ALARM BELL!

Now that computers can perform every task from the magnificant to the mundane,  human beings are becoming increasingly obsolete.

And speaking of computers, Isadora really pulled a number on Fio, refusing to produce what Fiorella assumed had been saved the previous evening, Yours truly went ballistic all over FB, screamed enough to wake the dead, shouted no-no-no several hundred times, threw her shoes across the room, then picked them up and threw them again, after which she cried a lot and went into a a deep, angry depression.

Something must be done about Isadora. She is too complicated. Things that took one tap of a key on Dora take three steps or more on Isadora. And everytime Fio tries to write, unwanted suggestions are hurled at her. Besides, she guzzles power and always seems to be out of gas.

Fiorella was thrilled to be able to buy a computer similar to her old one, but too many bells and whistles have been added.

From Microsoft to Motherhood

Fio woke up to a phone call from "Arthur," who told her that he was from Microsoft. "Sure you are," she replied, then started laughing.  Damn. "Arthur" hung up without giving her a chance to exercise her espanol on him.
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Fiorella has been screaming a lot and crying a lot this past week. The screaming is when she is trying to burst through roadblocks.  The crying is when someone is kind to her.
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Fio is blessed to have good friends and a loving family, but when it comes right down to it, she is the wife and mother, the one who has to make the decisions and deal with the consequences.

Reflections on Family and Crisis

No family is normal.  Every family has its own problems and secret sorrows.  But maybe that's what "normal" is.
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Do all families pull together in times of crisis, or is Fiorella singularly blessed?
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Fio is level-minded and quick in a crisis, but doesn't handle the long run well. That's when family steps in.

Drama and Trauma

Yes, Fio is running late on her revisions, but it's a miracle that she is running at all.  Everything struck at once--she's been burning the midnight oil on revisions, her printer gave up the ghost, and her internet connection disconnected.  And it all happened on the day before she'd promised her revisions.

One panic attack and three hour on the road to Click Computers and Fry's and Fio's electronicized again, but those revisions are even further behind.

Gimme a break!

Overwhelmed

The world is ganging up on Fio. The query letter is still hanging fire, her computer won't delete when it's supposed to, she discovered the top half of one of the expensive decorative trees the landscapers planted has been snapped off, the batteries in the TV changer won't charge, and none of her clothes fit right.

To top it off, after a harrowing one-hour drive to the Arboretum Barnes and Noble in near darkness last night (partially because she didn't realize she still had on her sunglasses), Fio accidentally walked out with Susan Elizabeth Phillips's newest novel, autographed but unpaid for.

So this morning she's calling the store to find out how much she owes. The check is in the mail.