Here we go again. I guess I shouldn’t complain. I really have no right at all. But you know how us humans are. (Smile) I’m in Louisiana, minutes away from the Mississippi state line, and not that far up from the Gulf. So every time a hurricane gets out there it seems to at least threaten to come this way and we have to spend days watching the news and waiting and preparing. Most of them lately have been turning and hitting Florida. (Which is why I mention above that I have no right to complain. The poor people in Florida are the ones who own the rights to that.)
And yet, here I am complaining.
The hurricane in the Gulf right now is Katrina. She crossed the lower tip of Florida to get into the Gulf and was then supposed to turn north and head up and hit the top of Florida. It seems she decided one snack of Florida might be enough for now. She’s not taking that north turn the weathermen had promised us. Nope. Not her. She’s still heading mostly west. Now they are saying the longer it takes her to take that north turn, the worse it looks for us here.
That means if she hasn’t turned by in the morning it’ll be time to head out for extra water, bread, lunchmeat, can goods, all of that kind of stuff. The getting prepared, the watching and the waiting, even when we luck up, it is just so hard on the nerves. Didn’t used to be. I remember as a teenager thinking it was all fun. It doesn’t feel fun now. It just feels scary, and it’s expensive and it’s upsetting.
I also have a home surrounded by pine and big oaks now, that could fall and crush said home. I also have way too many dogs now, and if we have to leave, the shelters won’t take them. I have eight of the monstors for goodness sakes—three of them pretty darn big dogs. So no hotel is going to take us either. I couldn’t leave them here for the trees to fall on, so I guess we’ll just have to load up some how, and all run if it comes down to a really bad hurricane heading this way. Not that there’s a good hurricane. With the price of gas right now, driving for about twelve hours and then turning around and driving right back will be even more of a nightmare than it would normally be. And that would be a pretty bad nightmare with eight dogs.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not wishing Katrina on anyone else. Especially poor Florida! I just wish she could sit out there in the Gulf and die right there without hitting any of us.
Are you listening, Katrina? Be a good girl and go to sleep out there in the nice warm water.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Senior Pictures
Yesterday I took my daughter to the photographer to have senior pictures made. It was a great mother/daughter day. It started with digging through her closet and picking out the outfits for the pictures—we only disagreed a few times. (Smile) We ended up with everything from shorts and a t-shirt to a formal dress. Then we did her hair and makeup. Of course we ended up rushing in the end. Always works out that way on big days, no matter how earlier I try to get started.
My daughter is shy and never likes being the center of attention, so she was nervous about the session, but soon loosened up and had a great time. The photographer did a wonderful job at making her feel comfortable and of arranging her, the backgrounds and the props.
In fact, he did so well that I’m almost fearful of the trip back today to pick out which shots we want. There were poses done in chairs, by chairs, on the floor, on props, all inside at first. The studio is in a huge white two-story southern home with big wrap around front porch with white columns. So after the inside shots we moved outside for pictures on the porch, on the grass, against a lovely old shed in the back that was covered with ivy, even against a big oak tree and then on a bale of hay.
Just watching as the photos were taken, I could tell how good they were going to look. I also realized that I have a very lovely daughter who as bad as I hate to admit, is a lovely young woman now, not near a child anymore.
My daughter is shy and never likes being the center of attention, so she was nervous about the session, but soon loosened up and had a great time. The photographer did a wonderful job at making her feel comfortable and of arranging her, the backgrounds and the props.
In fact, he did so well that I’m almost fearful of the trip back today to pick out which shots we want. There were poses done in chairs, by chairs, on the floor, on props, all inside at first. The studio is in a huge white two-story southern home with big wrap around front porch with white columns. So after the inside shots we moved outside for pictures on the porch, on the grass, against a lovely old shed in the back that was covered with ivy, even against a big oak tree and then on a bale of hay.
Just watching as the photos were taken, I could tell how good they were going to look. I also realized that I have a very lovely daughter who as bad as I hate to admit, is a lovely young woman now, not near a child anymore.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Spammers, Spammers Every Where!
I guess I've been really lucky so far. Until today, I hadn't been hit once with spam on my blog. I should have known that luck couldn't hold out. Suddenly today the storm blew in. (Frown) I was getting hit as many as five times in less than thirty minutes. At first I tried to just keep coming back in and deleting the spam, but there's only one of me a lot of them, so for now I've had to change the settings on my blog so those posting a comment have to type in a code word that is shown to them when they go to post.
