Once upon a time, there were work programs on the work
computer that worked without effort and tasks were completed with ease. There have
been technology glitches recently, and Mercury retrograde is getting all the blame, no matter how misguided. It’s frustrating when you know what the
programs can do, and then suddenly they don’t work or worse, have just up and
disappeared.
Recently, it was Adobe Acrobat. There used to be a version
of it on my work computer that allowed me to make editing notes and comments,
make actual copy edits in documents, and save a PDF as another file type. This
meant any time I needed a JPG file of an ad or a sign graphic, usually to
insert into a Powerpoint overview or an email template, I didn’t need to bother our graphic designer for
it. A couple weeks ago, it suddenly reverted to the basic Reader version with
which I have been periodically and randomly cursed. After filing a service ticket, it was upgraded
again, but not to whatever version I used to have. The half-assed
thing I have now requires me to save the file on my desktop, open up the Adobe
program, then open the file in the program. It takes about 275 steps to do
something that used to take one step. Of course, I forgot about the 274 extra
steps today when I needed to convert a PDF to a JPG, but it’s fun to swear.
Today was the day to set up an email message that needs to
go out in a day or so. The approved language was ready and went into the
template in a snap thanks to copy/paste. So far, so good, but I know better than
to get too comfortable. When I tried to add the header graphic, it was a
waiting game starring a spinning circle and a message reading “loading” for a
couple minutes before I bailed. The program was opened from another browser. No
dice. I tried it again through the original browser, curious to see if it would
ever work. It was "loading" for ten minutes and never actually loaded before I gave up. Bailing
out of the work system and trying from my personal computer worked exactly
like it is supposed to, which suggested it wasn’t the program, just the access
channel. That meant another service ticket. I’m getting really good at opening
service tickets.
 |
| Supper was yummy. |
Email technology wasn’t the only quirk today. After
work, there was a wi-fi connection issue on a different device requiring troubleshooting
and a restart. And right before that, a neighbor knocked on my back door to tell me that our
mailman, who just left her house, had told her mother, who lives upstairs,
that he just learned he tested positive for COVID-19, but he’s “going to keep
doing his route.” What the hell? Even if he just meant today, that feels pretty
damned reckless. Neighbor is fuming and said she’s calling the Post Office.
This is the same mail carrier that would deliver the mail on foot, then drive
back and park the mail truck to go hang out upstairs at the Nuisance Party House. He
seemed reckless and as much as I hated being judgey, I also hated touching my
mail. Thanks to the USPS advance email notifications, I know that usually
nothing very exciting is being delivered, and often leave it in the mailbox for
a day or two before fetching it.
My Monday was a bit screwy, but the dogs were adorable all day and supper was a success. Yesterday’s leftover sautéed eggplant, tomatoes, and mushroom was today tossed with farfalle, sautéed onion, and feta
cheese for a perfect supper on a gray and drizzly day. So yummy.
No comments:
Post a Comment