Convenience and inconvenience

Blogging may not be a necessary activity for everyone but it certainly allows one to think outloud. For myself, thinking outloud is often a way to clarify my thoughts and work out details for a new activity or direction.

I live in rural America, in a farming community. There is no cable service for TV or Internet unless one has satellite service. A few years ago I signed up for satellite service when it first arrived in my neighborhood. It was internet only. While it has been convenient it has not been fast or trouble free. It's great for e-mail and receiving photos of the grandchildren. But it is aggrevating to have to wait forever for videos to download or to have a storm develop that keeps my dish from communicating with the satellite and the world. I have had to reboot the system more than once just this week after storms have passed by.

While the technology may not be the most convenient, it does have some pluses. I did something yesterday I have never done before though I knew it could be done. I was working at the computer and away from a convenient radio. You guessed it. I tried listening to streaming radio while I worked. It was a news program so listening to talk did not make my writing activity the most efficient but it was nice not having to move to the radio's location or having to turn the radio up to it's full volume to be able to hear it where I was working.

Speaking of convenience, there was one other incident I can relate. Our last baby is getting married in a couple of weeks. She wants to dance with dad at the reception to a specific tune. Dad barely waltzes. The tune she wants to dance to is not a waltz. A colleague gives dance instruction. So I am thinking all I have to do is let her listen to the music and advise. While I am thinking of how I am going to get a tune from CD to my colleague, my daughter says, "E-mail her a Youtube link." This long ancient tune was found on YouTube and in a very short time I had the information I was looking for. Youtube even had demonstrations of dance steps.

The Internet may not always be predictable but it has been convenient for me this week in more than one way inspite of it's plodding downloads and storm interruptions.