Sigh. I’m writing from a strange computer. At my 10th request to close out of Cool Math 4 Kids , Liam did so with an abrupt closing of my laptop. Accompanied by a strange sound of something breaking. Alas, the computer I have been meaning to replace for a few months – the one I talk to and convince to continue on – broke. Unable to resuscitate it, my mood dampened.

Nothing backed up for six or more months. Stories not quite ready to be told. Stories about to be published – including Friday’s “Crash the gate doing 98.” Photos from January through the last day of school. Photos and in-process articles for the school's website.  All now in question.

Commence one trip to the big store with a yellow and blue logo. Give me a cavity filling and a mammogram in one day over a trip to this store. I struck out early Saturday morning and there was no wait in the meet-the-geek line. I picked out another computer like my old steadfast, but three years younger. I entered the modern age with a hotspot, big hard-drive back-up, and a new Microsoft Office package. I said, “I want to turn it on and use it when I get home.” I had great service from the sales guys, particularly when I said I was a blogger. That really seemed to speed things up. Particularly when I mentioned the appointments I would rather go to than to come here.

Easily, my computer would be ready that afternoon. But no call yesterday from the geek who would be transferring all my data from the old to the new.  I’m thinking no news is not good news.

When I go in to pick up the new computer, I’m getting advice on how to set-up automatic back-ups to the hard drive. 

I’m thinking, ‘Why didn’t I learn my lesson when my 3rd grader lost his whole outline in May after not saving it?’

I’m thinking, ‘Never again.”

I’m thinking, ‘I’ve said that before.’

 Is a cloud the answer?  Is there an automatic  back up to some memory cloud in the sky?

Maybe for the next computer. 

Ahhh, I just noticed that this draft was automatically saved.  I did not know that my blog entry point is a memory cloud!

Hoping for a silver lining later today... filled with all left undone on my old computer.