Monday, April 28, 2008

Paperwork, computers and Monday

I recently decided that Mondays would be "office" days. It's the day I spend at my desk, catching up on the piles and piles of papers that I generate daily, much off the computer. So I'm making phone calls, paying bills, writing notes, and making lists. Which generate more paper since I tend to print everything. Like I don't trust the computer.

Computers were supposed to save time. I don't know how they work in your life but in mine, they are a huge part of my day. My life sadly, revolves around my computer. Everything is on it, business and personal including a huge number of my friends. As close as an e-mail, day or night. I'll admit, I love that part...

Little did I know how much my life would change when Dick brought home the first computer. He was working as a CPA and through his office, he could buy the same computer for home that he used at work. It was the early 80's and this was the brand new Compact portable computer. The first portable computer (as I remember it). It was this huge beige suitcase like thing that weighed a ton but it had a handle on one end so it was portable. The screen was probably 6" and the display was amber.

Software wasn't available so Dick wrote programs in DBase for everything I needed. Accounting, word processing and I think my mailing list. And that noisy dot matrix printer. I sure don't miss that thing. They finally came out with a sound deadener you could put over it which meant you could actually hear the phone ring next to you while it was printing.

It's hard to believe that it's been well over 25 years since that first computer. So if I've had a computer for all those years and I haven't lost anything yet, why do I still feel the need to print off anything of importance? Maybe enough Mondays stuck in the office will cure me of that need!

No comments: