After Mary left yesterday, Kate and I went to Barnes & Noble. She was working puzzles on my iPad since we couldn’t find hers. I think she must have left it in Mary’s car when they went to lunch. Because she was using my iPad rather than her own, she had a different selection of puzzles. This may have confused her. She didn’t know how to start. I opened a display of several puzzles and asked her to choose one. She didn’t know how. I opened one for her. The way the puzzles work is identical to those she has worked on her own iPad, but there have also been occasions when she didn’t know how to open a new puzzle on it as well.
She was unusually talkative. As she worked her puzzles, she repeatedly talked about how nice it is “that they have these things (the iPad and my laptop) while you’re waiting.” She didn’t realize they belonged to us. She acted like she had never seen them before and wanted to know who made them. I was trying to think of a simple answer and said, “Steve Jobs and Apple.” I don’t know why, but she got the impression that I had played a role in the development of “these things.” I tried to tell her that I didn’t have a part at all. I was just explaining who did. Then she said, “But you had a role in helping me understand it.” I appreciated her acknowledging that I help her a lot, but I didn’t want her to underestimate her own talent and receptivity to technology. That led me to remind her that as a school librarian/media specialist that she was using personal computers (the Apple II) before I did.
She gravitated from the iPad and laptop we were using to the changes in technology that had occurred during our lifetime. She didn’t mention anything specific, but I picked up on her comment and recounted some of the technology that had come on the scene since we were in college. She was quite engaged with the topic. She also kept coming back to how nice it was that “they” (Barnes & Noble) provided the iPads and laptops to people while they are waiting.
When we left Barnes & Noble, It was raining. She thanked me for driving and being so careful. She said she could have done it, but she felt better that I was driving. At dinner, she was very tired but also talkative. She was also in one of her very complimentary moods. She kept thanking me for all the things I do for her. We talked about some of the things we have done during our marriage. She got a little teary. Then she asked, “What’s your name?”
After dinner, I watched the evening news while Kate worked on the iPad. After forty-five minutes, she stopped. She found the puzzles too frustrating. I suggested that I put on a YouTube video with music. I found a Andrea Bocelli concert. She loved it. It saved the evening for her. Prior to that she was feeling low over not being able to work her puzzles and having nothing else to do. She was clearly rejuvenated by the music. She had gotten so keyed up that she no longer felt tired. We went to bed anyway, and, fortunately, she had no trouble going to sleep.
