Category — Friday Blog Roundup

Our soccer team — Tottenham Hotspur — has been teetering on the edge of relegation for weeks… months?… definitely weeks. We were in the drop zone, then came out of it, and now we’re waiting to see what happens with West Ham this weekend, as well as with our own game. It is all kinds of stress.

On one hand, I keep telling myself that nothing will happen to fans if the team is relegated. It will be harder to watch games in the US, but not impossible. We will continue to cheer for our team and hope they’re promoted back up to the Premier League at the end of next season. And relegation may not happen at all. I could be worrying for nothing.

But on the other hand, relegated teams break up. There is always a movement of players from one team to another, but it will happen on a larger scale if they drop down to a lower league. That’s the part that makes me sad. The idea that we’ll watch the game, but all our favourite players will be on different teams.

It kind of feels like the end of college, where you knew it was unlikely that you would have everyone together in the same place at the same time ever again.

I’m bad with change. I probably shouldn’t have started rooting for a team.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• None… sniff.

Okay, now my choices this week.

Infertile Phoenix noticed something with her clients who have children who move between their house and another person’s home. When their kids are there, they take care of themselves. When their kids are not, they don’t. And she related because she often sensed that having to accommodate a child’s schedule would have motivated her, too. She writes, “I’ve been thinking a lot about motivation lately. Why do we sometimes do what we don’t want to do in order to get the things we want? Why do we sometimes just think about what we want but never do anything differently?” They are great questions because there are plenty of things I want to do but don’t get started, and other things that I have no trouble doing, even though I’m not super invested in the outcome. Food for thought.

Lastly, Scientist on the Roof writes about forcing herself to daydream (vs. distract herself with an audiobook) while on walks. I loved the stream-of-conscious thoughts, and it’s a good reminder to let yourself notice the world around you.

The roundup to the Roundup: Come on you Spurs. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between May 1 – 8) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

Ted Lasso is one of those shows that get better and better with each viewing. There were so many things I noticed the second time I viewed the series, or lines that landed differently the third time through. I’m currently watching the entire series for a fourth time to get ready for Season 4 on August 5.

The world feels really hard. Watching Ted Lasso feels good. They fix their bad choices, apologize for their mistakes, and bring their humanness to every scene.

Will you watch?

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• • None… sniff.

Okay, now my choices this week.

Scientist on the Roof is having major bird drama, and I am here for it. Go pop some popcorn and see who wins. Are you Team Bluebird or Team Chickadee? This made me laugh.

Lastly, it was NIAW, which used to be a huge deal in the ALI blogosphere. Finding a Different Path writes about inclusive infertility awareness. After her former clinic collects thank yous on their post, she writes, “But when I saw comment after comment thanking the clinic for the existence of children, I felt like the narrative was skewed. And of course it is — who is going to thank them for not succeeding?” She did because there is a lot to say about the process itself and your experience on it separate from the outcome. I love this post for everything she points out.

The roundup to the Roundup: New Ted Lasso season in August. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between April 24 – May 1) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

I started leaning toward the “buy now” decision after hearing from people after I wrote the cell phone post (thanks, Internet people!). And then on Monday afternoon, the NYT announced Tim Cook was stepping down. A new twist! Do I purchase now before too much change happens with the new guy? Do I wait and see if the new guy brings better options or prices? Who knows the best move?

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• None… sniff.

Okay, now my choices this week.

No Kidding in NZ’s post made me teary. It’s a beautiful life they have together, and she graciously explains what helps and what absolutely doesn’t help her as they face down a terminal diagnosis. Please go over and read all of her beautiful words: “We couldn’t have it all. We knew that. We couldn’t have children. And we’re not going to have an old age together … But we have had a lot. After not having children, we made the choice to accept it, and live. And our life together is not over yet.” Sending an enormous hug.

Lastly, Infertile Phoenix talks about change. Changing your life DOES take a lot of work. And I agree with her that is why a lot of people don’t do it. Why they stay in unhealthy situations. She writes: “Living in my children’s house without my children was not an option for me. Not if I wanted to stay alive. I am that serious. Staying married when I could be lonely by myself was also not what I wanted for myself. I deserved more than that.” I’m glad she took control and made those changes for herself.

The roundup to the Roundup: Trying to time a phone purchase. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between April 17 – 24) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

Quentin’s first birthday happened this week. He was super confused about our birthday lawlessness (unlimited treats! parsley with breakfast! head rubs all day long!) and now super confused that all of the birthday excitement went away. The best was when people FaceTimed him, and he stood on his hind legs, his mouth half open, staring at the screen with his ears flicking because he kept hearing his name but couldn’t see a person.

Look at this face:

Happy birthday, Quentin Aeneas.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “Unexpected Disclosure” (Infertile Phoenix)

Okay, now my choices this week.

The Road Less Travelled has a very sweet story about a KitKat theft, which was her mother’s favourite candy. She even traveled with her own stash because apparently KitKats are different country to country. I love the idea that her mother orchestrated the heist from beyond.

Lastly, Bereaved and Blessed defines her year with a word every blogoversary, and she is on #19. I want to hear what led to improvising, but nonetheless, go wish her a happy blogoversary.

The roundup to the Roundup: Happy birthday, Q. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between April 10 – 17) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

I woke up Thursday morning feeling terrible. We went to the theater the night before and didn’t get home until late. I didn’t sleep well, and I woke up with a headache. Normally, I would tell myself to get out of bed when my alarm goes off and do yoga, no excuses. But I couldn’t do it.

I reset my alarm for 8 — the first time in years — and then took a pretty lazy morning until my first meeting at noon. It felt so wrong, but I ended up doing better work in that shorter amount of time.

I can’t always take the morning off, but I felt oddly proud of myself for taking care of myself. I feel like I need to leave a post-it note for myself somewhere to remind myself that things will ultimately be better if I give myself the morning sometimes.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “My 11th Survivor Anniversary” (Infertile Phoenix)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Finding a Different Path went glamping, and it gave her space to breathe. She writes, “There is something about going somewhere else, about disrupting your regular routines, that presses a reset button.” Yes. It doesn’t need to be far; it just needs to be somewhere you don’t normally go. I especially loved this post for the “Instagram-view” and the actual view photos — a good reminder about careful angling.

Lastly, Swistle has been struggling with a terrible work situation and finally came to the decision to leave it. It was one of those moments where she kept wondering if she would go through with it, walked right up to the edge, and then did the act and felt perfect peace. There have been posts since about the aftermath, but I loved this one because it’s really about taking care of yourself.

The roundup to the Roundup: Give yourself the morning. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between April 3 – 10) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.