A Tale of Two Fails

Have you ever written a post you were so excited to share, only for something from it to end up becoming irrelevant just weeks later?

Yep, that happened to me just now. Twice.

Remember how excited I was to discover how I could download audiobooks to my phone (or Nook) without worrying about my data plan? I had a couple of free audiobooks I had acquired late last summer and finally figured how super easy it was to transfer them to a device with an Overdrive app, and that I could listen to them without an Internet connection! I transferred Sherlock Holmes over to my Nook successfully, but after that, NOTHING ELSE WORKED. I tried my other free audiobook as well as a library audiobook, and I tried transferring to both my phone and my Nook, but nothing happened. It seems Overdrive simply stopped transferring my stuff over after doing so ONE TIME.

I assume that this has something to do with the update Overdrive keeps telling me I need. But the problem is, anytime I try to update it, I can never get the update to come up! Just a browser window set on the default home screen comes up. I tried doing a search on their website about getting the update, but to no avail. I thought about downloading it all over again but chickened out, afraid it might mess something up. So alas, while I enjoyed listening to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (particularly because it’s basically just short stories, so you could listen to like one 30 minute story a day and feel satisfied), it seems that’s my only audiobook option until I can figure this mess out! If anyone has any ideas, please share!

Fail #1 goes to Overdrive.

camp-nano-headerFail #2 goes to Camp NaNoWriMo.

Remember how I was excited for this “camp” in April where I can set my own word goal and I was going to start working on a new story and I asked all my blogging friends who are also participating to let me know their username so I could request for them to be in my “cabin” and we could all cheer each other on as we wrote throughout the month?!

I requested whatever the max amount of friends was, like five or six, and I know some of them requested me too.

BUT NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM ENDED UP IN MY CABIN.

dramatic-chipmunkSeriously NaNoWriMo?! What was even the point if you were just going to assign me to whoever the heck you felt like anyway?!

I considered, briefly, staying with these strangers. Maybe it would be a good experience for me, yadda yadda yadda. But you know, it’s going to be stressful enough without feeling like I have to be accountable to people I don’t know. I only wanted to do a cabin so I could cheer on blogger friends. So I opted out of that cabin, and all cabins, completely. And I decided to take matters into my own hands.

So, if you’re a blogger friend who is participating in Camp NaNoWriMo next month and are interested in being a part of a “group,” regardless of whether or not you’re in a cabin, I have set up a Google + Community for the occasion.  I set it as private because I didn’t want random people finding it and joining it, so either leave me a comment below or send me a Twitter DM with your e-mail address so I can send the invite to you directly. And as long as you’ve “spoken” to me at least one other time and are a blogger, I’ll send one to you. And we can cheer each other on our way, thankyouverymuchCampNaNo!

Have you experienced any “fails” lately? 

16 Responses to A Tale of Two Fails

  1. Oh, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who had that experience with the cabins! I didn’t request the maximum people I could, but out of the the 3-4 I requested, same thing. I’m still thinking about staying in my cabin but I’m unsure right now. I’d love to be in the Google + community though!(I will warn right now that I’m not sure how Google + communities work but I can learn!) My email is stormydawnc(at)gmail(dot)com.

    • I don’t know much about them either honestly, ha ha, it just seemed like a good solution. I’ll send you the invite when I have the chance!

  2. I was also very disappointed when I didn’t have anyone I requested in my cabin. It has been only myself and one other person who have been chatting back and forth in our little cabin forum, so I don’t know what to do.

    I would love to be part of a Google + group for Camp NaNoWriMo, because I am going to need that sense of community to do that much writing next month. My email address is amandamarie5187(at)gmail(dot)com.

  3. I had forgotten that cabins were assigned! I wasn’t paired with ANYONE I requested either 🙁 I’ll stay in my cabin, but I’ll join your google thing as well (if I can figure out how to use it)

  4. Wow, very strange about Overdrive! It sucks it gave you such trouble! Maybe it’s just a glitch that will right itself eventually! Double suck about Camp Nano! I would be uncomfortable being paired with strangers too, so it’s great that you took the initiative to do your own group!

    • I’ve tried several times over a matter of days, maybe even a couple of weeks (I’ve really lost track of time), so if it’s a glitch it’s a long-lasting one! I wish I could figure out the problem!

  5. Oh my goodness, I hope that audiobook app works for you soon. Try contacting customer service! They can be some of the worst people on the planet but maybe the odds might be in your favor.

    AND OH MY GOODNESS CAMP NANO *sobs* I was hoping that I would get either you or Kayla of The Thousand Lives, because I mentioned to you guys I wanted to be part of your cabin; I added you guys too. And then there’s absolutely none of you there in my cabin, I absolutely opted out of it. RAWR

    I just got this sense of uselessness emanating from NaNo. I can absolutely feel you. What was the point of even allowing that option to begin with?

    • Well besides the fact that I have an extreme fear of calling strangers, I also have yet to see a customer support number… hmmmm…

      Yes, it is totally bizarre they would offer the option of us requesting people for a cabin only for them to not honor anyone’s request!

  6. Sounds like your solution of uninstalling and reinstalling Overdrive is probably your best bet – sucks to be so excited about something, only for it to stop working though!

    • I was thinking about doing that, the only concern I had was what would happen with the two books I have downloaded in Overdrive that are mine and not library loans.

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