by Art Gillis

I encountered my first serious failure in life at the age of five, in kindergarten. I couldn't cut paper with the standard issue of blunt, dull, loosely-riveted scissors that were handed out in my school. But not to worry, for I also met my first love in that class. Maureen Kelly did all my cutting for me, and I never had to ask.

Growing up in a tough, albeit very safe, Irish/Italian neighborhood, caused me to be a bit concerned about what the macho boys would think of a girl helping me through these difficult times. One of them was so good at playing the role of tough guy, that when he grew up, he got the part of Moe Green, the Las Vegas casino owner, in The Godfather. You may know my former classmate as Alex Rocco. As we grew older, like in the fourth grade, he became a good friend and he taught me how to play pool.

Today I still can't use scissors that well, but so what? It's about as important to me as some other things I had to learn, like the value of pi. Let's face it, how many of you are really hurting today because you forgot that pi = 3.14159265+? Is it required in figuring out your taxes, or paying bills, or understanding Alan Greenspan's state of the economy?

What Maureen taught me is that it's OK if you're not great at everything. Today's technology is so vast and complex that it's impossible for me to work productively and still take time to learn all that's available. The average PC user spends five hours each week on overhead chores. Not me. I scan catalogs that contain thousands of software programs that I'll never learn to use. All I ever learned was word processing, spreadsheets, a little graphics and a database system. But someone in my repertoire of outsourcers knows how to use what I need from time to time, and I can get him or her to "do my cutting" for me for a modest fee.

This message is designed to relieve your stress and guilt about how computer-literate you should be. Don't be embarrassed if you don't know how to do everything yourself. Look for help -- the right help. There's got to be a Maureen or a Hillary or a Mother Teresa in your life who can take you through the difficult tasks. Now there's even a storefront in my neighborhood called the Geek Squad. It was once a convenience store that I personally never needed because there was one on every corner. I think I'll need the Geeks, and it's comforting just to know they are there. And if you feel intimidated by the one-on-one method, try one of the millions (at least it seems there are millions) of how-to books for dummies. If you read them under the covers with a flash-light, your peers will never know. They'll think you acquired all that knowledge yourself, because you have an affinity for overcoming very complex matters.