So there I was, Friday evening, finishing up working for the day on a work-related project, one that's due at the printer next Friday. It was about 6:00pm, and after a fairly full day at it, I was 34 pages into a 48-page book. I cleaned up my desktop, hit empty trash and got back this prompt:
"You can not erase (such and such) document because it is in use."
WTF?! How did THAT get in the trash? So I opened it up and lo and behold, there was the entire folder of the publication I had worked on all day. I promptly dragged it out of the trash and breathed a silent "Whew!"
Until I opened the folder up and found out that that "empty trash" command erased everything in the folder except the two things I had open: One document and a folder with all the ads in it.
Of course I had a momentary heart attack. Once, years ago, I managed to erase a folder that had EVERYTHING I had worked on for one particular event. Luckily, it was late in the cycle of things and most of it had gone to press, so I had a printed copy. That one almost did kill me, though.
But I gathered my wits--what's left of them these days--and went into my e-mail and rebuilt all the files I needed to start over. By midnight, I had the cover and basic interior publication recovered with all but two of its pieces of art, and 20 pages were done. This morning I did another 8 pages. By the time I go into work on Monday I should be totally caught up. The good news is, the revamped (by necessity) publication is better looking than before. And I learned that there's nothing gained by switching into full-blown panic mode and freaking out. I even took time out for dinner.
The moral of the story? Always look in the trash can before you empty it. I think that carries over into real life, too, and not just a laptop's desktop. You never know what you're throwing out...
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