CLICKERS, CABLES AND CONFUSION

I don’t own an iPod or any other company’s version of the credit card sized hard drive that holds music.  My husband has one which we plug into a docking station and play music through our speaker system that is connected via a bundle of wires and cables to our TV.  I do though now own and operate an IPhone 4.  I was reticent to get it and put my husband off  for about 9 months.  That is until my old flip phone began its slow death.  The tech at Verizon laughed at its antiquity, telling me that it could not be revived.  So, I was somewhat forced into the next generation of technology – like it or not.  To be honest, I have grown to love my IPhone.  Though, I still have not loaded one app or any music.  I’m slow to embrace!  Before I met Doug, my life was fairly devoid of overly complicated technology.  In fact, after my divorce and the removal of belongings, I didn’t even have a DVD/VCR player.  I had one TV that was 13”.  I rarely watched it.  One of my friends took pity on me last Christmas and bought me a VCR/DVD combo.  She cared about my lack of technology and wanted to possibly watch a movie at my house:)!   I loved her for that!   When Doug moved in my house my 13” TV was all we had.  He too had lost his one big screen in a divorce and the other one, which we sold at a sale, was a ginormous console that weighed 400 pounds!   We hosted a Super Bowl party right after being married.  The absolutely must have requirement for that is a big, flat screen TV.  We didn’t have it so we bought a 41” flat screen LCD TV and a cabinet to set it on.  I must admit, it looks great in our wood floored living room.  The cabinet matches all the other furniture in the room.  Design wise, the addition to the room is great.  What I don’t like is what is inside the cabinet.  Doug possessed many electronics; an x-box or PlayStation (I don’t know which!), two flat pieces that do something but I’m not really sure what, a larger box speaker and two small speakers on stands.  Somehow it is all connected to one another and the TV in a maze of cords and cables.  There are four remotes; 3 regular remotes and a game stick remote.  All were laying out on the coffee table the other day as Doug had put in a DVD to watch.  I used to just be able to stick a VCR tape or a DVD in my machine and turn it on.  I cannot do that anymore.  In fact, I cannot watch a movie if Doug is not in the room.  I do not know which remote does what in getting that DVD to play on the screen.  I did though finally learn the 4 step process to play music through that system off his iPod.  That is the extent of my technological know-how.  Our granddaughter, who is 9, comes here and within minutes of her grandpa showing her what to do with all that audio/visual equipment has it up and running while entering her name on the game system which flashes on the screen.  UGH!!  Doug updated my IPhone via my laptop several weeks ago.  He put something on it called I Cloud.  I don’t know what in the hell I Cloud does.  I do know it changed my phone around and I don’t like it.  I think all updates should come with two options; every bell and whistle for those that care and desire it, and bare minimum for those of us that are content with less crap, oh I mean technology apps!  Doug had to show me how to turn off the TV as well.  It isn’t just a power button.  Where did the good old days go??