Wednesday, February, 23rd, 2005

4AM yesterday, woke up ready to go. The only problem was that I really didn't have any where to go. Instead, I decided I would continue working on some website content. That lasted a few hours and then it was really time to go.

I arrived at the trailer, which looked more like a conventional house rather than the image I expected, met the man outside and he welcomed me in. It was 7:45 AM. He offered coffee, I declined and then I met his wife and computer.

We, the man and I, sat down at his Gateway computer running Windows 98. I asked him to tell me exactly what he needs to acomplish. At this point I hadn't heard of any problems with the computer. He told me that he was more interested in learning how to use the comptuer rather than having me fix any particular problem. I was a bit geared up due to coffee I drank earlier so I had to force myself into a slower mode. My biggest concern was trying to avoid speaking in terms that he might not understand. Anyway, we sat for a few hours talking about the computer. He asked questions, I answered. All the while his wife sat at a wooden dining table piecing a puzzle together. She too asked questions. Needless to say, it wasn't your average house call.

By the time I left, we had gone through the basis of how the comptuer is laid out (in terms of folders and files), how to use email, the power of ctrl+alt+delete, some Control Panel items, System tools, msconfig, installed anti-virus, set up his AOL account (that I was the first time I ever had to use AOL, I am okay now, but the clutter of the interface was driving me crazy, or was that the coffee?). I set up the printer and showed them how to use it, the basis of searching the Internet, what spyware is and a list of safety tips, etc... He was very receptive and eager to learn. I enjoyed being a tutor. It was relaxing to sit and talk about computers which such personable people.

The next part of my day was spent working on the music section of my site. It's really coming along and I must admit that the content is quite funny but I won't post the link to the pages until they are complete. Then I had a two hour meeting during which I discussed the future of one of the websites I am working on. After that I was on my way home.