4/24/2022

 

Weekly Update 4/24/2022

This was a bad week for technology. Last Sunday, I killed my iPad. I tried to charge it using a Samsung charger that I’d purchased by mistake. (In my defense, couldn’t they make them look just a little bit different that the apple ones? The cords and ports look exactly the same, so you have to read the package very closely. It’s still my fault, though). Just before I went to buy a new one, I first went to a repair shop near me. I told them what I’d done, and they did try, but said the connections were too damaged to repair. They didn’t charge me for that analysis, and I went to the Walmart. Of course Walmart had none in stock, so I needed to order on online. I went home, took a shower, tried to relax a bit and then sat down to the laptop to do some bill paying. I had a message across the screen: Windows Defender – Security Warning. I was blocked due to questionable activity, and warned that if I turned my device off or ignored the warning, I would lose all my information and leave myself open to hacking. I had 5 minutes to call the phone number to get things restored. And, on top of the visual warnings, Siri kept yelling at me that I was in jeopardy of having all my data compromised. I not only was unable to close the program, I also could not adjust the volume and she just kept yelling at me. So I call the repair service back, frantic. I was told to unplug it, bring it in, and for $125 an hour, they could restore my data. So, back I went. Luckily it was not far. The 14 year old technician, looked at it, announced that it was a scam, and worked for about 10 minutes to get my information back. He didn’t charge me anything, just asked that I use them another time if I had a major issue. I suggested that probably my phone would abandon me is some nefarious way within a few days, so I would indeed be back. I went home, happy that at least this disaster was averted, checked my financial statements, and everything looked fine. But it was not a fun day!

Not only did I buy the wrong charger for my iPad, I also bought the wrong toothpaste. Who puts charcoal in toothpaste? What’s the point of that? It is certainly unappealing, and my teeth don’t feel any cleaner.

My new iPad was to be delivered on Tuesday, and I would need to sign for the package, so I didn’t go to City Hall. It’s been a couple of weeks since I was there, so I hope they have not forgotten me. No one was ever happier than I was to get that new iPad! I worked the rest of the day to re-load my favorite apps, and when I got up Wednesday morning, I was able to read the news, play my games, and imagine that nothing had happened.

Sharon’s sister, Vicki, and her husband, Mark, were traveling back to Rochester from Florida. I invited them to stay with me, so they were here both Thursday and Friday nights. They are very easy to entertain, and mostly just went off to do things on their own. I was happy to have them here. One thing they wanted to do was take the ghost tour at the Sorrel Weed House. Savannah hosts many ghost trolley tours, but few houses have evening tours, or ghost tours. Sorrel Weed is a very good one, and quite scary. I was glad they had a chance to do that.

Sunday, I met Kay at Henry’s for breakfast. I hadn’t seen her in a few weeks, so it was great to get caught up with her. Maybe next week, we can just sit on my porch and sip Bloody Marys. Lisa really liked being on the porch, and Vicki and Mark also thought it was nice to sit out there in the morning with that first cup of coffee.

From the pictures I saw of Adrian, it seems that the Easter bunny was very good to him. I think he got a book, some sunglasses, a fluffy bunny toy, some gardening toys, and some sidewalk chalk. To be honest, he needs NOTHING, but he seemed to like his new treats.