My Wife and her Mac

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My Wife and her Mac

Post by jason »

My Wife: I'm a Mac.
Me: And I'm a PC.

That's pretty much our life. And it's fun. Oh, it's fun.

But I've come to a realization today. She is addicted to installing. Let me explain.

She loves a fresh system. A newly installed fresh OS that is untouched by software, addons, and automatically starting programs. She loves it. Oh, how she loves it. You see, she loves installing software on her freshly formatted computer and newly installed OS. She does it. Often. And she gets good at it, too. She has a good idea how long the install process takes. She knows what to install first. She knows where to go to download the free software she uses, and can do that while installing her games (which she enjoys installing more than playing).

Her computer using life can be summed up as such:

Format, Install, Install, Install, Use Computer, repeat.

If her computer use was indicative of Mac quality, I'd think Macs required a LOT of maintenance. That they required a lot of work, and constant reformatting. In truth, I firmly believe that it is not the case, and that my wife merely likes to format and install things.
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Post by matthijs »

Very funny :)

Reading your story, I would suggest you two switch. Normally you'd say (re-)installing is useful on the PC, not on the Mac. On the other side, it's probably not as much fun.

Maybe she can make a job out of it. So many people with PC problems need to have their PC's re-installed, I bet she can make a lot of money with that.
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superdezign
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Post by superdezign »

The entire time reading the post, that little music from the Mac commercials was playing in my head.
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Post by Arawn »

Format, Install, Install, Install, Use Computer, repeat.
As a Linux user I completely identify with that way of life.
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swiftouch
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Post by swiftouch »

As a windows user, I used to do the same thing. I loved to reformat the second I saw something wrong. 98 was especially prone to it's shell blowing up. With the advent of XP and subsequent bug fixes, I don't have to reformat every 3 months like I did with 98. I loathe the amount of time it takes to reinstall everything and get my settings just the right way i want them.
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feyd
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Post by feyd »

One could always use a virtualization or (preferably) a ghost solution, keeping a fresh, complete install handy for those times. :)
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

feyd wrote:One could always use a virtualization or (preferably) a ghost solution, keeping a fresh, complete install handy for those times. :)
Logical, but for those that like the arduous process of formatting and reinstalling, this just steals their joy. :D
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Ollie Saunders
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Post by Ollie Saunders »

I used to do that every 6 months or so. And yes, you do get good at it. Now I don't do it very often which is a bit of a problem because when I do have to do it it's one major operation.
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Kieran Huggins
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Post by Kieran Huggins »

I tried the whole ghost image thing, but something always prevents me from using it :-( For instance: my motherboard died on Friday and I've had to order a new one, which means new Proc, new ram, new video card... so now the ghost images are useless! The last time tried to use it so much software had upgraded that it was virtually no time saved either, and then you have potentially messy upgrade installs (yech).

I can see images of a fresh install working beautifully on a Mac however, but OS X doesn't take too long to install anyway. And there's no separate driver install steps, which is a plus.
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Post by ReDucTor »

I hate reinstalling, I'm impatiant, I probably reformat once every 2-3yrs, unless something goes wrong.

I use that many different bits of software its too hard to remember what I really want, and what I dont want, everytime I format I forget the important bits of software I've been using for years, and when I need it I can never remember the name of it.

At work I have a wonderful solution setup for computers, which allows easy restoring, two partitions, one is OS, one is a DOS boot menu which allows you to restore original OS using altiris, so if a machine goes wrong, Its easy to just restore it back to the restore point I setup. Sounds like something you need setup for your wife but instead on the Mac, but if she likes installing software(god knows why) leave her to reinstall.
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Post by jason »

Everah wrote:Logical, but for those that like the arduous process of formatting and reinstalling, this just steals their joy. :D
That pretty much nails it.

Granted, this behavior also exists in other aspects of her life, too. And this applies to me as well. For example, I like simplicity in organization. I believe in organizing once and leaving it alone. Maintaining that organization. Keeping it simple, keeping it organized, is effective at keeping it neat. For example, I organized the refrigerator a while back to accommodate my wifes ability to always buy new food stuffs whenever she steps out. This means when we get groceries, its easy to put things where they go. It's also easy to find things. And in our kitchen, with the limited amount of pantry space, organization goes a long way.

However, I'm not big on going back and redoing this organization. It's done, it works, so I fall into an accepted pattern. I know where it goes, and so it goes there. This is how I treat my computers. I install and then I maintain. That's about it. Reinstalling is too much work, so rather than reinstall, I just keep things simple, and maintain order.