I'm sorry, I know it's a pain, but I just didn't know what else to do for now. That little code word can't stop all spam of course, but it will stop all the auto spam. Maybe this is just a wave and in a couple of days I'll be able to set things back as they were. I hope!
I'm sorry, I know it's a pain, but I just didn't know what else to do for now. That little code word can't stop all spam of course, but it will stop all the auto spam. Maybe this is just a wave and in a couple of days I'll be able to set things back as they were. I hope!
Does Research Sweep You Away?
I was working away on my MS today, and then I ran into a little snag. I needed a few more details and info for a scene to make sure it seemed real to the reader. I got on line and did some searches, then some more, finally began to find some bits of the info I was looking for, but it's never good enough for me.
So much searching, more info, more links to follow. I finally had to just yell, “Enough!” to myself.
Does research pull you in? It sure gets me unless I put a tight hold on my curiosity. (Smile) I guess we just have to remember that too many details in a scene can be as bad, or maybe even worse, than not enough of them.
So much searching, more info, more links to follow. I finally had to just yell, “Enough!” to myself.
Does research pull you in? It sure gets me unless I put a tight hold on my curiosity. (Smile) I guess we just have to remember that too many details in a scene can be as bad, or maybe even worse, than not enough of them.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Should You Enter a Writing Contest?
I see this question asked a lot on e-mail groups. There is no complete right or wrong answer, since it depends on the person, the type of writing, the contest, and much more. If it’s a contest that a publisher is running, the first thing to ask yourself is if that publisher is one you’d like to publish your book with.
If the answer is no, you need ask nothing else. Don't enter.
If the answer is yes, then see if the publisher is charging an entry fee. Big publishers usually don’t. If it’s a small or new publisher and they are charging an entry fee, then give it a second thought, since they might be holding the contest only to raise money, or even to bring in writers and then charge them for publishing. There are sharks in them there waters, people, so be careful. (Smile)
RWA contests. These always charge fees, but there are good reasons to enter one. Many have published judges or experienced judges. That means for a small fee you can get some feedback from strangers about your writing. Even if the judges aren’t that experienced, they are still romance readers and they know what they like and what they don’t. They might not be able to explain as well why chapter three works for them when chapter two put them to sleep, but they can let you know there is a problem. And since they don’t know who you are, and you don’t know who they are, there’s much more freedom for them to tell it like it is. Family and friends often won’t.
The biggest reason I think there is to enter an RWA contest, or any contest, would be for the hopes of reaching the final judge. Of course that judge should be a top agent or top editor that you really want to reach. Winning or finaling in a contest is also good fuel to add to any query letter. It tells an agent or editor that your writing was good enough to get you that far.
And that ain’t chicken scratch. (Smile)
Do note that just because a manuscript doesn’t do well in a contest doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. There are bad judges out there, and there are great stories that just aren’t formatted to do well in a romance writing contest. Like say, if your hero and heroine don’t even meet in those judged pages. Or the story is more single title than romance. Or maybe it’s not romance at all. Or maybe your hero is a jerk for the first fifty pages -- which could be dangerous even if you are sending to agents and publishers. We do like to like the characters we read about in a romance, at least the ones that we are supposed to cheer for.
See, told you there was no complete right or wrong. You’ll have to look at where you are in your writing, how quick does your story hook the reader -- which really should always be quick if you ask me -- is your story romance, can you afford to enter the contest, do you want to reach that publisher, editor or agent that will be doing the final round of judging, and many other questions.
In the end, you are the only one who will be able to decide if entering a certain contest, a number of them, or none at all, is in your best interest as a writer.
If the answer is no, you need ask nothing else. Don't enter.
If the answer is yes, then see if the publisher is charging an entry fee. Big publishers usually don’t. If it’s a small or new publisher and they are charging an entry fee, then give it a second thought, since they might be holding the contest only to raise money, or even to bring in writers and then charge them for publishing. There are sharks in them there waters, people, so be careful. (Smile)
RWA contests. These always charge fees, but there are good reasons to enter one. Many have published judges or experienced judges. That means for a small fee you can get some feedback from strangers about your writing. Even if the judges aren’t that experienced, they are still romance readers and they know what they like and what they don’t. They might not be able to explain as well why chapter three works for them when chapter two put them to sleep, but they can let you know there is a problem. And since they don’t know who you are, and you don’t know who they are, there’s much more freedom for them to tell it like it is. Family and friends often won’t.
The biggest reason I think there is to enter an RWA contest, or any contest, would be for the hopes of reaching the final judge. Of course that judge should be a top agent or top editor that you really want to reach. Winning or finaling in a contest is also good fuel to add to any query letter. It tells an agent or editor that your writing was good enough to get you that far.
