Computers

Computers, like animals, can sense fear. They know when the person befor them is unsure, and therefore, control is easy to wrest away.

I am a fearful person when it comes to computers. When I sit at the controls, the inner workings of the computer buck and jerk away from me so that I am left riding without reins. What seemed simple in my husband's instructions become an insurmoutable problem because I have lost control. I can almost hear the computer snickering.

Take now, for example. I am writing this post in notebook form because I cannot get the internet to connect. It says there is a good connection, but nothing will load. This happened because the one person in the house who is not afraid of the computer - my husband - left this morning. The computer is taking advantage of this fact and I doubt I will do anything internet related until he returns on Thursday. But when he does return, you can be sure that everything will be in working order again. It's like, "Ah, the master is gone. I will now work my mischief!"

You see, my husband is like the computer whisperer. The moment I call him in, the computer perks up. sensing the presence of power, it will crawl and bow in front of him and do his bidding with a humble whine. What was insurmountable disappears with a few clicks - often the same thing I was just doing will now work like magic.

Until then, I am blocked from cyberspace, at the mercy of my runaway computer.