Early Bird Strikes Again

It was yet another ridiculously early day. Today so far I've taken a long walk, showered, gone grocery shopping and read all my usual Internet stuff. Yesterday didn't end up like my dire predictions, either. I didn't slow down during the afternoon. I met all my writing goals without getting sleepy, then I only got really cranky and snarky once at the homeowners' association meeting, and it was in a situation that would have made anyone cranky and snarky. It was during the Q&A after the board presentation, the part I call "airing of petty grievances," in which people bring up problems that affect only them and that there is a process for reporting officially, and one woman really took the cake. She was upset that she had to actually turn in a report, that the board didn't just know what the problems were, because she paid dues, by golly, and that meant she should get service. They pointed out that the property is inspected regularly, but that the things she was complaining about were things only she would notice -- they can't tell that the roof is leaking from outside -- and even if they did as thorough an inspection as she was demanding, which would be very expensive, something could happen right after the inspection and they'd still need to be notified about it. I suggested they look into hiring a psychic who could sense when someone was having a problem so no one would have to turn in those pesky repair reports. I mean, really, the woman was complaining that a leak she hadn't reported hadn't been fixed, and saying she shouldn't have to report it to get it fixed. I could have been perfectly rested and eating chocolate, and I'd have probably snapped at her. Thank goodness we only have to do those meetings once a year because I'm allergic to meetings, to pettiness and to stupid people, and they all come together at once in those meetings.

I got about three good hours of editing done, and that seems to be the point of diminishing returns because at about two and a half hours, I was getting into "oh, whatever, that's good enough" mode. Which means I need to rethink the last two scenes I worked on because I think they're not quite right. They should be pivotal and yet they really aren't, and they don't fit so well after all the cuts. I think I also am too far into the "must cut words!" mindset, so I get reluctant to add things even when they're needed. Considering that I cut another thousand words yesterday, I think I'm okay in adding necessary words.

In other news, my tax refund came in, so I will need to make some major purchases I've been putting off. I need to replace my dishwasher and my living room ceiling fan. And I need a new computer. This one works fine but is out of step with the rest of the world. I can't upgrade the software without upgrading the operating system, and the only operating system they're currently selling doesn't work on the chip I have, since Mac switched to Intel. The battery doesn't hold a charge anymore and the letters have worn off most of the keys, so I suppose it's not really fine. This computer is nearly five years old, and for a laptop, that's practically ancient. The main issue is that I'm starting to have Internet problems because my browser is "outdated." It's not most of the sites themselves that are a problem. It's the ads, which seem to require more advanced software than I've got. As a result, pages will hang forever while the ads try to load. It seems to me to be a bit silly to have ads requiring the latest and greatest to work. It would make more sense for the ads to go for the lowest common denominator technologically to reach more people. It would be like making your TV ads be 3D that's not compatible with most current TVs, so that regular TVs just freeze when your ad comes on, and you have to turn off the TV and turn it back on after that ad in order to watch the rest of the program. That's rather counterproductive, but I suspect that Web ads are designed by people who have all the cutting-edge technology and don't even consider the possibility that they might pose a problem to anyone. I may use the new computer primarily as an Internet computer and then keep using this one for writing except in situations where the laptop battery would be useful. I need to upgrade Office to be able to get my e-mail the way I like it, but I've heard nasty things about the new Word and may just use it for submitting and for reading documents people send me.

My exciting weekend plans: Tonight, tacos and TV (Friday Night Lights and rewatching the latest Doctor Who). Saturday, I may actually make it to my writing group's meeting and then more writing. Sunday, I may go to a friend's booksigning, but I have to sing two services, so that will depend on how badly I need to collapse.