I have learned a lot since that first day. At that time, I didn't know what HTML was, or how to lift a background or graphic, or even how to go about using the GC editors, let alone anything off-line. Now, I know HTML is what drives me crazy every day, and I have more graphics and backgrounds than I know what to do with! Of course, I am still trying to figure out how to edit a page without destroying it in the process.
In the days before GeoCities, I used to spend time working on craft projects. I especially like oil painting--landscapes, mostly; making wreaths; knitting, crocheting, and sewing; reading science-fiction and mysteries; writing poetry and short stories; doing word puzzles; playing solitaire; and bowling. Since GC came into my life, about all I have done is a small amount of sewing and a lot of (computer) solitaire.
Of course, getting into GC has led to many good things. I have met dozens of people from around the world as we visit each other's sites. No matter what some people think about the world, I can attest to the fact that the people on the WWW are mostly kind, friendly, caring people who will go out of their way to help another person whether that person lives in their home town or on the other side of the globe.
What else can I tell you about myself? Well, I am married to John who likes Elvis Presley, motorcycles, and anything to do with outer space--real or imaginary. I also have a daughter still at home. Her name is Christina and she is 18. I didn't need HTML to drive me crazy--she was already doing a good job of it! Her accomplice in the job of driving me crazy is my dog. He is a cute little 8 year old miniature dachshund named Wolfgang Slinky Von Wortz. He divides his time evenly between sleeping, sitting on my lap (lots of fun when that is where I want to put the keyboard), and jumping up to make me put him outside. I tried sitting at the computer desk to work, but Slinky jumped onto the desk and hit a few keys, and my page went to cyber-heaven. That was the end of the computer desk. Now, I sit in a recliner, the keyboard on my lap (with the dog under it), and the mouse pad on the arm of the chair for easy use. The dog is happy, and I can work for hours with only the occasional trip outside to interrupt me.
People ask how I got the name TutorMom. Well, Way back on January 5, 1997, I decided to get a site in GeoCities. I had no idea which neighborhood to choose, so, since I was taking a class at the local school, I decided to go to College Park/Quad.
The first thing they want is a membername, and I wanted one that was "me" without giving my real name. I went to college about ten years ago and was a tutor while I was there. I am also a mother. So, TutorMom. Simple.
Now, I am stuck with the silly thing! Sure, I could change it, but there are so many references to it all over GeoCities, that it would be a real problem. So, I keep it and people write to me because they think I can teach them something, and sometimes I do.
There IS one other thing that interrupts me--e-mail. At first, we just had the e-mail program that came with Netscape. Everyone kept telling me it was easy to send e-mail and refused to believe I couldn't do things like attachments or signature files. They thought I was kidding when I said it took me two weeks just to learn how to read my mail! I wasn't kidding!!! When they finally came to the conclusion I might be telling the truth, one of my friends convinced me to download Eudora Light. He said it was "simple", "easy", and "any body can use it". I spent four months trying to get it downloaded and set up. Finally, three days ago, I succeeded! Victory, at last! I was going to be able to do all the things everyone else takes for granted. Yeah, right. That lasted about a day and a half! Someday, the people who write the so-called "help" programs are going to learn that beginners don't need "help", they need "HELP". Thank goodness I still had the Netscape program to use to yell for help from my friend. I got the good word this morning and fixed the program, and, I hope, everything is working properly. Now, all I have to do is go back and send about a dozen notes to people to explain the problem and tell them they didn't get the messages I sent this last weekend. Enough about e-mail.
I live in a small town in Michigan. We are coming out of a winter that was not as cold as some, but which had a lot more snow than most years. In fact, we just got 6 inches of the stuff a few days ago--then it all melted yesterday when the temperature hit 50 degrees. I was born and raised in the town I live in now, although I spent several years in the cities of Jackson, MI, and Detroit. My husband is from Detroit. We both prefer the slower, quieter pace of a small town. We are close enough to the city to go there if we want, but we are far enough away that the gangs and violence and drugs have not reached us yet. Thanks to the internet, we have access to all the information of the world, while staying in the comfort of a peaceful town where the big event of the year is a Festival honoring the Pumpkin! I'll tell you more about that when it is closer to the actual event. I bet you can hardly wait!
