Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Comin' UP in the World





George and I are really comin' up in the world these days. I have never considered myself technically 'challenged' ---BUT I'll admit that there have been alot of changes in the past few years that have passed me right on by. My friend Judy cannot live a minute without her Blackberry. I don't have one of them , and don't even 'text' on my cellphone YET. Obviously, I'm still slowly learning, making my way up that mountain!!!!




However though, we recently purchased a High Definition DVR . Just let me tell you how wonderful it is.... We had seen how one worked when we were in Texas visiting son Mark in April, and I knew that I would love to have one. WOW--why did we wait so long????? We can now fast-forward through the commercials, record two different things at one time, and even rewind something IF we want to see it again and again. This little machine is truly fabulous...





But--that is not all!!!!! Since getting our laptop in August, we've been talking about getting some kind of wireless device so that we can go online while traveling and on vacation. Yesterday--we stopped by our wireless provider, Verizon, looking at the possibilities. We walked out with a Verizon MiFi.... I can go online with my laptop now wherever there is a Verizon signal (which is most everywhere these days). How 'bout that? Ain't that just SPECIAL???????? I'm so excited ---and will try it this coming week when we travel to Hendersonville to check on George's parents.




Well ---I may not be connected all of the time like Judy... But--I'm definitely making some progress, and learning alot along the way. Just going wireless in the house is a huge step for us. We may be taking baby steps---but we're still climbing....





Our adult kids should be proud of us!!!!! At least we're not still watching movies on the old VCR..... ha ha ha..... NOW----if all of these new devices don't quit working all at once causing us STRESS!!!!!! Surely I jest!!!!! ha ha



All pictures on today's blog came from the internet.

Have a wonderful day!!!!!


Hugs,

P.S. My Tennessee Volunteers didn't beat Number ONE Florida yesterday, but they played a GREAT game. Nobody believed they would do as well as they did. This young team is just beginning... They will only get better and better!!!!! Hooray!

44 comments:

Kathy W said...

One of these days I will have to see if I can't figure out how to work our DVD player. Usually if hubby is not around and I want to watch a movie I watch them on the computer.
LOL I have never done a text message either. Still can't figure out what the purpose of it is for. Why not just talk to the person? Would be faster than typing all of it out, wouldn't it?

Have a great day Betsy. =)

Anonymous said...

Staying connected while traveling is great isn't it...even post to your blog. I use my iphone.

cherie said...

good for you,ms. betsy! slowly but surely does it!! hugs!

betty-NZ said...

Ah, yes! We have one of those DVDs and they are the newest 'toy' that we act silly with!
I text but never make calls on my cell. Go figure. I guess we all get 'technical-er' as we get comfortable with it.

Jayne said...

You go girl! I am not sure what we did before DVR's! I can't imagine watching TV without one now. How fun to be able to take your internet connection on the road.

Anonymous said...

I sometimes get an email from someone who can't believe my wife and I are into computers at our age. While computers are not limited to a specific age group, from what I have heard most old timers don't do computers. LOL

I spent one day restoring Patty's computer. She clicked on an email she had sent that could not be delivered and was returned. She was curious as to why it wasn't delivered and clicked on the notice. Well, it was a "worm" that locked her computer and wouldn't let her do anything. When I got up the next day, she came out in her PJs and said, "My computer won't come on."

I had to reformat the hard drive and return it to the factory, new, condition. She lost everything on the computer. I feel sorry for her as it takes a lot of time to put her things back on the computer that she had saved on an external hard drive. Beware folks. If you send an email and it comes back, you should not open it.

I have not been able to get around much of late.

Arkansas Patti said...

I would jump on some of those bandwagons but I have to drive 4 miles to get a cell signal. No, I can't hear you now.
I got the DVR with my Direct TV service and now wonder how I lived with out one. They truly are wonderful. Enjoy.
Your Vols DID play well and can feel good. My Hogs lost to Ga in an aerial shoot out. Love college football.

diane b said...