And that ain’t chicken scratch. (Smile)
Do note that just because a manuscript doesn’t do well in a contest doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. There are bad judges out there, and there are great stories that just aren’t formatted to do well in a romance writing contest. Like say, if your hero and heroine don’t even meet in those judged pages. Or the story is more single title than romance. Or maybe it’s not romance at all. Or maybe your hero is a jerk for the first fifty pages -- which could be dangerous even if you are sending to agents and publishers. We do like to like the characters we read about in a romance, at least the ones that we are supposed to cheer for.
See, told you there was no complete right or wrong. You’ll have to look at where you are in your writing, how quick does your story hook the reader -- which really should always be quick if you ask me -- is your story romance, can you afford to enter the contest, do you want to reach that publisher, editor or agent that will be doing the final round of judging, and many other questions.
In the end, you are the only one who will be able to decide if entering a certain contest, a number of them, or none at all, is in your best interest as a writer.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Fear of Needles and Being a New Diabetic
I’ve had a fear of needles… No, not a fear. A fear is reasonable, and what I feel about needles, even the smallest ones, isn’t reasonable. What I have is a phobia of needles. Webster lists a phobia as “an irrational, excessive, and persistent fear of some thing or some situation.” Yes, that’s how I feel about needles. The simple mention of the chance of a shot can send me over the edge. My blood pressure spikes, my skin becomes flushed and then pale, I feel cold to the touch but I’m burning up and sweating at the same time. I feel light headed and sick to my stomach. Not a pleasant thing.
It’s so bad in fact that years ago I had two major surgeries and refused pain medicines afterwards both times because at first the doctor would only order pain shots. When I wouldn’t give in, he finally ordered me pills, which on an empty stomach made me throw up. Of course since I was cut from can’t to can, the nurse came running with a shot to stop the throwing up. You can guess that she left with it.
Now, would any adult put themselves through such pain over a little fear?
NOT!
That’s a phobia for you.
Well a few months ago my doctor…after getting the results back from some blood work she had ordered…with a needle…said rather causally that my blood sugar was too high. It had been a couple of times and that I was a diabetic and should watch what I ate and work out and lose some weight. She said it so matter of fact and then moved on that I don’t think it even landed in my mind. I was sure I had misunderstood probably, that she just meant my blood sugar was a little high and so I should watch what I ate, ect….
When I came back to see her three months later for a fasting finger poke, my blood sugar was high enough that I was put on a daily pill for it. She also suggested that I get a blood tester for home and keep an eye on my sugar level at least a few times a week. I smiled and nodded but left there in shock I think. I was so upset that I don’t even see how I made it home. I remember thinking that I would rather die than face a needle every day. That there was just no way I could do that. I just couldn't. I just wouldn't!
Three months later, after working out more and eating right even better, I went back to her again for another fasting finger poke. The results weren’t good.
I left there with orders to double up on my daily blood sugar meds and to start checking my sugar levels often at home. It took me a month to accept it and to finally talk myself into the machine. It turns out that although I still can’t stand the thought of a needle, I wasn’t ready to die over it after all. And I sure didn’t want to let things get worse and have to add daily injections to the blood sugar tests.
It’s been over a week now. And I doubt I’m testing as often as some do, but I am testing daily and many days a number of times throughout the day. I’m learning when my sugar levels are the most stable during the day, and when they are the most unstable. Morning is a bad time for me. I have to really watch my carbohydrates at breakfast to the point of having little or no carbs then. Lunch is my best time and I can get away with more. I’m learning what things seem to trigger a spike in my sugar levels and what doesn’t. It’s not easy, but I’m dealing and I’m doing what has to be done so I can be here for my family even if not for myself. So I’m feeling pretty proud about those awful sticks. And who knows, after a few hundred, maybe I want even begin to shake and turn cold just from the thought of it. (Smile)
It’s so bad in fact that years ago I had two major surgeries and refused pain medicines afterwards both times because at first the doctor would only order pain shots. When I wouldn’t give in, he finally ordered me pills, which on an empty stomach made me throw up. Of course since I was cut from can’t to can, the nurse came running with a shot to stop the throwing up. You can guess that she left with it.
Now, would any adult put themselves through such pain over a little fear?
NOT!
That’s a phobia for you.
