Thursday, January 7, 2010

"I'm Back," She Says With Her Fingers Crossed

I now know for sure that I love my blogging. I now know for sure that I feel absolutely discomboobulated without my computer . . . and my blogging . . . and many other computer related things.

Being fairly organized and having my own little routine has always been important to me. And like it or lump it, being organized these days relates directly to having the use of one's own computer . . . for more things than I truly realized until this past week when I've been computer-deprived. I've sort of felt like I was going through my days with one arm tied behind my back, navigating by hopping on one leg, and not being able to adequately communicate.

Now that I'm back up and running on all four computer cylinders again (with a heavily medicated hard drive), I'm facing a mountain of catch-up. Where should I start? Getting the "personal" stuff done that keeps the household running or the "fun" stuff like this personal blog or buckling down to the "work" that I had scheduled for the first of the year for my baby quilt Internet business?

This week has also shown me how very much I use word processing. I sure didn't remember that it took so long to write anything out by hand compared to typing it on my computer. I'm sure I can compose, rewrite and print out a whole typewritten page in about one-tenth of the time it takes with paper and pencil! Matter of fact, I found the task so laboriously slow that I quickly gave up and started plastering sticky notes all over my desk area pertaining to thoughts, ideas, recipes, people to contact, research to do, etc., etc. when I had word processing once again at my fingertips.

Because we thought the first trip to the PC doctor's office and back had fixed the entire problem, and then I quickly crashed and burned again, I have to admit I'm still feeling a l-i-t-t-l-e shaky every time I turn on the computer or go to a different function. My dear husband has been subtly (ahem) suggesting to me for ever-so-long that because of all I use my computer for these days I really should have a back-up sitting at the ready. Some of us are slower learners than others, but I think this may have taught me a lesson.

My computer is old, my hard drive is tired, and although it's been propped up for the moment, a new computer for me is looming on the horizon along with, yes, a back-up of some sort also.

I think I'll just blithely block this last week out of my mind now and jump back into the fray. I may even manage to get an interesting post up tomorrow.

So good to be back!

P.S. Thanks to that sneaky, little daughter of mine for letting you all know what's been going on . . . and for posting that "blast from the past" picture with us both looking a wee bit younger than we do today!

9 comments:

Val said...

I feel your pain! I totally understand. I am glad you have your computer back. Have fun.

Erin said...

So glad you're back! I thought maybe you bought an old VW bus and took your quilting business on the road, turning hippie on us! I sympathize with the computer thing, that expense came suddenly upon us a few years back, and it totally blows the budget when you need it NOW! We'll wait patiently while you get your catch-up done!

beth said...

Great news! the best all week!

Jennifer Jo said...

Welcome back! It totally stinks when computers go down and that was a long time.

MaineCelt said...

HUZZAH!!! You're back!

I think the worst part of having a computer "go down" is that us homesteader types can't always fix it ourselves. There are so many other things that make me feel blazingly capable: frozen pipes? No problem. Build a henhouse? No problem. Computer crash? PROBLEM!

Aye, back-up is good. So is the maintenance of handwriting skills and manual list-management. A good preparedness check for us all!

Karen Sue said...

I lost mine once and was able to have someone get it up and running again. The second time- no such luck. I said to the guy..if you save nothing else, I NEED the PHOTOS!! he saved them twice and now I have an external drive, but they're not on that yet are they?? and my computer is getting slower and slower...so my goal for this year, early, is to delete junk photos, transfer the album for printing to Walmart or Clark, and then transfer the album to the external backup... It takes me forever. I worked hours to get rid of 300 and then came home after a couple of ballgames with 100 more pictures to upload!! It is a sickness... but my count is almost 14,000, so it is EMERGENCY level now!! Good luck and back up as much as you can. You'll be glad for whatever it takes you.

Mama Pea said...

Valerie - Thanks for sending your sympathies!

Erin - The only "good" thing is that now new computers have really come down in price . . . compared to what they were a few years ago anyway.

Beth - Thanks, m'dear!

Mama JJ - They (computers) are so GREAT when all is going smoothly. But I totally understand when someone throws one through a window.

MaineCelt - I hear what you're saying and rest assured, we're prepared. :o)

Karen Sue - Lesson learned. We're implementing back up measures right away.

RuthieJ said...

Good to have you back Mama Pea.
I'm like you, so totally dependent on my computer now, and I feel really out-of-sorts when it's not working and I can't be in touch with all my internet friends and other contacts.

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Ruthie - I'm not sure I'm totally "okay" with being so dependent on the computer now, ya know? But I suppose perhaps women felt the same way when the telephone became routine after they had been isolated for so long living miles away from their neighbors. When the phone service was out periodically, they felt severely cut off.

Gotta learn to roll with the times!