Surface Pro 9 Review

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I've been using the Surface Pro 9 for over a week now, although the type cover and pen combo I ordered only just came. After over a week, I feel like I have enough experience with the computer to write up a quick review.

I've used a Surface before, so a lot of it is familiar, and I am finding I like it better than the experience of working on the Lenovo.  It ranges from small things, such as liking the feel of the keyboard better, to preferring the smaller size of the screen (the Lenovo was a much bigger laptop than what I'm used to).  I did order a different kind of case than I used to have.  This case is clear to show the blue of the Surface, with a blue bumper around the edges.  (I feel very insecure about the safety of the Surface without a case, so I've gotten cases for all of my Surfaces.)

One of the things I've had to adjust to is using Windows 11, since I had never upgraded my Lenovo from 10.  I do have 11 on my Surface Go, but since I was using it much differently, I dealt with the differences in the operating systems much less.

One major difference is because I don't keep my writing business files on the Surface Go, so I wasn't familiar with the changes in the file directory.  The file directory in Windows 11 is designed to make you use OneDrive.  The OneDrive documents folder is readily available in Windows Explorer, and meanwhile you have to dig through the directory to find a documents folder that won't automatically sync to OneDrive.  Of course they're doing this to try to get you to go over the 5GB limit for the free OneDrive account, so that you'll buy more storage space in OneDrive.  I'm cheap though, so I did my digging and found the non-synced documents folder, and divvied my documents up between "important enough to store in the cloud" and "I don't use this often so I'll just back it up on flash drive and call it good."

I'm also still keeping my active writing projects in DropBox, with backups on OneDrive.  I like the redundancy of having files stored in two different clouds, just in case something fails.

As for the computer itself, here is a quick rundown:

What I love about the Surface Pro 9:

1) The type cover:

Okay, I'm a writer, so the keyboard will always be one of the top things I look at.  I love any computer that gives me a good, tactile typing experience.  I want clicky keys!  The Surface type cover is nice and clicky, despite the button design.  The Lenovo wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as the Surface type cover, in this respect.  I also really like the fact that with the type cover in the uppermost position has a comfortable slant to the keyboard and a little bit of a bounce when you type.

(Amusingly, I ordered the type pad online, so I did go into a local computer store over the weekend to type on it and make sure I was going to like it.  I assumed I would because I liked my old Surface's type pad, but it was nice to type on it and make sure.  I discovered the perfect way to test a keyboard is by using the browser to go to a typing speed test page.  Why have I never thought of that before?)

I also love that I can replace the keyboard individually if needed.  This is a big deal for me because as a writer, I tend to kill keyboards before any other part of the computer.  I have old computers and keyboards with significant wear to the keys, even to the point of creating holes.  So a keyboard that is completely separate from the computer and easily replaceable is a big advantage for me.

2) The screen:

The Surface really has a great screen.  While I don't love the reflection on a glossy screen, I love the colors and clarity of the Surface screen.  It way outpaces my Lenovo, which was matte to minimize reflection, but had a dim quality, especially when I tried to turn the screen down to conserve battery.  The Surface screen can get considerably lighter and darker than the Lenovo, which is great for working in a variety of lighting.

3) The price:

Did I mention I'm cheap?  I really like that the Surface Pro 9, being an older model, was super affordable.  I don't need the latest tech or the biggest available storage.  I just want something I can write on.  The price varies a little up and down, but seems to be right around $800, depending on the day.  Or, if you care more about speed than I do, there's another Surface Pro 9 for a couple hundred bucks more with a faster processor and twice the RAM.

4) The color:

I'm basically a sucker for anything blue, so of course I got the blue Surface Pro 9, the matching blue type cover and mouse, and a case with blue accents.

What I don't love about the Surface Pro 9:

1) Putting it on my lap

For most things, I love the easel design of the Surface and the 2-in-1 ability to take the keyboard on or off (or to replace it if you tend to destroy keyboards, like I do).  For putting it on your lap, though, the easel design kinda sucks.  Your lap has to be level or the top-heavy screen topples the computer over, and you have to have the easel on your legs.

I used to use a lap desk for this exact reason.  I no longer have that lap desk, as I got rid of it in a fit of Kondo-ing my condo, so I ordered a new one that should actually give me a little more depth than the old one did, perfect for those space-taking easel-and-type-pad combos.

2) The storage space

The Surface also has half the storage space of my old Lenovo, but that's partly because I got a slightly older model Surface to save money.  Granted, I could have gotten a terabyte of storage if I had gotten another Lenovo, so regular laptops probably still have better storage than even the newer Surfaces, but that actually wasn't the most important thing to me.  The only thing I'd need that much space for would be pictures, and I already have a terabyte of picture storage through iCloud.