Well a few months ago my doctor…after getting the results back from some blood work she had ordered…with a needle…said rather causally that my blood sugar was too high. It had been a couple of times and that I was a diabetic and should watch what I ate and work out and lose some weight. She said it so matter of fact and then moved on that I don’t think it even landed in my mind. I was sure I had misunderstood probably, that she just meant my blood sugar was a little high and so I should watch what I ate, ect….
When I came back to see her three months later for a fasting finger poke, my blood sugar was high enough that I was put on a daily pill for it. She also suggested that I get a blood tester for home and keep an eye on my sugar level at least a few times a week. I smiled and nodded but left there in shock I think. I was so upset that I don’t even see how I made it home. I remember thinking that I would rather die than face a needle every day. That there was just no way I could do that. I just couldn't. I just wouldn't!
Three months later, after working out more and eating right even better, I went back to her again for another fasting finger poke. The results weren’t good.
I left there with orders to double up on my daily blood sugar meds and to start checking my sugar levels often at home. It took me a month to accept it and to finally talk myself into the machine. It turns out that although I still can’t stand the thought of a needle, I wasn’t ready to die over it after all. And I sure didn’t want to let things get worse and have to add daily injections to the blood sugar tests.
It’s been over a week now. And I doubt I’m testing as often as some do, but I am testing daily and many days a number of times throughout the day. I’m learning when my sugar levels are the most stable during the day, and when they are the most unstable. Morning is a bad time for me. I have to really watch my carbohydrates at breakfast to the point of having little or no carbs then. Lunch is my best time and I can get away with more. I’m learning what things seem to trigger a spike in my sugar levels and what doesn’t. It’s not easy, but I’m dealing and I’m doing what has to be done so I can be here for my family even if not for myself. So I’m feeling pretty proud about those awful sticks. And who knows, after a few hundred, maybe I want even begin to shake and turn cold just from the thought of it. (Smile)
Saturday, August 06, 2005
RWA Controversy
I first joined RWA over a decade ago. Since that time I’ve seen one battle after another. It’s pretty sad and disheartening to me. RWA should be all about support and encouragement and promoting a decent wage and a positive imagine for romance writers and our novels, but way too often it’s just a place for some members who have issues, old hurts, or old anger, to vent and cause whatever trouble they can. They wait and watch for any slip, mistake, or the slightest hint of discord, and then they grab a big long stick with both hands, jab it into the pot of you know what, and stir with glee until they smell up everything they can reach. (And with the internet, that’s a far reach.)
If you think I’m being mean or unjust, just sit back and watch the next time any little thing comes up that can cause trouble. In fact, you’ll probably notice the same people are there first and handing out the sticks every time. They toss in conspiracy theories and how board members all have their own agenda, they try to make it seem that the published members are against the unpublished and the print authors think they are better than the e-published authors and…well….if you have been a member of RWA for a while, you’ve heard it all.
It is not us against them. RWA is one group of romance writers.
Let’s face it, RWA is a huge organization. There is no way you can please everyone even in a small group. So of course not every member of RWA is going to find that the group fills all of their needs or even supports all of them. A large organization’s goal is for the good and betterment of the majority.
RWA isn’t there to support other genres of writing. The group is called Romance Writers of America. There are other organizations out that for other genres though.
RWA isn’t there to support every publisher. That means there are standards set for publishers. If a publisher can’t meet those standards then that’s not RWA’s fault. The idea is to help writers earn the best pay they can for their work. That’s the same goal every big writing organization should have.
RWA is run by a president and board that are elected by members. They serve without pay and often while putting up with constant criticism and very few thanks. They are writers like the rest of us, and human like the rest of us, which means they aren’t perfect. So that means there will be mistakes and missteps and maybe even things just done down right wrong once in a great while.
No matter what though, making a public spectacle of the situation, going on every e-mail group and board, fighting with each other, repeating things that may and may not be true, bringing up again every wrong they feel RWA has ever made, keeping on until it spills out to the general public and writing groups that have nothing to do with romance, only makes RWA and all of her members look bad.
I sure haven’t seen the same thing happen with other major genre organization. RWA is hugely made up and run by women, we all write and read romance, so what kind of impression does this give of us to others?
I really feel that the people we elect to run RWA try to do the best they can and to please the majority of members as much as they can. I know I wouldn’t want to stand in the shoes of any one of them for even a week. Just writing this one note is enough stress for me. I’ve seen what happens when someone disagrees with those stick stirrers. If you think they can turn on RWA quickly, you should see what they do when someone dares to not agree with them, or hand them back a little of their own medicine.
