Oh, Siobhan. What a stinky rotten day! :-( Well, hopefully, it will improve as the clock moves on.

Here is a (bad) joke to make you smile:

Q: How many ears does Davy Crockett have?
A: Three. The right ear, the left ear and the frontier.

hahahahaha.

Well, bah humbug to all of them. You've still got all your FB friends. I know how you feel about not being recognized, though. My DH is 6'2", 200-and-too-many pounds, with beautiful white hair. It's surprising how many people (especially merchants) don't recognize me when he's not with me. :(

I meant RP friends, of course, not FB friends. My bad.

Siobhan, I went into our LOCAL INDEPENDENT bookseller a few days ago, feeling good about supporting local business rather than just ordering everything from Amazon (still order some stuff from there.) When I asked the clerk if she could look up a book title for me she snapped "only if it doesn't take up much time!" Once the title was found, another employee who was as glum and gloomy as they come handed me a copy with a ripped dustjacket. Geez, I don't expect gratitude but I do expect civil customer service.
And Sarah, my dh used to be 6'7" (he's shrunk an inch or two over the years) and is also 200 + too many lbs, and is always being recognized. I am more reserved so I just view him as my social buffer. :)

The joke definitely made me smile, thank you!

Speaking of stinky, I went to the library, where I always feel welcome, and to give the Kindle Fire another chance (why oh why doesn't it come with a better instruction manual, or have one available online?) All was well except there was a terrible smell. I was really bothered by it and was getting quite annoyed when I realized...it was me. I had stepped in dog poop. All over my shoe! I beat a hasty retreat. I am home now and plan to just stay here and be a hermit for awhile. Except for my failsafe RP friends of course!

Siobhan, is there a Kindle Fire question you have that I might be able to help with? I haven't used mine extensively yet but I am a computer person and can often figure things out. You can e-mail me separately if you like.

As to the subject at hand, it amazes me sometimes the things people feel compelled to mention that would be so much better left unsaid. I don't think they have a clue as to how they are perceived (or maybe they just don't care).

This may sound a bit silly, but I am having trouble web browsing - when I do a Google search and have the page with search results, touching the screen doesn't take me anywhere. Where do I touch it? (The rhetorical question here is - Why is this so hard?)

You touch the top line of the result you want to read. It is displayed in blue.

Take a nice Zen breath...and soon it will all be done with.

My philosophy is : Do what you can and can the rest.

My motto is: Don't let the buzzards wear you down.

My experience has been: It's really not about you, it's more about them. Nasty or nice....it has to do with what drama the other person currently has running in their head!

Smile and say "thanks !"
You'll really confuse them.

I touch the line I want, but nothing happens. I wonder if something is wrong with the screen.

I'm assuming that you have an active wifi connection if Google is working. Are you able to touch the screen successfully for other reasons -- like selecting a book to download, for example? The keyboard is obviously working if you can do a Google search.

You might try powering the Kindle off and then back on again. Sometimes that action can clear up some strange problems with computers.

It is possible to contact Amazon if you think there is something wrong, or even if you have a question that you can't figure out. On a computer, just click on "help" at the top right of the home screen, then click on "Contact Us" displayed in orange about halfway down the right side of the help screen, and there you can enter information about your question or problem and say you want to talk to them, enter your phone number, and they will call you back immediately. The couple of times I've done this they were very prompt and helpful.

The touch screen seems to work otherwise except on the search screen, although it is difficult, probably because my fingertips, except for pinkies, are heavily calloused. (Same problem on an iPad). I went on Amazon and did a live chat - the person told me to return it if I didn't like it. I am not happy that they sent me a wireless only unit - no 3G. The tech support said it isn't available in my area - funny, my internet connection that I am using right now is 3G!

AND the chocolate I bought had gone off and tasted like fish!

3G is not available on any Kindle Fire at this point and I've not seen any information on when or whether they plan to support it. If you read about the Kindle Fire on Amazon they don't say that 3G is an option. It is an option for an iPad. It sounds like you didn't have someone who knows what she is talking about, unless she was thinking about the Sprint 3G that other Kindles use. That isn't available everywhere.

