Every now and then this memory pops into my head and makes me laugh. Our first computer was a long-anticipated Tandy 1000 (I don't remember exactly which version). Based on some Googling and rough memory triangulation I think we must have gotten it in the late 1980's. My dad brought it home and my brother and I couldn't wait to get in on the awesome new programs that came with it, specifically a game called "Speller Bee" and, what would become one of my favorites, Brøderbund's The Print Shop. Quick aside: I loved making banners with Print Shop. It seemed like they took hours to print out of a dot matrix printer but if you were patient, eventually: a banner! Once, in grade school, I had the teacher as my Secret Santa and I made her a banner that said "You're an A-plus teacher!" on it. She taped it on the desk and the students said, "'You're an A-minus-plus teacher'!?" They were just jealous of my dot-matrix printer and the fact that I had the teacher as a Secret Santa and that I was such a great Secret Santa.

Anyway, after my dad brought the computer home, my brother and I stood around excitedly waiting for him to set it up in the kitchen pantry until it became apparent it wouldn't be set up anytime soon. We gradually lost interest and drifted upstairs to dependable old friends like the TV and the Nintendo. Eventually, after what seemed like hours, we heard my dad call upstairs:

"Hey kids!"

"What?"

"Speller BEE!"

We thundered downstairs to get our hands on this very exciting new game. I realize now it was probably funny to my parents that we were so thrilled to play a learning game. But to this day I am very good with both computers and spelling. I bet I could make a good banner too these days if you gave me access to a printer where all the pieces of paper were connected.