Dear Readers:

My laptop had a total meltdown on Tuesday, leaving me with only my old 8 1/2 year old desktop. Fortunately, I still have almost two weeks until the warranty expires. Unfortunately, the problem seems to be in the hard drive, and it contains a lot of files I can’t easily do without. I’m hoping to be able to hire someone this week to try to copy the data off it before I send the machine to HP for repair. Since money is very tight at the moment, I will be extremely grateful for any contributions, as well as any suggestions for what I can do technically.

Comments are down at the moment, since WP can’t seem to recognize my password (a whole ‘nother problem), which is why I am posting this as bare text, but my e-mail and the PayPal button are working.

Since I’m in the ‘bargaining’ stage of my electronically-inspired grief, I promise more and better posts as soon as I have access again.

Update: (12/18, 1:10 pm)

I found the slip of paper on which I wrote down the WordPress passwords, and am now (obviously) able to post again. The laptop is still dead, or at least ‘resting’, so I have moved this message into this post.

The promised posts on other subjects will begin shortly, as soon as I finish moderating the 351 accumulated comments (3 genuine, 348 spam). I’ve had plenty to say, with little time to say it, but my two-week Christmas break started yesterday, which solves one problem.