A Visit From the Geek Squad

According to Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, 1965 edition,--one that got me through college vocabulary needs--a geek is a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off of a chicken or snake.

  Help!

Squad meant 1) a small organized group of military personnel . . .

Hopefully, you get the humor in this without me going further.

 This brings back memories of vocabulary difference among generations.  

Smorgasboard has become buffet.  

Creme rinse is now conditioner.  

A thong is no longer a shoe.  

After seven hours at Best Buy recently, I felt like a chicken or snake (heaven forbid) had bitten off my head.  However, Best Buy escorted us out of their store with a promise of a Geek Squad visit.

The Squad arrived at our home early one morning to provide installation, consultation, education, and support.  With words like --

Blu-Ray
iPod deck
VOIP box
surfing
streaming
kaspersky update
and quick scan

The only phrase that made sense was tech support, and I knew we needed it in a big way.

Being somewhat bamboozled by Geek Squad responsibilities and tasks, my husband and I mainly sat or pretended to be busy as they worked.  They answered questions patiently, limited their eye-rolling, and spent more time with us than our appointment allowed--which told us something.

Although our phones are now smart phones, and our computers user friendly, we are not necessarily so.  My son sent me a test over his phone:  two pictures of grand kids with Laverne and Shirley, their dogs.  I was to open and respond with a text message.  Eureka!

It is difficult getting older although I used to think not.  A decade ago, when considering old age--I imagined  myself wearing funny clothes and developing a sense of humor.  However, after adding bifocals to my wardrobe, saying uh a lot when asked a question, watching where I step, and having my children occasionally give me blank stares--I know this aging process is not going to be all fun.  These changes in themselves are burdensome--not counting technological advances and vocabulary changes.

You've probably heard the phrases:

*The only thing we can be sure of is change.
*Once you have the answers to your questions, the questions change.
*We raised our children to live in a world we were completely unaware of.


My parents raised me to live in a word outside their awareness but also outside my comfort zone....

Recently,

 the 2012 Merriam-Webster Dictionary

 announced their new words. 

 Let me give you a sampling.  

You will have little difficulty determining their definitions.

     Experiencing an aha moment, my husband and I recently scheduled a trip to Best Buy with a list:  printer, laptop, smart phone, land phone.  These items would be game-changers in our house; we would be bundling and saving money.  However, after only two hours with various sales persons, brain cramps set in, and needing a break, we left for lunch and to discuss our options.
     Revitalized with Burger King hamburgers, we returned to Best Buy forty-five minutes later to make final decisions.  Three hours later, gassed, we left the store burdened with numerous boxes, paperwork, and the promise of a Geek Squad visit.
     The many boxes were carried into our house and deposited in the entryway awaiting arrival of the squad.  Husband went outdoors to his quarter horses to relieve stress.  I swallowed a couple ibuprofen and ventured to the bunk bed room to my toxic Gateway to consider my bucket list.

Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon,

 the wisest of kings--

a dramatic autobiography of his reflections and experiences.  

Chapter 3

 "A Time For Everything," 

reads

 ". . . There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:  

a time to be born and a time to die, 

a time to plant and a time to uproot . . . 

a time to weep and a time to laugh." 

May this be your day to laugh or, at least, smile big.
It was mine.