Friday, March 27, 2009

Sky-Diving In Without a Laptop

When I got to my office today, I discovered that I'd left home the cord that goes between my laptop and the power strip-- called a power supply? or battery pack or something like that. And of course the battery in the machine was out of juice. And I had appointments etc. and no time to get back home.

So, I turned my attention, in my non-appointment time, to doing everything in my office that could be done without my computer. By 6 o'clock I'd finished my taxes and filed receipts going back to October. And paid some bills. I could have put these off a bit longer. But, laptopless, I was forced to face them. Not such a bad thing.

And my desktop, the upper surface of my physical desk is clean, except for a few notes and a Fresca can.

This is the third time I've left that cord in the wrong place. And I've gotten a lot done every time. So maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. Sort of like getting pushed out of the plane when it's time to make your first parachute jump. Ordinarily I don't like that kind of help, but I did do this to myself. So I can't complain.

(Note: Sky-diving is one thing I declined to do even back in my more reckless years. Parasailing twice around Puerto Vallarta Harbor is as close as I ever want to come. I got the second trip around for free because there was difficulty getting me down, and when I finally skidded in for a landing, I came to a halt lying across a sunbathing gentlemen who had seen me approaching in the last seconds and desperately tried to get out of my way.)

(Note 2: My process in writing novels is very much the same as that used in this post. Start off with a missing cord and wind up in Puerta Vallarta. I like that.)




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6 comments:

Mamie said...

I needed a laugh. You gave it to me. Thanks for the gift.

Anonymous said...

Was he cute? What was the conversation? What type of bathing suit? Please, please say your reckless days are not over...or maybe you need to define reckless.

billie said...

LOL - thanks, Peggy. Maybe we should all forget those laptop cords for a day!

Peggy Payne said...

Mamie, you're welcome any time.

Anon, he was reasonably attractive, very gracious, and I'm vague on the bathing suit.

The conversation was pretty much me saying: Sorry! Sorry! You okay? He got the idea, though I don't think he spoke English. I think he was relieved to be alive, as was I.

And about reckless--well, I could still go parasailing, I suppose. But I'm not drawn to it now. I try to Write Reckless, and see where that leads. As I write this, I think I could do more of that.

What do you think, Billie? You seem to have a pretty wide daring streak. Do you Write Reckless?

billie said...

Apparently so, since editors' comments about Folie ranged from "not like anything else out there" to "flies in the face of convention."

:0

The third one (in final editing phase right now and not too far off from querying) seems to have a lot of sex and desire and intense connection that spans a lot of years. It's hard for me to know how "out there" it is but I have a reader lined up who I am SURE will tell me. :)

Peggy Payne said...

As you know, I love Folie and am convinced it's going to get "out there," as in published.

It's just harder to sell when we fly in the face of convention.

Which is too bad. It should be the other way.

I think you'll wind up having imitators.