Wednesday, January 9, 2019

No dust on my technical skills



The smokescreen of excuses that have served me well for the past few months (Thanksgiving is coming, Christmas shopping to do, cleaning up after Christmas, migration to Florida) has cleared and I’m forced to face reality: I’m 36,000 words into book #3 and have at least that much still to go.

          Inspiration woke up a bit this week after I scored the newest Janet Evanovich book at the library. I may have a graduate degree in English and excel at the Shakespeare category of Jeopardy, but her Stephanie Plum series is the guilty white Zinfandel of my leisure reading. Yes, the series is formulaic, but I’d kill to be able to construct such an addictive balance of an engaging protagonist, wacky characters, light sex scenes, and a smattering of plot. Maybe I have a murder mystery right there.

          My most recent stumbling block – as opposed to writer’s block, which I’ve already perfected (what the heck should I have these characters do next??), was a technical one.

          We’d bought a shiny new remote keyboard with matching remote mouse. I turned on my laptop and turned on the keyboard. Check.

I switched on the mouse. Nothing. Switched the mouse on and off. Nothing.

I plowed through the “devices and printers” section of my laptop’s controls.

Nothing.

Read on-line help centers. No help for me.

Turned mouse on and off. Rebooted laptop. Repeat, Repeat.

I finally went for the traditional fix for everything. I bashed the mouse a few times. Nada.

I wandered off, did some laundry, picked up in the living room, and went back to the desk. I looked in the desk. 


Hmmm. Whaddaya know?  Another mouse.

 

Turns out the mouse I’d been cursing and abusing was for my husband’s computer.

16 comments:

  1. If only all technical issues (and their solutions)were so readily solved. And yes, I comfort read the Stephanie Plum series too.

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  2. Did you involve your husband in the search for the truth (aka cursing and swearing) or are you home free?

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    1. He pawed at it as blankly as I did, even picking up new batteries. I confessed when he got home.

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  3. This is our lives these days!! What a mess.

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  4. Isn't it nice when you are both wrong for the same reasons? Blame-free panic. =)

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  5. I, too, am a Janet Evanovich addict. I plough through her books pretty quickly, but enjoy every moment. Big question: Ranger or Morelli? -Jenn

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    1. No kidding! Talk about impossible choices.

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  6. Aww, you bashed a poor innocent mouse (*~*) At least you found the correct one, so there is no (or little) excuse now for not getting started on the next 36,000 words.
    I love the Stephanie Plum series too, have just finished Look Alive 25.

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    1. Gershwin. I was excited that I found Hardcore twenty four!

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    2. Gershwin?! I thought I'd written "geesh". Thank you auto correct.

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  7. Quit mousing around and start writing.(Says the world worst procrastinator.)

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    1. I did finally crank out a couple of pages today.
      The bad thing about blogging is that a new post gives me a false sense of accomplishment.

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  8. That concentration on your book took your focus away! Good luck with your story.

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  9. I loved this post! Glad to hear you are mousing along in good health. I'll have to check out that series, since I know nothing about Stephanie Plum. :-)

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  10. :) Sounds like something I would do...you will have to put some glittery polish or glue a small gem on your mouse to avoid confusion:)

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