Footle and Grok

Last Saturday afternoon, I had a computer snafu that was more annoying than destroying. I thought I would talk about it here so that you won’t be surprised if it happens to you.

On Friday, I got a message that Microsoft wanted to do an update and restart my computer. I put it off until the evening and then let it run. On Saturday morning, my computer worked, but a couple of my settings had changed.

I am participating in Nanowrimo and writing about 5,000 words a day. Needless to say, I’m on the computer a lot, and I need it to work. On Saturday, I got a notice that Microsoft wanted to do another update. (Or maybe it was the same update. I have no idea.) I waited until I was done writing for the day (which was about 3 p.m), and I started the update.

I did chores for the rest of the afternoon, and when I checked on my computer, I expected to see a blue screen with the percent of the update left to run. Instead, my laptop had a black screen and the words “Undoing changes made to your computer…” across the bottom. I would have been concerned, but it also had a spinning circle of dots, so I figured something was happening.

I left my computer alone until after dinner (about 6 p.m.), but the screen never changed. That was when I decided something was wrong. I used Google on my phone and found out this was a common error message. The solution was to restart the computer in safe mode and remove the update.

Sure.

I followed the instructions to do that, and nothing happened. My computer had no desire to be in safe mode. I spent about two hours, while watching a movie, researching what to do, and telling the computer I DID NOT want a factory reset.

I eventually did a Dell diagnostic test, not because I thought it would help, but because I knew it wouldn’t hurt. It ran for about three hours, and I went to bed.

My computer beeped at 11 p.m., and I tried to open safe mode again without any luck. At that point, I just turned off my computer and went back to bed.

I woke up at 3 a.m. (I had to go for a walk at 4) and tried to start the computer. I restarted it about ten times. On the eleventh time, my computer started normally—no more error message.

I had to enter my Microsoft password, not my PIN, but everything worked perfectly. Microsoft must have fixed the error because I never did anything helpful.

One friend of mine got the same screen after doing a Microsoft update that I did, and I don’t know if his computer has recovered yet. From what I read on Google, this error wasn’t unusual.

I hope this doesn’t happen to you. It’s not fatal, but I couldn’t use my computer for about twelve hours, and if I hadn’t finished my writing, I would have been pissed.

Also, I hadn’t backed up my computer for a week and hadn’t backed up my Nanowrimo project at all. That concerned me more than the error message. I already had 35,000 words typed and didn’t want to lose them. Don’t add to your panic by not backing up your computer. Errors can happen at any time.

I placed my hold at the library for the newest J. D. Robb book, Shadow In Death late, so I was number 39. The book came out last September, and my number came up last Friday.

I like to read these books in one day if not one sitting, so I’ll be closed for reading today. I still need to write my word limit for Nanowrimo, but I’m so far ahead, it won’t take me long. 

I’ll be back tomorrow to celebrate another reading holiday.

Happy Cook Something Bold Day!

We have a lot of halibut left from our trip to Alaska last year, and as much as I love it breaded and fried, that isn’t really healthy, so we’ve been making fish tacos instead.

Hubby found a recipe on the internet, and it included a sauce for the tacos. We didn’t have all the ingredients needed, so Hubby improvised with great success. His new sauce is awesome!!!

My hubby and I like spicy food, and I add jalapenos and onions to many dishes. This sauce is a step above all that. It’s tangy, spicy, and transforms plain whitefish into a gourmet meal.

I haven’t tried it on chicken breasts yet, but I think it will be just as good.
If you want to make something bold to celebrate the holiday, I suggest Hubby’s Tasty Sauce for Fish. The recipe is below, and you can also find a PDF version here. Go bold!

Hubby’s Tasty Sauce for Fish

This simple sauce is perfect for fish tacos or any whitefish recipe. Try it with chicken breasts too. It has a tangy, bold flavor, and the lovely salmon color will complement any meal.

Ingredients

• ½ cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup Best Foods mayo
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp salt
• Juice from 1 small lime
• 1½ Tbs siracha sauce

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a lid.
2. Cover the bowl with the lid (or use plastic wrap).
3. Refrigerate for several hours.
4. Spoon onto fish tacos or anything that could use some bold flavor.

Happy Book Lovers Day!!!

I know a lot of book lovers. It’s fun to discuss books with other people and learn about new books. I’ll never finish my TBR pile, but that’s okay. Better to have too many books to read than too few.

Every book starts with a writer, and every writer starts by learning how to write. The Lewis County Writers Guild helps writers improve with both moral and financial support. Our scholarship helps a budding writer attending Centralia College afford to improve their craft.

Today, I’d love it if you could tell a fellow book lover about our scholarship. I’m more than glad to connect with anyone who has questions. We succeed thanks to our donors, and when we succeed, future book lovers can add to their TRB list.

All donations, no matter how large or small, are tax-deductible, and every little bit helps. We’re thankful for all our donors and hope you become one if you haven’t already.

Five ways to celebrate Book Lovers Day

• Read a book
• Talk about a favorite book
• Spend time at a bookstore
• Give a book
• Donate to the LWCG scholarship by clicking here

I like to complete my Christmas cards in November so that I can mail them out right after Thanksgiving. I know, weird.

Since Hubby went on a buying spree in January a couple of years ago and bought a ton of on sale Christmas cards, I don’t have to buy any now. However, I do like to use Christmas stamps.

