Mac Circle

Mac Circle is a landmark at nearby Covenant College--the circular drive outside MacClellan Hall and a convenient meeting place.  But today I'm talking about a different Mac Circle.  I'm talking about the fact that so much of life is circular.

Our first computer, purchased in 1985 before we went to the Central African Republic, was a "Fat Mac."  It was the latest and best Macintosh--and it had 512K of memory!  For comparison purposes, a CD holds 700 MB.   It was a great computer, and so user friendly.  But somehow, after we came back to the US in 1987, we switched to a PC.  We have been PC people ever since, even when Herb's computer kept crashing and losing chunks of his doctoral dissertation!  Our kids kept telling us, "You should get a Mac."  But things had evolved in the computer world, and--as user-friendly as Macs are--the learning curve seemed too steep.

Then Monique, my daughter-in-law, got a new Mac and let me play with it.  As soon as I discovered iPhoto, I was hooked.  I wanted a Mac!

Well, Friday we went to MacAuthority, and today I set up my new Mac.  As I started to take my PC apart, wrestling with the tangle of cords, I realized that this was a photo op I couldn't miss.

Believe me, I didn't make any of this mess just to make the photo more interesting!

Once my poor old PC was out of the way, I opened my iMac box and pulled everything out.

This was it!  A screen, a cord, a mouse, two small booklets--and a couple of extras: an AppleCare protection plan box and a Microsoft OfficeMax (Word for Macs) box.  It's a bit scary for an old PC user.  Where in the heck is the computer???

I turned on the wireless keyboard, turned on the wireless mouse, put the plug in the back of the terminal and plugged it in--and started to use my new Mac.

No screaming, no bad words, no getting throttled in a tangle of cords, no more wireless receiver.  I didn't even have to downsize my photos for them to upload to my blog.

Obviously there is still a learning curve and some things I have to unlearn, like double-clicking and right-clicking, as well as new programs to learn.  I haven't installed my Microsoft package or purchased a new Family Tree Maker that is Mac-compatible.  But if all of that is as easy as setting this thing up, I'm a believer!

It's been many years since our last Mac, but this circle is closed and it will remain unbroken!