It’s Friday the 13th. Not really sure why I feel the need to write that in the Roundup every time it happens. But I do.

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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…

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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.

Swistle gives some fret updates. I love that term: frets. It perfectly describes those lower-key, time-sensitive worries that either clear up or fizzle out. Unless they move from fret to… what is one step beyond fret? A fret that has become a true worry is a crisis? In any case, I like this idea of noting your frets.

Lastly, Skinny Black Girl has returned and has been writing regularly. I love this post for the image and the sentiment. She writes: “I’ve become exactly who I wanted to be. The woman who lives in her own world, offering only what she’s willing to give. An eye over the page of her latest read. Her back while dancing at a party of one.” Go read the whole post — it’s beautiful.

The roundup to the Roundup: Friday the 13th. 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 November 6 – 13) 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.

Do you remember this absolutely amazing (and brilliantly simple) game from last January? Thomas (the creator) is back with an updated game that works the same way, but now with colourful bars that tell you how close you are to goal.

It is hard to wait to start grouping. Upon opening it, I immediately clicked two blocks together. I wanted to remain firm and wait for the weekend, but tiny peeks at it mean that I’m 18% of the way through.

Enjoy Make Groups.

I consider myself a fairly digital person even though I’m more analog than others. I still take meeting notes by hand, keep a paper journal and a paper datebook, and buy paper books. Writing that, it sounds like I hate trees. Anyway, I work remotely online and often socialize via FaceTime. That feels like a digital life.

I got excited by a list of 50 things you can do to lead a more analog life. But when I opened it up, I discovered that I’m much more analog than I thought. Before I read the list, I would have judged myself to be 80% digital/20% analog.

But I didn’t hit the first thing I didn’t already do until #10. I see sunsets, but I don’t make a point to go outside and watch the sun set. Some of the list is unhelpful — I didn’t need to do 11 – 15 because I find it super easy to not pick up my phone or go on websites — and some was confounding (how are game consoles analog? Why not board games?). But overall, it was a good reminder that some of the basics are worth keeping.

I’m thinking now I’m more 60% analog/40% digital upon reflection, though I got to that answer without any scientific proof beyond the fact that I already do (or already don’t do) most things on this list.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

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It’s a super simple website, but it made me so indescribably happy. You write one good thing in the prompt bar, and it gets attached to a bird who flies around in the trees. And you can click on any bird and read what other people have written. All of the messages are small, happy things, and your small happy thing is flying around, too.

You can feed the birds when you click on them. Look at the four icons; it’s the one on the far left. And you can see how many people catch or feed your bird.

Enjoy.

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Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.

I somehow missed the news about the English-language translation of the Talisman of Happiness, the Italian equivalent of The Joy of Cooking. It’s one of those cookbooks that everyone gifts to new cooks because it covers just about everything.

But I quickly became obsessed with the book due to its annoyingly brief instructions. The translator kept the tone and vagueness of the original text because that was the point. She gives you the basic knowledge to go from ingredients to a finished dish, but you, as the cook, are supposed to adjust it to your taste. Each recipe is a tiny puzzle to figure out, and because so many of the recipes are things I have never eaten, I can play with them to make them into something I enjoy.

We started with her penne alla vodka because I’m already familiar with the dish (it was amazing!), and her spaghetti alla carbonara di magro because it was mentioned in a newspaper review of the book (equally good!). My plan is to write what I attempt in the white space around the recipe so I can keep making it when I land on a version that works. I need a project. Cooking it is.