Daily Prompt: If I could turn back time

If you could return to the past to relive a part of your life, either to experience the wonderful bits again, or to do something over, which part of you life would you return to? Why?

So there I was relaxing in Arabian style somewhere in Marrakesh, Morocco 25 years younger, 1990 aged 44 more or less. Oh yes I was the Queen of the Arabian nights, at least I thought so. Shall I return to those days, enjoying the ability to wear something that would accentuate the figure that I still had, going places and doing things that I now only have in my dreams.?

I took a look at what I wrote the last time on this prompt and things do not change much really. No thank you, I do not want to relive any part of my life, especially not the part about bringing up four children, going to work daily and fitting in household, cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing in the few precious moments I had to spare. Of course, not having my aches and pains when I was younger was an advantage, but that was just physical. I no longer want to relive the psychological side of it all: planning, multi tasking and definitely not the financial side. 

With a family you had to keep everyone happy. New clothes for the kids when the old ones got too small or the jeans wore through. And then they grew up and wanted everything that all the others had. Of course we survived, mummy and daddy were working for the benefits and in between we even managed a holiday in Marrakesh: yes and no. My husband’s company did an annual excursion to treat the reps and we were included, so it was all covered by the company. Marrakesh was something I would never had want to miss. My one and only trip to a country in North Africa: landing in Casablanca and changing planes to Marrakesh, somewhere near the Atlas mountains. My first impression of Morocco was a ridden group of soldiers on camels dressed in their oriental uniform each a Rudolph Valentino lookalike. OK, not quite, but it was something I will never forget.

There is a big disadvantage to this reliving the past thing, you do not think the same. You do not have the life’s experiences that you have at the age of 69: not that I am wisdom in person but things that happen in life do tend to leave their impression on you. Today when I creep out of bed in the morning I have to think about it.  How to do it that I can actually stand on my two legs and walk to the kitchen. It is not easy and I often think “why didn’t anyone tell me about this when I was younger”, but perhaps it is better so. the little surprises in life.

When I see the younger generation today, I think of myself at that time. I have my regrets. I did not have an iPhone to play with whilst waiting for the local train. Computers were still in the DOS IBM stage where you perhaps play some music and do things that you did not really understand at least I didn’t until the first Commodore arrived, but even then it was reserved for my son and I was just watching in the wings.

Every stage of life has its fun side and mine today is taking photos with my digital camera, writing my prompts on my computer(s), yes I have two. You cannot take it with you, so why not, where there is an Apple (not to eat) there is a Window, so I have the best of both worlds. In the days gone bye my money was spent on the others, today I spend it on myself, if there is enough.

So I am not going anywhere daily prompt, I am content where I am, and please don’t repeat this one again, otherwise I will have to think about how it was with my ancestors in the days of mammoths and learning how to light a fire. I suppose even they had their fun days.

“Look Ug, it’s burning”

“How did you do that Og?

“Just rubbed two sticks together.”

“Mummy can I have two sticks as well.”

“No Ig, it is too dangerous, you might burn yourself.”

Daily Prompt: Childhood Revisited

What is your earliest memory? Describe it in detail, and tell us why you think that experience was the one to stick with you.

I have revisited my childhood so often on these prompts that it even bores me, so I am sure it is no longer fun to revisit and why revisit. Was it something great, astounding, spectacular? No, it was not. We did not have computers, not even a real TV, just a box in the corner of the room where you had to squint your eyes to see what was happening and it was all in black and white. Who wants to live in a black and white world? If you really want monochrome you can now do it all on the digital camera or in photoshop. Go back to my childhood?

My favourite shelf is shown on the photo. On the top right my new super Windows 10 computer which is still learning the ropes according to Mrs. Angloswiss. Next to it on the left my previous Acer model, still in working condition although with Windows 7 and a few loose connections which are not so bad if you waggle the lead a bit. On the lower shelf on the right, the silver computer known as Apple, which I am using at the moment to write this unforgettable work of literature.

So in all seriousness I ask you do I really want to return to a childhood where I was even lucky to find a spare electric plug for my tape deck which was the main possibility to listen to music in the days when the Beatles were still visiting art school and John and Paul were still wondering if a song with the title “Love Me Do” would make them famous. I remember recording “Top of the Pops” on Sunday afternoons to annoy everyone with the same songs time and time again.

No today is fun. I was already in my forties when I played my first game on a computer. Was it Kuony’s Rift exploring strange landscapes which never really lead anywhere and shooting down flying saucers which never actually got you to the final stage? I do not think anyone really got to the final stage. I remember sharing the Commodore computer, and afterwards the Amiga computer, with my youngest son. We would paint the wizard’s Kingdom with Wizzball. My son would go to bed earlier than I, and so I had the computer all to myself and must have completed the illustrations evening for evening.

Later I progressed to Facebook Zynga games. Then I was at the retirement age, almost. My company decided that a golden oldie did not look so good in the office, so they decided to give me an early retirement. I was then left to myself with the computer and spent many happy hours farming (Farmville), building a restaurant (Cafeworld) and even building a town (Yoville). This was my second childhood and let’s face it, not many of us get the opportunity to grow up twice. Even I outlived these games as they no longer exist. One day I discovered blogging and am still blogging. In my childhood it was called writing a composition at school, included in the english lessons. I hated writing compositions, the teacher always disagreed with my style. I am sure if they had given us a computer it would have had a more positive influence on my life.

Today we have iPads, a handy instrument for fiddling around with when not knowing what to do with your brain. We also have Kindle, so no longer visiting the library or the bookshop ad dragging a bag with a heavy book home. Just find what you want, download it and read it, even if you are on a journey somewhere. With your Kindle you always have something to read.

