Monday, October 29, 2012

Post: In Memoriam, Spammage, and a Sorta Update


At the start of this week new week, I have grave news.

A dear friend of mine has left us over the weekend, a most terrible accident. I'm still trying to keep it together, but since most of you never had the chance to meet my friend, this is my way to keep our memory alive. This one goes out to you, my dear friend ...

Our friendship began at Wal-Mart, a place kind of boring.
At a time when my brain was storming new stories.

I trusted your drive, confiding each and every plot.
When memory failed, you were there, backing me up.

We worked on three stories together, over four years.
A book for my wife, a high epic, and YA with fears.

I swear I was with you, more than I slept.
Then came the tragedy - you fell, you slipped.

I heard the crash and I looked down.
I saw you there, shattered on the ground.

I gathered you up and tried not to cry.
Why did I let you go, why oh why?

I'd cry even more if I wasn't so needy,
Having transferred our work to another PC.

So long and farewell, to a fellow busy bee.
Rest in pieces, my ever faithful, USB ...


*sniff* Sorry ... gotta get a tissue ...

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Okay, joking aside, I did lose my USB over the weekend, seconds, and I mean seconds, after I transferred everything onto my PC. Huge sigh of relief since it really did contain four years of work. Now it's all in a new USB and my notebook, so let this be a gentle reminder to be sure to backup your stuff often. You never know when crap happens.

I think that "Mr. Butterfingers" gag last week jinxed me ...

Anyway, I've been bombarded by spam lately, in the comments and my email, so I've taken some measures by doing an experiment this week, so I apologize in advance for screening comments with word verification. It's only for a week. That might be long enough to make the bots go away? It better. I like to eat Spam, not read it.

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Feel free to visit these awesome bloggers who've joined us since last week! Here's your honorary Shout-Out, you two!

and

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Update: This is one of those grr weeks. That's what happens when I don't have a chance to squeeze a single new word in, just editing CP feedback, but I can't say this coming week will be any better (kind of hard to concentrate when people come to your door for candy every couple minutes). What's the hang up? Winterizing, mostly, but I really can't complain. Knowing what's going on along the East Coast right now is concerning. Thankfully they've had plenty of warning to store up and evacuate. To my friends along the EC, I wish you well.

How was your weekend, guys? What item have you accidentally destroyed and mourned over? What's your favorite Spam flavor?

I'm David, and Theresa Paolo has an agent! Go congratulate her!

30 comments:

  1. Sorry about your thumb drive! Yes, back up often. That's why I have three computers, four thumb drives, and three externals. (Yes, overkill.)
    Setting your blog to no anonymous comments and approval for posts over four days old will eliminate most of the spam.

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  2. "I trusted your drive." Haha. I'm from Hawaii, so you know I love Spam. For realz. With rice wrapped in nori is da best!

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  3. I have like five of those things, but I never seem to have one when I really need it. Like Saturday I finished the story I was working on but didn't have a USB drive in my netbook bag. Again, I have 5 of the things and they were all at home sitting next to my PC! Good thing I could use the Internet to email stuff to myself.

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  4. Ya know, I've had this fear. I better back it up.

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  5. I'm going to back up my work right now!

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  6. Wow, that was a close one! Glad you backed it all up before you lost it! Love the poem, btw! Lol :)

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  7. Dropbox.com and a subscription based daily online backup. After losing everything I had on my computer back in April.. I got, and use, both. I also still do have my USB flash memory stick which I use.. but now I'm covered 3 ways. Glad you didn't experience the joy and wonder of losing everything.

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  8. Glad you backed it up before you lost your drive. I try to save everything important in at least two places.

    We've been getting spam too though I'm resisting cutting off the anonymous comment option.

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  9. I have my stuff on like three different flash drives that I guard with my life O_O ...okay that's a little extreme but I am pretty cautious about it.

    I've been getting a lot of spam too. I'll have to try out Alex's advice!

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  10. Oh my gosh... you are AWFUL!!!!! It took me waaaay longer than necessary to find out you were joking...

