It's inevitable. Or is it "evitable?" Is there such a word? I think there is now. I'd google it but I'm on a roll, a Kaiser if you must know. Seriously, does "googling it" mean I have to use an uppercase G? I just figure it's so watered-down now that either version is acceptable to the judges.
Speaking of Google, it's my number one resource. I get an error message, I gGgGgGoogol it. Golgo 13 was a Nintendo game. Most of the time it provides enough matches and makes it so I don't even have to click on them to understand what the issue was. I'm also "computer smart." Intelligence/intellect/smarts: They are all slightly different things. I understand how computers work on a fairly low level and can understand how the different systems within the system interact and can affect each other. So there.
At a Thanksgiving dinner with some old friends and some brand-new ones, I was asked what I did. Once it was found out that I work on computers for a living, I got the unavoidable question "say, can you tell me what's wrong with my computer?" But the joke was on me, for it was a joke! This is probably the first Thanksgiving I've been at where I wasn't seriously asked to fix someone's computer.
I love working on and fixing computers. There's a challenge in it that I relish. I also like relish. However, if you know an IT guy or girl, here are a few basic guidelines to follow when asking him or her about your computer:
1. IT people are used to working with computers, not necessarily people. It may not make sense when they first start to talk. They may not be socially "ept" enough to get to the point right away. Also keep in mind that there is sometimes no clear, defined answer to a computer question. "It depends" is probably how I could (and used to) start almost every answer to a computer-related question. Be patient and persistent, but always be polite (see #3).
2. Don't expect them to work for free, but if they do, try to be realistic about time expectations. Some IT people aren't fast even when they are on the clock at their regular jobs. I'm often working on multiple projects and am constantly having my priorities shuffled. There is a long-standing joke about how IT people just goof off on the Internet all day. It's not that it's patently untrue; stereotypes exist for a reason, after all. I'm just saying, offer to pay them but also be upfront about when you need something done and expect that real life may get in the way. Even if you take your computer to (shudder) the Geek Squad, you can experience delays (and other heartaches). This is because yours is probably not the only computer on which they have been asked to work.
3. Be nice to IT people. They may not seem like they have feelings, however, as nice as they are, you may often drop to last on their "list of people to help" if you act entitled. If you find an IT person you like, make sure that he or she receives an occasional greeting that's not just "can you take a look at my computer?" It took quite a while for me to get used to the fact that there were some people who just said hello and didn't ask me to fix anything. The ones that make me pumpkin-flavored baked goods are handily among me fav'rites!
4. I've run into people who have a (spouse/brother/uncle's cousin's former roommate) who also knows a lot about computers "and she said" to do this. That's great and all, but they're not the one looking at your computer, are they? I'm open to other people's expertise, to be sure, but sometimes I just want to be left alone to fix your broken electronics. And damn it all if I am expected to be nice in the process!
5. Finally, if you feel like you aren't getting the responses you'd like when it comes to having someone else look at your computer, there is always yet another person who will look at it. Keep in mind that in a town with two barbers, one with messy hair, and one with a nice coiffure, you should go with the barber who cuts the hair of the barber whose hair you prefer. Wow, that was quite the sentence. That is to say, you probably shouldn't let someone who constantly gets worms and viruses (either on their computer or on their person) work on your computer. That said, even the most security conscious of IT geeks has been struck by a virus or two in his or her day. But just like a nurse that occasionally gets a cold, this is something to break the ice with, e.g., "this is a nasty virus. What do you do when you get a virus like this?" I see the fact that I've had a few of these as a testament to the fact that I can more closely relate to your problems. Because I've experienced the heartache of a crashed computer and lost files, I'm better able to say "wow, that sucks," and mean it.
Finally (part two), just like one is purportedly the loneliest number, D Minor is considered to be the saddest musical key. Your music theory education has just commenced.
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