Of Early Morning Calls and Sparking Muses by Konnie Enos

 Well, that’s a crappy start to the day. Getting a phone call at six o’clock in the morning is never pleasant. It makes you think there is some major issue somewhere. And I knew this call wasn’t from a family member because I set the ringtone for family members differently than the standard one.

Let me explain.

On Saturday I received a couple of bills from a medical provider in my area. Because of my insurance, I should never be billed, but occasionally someone messes something up and doesn’t bill correctly or somehow submits it wrong. In most cases I can get them to correct the error and take care of the bill however that usually includes fighting with the employee I end up talking to about how I do NOT owe them anything, it’s covered.

I was not looking forward to that phone call but made the effort while I studied the bills. I found it was an error with my insurance before I ever got an employee on the phone. Fortunately, she was excellent at her job and immediately found the issue was with my insurance. We worked together to straighten out the error.

Somehow they’d gotten my primary insurance mixed up with the member ID number of my secondary insurance and I’m not sure they had the ID number on my secondary at all. It took a few, but it was an easy fix.

With the issue fully resolved, I completely put it out of my mind. Instead of focusing on things I still needed to take care of. Like the bills that needed to be paid, the appointments family members needed to get to, or the service the car was due for.

Then there’s yesterday. At some point in the morning, I remember thinking I’d have to spend time that day doing finances and writing my post. I did manage a tiny bit to update my checkbook register but did not finish the task. Between interruptions and distractions, I also did not write anything. I somehow forgot it was Tuesday. Or more likely spaced that I had to write the post for this morning.

Then, late enough in the evening to consider retiring for the day, I got a splitting headache so bad I could not focus on my computer screen. Writing anything was out of the question even if I’d had an idea to write on, which I didn’t. I was seriously considering just going to bed when I remembered that I had a post to write.

I took some Tylenol, which helped a little, but eventually texted Bonnie to warn her that I might have an issue getting a post up. She was not happy with me because apparently I had either not comprehended how late it was or had failed to calculate the time difference. Based on her reply, I’m assuming my message woke her up.

At this point, I decided that sleep was going to help more than medicine so I took the steps needed to shut off my tech and get ready for bed. Though I added the step of resetting my wake-up alarm an hour earlier so I’d have time to figure out a post before it was due.

So, after my alarm woke me up, I wisely got right up and went to the bathroom, no hitting snooze. While I was in there, my phone started ringing and woke Jerry up. He did not find it quickly enough to answer it.

Now, as I said, I knew it wasn’t a family member, and being the senior citizen I am, I’ve grown up with the idea that you do not call people before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. People of my generation tend to think that means there is an emergency when you call outside of those hours.

So needless to say, we’re a bit panicked about who called and why.

I looked at the call log. It was an unsaved number, but clearly a business. I could think of no reason for a business to call at that hour and had to assume they were a call center or something and didn’t comprehend the time difference. Though I still had no idea what company it was from. I wasn’t about to call back at that hour.

They left a voice message.

It was some guy returning my call from Saturday! You know, the one I’d already resolved and completely forgotten about!

I would be a lot more upset if it had woken me up but still, there was no reason for them to call me back, let alone at that hour.

So yeah, a crappy start to the day, but at least it sparked my muse.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

Update: I was wrong, It was a medical bill, just a different one. Though it was still an insurance issue. This time I just had to update my secondary insurance. But seriously? Six o’clock?

Of Fleeting Ideas and Memory Aids by Konnie Enos

About the time I wrote my last post I came up with an idea for this post. Every time I thought about it, I came up with a few lines to start it, but I couldn’t write them down. Since it was always clear to me what I wanted to write about, I wasn’t concerned.

So yesterday, I realized I had to get it written and I opened Word to do so.

Do you want to know what happened?

My idea had flown. I can not even remember what it was or remember the lines. So, I tried my usual tricks to stimulate my muse.

I found some headlines and stories to read hoping it would stimulate an idea. And it worked. I read one story that got me thinking but by the time I’d opened Word the idea was gone, again.

By then it was late last night. My head was pounding for lack of sleep and therefore wasn’t functioning. Yawning and fighting to keep my eyes open is not the best way to try to write. I gave in and curled up to get some sleep, knowing I’d have to wake up early to get my post written.

Now, normally when I lay down to sleep, I can crash right away. I don’t toss and turn. I was already fighting sleep so once I was comfortable, I started dozing off. I could feel my body shutting off to the point only my brain was still sluggishly working.

Do you know what happened?

An idea for my post popped into my head. When I was already so out of it that I couldn’t move. Not to mention it was past midnight and I wasn’t going to get enough sleep as it was.

Of course, that was my last thought before sleep completely overtook me and I remembered nothing more until I woke up for my nightly trip to the bathroom. As usual, just a quick trip and then back to bed but it was long enough for that idea to cross my mind.

I was tired enough to ignore it and crash again. I was back to sleep in no time and remembered nothing more until my alarm went off this morning.

