Alvena Ferreira
 I'm a registered nurse who is a nursing case manager for a worker's compensation insurance company. I work out of my home. I'm married with one teenager still at home. My husband, child, and I all have Macintosh computers. I do a considerable amount of "paperwork" including reports, faxes, memos, e-mails, and the like. I had never owned a computer until I bought a Mac. |
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| How did you personally get into using the Macintosh family of computers? | The salesman at the store had an entire line of "pc" computers and one Mac. He told me it was known for being easy to use. Since I had never used a computer, the word "easy" really appealed to me, I bought it on the spot. It was the wisest purchase of my entire life. | |
| Status: | User. | |
First Mac:
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Performa 637CD (I donated this computer recently to a public school in California that needed computers, as they only had 4 computers in the entire school!) Anyone wanting to know where to donate an old Mac should contact me, I'd be happy to give them the name to e-mail. | |
Current Mac:
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Powermac 8600/250 | |
| When did you get your first modem? | My first modem was a Teleport Bronze (2400 baud) which came with my Performa when I bought it in 1995. I bought a Teleport Platinum a few months later when I got internet access. | |
| Who did you call first? | My local internet provider, apex.net, whom I still use. | |
| Present Occupation: | I'm a registered nurse who does case management for an insurance company. | |
| Claim to Fame: | None. | |
| Dream Job: | I have it now. |
| Not So Random Thoughts... | |||
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| Was there ever a time in your life that you had to "Think Different?" What was the situation and what did you do? | |||
| I have always been "different." (With a name like "Alvena" how could I help but to be different?) My parents taught me that I was a human by birth, and a woman by biological accident. I was always taught to think independently and critically, not mindful of what others thought unless it had merit. | |||
| How has using the Macintosh computer changed your life? | |||
| I can accomplish the same things that the other specialists in my company do, except I can do it faster and better. But my Mac is more than that. It is my partner in business. It is my entertainment when I am bored. It is a friend who's always there for me. When it's down, I'm down, but that's not very often. I expect it to work right, and 99% of the time it does. As a result, I expect the same flawless performance from others -- not always receiving that same excellent degree of performance, though :) | |||
| What is the weirdest thing in your office right now? | |||
| My husband's G3 Mac sits right next to mine -- we work "cheek to cheek," literally bumping chairs when we get up. In a space of about 6' x 11' we have: my PM8600, 17"monitor, scanner, syquest drive, stereo speakers, stylewriter 2400 printer, plus HIS G3, 17"monitor, Epson 800 printer, zip 250 drive, stereo speakers, and a seemingly endless assortment of disks. To top that off, my daughter has a Powermac 8500 upstairs and my husband's son has a PC in his room. It's a totally computer-house! | |||
| My Passions are: | |||
| My Mac and my digital piano. | |||
| If you could have dinner with one person dead or alive who would that person be and what would you ask them? | |||
| Albert Einstein, and I would ask him if I could watch him use my Mac so that I could see what he would do with it. | |||
| Do you play a musical instrument and/or are you in a band? | |||
| I play the piano, for the enjoyment of my husband and myself, and I am not in a band or group. I play both by music and by ear. | |||
| When I grow up I want to be: | |||
| I am always growing mentally, and I want only to be wiser. Mental growth keeps the body young. | |||
| The question never asked: | |||
| Gee, you have a common name, what's your last name so that I can remember who you are? |
| Just The Facts, Please... | ||||
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| Biographical Tidbits: | No response. | Education: | Associate degree in nursing, Certified case manager, Certified disability management specialist, working on my bachelor's degree. | |
| Location at Birth: | Cairo, Illinois. | Current Location: | Paducah, Kentucky. | |
| Where you've been in between: |
Not very far in real life, but to endless worlds on my Mac. | Astrological Sign: | Cancer. | |
| Available? | Married. | Chat Nick: | None. The only chat I have done was before my husband and I were married, we talked on Cu-seeme. | |
| Favorite Books: | Mac books, everything I know about a Mac I read somewhere. | Favorite Music or Band: | Classical, country, old rock. | |
| Favorite Food: | Doughnuts from Red's Donut Shop, best you ever put in your mouth, all others pale in comparison. | Cat or Dog Person: | I have a dog and a cat. | |
| Alvena's Personal Web Site | |
| No Professional Web Site | |
| Favorite Web Site: | I like many. |
| Favorite Color imac: |  Blueberry, blue is my favorite color. |
| "The researches of many commentators have already thrown much darkness on this subject, and it is probable that, if they continue, we shall soon know nothing at all about it." - Mark Twain | |
Created Sunday, March 14, 1999; Edited: