GETTING BACK IN THE GROOVE
It has been three weeks since I’ve returned from my great winter escape and it already feels like that was so long ago. This winter is just the gift that keeps on giving.
Coming home from a long vacay always involves catching up on so many fronts. Besides the discipline of getting back into routine and trying to assert myself back into writing and revisions for my next book there is also the daily grind of cooking, cleaning and laundry and whatever little surprises get thrown in the mix. Once again the clock begins ticking at a rapid pace.
As many of you may remember, I have had my share of computer mishaps in the last several months. After my older laptop suffered two fatal hard drive crashes within a four month span, I had purchased a new desktop computer in the fall, realizing that I needed a reliable backup available for use when my laptop didn’t want to cooperate with me.
It took me awhile to get used to using Windows 8 as I sadly had to surrender to it if I wanted a new computer as I mourned the loss of my beloved Windows 7. After my laptop crashed for the second time in four months in December I also purchased a new laptop in fear that I could no longer rely on it.
This week I was working on my fairly new laptop and when I took a break and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water, I suddenly heard a strange screeching, beeping noise. I followed the noise directly to my laptop and when I looked at it there was a blank screen…for a long time. I finally powered it off and restarted only to find the same screen but with added words, “windows is trying to repair disk errors.” I waited and waited as I assumed it was doing its thing repairing whatever it was that suddenly stopped working.
As I continued on with my writing, I did random checks on the progress of the repair when finally a message came up telling me the laptop required service. I already knew that my plans for the next day of staying home and writing were going to be thwarted because I had to take the laptop in for repair. I took it to my local Staples store where I had purchased it and I just didn’t have a good feeling of what was to ensue.
I was told within seconds by the tech man that…MY HARD DRIVE HAD CRASHED! “Are you friggin’ kidding me?” I blurted out in disbelief. “This thing isn’t even three months old and not even finished being paid for.” I added angrily.
The tech man who was also the man who had sold it to me was very nice and already knew all of my prior computer woes, was also in disbelief that this could actually happen. According to him, I was the only customer whose hard drive had crashed in this brand ever sold in that store in such a short time. He added that is was a very rare occurrence for a hard drive crash and even more rare that I had now endured three crashes in the past seven months.
My friends and family have often referred to me as the one per cent girl because of some of the things I have encountered in life containing slim odds of ever happening, but this hard drive business was like my Achilles heel and became to the point of ridiculous and not to mention, a huge time-suck.
The tech offered to order me a new one, which although was a lovely gesture, still involved me waiting for it to come in another day, and two more visits to the store while they worked on setting up the operating system and downloads and needed me to loggin with passwords during the process. It also involved downloading back all my files from my backup device. This was definitely one thing I learned long ago…BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP! A familiar procedure instilled in my brain.
I hate when I have that feeling of zero accomplishment in a week where the hours are so precious and I am left feeling that every step I take forward, I fall three steps behind in my work. But once again, I will start fesh again next week and try to put this behind me and move forward.
I am thinking that maybe I should be buying a lottery ticket and trying my luck out by using my one per cent odds in a positive way.
So, after all my venting I am going to say it again…DON’T FORGET TO BACKUP! Crashes don’t give us subtle warnings. They don’t slowly happen where you may be able to notice little things slowing down or not working properly. Within a moment’s notice your screen could just go dark and WHAMMO, you computer is dead.
Enough said, I have to get back to work.