    Funny, DPK. ;)

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  11. You can email your stories to yourself as well. That gives you a kind of online backup.

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  12. I'm with Morgan. Took me a spell too, but I'll blame it on my headache. Always pays to have backups. My problem is I usually have too many backups to sift through. (That's why I have multiple terabytes of storage across multiple PCs.) Glad you didn't lose four years of work.

    Okay, maybe third attempt will work. (BTW, my spam onslaught came two weeks ago.)

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  13. I saved my MS to dropbox once but I don't think I have backed it up since. I need to do that asap. I would cry and cry if I lost all my work.

    Have you ever cooked slices of spam? It's pretty good - not my favorite thing ever but it makes it palatable.

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  14. I've been getting a lot of spam too.

    I use dropbox. I love it and I always have access to my work. I also back up on thumb drives and occasionally mailing it to myself.

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  15. I recently backed up my laptop in 2 places and made sure most of my manuscripts were uploaded to Google Docs.

    As for spam, I don't want to jinx myself, but I've had pretty good luck with Blogger catching the spam and sticking it in that folder I hardly ever check.

    I spent the weekend laboring over a synopsis for book two in my Eighth Day series. This is hard for me, because I'm mostly a pantster, but that's not going to work in this case. I did manage to complete the synopsis, but I'm not very confident about it. Luckily, my editor is very approachable and after I run it past a couple CPs, I'll send it right to the person whose feedback counts the most.

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  16. Oh dear. Sorry about your loss :(

    My post today and yours are in direct conflict. It's OK, we don't have to fight. We can work this out. Maybe a dance off?

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  17. Trust me, I know that feeling about the flash drive. At least your USB connection is still attached. I had one snap completely off the storage chip. Took some rigging, but I was able to get the connection restored long enough to offload all the data.

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  18. Hey,

    Bloody heck, you had me going for a moment.. I was like "oh nooo..." but I am *very happy* to hear it's just your USB and not a CP...

    (thumps you on the shoulder - hard :)

    Ready for tomorrow - or Wednesday? :)

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  19. Sorry about the USB. I always try to keep my work saved on at least two places, usually three.
    Not many new words for me this week and right now hoping Sandy doesn't cut off the electric.

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  20. OH. You. YOU!!!!!

    *snarl*

    I was actually tearing up for your 'friend'.

    *still laughing*

    Somehow I'll limp through your WV and come out the other side. *laughing*

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  21. Too scary, David. I need to do another backup of the My Documents file, but since I've been keeping on a lot of folders on my Desktop, I've realized I need to back that baby up, too.

    Ugh. Crappy Captcha.

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  22. haha. that was a moving poem. i am always paranoid about losing my work. back up and hit ctrl-s often is my motto!

    Allison (Geek Banter)

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  23. Oh man, I'm so glad you transferred everything. I was just thinking about my stuff the other day. I've emailed it but I think it's time to do another save to the computer.

    And yay, for my lovely CP Theresa!! Happy dance.

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  24. David! That scared the crap out of me at first. Damn USB. Reminds me that I need to back up.

    I'm getting spammed-a-lot too! I was thinking about doing the same thing. Great minds, huh? LOL

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  25. Yes, it's great to have a backup plans. But I usually don't have my documents on USB drives, should do that sometime and it probably will help me a lot.

    I hate spam, too! I got spammed today and was thinking should I turn on comment moderation on again. But I didn't.

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  26. Uh yeah, you suck DPK! You had me going! I thought you were talking about your co-writer dude for WOVEN! Your the b-word today... But the boy B-word that ends in "astard!" Haha

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  27. You almost had me cry over a USB...

    Scary, I've got all my stuff on a USB and my boyfriend's computer. We encountered the Blue Screen of Death a few years back, no warning signs. It scared in to backing up often.

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  28. So sorry for your loss :( At least you had everything loaded on your PC. Otherwise it could have really been tragic!

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  29. OMG David! You need to back up things in multiple places! There's online storage you can use to back things up once a month, and you should *definitely* have it on more than a flash drive. The idea of you losing four years of work just makes me want to cry.

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