Friday, November 02, 2012

Keyboard woes and now great joy

After I killed my wireless keyboard by spilling wine on it (not the first time I've done that), I immediately ordered a new one from Amazon and paid dearly for one-day delivery. It didn't come, though they showed it delivered to my front door at 1:47 p.m. Wednesday. We searched the porch--no keyboard. Called Amazon, and I have nothing but praise for their customer service--at first I got a woman whose English was heavily accented, and I explained I needed someone in the States. After some delay I got a gentleman who was more than helpful.  He refunded the cost of the keyboard plus shipping, helped me order a new one that was more what I wanted (with a mouse--I had worried about how an independent keyboard would work with my existing mouse), and waived the one-day shipping fee when I explained that I had a deadline and I am lost without a full-size keyboard.
Yes, sure, there's a keyboard on my laptop, but I don't type well on it. The smaller size bothers me, but I could get used to that. What I can't get used to is the way the cursor seems to jump from where I want it to be. I'll be typing along and suddenly the word I'm typing is four lines up in the middle of another word (proofreading the little bit I wrote yesterday is going to be fun). I'm sure it's something I'm doing wrong, but I'll be darned if I know what. I try going slowly--still happens. I fear if I had to use a laptop all the time I might never write another novel. As I wrote yesterday, probably a measly 400 words, my thoughts were flying, and I couldn't help thinking if I had my keyboard, my fingers would be flying too.
But tonight I am typing on a new keyboard and mouse. Installation these days is a breeze--install the batteries (they come with it), plug the connector into a USB port, and you're in business. There's an added advantage to getting a new keyboard every so often. I wear the print off my keys, probably something acidic in my system but the white letters disappear. It doesn't bother me much because I'm a touch typist from way back--those high school typing classes were one of the best things my parents every made me do. Others who use me keyboard are sometimes confounded, however.
So I'm back in business and happy. Friends dropping by for a quick glass of wine around seven. Wonder how much I can write after they move on to the dinner date? I'm writing the climactic scene of that novel, and it beckons.

1 comment:

Dr. Rodenberger said...

I had that problem with my laptop until I installed a wireless mouse. That kills the touch mouse and solves the problems of having the cursor bounce around while you are typing. I prefer my old desktop keyboard, but have gone to laptop for convenience.