Busy blogger

Not that I've been busy blogging, but that this blogger has been busy. We finally broke down over a disastrous weekend of fighting over the one computer and purchased a second one. It's actually a bit disappointing since a new computer should be fun, and all I can think about is how much I didn't want to spend that much money. But I need it.

I know dissertations were written in the days before the computer, and I'm sure there were some wonderful dissertations produced. But those people may also have had better organization skills, because without my database of notes, I'd be totally screwed.

Why, just a couple of weeks ago, I trucked over to a nearby university to get a couple of articles. After I'd wandered around the really oogy stacks, found a non-defunct photocopier, and finally made my way home, I opened up my bag and found myself thinking that the title of one of the articles sounded familiar. Know why? 'Cause I'd already read it. At least I figured that out before I reread it and wondered why it sounded so familiar, but without that database, I wouldn't have figured it out till much later. Wasted photocopy money though.

So, I've been spending the last couple of days trying to reload (yet again!) software and backed-up files onto a computer - I think I'm at #5 for the times I've had to do this on various computers this year, that is, start all over from scratch.

It's no raving beauty of a computer, but it should do the job - and it has a warranty, which is a VERY good thing at this point in the game.

I also went to our first writing group meeting last night which was WAY COOL! We talked and talked and talked - I got home very late, but much earlier than I might have thanks to a wonderful friend's offer of a ride. I have some incredibly talented friends! Wow! There are lots of 'problems' with my chapters that we talked about, but they're not insurmountable. The story is an alternate reality kind of story where human biology (specifically reproduction) has changed. My premise is that this would change society. We had a really good discussion of what direction to take it in, and resurrected the old nature/nurture debate in trying to figure out whether biology or society would be more influential. I'm a little nervous about the story now - in part because I think I made some assumptions that I'll have to rethink - and I'm not sure that I can pull it off. But I'll give it a try. If it goes in the dustbin, I've got another one in the wings anyway.

So, busy life - but it's all good.