I was at the post office last week and bought enough Christmas stamps for my cards. They’re really cute this year, and I was pleased to mark that off my list.

Yesterday I pulled out the bin with my cards, stickers, and other items I used when writing Christmas cards and discovered that I had Christmas stamps from previous years. In fact, I had enough that I shouldn’t have bought stamps last week.

They are forever stamps, and I can use the ones I bought this year for next year, but I could have also saved some money this year, which would have been nice.

The lesson is to check your supplies before you buy more. I had kept the stamps in a Christmas bin with the cards. This year, I’m going to keep my Christmas stamps with my other stamps; that way, I can check my supply without pulling out the bin.

At least I have enough cards for years to come.

On September 27, I talked about a very long sci-fi book I was reading. This was out of my reading comfort zone both in genre and length, but I was intrigued, so I gave it a try.

Well, I finished the book today (I had worried that it would take me to December), and all I can say is “eh.” I felt it lacked a climax and, in fact, an entire third act. And still, it could have been 200 pages shorter and still told the story just as well.

I’m not going to say what book this is. I only like to share books that I love. If you want to know, send me an email. Perhaps you like really long sci-fi that feels like the current world (if the current world’s oceans were 55 feet higher.) In that case, I can recommend this book that I’m not mentioning. 

Anyway, I may not have thought it was the best book ever, but I am glad I finished it. I don’t finish lots of books, but this one I committed to. Now, I’m going to read another library book that I will hopefully like more. At least it will be shorter.

I hope all your books are page-turners and leave you wanting more after the last page. And if they aren’t, I hope they end soon.

Nanowrimo is going well, and the main reason for that is the sprints. These used to be called word wars, but now it’s less about competition and more about writing for a set amount of time.

We’re doing our group writing on Discord, and the bot starts and stops the sprints. I love writing as fast as I can for a set amount of time with no distractions. It’s day four, and I have written over 15,000 words thanks to sprints.

If you have a project, either for work or at home, that isn’t moving forward, try some sprints. Set a timer for ten, fifteen, or twenty minutes, and remove all distractions. You’ll be amazed at the progress that can be made.

For even more fun and commitment, text a few friends and have everyone work on their project simultaneously. At the end, share your results. This will give you even more motivation, and motivation leads to finished projects.

Have you ever commented about digging down to China? Or when you were a kid, did you think about digging to the other side of the planet and ending up in China? Well, for most of us, we would be disappointed.

Obviously, no one can dig through the middle of the earth since you’d die pretty quickly (although if you have a ship like Virgil from The Core, let me know because I want to hitch a ride.) But have you ever wondered what is on the exact opposite side of the world? You might be surprised.

IFL Science shared a wonderful website that shows you the antipode* of where you live. I live in Chehalis, Washington, and if I dug through the center of the earth, I would end up in the ocean off the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. Not ideal, but good to know. 

Geography is not easy to understand for a lot of people because most of the maps we see are flat, but the earth is round. This website is a fun way to learn about our home.

*Antipode is a fun word that is not exclusive to geography. It means “the direct opposite of something else,” so it could be used with people, places, and things. For example, your feet are the antipode of your head. 

Wow! November poems are depressing. I couldn’t find a single one that was cheerful. The closest I found is the last one below. 

I like November. It’s full-on fall with lots of rain and wind but without the Christmas madness. Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday, so that helps.

I don’t get why poets are so negative. Don’t let these forlorn poems get you down. November is lovely in its own way.

AUTUMN (November) 
By Walter de la Mare 

There is a wind where the rose was,
Cold rain where sweet grass was,
And clouds like sheep
Stream o'er the steep
Grey skies where the lark was.

Nought warm where your hand was,
Nought gold where your hair was,
But phantom, forlorn,
Beneath the thorn,
Your ghost where your face was.

Cold wind where your voice was,
Tears, tears where my heart was,
And ever with me,
Child, ever with me,
Silence where hope was. 

November
by Thomas Hood
 
No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon -
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! -
November! 

"November"
by Ardenelle M. Mason 

The leaves have fallen to the ground
With rustling sound so soft.
Soon winter will come marching in,
With leaden skies aloft.
Bright autumn hues of red & gold
Have faded to dull brown,
But soon an ermine mantle,
Will cover all the ground,
These precious days we'll treasure,
When winter's in full bloom,
The memories of our golden times,
Will banish all the gloom. 

Happy National Author’s Day.

Today’s authors were yesterday’s budding writers. All writers need support, so the Lewis County Writers Guild is doing a campaign to raise money for The Lewis County Writers Guild – Doyle McKim Legacy Annual Scholarship, our annual writing scholarship for a student at Centralia College, in Centralia, Washington.

Usually, we organize a writing conference to raise money, but thanks to COVID-19, the event was canceled this year. However, there are still students who could use some extra money for their college education, so the guild hopes to provide a scholarship as we have done that last two years.

There are two ways you can help. The first way is to donate at our website (http://southwestwashingtonwriters.com/donate-to-the-2020-scholarship/). Any amount is welcome and tax-deductible.

The second way is to share the website and the above meme with your friends, family, and fans. Whether in-person, on social media, or in your newsletter, the more people who learn about our campaign, the better.

November is a month for thankfulness, and we are thankful for all our donors. We have raised $600 so far, and I would love to reach our goal of $2000 by Thanksgiving. Your support will help us succeed.