The best day ever*

Small decisions can have big repercussions. I bought my iPhone. I walked around with it in my pocket for 24 hours, getting it out randomly to, you know, check it. When I explained to Maxabella that I was doing this, she laughed hysterically. In fact, we both did.

"You know how when you get your first car and you walk around swinging your keys just so everyone knows you've got one, even though they don't care because they've had one for 100 years?"

"That was you?" she chortled.

"That was me." We had to put the phone down briefly while we rolled around on our respective floors.

On Saturday, I decided it was time to join the 21st century and 'sync' my iPhone. I plugged it all in and was told, very kindly and sympathetically, by my iMac that my operating system wasn't up to the task. All was not lost as I had an 'upgrade' disk, which had come with the computer but never been used. When you're a Luddite like me, you use only a fraction of your computer's capability.

I read the instructions, followed them, backed up my files, hesitated, read the instructions again and inserted the disk. The instructions made it all sound so simple.

You know where this is going, don't you?

Suffice to say that the following 24 hours of my life were filled with dread, uncertainty, horror, shock, stress and the words 'we're going to have to erase your hard drive and then we'll see what we can recover'. About halfway through Saturday, I posted the following status update: "I feel ill. Like a Dementor has sucked out all my hope and happiness. I'm needing me a Patronus right now. In the shape of an Apple."

The good people at the Apple Call Centre (most of whom seem to have names beginning with J) did their best. They didn't laugh at me once. The only time they left me feeling less than reassured was when the first guy said 'oh wow, I've never come across that before'. Not really what you want to hear as your computer dies a slow death in front of you. As an aside, I did back-up. I just didn't back-up my system properly. I thought I was doing it right. I wasn't. So if there's any doubt about your own system, I suggest you check into that right now.

Throughout the day, as I waited for this to reboot and that to reload and the other to copy - all excruciatingly slow processes - the boys were rumbling around the house. Whatever they suggested I said yes to - water paints, water games, craft, whatever - anything to keep them busy and out of my zone of stress. When they appeared, I threw food at them - oreos, strawberries, crackers, whatever. Anything to keep them quiet while I stressed.

At the end of the day, as I tucked him into bed, Mr7 beamed up at me. "This has been the best day ever, Mum. We did so much fun stuff AND we had Oreos."

What could I do? I managed a smile and said 'that's nice, dear', as I headed back to my study where my computer was refusing to restore my system back-up and was now making worrying grinding noises.

The best day ever. It's all a matter of perspective, right?

Have you ever experienced a monumental computer meltdown?

Footnote: I seem to have recovered copies of my document files and, it looks like, photos and movies. So far there's no sign of iTunes or my entire email folder, but I am hoping that tomorrow, when the Apple staff are back at work, a nice person, named something starting with J, might be able to help me with that. Fingers crossed, and more tomorrow.

*title may include irony

[image: Piccsy.com]

Grateful to have a guest post

I have been following Maxabella's progress around the internet this week. You see her here, you see her there, my Lord the girl is everywhere. 


I'm blaming her for the string of 'Run' songs that have been on high rotation in my head this week - Run To You (Bryan Adams), Keep On Running (Spencer Davis Group), Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen). You need to imagine me with an imaginary hairbrush in my hand, singing these songs to my bewildered children. I'm pretty sure Alla Hoo Hoo is singing back up. Anyhoo...


Fortunately for me, Maxabella has washed up in the Fibro in time for a weekend post. Joining in with Maxabella's Grateful linky, which is being guest-hosted this week by the lovely Brenda at Mira Narnie. I'm grateful that she's here.


This week I'm grateful for... silly schemes
I imagine as I write this that I am actually in the (partly) newly-renovated Fibro, tapping away on Al's Mac and listening to the boys arguing on the blue back deck outside my window. Mr4 is growing up fast, but his adoration of Mr7 continues. These days I suspect that Mr7 is quickly realising that he might just have to dispense a little adoration back. Four year olds are tough, man.

Ah brothers, huh? Ah, sisters.

This week I'm grateful for...

172. Silly schemes - especially when cooked up with a chortling sister and no-one else thinks it's even remotely funny.

173. Frozen food* - since getting my additional freezer space courtesy of my good parents, I haven't looked back. Everything I make on the weekend, I make double and freeze some for weeknights.

174. Blue Ribbon 97% fat free Cookies and Cream ice cream - I know that 97% fat free food will send me to an early grave, but have you tasted this stuff? Ooh la la!

*And little mentions

Cheers to a great week where everyone is really nice to you and your hair looks good every single day.

[image: 9GAG.com]

Your chance to vote for a dream

I've always loved a 'do-er'. People who get in and get on with things. Lots of people talk about stuff. About writing a book, or building a house, or saving the world. And then there are the people who just, well, do it.

I met Cate Bolt through Twitter, via a mutual industry contact. Cate is a do-er. She's also opinionated and forthright and no-nonsense. She tweets A LOT. Because she's there to raise money for a cause that means a lot to her. Cate doesn't just talk about how bad things are, or how she wishes things were different. She actively tries to make the world a better place.