Piera's trend of reinstalling can be seen clear in her daily routine as well.

She enjoys cleaning.

Now, such a simple sentence can be read many ways, but read exactly what it says. She enjoys cleaning. Cleaning the house, the clothes, dusting, mopping, washing, folding: she enjoys this. Me? Hahahaha. Her enjoyment in this is paramount. Therefore, I do my best to stay out of her business. I don't touch the laundry unless specifically asked. Usually this is limited.

"I'm heading out for a bit. I need to take my grandmother shopping. Move the clothes to the dryer please," she says. Having completed BioShock, I'll be busy trying to win a game of Civilization IV. I'm not paying much attention, but I hear her. Need more culture!

"Sure honey," I reply. The problem here is I've ignored the important part of the sentence. You see, she is taking her grandmother shopping.

Now, I know she means grocery shopping. That's fine. Her grandmother needs to eat. She's leaving the house, and all I have to do with the laundry is move it to the dryer and start it. She's already set the settings on the dryer. It's a new fangled digital front loading Whirlpool. In the back of my mind, I think if Apple made appliances, you'd have interesting products. The iWash with a single button that says "Wash", the iDry with a single button that says "Dry". The iFridge with a single door. Then an appliance called iCook. Think microwave/stove/grill/stove top. With a single button: "Cook."

But back to Piera. She loves cleaning. She cleaned the entire house this weekend. I had no idea. What I mean is, while I was aware she was cleaning, I really wasn't paying much attention. She pokes her head in at times and tells me I can't walk out of the office because the floor is wet in the hall, or that I need to stay away from the kitchen because it's wet. I might have to help her put the chairs up or down (usually just down).

Granted, I do my fair share. My party in laundry is not complaining about how my clothes are hung up (I'll explain in a minute), and to ensure dirty clothes go in the hamper. Not on the floor.

The hamper is the easy part. My organizational tendencies seem to want me to commit foolish acts of being me when it comes to the order of my clothes. You see, hanging clothes should be hung a certain way. Buttoned up as if being warn. The hangers' hooks should always be facing toward the back, or toward the wall. This makes retrieval of the hanger easy. Clothing should be from heavies to lightest. This should work from right to left. Opposite of reading, but consider that the heaviest clothes being on your right makes it easy to grab with your right hand (left-handers might consider doing the opposite). It also just makes sense. Pants are heavier than shirts, so obviously the order should be jeans, dress pants, button shirts and polo shirts. Everything should be left facing. This means on the pants, the bottom of the pants are hung on the left side of the hanger. Shirts are buttoned and facing the left. It makes sense to me. But I don't do the laundry, and I don't complain.

She doesn't believe in my organization. She believes that if I want that, I can wash my own damn clothes. But I'm not allowed to user her washer and dryer. No, that's not accurate. I'm not allowed to wash my clothes. She's my wife, and I'm a representation of her. If I look bad, people don't say "Wow, he looks bad." No, instead, they see my wedding ring and go "Wow, his wife is bad."

This all comes down to simple reasoning.

Some bitch will see I look bad and will hit on me and tell me my wife treats me poorly and we'll make me cheat.

Not that my wife is the jealous type. It's the rationalization that I came up with. The generalization, I guess.

The point is simple, guys: Buy your wife a really cool washer and dryer set and your drawers and hangers will magically repopulate themselves.
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Post by Kieran Huggins »

I'm moving to Montreal immediately. Girls in Toronto just tell you they're going clothes shopping, and you have to go with them :-( That's why I bought a PSP. Oh, and grandmothers are largely ignored.
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Post by jason »

Kieran Huggins wrote:I'm moving to Montreal immediately. Girls in Toronto just tell you they're going clothes shopping, and you have to go with them :-( That's why I bought a PSP. Oh, and grandmothers are largely ignored.
I told my wife that I thought she needed new clothes. I said "Honey, why not take this money and go buy a new wardrobe for work. Get some really nice stuff for yourself."

"Okay. If you insist."

"You should have your sister come."

"Oh, I thought you were going to come with me?"

"Yeah, I don't see that happening. Encouraging you to spend the money on clothes is so I can get out of it."

"Oh, I see."

Granted, this is also a relationship where withholding sex doesn't work. My usual reply to those threats are, "Just means none for you, either."
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Post by ReverendDexter »

jason wrote:"I'm heading out for a bit. I need to take my grandmother shopping. Move the clothes to the dryer please," she says. Having completed BioShock, I'll be busy trying to win a game of Civilization IV. I'm not paying much attention, but I hear her. Need more culture!

