Category: The Writing Life

Tell Me Tuesday

I’m still not feeling up to par, but slowly getting better. Have I mentioned that my computer crashed Friday night? While I was deathly ill, but somehow managing to access my email? I was researching how to get a microwave oven to set on fire for my WIP, honest. In fact, just as I was sending off an email to my handy-dandy crimescenewriters listserv in reply to a member’s helpful response to my first email, the system crashed. I had to do a system restore with Norton GoBack, which has never failed me in the past. But it failed me Friday. Norton Ghost got into the act and bungled up the works. I had to uninstall Ghost to get my system to behave. Then, yesterday, I discovered that I could no longer access certain programs, my thumbdrive wasn’t working, I lost my calendar file and SuperNotecard file for my WIP, somehow Java decided to take a hike. Agh!! On Friday, when my system blew, My Liege was downstairs on his laptop and told me he was in the process of downloading Windows updates. So I’m blaming the crash on the Updates. I must have been downloading them at the same time.

I spent most of yesterday fixing poor little Delbert (the computer) (yes, it’s a Dell). Thank Elle Muse I back up regularly…except I hadn’t yet backed up those two important WIP files. Bad me. But at least they weren’t manuscript files (praise be to Elle!)

I still run Windows XP, which I love because my last OS was ME, which was horrible, but taught me a lot about how to fix computers because I had to reformat that baby every six months. Now I’m shopping for a laptop for Youngest Son’s high school graduation. I’ve heard horror tales about Vista, but the XP pickings are pretty slim. If anyone has laptop recommendations and any input about Vista, please tell me.

My Tuesday can’t be any worse than the last several days. In fact, I’m counting on it to be a heckuva lot better. I have my Alter Ego’s page proofs out of the way for her December ’08 release, and after I finish rebuilding the calendar and SuperNotecard file for my WIP, I’ll be back to work revising the scenes I barfed out last week before I fell ill.

Please someone tell me that they have better news to share on this Tuesday than that they’ve been sick, their computer crashed, and they lost WIP files. I need to hear some good news! I’m happy to hear bummer news and give cyber-hugs, but gimme, gimme, gimme some good news! Someone. Anyone. Please!!

Writer Therapy

I’m addicted to massage therapy. I go to massage every other week and to the chiropractor once a month. Like clockwork. It all started as a result of a major car accident the family survived when Youngest Son wasn’t even a year old. Well, first I was sent to physiotherapy (I think it’s called physical therapy in the States), but my physio guy did a combo of physiotherapy and chiropractic moves on me, because my neck and upper back were so screwed up by the accident. And still are. To some degree. I think it’s safe to say it’s writing that bunches me up now.

I once stopped going to physio for over a year. However, the more I got into writing, the worse my condition grew. My physio guy moved (he was great!) and the next physio had horrendous waiting times, so off to the chiropractor I went. And I haven’t looked back. I’ve also done Intra-Muscular Stimulation, which I like to call “painful acupuncture,” because it consists of having the needles shoved directly into the muscles giving you trouble. As much as I don’t like going to IMS, it was the therapy that finally got rid of a knot in my back that I’d had for fourteen years (since the car accident). Since then, the massage suffices. I consider myself very lucky that My Liege has an excellent medical benefits plan through his work (mind you, he gives up other benefits to have such a great plan), because without this plan I could not afford my twice-monthly MT appts. And they are a godsend. I think they should be tax deductible for writers, because I consider massage therapy as vital to my occupation as a writer as I do my computer. In fact, it’s because of my computer that I need to go to massage therapy! It’s a vicious circle.

How about you? Is there a “luxury” that you consider a necessity for life as a writer? In your dream tax world, what would you write off as a justifiable expense (if you could)?