Kudos to Hector

Did you know that I am copy editor and columnist for Mamazina, a magazine where women’s voices unite? Last week I was supposed to set up a new Internet account for the magazine. Immediately I thought: What a drag. No one here will help me. I’ll have to beg and it still won’t happen.

Then I simply procrastinated as if it would go away or, better yet, the account would miraculously appear on its own. If my children used this logic (or anti-logic) I’d think they were nuts. I’d roll my eyes. Kids! But it’s not kids; it’s me. And I am supposed to be smarter than this.

Today I took the bull by the horns. I dialed (Dialing! If that doesn’t date me!) Anyway, I dialed the cable company.

“What is your master e-mail account name?”

How the heck should I know?

They gave it to me, along with the goofiest password ever. So, OK, I’m still on the phone. I need technical support, and am put on hold. Oh my gosh, the music that assaulted my poor ear! What are people thinking? But, I digress.

Finally Hector answers. True name. Too good to change for such a great literary purpose as this. I tell Hector what I need. After clicking in and out of numerous screens to no avail, Hector realizes that I don’t want what I think I want at all.

About this time I hear hubby asking in the background if I’d like him to get on to speak with Hector. Now??? Now you want to talk to Hector? Now you’ll set it up for me? Not last week when I first asked you to do it for me, but now?

An unexpected, but welcome and quite fierce independence arose inside of me. Come hell or high water I was doing this. I was clicking. I was typing. I was tackling something that I hated to do.

Coincidence that on the most recent episode of Being Erica she did the same conquering fear thing? I think not! If a fictional TV character can do it, so can I. As long as it doesn’t involve cartoony characters dodging anvils!

We start over – Hector and I. Hector has much patience. Hector is my hero. Click this. See that? Go there. Do this. Do that. If I had a computer teacher like Hector at home I could accomplish so much more on this modern miracle.

And in the end I am almost where I need to be with my account. We encountered a password problem but I (on my own) know all the keys to push to get back to where I need to be to fix the problem once I’m supplied with the right password.

This is good. This is all good. I didn’t run away from the problem, or pawn it off on someone else. A jumped out of my mom box, and into the high tech world of computers. Where will I land tomorrow?