Ca-ca Happens
I’ve been having a very frustrating set of days. Last Thursday my desktop went on the bum and it turned out that it might be a hardware - arghhhhh! - problem. So I took it in to see the doctor. But like every sick child you haul off to the clinic, it wouldn’t cough or sneeze so I brought it home again, only to run into more trouble. I spent my ENTIRE day yesterday diddling around with my stupid computer as I backed-up, linked-up, wiped out, loaded up, and reinstalled. It took me from early in the morning to late at night, and the Mother still isn’t up to speed. But I’ve learned a few good lessons through all the agony.
Lesson 1: Experts are only as smart as their last good solution. That should keep me on my toes, eh? The computer doctor did his thing and my baby still wouldn’t go. The on-the-phone know-it-alls didn’t. And when I ran into my umpteenth problem at 8 p.m. last night, I had to come up with the solution too since none of the “specialist” could figure it out. Whazzup with that?
Lesson 2: Anyone can say they’re an expert. It doesn’t mean they can get your computer - your refrigerator, your car, your money — running again. Ultimately you’re the only one with a vested interest in the outcome so you better figure it out yourself or get yourself some helpers you can really trust.
Lesson 3: Persistence is the key to success. If I’d given up at any point, I’d still have to go back to the sucker and get it done. Better to bite the bullet and get the nasty stuff out of the way fast, and then get back to The Good Life.
Lesson 4: Optimism is the other key. If you don’t believe you can solve the problem, you’ll stop trying. If you stop trying, then you’ll have to keep living with the problem. That sucks!
Lesson 5: Some crap you just can do anything about. Would there have been a good time for my desktop to give up the ghost? I doubt it. The fact that I’m in the middle of production just means it’s been working really hard. All those thoughts that run through your head - what could you have done to prevent it? why didn’t you see it coming? what would so-and-so have done differently? - don’t actually help you feel better. And, in reality, you can’t possibly see IT ALL coming. So beating yourself up for it is dumb. Just be as prepared as you can be and then deal with the crap and move on.
Lesson 6: Breath. Twice while I was in the midst of dealing with my dumb computer yesterday, I stopped to do something else. I stopped to plant some stuff I’d bought that just had to get into the pots before I headed off to shoot today. And I stopped to make Alex cheese and spinach ravioli in truffle cream sauce. If not for those two breaks, I would likely have gone completely insane. I was so ticked at all the delays and Wasted Time… I wanted it fixed NOW! Well, little girl, patience is a virtue.
Lesson 7: Don’t take your eye off the ball. The problems with my computer, I believe, stem from the fact that I haven’t upgraded my software in the past year. Each month, week, day even, it tells me there’s a new upgrade and I download what I need. That happens fairly automatically. So automatically, in fact, that you don’t even notice it. When I had to reinstall my software yesterday, each of those upgrade downloads had to done, one at a time. OMG! How stupid is that! But I could have saved myself all that trouble by simply keeping up with what’s going on in my software world. My Bad! And I paid. Believe me.
There’s no such thing as smooth sailing, people. There are calm periods and rough ones. Squalls send your sails flapping; becoming becalmed in the middle of the ocean, miles from land, is hard on the psyche. It’s how you choose to deal with Life’s Little Set-backs that determine how happy you’ll be. See each one as God’s Wrath and you’re likely to hate your life. See each one as a test of your ability to bounce back, and you’ll make it.
Figure out the lesson so you don’t have to keep beating your head against that particular wall. (There will be other walls.) I know I’ve learned my lessons from this one.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Sorry to hear about all the trouble you’ve had Gail - we have been through this situation more than once and trust me, sometimes it feels like we are being punished for something we did in our past lives!
My mantra in life has been - go with the flow - if caca comes your way, start shoveling, the sooner you get it over with, the sooner you can put your feet up! Until the next caca is thrown your way! And, keep smiling - you have to do it anyway, no point in being a pain in the tooshi for everyone, making them unhappy too - deal with it, celebrate when you are done and move on!
Always love your blogs - you rock Gail!
May 27th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
“cheese and spinach ravioli in truffle cream sauce”…… I got to that point, forgot everything else I read up to there and drooled a bit.
THEN went back and read it again! LOL
The upgrading as you go thing can backfire, I have had to do “system restores” on my computer, having to go go back to older versions to make the stupid thing run right again. The newest versions are not always compatable with other things you are running (found that one out the hard way a couple times). I just back up my files regularly and cross my fingers, my livelihood depends on the stupid glowing box on my desk. I hate it, but I need it.
It goes with the other things I have heard you say when it comes to preventing complete disaster and living with happiness ….. “plan for the worst — expect the best”
I love that!
May 27th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Good for you being persistent - I think many people just believe they can’t possibly fix something themselves because the “experts” can’t figure it out. But it never hurts to try! I have a new Dell laptop which has been giving me trouble (like you, right in the middle of a busy time too), and the tech support gives me a different solution every darn time. I have come to the conclusion part of the problem is Vista, and am working around these issues (although sometimes slowly). For awhile I was really annoyed that my new computer had more problems than my old, but that was counter productive, as was fuming at the on the phone the support
I just gotta chill and keep working away at finding a solution.
May 27th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Gail:
Proud that you fixed your computer on your own. So many people are afraid of trying to fix something like a computer. I had a good laugh a few months back when I went into future Shop to ask the tech guy how the back came off the area for the RAM on my laptop. I thought you had to remove 2 screws, turns out, one and you pop it off. He asked if I needed RAM installed, I said yes, but I have it at home and will be doing when I get there, thanks for your help. I could see the dollar signs draining from his eyes.
I have replaced/added RAM, Hard Drives and CD/DVD drives and modems to several computers I have owned over the last decaded. I love being about to fix my computer. My cousin in fact calls me DOC when he is experiencing computer problems.
May 27th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
So true indeed. ca-ca happened to me today. I forgot my keys in the community bathroom at work (which happens to have my metropass attached). I eventually got my keys back after they were handed into security, but my metropass was sadly missing.
But hey, that’s what a budget is for - I know I can afford to buy a set of tokens because I have money allocated for problems/unexpected things each month, just as I have money for an emergency fund and money for savings.
Congrats on fixing your computer though! Reformatting and reinstalling everything is actually quite a long process - patience is definitely required!
May 27th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Hahaha, seems a couple of us have that ravioli on our minds… do you have a recipe for us Gail?
May 28th, 2008 at 7:23 am
When we were in Florence, Alex and I discovered this dish and then went back EVERY NIGHT we were there to have it again. When I came home, she made me promise to figure it out. It wasn’t that hard. The secret is in the cream sauce. I use premade ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach. The rest of the ingrdients are EXPENSIVE, but you don’t use very much. Some cream, I use whipping cream for the thickness. Some truffle oil (about $20 for a very small bottle, but you only use a few drops). And regianno parmesean. Again, an expensive cheese, but it makes the dish. How much of each? I don’t know, I just pour and stir, add and stir some more. It comes out right. And it is VERY yummy. I don’t eat it often since it is very rich. But each time I make it for her, I have one or two pieces to satisfy my desire. My favorite pasta dish is much more calorie conscious, and involves grape tomatoes, olives, green onions and lotsa an’ lotsa garlic. We’ll save that for another time.
May 28th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Gail, you should think about publishing a cookbook too! With finance tidbits scattered about … I’d buy it!
May 28th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I agree with MCR, I would totally purchase a cookbook with Gail-isms within, feed my stomach, my mind and get my finances in order. Now that is a receipe for success!
Bought your book Gail, loving it, not finished yet, but loving it. Congrats!