Ed was fantastic. He installed everything – computer, peripherals, new printer-copier-fax, older fax sitting new in box on floor for a year, mikes, and every time there is a problem, fixes it. I am not saying he was graceful about most of it. He hates to be frustrated the way most of us do, but he is very vocal about it. He "got into this" because I wanted hi speed and then the problems escalated because our ancient computer wouldn’t work with the hi speed modem. So he said this was “my toy” and he grumbled about having to get a new printer and the cost of it all “at this time.”

So now that all the stuff is working he is playing with “my toy” looking at cartoons (Mighty Mouse is a big favorite) and listening to music downloads, and looking stuff up.

Our learning curve has run into roadblocks with Vista, Microsoft’s dandy new (they didn’t have to fix it) operating system. And with our new E mail program.

First off Vista is designed for networking. Who cares. Ed registered the computer with his name and we were both using it and then we learn I can have my own side as Tealstar. So we did that and I have my own password and then the computer tells me it is setting up my desk top and I am thinking, no, no, no, I want the one Ed and I have been working on! Well, forget that.

Then my documents that Ed transferred from the old Dell, using a special device and program, were loaded into his side (at that time the only side set up) and even though the program is telling me that Ed and Tealstar are sharing my files, I can’t access them unless I am working on Ed’s side of the computer.

And the only reason the program says we are sharing is that a sweet fellow from India invaded the computer with my permission and transferred the files, the cursor wandering about the screen with utter abandon, supposedly fixing things. Well, I suppose I can get on the phone and call India again but I hate to seem like a nudge, and also ungrateful.

Meanwhile, a friend, Toni, has a friend, Randy, who is a computer worker and she offered me his services for free and he said he would be happy to help. But he hasn’t been able to get here yet to give me a tutorial. I have an old Walkman that records and when he gets here, I am recording everything he says.

As for the E mail, I tried to multiple mail people that I laboriously typed into my new address book and it doesn’t work. Not only that, when I click on a name in the address book, I can’t get it into the compose template without cutting and pasting it.

The background color for the first message in the E mail is a deep, dark green. I can hardly read it. I sure would like to change that to a pastel. I am always thinking it’s a border, not a new message. None of the E mail options are the answer. Not only that, I don’t understand the options. This is stuff I will never use.

Finally, can anyone tell me how to un-do a registration? I clicked on a headline in the L.A. Times recently and got a news story that had comments. And I love to comment and couldn’t see how to do it, but there was a link I clicked on and they wanted me to register so I did and when the link came up, there was my full name, age (why do they need to know your age) and, normally, I would not include some information, but it was all asterisked. and I don’t care if people know how old I am if I decide they should know but I had assumed this info was for their file, not for page one. In an open forum like this I would like to pace myself. My full name is another no-no. So I am not using this link. Maybe if I don’t write anything, no one will bother with my page. But how can I un-do this? Meanwhile, even after I had registered, I could not find my way to the comment box.

Am I snarling?

xx, Teal