Well, here I had two hours of work done on a new entry, all about love and friendship and distance. It was about 20 or 30 minutes from done, I needed to edit (I write first drafts for these things all stream-of-consciousness and then try to edit into coherence later) and spell check it, was all.

And then I went out to do some shopping for the massive birthday party I’m throwing for my six-year-old. We like to do kid’s parties that adults will stay at, so my shopping included purchase of large volumes of tequila and beer, and a giant cake that needs it’s own zip code.

And then I get back, and go to check my email in hopes that some beautiful woman has replied and said, yes, I will be yours, and I find that my laptop is stone dead.

The one time I don’t store a copy of a draft entry on the server, the ONE TIME.

(shakes fist at an uncaring universe)

Sure, it’s still on the disk and I can almost certainly get it back. But by that time, in all likelihood, inspiration to finish it will be gone.

Grumble. I should go back to using a quill pen and fine parchment. That can’t crash. On the other hand, I would ever be able to read what I wrote, so I dunno.

So I shall give up and go make margaritas – rocks, with salt, and very strong. And who knows, I might still get that email. I might get it more than once.

Read more “Fie upon thee, Computer!”

It’s started. People are leaving orkut. Some people I really like, some people I can’t stand. Some with a great drama, some quietly and without notice or ceremony.

I’m strangely pleased by this. I can’t quite put my finger on why. Maybe I just like the drama; maybe it’s a circle nearing completion. I said, back a while (oh, hell, now I have to go look it up — March Nineteenth it was) that it couldn’t last, it couldn’t stay so giddily entertaining. And honest, it lasted much longer than I expected. But it’s become very clear over the last few weeks that we’re all growing collectively bored with it.

Read more “Orkutcide!”

I’m just testing how it looks when I use the “extended entry” style post. It may actually make things more readable but I’m not sure.

Read more “Messing about with formats”

This thought came from an IM conversation I had with the lovely and talented Rachel. One of them anyway, there are many.

Orkut, we agreed, is in many ways more like performance art than like conversation or writing.

I had this thought the other day while I was avoiding Orkut. I thought a little about why it’s different from any other on-line forum I’ve ever been in. And it is different; people claim it’s not, say it’s just USENET or it’s just [insert your favorite].

But it’s different; that’s a given. The questions then are; what makes different, and how is it different.

Read more “More like performing”