167 Computer addict

Confessions of a Computer Addict

Looking back over some of the THREE SAVVY BROADS blogs, I saw how often I make reference to what I have “Googled.” 

OH, YEAH, Google and I have a relationship going. A long, deep, serious relationship! Not only do I check the news and weather every morning on several sites, I much prefer to read the news and weather and see the photos rather than have some chirpy, smiley person telling stuff in which I have no interest! 

No Bing for me, that pernicious site, that wants to help me with my web decisions. Leave me and my Google alone!

So after I find out what Trump has done overnight, and how hot, humid, and rainy it may be, I feel the need to look at a few favorites like Boredom Therapy for fun and unusual information. Then to get my day really started, along with my diet Coke. 

I play a few games. Yes, I have succumbed. I actually pay to play on Bridgebase.com. It is really worth it--play with real people or play with robots or watch and learn new conventions of duplicate bridge. 

Also, it only takes a few minutes to do the Daily Difference puzzle as well or chose from many other free games from Shockwave--or free online games from POGO or BIG FISH. Mindless fun as I have actually turned on NPR to catch the “just the facts” BBC news.

My brain is processing whether I am getting older and lazier or if it is that the convenience is so wonderful. I like having my computer do my most of my regular shopping.

No more lugging cases of dog food cans and 25-pound bags of dog food. I love. Within 24 to 48 hours, your order is at your door. Chewy is owned by PetSmart which is also where we get out Schnauzers groomed and is the home of Banfield vet clinics which is where our dogs have their doctors!

Grocery shopping is SO NOT FUN! Make a list, drive to the store, make selections, load cart, take everything out of the cart, put it on the conveyor belt, pay, put plastic/paper bags in cart, wheel it to the car, unload everything into the car, drive home, unload the car--you get it. I do not like to grocery shop. I get claustrophobic at big grocery stores with high shelves especially since I don’t know where everything is. 

Walmart now does my grocery shopping. It is not perfect, but I am a lot less stressed. Try it. A friend literally gave me hell for supporting Walmart grocery shopping. Sorry, I don’t get it. When I was very young, the Mom & Pop grocery store we used did the very same thing. I would hop out of the car as Mom sat in the idling car at the pull-in curb, I’d run our weekly list inside, hand it to the clerk, and we’d go on to the next errand. The next day, the groceries were delivered to our kitchen counter and we got a monthly bill. Hmm--who said the more things change, the more they stay the same? (YES, I just googled it: Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 1849. You’ve likely seen it as “plus ca change, c’est la meme chose.” Thanks, Google!)

Then, I dare you! Raise your hand if you have not shopped on Amazon. Let me think: I just bought weird-sized light bulbs for over the kitchen sink that I could NOT find at either of two different hardware stores in town. I also got a new wet/dry mop to get the debris and mildew off the front steps, a best seller just out in paperback, a pair of toddler red cowboy boots, and a couple of baby gifts. One Click, used AMEX points, and it all totaled a whopping $7.87--with two-day delivery. And my best friends often give me Amazon gift cards. And how much easier can it get.

I do have friends who swear by eBay purchases. I am still not into that. I want to know that I am dealing with a company and that the item is unsullied by some human hands. Okay, that may seem crazy, as some poor underpaid employee filled my online shopping orders. For some quirky reason, it seems different to me. If you have any thoughts on this, I would love to hear them!

That’s it for this week.

Stay cool. Have a safe Labor Day weekend. 

Savvy Glenne                    

                                        

P.S. For grandparent shopping, there is a marvelous site called Childrensalon.com. It’s British (and very classy!) and it has everything the indulgent grandparent might want. And each order has a mini bag of Haribo gummy candy in it as a thank you.