Volume 1, Number 5

(Great Expectations, Not)

I just finished installing the most publicized software package of all time and the experience caused me to do some heavy thinking. I was elated when the installation program told me, with musical fanfare, that the upgrade was successful. I didn't come across any of the problems that others had written or talked about. There were no lost files to be found, no missing drivers to go looking for and no dreaded "aborting installation" message to deal with. I found myself walking around with a joyful feeling almost as if I had gotten away with something. I didn't crash the system or mess up some projects that I was working on as I thought I might. I did it! I did it! I completed a major software upgrade with out a hitch. I remembered a similar feeling from a seemingly unrelated experience.

I bought a new electric range just prior to the above incident and was a bit nervous on delivery day. I had decided that I could install the appliance myself and therefore save the $100 installation charge for a professional to do the job. All of my handyman friends told me it was a snap and offered plenty of advice. The delivery men did what they were supposed to do. They took my tired old stove and left the brand new one sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor. It was now my responsibility to install it and get it working. I followed the instructions to the letter and pushed the range into its rightful place. I turned the circuit breaker on and the familiar flashing 12:00 appeared on my new electronic clock. The feeling started. I then turned on each burned one by one. The feeling got greater with each red light. By the time I was setting oven temps and feeling the heat come from the compartment, the feeling was full blown. It was of total satisfaction with my self. I did it! I did it! The same feeling I had with the software installation. Having experienced the two incidents almost back to back are what caused me to take a moment and question what was happening.

Though that joyful feeling was rare, it had been experienced before. I started to see that over a period of years, I had come to believe that there was at least a 50/50 chance that the things I bought would have something wrong with them, right out of the box. I had gone from a space of positive to negative expectations. After all, how many times had I been told by the dealer who fixed a problem with my car, that it was fine only to have the same problem recur? I'd like to have the 'proverbial nickel' for every toy my kids received that couldn't be played with until a missing or flawed part was received. The automatic point and shoot camera that didn't shoot when I pointed, the carousel CD player that refused to spin to any disk but its favorite and the software game that promised to run on any PC and turned a blind eye to mine are but a few examples of the experiences that played havoc with my expectations.

I realize that I have come to a spot in my life that I am thrilled when something I purchase does what it is supposed to do. HowCome?