Preserving my childhood dream

This evening, perhaps because I didn't want to work on any assignments at the moment, I chose to convert all my old files from floppy disk to CD. Since I got my new computer, which does not have a floppy drive, I've had my box of floppies sitting next to my desk, waiting to be recovered. It's been on my to-do list for some time, and I actually wasn't anticipating I'd get to them quite yet - but hey, you gotta take advantage of motivation when it comes to you. So I dug out my old laptop, hooked up the external floppy drive, and started transferring the files to my jump drive.

Laughably, all the files on about 20 floppies didn't even come close to filling up my jump drive. However, it took me about an hour and forty minutes to transfer everything, burn the CDs, and convert some of the old files that I wanted easily accessible on my hard drive. I'd forgotten how slow my old computer was, for one thing...not to mention how slow floppy drives are. Ugh.

Some of the old files were simply school work from my first few years of college, before I started saving files on other kinds of media. However, about half of the disks - and the ones I was most concerned with - contained my high school writings: three completed novels, one I was working on when I stopped writing regularly, numerous short stories, and even a couple of high school assignments. All of the fiction I saved not only on CD, but also on my hard drive. I had to convert the files - I used Word Perfect back then, on a 286 Compaq laptop with a two-tone blue screen, for heaven's sake... Anyway, there are a few stories and a novel from my high school days that I want to rewrite and/or edit, so that I can try to publish it. I want the files easily accessible for when I decide to (or find time to, as the case may be) tackle those projects.

Although I really accomplished very little today, except for reading and taking care of Michael, I think that transferring all of those files was a significant accomplishment. Goodness knows, in a couple of years floppies probably won't be accessible at all (if you consider them even remotedly accessible now). Changing the media on which my old writings were saved means that I've prolonged their life and their accessibility. It's kind of like preserving a piece of my dream. (When I get some of that rewritten and published, I'll call that realizing my dream, since those stories represent the height of my passion.)

As for tomorrow (well, today, technically, although it doesn't feel like tomorrow until I've been to bed), I doubt I'll get much more done. I have quite a few things to mail (I sold some of my doll collection that I don't want anymore on ebay), I have to go to the bank, and I'll have to take Michael to his doctor's appointment in the afternoon. I hope to at least be able to finish the little assignment I meant to do today, and hopefully get started on some queries as well.

This entire week may not show much progress, actually, as Michael may be home for most of it, if not all of it. I actually suggested to him that he stay home and rest, regardless of how he's feeling in a day or two. This morning scared both of us pretty badly, and I'd hate for him to go to work thinking he's doing better and just end up in bad shape all over again. Whether he'll take my advice still remains to be seen. Of course, it'll be easier for me to work if he's not here, but I'd rather him be home for the entire week and have an easier time of recovering, than leave me alone for a few days and then end up repeating today's events all over again.

I guess what it comes down to is that if I'm going to get anything done this week I'll have to stop procrastinating and focus a little harder...