Jinxed… And Incredibly Lucky

/ Diane Henders

So, remember how I speculated that Book 18 might be cursed?

Well, here’s what happened this morning:

Yep, that is one seriously fried laptop.

I was in the shower, but fortunately Hubby was just down the hall when he heard a loud hissing noise. It took about 20 seconds for him to think “What the…?” and run to living room. By then, my laptop was belching out enough toxic smoke to fill the entire house.

Luckily it didn’t actually catch fire, and Hubby (my hero) grabbed the smoking corpse and chucked it outside. We’ve been airing out the house ever since.

Another stroke of good fortune (which I prefer to call ‘good planning’) is that I back up my files daily, so I didn’t lose anything except peace of mind and a whole bunch of adrenaline.

But since my back is still too cranky for me to work steadily at my desktop computer, this means another delay while I get a new laptop and set it up so I can work in other positions besides seated at my desk.

Poor Book 18. I promise, I haven’t given up!

But overall I’m incredibly grateful. It’s a whole lot easier to replace a fried laptop than a fried house. So, ’scuse me while I take a few deep breaths (outside, where it isn’t stinky) and give thanks for my staggeringly good luck!

43 thoughts on “Jinxed… And Incredibly Lucky”

  1. Pingback: Still Alive | Author Diane Henders

  2. Pingback: Verbal Diarrhea | Author Diane Henders

  3. I’m sure that 18 will be worth the wait. Sorry your back is no better.

    So glad your man caught it on time and that you were backed up. The company should replace it for free. My stuff is supposedly backed up to the cloud but once a week I back up to a portable HD. Portable SSDs are so cheap now.

    My youngest was sleeping on the couch in the basement with her laptop on the coffee table. She woke up to flamess from the battery. Cant recall what she did as I wasnt home at the time. Anyway, Dell replaced it with a brand new state of the art computer

    Like

    Reply

    • Wow, what awesome customer service from Dell! I couldn’t really complain to Asus about my laptop burning up, though – the battery wasn’t original. The replacement was supposed to be identical to the original, but… yeah. Apparently not.

      I love my portable SSD – it lives permanently in my purse so even when I leave the house, I’ve still got my backups. I haven’t quite taken the plunge with cloud storage, though. It has lots of advantages, but I can’t quite get over the fact that I’m trusting random strangers with my data. Clearly I have issues. 😉

      Like

      Reply

  6. Wow! Scary! Glad he got it out of the house fast. What a mess. The smell should be gone in another six months. Even with a good back up, that a lot of time lost recovering from that.

    Have you considered that there are foreign agents who’ve discovered that your books aren’t really fiction?

    You should add more sensors to your perimeter security … and check for aliens, they may have used that anti-battery beam I’ve heard of.

    Like

    Reply

    • Aha! The alien anti-battery beam! Why didn’t I think of that? If I suddenly go radio-silent, you’ll know that either the aliens, the Men in Black, or the foreign agents have gotten to me.

      Amazingly, the burnt-electronics smell is already gone. We left the windows open all day yesterday and last night, and today you’d never know anything had gone amiss. I’m sure it was Hubby’s fast response that kept the smell from getting into everything. Lucky! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. :O What a disaster – glad you guys are ok. Also glad you do a daily back-up. It sucks when you don’t back up daily as I have found out. Anyway, good luck in getting a new laptop. Hope your back feels better soon.

    Dawn

    Like

    Reply

    • Thanks, Dawn! I’m seeing a new physiotherapist now, and I feel like I’m making progress with my back. It’ll never be as good as it was (funny how a few decades of daily abuse can do that), but I’m hoping it’ll get “better”. Fingers crossed!

      Data loss completely sucks – I hope you didn’t lose anything major.

      Like

      Reply

  8. Wow! I’ve truly never seen a computer that’s been fried. It looks like a small meteor landed on it! What happened, do you know? And does it make you look differently at computers now? You know, like they’re loaded bombs or something? lol

    Hope you find a good new laptop to carry on with the story. I hope my computer doesn’t get any ideas from reading about yours!

