My computer ate the first chapter of my book. 

To be more specific, Microsoft Word on my beloved Macbook crashed, and I lost the first chapter of the book I’m writing.  I had been warned that MS Word for OS was less stable than Pages, and prone to crashing. The lure when hearing that Word is the number one industry standard tool for online publishing fueled my compulsion to try writing in Word for Mac OS for the first time. Other than that, I’ve only ever used Word for Mac to pump out a resume, CV, or document that required it, such as a legal service. 

So now, I’m contemplating writing my book on Google Docs (auto save, never lost a document there) or on Pages, and reformating when the time comes to transfer it to an online publishing tool to push it out. 

I suppose that because I hadn’t gotten very far (just a couple of chapters worth of text, really), I am not heartbroken. A 14-day roadtrip percolates a lot of material for its own storywell of eating foibles, near misses, and triumphs. As with many losses, I can move on. 

MS Word ate my initial thoughts, but I’m sure to burp up some new ones about stinging nettles found in the forests of Haida Gwaii and the treatment of arthritis and joint inflammation. 

For now, just let me snuggle my cat for a moment. Our pets don’t solve our problems, but they sure do make it easier to take them on.