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.

computer woes

My computer worked fine all day until about5:30 when the wireless keyboard didn't react; changed batteries, hit the connect buttons, and it worked fine. But the cursor had disappeared, so I did the same with the wireless mouse. It worked fine, but then the keyboard wouldn't. I never could get both of them working at once. Finally gave up, disconnected everything, and began working directly on the laptop which powers all the others. I have an emergency email out to Brandon, my computer guru son-in-law, but I think it may be time for new wireless equipment. Meantime, this will be a short blog because I have a hard time with the keyboard on a laptop. I so much live with and by my computer that I'm pretty helpless--and very frustrated--when it doesn't work perfectly.
Today I almost felt retired. Had a morning meeting with the author of our lead title about publicity but he came to the house, which was convenient. I wrote up my notes about the meeting, did a few office emails, and decided I could devote the afternoon to finishing the mystery I was reading. Such fun.
Instead of going out this week, I invited Betty here for dinner. Fixed chicken salad with a green goddess dressing--to my memory that recipe calls for anchovies, mayonnaise, avocado, and I don't know what else. I can see the recipe clearly in my mind--it was out of a newspaper and my mother sent it to me long ago (that's often the thing about me and recipes that I'm looking for--I can visualize what they look like, what kind of paper they are on, even the picture if there is one). But I couldn't find it. The recipe I did find in my appalling collection made no mention of avocado, so I served the chicken salad in an avocado half for each of us, accompanied by green salad and fruit salad. It was tasty, though by the last few bites of chicken salad I'd had enough anchovy--and I usually love the stuff. And with wine the meal pushed me over my daily points.
So here I am, overfed and mad about my computer and ready for a break.