I’ve completely caught up on printing out lecture slides (6 slides per page, double sided – saving on paper, and somewhat on ink), stapled all the pages together, have everything neatly stacked and clipped together. Printed off a reference package, sample midterms (for next week, meep!) and assignment information (due Friday, hello working on an 5% assignment in advanced – it’s 10 multiple choice questions, clearly I’m not too worried). I went downstairs, started printing off some sample midterms and whatnot and then my dad comes in, turns on his computer and then starts asking me questions.

How do I make a new layer in Photoshop?
How do I draw a circle?
How do I make it more blue/white/red/green/etc.?
How do I do [insert something that he’s done before]?

And the thing is, since he bought Photoshop CS4 for me, I feel obligated to help him. Especially since, well, I use the program a fair bit. But the thing is… I explained all of this to him before. I even wrote out directions for him, drawing out the little icons for him. So I asked him (sounding exasperated) where the directions I wrote out for him were. He replied, “Oh, you explain things much better than the paper does.” When there is no difference from what I say and what I wrote out for him, ages ago.

So I show him everything. Twice, each. This takes about an hour. And then he asks me to write out the steps for him so he can do it himself next time. I pointed out to him that they’ve already been written out for him (with pictures!) and that he had the steps already. And then he starts in on how I just don’t want to help him and how I take everything he does for me for granted. Fucking guilt trip. I pretended to do the steps, waited for him to leave, found the original directions and then just left that on his keyboard and took all my print outs and my laptop back upstairs and then locked myself in my room. Which is where I currently am.

I mean, I’m not hardcore studying, not depriving myself of sleep (well, not entirely anyways) in order to stuff information and knowledge into my head (yet) but I do have better things to do than to explain simple things to my father (yet again) for over an hour just to have him decided that written instructions would be better. Like, you know, reading over the lecture slides, working through practice problems or just doing something that I want to do. Is that so much to ask for?

Now back to reading biochemistry slides!

How was your Wednesday?

2 Responses

  1. I think I remember you telling me that your dad was unfamiliar with the drag-and-drop concept. 😛

    In a way I think my dad is the same – he doesn’t know how to copy and paste something from a computer to an external disk… or anywhere, for that matter. I tend to get angry at him but I guess I feel a little grateful that he isn’t persisting like your dad. Your dad needs some video tutorials or something, haha. I think you should tell him to press F1 in Photoshop next time, despite what he says. You might explain well, but he should be grateful that you took the time to explain things to him!

  2. Urrgh, that is so frustrating. It sounds like you did everything you possibly could besides take the test for him… I have friends that do stuff like that to me in college, and I always say the same thing: “I’m not going to be in the operating room/control panel/scene of the crime” with you so you’re gonna have to learn to do it yourself. XD

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