That works in their favor though, since pretty soon few people will argue with them on an e-mail list--I know I stopped even trying years ago--so only the people who agree with them post and keep things going. They stir things up so much that you begin to feel that everyone must agree with them, since that’s all you see. It’s not true though. The votes by RWA members prove that time after time. It’s just that a lot of us don’t care to fight with them anymore. In fact, it’s for all of those who don’t like the fights, that I’m daring to write this for so you’ll know you aren’t the only ones left who don’t agree or who don’t enjoy the tension.
I’d like to think that most RWA members are part of the organization for the positive things I mentioned above and that the negative things bother them as much as they do me. That when they have a problem they would send an e-mail or a letter to RWA and calmly explain the issue they have, what they feel is unjust or wrong about it, and then give some things that they feel would be more satisfactory. After all of that is said and done, remember that things still might not be the way you wish they were because maybe the majority of members didn’t agree or didn’t have the same wants or needs. As adults though, we know that just because we look in a box of apples and find a couple going bad, that doesn’t mean we have to throw out all of the apples and the box along with them, and then go cut down the tree.
Oh, and by the way, I’m not on the RWA board or do I have any agenda other than telling it like I see it. (Smile) I really don’t care if you belong to RWA or not, if you are published or not, are print or e-published, or anything else. If you write romance novels and you want to be the best writer you can be and help others learn what great things romance novels are, and help solve problems instead of making them worse or making more of them, then you’re all right by me. (Smile)
If you think I’m being mean or unjust, just sit back and watch the next time any little thing comes up that can cause trouble. In fact, you’ll probably notice the same people are there first and handing out the sticks every time. They toss in conspiracy theories and how board members all have their own agenda, they try to make it seem that the published members are against the unpublished and the print authors think they are better than the e-published authors and…well….if you have been a member of RWA for a while, you’ve heard it all.
It is not us against them. RWA is one group of romance writers.
Let’s face it, RWA is a huge organization. There is no way you can please everyone even in a small group. So of course not every member of RWA is going to find that the group fills all of their needs or even supports all of them. A large organization’s goal is for the good and betterment of the majority.
RWA isn’t there to support other genres of writing. The group is called Romance Writers of America. There are other organizations out that for other genres though.
RWA isn’t there to support every publisher. That means there are standards set for publishers. If a publisher can’t meet those standards then that’s not RWA’s fault. The idea is to help writers earn the best pay they can for their work. That’s the same goal every big writing organization should have.
RWA is run by a president and board that are elected by members. They serve without pay and often while putting up with constant criticism and very few thanks. They are writers like the rest of us, and human like the rest of us, which means they aren’t perfect. So that means there will be mistakes and missteps and maybe even things just done down right wrong once in a great while.
No matter what though, making a public spectacle of the situation, going on every e-mail group and board, fighting with each other, repeating things that may and may not be true, bringing up again every wrong they feel RWA has ever made, keeping on until it spills out to the general public and writing groups that have nothing to do with romance, only makes RWA and all of her members look bad.
I sure haven’t seen the same thing happen with other major genre organization. RWA is hugely made up and run by women, we all write and read romance, so what kind of impression does this give of us to others?
I really feel that the people we elect to run RWA try to do the best they can and to please the majority of members as much as they can. I know I wouldn’t want to stand in the shoes of any one of them for even a week. Just writing this one note is enough stress for me. I’ve seen what happens when someone disagrees with those stick stirrers. If you think they can turn on RWA quickly, you should see what they do when someone dares to not agree with them, or hand them back a little of their own medicine.
That works in their favor though, since pretty soon few people will argue with them on an e-mail list--I know I stopped even trying years ago--so only the people who agree with them post and keep things going. They stir things up so much that you begin to feel that everyone must agree with them, since that’s all you see. It’s not true though. The votes by RWA members prove that time after time. It’s just that a lot of us don’t care to fight with them anymore. In fact, it’s for all of those who don’t like the fights, that I’m daring to write this for so you’ll know you aren’t the only ones left who don’t agree or who don’t enjoy the tension.
I’d like to think that most RWA members are part of the organization for the positive things I mentioned above and that the negative things bother them as much as they do me. That when they have a problem they would send an e-mail or a letter to RWA and calmly explain the issue they have, what they feel is unjust or wrong about it, and then give some things that they feel would be more satisfactory. After all of that is said and done, remember that things still might not be the way you wish they were because maybe the majority of members didn’t agree or didn’t have the same wants or needs. As adults though, we know that just because we look in a box of apples and find a couple going bad, that doesn’t mean we have to throw out all of the apples and the box along with them, and then go cut down the tree.
