Computer Blues

By Jane Buckle Jun 12, 2014

I am losing the will to live. I have been wrestling with my computer all afternoon and even my tried and trusty wheeze of switching the blooming thing off and on again didn’t work.

I have been using computers for a very long time as I am a freelance journalist so I am not completely wet behind the ears. A month ago I bought a new and whizzy printer as the one that I had was terribly old and up to tricks that I hadn’t asked for! It had nothing on this one which is certainly giving me gip.

Paragraphs appear which I have not requested, tops and bottom of pages are just inserted at will. I have spent an hour on the phone with an extremely helpful girl from the company who sold me the printer and who tried to talk me through the process and tell me what to do.

All her know how could not solve the problem so she is ringing me back. I hope this afternoon because if I have any more problems I shall simply return the blooming thing to them and ask for a different printer or a refund.

Alright I own up to having senior moments and did call the chap out because the thing was not printing at all. He showed up disconnected a few things in about 2 seconds flat and charged me £25.00! Actually forget the senior moment, it was definitely a Blonde moment. I felt so stupid but handed him the cash safe in the knowledge that I now had a working printer.

Today, a month later the printer has gone all funny again. It may be funny but I fail to see the joke. My printer is on the bottom of my computer cabinet so I spent most of the hour on my hands and knees peering at the printer then rising to look at the screen while receiving information as to what to do.

The entire office is in my bedroom, please don’t ask why! So at the moment the bed is covered in papers and my ink has run out. Oh Joy Oh Bliss even more money to fork out. The dog is looking at me waiting to go out for her walk and I am busy trying to solve my problem. Treaties will make it up to the dog – a lie down in a darkened room seems the best idea for me.

I fear that my language during this process cannot be printed here and I am still waiting for the helpful girl to ring back today. She didn’t yesterday perhaps she doesn’t want to go through the problems again with an OAP, who knows.

I do realise that my daughter knows far more about computers than I do but she is not back until the weekend by which time I hope that the printer is behaving beautifully. I have fat chance and no chance here.

Written by : Jane Buckle

About the author

Jane Buckle

13 Up Votes

My Grandfather was called Bertie Buckle. He was a journalist in Fleet Street then went to live in India and founded the Bombay Gazette. I am not certain this was true but that was what my father told me! I always wanted to be a journalist but ended up doing Public Relations and Advertising, both of which meant that I was writing Press Releases, brochures and articles about clients. I formed my own little business specialising in P.R and Advertising. Unfortunately my clients drifted away one by one. They thought young and enthusiastic girls were preferable to an old lady of 55! I then moved to France where I lived for six blissful years. I renovated and sold houses and finally I realised my dream and wrote for three magazines there. I even had my own column in one of them. On my return to England I pitched for freelance work with all sorts of magazines and papers. I did write some pieces but I was over the moon when Silversurfers accepted an article. I like to think Bertie would be proud of his granddaughter.