Hard Drives...

I have a way of fusing my energies with the machines that are important in my life. I've written about Lance, my truck (see earlier post "Vehicles And Their People") and Buddy, my piano. Of course, my computer, Clarence III, got to know me really well.

Over the past month or so, I became aware of what I'll call e-mail fatigue ... or, if you prefer, electronic overload. The subscriptions to listservs and a volley of e-mails generated in relation to committee work, were taking their toll. I'd noticed that my houseplants, usually the picture of health and meticulous care, were reflecting the affects of the minimal attention they'd been receiving from me lately. Dixie Lee, my dog (see mention of her in various previous posts, on my website, and on Dogster) was sometimes wearing a furrowed look of concern. Yes, the e-mail volume and, in some cases, intensity, was gobbling up huge chunks of my time and energy. I was stressed. The result? Brain Cell Rebellion -- but not only mine -- Clarence's, also. Last Thursday, after several weeks of intermittent, teeny-tiny brownouts, Clarence bit the dust, due to a problem with his hard drive and probably something more. I think he can be salvaged, or at least, most of his parts can be (he's just 16 months old).

So the past week has been a strange mix: a time to step back and think about the reasons for and ramifications of "overload"; affirmations to re-order my life; a time of exasperation because I couldn't take care of anything needing a computer (a writer without a keyboard and needing to revert to handwritten scribbles on many odd pieces of paper is a very off-kilter entity); and, last but not least, a time of smug bliss because I actually had a bona fide reason for not playing in electronic traffic!

I decided to share this experience, just in case a reader may be going through similar energy and time crunches.

Thanks to a very generous friend, I was able to get online and take care of some important matters. One of those chores was unsubscribing to two lists and one daily cartoon!

As an aside (and I know I do a lot of asides), it crossed my mind that maybe Clarence didn't like being Clarence III; maybe he'd have preferred to have his own identity instead of being number 3 of the Clarence ilk. Last night, I bought a new computer, an updated, close relative of the stricken Clarence III. The new computer has been named Dexter. And let's give him a middle name, too: Dexter March. February was a rough month for me, so the advent of March is welcome! Happy pre-Springtime!