The Blue Screen of Death!

Here is another fact about me - technology and I do not get along. I don't know why, but I've gone through FOUR hard drives, the last one having melted not only itself but the thumb drive as well. So two + weeks ago my computer froze up yet again while I was working (between running over to my daughter's to help with baby Megan) and I could not believe I lost a whole day's work. Still, I was relieved that I at least had an external hard drive that automatically backed up every night, something I bought the last time disaster struck. But still - a whole day of work is a lot to lose, and I was literally pacing while my husband tackled my computer. As I walked and chewed my nails I kept muttering "at least I have my external backup, at lest I have my external backup." Ron told me I was making him nervous and I needed to go upstairs. About an hour later my husband sat next to me and took my hand. "You just got The Blue Screen of Death. And now is not a time for recriminations," says he. I dug my fingers into my legs as I asked for clarification, which went something like, "Uhhh, The Blue Screen of Death means your computer is fried, and I, um, installed the external hard drive backup system incorrectly, sooo, it never saved anything." (I'm still married, surprisingly.) I took my computer to Best Buy, where I had my warranty, only to learn the problem has a name - 'catastrophic hard drive failure,' which translates to 'You are Screwed.' I've got nothing at the moment except a shiny new Mac that I'm now learning to navigate. The kicker to this perfect storm is that my email previously failed and my husband went into the ethernet where my emails were backed up, except the sheer volume had swollen to 45,000 in the past year, which rendered that safety net basically inoperable. So he wiped them off - poof! However, he did not reinstall the program. (Did I mention I'm still married?) The Geek Squad claims that they cannot retrieve my emails off my hard drive by law, which left me with with NO contact information, NO address book, and NO correspondence for all the speaking I'm booked for but have NO idea of the details.

SO! If I have missed any of your emails it's because I didn't have a computer for awhile, and I'm really sorry. I will say one thing, though, and that is holding a new life really keeps things in perspective. Although the computer crash has been incredibly frustrating, there is nothing like a baby to bring back the joy. I'm still smiling! Your good thoughts have been a real boost, too. And October (and The Dying Breath release)is right around the coroner! Good time are comming!

Some Pictures!

Hi All!

I've just posted a couple of pictures of the new baby (aren't grandmas relentless?) in case you'd like to see Megan & company! Just go to my web page at www.alaneferguson.com and hit the 'About Alane' tab, then follow the link that says 'Want to See Some Candid Photos' and there she is! So now my total is four - three granddaughters and one grandson! I LOVE it!

Welcome Megan Alane!

Huzzah - she's here!!! Our little grand baby Megan Alane Gloria Ledesma arrived July 28th at 1:03 p.m., weighing in at 7 lbs. 2oz. and measuring 19 1/4 inches long. She's got a button nose and dark hair (her siblings started out as blonds, so who knows what we'll get in the end) and we couldn't be happier with our sweet addition! After a week of helping (and no sleep) I'm back, sharing the good news with you and writing once again. Thanks to everyone for your much-needed prayers and good thoughts you sent our way - we're exhausted but happy and Megan is a joy. I'll be posting pictures shortly!

More when I get some sleep!