The Big Picture

All in all, I'm really pleased with my decision to get a Surface this time around, instead of another traditional laptop.  There are things I don't love as much, but they're not dealbreaking things, and they are definitely outweighed by the things I do love.  When it comes down to it, I only got the Lenovo last time because I was in a pinch and needed a computer right away for NaNoWriMo (it was 2020 and we had to host all our write-ins online, and my old Surface was overheating when I tried to use Zoom).  If I'd had more time to choose a computer and more funds with which to buy it, I almost certainly would have gotten another Surface, as I remember looking at them and wishing I could get one.

So I'm happy with my purchase, and looking forward to using my new writing machine!

The Last Day of April's Camp NaNoWriMo

Today is the last day of April's session of Camp NaNoWriMo.  For Camp you set your own goal, and since I thought I could maintain the same pace as during November, I set my goal at 50,000 words.

I am dismally behind.

This image cracks me up.  It's the daily tracker part of the stats page on the NaNoWriMo site.  It does the math and tracks how much you need to write every day to achieve your goal, and shows you how much of that you've written.

And... well, yeah.  There's very little chance I could write that much in one day.  Even if I tried, I'd probably burn myself out and not touch my novel again for months, if ever.  Which is exactly the opposite of what I want to do.

So I'm not too sorry.  I've been writing every day and making good progress, and I like my story and intend to keep writing it.  I'll keep writing during May and June, and hopefully finish up the novel during July's session of Camp.

I'll update later with my final word count for the month of April.  It won't be 50,000, but maybe I can at least get close to 40,000.

Weekly Goals, Week 18: Complicated

When I was looking over my week, all I could think of was that this week looks complicated.

It's also going to have a lot of changes in it.

But first, a review: Last week was busy and productive, even if I didn't get to everything on my list of goals.  I got my new computer set up, which basically took me an entire day, from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed.  I was fairly productive the rest of the week, too, getting lots of writing done on my novel and even working on the garden a little (I'm determined not to let it get out of hand again this year, as it's been basically unusable for the past few years).  I babysat both Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and volunteered at the museum on Thursday.

Friday was my birthday, so starting Thursday evening, I basically stopped trying to be productive and switched into celebration mode.  We had dinner with my mom Thursday night, dinner with friends Friday night, and dinner with my dad Saturday night.  We also saw three movies (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).  It was a good birthday weekend.

This week will be busy, plus a lot is changing.  My husband is looking for a new job, so he's home, and we're planning on working on organization, home improvement, gardening, and doll things when he's not working on his job search.  I'm also juggling all my regular stuff too, mostly working on my novel and my various projects for the museum.  Camp NaNoWriMo technically ends tomorrow, but I intend to keep working on my novel even after it ends; I want to see this one through to completion.

Despite how complicated the week's schedule looks in my calendar, I'm keeping my goals for the week relatively the same:

1. Work on my novel every day (even after Camp NaNoWriMo ends)
2. Work on taxes every day, even if it's only a little
3. Work on museum projects
4. Work on organizing (and gardening!)

I'm looking forward to having some time during the week to work on stuff around the house with my husband, but I still need to make sure I get my other stuff done, too.  In some ways, him not working will give me more work, trying to get both done at once, but I want to make sure I take advantage of the time while he has it!  (And hopefully it won't be for too long.)

Oh, and also complicating things is the fact that my husband's birthday is on Saturday (coolest geek birthday ever, May the 4th be with you!).  So I'm sure we'll have celebrations planned around then too.

Oh well.  All I can do is all I can do.  Hopefully next week will get a little calmer.

Weekly Goals, Week 17: Laptop Woes

I blogged earlier about my laptop's sudden demise last night, when the hinge broke and nearly destroyed the screen when I tried to open the computer.  Right now I have the screen's bezel held together with a kitchen clip, both to keep it together and to serve as a visual reminder not to try to close the computer again.

Of course, this is going to add some unexpected to-dos to my list this week, as I'm going to have to set up a new computer and transfer over all my data, which is so time consuming and tedious.

Last week was a mixed bag.  I didn't meet all of my goals but what I did get done, I'm really pleased with.  I worked on my novel every day from Tuesday (our write-in) onward, so I'm back on the wagon as far as writing goes.  I got some good work done on the museum copy, too.

Unfortunately, I fell off the wagon as far as working on taxes and organizing both go.

This week I have similar goals, with the obvious addition:

1. Set up my new computer
2. Write every day
3. Work on taxes every day, even if it's just a little
4. Work on museum materials
5. Get back to work on organizing

Unfortunately, it's going to be a busier week.  Not only do I have a new computer to set up, but I also babysit tomorrow and Wednesday (only briefly, thankfully, but it's still a few hours out of my day each day) and will be helping go through an extensive doll collection at the museum Thursday morning.  Plus Friday is my birthday, so I expect a few dinners out to take away from my time as well.

All I can do is to get through it the best I can, I guess, so here goes nothing!

Time for a New Laptop

One of the worst things as a freelancer is when your computer dies unexpectedly.  That's what mine decided to do late last night.

