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562nd Friday Blog Roundup

I’m not really ready to graduate from Hogwarts. I mean, overall, I’m not a big fan of change. I don’t mind something becoming more, but I’m not really into things becoming different. So Rowling announcing that Pottermore will be completely overhauled and that Hogwarts is essentially disappearing makes me somewhat depressed.

I spent a lot of time taking screenshots of my work.

Like all those potions I made and hoarded.  And my house points.  And my duels.

I took my Pottermore very very seriously.

Last week, I had a night to myself while Josh worked.  I went on Pottermore to say goodbye, but it sort of felt like the last days of college, when you knew you were going to have to leave soon so what was the point in doing anything more?  I spent a little time looking at my virtual books and some scenes.

And then I closed it down to wait for the site to revamp itself like a phoenix.

Oh Fawkes, I’m not really good with phoenixes, either.

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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 in order to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

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And now the blogs…

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

Okay, now my choices this week.

Um… let’s see how well this goes.  I want to highlight two posts, both about Kim Cattrall’s comments about… well… sort of about mothers.

Misconceptions About Conception had the first personal blog post I read on the topic, so it opened the discussion for me.  She comes at it from the idea that words have meaning, and whether it’s okay to apply them to a different definition.

The Road Less Travelled also talks about the feelings that certain words evoke as well as understanding Cattrall without really agreeing with her completely.

Both are thought-provoking posts, and I think Cattrall’s comments open up an interesting discussion on maternal instincts and mothering and ways people can be with kids and not parent.  Go read these two posts and join in the discussion.

Battlefish has a post about volunteering for the Finnish Red Cross.  First of all, I love that the woman called the sorting of items a “work party.”  But it was a sweet image of volunteering with her daughter on her back.  Go read the post and smile (and maybe get inspired to offer out some volunteer hours).

Lastly, Love and Life in the Petri Dish is holding her breath during the first weeks of her pregnancy.  I think the title says it all: “Inside the Mind of a Habitual Aborter.”  She explains: “It’s a tricky place.  I’m trying to balance in the place that all could be ok. Not to start to think it is ok and get my hopes way up, but not to fall into the chasm that it’s hopeless and doomed either. Just stay the middle path.”  I think this post will resonate with a lot of people.  Go send her good thoughts as she finds that middle place.

The roundup to the Roundup: Not ready for Pottermore to change.  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 September 11th and September 18th) 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.

8 comments

1 Lori Lavender Luz { 09.18.15 at 9:01 am }

I’m sorry about your beloved Pottermore….

Thanks for rounding up the Cattrall reads. I heard part of the interview and was wondering what folks might think about it.

2 Charlotte { 09.18.15 at 9:50 am }

I had not heard about the Catrall interview, but I checked out the posts you highlighted. My thoughts are similar to some of the comments, in that being a parent is something you eat, sleep, and breath every day, all day and you can’t turn off. Those without children of their own can’t possibly understand what that is like, and that is not a dig, it is just the truth.
I agree that there is a way to “mother” someone without actually being a mother…much of that is simply natural instinct and love.
But if you can give the child back at the end of a day, or weekend or whatever, and turn it all off, then you cannot call yourself a parent.

3 Sharon { 09.18.15 at 10:57 am }

Wow, I’m flattered to be part of the roundup for a post that mostly was a “quick and dirty” reaction to something I read in my Facebook news feed that struck a nerve. 🙂

4 Kim { 09.18.15 at 1:13 pm }

http://livingnbliss.com/2015/09/18/behind-the-scenes/

In this blog post, I shared how many times actions and photos often have a different story behind them when dealing with infertility and/or miscarriage. We share a glimpse into our lives on social media, sometimes making it seem as though our lives are perfect perfect, but sometimes there is heartache, despair, and sadness hidden behind our smiles.

5 Mo { 09.18.15 at 6:29 pm }

Oh! Thank you for including me, Melissa!

6 Jess { 09.20.15 at 11:50 am }

I’m so sorry about Pottermore! I never got to see it in person, but it is surely something to feel the loss of.

I have two for the roundup that really stood out to me:

http://torthuiljourney.blogspot.com/2015/09/intersecting-roads.html
I love her metaphor, and everything it represents. Beautiful post.

https://inconceivable12.wordpress.com/2015/09/18/running/
I can completely relate to feeling like efforts given aren’t good enough, and that it’s hard to get used to a New Normal. The description of running just wanted me to go out and buy some really supportive shoes and give it a try despite my decrepit knees…

7 fifi { 09.20.15 at 11:50 am }

I’ve mixed thoughts about Kim Cantrell’s comments. Of course being an aunt or mentor, while wonderful in itself, isn’t the same as the encompassing job that is motherhood.
But it is a way of directing motherly feelings in a positive way. And we use figurative language about family relationships all the time. Necessity is the “mother of invention”. George Washington was the “father of his country”. We talk of “brotherly love” and “sisterhood” among people who aren’t siblings.
I don’t think Cattrall was saying she’s literally a mother, any more than Washington literally fathered America. But what she does is related to mothering “in a way” as she says.

8 JustHeather { 09.21.15 at 7:55 am }

Thanks for the mention in this week’s roundup! I’m still trying to figure out what exactly to call a talkoot aka work party…Friends on FB have said “working bee”.

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