Swirly Girl

Live

The new site is up, and that's where you can find me from now on!  If you try the link and my site does not come up, hit refresh on your browser.

Five Things

1.  One of my Etsy favorites is Lacuna Works ~ beautiful handcarved journals.

2.  I recently met Brooke Butler of BodyTalk Tahoe at Trust the Mess, and she treated me to a spur-of-the-moment Reiki session.  Brooke has a gift, and is beautiful inside and out.

3.  If you live near Portsmouth, NH, the Teeny Tiny Art Show opens tomorrow at Three Graces Gallery.

4.  One of my favorite Twitter feeds these days is from The Onion ~ they give me my daily giggle.

5.  My BFF is looking for stories from people who have dealt with the loss of a sibling before the age of 30.  Head to her blog My Red Tutu for more details.

100 Books Project :: Salt Lake City

[Book #67, left in Salt Lake City, Utah by Book Fairy Jenica McKenzie.]

The lovely and amazing Jenica McKenzie handled the Book Fairy duties for Book #67 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Here's here story:

August 9th, 2010
Salt Lake City, Utah YWCA
 
"As I pondered where to place this special book one of our favorite parks kept coming to mind ~ one in particular where we like to feed the ducks.  But each time I would think to place it, we'd either forget the book or the camera.  A friend suggested the YWCA, pointing out that as much as you and I sometimes struggle to find joy, there are many women who truly struggle just to make it through the day.  And while we can all use a source of encouragement and inspiration, there are some sweet sisters that need it even more than me.  So I decided to place it in the halls of the YWCA and I know the right eyes and hands will soon have it to hold."

Thank you Jenica!

So

So my external hard drive stopped mounting on my desktop computer for no reason a few weeks ago.  It did not fall on the floor, I did not drop a ten pound weight on it (it was six tops*).  It just stopped.

So I emailed the manufacturer and they said, "No problem!  Send it in and we'll either fix it or replace it."

So I sent it in with multiple post-it notes and emails making sure they knew I needed my data to be saved.  I know this sounds crazy, but because it's a hard drive that I use to back up my data, there's actually data stored there that I have, you know, nowhere else.  On the planet.

So a box arrived on my doorstep from the manufacturer with a new hard drive and the "defective drive", pictured above. 

"Hmmm," I thought.

So I plugged in the new hard drive, expecting to see all of my files intact, and excited because, you know, I've been needing these files during the many weeks it has taken to get this issue "resolved."

So the hard drive icon shows up on my desktop and I do the ole double click to open it up and hear the angels sing, and instead I hear...

Crickets.

Empty hard drive.

So I email the manufacturer, using a lot of CAPITAL LETTERS, asking WHERE MY DATA IS.  And I get this:

"I apologize, but the drive was beyond our ability to repair. The failed drive should have been included in the package so that you can look into professional recovery if you choose."

In other words, "We manufacture external hard drives so that computer users like you can back up and store your precious data.  Until the hard drives stop working for no reason, in which case your data is probably toast.  Good luck!"

So I began to panic, and thought about crying.  And screaming.  And throwing a fit.

And then it hit me:  What's the point?

First off, maybe ~ just maybe ~ there is a magician out there who can pull my data off of the "defective drive" and second, if not, what good will a throwing a fit do?

Sometimes fires burn down homes.  Sometimes thieves break into cars and steal belongings (happened to me in Australia.)  Sometimes jewelry is accidentally flushed down toilets and wallets full of cash fall out of pockets.

Sometimes things get lost, and then we have a choice.  Freak out or accept.  Surrender or resist.

Either way, laughter always helps.

* Joking!  Totally joking!

100 Books Project :: Hungary

[Book #63, left in Budapest, Hungary by Book Fairy Livia Kenyeres.]

I am going to send you over to Livia's blog straightaway for her marvelous story of Book #63.  A little sneak peek:

"For the perfectionist in me, it was a great reminder that it doesn’t really matter if things do not turn out as I want them to. Very often – almost always in life – we are only able to connect the dots looking back at our lives and very rarely in advance. Sometimes we have to relax and let life unfold in front of our eyes. I have to learn to believe in my instincts and my inner-self more often and let my rational self loose a bit."  ~Livia Kenyeres

Thank you Livia, for letting this journey unfold in such a gentle, inspiring way!

Click here to see the full 100 Books Gallery.