Lately, when my morning alarm went off, I just turn it off and go back to sleep. For at least another hour, if not longer. This morning I had enough sense to realize I couldn’t do this.

I got up and pulled out my computer dreading looking at a blank page and not being able to remember any idea. I also knew I wasn’t fully functioning. I hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

How do I know this?

Because I still have that headache, I’m yawning, and I’m fighting to keep my eyes open long enough to type a few words.

Now I’m sure everyone has heard of ways to keep ideas fresh until you can set down to write them out. Most notably, keep a notebook and pen handy so you have something to write ideas down with when you can’t set down at your computer to write. Something I hadn’t done.

There is also the advice to keep your notebook and pen on your nightstand so you can write those ideas that come to you when you’re too asleep to move down first thing in the morning before you forget them.

Getting your computer out and immediately opening it and your word program is just as helpful at remembering ideas.

Yes, my idea was to write about how I lost one idea for a post by not writing anything down every time I thought about it over the last couple of weeks but got and kept another idea by my sleep-deprived mind’s last-second ramblings. All because this time I wrote it down as soon as I could, which in this case was first thing in the morning.

 I am not recommending sleep-deprived typing. It just makes the headache worse.

Instead, make sure you are getting enough sleep, but do consider ways to retain your ideas. The always handy notebook works if you have time to write when the ideas come. Though if you’re like me they come when you can’t write them down. Like when you’re driving or keeping food from burning. You know, urgent things, like paying bills on time.

I did think about having a voice recorder handy for these times. However, I find it awkward to talk through my ramblings when there are other people around to hear me. I do not live alone. It could work if you live alone though.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

Of Catastrophes and Muses by Konnie Enos

 I was on my computer, not doing much of anything other than avoiding the one thing I know I need to be doing. Writing my blog post for this week.

I finally, and reluctantly, open Word and stare at the blank page. Nothing is coming.

One way to stimulate the Muse is to do a stream of thought so I put my hands on the keys to start typing, something, anything.

I press the keys but nothing happens.

Where is the cursor?

I don’t know but the mouse should be able to get it in the correct place.

I move my finger over the mouse pad. No response. Usually, this means it’s somewhere off-screen and it takes a minute or so for it to track on screen.

I do crazy-eights on the mouse pad. Nothing.

I decide to close Word and see if that helps.

Do you know how to close, well any open app in Windows without clicking the X in the upper corner? Because I sure don’t.

Alright. The escape button should help. Still no response.

Okay, then Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

That did something.

It went to the screen with options to open the task manager. Now I have temporarily lost my mouse before and getting this screen up usually does the trick. I navigate that screen and go back to where I was only now I have the mouse back.

Normally.

This time. I get the screen. Where is my mouse!?

I still don’t know how to click on something without a mouse?

After several attempts on my part, and without even being sure what worked, I get it back to my screen. This time I tried the Window’s button.

I pulled the start screen right up. However, still no mouse.

I still don’t know how to navigate without a mouse? Oh, I also have a complete lack of knowledge of command codes.

Ah! Arrow keys.

Okay, those work but how do you get the mouse to go one column to the left to get the shutdown button.

At this point, I’m getting rather frustrated. Then I remembered Royce, my resident tech guru, often uses Google to find out how to fix problems.

One suggestion was Ctrl+Alt+Delete. We already knew that wouldn’t work. So I tried the other suggestion. There was no response.

Okay. Call in the big guns.

I text Royce, hoping he’s awake.

While waiting for a response, I decided to try everything again, including closing my laptop for a few minutes. Not that it was helping any.

I still could not shut it down or reset it.

Lightbulb moment. Disconnect the power source and it’ll shut off.

I close the lid, unplug it, and flip it over to release the battery.

Problem.

There is no visible way to take the battery out.

Okay, fine! Be that way!

I pick up the phone again and this time call Royce.

He answers with a groggy, “What?”

I explain the issue to him twice. I think the first time he just wasn’t awake enough to understand what I was saying. He eventually arrives in my room, takes my computer from me, taps on the keys for a moment or two then turns it back to me.

My computer was already shutting down.

“How did you do that?”

“Arrow and Tab keys.”

I had known to use the arrow keys in the start menu, but it never occurred to me that the Tab key could get over to the shutdown key.

Okay, it shut down, but did it fix the problem?

Royce wants to go back to bed but I convince him to stay long enough to see if the shutdown was enough to reset it.

He agrees and I turn my computer back on.

It boots back up the log-in screen and at first, it looked no different, including no visible mouse. I’m about ready to tell Royce it didn’t work when my mouse finally showed back up.

Whew! That worked.

It’s working again but it’s already late enough I should be in bed, especially since I haven’t written my post yet and will have to get up early to get it done. There wasn’t much point in trying tonight since I’m, as usual, fresh out of ideas.

I start to close things.

Oh! Oh! Oh!

I open Word and start furiously typing.

Apparently, a minor catastrophe works great to stimulate your Muse.

Maybe now I’ll be able to put some concentration into my school work. I have roughly a couple hundred pages to read before Saturday.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.