Technically, it's not dead-dead, which I'm grateful for because it means I can pull all my data off of it still.  But the hinge on the laptop broke, and the way it broke, it popped the bezel around the screen partway off when I tried to open the computer.  Fortunately, I saw what was happening in time, and we were able to see inside through the broken bezel well enough to finagle it open.  I put a clip on the corner with the broken bezel, to hold everything together and also to remind me NOT to try to close the computer again (I already tried once, out of habit).

But it does mean I need to get a new computer ASAP, because I depend so heavily on my computer, and because I don't want to wait until it is dead-dead.  I could work on my Surface Go, but it wasn't really purchased for the purpose of running my writing business, and I don't think it would hold up well under the increased demands.

A writer's computer is such an important choice because it does have to hold up to so much.  I've found writing is hardest on my keyboard, as I've worn out several during my career as a writer.  This is the first time I've ever had a hinge break on me, but I'm not entirely surprised, given how much I open and close my laptop.  (Plus, after my research last night it appears that hinges breaking is a common Lenovo problem, probably due to weak hinges or poor hinge design.)

So last night I did some online laptop shopping, trying to decide what to get this time.  Another Lenovo was my first choice initially, as I've had this computer for 3.5 years and have been overall very happy with it.  I did change my mind once it started looking like broken hinges are a common Lenovo issue, and not always covered by warranty, since Lenovo blames the user for opening and closing the computer too much.  (Never mind that that's what a laptop is for!)  I am a little concerned about the likelihood of that happening again, and potentially sooner, as I do like my computers to last me at least 3 years.

Ultimately I decided to go with another Surface.  I really liked my old Surface, even though it eventually died due to overheating issues from a malfunctioning fan.  But I liked the weight, size, and especially the fact that the keyboard was a separate piece and easily replaceable, since heavy keyboard use is the usual way that I kill laptops.

My new computer will be here tomorrow morning, and then I'll set it up, make sure I like it, and start the annoying process of transferring everything over.  The type pad will arrive a day or two behind the rest, so for now I'll be using a different Bluetooth keyboard, and switch over as soon as the new one comes.

It's a big change to go back to a Surface as my main computer, after using the Lenovo for 3.5 years, but I'm looking forward to it.  I have liked my Lenovo, and I don't necessarily need the new Surface for its travel capabilities since I do have the Surface Go for that, but I'm hoping it'll be a better machine for me in the long run than another Lenovo.

Weekly Goals, Week 16: Back to Camp NaNoWriMo

Tax Day wasn't really the end for me, as it turned out we had too much to do, so I filed an extension.  I need to promise myself I won't forget about it and will continue working on it regularly, otherwise I'll be in the same boat in October.

I did work on my taxes though, not every day because the week got crazy busy, but quite a bit over the weekend.  Unfortunately I also missed several days of writing, especially over the weekend when I ramped up my efforts to work on taxes.  So last week was kind of a bust as far as meeting goals.

Today we have our write-in, so I plan to jump start my writing habit today.  I also have a few other things I need to accomplish this week, including putting together some copy and images for the museum, and getting back to work on organization.  It's too easy to let those ongoing projects fall to the wayside after a week or two of not working on them.

1. Write every day, even if it's just a little
2. Work on taxes every day, even if it's just a little
3. Work on museum materials
4. Get back to work on organizing

I have some other small projects I want to work on, such as weeding and cleaning up the garden for spring (I have neglected it so badly the last few years!).  Hopefully I'll be able to make some time for that too.

Camp NaNoWriMo April 2024 and Ongoing Plans to Write

We're just over a third of the way through the month right now, and so far I've been able to keep up the habit of writing nearly every day.  There were a couple of days where I didn't write, or only wrote a few words before petering out, but I've largely maintained the habit.

I'd done really well maintaining a daily writing habit last November, but I lost it again in December, and then of course with all of the events of this year so far (my mom's hip replacement, my dad's cardiac procedure, my cat's diagnosis of diabetes, and the doll show), I never made the time to pick it up again.

So it feels really good to be writing daily again, and I hope to continue the habit throughout Camp NaNoWriMo's April 2024 session and (hopefully) beyond.

What's interesting, though, is that I've been writing a completely different story than what I was working on in November (and have been working on intermittently for over a decade).  I came up with the idea for a new story just a few days before Camp started, and decided to run with it.  I knew if I didn't write it now, I wouldn't ever get back to it, so here I am.

It's turning out to be a good story idea, and I'm not sorry.  I feel like it has a lot of promise.

Camp is a much quieter affair than full-blown November NaNoWriMo, of course.  Normally we don't have any write-ins during Camp at all, but we'd talked about starting up a year-round one after the holidays.  After the doll show, with Camp looming, I decided now was the time to do so.  And while it's proving to be helpful, I also feel like a lot of the impetus is on me, since it's only that one write-in once a week.  The rest of the week, I'm doing it on my own.

I'm planning to continue writing even after April is over.  I'll have the weekly write-in to help keep me going, but if I do fall off the wagon again, at least I'll have the next Camp session in July to get me back on track again.

I hope everyone else's Camp NaNoWriMo is going well too!