Progress or Forced Payment

It has been an interesting week in the quad life, one of progress, rest, and forced searching. What more could you ask for in a seven-day time period?

I have still been struggling with the electronics on my chair. After 29 years of having two chairs that worked basically the same, I have not settled on the new system after nearly a year. Therefore, Tuesday was taken by a trip to Des Moines to see my chair technicians. They added grease to a sticking sensor, then slightly changed how my control buttons work. It is a little better, but still not exactly what I had in mind.

On Wednesday, my parents managed to leave for a three day trip. I have an aunt that just started helping on a few evenings and another occasional evening assistant I've had for a few years. The second person is scheduled for surgery in a few days and won't be available for several weeks. That meant any trips needed to be done soon. I enjoyed having the house to "myself" and seeing my parents get a break. Of course, like most outings, I looked forward to hearing about train sightings. They found a great overlook that showed a town, and a passing train. For me, Thursday evening was the most problematic.

Last week's post was how my sermon prep went from excitement to dread. However, I did finish my PowerPoint, cues, and notes early in the week. After supper Thursday, I opened my notes to review and see if I needed any changes before printing. When the Word document opened, I also had a message come up with a big "Okay" button. I was laying flat and couldn't read the message, but clicked okay as it was my only choice.

Something didn't look right, so I investigated further when I sat up. Apparently, my 2021 version of Microsoft Office now had an outdated license and would no longer work. All I could do was open existing documents and print them. I was thankful I had finished my notes, but couldn't make any adjustments. I made sure to print what I had, but now had a problem.

I use Microsoft Word and Excel almost daily for work items, tracking caregiver hours, and more. Many software companies have now stopped selling their product for one-time purchase that can be used for many years. Instead, they do prescription services for monthly or annual plans. It might be cheaper initially, but you end up paying several times more than you would just upgrading every few years. It's great for corporations to have a balanced software budget that doesn't have spikes every 3-4 years for upgrades. For individuals, it adds up quickly.

Friday was spent looking for options while my emails for site work kept coming. I finally found a version that still had just a one-time purchase (hopefully). I'm not sure how long it will be until this version is deemed outdated and force to pay for subscription services. Sometimes, technology progress isn't always for the better. This week, I hope to finish October with no unexpected findings.