So, there I was, working on an idea for yet another story when my laptop decided to go comatose! Now, I have the majority of my work backed up but I hadn't yet backed up this most recent idea and all the brainstorming I had done on it.
Thankfully, I was able to resuscitate my laptop and quickly back everything up. Something I'm doing more frequently now.
My laptop is rather old in computer years but it has served me well and like so many other things in life I've gotten use to it being there when I need it. I even bought a spare battery when I purchased the laptop, always wanting to be able to power it up and keep it going for as long as possible. I work mostly on the train during my commute into the city so the spare battery has come in handy on more occasions than I can count.
Ironically, the laptop issue happened around the same time as my aging dog - he'll be 17 in May - had a serious kidney issue which is never a good sign for an older animal or human. Not only has my dog rebounded but so has my laptop. I did go buy a lottery ticket. Haven't checked it yet, but I bought it!
Now I know that both the dog and laptop are on their way to fading into the sunset and the next phase of their existence but I will always have my memories of Rocky the Wonder dog and as long as I do regular backups, I'll have the ideas that I have entrusted to the memory of my laptop.
So, make sure you backup your data on your computer because unfortunately our own memory is sometimes less reliable than the physical memory of our digital alter egos!
Yikes, that is scary. I keep saying I'll do such things when I have more time, then run out of time. I need a more thorough backup.
I do email important docs to myself, but that's not enough.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
Thanks - this is an important reminder, though as usual, I'll probably forget about doing it. Soon I'll be getting my first Mac laptop (my first Mac AND my first laptop!) so I'll have to think seriously about what I want to save and how and where to save it.
My sympathies are with you concerning your aging dog. I've lived through the aging and deaths of several dogs, though none approached the age of 17, maybe because they were all big breeds (or mixes). Whatever happens, it's always agonizing. My dogs live on in my fiction, though.
Julie Lomoe's Musings Mysterioso
http://julielomoe.wordpress.com
I strongly suggest Mozy.com (or something like it). When you turn on your computer, it backs everything up to the web, so you can always retrieve it!
With Mozy you get the first 2GB free, and you can pay a monthly fee if you need to add any later. I ONLY back-up my written documents (you can also do photos, videos, etc), so I'm still under my 2G.
There are other similar sites available, too.