Computer Down!

Okay. For those of you who love your PC I apologize in advance. For those of you who admire the style and technical superiority of the Mac-- I hate my PC! Certainly as a self-described writer, I should be able to come up with better words for my situation. But I cannot. Nor can I really argue the technical merits or demerits of each operating system. I can only say that every Mac I've worked on has made sense and has been easy to navigate. More importantly, they hardly ever fail.

The current PC I have is an emachine. (I know, first mistake...) It is old. (second mistake...) I tried to fix it myself. (third, wopping mistake.) To make a long story short, viruses, tons of them. Corrupted ethernet driver. Huh? Bottom line. $100 to fix it or no internet, no email, no website, no blog. So I brought it to Tom at Complus in Bath, Maine. He was wonderful and fixed it overnight. If you have any service issues, give him a call (207-442-0440).

The more important issue is how unconnected I felt. I have developed a on-line community of writers and illustrators with whom I send mail and chat on various message boards. I also tend to use the computer to stay in touch with family and close friends. For the past six days, those relationships were severed. Certainly, I could go back to the phone for my family and close friends. However, my professional connections have become very important to my definition of myself as a children's author and illustrator. Which editors are speaking where? Who has good news, and is getting published? Where is the best place to send my manuscript? What new books are people talking about?

So, what did I do? Well, I realized that I watched more TV when I normally would have been using the computer. Bad, very bad. On Saturday I went to check my email at the best place in town. The Curtis Memorial Library! Which would have been great except I forgot my password for my email. This happens to me when I do not use a password. Or pin for that matter. (This is why I don't use my ATM card anymore. Which is probably better in the long run. That's another story.) On Monday, I traveled to the Suscom HQ in Brunswick and used their computer and changed my password. Email received. Mission accomplished. Phew.

Now my computer is back "on-line." Here I am in my studio with the steady, slow breathing of small children across the hall. I am tippity tapping once again. Connected. Hoping that my networking will land me a job. And with the money from that job... I'll buy a Mac.