"Sure honey," I reply. The problem here is I've ignored the important part of the sentence. You see, she is taking her grandmother shopping.
Wait - finish this part of the story!

/me sits in anxiousness.
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Post by jason »

Sure...

"I'm heading out for a bit. I need to take my grandmother shopping. Move the clothes to the dryer please," she says. Having completed BioShock, I'll be busy trying to win a game of Civilization IV. I'm not paying much attention, but I hear her. Need more culture!

"Sure honey," I reply. The problem here is I've ignored the important part of the sentence. You see, she is taking her grandmother shopping.

This isn't a problem. I'm fine with it. Leaves me alone at home for a bit. I can play games in peace. Eat food. Drink from the carton. Scratch myself. You know, manly things that men do. But I really do ignore the sub-titles. You see, I'm a firm believer that men can easily understand what woman really mean if they would just learn to pay attention to the damn sub-titles.

"I need to take my grandmother shopping" suddenly becomes "I'm going to buy things and I'm taking my grandmother with me to help." Sure, it's only grocery shopping, but when your pantries are already full and your fridge is overflowing, five more bags of groceries won't do. But I don't see that. I was busy trying not to get killed by the Big Daddy.

Two hours go by.

But before we continue, let's get one thing perfectly clear. I have no problem going grocery shopping. I'm the one that cooks the dinners. I enjoy cooking. So going grocery shopping is lots of fun. I can see what different things are available and plan for a number of different meals for the week. I enjoy it. So Piera really has no excuse for doing what she does.

She comes in carrying a bag or two. Now, I'm fine with that. I'm fine because we need basic essentials quite often. Milk, steaks, bread - simple things that we go through often enough. You see, picking up the essentials (butter) is fine. Ensuring that we are stocked is fine with me. The problem is when she walks in with two bags, turns to me, and says, "Can you help get the rest of the bags."

It's not a question.

And it's not just one or two more bags. It's several bags full of a wide variety of things. Things I don't generally eat.

You already know I like to be organized. I organized the fridge, the freezer, the pots and bowls and plates. The pantry, the DVDs, my computer. I enjoy things being organized. I enjoy knowing where they are. I like knowing that when I want to put something away, I don't have to think about it. It has a place. That place is special. That place tells me a lot. If that place is empty, I know we need more. Suddenly the milk space is empty. I grab the milk from the backup milk area and put it in the milk place. I know we need milk. It works beautifully.

But because of this organizational tendency, I don't like much change. I go to the same restaurants and eat the same food*. I like my snacks. I like variety; by variety, I of course mean a select group of foods that I know I like. Deviating from this is dangerous.

Piera, on the other hand, doesn't pay attention. I should qualify this quickly before she finds this and becomes angry. You see, of the two of us, people would say I'm the forgetful one (understatement). It's not that I'm forgetful, it's that if something isn't organized for me, it's lost. With Piera, she can multi-task with the best of them. While I believe focusing on one project at a time is best, she can jump from one project to the next faster than I can realize she's working with more than one project. She also has an amazing ability to remember things. Like phone numbers, email address, usernames and password. No, really, she has this uncanny gift at remembering phone numbers. No, really. She remembers customer phone numbers from years ago. It's scary. However, this is where I mix things up. You see, of the two of us, I'm more aware of things that matter whereas Piera is much more aware of everything at once. So while she might remember where we went to eat six months ago and what I ordered, I'll remember that she glanced that "Oh wow I want that" glance at something in the window as we walked to the restaurant.

This is the reason I kick so much ass at getting gifts.

Anyways, how does this all relate to food? It's simple: I like what I like, and deviating from that is dangerous. And Piera deviates. It's not that she doesn't care what I like, it's that I really don't tell her. I assume that he pays attention like I do. She sees what I get, what I eat, what I like, and she'll get the same thing. So when she goes grocery shopping with her grandmother and asks if I want anything and I say "Snacks," I expect that is all I need to say.

Not true.

She comes back with chips. Not bad chips. But I don't snack on chips. Or she buys bagels, but not the right kind. Or she'll buy ketchup, and it's not Heinz.

I like certain foods and deviating from those foods is dangerous. I'm crazy like that. So when I'm carrying bag after bag of groceries into the house, two things are running through my head.

Who is all this food for?
I hope she doesn't expect me to want this, even though I know she won't eat it.

Okay, three things.

Why didn't I pay attention when she left?

* Piera and I did spend about a year before marriage choosing different places to eat. We went out of our way to try new restaurants and new foods. It was fun.
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