Oh, and by the way, I’m not on the RWA board or do I have any agenda other than telling it like I see it. (Smile) I really don’t care if you belong to RWA or not, if you are published or not, are print or e-published, or anything else. If you write romance novels and you want to be the best writer you can be and help others learn what great things romance novels are, and help solve problems instead of making them worse or making more of them, then you’re all right by me. (Smile)
Saturday, July 16, 2005
I’m still here!
I haven’t posted anything in my blog since the middle of May, and now it’s the middle of July. My, how time flies when you’re having fun. (Smile)
Okay, there was some fun, and a lot of not fun. My son got married the end of May, and if any of you have ever planned a wedding, you know things were crazy here for at least a couple of weeks before the big day, and even for a few days after. Just about the time I got back to working on my writing regularly, I hurt my back and could hardly stand to sit at the computer for more than a short time here and there. During this time I was trying to help my teenage daughter get ready for a trip to California, her first trip without Mom and her first time on an airplane. She gets back and we turn our full attention to the Gulf, as first a tropical storm heads toward us, and then a week later, a hurricane. In the end we got little off of either. During that time my husband took a week’s vacation, which means he expected me to take one too. (Smile)
Now there’s Emily heading toward the Gulf, but we aren’t supposed to have to worry about her. That’s a good thing, because we have been working on our home again, and right now part of it doesn’t have a roof. Not a good time for a hurricane. (Smile) By the way, when I say we have been working on our home. I mean it. We do everything ourselves, from pouring cement, to running pipe, to putting up walls, hanging and finishing sheetrock, and everything before, in between, and after. That’s the only way we’ve ever been able to afford to add on and remodel and make our home more livable.
After the computer crash I had to switch to XP. I didn’t like it. Don’t like change almost ever. And worse of all, the program I built my website with didn’t like XP. I tried everything to fix it, but nothing worked. The pages looked mostly fine to visitors, but it was a nightmare for me to try to add or change anything at all. Finally I cried uncle and upgraded to a new site host service…double the price of course.
I’ve spent days trying to get each page fixed and up on the new service. Sadly, very sadly, after years of my site being on the same pages, and countless people being kind enough to link to them to help others find my site, now all pages but the home page will have a new address and none of those other links, will work. In fact, the original homepage address will even change. Only the http://www.charlottedillon.com/ address will stay the same. There’s nothing I can do about it though. Right now some of the old pages and addresses are still up, and some of the news ones are, and they are just kind of linked together here and there. I’m going to pay for the old service for at least another month, so I can finish copying all of my pages to the new one, and so that once I do, maybe I can put a notice up on the old pages about the new addresses, but I won’t be able to pay for both sites for very long.
Oh, the writing? Don’t faint, but I’ve actually managed to fit some writing in between the summer of my nightmare--which is what I’ve named this summer. I also got myself a gift, a really cheap but perfectly fine, laptop from Dell. Now I do all my writing on that only. So when I sit here at my desktop, I work on my site, do e-mail, handle my groups, even write in my blog. But when I turn that laptop on, nothing gets opened but Word and the manuscript I’m working on. It seems to be helping and I’m hoping my page count will really climb in the next couple of months.
I hope everyone else out there is having a great summer!
Okay, there was some fun, and a lot of not fun. My son got married the end of May, and if any of you have ever planned a wedding, you know things were crazy here for at least a couple of weeks before the big day, and even for a few days after. Just about the time I got back to working on my writing regularly, I hurt my back and could hardly stand to sit at the computer for more than a short time here and there. During this time I was trying to help my teenage daughter get ready for a trip to California, her first trip without Mom and her first time on an airplane. She gets back and we turn our full attention to the Gulf, as first a tropical storm heads toward us, and then a week later, a hurricane. In the end we got little off of either. During that time my husband took a week’s vacation, which means he expected me to take one too. (Smile)
Now there’s Emily heading toward the Gulf, but we aren’t supposed to have to worry about her. That’s a good thing, because we have been working on our home again, and right now part of it doesn’t have a roof. Not a good time for a hurricane. (Smile) By the way, when I say we have been working on our home. I mean it. We do everything ourselves, from pouring cement, to running pipe, to putting up walls, hanging and finishing sheetrock, and everything before, in between, and after. That’s the only way we’ve ever been able to afford to add on and remodel and make our home more livable.
After the computer crash I had to switch to XP. I didn’t like it. Don’t like change almost ever. And worse of all, the program I built my website with didn’t like XP. I tried everything to fix it, but nothing worked. The pages looked mostly fine to visitors, but it was a nightmare for me to try to add or change anything at all. Finally I cried uncle and upgraded to a new site host service…double the price of course.
