Technical Difficulties

Let me start this by saying the Llama is technically adept. Over the years (read that as decades, but don’t say it out loud around me, please), I have prided myself on putting all manner of things together. I have, in one phase of my life, tested software. I play all sorts of games, from video to tabletop.

All that, and more, are tossed out the window when the Llama is leaving on vacation in 20 minutes and has finally found the old in-home security camera.

Okay, so it’s a spy camera to watch our kitties while we’re away.

Anyway, there I was, rushing around joyously happy to have found the kitty-cam. I unplugged our little electric fireplace, plugged in the kitty cam, turned it on, and wham!

No internet!

With no time to spare and knowing one of our kids would be over shortly to kitty and house-sit, we grabbed our bags and left. I messaged Offspring-One to let them know we were on our way and that I had broken our internet with the kitty cam.

Fast-forward to messaging with Offspring-One after they arrived at the house. At this point, we were at opposite ends of the East Coast, and my husband and I had already enjoyed our favorite restaurant at Walt Disney World.

Yes, there will be more Disney stories coming up!

Fun stories!

Now, where was I? Ah, yes, I had broken the internet.

Luckily, Offspring-One inherited lots of technical and troubleshooting skills. They went straight to task, rebooting the router, unplugging and plugging the modem back in, and doing anything else they could think of. Approximately twenty minutes and lots of chatting later, Offspring-One typed:

“Why are there no lights on your router?”

Followed by:

“I mean the modem.”

Followed by:

“Do you recall unplugging the surge protector power outlet thing behind the tiny fake fireplace?”

That was it, I was a goner, llaughing my llittle Llama heart out.

It wasn’t the fireplace I unplugged.

Within moments, the internet was no longer “broken” and the kitty-cam was up and running.

Thank goodness for Offspring-One, also known as Gelfling. We won’t go into that part today, though.

Technically speaking, all was well for the rest of the trip—until halfway through our flight home.

The face of my Fitbit popped off for no apparent reason except perhaps to baffle me. I popped it back on. A few minutes later, it was flopping around as if some little gremlin inside was purposely trying to confuse me. The popping on and flopping off continued all the way to Logan airport, where I finally gave up and tucked it away in my backpack.

It was a goner. I thanked it for its dedication of the past few years before unceremoniously dropping it in my trash can when we got home.

We’re almost at the end of this story of technical difficulties.

Almost.

We got home two days ago. I did my research, and last night I replaced my Fitbit with a Google Pixel Watch. I set it up quickly and didn’t think much about it until this morning, when I called Offspring-One.

On my phone.

Their voice wasn’t in my ear.

It was there, but it sounded like it was coming out of the phone speaker. They reassured me I wasn’t on speaker. I held my phone away from me (with my left hand), and nothing was amiss.

It took one more phone call for it to sink in. My new watch is also on my left wrist. It was set to answer calls.

I fixed it easily, llaughing my llittle Llama heart out once again.

Llivin’ La Vida Llama!

(One technical difficulty at a time.)