Cate's come up against a fair bit of adversity in her life. It's her story, so if you want to know more, you should check out her blog. Suffice to say that she advocates for the homeless and any other number of voiceless people in this country. She has nine children. I know. Every time I complain about some aspect of parenting, she tells me that it will be fixed in one fell swoop by simply having more children. Worried about how they'll grow up? Have more children. Anxious about bullying? Have more children. Bored? Have more children. You can see how it goes.

She doesn't ask for help much. She'll sell you chocolate in a second to support her causes (and you should buy some because it's Fair Trade and therefore Guilt-Free Chocolate), but she won't ask for help. Unfortunately, she needs it now. She has a dream and SunSuper is offering grants that would make her dream so much easier for her to achieve. She wants to save orphaned children in Indonesia, and through education, help make that part of the world a better place. She has worked hard to raise the money for the orphanage and education programs, and the grant would help immensely with ongoing costs.

I'm asking for help for her. Please go here and vote for her dream. It's a one-minute process. You can read more about her story and her dream, vote (via a simple, non-scary log-in), and voila! that's it. It would help her out immensely if she won that money. It's a small kindness to help her with her much larger kindness picture. And you don't even have to have more children to solve the problem.

[image: MiguelRockstar/Tumblr]

Watching

My favourite moment of today belongs to someone else. Two someone elses, in fact. Two males, one large, one small. Lying flat on their backs in the backyard, arms wide on the green, green grass. The Builder in work clothes. Mr4 in a dress-up wizard cloak, his 'Turtle Cat' costume. They are looking up at the spring-blue sky. Laughing. One deep belly laugh. One little belly giggle.

Just thinking about it makes me smile.

[image: youarelikeadrugforme/Tumblr]

Tips for writing features #2*: Stick with good contacts

I'm working on a feature at the moment, and nothing is going right. The experts that I have called are not calling me back. The time frame that's been allocated is simply not enough. I'm fast running out of hours and options. But my many years in this game have given me one amazing asset for moments such as these: trusted contacts.

These are people I've interviewed many times over many years. A psychologist or two. Some financial advisors. Nutritionists, dietitians, parenting experts. Relationship gurus. Fashion experts, beauty experts, organising experts. I know that when I call them, they will give me exactly what I need. They know how my questions work, they know where to fill in the gaps. I know that when I call them, I do not need to explain myself, or my credentials. They know me. Well enough to say 'just put that into proper English for me, will you?' and trust that the quotes will be correct.

Every general features writer needs people like these. If you interview someone for a story and it goes particularly well, ask them one extra question: "Do you mind if I keep your details on file and call you again for future stories?" Chances are they'll say yes. Then you cross your fingers that they like that first story you did together so that the next time you call they're pleased to hear from you.

I keep up my end of the bargain. I don't call too often, I ensure they're credited as fully as I can, I am mindful of their time and keep my questions succinct. It's no coincidence, I'm sure, that my expert team are also people that I really like. They're people that I've connected with - a certain sense of humour, an ability to go off on tangents with aplomb. I've never met any of them face to face. Not one. But I'm sure they'd recognise my voice on the phone.

I'm always looking to add new people to my team. It's important to keep voices and ideas fresh. But I cannot tell you how happy I am that I have them in my life, particularly on nights like this, with that deadline looming.

And now I must go. There's a psychologist I need to email about an interview...

*I know this is out of numerical order, but I realised I forgot #2 in my list!

[image: Speaking of sticking, how cool is this wall decal from Urbanwalls?]

So then I got an iPhone... well, nearly

You may remember that I wrote this post detailing why I wasn't getting an iPhone for Christmas last year. In precis, it had a lot to do with the fact that I was concerned, and The Builder was certain, that I would develop co-dependency issues. At that point, I was very caught up in the cyber world.

But life moves on.

Over the past eight months, two things have happened. One is that my love affair with blogging and tweeting has moved beyond those heady days of intoxicating love into phase two of any relationship - comfortable-on-the-sofa-watching-DVD mode. I am no longer seduced at every turn and bewitched by my new passion. Instead, I have traded in the sexy lingerie for cotton and can be found thinking occasionally (last night for instance), 'not tonight dear, I've got a headache'.

The second thing that has happened is that my trusty hot-pink Nokia is no longer so trusty. Apparently it's developed an 8.5-year itch and has proved to be very unreliable of late. It never has the energy to talk to me anymore and keeps diverting calls and failing to pass on messages. I'd think there was someone else, but, frankly, I think the old thing is past it.

So here I am. At the crossroads. It seems silly, even to an entrenched old Luddite like me, to willfully go out and buy another antiquated no-camera, no-internet, not-very-smart phone, so I'm going to jump on the bandwagon, albeit five years late, and get that iPhone. I think I am beyond being a Late Adopter. I'm just showing up early for the next trend (iPhones are practically old skool now, right?).

All of which begs today's big question - which Apps are must-haves? Anything else I need to know? Lay it on me. I need all the help I can get.