I’ve spent days trying to get each page fixed and up on the new service. Sadly, very sadly, after years of my site being on the same pages, and countless people being kind enough to link to them to help others find my site, now all pages but the home page will have a new address and none of those other links, will work. In fact, the original homepage address will even change. Only the http://www.charlottedillon.com/ address will stay the same. There’s nothing I can do about it though. Right now some of the old pages and addresses are still up, and some of the news ones are, and they are just kind of linked together here and there. I’m going to pay for the old service for at least another month, so I can finish copying all of my pages to the new one, and so that once I do, maybe I can put a notice up on the old pages about the new addresses, but I won’t be able to pay for both sites for very long.
Oh, the writing? Don’t faint, but I’ve actually managed to fit some writing in between the summer of my nightmare--which is what I’ve named this summer. I also got myself a gift, a really cheap but perfectly fine, laptop from Dell. Now I do all my writing on that only. So when I sit here at my desktop, I work on my site, do e-mail, handle my groups, even write in my blog. But when I turn that laptop on, nothing gets opened but Word and the manuscript I’m working on. It seems to be helping and I’m hoping my page count will really climb in the next couple of months.
I hope everyone else out there is having a great summer!
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
The Crash of a Computer (Better Known as a Dear Friend)
My computer has been sick for a while now. But somehow, I thought she was stronger, that she would pull through. She fought hard and seemed to be getting better, fighting off each trojan and virus that had hit her in one mighty blow—even through my virus scanner and firewall. It seemed she had out maneuvered them all at last. I thought it was just a matter of time, of replacing missing DLL fills, damaged memories.
And then it happened. There was no loud warning cry, no tremble, no plea for help. She just simply froze up, locked up. I did the three key trick without doubt that the move would bring her right back. I was wrong. She shut down like normal, but never started back up. She tried, she sputtered, she blinked, she strained, but was only powerful enough to come back to life for seconds at a time.
A friend of my son was able to force her to reboot in BIOS or something of the sort. He then upgraded her to Windows XP. I watched with hope. He assured me all would be right. She would be saved and intact. But, in the end, he was wrong. Oh so very wrong.
The computer is up and working again, but it’s not the same. My old familiar friend is gone and there is a new yet-to-be friend in her place.
The new yet-to-be friend does have lots of memories from the old. But she didn’t catch them all. Including four years’ worth of e-mail folders, filled with research and articles and things even more important. Including a pile of messages that were in my in box, waiting to be answered that will now never be replied to. How rude I must appear to those waiting for those replies!
I know it could have been worse, that so much more could have been taken away with my old friend, like my manuscripts. So I'm trying not to be too sad about her untimely passing.
And then it happened. There was no loud warning cry, no tremble, no plea for help. She just simply froze up, locked up. I did the three key trick without doubt that the move would bring her right back. I was wrong. She shut down like normal, but never started back up. She tried, she sputtered, she blinked, she strained, but was only powerful enough to come back to life for seconds at a time.
A friend of my son was able to force her to reboot in BIOS or something of the sort. He then upgraded her to Windows XP. I watched with hope. He assured me all would be right. She would be saved and intact. But, in the end, he was wrong. Oh so very wrong.
The computer is up and working again, but it’s not the same. My old familiar friend is gone and there is a new yet-to-be friend in her place.
The new yet-to-be friend does have lots of memories from the old. But she didn’t catch them all. Including four years’ worth of e-mail folders, filled with research and articles and things even more important. Including a pile of messages that were in my in box, waiting to be answered that will now never be replied to. How rude I must appear to those waiting for those replies!
I know it could have been worse, that so much more could have been taken away with my old friend, like my manuscripts. So I'm trying not to be too sad about her untimely passing.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Update On My Son
Some of you wrote me and asked how my son was doing. I’m sorry I didn’t think to post an update here about him. I’m happy to report that he is doing so much better. He made it back to school the week before finals. Friday was his last day of school and his last test. He somehow managed to do really well in all but one class. A big chemistry class. He had struggled with it the whole semester and even thought about dropping it because he was having such a hard time with it.
Just before he got sick he had finally gotten a handle on things and his grades in that class were coming up and up. And then he missed more than a week of class, one test that he wasn’t allowed to make up, and then had to go in and take another test on his first day back with little to prepare for it, but he made it. His grades in all his other classes were so high that one low grade isn’t going to hurt his GPA too badly, thank goodness.
