My laptop is terminally ill. It’s suffering from a 7-beep sickness and will only turn on one time out of twenty. Dell explains this as a CPU failure. Investigating further, I discovered it’s not so much the CPU as it is a motherboard issue. Delving deeper, I uncover the true culprit: cheap and shoddy soldering.
I backed everything on discs during one of the rare times it came on this past weekend and now I’m totally reliant on my ancient and very slow desktop. I fancy myself Dr. I-Can-Fix-It and as such, I’ll attempt laptop surgery soon. However, my alter ego is Serial Appliance/Electronic Killer, so I give my laptop a 30% survival chance.
Since it takes fives times as long to do anything on my dinosaur desktop, I took a break from computer stuff and found other things to do. I finally watched some shows I’d recorded: Emily Owens, Haven, Keeping Up Appearances, WKRP, The Middle. Eventually, nervous energy turned into crafty projects and funny baby pictures.
Pink puff quilt pre-stuffed
This is a puff/biscuit/bubble quilt I’m making for my granddaughter. Above is before it was stuffed. I finally had time to add the filling yesterday.
Stuffed like a holiday turkey
I had fun with my grandson, took goofy pictures of him and basked in the miracle of life for awhile.
I think, therefore I am . . . hungry
And another as he spies something surprising.
What the heck is it?
I finished off the weekend starting a few teeny car seat covers. I just need to add trim around the edges. Me, finishing something I start. What a novel approach to life.
Go, Mike!
Writing is so much like sewing. I have a vision of the completed project and then I go step-by-step until it’s finished. Over the past few years, though, most of my writings have stalled midway (or at the pre-stuffed stage).
While sidelined without a laptop, I kept thinking about all of my unfinished writing projects. “If you come on, I promise I’ll finish something,” I told my silent writing partner this morning.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Not the answer I wanted to hear. I’m about to perform open-circuit surgery and hope my patient pulls through. If not, I’ll be back to my dinosaur desktop and more artsy crafts.
(Any typos are because of grandson-holding and one-handed typing)
J J Dare is the author of two published books, several short stories and triple digit works-in-progress.
Current enthusiasm is sharpening intangible knives and co-authoring at Rubicon Ranch
