I
gave myself a heart attack yesterday. I was trying to be a good girl and
actually turn my computer off for a little while so it could do whatever
updates it needed to do. About half an hour after I shut it down, I remembered
there were some bills I needed to pay, so I try to fire it up again, AND IT WON’T
TURN ON!!! All I get is a black screen and by little white arrow cursor. I turn
it off again, and back on. Nothing. I hold the button down for like ten seconds
so all the flashing lights go out. I wait, then turn it on again. NOTHING. I
repeat this process several times, and then give up, pack up my computer and
head to Staples where I had purchased it. I tell the manager what happened. He
puts the computer on the counter, pushes the button, and up pops my stuff.
What
the?? I don’t know and I don’t care, I was grateful; and always one to learn
from my mistakes, I promptly purchase discs so I can burn all my novels and
research on to them. This way, if something ever does happen, at least I have
another soft copy. I really didn’t think this would have been an issue with a
new computer, but I was not going to take any chances. I lost a bunch of stuff
when my old computer crashed and I was not going to let it happen again.
So
I get the discs and my now functioning computer home and I get to work. I burn
each individual story with all of its research to their own discs. Then, for
some reason, I have my daughter put the discs in her computer to check and make
sure everything worked. The discs are all blank! AAARRRGGGGHHH! I have no I
idea what I did wrong. From my computer, it looked like everything was working.
Now I just have to pray the computer doesn’t crash before my hubby can burn the
discs for me this weekend.
Speaking
of this weekend, I wanted to tell you, I will not be posting a blog tomorrow,
but I can’t tell you why. I’ll tell you on Sunday. This also means you have
until Saturday to finish today’s challenge. So, I hope you have a great two
days and happy writing!
Your Last Challenge was:
If I didn’t get out of the house, I was
positive my head would have exploded and flew around the room. I felt like I
was being pecked to death by chickens; so I hopped into my car and drove with
no particular destination in mind.
After about twenty minutes, I found
myself pulling into a park I used to frequent in my younger days. Convinced a
walk along the path and some fresh air were just the ticket I needed to clear
my head, I parked the car and got out. It had been many years since my last visit,
so it took me a moment to get my bearings. If I remembered correctly, the path
to the right lead up to the rose garden and the path to the left lead down to
the lake. Reasoning the chances of encountering people was far less by the
lake, I turned left and started to stomp down the path.
What possessed me to
put an office into my home? Your home should be your sanctuary, your refuge,
not a source of stress and frustration. Publishing, marketing, signings, appearances,
scheduling conflicts, interviews; I’m a writer dammit, not a PR specialist. Why
did I hire an assistant if I’m still the one dealing with all this junk? All I
want to do is write! Can’t they just leave me alone so I can write? I grumbled under my breath as I tromped my way
to the lake, still waiting for nature to spread its magical balm on my frazzled
nerves.
There wasn’t enough time for me to
actually make it to the spot in the photo. I had it all planned out in my
brain. I was going to sit under one of the willows when an old Chinese man, in
traditional apparel, approached me and offered up some Confucius-like advise to
set my world back in balance like ‘The victory is always sweeter if the battle is
hard fought.’
Your
Next Challenge is:
You have a job interview, but you do not recognize the
address they give you, so you plug it into your GPS. The directions the GPS
give you, lead you to a strange area you never knew existed.
You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong,
just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to
criticize what someone else has written. Go.
It’s a good thing it was still daylight, because this place was buried from the rest of civilization. I was headed out for a job interview with an ironworks company who was looking for an IT person. I knew New Jersey had some areas off the beaten path, but driving through the Carlstadt industrial was defied description. Overhead on the turnpike, cars and huge 18-wheelers roared and shook the foundation of the road beneath. This place was ugly and smelled gross—marshy, damp and rotting. Who knew what was floating around in the tall weed stalks in the nearby wetlands.
ReplyDeleteThe buildings were low and some had watermarks from constant flooding. I visualized what it would be like working in a place where carcasses might float to the surface. No thanks. As soon as I reached my destination, I gave the place a quick call and begged off.
I can't say I blamed you, eeewww!! Sorry for the late reply. I still haven't figured out the new yahoo email format change, so I didn't see the email notification.
ReplyDelete