Ctrl + Z

Many of you reading this post are much smarter than I am. Without a doubt, you are certainly more computer savvy than I am. For example: How many of you knew that pressing the control (Ctrl) key and the "Z" key at the same time was the "Undo" edit button? While I've become quite proficient with the "Ctrl + C" for copying text and "Ctrl + V" for pasting information, and even the "Ctrl + X" for the cutting function, I've just recently learned the benefit of the "Undo" feature. Several times in the last month I've accidentally deleted entire paragraphs, posts, documents, comments, edits, emails etc., and many times I've been able to restore my work by simply hitting the "Ctrl + Z." If you could have only seen my happy face as I realized that I wasn't going to have to reproduce my entire work. Lucky Me! What a time saver.

The "Undo" feature has never saved me from really big and stupid mistakes like -When my entire computer locks up or shuts down before I've saved my documents but clearly, this function has saved me some time and restored me to my natural state of zen. But I digress, I didn't really mean this as a lesson in "keyboard-ology" but I use this analogy to ask you all if there have been times in your life that you wish you could have just hit the "Undo" button and gone back to where you were before?

Just last month while in Kauai, I snorkeled out to this small island reef area about 100 yards off shore. When I got there, I was pretty proud of myself and was standing around enjoying the view and that's when I noticed my error. I realized that I had the keys to the rental car in my wet swimming trunks. Oh no I thought! Salt water does crazy things to electronics. I knew that. It probably would have been okay to put them back in my pocket and swim back to shore but I couldn't help but think - How am I going to get these keys back without doing more damage?

Inside the Remote control key

I thought of everything. I tried to stuff the keys inside my mask and swim back but they wouldn't fit. I considered throwing the keys as far as I could toward land but I doubted my ability to reach the sandy shore. I looked around for plastic, or anything I could use to help me. No luck. Ultimately, I decided to swim back holding the keys above the water. Boy was I tired. And I'm sure I looked pretty silly too. I made it back, the keys dried out and the remote function still worked. And I happily didn't have to pay the rental car company money for a new FOB. So my point is this.... Wouldn't it have been great to hit the "Cntrl + Z" keys and go back to just before my stupid mistake? I think so.


On a different note, today I watched the Stock Market (The Dow dropped 777 points) run through some more crazy gyrations and I watched members of Congress (The House) look amateurish and juvenile, I looked all over for the "Undo" button. I just couldn't find one. I wanted to reset the day and start it over but to no avail. I wanted to send all the members of the House back to their room and make them vote again! As much as I realize that this is a complicated and difficult process, I just didn't feel any better when I listened to the respective reasons why they couldn't reach an agreement. I reluctantly watched the "Blame Game" which followed. The Republicans blamed the Democrats and Nancy Pelosi for making a partisan speech and the Democrats blamed the Republicans for not supporting a plan endorsed by George Bush. Give me a break....... Undo. Undo. Undo. Undo.... Where is that button?





I couldn't find the button but if you're interested here's what transpired:




From CNN.com

After the vote, Boehner said, "Americans are angry, and so are my colleagues. They don't want to have to vote for a bill like this, and I understand that." Watch Boehner blame Pelosi »

The Republican House leadership blamed Pelosi, saying she gave a partisan speech before the vote that alienated House Republicans. Watch Pelosi say the Democrats delivered »

Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat who was a key negotiator of the bill, said Republican leaders were blaming Pelosi because they were embarrassed that they failed to get a majority of the Republicans to vote for the bill.

Watch Frank say the GOP 'punished' the country »

Can they at least make me feel better and tell me it wasn't a good "bail-out plan" and that's why it wasn't approved? Undo... Undooooo Please!

Fortunately, I'm unusually optimistic. I'm confident that some sort of plan will emerge this week. The market will recover slightly and hopefully we can find a way to reach a compromise on the issues surrounding this crisis. We're not going to be out of the woods for a while but we need to start looking for the trail before it gets too dark to see. I'm hoping for a better plan and more universal support. Personally, I'm growing weary of the gaming that's going on at our expense. Isn't it about time to start doing things because they are right and not because they are political? Since we can't undo this mess it's time for the members of Congress to do their share of the swimming with the keys out of the water and come up with and approve a viable plan. I hope they are up for it.

I'm also growing weary of this political struggle. Feel free to send me some personal stories about times you wish you had an "Undo" button. That would be nice.



Make me laugh.

Thanks