My desktop PC is finally home. Anyone who believes the mobile phone or tablet will replace the desktop PC is high. I like the giant 18 inch monitor that attaches to my PC. I like a full sized keyboard for my fat fingers and sloppy typing (un)skills. Being reduced to a smart phone and a baby laptop was misery. Try loading Quicken and viewing a budget graph or a spread sheet on a 10 inch screen or smart phone. Try loading NPR archives to search for a segment and a recipe. Phooey! I am glad my PC is home, Paschal the PC.
I name appliances and devices. My car is named Teacake. My Miele vacuum cleaner is Marcel, although a strong German name might have been more appropriate, something like Deiter or Rutger or Enrich. I prefer Marcel. Vacuuming with Marcel sounds like fun. Vacuuming with Enrich sounds like calisthenics.
Having my PC returned means I can resume studying for my board re-certification. It means I can open writing documents that have sketches and outlines of new stories. I can re-read pieces and fragments written at conferences or workshops. I am hunting for a piece I wrote in response to a postcard prompt about a bathroom mirror. I fear it is only hand written in some random spiral notebook still packed in a moving box in the garage.
The completed manuscript left Saturday evening with Jamie, my writing coach. She will give me a professional critique and guidance as to how to edit to a more manageable and appealing size. It is a daunting task to finish a manuscript. It is an entirely different endeavor to print out that manuscript and give it to a near stranger for objective criticism. Anyone who has read sections of this novel have known me and may like me too much to be blunt and brusque in their feedback. I expect Jamie to be quite blunt. We’ll see how I handle criticism in this arena. I want to believe I ave the capacity to always grown and change, to listen and hear suggestions that will help me be better. Whether that is a better mother, friend, writer, doctor or a person in general, I hope to be open hearted enough to listen and hear.