I have a problem. It is a long-running problem. which I haven’t had to think about for a while. but it is now starting to affect me again. Put simply, I have trouble composing on a laptop. Balancing a piece of plastic on my lap and prodding at a keyboard with one finger is not a good way to write. It’s not just the laptop, of course, it’s also difficult to compose when you are sitting in the living room talking to your wife and coping with TV in the background. As a younger man I was able to follow TV whilst reading a book but as I get older my concentration isn’t what it was.
Last night I found myself grinding to a halt. I have haibun and tanka prose to transfer from paper to computer but the task was beyond me. The same goes for blogging. I stared at the screen, I tried a few paragraphs and I decided that even by my lax standards I was writing rubbish. I tried three times. I failed three times. I deleted three times. Then I fell asleep, woke at 2 am and made sandwiches. The sandwiches – herby cream cheese and cucumber, are not quite as bad as the blog, but they are far from my best. I was intending to make a mackerel spread from smoked mackerel fillets, spring onions, herby cream cheese and lemon juice, but at 2am it isn’t just sparkling prose that evades me.
At the moment I am writing this blog post (which will count as yesterday’s post) at work, and will email it to myself. Then I have one to write for today, and hopefully I will manage some poetry too, before everyone arrives. That was the plan yesterday, though it didn’t work out.
Tonight I will spend time making room for my laptop on my normal table and will plug a keyboard into it. Not only will it make it easier to type, but I will be able to divide my time clearly between work (or writing, eBay and procrastination) and relaxation (TV, conversation and napping). It is important to keep the balance between the two parts of my life.
The picture is the badge we sold to Germany today. I’m sorry to see it go, but that’s what I get paid for.
A Yogi Bear badge! I’ve never seen one of those. I used to watch the Yogi Bear cartoons on TV when I was young.
Always makes me smile. It was a Kellog’s giveaway from about 1964, but I don’t remember seeing them
You don’t mention your arthritic fingers, but I imagine they can’t help
It doesn’t help, but as long as I only use a couple of fingers it’s not too bad. 🙂 On a bad day holding a pen is worse than typing.
I am sorry to hear the arthritis is still bad.
The description is worse than the actual situation. It isn’t too bad these days and I can do everything I need too – just more carefully. 🙂
I have my laptop on a desk and propped up on a cunning stand to make it easier to type without cricking my neck. I don’t think I could compose my thoughts into words and watch the TV at the same time so I am impressed that you even tried.
A cunning stand? I didn’t realise such things existed but I just checked Amazon. It seemed a good idea until I realised there are so many of them – too much choice. I may stick with Plan A and just plug in my keyboard.
I feel your pain. My kids can type faster than they think and I just get out my pencil and paper and do my best. xo
This is Jodie, btw. I haven’t been able to figure out why I am still logged out of your account only.
I’m getting used to you lurking. 🙂
If anyone else has suggestions on how to cure it I will happily reset things and give you your name back.
However, my mental arithmetic is often quicker than a kid with a calculator. 🙂