4-25-16 Shhhhhhh! This is Secret!

Can I go on record as saying, "I HATE PASSWORDS!!!" ??

At first I thought it was kind of cool (back in the early days of the internet). Have a password to get your email (by modem...remember "You've Got Mail!" I loved that guy!) I felt kind of spy-like. Important. It was easy. Just the one password.

This weekend I tried to buy an app for my phone. It asked for my iTunes password.



(The above space is me, drawing a blank.)

So, I clicked on "Forgot your password?" which is my go to move when something asks for a password. Then you wait for the email to link you to the resetting of your password. Or you try to remember what clever answers you gave for your security questions. "Did I use a capital letter in my mother's maiden name?" "What WAS my first car?")

Finally I get to the screen to reset my password. I don't want to reset it. I just want the stupid computer to tell me what password I used for this particular program!!! I try one password. Nope, must not have used the PW within the past year. OK, I'll add a 1 to the end of it. Or maybe a 2.

I have tried to use the same password for everything. I know, I know. That's a terrible idea. But is it really worse than having to have a list of every password you have? I have to have a hard copy list, a list hidden on my computer, and one hidden on my phone, because you never know when you need to remember a password. I watch movies. In the cyber world they can figure it out in two minutes flat, anyway. Why bother? They can just search my desk area and they are all laid out.

But, once you try to use the same password for everything you run into problems. This site says one capital letter, one number. One says one special symbol, one number, one capital letter, one small letter. It just gets so confusing!!!

And those sadists who developed the need for passwords tell you to NOT use something that is meaningful to you. No pet names, no birthdays, no anniversaries. How in the world can I remember something if it's not special to me????? That would make me CONSTANTLY use the list.

So, finally I reset the iTunes password. Then it asked me for my Google password. Then my iCloud password. And my Apple ID. None of which I have a clue!! I had to go in a reset all those. But, one of those actually is the same as my iTunes password, which I didn't know until I had changed it already. So, then I had to go back and re-enter the passwords. And change my lists.

And your phone and your computer don't like it when you change the password on one of them, but not the other. So I have to go through it all again on the phone.

Then you'll go to some site that you don't use often and it will ask for a password. I have to think, "Well, what stage of life was I in when I set up that password??? Which one shall I try?" And you try a few and then, you guessed it, locked out.

I have my phone and my computer save passwords for sites every chance I get. That way I never have to remember. Another bad idea, I'm sure.

Loy just shakes his head in disgust with me. Is it dementia setting in? Is it chemobrain? Age? Why can't I get a handle on this?????

I hate those words, "What is your password?"

Or username.

Or Apple ID.


If you need me, I'll just be over here, pulling out my few strands of hair trying to remember what I used for a particular site.

Sigh.

Kitt.

4-11-16 I Live on the Edge!!!

Loy has certain things that make him bitter. Things that he has had to endure for years, being married to me. For example, back in the day of pantyhose he was very bitter that I bought pantyhose at the grocery store, therefore I thought they should be counted as groceries, NOT be deducted out of my clothing allowance. He's all about fairness, therefore I should not be able to eat more of the cookies than he does. And closet space should be equally allotted, even though we ALL know that is just wrong, wrong, wrong!!!

(As an aside...when I was in high school we lived in a house that had a master closet. My mom got the entire closest. Yep, the ENTIRE closet. Where was my dad's stuff? In the coat closet out in the entryway. Loy has always felt so sorry for my dad about this, but I think it kind of makes sense!!! ) (When we went on a car trip, his stuff was always packed in paper grocery bags, also. Bunny and I had suitcases. I can't remember if Mom did too. But, Daddy's stuff was in the paper bag.)

So I do as most women do, especially women with an empty nest. I commandeered the guest room closet for my off season clothes. And that works for me.

Last Friday I determined was the perfect day to "switch out my closet," bringing the spring stuff into our master closet and putting away all the black sweaters I own. This will ensure that the weather will change and we will have a freak blizzard, by the way.

Picture the scene...I'm on my last load of clothes. My arms are full to the brim (can arms be full to the brim?) because I don't want to have to make an additional trip for just a few things. I'm barefoot. And I stagger out of the guest room doorway. Well, almost out. I absolutely RAMMED my foot against the door frame.

Did I panic? Did I drop my load of clothes? Nope. Did I yell??? You bet I did!!! But I rose to the occasion and staggered to my closet and hung the clothes up--in the spots where they belonged. I was Wonder Woman!! When I finished I staggered out to the bed and put the damaged appendage up and talked out loud to myself, "Man, that really hurt!!!"

I have an average size foot--a 7-1/2--but it is a very skinny foot. And my toes have always seemed abnormally short to me. And they are the cutest little curly things you've ever seen. And I have a worthless pinky toe. When I took my sock off the fourth toe was kind of looking at a different toe than it usually does. It was rather freaky. But I know that doctors don't do much for broken toes, so I just limped out to the living room and sat with the offending foot up while I read a book.

But the next day the bruising started, and it wasn't my toe that was bruised...it was on the top of my foot. So, I decided maybe I needed to go get an X-ray just to make sure the bones were aligned and I wouldn't have a snaggle-toe for life. The radiology tech said, "Well, I see why it hurts. But I can't say more." It was broken, but the bones were ok, so I just tape and wear this lovely boot.

I'm sure Loy is thinking that if I just had the one closet, my problem would not have happened. But all you women know...

I'm in a fitness competition with 19 other family members and now I can't walk!!!! This is tough.

And the final two weeks of bowling are upon us!! Can I bowl??? (I've been practicing to see if I can do my approach in the boot--the verdict is still out.) Wednesday we're supposed to have a bowl-off between us and the #5 ranked team (we're #6) to see which of us places higher.

But all this got me thinking about life and the body and toes. My fourth toe is pretty worthless, even in the best of times. I have never once awakened and thought, "Gee, my fourth toe feels great today!" I've never thought, "I've done so much with that fourth toe today--I think I'll ice that one toe." It's just there.

Now that it's out of commission, I think about that toe often. It's affecting other parts of my body as I have to limp around. And it affects others because, while Loy may be bitter, he is nice and gets my drink at the restaurant and tries to NOT make me walk so much.

For a long time I've had a theory that all the different areas of my life are inter-related.  If I'm not reading my Bible like I should, my eating habits are usually out of whack too, and my house is usually a mess, and I'm often not exercising, and probably not taking my vitamins. Unfortunately, the area where I can most easily fall away are spiritual.

Maybe I don't see a daily concrete example of what my Bible time does, but if I don't do it, it major-ly affects the rest of my life. Same goes with praying. Or Bible studying. Or living as an example of Jesus to others. These things can be so small, but if they're "broken" it hurts the whole me.

What am I going to do with this revelation? Well, when I'm done typing, I'm going to clean my kitchen. Then I'm going to read a Psalm. And I'll pray--maybe for you!!!

And, I apologize for the winter weather that is undoubtedly going to hit Lincoln now that I've put my sweaters away!!