Andrea Wilson Woods' Blog

I am not what most people would call a “handy” person. I don’t like hooking up electronics, fixing the garbage disposal, or unclogging the toilet, but I have done all of those things. However, I do enjoy solving problems, and with the Internet’s endless supply of easily accessible information, I have figured out simple solutions to many computer issues.

• When Windows downloads an update that conflicts with Word 2007 and Vista (happens ALL the time), I know how to fix it, and no—system restore is not always the ideal option!
• When I wanted to recover all of my past AOL emails for archive purposes (so I could finally cancel AOL), I found the ePreserver program that saved them for me.
• When Outlook started failing on my husband’s computer, I worked on it for days until I found the conflict between the software and our DSL provider.
• And when I cannot find the answer, I ask for help from a knowledgeable source.

While my ability to build furniture is slightly impaired, I find doing things myself helps me learn. This rant stems from teaching a new generation of people under the age of 30 who appear to have no idea how to do things themselves. For example, I have students who cannot:

• Format line spacing in MS Word
• Tell the difference between fonts or font sizes
• Create a title page for a final project
• Attach documents to emails

The most troubling thing is that it never occurs to these young people to:

• Look up MS Word issues under the Help feature
• Research the problem on the Internet
• Call tech support, which is provided free of charge
• Ask someone who actually knows the answer for help

Instead, they make excuses and expect that their ignorance will be forgiven—despite a strict rubric that clearly states the expectations of assignment. Their refusal to learn only hurts them, but I’m not sure if it is entirely their fault. During their childhood, this “Millennial” generation (born after 1981) received gold stars for attendance and effort. All they had to do was show up and try their best—actual results didn’t matter. As for doing things themselves—forget about it. We, the Baby Boomers and Generation X adults who created the Millennials, did everything for them from tying their shoes, to doing their homework and even perpetuating the myth that winning doesn’t matter.

According to Strauss and Howe’s fascinating book Generations, American generations engage in a four-part cycle, which essentially means the Millenials will produce a generation vastly different from their own. However, there was one anomaly in the cycle during the Civil War, a “secular crisis.” What if our current economic recession (an event the book predicted based on history) creates another non-DIY generation? Not only would I quit teaching, but I also believe another ignorant, lazy, whiny group of “Gold Stars” who have never been permitted to fail would be an utter disaster for our country.

After all, “Mistakes show us what we need to learn.” (Peter McWilliams)

AWW — XoXo

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My husband and I saw The Reader this past weekend, and I cannot stop thinking about the film. Set in post-WWII Germany, a law student named Michael begins to re-evaluate his past when he sees his much older former lover Hanna (perfectly portrayed by Kate Winslet) defending herself in a war-crime trial. Many issues arise throughout the film: the Holocaust, statutory rape, young love, and later—betrayal when Michael discovers the truth about Hanna’s past.

It would be easy to classify The Reader as just another war film or even an ad for literacy, but as I ruminated over its theme, I realized that it’s not that simple. The film reminds us that someone, usually the person you would least expect, can have a profound impact on our lives. As we walk toward the future, we carry our pasts with us, but usually our memories are buried in our minds, not visible for others to see. However, when those pieces of personal history pop into our present lives—reminding us of who we were then and who we are now—emotions cyclone like a tornado causing us to relive the joys, sorrows, fears, pains, and regrets that we never thought would surface again.

This epidemic of our pasts haunting us has become more prevalent due to online social networks like Facebook and MySpace, which reconnect us with childhood friends, high school pals, college roommates, and previous lovers. We have to ask ourselves: Do we want to be our history’s “friend”? And if we do, why and what does that mean exactly? Are we recapturing our youth? Reliving fond memories? Reflecting on what we did or didn’t do?

Relationships end for a reason, but the Internet has guaranteed that if we desire, we can perpetuate our past connections well into our future. The question then becomes—should we?

AWW — XoXo

P.S. A self-proclaimed overly nostalgic, sentimental person, I am a huge fan of Facebook.

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Hello readers,

I need to ask you a favor. If you read my blog, can you please “register”? (See right-hand side of the screen.) That way I can track how many people actually care to peruse (I love that word!) my thoughts. You will only receive an email when I post on the blog, and I will not share your information with anyone. Plus, only registered users are allowed to comment on the posts, and I would love to see an exchange of ideas between many intelligent, diverse people. (Have I flattered your egos enough yet?)

Whether you agree or disagree with me, knowing that people read my blog encourages my writing in a way you wouldn’t believe. So if you like what you read, please register. Thank you in advance because I know you will honor my request. Hehe.

AWW — XoXo

Posted under General & Writing | 3 Comments »

Ten years ago, I didn’t even own a computer. That’s right—you teens and 20-somethings—I survived my undergraduate years by researching assignments using books in a library and typing papers on a word processor (a big step up from my Smith Corona electric typewriter in high school). In college, I had never heard of the Internet even though it existed, and I couldn’t afford a computer even though I had used an Apple desktop machine in sixth grade. I still remember the green cursor blinking on the black screen.

Don’t misunderstand me, I am grateful for the accessibility of information and the speed at which we can acquire it these days. However, I often reminisce about a simpler time when I began my day with a cup of coffee and a conversation; now I flip my laptop open and check one of my six email addresses before I even sip some caffeine. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. SIX! Now call me crazy, but for someone who remembers never having email (much less a computer) less than a decade ago, I am overwhelmed by the amount of time I spend reading my email. I used to have only four email addresses until two new jobs added two more and those emails I have to read every day (my paycheck depends on it!)

I want to go on strike from reading email, but I don’t see how that’s possible short of leaving society altogether. I do think I can wean myself off two email addresses by the end of January … one is my USC account, which I no longer need yet it still has 75 emails in it (obviously not important ones). I also want to cut my ties with AOL even though it was my first. Now leaving AOL may seem simple for the rest of the population, but my AOL account is tied to my sister (Adsissy stands for “Adrienne’s Sissy”), and it holds a record of my life over the last eight years. For someone who writes nonfiction, an email archive is a treasure trove of information. If I no longer have an AOL account, I won’t be able to read my old emails.

Maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to keep reading …

AWW — XoXo

Posted under Adrienne & General | 1 Comment »