    Karen L.

    Like

    Reply

    • Yes, you should probably sit down with your computer and have a serious conversation with it just to make sure there’s no suicide pact in place!

      You’re right about the ‘meteor strike’ – that’s exactly how it looks! It was the battery that fried; and unfortunately it doesn’t make me look at computers any differently – I already knew they could do that. No, I don’t sleep particularly well at night… 😉

      Like

      Reply

  9. I’m so glad you’ve got daily backups! I lost one of my work computers that way once, and the files that I thought were being backed up automatically, weren’t. I lost nearly 8 years of data – nothing earth shattering, but a huge pain in the butt.

    And here’s to hubby for not letting the house burn down!

    Like

    Reply

    • Hubby is awesome! (Even when he isn’t saving us from a potential fiery inferno.) 🙂

      Ouch to the 8-year data loss. Hubby worked for a company years ago that had the same thing happen to them, so I’m obsessive about my backups- I don’t even trust automated systems. I wrote my own robocopy batch file that I run manually, and then each time I check to make sure the files are updated.

      I’ve been teetering on the edge of adding a cloud backup, too; but I just can’t bring myself to do it (yet). Cloud backups seem like a good idea, but I hate the thought of trusting somebody else with my data. Particularly when, if anything goes wrong, they’ll shrug and point to their Terms and Conditions and say, “Not our problem; we didn’t promise you anything.” (Okay, so I’m a paranoid freak. But I’m a paranoid freak with good backups.) 😉

      Like

      Reply

  10. Ouch!Don’t throw it away though, the hard drive is probably fine. At least take that out before trashing it and if you really wanted you could plug it into a hard drive caddy and read it. Malicious people can get stuff off it if you throw it away. I have a houseful of about 50 hard drives I’m scared to throw away!

    Like

    Reply

    • I feel the same way about hard drives! Even after I do a hard format with security erase, I still wonder if it’s really wiped. 🙂

      Today is “autopsy” day. We’ll open up the corpse, and if the hard drive is salvageable we’ll take it out.

      Like

      Reply

    • That’s what I’m thinking… except the fire hazard is so high here right now, I’m thinking more “underground concrete bunker”. Hmmm, maybe it’s time to dig that root cellar we keep talking about. 😉

      Like

      Reply

    • LOL! If only. I haven’t even got to the steamy stuff yet!

      Yes, it was plugged in. We’d had a 6-hour power outage, so it had been charging for a couple of hours this morning. I’m just glad it didn’t melt down in the middle of the night or while we weren’t here!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  16. It’s chilling to realize how close to disaster we sometimes come through seemingly innocuous situations. I’m so glad your hubby caught the unfolding danger before it did worse damage. Maybe you could consider this your sweepstakes luck (that’s what my grandfather called it when he survived a premature blast in the mine).

    Also glad you had your writing backed up. I bet you gave your earlier self a huge pat on the back! (Gently, given the back pain…)

    Good luck with your back, airing out your house, and finding a new computer!

    jenny_o

    Like

    Reply

    • Thank you! Extra luck is always welcome, especially since I feel as though I might have used up my quota for a while. I’m pleased to join your grandfather in “sweepstakes luck” – it sounds as though I’m in distinguished company!

      And yeah, I’m completely anal about backups. Not only do I have two sets of ‘regular’ backups, I also have a complete set of backups on a drive that lives in my purse. Even if I’m away, my backups are attached to my body!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. Oof…is that a battery meltdown?

    I’m a bit wary about leaving my one tablet (Surface Go) plugged in. The screen was separating at the right side, and while I was researching how to reattach it, I saw other posts on the Interwebs saying that they had issues with the battery bulging behind the screen. And sure enough, about mid-screen, the battery is bulging, which is pushing the screen away from the frame. I hate to put out more money for a replacement (it’s the perfect size for home use and travel), and I’m not confident a shop could replace the battery. As it stands, I have to build a new desktop computer for 4K60p video editing that is already going to cost a lot more than I want it to.