I'm thinking back to when I first tried out my Fire and I seem to remember that there was an issue with getting to another website from Google but whatever it was resolved itself and is no longer a problem.

I'm definitely having a problem replying to messages here. When I press "submit" it tells me I have already submitted a message so I have to change the title, even though there are other messages between mine.

It's all confusing to me because the information is just kind of scattered around and I feel like I am learning everything the hard way - and it is not supposed to be hard. The tech guy had me look at the box and there was supposed to be a sticker on it regarding 3G capability. I obviously was misinformed about this as I need to wait until I can use 3G. Wireless service is few and far between here but we do have 3G. My problem with the search page is mystifying but a good troubleshooting guide would have been of some help. I guess I am not meant to be a first adopter. I feel I should return the Kindle and wait a generation or two. I do have my regular Kindle that I use all of the time, especially now that I can get library books on it.

I am having the same problem here - maybe it is a time thing.

You are right -- the wifi-only information was not very easily found. There is a table with data on all the Kindles that includes connectivity and that shows wifi only. I heard on the news this week that Amazon may have a new version of the Fire coming next spring that will address some issues customers have. None of the ones I heard mentioned affect me so I don't even remember what they were but I don't remember 3G being one of them.

Since lack of wireless access is a problem for you then returning the Kindle and waiting for 3G capability makes good sense. It is disappointing after looking forward to it but that is better than keeping it and resenting it.

This doesn't make your day any better, does it?

Ha - I just went out in search of a wireless connection. I drove to the library, but it was down - not an unusual occurrence. Their equipment is old and if it goes down and needs a reboot, obviously someone needs to be there to do it and it is of course closed. So I drove to a local motel that advertises wi-fi, but their network is secured. I will have to wait until tomorrow when the library opens.

I could get wireless here at my home but it would cost $135 per month. The people I know who have this say it goes down all the time. My 3G connection is $50 and works flawlessly.

Still, I can use the Kindle Fire at work to listen to radio and watch video. We have a wireless network that is separate from our work computers. But I have been mystified by this screen problem. I wish I knew someone with a Fire, but even iPads are rare around here. Anyway, I have spent an awful lot of time messing around with this. I greatly appreciate your help!

Well, after this day I feel a bit like a stray cat. No visitors, no Fire, a yard full of someone-else's-dog poop. All I can say is thank goodness for beer. I think I will have one right now! (Pretty sure I can get the cap off.)

Okay, now I'm confused. Are you trying to access the Google result from a place where you don't have wireless access? If so, you won't be able to do it because you need wireless to get to the web. I thought because you had Google results you had wireless where you are because Google would also require web access.

So, how about a new plan. When you are at the library tomorrow start from scratch with your Google search and then try to access a result. I'm willing to bet it will work (not $10,000, though).

Siobhan, I'm sorry you had such a run of grumpy people. It's not you, really.

I think that we (as a society) have built Christmas up to be this ultimate, life-fulfilling experience that it hasn't a hope of ever meeting. People get tense as it approaches, and cranky when it's here. What a pity. A lower key Christmas really is quite a lovely holiday.

Enjoy your beer.

Paula

Oh no, I look back over my posts and I see it I have been very ambiguous - I only use it where I have wireless access. The access issue and the touch screen issue are completely separate. I've been really frustrated to be somewhere I can connect and not be able to move around freely in the internet. I went to the library this afternoon and spent half an hour tapping that d&*m screen. It would work eventually, after 47 or so tries. I kept thinking I have to be missing something. It seems so simple - you just see the site you want and touch it - right?

Wow, Siobhan, that's a lot of bah-humbug for one day!

I am pleased to say we have had several customers in our shop this week comment on how happy the staff are, under somewhat trying conditions. Several of us add Christmas ornaments - I wear antlers and some jingly bells, and one woman has a 'Mother Christmas' type apron - and it all adds a bit to the atmosphere.

However, I do feel a bit for the merchants not recognising customers - I don't have a very good memory for faces, and I'm much more likely to remember selling someone a particular book than remember what they look like *g*

Wow, you are having Siobhan's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, aren't you?

Not comparable, but last week a guest whom we did not know and who attended a dessert party we hosted for our church members who live in this area code told my husband he needed to put a shim under the door facing to prevent the crack above the door from recurring, and then he told me that while the bookcases DH built for me (and they are gorgeous) were nice, the paint needed touching up in spots. People are great, aren't they?

