Lovely Awkward: A Year of Wine, Romance and Life Among the French

Lovely Awkward: A Year of Wine, Romance and Life Among the French

Thursday 31 March 2011

The writing crisis

Two days ago, I had a horrible thing happen.

For a few weeks, I've had the book files on my computer synchronized with an online storage site so I can work on the book, regardless of where I find myself -- in the South of France, in Canada or wherever. The synchronization means that if I make changes to the file in one location (say, by writing a funny paragraph about making friends with the French), this online thing makes the changes to all copies of that file.

I'd thought this was a pretty fancy, high-tech trick until someone or something started changing my files on the online storage site, which then made changes to ALL of my copies of the files. What were these changes? Complete OBLITERATION!!! Two days ago, I started losing pages from the book, notes from the book, pictures... ALL OF MY HARD WORK!!!

I completely flipped out.

And then, I shut off the computer and went for a long walk in an area where some of the spring flowers have come out.

While on this walk, I came up with an imaginary alternative life plan to calm me down:

Lost-filed, but still full of kindness and hope, I will start taking daily strolls through the hills, along the roads where the wealthy villa owners have just returned from abroad to start gardening and drinking wine in their backyards by their pools. I will eventually meet an old French person who needed help moving some logs or some flower pots, and this French person will decide to be my friend. I'll go over for tea a few times a month. And then, because I'm so charming in my odd Canadian way, this old person (who has no family) will eventually leave me their villa in their will.

Yup.

Luckily, when I got back to the computer, I was able to recuperate a lot of the lost book files. Writing a book is a far-fetched plan for success, but at least it won't have me creeping around the hills of Nice, looking for old people who need help around the house. That idea's not really a plan at all. (READ: If I do eventually make friends with an elderly French villa owner, please don't think I'm doing it by design!)

A small slideshow of the plants that surround the villas:

6 comments:

  1. Writing a book does sound like a good plan. Let's face it, while there is no shortage of old French ladies with villa in the South of France, it may take a while for you to get the perfect mansion with a chambre avec vue.

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  2. You're so very right, Zhu. If I had to pick a mansion, I would definitely want a good one.

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  3. Use an online storage like Mozy AND Google Docs to save everything. Then make copies onto an external Hard Drive AND back that one up as well. It's a bit excessive but you'll rest assured if they all crash the online company should be able to email you your file unless their server goes haywire. Haha.

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  4. Faith: I definitely like the idea of online storage. I guess I just shouldn't sync everything together. Thanks for the suggestions! Maybe those ones will be a little more kind to my files...

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  5. I have to admit that online storage is something totally new to me! I assume you'd have back-up somewhere.

    I suppose you'll have to keep on your daily strolls in search of the perfect villa! Hope the strolls help though - in calming you down!

    Carmen

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  6. Yowzers!!! Maybe it's better to go back to the pen and paper way!! Then again, you have to worry about it blowing away or catching on fire... eep!

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