A middle-aged woman looks at life with a laugh!  (And occasionally, a headache!)
By:  Mary Fran Bontempo

By the time I left, I was exhausted.

Last Saturday found me at a blogger’s seminar sponsored by the lovely ladies from MomSpace, a great site covering many things “Mom.”  The site slants towards mothers with young children, and that particular demographic was well represented at the seminar.

Which for me, I suppose, was the issue.

My kids are grown, at least chronologically, and I’m a bit (emphasis on “bit”) older than many of the women who attended last week’s seminar.  Older, slower and far less energetic.  Not even separated by a generation in time (in fact, most of the women in attendance were only around 10-15 years younger than me), I might as well have been from the 1700’s, both in years and in knowledge, when compared to these well-versed, enthusiastic moms.

I found myself in attendance because my partners and I have created this wonderful blog and I figured I could learn something.  What I didn’t figure on was that, despite my illusions to the contrary, I know diddly-squat about this whole blogging/technology/instant communication world I’ve chosen to inhabit.

During the entire meeting, which, I might add, was being “Skyped” to the internet for MomSpace TV, info regarding new Twitter technologies, new blogging techniques, methods to utilize social media for publicity, etc., etc. was tossed about casually, the assumption being that those in attendance had a clue.  However, I found myself in a 500 level class without having completed the pre-requisites.  Clueless and feeling a little left out.

I even found myself surreptitiously hiding my cell phone, which, compared to the devices bandied about by the other women, might as well have been a tin can with a string attached.  I watched astonished as, throughout the entire seminar, women typed furiously on their phones/Blackberries/whatchamacallits, sending updates on their “status” to…well, I’m not sure to what, which was also part of my problem.

But I did leave learning several things:  The internet and blogging are not going away and frankly, I’m glad to be a part of it, however small.  And second, I’m never going to master all of the techno-speak, and I don’t care.  The whole point of Not Ready For Granny Panties is to keep things simple.  Frankly, I don’t want to spend my time Tweeting about what I’m doing, I just want to do it.  And sure, I’d love for our site to explode on the internet highway and I’m going to work towards that end, but I won’t be tethered to technology.  I don’t know how those younger moms handle all of their personal/work responsibilities and still manage to be at the top of the learning curve with all of that stuff, but I certainly admire them.  I just don’t want to be them.

Like we said at the beginning of this enterprise, we’re looking for a laugh, good food, great movies and books, nice wine and clothes and makeup that make the most of what we still have to offer.  We’ll give that to you.  If we don’t have all of the most up to the minute bells and whistles, I apologize.

But truthfully, I don’t think you’ll miss them at all.

Have your own technology nightmares?  Click “comments” below and share!