The End of the World...

That's what it feels like, anyway, when your computer dies. We returned from the beach yesterday to find our desktop computer glaring the message NT LDR NOT FOUND.  That means the entire loading system for the computer can't be found, so it can't even be booted.  After spending 7 hours on the road to get us home, Blair popped back in the car with the computer for the 45 minute drive to Best Buy's Geek Squad, to see what could be done.

It doesn't look promising. For $100, they will try to recover the data and for an extra $100 they'll try in 48 hours. Bet your a-- I ponied up the extra money for the fast turnaround. Good or bad, I need to know what I'm dealing with.

 This is most inconvenient as I have 3 assignments I told myself I'd work on "when I got home from the beach." Well, guess who can't access her work? The last save we did was on May 17th. (That wretching, sobbing sound you hear is me, trying not to barf.)

I've got my laptop, which is something. It doesn't have Outlook on it and all my e-mails, which is a big thing. Remote e-mail access is not my friend but I will try sucking up to it and see if we can get along for a few days.

The funny thing is, we stopped in the Apple store in Raleigh on our way home yesterday to look at Mac Books. Even before this incident, I had had it with PC's and their constant locking and rebooting. The plan was to save for a couple of Mac Books and ditch our desktop and current laptop.  With the new/used car going boom last month (we decided to install a used engine with 20,000 miles - about $2800) and the computers dying this month, the Harris' are going to be eating PB&J for awhile.

And I am going back to work.  Freelance work. I've spent the first half of this year doing some experimental writing and I've greatly enjoyed my time and am sad to see it go bye-bye, but it's time to bring in some money.

God only knows what will blow up next around here...

What I Won't Blog About

Given my willingness to discuss body hair, finances, and a never-ending list of stupid/embarrassing things I have done and continue to do in life, you may think there is nothing I won't blog about. Au Contraire! Some mornings find me chugging decaf coffee and staring at the screen in a stupor, wishing I could write about what was going on in life but knowing there are boundaries.

Still, I thought it might be mildly entertaining to tell you what I can't/won't blog about... just so you know what you're missing. Here in no particular order then, are the untouchables. I won't blog about:

• Clients. There are so many times when a project has blown up or an interview has been weird or an editor insane that I have been dying to race to my blog and share the funny. But even if I don't use names and keep it general, there's always the chance the person I've just interviewed or my editor might check my blog and clue in that I'm talking about them.
• Family issues. I'll tell the lighthearted funny stuff, but my family reads this blog, so there's no dissing them. =) And while I would LOVE to offer you the dirt on Blair's family, I don't think he'd appreciate it. Therefore, I keep it nice...
• Personal issues between Blair and myself. Like last night in bed, we... (Ha. Did I scare you honey? Kidding!!!)
• Novels I may or may not write. I won't talk about creative writing because I'm still insecure in that area and I feel like talking about a novel I might be working on drains my mojo. (I've made the mistake of telling people about a book I want to write and have them look at me with zero enthusiasm and say, "Oh. That sounds nice." You try writing your bestseller after that reaction.)
• Projects being considered by agents/editors. So often I have a proposal in somewhere and I'm just dying to come here and pour out all my fears, hopes, woes. But what if the agent checks out this blog and decides, "Needy and neurotic. Pass." ? Nope, nope, nope. Can't do it.

Other than that, it's an open field. So watch what you say around me. I'm always scouting for blog material and unless I work for you, am married to you, or related to you in some way...

You're fair game.

Weekend Work

It's Sunday afternoon, a little before 3 pm, and I sit at my desk, contemplating the same question I address almost every weekend: To work, or not to work?

On one hand, there's no reason not to. I only need a couple of hours to get on top of a project and it's not like I'm sitting around splitting the atom. Blair and I went for a run this morning, then cleaned house, read the paper, I took a 30 minute nap, and then plopped down on the couch to catch the last twenty minutes of Shakespeare in Love.  Blair is working upstairs and there's nothing preventing me from doing a bit of work and so starting the work week a step ahead.

On the other hand, I don't feel like working. And am not sure I should. It's the weekend. If I have spare time I should read or take a walk or comb the cats or, if I so choose, watch marathon back-to-back episodes of Neat Freak on Fit TV.  Even though putting in a couple of hours of work today would put me ahead for tomorrow, so what? Tomorrow isn't so cramped that--with a bit of focus and planning--I still can't fit everything in. Life-balance, right?  Monday-Fridays are for work and weekends are for relaxing, not racing to stay ahead.

Or is it all poppycock?

Okay, I'm a bit lazy. And the ironic part is that I know--absolutely know--that during the week I'll set something aside thinking, "I'll work on that this weekend when I have some uninterrupted time."

Which brings me back to my opening question: To work, or not to work?

I can't decide. What do you all think?

Bring Me All The Work

Some days you're hot.  This is one of those days. I've been at my desk for less than three hours and have 4 new assignments filling my in-box: two articles for a regional magazine, 5 story updates on my county for the Greensboro paper, one retirement speech, and one web site revision. 

Am I sending out a "work-for-hire" vibe? Perhaps the Universe read my sludge-car blog and realized I needed the money. =) 

Whatever the case, keep it coming. All of these are projects that are actually fun and interesting. AND I'm still holding to my 1,000/words per day creative writing. Plus, still waiting to hear on several cat book projects from agents and publishers... I love the randomness of my working life. I never know one day to the next what I'll be working on and while sometimes it sets my teeth on end, nine times out of ten I love it.

But I have no time to write about this. It's taken me five minutes to write this blog so who KNOWS what new assignments have appeared since then.

Cheers.