Friday, November 28, 2008

Headaches

I've got a headache from playing around with my dumb Christmas cards. And yes, I know if I'm going to complain and be in such a grumpy mood that I should zilch the plans to send out Christmas cards at all because it is not in line with the Christmas spirit.

I messed around for most of the day on Tuesday trying to get my pictures right and I finally called my friend Mrs. Ochiai (the computer genius!) and asked her advice. Actually I just sent her the picture and asked her to put a proper frame on it so that the camera store would take it. She kindly did and sent it back to me within an hour.

I managed to download my picture into a memory stick (oh I am learning how to do so many things!) and today I toodled into the shop and confidently handed them my memory stick.

"Oh no, Mrs. Watanabe. You have to give us a print if you want us to make cards."

Fine. I can do that. I go to their machine and upload (upload, download, I don't know which one) my picture into their computers and hand the man at the counter my order printout. They hand me an order form. I fill it out and hand it back to the man at the counter.

"Oh, so sorry to trouble you Mrs. Watanabe. You ordered the wrong size print from the computer. You needed the smaller size."

Fine, fine. Let's do it again. Here you go. Here is the printout for the smaller size print I have now ordered. Here is the order form for a 100 cards.

"So sorry Mrs. Watanabe. But to do this you need to have a frame around your picture."

"Ah-hah! I DO have a frame around my picture so go ahead and order my 100 cards."

"Begging your pardon Mrs. Watanabe but our computer screen shows that your frame is not to the right dimensions. You need 10,000 and 10,000 pixels (well, some number of pixels) and 10,000 and 10,000 (more odd numbers) of pixels of frame. Here are the directions for making your own picture with the correct frame about it."

"Wait... I did this last year and haphazardly put a frame around it. Are you sure it isn't going to work this year?" (Desperation in my voice.)

"Well... of course you could send it in this way but it might come back very lopsided and you might lose some of the picture. With all respect, I think you should try to redo your picture. By the way, the deadline for the discount is tomorrow."

"There isn't any other way to do this?" (my head started hurting at about that point.)

"Oh yes! If you want to bring in your pictures separately we could arrange them for you in a similar layout. Since you have so many pictures (family picture and 6 animal pictures) it would run about $80."

"Forget you! I'm outta here. I'll go back home and rack my brain for computer technology!"

Actually I've come home and called Mrs. Ochiai again and scanned and sent her the specific directions for getting the correct sized frame around my picture.

And on the way home I stopped at the convenience store, bought a chocolate bar, ripped into it and ate the whole thing before I got into the driveway...


12 comments:

Amanda said...

I never knew the meaning of a love/hate relationship until I had my first computer! Poor you, the chocolate must have been so comforting, but probably didn't help your poor headache. I do so hope you and Mrs Ochiai manage to get the picture sorted out soon and then you can forget all about it.

Pennie and David said...

LOLOLOL... I just love the way you write, I can picture myself in that same shop listening in to you and the shop assistant being so polite and obliging and me trying not to laugh! I hope the chocolate bar helped!
Can't wait to see a photo of your Christmas Cards :-)

chi-mi san said...

I always have troubles with my computer. I wish I could have a friend like Mrs. Ochiai. I'm looking forward to seeing your big family's post card.

paula, the quilter said...

Chocolate cures the woes. Hope it helped!

Quiltin' LibraryLady said...

Atta girl. Chocolate makes the world seem a friendlier place. And if anything can drive you to chocolate it's computers!!My daughter's browser won't scroll and I tried to fix it for her. Finally just started the anti-virus program scanning and went home. If I'd started before 8:30 and hadn't been tired maybe it would have worked better. Instead of chocolate I had another piece of pumpkin pie!! Tis the season and all that.

Sew Create It - Jane said...

Sorry to hear you are having problems...I know it can be really frustrating and time consuming...Picassa is very good...and there is also http://www.picnik.com/ which might be helpful too...Hope one way or another you get it resolved...failing that there is always more chocolate :o)

Chocolate Cat said...

Ohh I am so proud of you for perservering, think I may of just burst into tears in the shop!!! and only 1 chocolate bar!! Hope your computer guru Mrs Ochiai fixes it for you and you make the discount deadline!!

Mary said...

Just think how much you're learning - by next year you'll be able to do it in your sleep!

andsewitis Holly said...

Chocolate always makes me feel better, too! You know a whole lot more than I do about computers. I have one of those memory sticks but haven't a clue how to use it. And lucky you to have Mrs. Ochiai to help.

The Calico Quilter said...

I always figured they should just strap a chocolate bar to the side of any software or computer hardware they sold. It's where we end up anyway.

I guess this whole frame nonsense is confusing me. Whatever size image you have, can't they just blow it up to fill the card front and print it?

Connie W said...

I too find that chocolate can help in situations that nothing else can. I tell my husband that I eat it for medicinal purposes ;D

Marilyn R said...

Chocolate can fix most problems...or at least make them more bareable!