My computer went kaput. My husband and I were planning to get a new one, but just couldn't find the time, so of course, inevitably, I got a copy editing assignment before I had gotten a new computer.
My husband managed to get one on Tuesday, but didn't have time to set it up or anything, which is a shame, because he can apparently build computers and whatnot. We've been married a dozen years and I just now learned that about him in the past couple months.
I'm fairly computer-illiterate. I mean, I can turn it on and use it, but setting things up, getting my monitors arranged, etc., I'm not the best. And unfortunately, I was unable to do a complete backup of my old computer before it went down, so not everything was in the right place.
My husband had work yesterday, but I needed to at least get started on the project, so I set to work plugging in the new computer and downloading all my things. One of my monitors had a weird cord that I thought was so unique that I might have to get a whole new fucking monitor because I'd be unable to find an adapter. I tried to work on my project with just one monitor, but unfortunately the one with the normal cord was my side monitor, and my chronic pain is such that if I'm looking sideways for any extended amount of time, I will have severe neck pain. So I decided to switch the places of my two monitors.
Easier said than done. My desk is covered with little pieces of paper, notes to myself, passwords for various patient portals and websites and payment portals, mementos from weddings, Christmas cards, etc. I got very overwhelmed because I couldn't decide where to put everything, how to sort it, how to put it away, and was starting to have a breakdown...
But then I had a stroke of genius: I got a little tote bag and put all of the desk ephemera into it to deal with later. Then I was able to switch the monitors. (And it turned out I was able to sort all of the things sooner than I thought I would be, because my computer needed an update, natch.)
I tried working with just one monitor for a bit, but it was a struggle. I have documents that I reference while I'm copy editing, and switching back and forth between them on the same monitor was a pain in the ass and made it difficult to compare things. So I decided to see if maybe we had an old cord somewhere that was somehow miraculously the adapter that I needed. And miracle of miracles, in a ziplock bag labeled "old computer," I found one.
So I plugged in the additional monitor. But then I had to switch the monitors back for better outlet/ power strip efficiency, and after I did that, my mouse would no longer move between the two monitors. And then when I opened the display settings, the window opened on the monitor I couldn't access (mouse refused to move over), so I couldn't adjust the settings. And no amount of googling or scrolling Reddit was able to provide a solution for this specific problem.
So I had another breakdown, but then just unplugged the problem monitor and that fixed it.
I'm extremely proud of myself. I've always had someone else manage the switch when I've upgraded computers, starting in roughly 2004 when I got my first laptop. I've never done it on my own. It took three hours probably, but fucking did it. I did it by myself. And I navigated two emotional breakdowns, plus found a solution the internet couldn't offer.
I was (am) exhausted, and after paring down the previous style sheet to suit the new manuscript, I only got about 10 pages into this 500-page book that's due back May 25th, but holy shit I achieved a lot. Badass alert over here.
