My Dear Friend
On June third of this year, my computer’s processor failed. Getting it working was an epic journey of frustration:
Since my reboot (of course, I used a computer term) I have reflected upon this incident and the place in my life that my computer occupies. The adventure forced me to realize my computer is a profoundly essential part of my life, in some ways more important than my car. I suppose we cannot truly understand how important something is until we lose it. The time apart from my computer was brief but unexpectedly difficult. The loss added stress to my life, and after my computer returned, I was not the same for at least three weeks.
Because of this incident, I changed the way I back up my system. After every writing secession, every single Microsoft Word file gets backed up on a separate drive I installed for this single purpose. Before, I backed up every 1-3 weeks depending on my mood or if I needed to open the safe.
This new scheme made me wonder why I could not accept a few days of lost effort. I think my paranoia stems from the way I think linearly and set logical goals. Every writing aspect has to be organized and pondered well in advance. Unfortunately, that life plan does not include re-starting a project, and I have difficulty conceiving such a reality.
I was willing to wait six weeks to avoid losing one week of editing work. How would I describe this behavior? The term obsessive covers my actions.
My blogs fall into this same category. I obsess over them and would hate to re-start/re-edit one. That darn linear thinking. However, there was a benefit. My obsessive backups took the pressure off my life. I also did a better job of backing up files I keep in the safe.
Losing something is never easy, and we certainly appreciate getting it returned. I am happy to have my computer back, and I still need to name her. Does she feel like a Sarah or Gwen? Hmm. “Grace” popped into my head as I was editing. This task will be something to ponder while I am typing away late at night in the warm glow of my returned friend, whom I missed so dearly.
You’re the best -Bill
October 20, 2021
Because of this incident, I changed the way I back up my system. After every writing secession, every single Microsoft Word file gets backed up on a separate drive I installed for this single purpose. Before, I backed up every 1-3 weeks depending on my mood or if I needed to open the safe.
This new scheme made me wonder why I could not accept a few days of lost effort. I think my paranoia stems from the way I think linearly and set logical goals. Every writing aspect has to be organized and pondered well in advance. Unfortunately, that life plan does not include re-starting a project, and I have difficulty conceiving such a reality.
I was willing to wait six weeks to avoid losing one week of editing work. How would I describe this behavior? The term obsessive covers my actions.
My blogs fall into this same category. I obsess over them and would hate to re-start/re-edit one. That darn linear thinking. However, there was a benefit. My obsessive backups took the pressure off my life. I also did a better job of backing up files I keep in the safe.
Losing something is never easy, and we certainly appreciate getting it returned. I am happy to have my computer back, and I still need to name her. Does she feel like a Sarah or Gwen? Hmm. “Grace” popped into my head as I was editing. This task will be something to ponder while I am typing away late at night in the warm glow of my returned friend, whom I missed so dearly.
You’re the best -Bill
October 20, 2021