Well done. It is hard keeping up with technology especially as we get older it takes longer to learn stuff. We have one of those DVD players and BB is the operator in fact he is the keeper of the remote controls, stacks of them, and I hardly know how to use them. That wireless laptop sounds more like my style, I'm looking at that being my next toy. I can and do text, its cheaper than a call, especially overseas.

Dorothy said...

You're doing good, Betsy!!! It's fun to try to keep up with today's tech stuff. Thank goodness, I'm married to a techno guy who solves all my problems and keeps me going straight!!!

penny said...

I enjoyed your post, Betsy:)
Its always great to keep up with the times and learn something new...
Have a nice trip to Hendersonville,hope all is well with Georges parents...

Salitype said...

good for you..this high techs are quiet overwhelming.now you made me interested on the high definition DVR. i might want one of those that is if i can persuade the hubby to buy one for me...

I Am Woody said...

We love, love, love our dvr!! It is so nice to not be a slave to a time schedule and to be able to watch an hour long show in 40 minutes!

Snap said...

Fun post, Betsy. We don't text on our phones ... don't plan to ... I don't want to be one of those people I complain about ... driving with a cell phone attached to the ear or texting in the restaurant! Technology ... ain't life grand!!!!

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Ah,yes,the joys and pains of technology.Our son is quite impressed at how far we've come in this tech world.Texting is not for me,yet,but I couldn't live without my computer.Hopefully we will join the wireless age soon.Have fun with the new 'toys'.
Blessings,Ruth

Diane said...

You're light years ahead of me, Betsy. The digital DVR does sound like great. No more pharmaceutical ads, political ads, ads for Dancing with the Stars. I don't know, it would be hard to give up all that boredom! I'd love to get a Blackberry or MiFi but I'm afraid after I spent all that money I wouldn't be able to run the darn thing!!!

Diane AZ said...

How wonderful that you're keeping up with times and trying new things. I think it would be great to be connected to the internet while traveling. I have a little catching up to do, as I don't have a laptop or even a cell phone yet. :D

NCmountainwoman said...

I watched part of the TN game and they did indeed play well.

Love your new wi-fi toy. Except for the mountains (like at my house) there is Verizon reception pretty much everywhere. Keep in mind that George can also access the Internet from his new iTouch. Of course it's small, but the truth is it will do almost anything a laptop can do and needs only to be in a "hot spot."

We have a DVR but we rarely use it. We don't travel nearly as much a you and George, so we rarely miss anything we want to see. We use it only when we are on vacation.

Looks like it's still pouring there in Tennessee. We're under flood watches and the power has been out for a while. Thank goodness we have a generator so I can have hot coffee!

Karin said...

Great post again! Congrats on your new DVR! It's hard to keep all those acronyms, isn't it, lol! Glad you are keeping up with all the latest gadgets. Love the idea of having the wireless access almost anywhere!!

Busy Bee Suz said...

I am so proud of both of you...just amazing!!! We just went wireless in the house too, I LOVE it. But I can't travel with wireless. So, therefore I am totally jealous. :0

Sorry about your TN VOl's...maybe next time?

Sunny said...

Good for you Betsy!
You're never too old to learn new things!
Sunny :)

Janie said...

No DVR here yet. We'll have to get our kids to update us. Very smart of you to keep up with the latest.
Love that cat with the shocked expression! Funny!

SquirrelQueen said...

The DVR does sound great but then we rarely watch tv except in the dead of winter. You are going to love being connected while traveling, we take our laptop everywhere.

The hubby and I are both techno geeks and internet junkies. My phone will also access the internet so I can check my email or surf the net, and of course text.

Next thing you know Betsy we will have you texting and maybe even Twittering! Technology rocks!

Hugs,
Judy

Unknown said...

I would love a DVR. There are a few shows I enjoy on TV, but I'm either not home or too tired to watch them when they're on. It would be great to record them.

Enjoy your foray into the electronic world.

Deborah Godin said...

I admire your taking the tech bull by the horns. I think I have bad tech karma or something, and always have to reply on the kindness of friends, and occasionally strangers, to get things working!

Tes said...

Oh wow, good for you, dear Betsy! It is good to know that you guys are catching up with the times! Change is the only thing permanent. You'll eventually get the hang of it -texting is so much easier than maintaining a blog site, so there you see... go for it, girl!

storyteller at Sacred Ruminations said...