We never did find out what was originally wrong with him, since the hospital lost the samples they sent off for testing. It turned out that the testing, that darn spinal tap, did more harm than whatever sent him to the ER to start with. They had to stick him over and over to get it right. Then they didn’t tell him not to lift or move his head after, nor to go right to bed as soon as he got home, to drink lots, or anything else that he should have done to prevent a spinal tap migraine. Just sent him home. Didn’t send him home with anything for pain either. His lack or proper care afterwards resulted in terrible after effects. For a week he couldn’t sit up without the room spinning, without his head pounding. If he stayed out of bed for more than a couple of minutes, the headache reached an almost unbearable point, the dizziness increased, and soon he was throwing up. It was just awful!
He was so worried about missing classes that he tried to go that next Friday, one week to the day after his spinal tap. College is almost an hour and a half away. I tried to talk him out of it, but he had that next big chemistry test coming up that Monday, and he knew he needed to go and take notes, so he said he would be fine and off he went. He made it thirty minutes from the house, and then called me. He had pulled over on the side of the road, throwing up again. He still wanting to try to rest in the car a few minutes and see if he could go on. I finally talked him into turning around and coming home. He is 21 years old, but I could hear him crying over the phone. His grades are so important to him. He hadn’t missed one day of college in three years. On top of that, he has a great scholarship, but he knew if he failed one class or if his GPA dropped, he would lose it. Sometimes being a mom means feeling completely helpless. There wasn’t anything I could do to fix this for him, or to even make it better.
I’m so glad he passed that class and his GPA is fine. He has the summer off, well from school but not from work, and is getting better every day, though as touchy as his back is and the way he has pains in it if he makes a sudden move, I wonder if his back will ever be completely okay again. I thought high school football had done enough damage, without something else.
One last piece of news about my son -- he is getting married this month -- on the 28th, to his childhood sweetheart. (Smile) They have been together since she was 13 and he was 15. It will be a small wedding, but since the bride’s family lives out of state, I’ve found myself in charge of most things, so with less than two weeks left to go, I’m kind of running around like a nut, trying to make sure everything’s lined up and we aren’t forgetting something.
Just before he got sick he had finally gotten a handle on things and his grades in that class were coming up and up. And then he missed more than a week of class, one test that he wasn’t allowed to make up, and then had to go in and take another test on his first day back with little to prepare for it, but he made it. His grades in all his other classes were so high that one low grade isn’t going to hurt his GPA too badly, thank goodness.
We never did find out what was originally wrong with him, since the hospital lost the samples they sent off for testing. It turned out that the testing, that darn spinal tap, did more harm than whatever sent him to the ER to start with. They had to stick him over and over to get it right. Then they didn’t tell him not to lift or move his head after, nor to go right to bed as soon as he got home, to drink lots, or anything else that he should have done to prevent a spinal tap migraine. Just sent him home. Didn’t send him home with anything for pain either. His lack or proper care afterwards resulted in terrible after effects. For a week he couldn’t sit up without the room spinning, without his head pounding. If he stayed out of bed for more than a couple of minutes, the headache reached an almost unbearable point, the dizziness increased, and soon he was throwing up. It was just awful!
He was so worried about missing classes that he tried to go that next Friday, one week to the day after his spinal tap. College is almost an hour and a half away. I tried to talk him out of it, but he had that next big chemistry test coming up that Monday, and he knew he needed to go and take notes, so he said he would be fine and off he went. He made it thirty minutes from the house, and then called me. He had pulled over on the side of the road, throwing up again. He still wanting to try to rest in the car a few minutes and see if he could go on. I finally talked him into turning around and coming home. He is 21 years old, but I could hear him crying over the phone. His grades are so important to him. He hadn’t missed one day of college in three years. On top of that, he has a great scholarship, but he knew if he failed one class or if his GPA dropped, he would lose it. Sometimes being a mom means feeling completely helpless. There wasn’t anything I could do to fix this for him, or to even make it better.
I’m so glad he passed that class and his GPA is fine. He has the summer off, well from school but not from work, and is getting better every day, though as touchy as his back is and the way he has pains in it if he makes a sudden move, I wonder if his back will ever be completely okay again. I thought high school football had done enough damage, without something else.
One last piece of news about my son -- he is getting married this month -- on the 28th, to his childhood sweetheart. (Smile) They have been together since she was 13 and he was 15. It will be a small wedding, but since the bride’s family lives out of state, I’ve found myself in charge of most things, so with less than two weeks left to go, I’m kind of running around like a nut, trying to make sure everything’s lined up and we aren’t forgetting something.
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