    Alongside other backup measures, I save all of my files, on all devices, to OneDrive, so if any or all of them go missing, my files are still stored offsite. And I can resume working on them regardless of which device I’m at.

    Long story short? I hate I.T. 😁

    And all this is aside from work, and still not getting motivated to finish writing about all the rally (mis)adventures from 2022 and 2023, not to mention the rally from a few weeks ago. The faster I go, the behinder I get. 😕

    Like

    Reply

    • I hear you, and sympathize greatly! “One step forward, two steps back” seems like the story of my life lately.

      And yes, it was a battery meltdown – BC Hydro had a planned power outage last night, so the laptop was recharging this morning.

      All these lithium ion devices scare the shit out of me. Fortunately the laptop (and my phone) have lithium ion polymer batteries which (according my electronic oracle, Hubby) tend to fizz and smoke instead of bursting into unquenchable flame the way the metal-jacketed lithium ion batteries do. So I asked him, “What about all our lithium ion power tools?” And he said, “Nope, those ones will catch fire.”

      Hooray. I’ll never sleep again.

      And oh yeah, I hate I.T.

      (Don’t trust that bulging battery – it’s just biding its time, waiting to kill you in your sleep.)

      Like

      Reply

      • Indeed, all of us have batteries in the home, some more than others. I have other tablets, two or three active phones, flashlights, power tools (in the garage), etc., and it’s always a slightly uneasy feeling when I have to charge something I can’t keep an eye on. One of the safer items I have is a portable 120V power unit that uses LiFePO4 (lithium ion phosphate) batteries which are more robust. And I rarely need to charge it, as it charges quickly and keeps its charge until I need to use it again.

        It’s almost embarrassing to say how many devices I have on my home network. (113, per my spreadsheet.) Some are unused/inactive (older items superseded by newer ones) but managing those helps keep my mind sharp. Or, so I tell myself.

        Like

        Reply

        • 113?!? Okay, I’m seriously impressed. Your mind must be sharp as a tack!

          As far as I’m concerned, it’s long past time to make the switch to other battery technologies that won’t burn. I know they’re out there, so I’m hoping it happens soon!

          Like

          Reply

          • Yep, 113, but I do need the Excel spreadsheet to help organize all of them! Many are Ethernet, not WiFi, but it’s at the point now where our $25 tower fans from Costco have WiFi (which is actually handy), as does the floor vacuum/mop for the kitchen (for firmware updates…to a vacuum/mop…yes, I said it 😁). But I do have quite a few that are “dead” like old phones we never use, eight old surveillance cameras I retired (four old, four older than old), IP address allocations for a few of the devices my youngest used in the past, etc. Also, computers, TVs, etc. have both WiFi and Ethernet–I use the latter, but each requires two IP addresses.

            I think most battery technology can be safe, but a lot of it has to do with supplier quality. No-name knockoffs are ones I trust the least. Name brands are not immune (as you found with your laptop battery), but some are better equipped to deal with adverse conditions.

            There’s a YouTube channel called Project Farm, where he tested some off-brand power tool batteries against the name brands. All I can say is…corners were cut, and the results are enough to convince me to stick with the more expensive genuine batteries.

            Like

            Reply

            • Yes, indeed! Hubby has been watching some YouTube videos about guys overseas scavenging good cells from “dead” batteries and re-casing them to sell as new. It’s a bit scary that it’s possible to buy heat-shrink wrap pre-printed with famous brand names.

              And firmware for a vacuum/mop? Now I’ve heard everything. 🙂

              Like

              Reply

  19. OMG! Thank god for backups! ( cause we all know the book comes first
    😉), and that you both are ok ( really you do come first).

    Perhaps book 18 is channeling an evil villain……. me thinks something
    is a foot!

    Like

    Reply

    • I think you’re right! It must be some cyber-conspiracy. (That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!)

      And thanks for your good wishes, for me and for the book. I have to admit, I’ve often wondered whether I’d rush into a burning building to grab my backups if I didn’t have them with me. I’m glad I didn’t have to find out this time. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.