I am not the most computer savvy person on the planet. Typical ‘end user’ if I’m honest. At the office I just wanted the IT Department to just make it work. I’m not interested in how that’s achieved but in this day and age your tech should just crack on with what you need it to do. Same with my smart phone, TV package, scanner, printer etc.
The current IT department that services my home and all the devices therein consists of one guy. My husband. He is a Network Engineer and loves getting in there and clicking about. That’s where my positivity ends.
I needed some work doing on my laptop today and his assistance was required. I have now run into a storage issue. Apparently my computer can’t cope with the endless hours of footage that I have taken of my daughter eating, laughing, sleeping and throwing tantrums. I record all this plus photos as I want to remember all of her little things years from now. Buckling under the strain of my compulsive need to document everything, my laptop is crying for help.
Enter The IT Guy. Very knowledgeable. Very patient. Exact opposite of me in this area. Two hours in and I’m already raging. My husband is in his element. Passwords, two-step authentication, checking what is going on. My life in pictures from 2009, that’s what’s going on!!! My laptop is two days older than dirt so is not really up to the challenge of my husband rifling through its particulars.
He is helping me out after a very long day so I don’t feel that raising my voice and asking him to get a move on would be appropriate. Especially given the level of sarcasm and profanity that would inevitably accompany that request. He has now informed me that it will be sorted by the weekend. THE WEEKEND! He said a whole bunch of other computer related stuff but I tuned out. I didn’t mean to but my brain just automatically waves it’s “YO – NOT INTERESTED!” flag and I’m gone. Have to be very careful here as IT people are a tricky breed. My husband gets very passionate about his work. Getting right into the detail and very methodical. Polar opposite to his rather android way of dealing with anything else non computer related. I smile, support and carry on. This is the only way forward in this situation. Any sarcasm, dumb-ass questions or nagging on my part at this point will only cause unrest. After all, I just want my laptop fixed.
Some of our biggest arguements have been IT related. I need to do something and he has to show me how. Simple in theory. However, I think and talk very fast. One of my many pet peeves is people who think and talk slowly, my husband. He is a very intelligent man but oh my God! Get to the point already!!
Smile, support and carry on. Sometimes this is easy. Sometimes this needs wine.