My compliments on your achievements. I have a High Def DVD but have not tried to use it. As for Blackberries, I prefer a simple flip phone because I don't 'text' or 'twitter' ... it's challenging enough to keep up with the Blogosphere on my computer.
Hugs and blessings,

Tootie said...

I'm right there with you on the texting thing. It's easier to just call them up. :-) However when grandchildren spent the summer here, they insisted I text them, so now that fills up a part of my days. ha,ha!

EG CameraGirl said...

You're way ahead of me, Betsy. LOL I'm still trying to figure out my camera!

Becky said...

Vols did a good job..considering. I am still a VOLS fan, have been for years!
I have Verizon wireless internet and if we go, it goes. They told us you can't hook a wireless router up to it but you and we did. Hubby is techy!

Janice K said...

Your post gave me an idea...We have been having trouble with our DirecTV receiver. It only works part of the time which is usually when we want to see something. It is really hard to convince their tech support that there could be something wrong with their little box...Maybe we should check into a DVR...Glad to see your are enjoying all your technological opportunities!

A Brit in Tennessee said...

It's one of the advantages of having granchildren close by...they can show you how stuff works :)
The DVR player sounds great, I should look into buying one. It's wonderful that you and George keep up with the techie guys, it makes life interesting !

marmee said...

good for you....technology is not going to slow down and wait on anybody. i always hand my phone over to the kids and they figure it out immediately for me.
we are wireless and love it.
wifi is in. lol.
my dh is a gator fan so he was happy to have them win.

Kelly said...

...you go girl! My hubby just gave me a Verizon card to use up in Lakeside if I couldn't hop on WiFi. It's really cool! Have fun...

Adrienne Zwart said...

You are cracking me up. I'm excited for you, and I think I may have to check into that MiFi thingy.

We have Verizon, too. They keep calling to tell me I qualify for a new phone, but I don't want to figure out a new phone! Incidentally, I don't text either. Don't have the patience to keep hitting the buttons 'til the right letter shows up. (The Verizon rep would say "All the more reason to get one of these new phones with a keyboard.")

I'll be interested to read how well you like the little wireless device.
Blessings!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

You are definitely way more high-tech than I am. I am so happy and excited for you. Can't wait to see how it works out for you when you travel.

Connie said...

Betsy, you're ahead of me. We don't have a DVR, although my husband has been wanting one for a while now. My phone doesn't do texting either. HA! It's too old--doesn't even have that capability.

Glad you are enjoying your new gadgets. Sounds like they will be a lot of fun and put to good use.

Cookie said...

You're wayyyyy ahead of me! No blackberry, no DVR, none of that stuff. I just learned how to blog a year ago! I don't even know how to text! I feel so out of touch with technology! Who has time to keep up with allof that stuff????

Boomer Chick said...

LOL, Betsy, I know you are in heaven! We have a DVR with our satellite dish plan and I'm telling you, this is the coolest thing! Don't even get me started on cell phones and don't let me get near the remote to the TV because I screw it up every time!

EcoRover said...

Hilarious but thought provoking. I've embraced some technologies (digital camera, wireless lap top) and avoided others (no cell phone, still driving a '72 Landrover). Just switched over to a stainless steel pocketknife, not sure how that's gonna work out...

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Betsy: All I could think when I read this was "baby steps" from the movie "What About Bob" where he became healty through taking small steps. You are taking giant strides.

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

Great post so very interesting...hugs..m.

Connie said...

If anyone is interested an iphone is not only a phone, but also a computer. You can take pictures, and post them to your blog from anywhere you have cell service. I do have a laptop that I frequently use, but more and more I'm using my iphone.

Mary said...

I like being high tech with computers and cameras and Mike couldn't live without his big screen high def TV, but on the other hand, I don't even own a cell phone. I have never been a person who liked talking on the phone and can't see any reason to get one for daily use. I'll be interested in how well you like the Verizon MiFi for travel. We seem to live in a Verizon dead zone...their cell phones work badly at our house.

Cheryl said...

You are a whiz!