Wednesday, July 17, 2019

New Equipment

Last week, I finally sprung and got a laptop to replace my mobile device.  Both run Scrivener; I was finding the task of composing and editing on the mobile version to be too arduous, but what was the most troublesome was waiting for the mobil to sync up with DropBox.  I’m not sure why, but the update process would take upwards of four minutes— probably because I have a ton of manuscript folders.  Okay, and also, the mobile screen’s small size made it harder for me to spot typos or syntax errors.   

Went to the gym Saturday because Friday (7/12) I went to the Oregon Country Fair with a family friend and The Child.  I left my camera behind because I didn't want it to get coated with dust and also it's heavy.  The most useful thing I did was get a chain repaired on my favorite necklace (the one made from up-cycled horseshoe nails).  The most fun thing was seeing folks on stilts dressed up as characters from Alice in Wonderland — the most impressive was the White Rabbit on special jumpy-stilts.  There were many cute guys there, and enough older men that I didn’t feel totally flabby.  We visited with many Fair friends at their booths or light shows or just in passing.  Friday’s attendance was 20000 people; Saturday was 21000. 

Sunday (7/14) was a cleaning day; Mark’s been wanting to tidy up the storage area in the garage, and we wound up getting rid of a lot of spare things we don’t use any more or things that are falling apart, or the odds and ends of old art projects.  

Monday (7/15)I went to the gym again.  I’m trying to cut down on the amount of wheat I’m eating as experiment to see if I can get rid of the persistent bicycle tire I have around my gut.  Cutting down on dark chocolate (the hardest), soft drinks (hard over the Summer), and booze (not that I drink tons) should also help.

Tuesday (7/16) night, I went to the Eugene Library to write.  It worked out surprisingly well.  I managed to review several pieces that I’ve been tinkering with on the mobile device—the mobile version of Scrivener is nice, but it really is limited by the reduced screen.  I've decided maybe my writing isn't quite so bad and sparse as I've been feeling it was.
After the Library closed, I went to the gay bar a block away; I thought I’d write there, but it turned out there was live music (rhythm and blues, I think) playing and tons of folks there, so I snuck into the back lounge and read “Rainbow Warrior,” by Gilbert Baker for a little while.  So far it has some interesting stories, and I wish the prose was amped up a little.

I’m thinking that I will make a stand for the laptop so that the screen is at eye level.  I made a prototype out of a cereal box, but the laptop is heavier than I thought, and the pressboard won’t support the weight.  We’ve got some heavier cardboard that I can cut, and if I’m feeling extra crafty, I might try building a stand out of plywood — I want something light that I can easily fold up and cary around in my bag.  

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