Armageddon

I have owned one type of computer or another since probably the late 1990's. I can no longer remember the exact specs on that machine, but I believe it was an HP. If I wanted to, I could still go look - I think it's nestled comfortably in my basement somewhere, along with my old teaching lessons and stone-washed jeans. I can't remember if the machine actually died on me or if it was just that time to purchase a new one. Whatever the case may be, I think I still have stuff on it - classroom files, letters, perhaps even a few pictures, depicting my fabuluos big hair - and I mean FABULOUS.

I also currently have another HP in my husband's office that also contains old memorabilia - Christmas letters sent out in the early 2000's, copies of Turbo tax forms, and, yet again, more pictures. Unlike the first HP, however, I know for certain this computer did die. One day it just decided not to turn on anymore. I keep telling myself that eventually I'll take it to this guy I know in town who fixes them and get my stuff off of it, but for now it doesn't seem pressing. I'm sure if I did actually think about it, I'd be more stressed about not having whatever it is that's on it, but when it comes to computers, I tend to forget and, therefore, not panic. Perhaps I'll leave the machine for my kids who can then someday open it like a time capsule and discover the wonderful treasure lay hidden inside its hard drive. Oh what wonderful stories they'll have as they sift through the Gigabytes of meaningless and maybe not-so meaningless crap on that computer.

In the end, I've determined that eventualy I will find myself wasted away in Armageddon-ville, searching for my lost folders and stuff. I'm not as concerned about the paperwork, although for some things, such as the work I've done for this class, the consequences would be monumental. Overall it's the pictures that would cause me the greatest distress if my Dell laptop suddenly crashed. Occasionally, I do do the right thing and back up all my pictures, but now my problem is that I have all these discs with loads and loads of pictures that make no sense. Nothing is organized and, again, I'm sure I will end up leaving all this mess for my kids. After all I've done for them, they deserve it.

In fear of the computer crash, I have devised a second method of backing up my stuff and that is dumping all of it on my school's server. I'm not sure this is the professional thing to do, but I couldn't resist. With access to over 600GB, the temptation was too great. In addition, the school district keeps a back-up of everything, so I am assured of their retrieval if something should suddenly go badly. There are several concerns and fears I have, however, regarding this strategy. First, I have created so many different folders that tracking down my pictures is an endless task. I keep coming across folders whose pictures now date back four years ago. "So that's what happened to my pictures from Mexico!" I can be heard uttering such nonsense all day long. Again, there's more of an organizational issue here than a back-up issue. A second fear is that if for some reason I find myself suddenly "gone" from this place, be it school or the world in general, no one would know to retrieve the files for me. I have mentioned this to my husband but considering the fact that he cannot remember where he put his wallet and keys this morning, I'm not real confident in his retention skills. Finally, my third fear is that one day, out of nowhere, the school district is going to wipe out or demand that we clean up our drives. It certainly seems like a reasonable request. If/When this happens I'll be finding myself eye-deep in folders and pictures that will need to be burned to disc. The only consolation is that being a committed procrastinator, I am used to working under pressure.

Whatever my options, I know suddenly facing a crash would leave me in a tizzy. I suppose like death, I choose not to face it until the time comes. In the meantime, I pray to the computer gods that they continue to show favor upon me. Of course, as Murphy's Law dictates, as well as all the great Greek tragedies, my computer is sure to fail me now that my hubris and confidence has been revealed. As the saying goes, "Pride goeth before the fall," especially when it comes to technology.