I have used Skype before but not in the last several years. Today I used it more than I ever have in my entire life.
A few days ago my cousin Brigitta in Switzerland emailed me, and asked me if we could have a video chat via WhatsApp. I told her that I don't have a smart phone so I don't have WhatsApp. However, I told her that I do have Skype on my laptop. Yesterday she wrote that she had tried to reach me on Skype but that she could not get through. I went to the laptop and turned on Skype, but since I had not used it for so long it needed to be updated. In the process of updating I somehow ended up creating a new account, so I had to give Brigitta my new Skype name. While I was at it, I sent emails to cousins in Norway and England asking if they would be interested in setting up a time to do a video chat.
Last night I was streaming a Netflix movie from my laptop to the TV when my friend Alejandro called. I mentioned that I had updated Skype, and I asked if he wanted to try it out. So we both went onto Skype, and it worked.
This morning I had emails from all three cousins, and they all wanted to chat with me via Skype. My cousin Brigitta and I made plans to Skype at 1:00 this afternoon (6:00 PM in Switzerland). My cousin Kevin, who lives outside of London, and I made plans to chat at 3:00 PM (7:00 PM in England). Then I emailed my cousin Hans Peter in Norway, and he quickly answered, "I'll call in fifteen minutes." So I turned on the laptop (my desktop does not have a built in microphone) and went to Skype. At the agreed time Hans Peter called, but I didn't hear any ringing. When I saw that I had missed his call, I immediately called him back, and we were connected. He could see and hear me, but, although I could see him, I couldn't hear him.
He couldn't figure out what was wrong. While he was fiddling with the adjustments, I talked to him and he typed messages back to me. He asked me if the problem was on my end, and I told him that I had no problems last night Skyping with Alejandro. After a while we gave up, and Hans Peter said he would call again when he had figured out the problem.
Shortly afterward I realized that the problem was indeed on my end. Since my laptop is connected to the TV, the audio is coming through the television. I did not have the TV turned on when Hans Peter called. I sent a message to Hans Peter and told him that the problem was solved, and that we could talk later. It was nearly 2:00, and Brigitta would soon be calling.
With the TV turned on, Brigitta and I had no problem at all. We had a nice, long conversation. Fortunately, the family in Switzerland is well. The pandemic is quite bad there. Only essential businesses are open, and people are expected to isolate themselves.
After talking with Brigitta, I called Hans Peter back, and this time we had no problem communicating. The situation is the same as in Switzerland, but he and his family are fine.
Shortly after talking with him, I got a phone call from Alejandro in Mexico. He said he needed to connect with me on Skype. So I turned the laptop back on, and his call came through. His nephew Ezra had a question about his English homework. Classes have been cancelled down there, but the students are still receiving homework assignments online. Alejandro aimed the camera on a page of Ezra's English workbook. The exercise was a crossword puzzle that he was not able to complete. I realized that the problem was that for one of the clues, he had filled in "swimwear" instead of "swimsuit". From there everything else fit in. Alejandro said that we would Skype again at 9:00 tonight (7:00 in Mexico).
It was then time to wait for the 3:00 PM call from Kevin. Kevin was using his business laptop and his business version of Skype. He sent me an email with a link to connect to that since it is totally different from what I have. At 3:00 I clicked on the link and i had to wait and download the business version. We finally connected, and I had a good chat with him too. The family is all well, but they too are largely confined to the house.
So I have been socializing all day, without disregarding the concept of social distancing!
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