The Tryer

I'm trying something new this year- I'm becoming a tryer. I am by nature happier with the old, the tried, the what I know, but to keep from ageing gracelessly, this year's motto is "try it, you'll like it." I've kicked off the new year with 2 great challenges.

I am not as technically savvy as I once was. I'm not a Luddite, but after working for 30 years in technology I simply no longer care. Our cable company is converting to all digital service next week. "To better serve our needs" every television in every house in Mayberry needs to install a digital converter box or cards. Gone are the simple days of cable ready television. I despise our cable company and having no interest in high def TV or 200 music channels I insisted to the cable company rep that we only had ancient televisions so please send us digital to analog boxes with only coax connections for analog televisions and my ancient analog TIVO. I'd rather my old TIVO work than have 4 hi def channels of Ax Grinders. The rep thought me mad, " you don't have 50 sport or music channels?" I cope.

Each weekday I record 30 minutes of television. Sometime during the evening I watch the program then delete it. Surprisingly, it's Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. I know nothing about sports, don't watch it, don't read about it and have no idea what's being discussed, I simply enjoy listening to the 2 hosts. My TIVO is programmed to receive 6 channels including 1 ESPN, cable could go in a heartbeat and I'd hardly miss it. On principle, for 6 channels I won't upgrade to digital Tivo.

My first challenge is to smile during the digital conversion, content with the knowledge that despite my best efforts my TIVO will never work again, that I'll never watch another episode of PTI, and that my library card has been renewed for another 5 years. I'll come to like it. Thor help me if Mrs. T's television isn't right.

II. I may be the last American adult with a home telephone but neither an answering machine nor a cell phone, smart or otherwise. I've never given a minute's thought to phone upgrades or if I've the right cell plan. I don't app, never have, likely never will, however I do use Google Voice for texting Mrs. T's flip phone.

Google has declared Voice is on its deathbed. Supposedly, it's being tossed into Google hangouts. Google's touts rate slightly ahead of the second coming but I am unable to understand how or why making my life more difficult helps anyone but Google's advertisers. I've signed up simply to keep SMS functionality but haven't logged on and have blocked access to everything and everyone. Their home page offers no evidence of intelligent design, and is too maddenly obtuse to visit! I must be missing something but for the life of me I haven't a clue what. Any ideas?

Over the years I've passed on Facebook and Twitter and lived to tell the tale. May I give a miss as well? The new me is anxious to learn, willing to try, but please don't make me revert to AIM.

Toad