Normally I wouldn't expect to be recognized, but I live in a very, very small town and it is a very, very small shop that is only open 2 days a week - also I live in a quite distinctive home that everyone recognizes. Once I tell someone where I live, they normally remember...

At least I didn't get sick from the bad chocolate!

And I am NOT getting a pimple, the little bump is a three-day-old insect bite.

Better get right to that paint job, Carolyn. I'm sure you'll be having THAT guy back again soon :)

Sorry about the bad experiences but if you meant to make me laugh, you succeeded. Thanks for that. I don't feel at all Christmassy. Perhaps because the holiday is at the weekend rather than at a special time during the week? I am going away so haven't even got out the tree! Not meaning to sound Bah-Humbug, though! I think this Down Under heat is getting to me!

Paula, I completely agree with you. I prefer a more low-key Christmas myself. The entire American holidays have gotten overblown and overly commercial, IMHO. I recall simpler days. So many people now are under pressure to buy, buy, buy and the U.S. economy is not that great. The holidays are incredibly stressful for many: unwanted relatives descending, the pressure to entertain when money may be tight, the overstuffed feeling after the feast, the quest for the "perfect" gift for everyone on the list. I think the way Xmas has evolved of late has gotten to ressemble a pressure cooker, rather than a peaceful season of joy....

Siobhan,
Just taking a quick break from my holiday cleaning. Sorry for your bad day and hope all is faring better for you now. RP friends have an abundance of what is sorely lacking in the "outside" world... courtesy, kindness, thoughtfulness, and genuine friendship.

Off to get my house cleaner. I am also a vey simple holiday person. Simple decorations, simple meal, simply enjoying the time with the people who mean the most to me.

Keep your chin up. We are here for each other.

PAM

Well, today is going much better. (Of course I am probably jinxing myself.) I went to the library and spoke to a few acquaintances who all remembered me and none of whom told me I had ratty hair or pimples. The Kindle Fire session went more smoothly, thanks to Frances I think I have figured out a thing or two or three. I think the problem is just plain old slowness. What I took for nonresponse is just plain slowness. I need to wait...wait...wait...wait a little more...voila! Being used to lightning fast responses on my work and home computers, I have become spoiled. It's not that bad, but it is definitely slow. And my two Kindles work differently - my old Kindle can receive books just about anywhere but my new Kindle Fire can only receive books if it has a wireless connection. Except for library books, which are a whole different animal. Yes, it is a learning experience.

Anyway, I am tired of Christmas, not the spiritual beautiful part, but the I-don't-have-time-to-be-nice-to-you-because-I-have-better-things-to-do part. I will be glad when the holidays are over and my friends don't hang up on me because they are busy and stressed. I don't have the busy stressed part, because I pretty deliberately eliminated it quite some time ago. For instance, we don't exchange gifts in my family as a general rule. We all agreed quite some time ago that we all have too much stuff.

But today is beautiful. It is snowing lightly and looks gorgeous. I'm so happy to have some snow that does not come part and parcel with a huge and ferocious storm. This is lightly falling, moderate temp, no wind, only half-an-inch expected snow.

And yes, this is all tongue-in-cheek, I'm hope I have generated a bit of laughter!

Siobhan, your tale of woe was hilarious. I had a similar day last week. I was buying a Christmas present at a local department store. By way of preface, I have to say I do not enjoy shopping in general, and especially at Christmas. The woman who was running up my purchases was inexplicably rude and incompetent. Also she asked me if I was a senior (I'm 46. Ouch!)

Traumatized, I continued with my errands, being fortunate to have excellent service at the bank and the post office. But for some reason I can only remember the bad shopping experience.

I completely agree with Siobhan's opinions of Christmas stress. So much of what is deemed appropriate for the holiday requires so much joyless obligation, which completely undermines what is beautiful about the season.

I often experience a sense of sadness at Christmas. I had wonderful Christmases as a child, thanks to many friends and relatives who are no longer living. All the Christmas music, Christmas specials, etc. cause a flood of memories which are tinged with real sadness.

