-Meter Reading
Life Outtacontext’s Current Reading on its iPhone Lust-O-Meter. I have determined there is a direct correlation between iPhone Lust and physical proximity with the device. Handling an iPhone increases the desire to own one in direct proportion to the…
January 14, 2007
Spicing Up Your Marriage the High Tech Way
No, not those implants! Spicing up a marriage with these silicon implants: Apple’s Airport Express Sometimes it takes a bit of modern technology to spice up a marriage. A few well-placed silicon implants can do wonders. Last week I…
February 20, 2005
Mercury, the messenger of the gods, is in charge of all things that have to do with communication, electronics and transportation. And Mercury is set to turn retrograde for the next three weeks. During this time, it’s challenging at…
September 1, 2003
Form Doesn’t Necessarily Follow Function: It’s Negotiable
You think we don’t know what you’re doing?! Do you actually think you’re fooling us? You’re just pretending to clean our dishes. Well, yes, it did take us months to realize just what you were really up to. Every…
May 11, 2003
Domestic Tranquility: My Spotted Record
I, the fashion maven that I am, have declared the 1960s are back! In particular that oh-so-special tie dye look. Well, ok, I messed up. But it really wasn’t my fault. I followed my wife’s point-by-point instructions for removing…
June 26, 2002
I knew it! I knew it! Earlier this month I mentioned that the sound of children’s crying could drive someone mad. I suggested someone invent a deafening device to save parents from approaching the brink. One must be careful for…
June 15, 2002
I knew it was going to be a bad day. The whining began immediately at our front door as we rushed off to school and work. By the time we were safely ensconced in our secure subway seats my…
October 28, 2001
Spores, Spores, and More Spores
Spores, spores, spores! That’s all we’ve been hearing about here in DC. And it’s clear those pesky little things are harder to control than the CDC originally thought. It is making me just a tad nervous. But what’s really…
May 12, 2001
This is a momentous day! First, it’s Le Premier Fauchage de Pelouse du Festival de Saison, a holiday celebrated throughout the known suburban world this time each year (at least in the northern hemisphere). It’s also the fanciest way of…
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