Back to my childhood? No thanks, just give me the muscles and joints that work and the legs that can take me on journeys to take my digital photos, that is what I need. 

Daily Prompt: Bloggers Unplugged

Sometimes, we all need a break from these little glowing boxes. How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?

Here they are, both sitting and waiting for the great moment to be plugged.They are both resting, waiting for the CPR of life; Computer Plug Resuscitation of course. I do not need a break from these glowing boxes, they need a break from us. 

They have their own place to relax, away from the turbulences of online life. Give them room to recover, to take it easy and reload their bytes and system.  

“Here she comes again Apple”

“Must be breakfast time Acer, which means it’s your turn to keep her happy with her searches for life in the digital world.”

“But I don’t feel like it. I am exhausted. She was uploading photos again yesterday and we all know what that means.”

“Not really Acer, tell me all about it. She rarely does it with me, but takes the photos that she already uploaded on your organs. Does it hurt?”

“No, not really, although she now and again says profanities if the programme she uses is on strike, this means about 10 refreshes until it arrives.”

“But that’s not your fault, that’s the programme.”

“Try telling her that. A bad workman always blames the tools. Yesterday was a field day. First of all transferring photos from the mobile. Of course she also took a few with the camera and where did they all meet? In my central resting place for things to be organised.”

“But that is our job Acer?”

“Not if she has created hundreds of different files and plugs hard disks into my ports. I tell you my ports are getting sore with the increased in and out. Three of those disks she now has and not only being satisfied with that she also throws the photos onto my memory. I am tired, worn out.”

“Stop complaining Acer, it’s my turn in the afternoon. Look she is doing it now. Writing some sort of prompt thing, and it is called a daily prompt. Do you know what that means: every day and this since at least 5 years.”

“But Apple she has only had you for a year, so who was she using before you arrived? Yes, me Acer, every morning, every afternoon and then the evening, although the evening jobs have been reduced to distributing the photos in all directions.”

“And you think the writing work is nothing, my keyboard is getting computer arthritis. An hour in the afternoon and now she does it some evenings.”

“But I am also on call in the evening.”

“I noticed, we often sit side by side on the desk.”

“At least we can have our own little private conversations now and again.”

“By the way Acer I heard you are being replaced. Looks like you will be going to the computer cemetery in the cellar together with Toshiba and HP from Mr. Swiss.”

“How do you know.”

“She ordered your replacement on me of course and that was a job, surfing around all over the place until she found what she wanted; seems that Windows 10 is required now.”

“But she can upload that on me, Windows 10 is always knocking on my bytes for entrance. She switches it off.”

“Be honest Acer, do you really have room for Windows 10 in your body when Window 7 is doing the job just as well.?”

“Come to think of it not really, I would be exploding at the circuits. What did she order.”

“One of your new relations, also an Acer but called something like Nitro black edition, as powerful as me, but I am Apple, so can still look down on the new arrival. I must say Acer, I will miss you, but I have heard it is comfortable in the computer cemetery. Quiet, even temperatures are cool and the guys down there are a nice bunch, real computer friendly.”

“Oh well, I suppose there comes a time when we all have to go. It was fun while it lasted, but on the other hand no more milk splashed into the gaps in my keys and tea stains on my body. Those breakfast sessions were ruining my appearance. Look she is now doing the closing down goodbye: Chrome/CC cleaner/Malware bytes, so it looks like another night on the shelf until tomorrow morning.”

“Night Acer, of course being an Apple I don’t need all that anti virus stuff, although rumour has it that it has happened, but at the moment I can relax and dream of the glowing days of plugs.”

Daily Prompt: Companionable

Head to one of your favourite blogs. Write a companion piece to their penultimate post.

As far as writing companion pieces to penultimate posts? Can you perhaps make it a little easier daily prompt? I am too old for this sort of thing, just a golden oldie trying to understand the hifi world we live in. At the moment one of the PC online guys is fitting our new provider  which is already working perfectly, with the exception of the printer. The printer says forget it, I need a new programme, and so the guy is making a new set-up. In the meanwhile we are all stations go, just like the CIA, everything is working after testing all of our computers. The printer is now doing what it should do and no more profanities are being uttered.

I would title the photo “Confusion” which is the state my brain has at the moment. It is a reflection of the sun shadows on my floor in the hallway. I noticed by the first time with this stupid idiotic prompt that there were few answers because probably most people did not really know what it was all about, or found anything life-sustaining to write.

Yesterday I downloaded the new Apple programme known as El Kapitan, succeeding  Yosemite which succeeded Maverick. It took about 4 hours and another half an hour to configure but eventually it arrived.  Mac programmes always remind me of the Wild West, I am sure the next programme will be called “Wells Fargo”, shooting down the outlaws trying to rob the Apples and the survivors being the Mac-Earps. Mr. Swiss dowloaded his Apple computer this morning. We are now both up to date with everything, except Windows 10.

Mr. Swiss has Windows 10 on his two Windows 8.1 computers and it works perfectly. I just had a word with then PC guy that was fitting up our new provider and I asked him about adapting my Windows 7 to Windows 10. He said there should be no problem, although some people find it goes slower. I told him I have decided not to go for it, I don’t like risks with computers and I do not like the photo programme on Windows 10. I have a lovely photo programme on my Windows 7, it does everything I want it to do. I have decided to wait and see. When the time comes and my Acer windows 7 draws its last online breath I will consider either a replacement with windows 10, or carry on with my super Macbook until I want a bigger and better Macbook, which does not yet exist.

In the meanwhile I will battle my way through these daily prompts, sending the baddies to Byte (Boot?) Hill and hoping for one of the good guys that will give me something new.