So true, so true. When I was a child and surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, parents, it never occurred to me I would lose them all. That is the way of life. But it is at Christmas that their absence is especially felt.

Now if I can sink further into my Scrooge-like funk, I might as well complain about church this morning. The children's pageant, normally a 10-minute affair, took up the whole hour. Frankly it was excruciating. The recorder solo by the four-old-year stopped being cute after the first five minutes. The nativity scene included jokes about stepping in cow manure. It also took on the unpleasant tinge of an American Idol tryout (by not very talented participants - snark, snark). I was appalled when Santa Claus showed up at the end. Santa Claus in the church santuary! The kids sitting on his lap asking for presents right in front of the altar! I am now officially a snarky horrible old grump.

Now I will say something nice to try to redeem myself. I noticed a sign that another church was having a Lessons and Carols service at 4 PM and I so I attended. It was beautiful and meaningful and embodied what I like about Christmas.

I will stop now!

Siobhan,

I'm so glad your bad day is over and done with.

This is not my favorite time of year either; due primarily to my having worked in retail sales for many years. I still cannot tolerate much Christmas music. When it's been dinned into one's ears for 10 hours a day, six days a week for several weeks non-stop, it ceases to have any special meaning at all and becomes something to avoid at any amd all costs.

I've been out of retail sales for a number of years now and am slowly finding some Christmas carols that I can listen to without shuddering, especially the ones that haven't been overplayed. And it helps that my workplace plays regular music interspersed with Christmas music so it doesn't annoy.

You're all probably thinking that I'm a total Grinch, but I do like to give presents to loved ones and I would give nearly anything to recreate the Christmas seasons of my childhood, when Christmas was a mysteriously wonderful time.

Siobhan, I do hope your days get better -- hang in there! Remember it's better to laugh than to bang your head against the wall -- no matter how tempting!

Your recounting of the children's pageant had me laughing, I can so clearly picture it! My kids are now teenagers, but we slogged through quite a few children's Christmas pageants, including one spent entirely in the church hall because my then-two year-old couldn't behave. He spent most of the service running around like a nut amidst all the pageant kids who were trying to get dressed and lined up for their grand entrance. And when we did return to the church he immediately dove for the floor, crawled under the pew ahead of us and was fished out by his ankles holding a diamond engagement ring that someone had dropped! It was quite an eventful night, though I can say we never had to endure a recorder solo (surely this experience counts as stars in your crown *vbg*).

Tim, your "senior" story also struck me funny -- I had my son in for a haircut recently and the 20-something guy who was cutting his hair was talking about the famous Woodstock concert. At one point he turned to me and asked if I'd been there! Excuse me, I was six at the time! Yikes.

I hope this week is much better for you both!

Siobhan, I had tears of laughter about the pageant. You will think I'm awful being amused by your misfortunes!
(I recently saw a version of "The Mikado" which had some aspects of Pantomime in it. I don't mind the updating of the "Little List" song but this stuff was OTT!)
I suppose the elements of modern TV programs would resonate with the children but not if you were expecting something more formal in such a religious setting.

Oh poor you Siobhan... I hope this week is better for you...

I agree that my childhood Christmases (Chrismasi?) were very special with people who have now died. And my mum and dad both worked very hard (in different ways) to help it be special for us... Looking back, it must have been stressful for my parents, but I don't remember that at all.

I am all for a simple Christmas...

siobhan - Glad you got the Fire issue worked out.

We always do a simple Christmas -- I quit exchanging presents with my 5 siblings ages ago. This year we're going even more simple - just filling stockings for each other with silly, fun gifts. We're also having a shrimp boil for Christmas Eve dinner for the first time. We just enjoy being together and playing games and laughing.

We love you, Siobhan!

I hear you, though. Someone decided a few years ago that not enough people use our library between Christmas and New Year's and so they shut us down. Of course, we don't get paid. However, we are fortunate to be able to work overtime and accrue "comp" time during December to make up for it. While I'm grateful for the paycheck, these fourteen hour days are killer. Plus there's barely been time to spend with my kids, let alone do all the Christmas shopping I need to do. And you can tell that all of our patrons are stressed and cranky. They all seem very on edge.

This has been a fun thread--thanks for starting it.