I have been so busy lately, I've hardly had time for blogging. Besides writing, I have a lot of things going on in my personal life—most of them boring, so I'll spare you.
The big one that had the most impact on writing is when my PC decided it was time to die.
Oh yeah, that's not good...
Fortunately #2 son is a whiz with computer stuff, and he had just ordered for me most of the parts I'd need to upgrade this thing. Old Faithful had been warning us for a few weeks that it was on its last legs. Since this PC was originally built for me by same son, I knew he'd come to my rescue. He did, but it took a few days. He is a family man after all, with a new baby, 9 year old stepson, and a job, so I was surprised and pleased I got the fast response that I did. I guess they take it seriously now that mom is a writer, and needs to be able to work in relative comfort.
Since the graphics card attached to the motherboard went first, I had huge 4-bit graphics that scrolled off the page. I could use the PC for email (because I could actually read it without a magnifier) or playing music while I worked, but that was about it. I did my writing on my netbook, with its cramped keyboard and 10" monitor (monitor size is diagonal BTW) was making me blind. But I did back up all my files as soon as I knew I had an issue, and was able to continue writing anyway—albeit at a far slower pace. I had to take frequent eyestrain breaks to stave off headaches, which means I cooked and my house got some needed attention.
The big one that had the most impact on writing is when my PC decided it was time to die.
Oh yeah, that's not good...
Fortunately #2 son is a whiz with computer stuff, and he had just ordered for me most of the parts I'd need to upgrade this thing. Old Faithful had been warning us for a few weeks that it was on its last legs. Since this PC was originally built for me by same son, I knew he'd come to my rescue. He did, but it took a few days. He is a family man after all, with a new baby, 9 year old stepson, and a job, so I was surprised and pleased I got the fast response that I did. I guess they take it seriously now that mom is a writer, and needs to be able to work in relative comfort.
Since the graphics card attached to the motherboard went first, I had huge 4-bit graphics that scrolled off the page. I could use the PC for email (because I could actually read it without a magnifier) or playing music while I worked, but that was about it. I did my writing on my netbook, with its cramped keyboard and 10" monitor (monitor size is diagonal BTW) was making me blind. But I did back up all my files as soon as I knew I had an issue, and was able to continue writing anyway—albeit at a far slower pace. I had to take frequent eyestrain breaks to stave off headaches, which means I cooked and my house got some needed attention.
Once the PC was up and running again, I was ready to reload all my saved material. Unfortunately then—but fortuitously afterward, it turns out—I found out that the front two USB ports weren't connected. That meant I couldn't put back all my saved material, or save anything I might work on. ARRGGH!!!!! So I decided to re-download my most used programs, and a new word processor, since I can't afford MS WORD anymore. And in the process of doing that, it became 2AM rather too quickly, and I got careless. I downloaded SKYPE from a mirror site that was buggy and got...
{{{{MALWARE!!!}}}}
Lots of it too. I could not get rid of it, and it kept replicating. Which means I had to shut down the PC and send an email from my netbook, begging for help, before calling it a night.
I hopped back on the netbook for a day or so. And that's when my netbook charging unit decided to blow up. Actually it only made a popping noise, but it was toast. I had to borrow one until I could order another, which just came in the mail yesterday. Since my cell phone is also dying and should be replaced, I am beginning to feel like the Typhoid Mary of electronics...
Yeah, I heard about safe downloading, and felt like a 13 year old in Health 101. But they did come over and clean up my mess. I am usually very careful, but at 2 AM, I have less brain cells active. Live and learn. Go to bed, and use some writing time the next day to get things running smoothly again. My PC is my work station. It's where the magic that becomes books and short stories happens. It's my link to publishers and fans. I wanted to hug it when they said it was all clean again. I hugged my son instead. He gets jealous otherwise. And I got another chance to hold the grandbaby, and watched the older grandson carve a pumpkin from my garden, so all was not lost. Best of all, they hooked up my front USB ports, so I can save documents in a flash.
Gradually as the week has gone on, I got this revamped machine set up the way I like it. I got all the programs I needed downloaded, and have learned to better navigate Windows 7 (I had XP) and LibreOffice's text program. I even downloaded SKYPE again, very carefully, from the official site. So things are running fine, and I'm writing.
But I never stopped writing. I never do. I love it too much. I squinted at a screen less than half the size of the one I normally worked on, and dealt with carpal tunnel issues and all sorts of other awkward work positions (one of my office chairs insists on lowering itself while I'm still in it).
Bottom line is, I didn't let the bad juju I encountered be an excuse to goof off. I'd have kept writing if I had to do it on paper with a pen. And that's the kind of attitude that separates the hobbyist from the pro.
Now you go make me proud, and write something too!
Or you can buy all my books and make me rich enough to afford better equipment, a housekeeper, a gardener, a vacation home...
~Nancy
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