Tuesday 26 May 2009

Ooops!


Well, that's been fun. One big bang, two small fizzles and a nasty on-screen "fatal error" message - yep, it's been another almost-two weeks without the computer...

Well, not quite true - I've been able to work off-line (which is good news for Midnight Feast which is now almost up to the 45,000 words it was before I deleted them - and this time they're much nicer, funnier ones - I think...) and this time it wasn't me pressing the wrong buttons - it was the ISP's fault.

Sadly, we (TTT and I) only discovered this after replacing the modem (twice), calling in an expert (12 years old and quite amazingly clever) to sort out a) the mother board and b) the hard drive - neither of which needed sorting. It was only after an exasperated telephone call to the ISP (prior to chucking the whole damn thing out of the window and making yet another trip to PC World) that gave us the answer. Ooops, they said, our error. Nothing wrong with your computer. Our fault - we're really sorry... We'll get it back on track soon as. And they did.

So, now I'm back online - and will no doubt catch up with blogging and answering emails and things as soon as poss. That's after I've read everyone else's blogs, and checked message boards, and wasted hours catching up with all the really vital online stuff that makes up my writing day. Ah, it's lovely to be back...

13 comments:

Chris Stovell said...

I wondered where you were, m'dear. Aah! Computers, don't you just love 'em. I had, ahem, a moment with BT last week who refuse to believe that when it rains our line goes down. Well done on the word count.

Christina Jones said...

ChrisH - oooh, I so wish I could have said I was absent due to a little jaunt to the Maldives or summat... Love/hate computers - but sadly they're so vital aren't they? Let's hope we have a long dry summer and you won't need to have any more BT moments...

Margaret McDonagh said...

It's fabulous to have you back, I've missed you. (And the post-Apprentice debrief - halleluliah, Ben went!!! Please let Debra go tomorrow!)

It's so horrible to be cut off and exceedingly annoying to discover the ISP have been playing silly whatsits. Good news it's all sorted now - and brilliant news that you have made such fantastic progress with Midnight Feast. Sadly I can't say the same my end about Gus & Holly.

Really hope to catch up properly soon.

Much love,
Mags xxxx

katiebird said...

(waving) I'm glad to see you back! I knew when I saw the replies to the older blog-posts that I'd find something new here today!

I'm so glad you found the true source of your computer issues. And that you didn't spend a fortune before that happened. The interconnectedness of all the little bits that go into making a computer work make problem solving quite a challenge sometimes.

Are you this cheery in real life, Chris? You make problems sound fun.

Christina Jones said...

mags - lovely to be back AND to have you back in the land of the living again! Missed emailing about the Apprentice - missed an awful lot really. Will be in touch asap - we can discuss Gus and Holly then...

Katiebird - hi! (waving back!) - computers - argh! As you say, so many little twiddly things to go wrong - and I don't understand any of them. And yes, sadly, I am an irritatingly cheerful person most of the time - not quite Pollyanna but getting there! But it is lovely to be back in touch... she says, smiling!

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

It's lovely to have you back, and must be such a relief to have your computer acting as it should be.

Congratulations on the word count, I'm sure they will be brilliant and funny words, as usual. x

Anonymous said...

Hi Christina. I wondered where you had gone!

I reviewed Heaven Sent and absolutely loved it. So good to read about previous characters again. I can't wait to get a hold of all your other magical books!

Leah x

Christina Jones said...

debs - thank you - it's good to be back in touch with everyone - but it did mean I had to do WORK which wasn't a bad thing really given my tendency to do anything but! Dunno how good and funny the new words are really - I just prefer them to the previous ones, so that's a start!

Leah - oh, wow! Thanks so much! I'll go and have a sneaky peek then! Another displacement activity - trawling your site - brilliant. Seriously - THANK YOU! I really hope you'll like the others too. Much appreciated!

Pat Posner said...

Hey, I missed you, Chris.
Glad you've got the ISP prob sorted. Well done on all the Midnight Feasting.

xxPat

Lesley Cookman said...

Hi Chris - glad to have you back - and cor! Fancy all those words that quickly! Just learned that I have a September deadline when I thought it was November. I'm only on Chapter two...

And Mags - my almost three year old grandson (no, I'm not old enough to have one) is called Gus. Hope yours is not so recalcitrant.

xxx

Anonymous said...

Commiserations! Our computer / our internet / our magic box of tricks on the desk that neither of us understand / has been playing up yet AGAIN so I know just how you feel! But pleased to hear you're doing so well with the new version of the book .... great stuff!

Sheila Norton said...

Midnight Feast sounds like it's going well! Fantastic title by the way! Computers? I hate 'em! They are in league against us. They want to take over the world, if Tesco's don't get there first.

Christina Jones said...

Pat - many thanks! At least being forced to work off-line benefitted Midnight Feast... How's yours going???

Lesley - it's nice to be back, thank you - and I WILL answer your fab email but do give Philly my love, congrats and total admiration! What a STAR!!!

Write Woman - oh, commiserations AGAIN on your computer probs - mine has been having further wobbles since I last posted too - and even now it's making the "wrong sort of noise". So scary when you (I) spend most of my life with it but still don't understand it...

Olivia - thank you! I like the title too - at the moment. It could all change... My computer's diva-like mood swings terrify me!!!