Tag Archives: laptop

What would make you change course?

Posted on by Sherri
8

I tried to blog yesterday, I really did. But the kids were home for MLK day, and… Well, that’s all I have. And that’s not even a real excuse, but if you see what I wrote yesterday, you’d be glad I didn’t post it. Borrring.

Or maybe you haven’t noticed that my schedule is now Mondays and Thursdays and so you weren’t waiting for my post. In that case, disregard the first paragraph. And this one. Oh hell, just stop reading right here.

Please don’t go.

I’m still getting used to my new laptop. It’s a teensy bit annoying that the keyboard and mousepad are squished over to the left to make room for the 10-key pad, but it’s a small price to pay to have that. Plus when I had to get something off my old laptop, whose mousepad is firmly centered, I kept having to correct the alignment of my hands, so I guess I’m assimilating the new layout. I’m still having trouble with the ancillary keys like delete and pg up/down, and it looks like I’ll have to make a concerted effort to memorize those.

Like I said, people, small price to pay. Can I get an amen?

I bought this laptop for greater portability, as my old one is made for viewing movies and not for carrying. The inconvenience of the keyboard is worth the 4-lb difference in weight, especially since I have a fantastic wireless keyboard for any serious writing sessions. Which is ironic, since I think I may be done with the path of career novelist.

So that brings me to the topic of the first real You Are the Muse post planned for Thursday, and questions for you. No matter how we plan, there’s so much we can’t control anytime we reach for a goal. What if we’re so obsessed with that goal we refuse to see our true calling? How can we tell when we need to change paths? What would it take for you to abandon your current guiding star and navigate by another?

I’m free!!

Posted on by Sherri
4

Laptop computers are about mobility, but I’ve never been able to fully utilize this perk. I’ve had two laptops in my life, and both had tired, old batteries which means that I’ve been plugged in the whole time. Especially with this laptop, because the battery had about 20 minutes of life, but miscommunication between the battery and Windows made it so there was no warning when the battery went out. It just WENT. If the plug jiggled out of the jack or if I forgot to plug it in altogether, I would just lose whatever I was working on. Major suckage.

So when I came into a little extra cash, I researched a new laptop. This one weighs eight pounds, and the screen resolution is for watching videos which makes everything tiny, and a few other little quirks. But mostly, I was sick of the power issues from both laptops.

What I found was this: Laptops are expensive, y’all. Sure, I could get an el cheapo from Wal-Mart and compromise on features, but why get one that won’t do what I need it to do? And my current one was top of the line when it was made (the original owner was a gamer) so it’s still fast and relatively responsive. Yes, it’s a behemoth at eight pounds. But it does everything I need, plus I’ve become attached to it, and I really don’t want to have to change all my stuff over. So I spent a hundred bucks on a battery.

The communication issue must have been in the battery itself, because Windows recognized the new battery immediately. Yay, no more unexpected shut downs! No longer will the needle crash into the hard disc surface! Woo! I went unplugged for my evening Web surfing and got about 2 1/2 hours out of it, although I noticed watching videos suck the power fast, maybe 3x as fast. When I ran just Word and email, the power drain decreased to a crawl. I think if I could stay offline I could have a good 4-hr writing session on just the battery.

Although I haven’t been off the couch with it yet, just knowing I can be is a good feeling. No I just need a bag that will fit Gigantor.

Thoughts from the treadmill

Posted on by Sherri
14

Yep, I’m back on the treadmill. I stopped walking when I hurt my hand and my old laptop broke for good at the same time. I just want to take a moment to remind you that Thoughts From the Treadmill is never edited for typos or anything else dumb. It’s just me typing and praying I don’t say anything that can be used against me later.

So my mom sold me this laptop, and I finally got around to fixing up the treadmill to accommodate it. It’s bigger all the way around, and the base where you rest your hands is a great expanse. My treadmill is a manual variety, so I have to push against this bar, but my hands kept slipping with the counter-pressure. I’m trying out some of those non-skid pads I use in my utensil drawer to keep the divider from sliding around. It works okay, but I think by the time I’m done the heels of my hands may be sore.

So I’m thinking about Twitter. Is it wrong to follow thousands of people? How can a person possibly keep up with all those tweets? Obviously, they can’t. They’re using a program like Tweetdeck to keep track of the people they REALLY care about, and what are the rest? I don’t personally think it’s wrong, but I wouldn’t want to follow that many people. I assume these followers are doing it for the networking possibilities, and that’s fine. I use Tweetdeck, too, filtering out the folks I want to keep in touch with but who tweet too much for me to keep up with. Also, if I follow someone who is also my friend on Facebook, I prefer to just interact that way. Do you do that, too? Is there anyone on Twitter that you love to death, but who just tweets too much? Do you feel guilty about filtering that person? I did at first, but not anymore. I’ve decided what place each social networking service has in my life. It’s nothing personal, I’m still keeping up with everyone I care about, just in my own way.

Feeling a bit faint…may be a good time to stop…

Glowing

Posted on by Sherri
6

Last night, organized full-time writer/editor that I am, I made a to-do list and set it right on top of my laptop, which in turn was sitting on the little makeshift work station tucked into the corner of my living room. (I do have an office, but for those of you just joining us, I built my office into the loft of my barn-like outbuilding. It has a/c, but no bathroom. I only use it when everyone’s home.) My usual laptop spots are the dining room table and the couch. The problem with working at the dining room table is that is also where the laundry is done, and the other computer, and the kids’ tv, and generally the busiest room in the house. The couch is uncomfortable for long periods of time, and the good tv + Wii is there. Other times I’ve tried to work in these two places, I feel…I don’t know, just antsy. Distracted. It may be a Pavlovian response, where sitting in the places I usually play makes me want to play.

So anyway, I stole a tv-tray and got a spare–and, alas, uncomfortable–desk chair, stuck them beside an outlet in the living room, and it works beautifully. I’m sitting right against the couch, but since I’m not actually on the couch and facing a wall, my brain is quite happy working. I’m figuring out how to be a writer–that I need to have several projects open to switch between; that if I start feeling antsy, I’d better get up and do something else; that a pen and paper is my friend. So far as a full-time writer/editor, I’ve finished my long synopsis project and sent it to my first readers, finished a critique for my brother (the story can be found on my new page, The Sax Man), corresponded with the two authors whose works I will be editing next, and started editing the first of those works. The house is also cleaner, since I’m slowly getting caught up on the summer clutter.

My micro-chore merry-go-round method is working out so far. Reminding myself to take it slow and do a good job, don’t freak out, it’ll all work out in the end. Can you see the glow surrounding me? It’s the glow of accomplishment. Come, bathe yourself in my glow, take a piece home. I can make more.