Time-saving technology

“Book it,” texted my niece from Fort Lauderdale.
**** is the only child of my sister who died of cancer six years ago. Together she lives with her husband **** in the northern reaches of Fort Lauderdale. They have two children, one by a previous marriage.
My sister was a year younger than me; I’m the first-born. My wife died of cancer too. I find myself wondering why I’m still here. “Yer here to make us laugh,” people tell me.
I visited my niece last year, based on the fact I flew to my wife’s mother’s 100th birthday a year before. That was my first long-distance flying journey in the three years since my wife died.
Things were messy after my wife died. I wasn’t inclined to go anywhere. About all I could do was drive to Altoona (PA) to chase and photograph trains.
**** is much like her mother, more prone to take command than me. This is my own mother mainly — the so-called ******-genes; my mother’s maiden-name was ******.
I’m more like my paternal grandfather, more laid back, reserved, whatever. Not as inclined to make a decision. Push hard enough and it gets my Irish up — somewhat a ****** I guess.
Yr Fthfl Srvnt is figgerin’ to visit my niece again. That means arranging a flight to south FL. I started poking around a week ago, noting Allegiant Airlines no longer flew to Fort Lauderdale. That was a direct flight; I used it last year.
So I poked around some more — I ain’t travel-savvy. I found both Delta and United flew out of Rochester. But they were both tiddly-wink cigar-wrappers, requiring plane-change at JFK or Philly or Atlanta to get to Fort Lauderdale.
My guess was there were more serious ways to get to Fort Lauderdale that didn’t involve cigar-wrappers. More research was needed, but other things intervened.
Last night I tried again. Southwest Airlines, not suggested per a previous Expedia (or whatever) search, got to Fort Lauderdale without cigar-wrappers. I tried other airlines, but not the sputtering Curtiss Jennies Garrison Keillor always used on “Prairie Home Companion.” Southwest seemed preferable. Down was one fairly short plane-change, and back was direct. I coulda booked right then, but was hesitant. My niece said “book it,” so I set about booking it.
Things went well until “wondrous time-saving technology” reared its ugly head. Sometimes this laptop doesn’t trip my printer. That is, the document gets sent to my printer-queue, but won’t print. (This began when I upgraded my operating-system to OS-X El Capitan [10.11.6].)
So delete document from printer-queue and try again. Except it wouldn’t delete. Now we’re really hung. I’m gonna hafta kill this entire laptop; it won’t even “Force-Quit,” an OS-X feature.
Do that and I lose Southwest’s “Confirmation,” which also has my flight-numbers. How come bedtime every night approaches midnight? Can you say “Wondrous Time-Saving Technology?” What will supposedly will take five minutes is blowing an entire evening.
ZAP! Southwest’s confirmation is floating out there somewhere in cyberspace, and their site is drowning me with 89 bazilyun “features” well beyond the wherewithal of a stroke-survivor.
Okay, find “Contact-Us,” a struggle of course. Sites are always secretive about “Contact-Us.”
I set up another reservation just to determine flight-numbers. I didn’t process, but it’s the same flight-numbers. (And per usual that reservation wanted about $40 more = give ‘em a few minutes.)
“Contact-Us” also got sent an e-mail to which I hope they respond. If not, I think I saw an 800-number. I eagerly look forward to all their machines, which can route me in circles. —Plus “Please hold during the silence: BOOM-CHICKA-BOOM-CHICKA-BOOM-CHICKA-BOOM-CHICKA! Yer hold will be 26 minutes.” (Indonesia probably.)
Still figgerin’ to visit my niece. Last year was a flat tire; I drove to the airport on the donut.
I should want “Wondrous Time-Saving Technology” to drive my car?
Railroad locomotives now have a whiz-bang ‘pyooter-app to run trains without engineer input — the engineer is only stand-by. All-the-time I hear dickerin’ about “Trip-Optimizer” on my railroad-radio scanner. Train engineers reporting “Trip-Optimizer” is promoting locomotive wheel-slip, or shutting down locomotives.
“Run without it,” Trainmasters say.

• My wife died of cancer April 17th, 2012. I miss her immensely. Best friend I ever had, and after my childhood I sure needed one. She actually liked me.
• I had a stroke October 26th, 1993 from an undiagnosed heart-defect since repaired. I pretty much recovered. Just tiny detriments; I can pass for never having had a stroke.