770th Friday Blog Roundup

We don’t have a lot of presents to buy this season. I do not need to go clothing shopping thanks to the uniform. And I get antsy with clutter. BUT… I am totally down with the book sales that go on this time of year. There are usually great e-book sales today, Monday, and then on-and-off until Christmas. Then the day after Christmas.

I have a very intense spreadsheet that I download onto my phone every few days. It contains my TBR list, books I own that I need to read soon, all the e-books I own (and whether or not they’re read), books that I’ve heard are coming out in the future… There are about seven tabs in all. I spent some time this week cleaning up the spreadsheet so I am ready to go when the e-book sale options are listed.

Josh forwarded me this article this week about people who take their TBR list to the extreme. And I do, checking my holds frequently throughout the day because it’s listed for pick up on the library site over an hour before you get the email.

I may not be serious about a lot of things, but I am serious about my book spreadsheet and reading list.

*******

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.

*******

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:

• “Microblog Monday: A Very Good Day” (My Path to Mommyhood)
• “From the Fire” (Infertilityhonesty)
• “Out in the World” (Infertilityhonesty)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Different Shores has a post about how childlessness is often presented as a tragedy–especially to people who are living without children. She asks, “Why are elderly people without children considered so tragic and sensitive? More pertinently, why is it OK to convey this to me and my partner?” She points out numerous ways this same sentiment is conveyed and asks that we retire this false myth.

The Next 15,000 Days has a post about life after cancer. She has a profound opening: After her doctor asks her if she thought everything was going to go back to how it was before the cancer, she explains, “I replied that I actually wasn’t really thinking how would it be – I was too focused on waiting on operation that would cut off the cancer. I didn’t even think that there would be such thing as a scar that would hurt forever.” It made me think about all the times when we’re trying to get through a crisis and we deal with only what is in front of us. How can we even know what will happen afterward until it happens, including how people will act after the fact?

Lastly, The Road Less Travelled follows up last week’s post about her great-nephew with an exploration of the family pecking order. They’re in the best position to help out the new parents. Her niece-in-law describes them as like church mice, “‘hanging around quietly in the background — but they’re always there when you need them.’ Really, could we ask for a better compliment? That’s exactly how we want it to be. We don’t want to be pests, but we do want to be involved, and helpful.” It is nice to be needed and to know that you’re making a difference in someone else’s life.

The roundup to the Roundup: Let the seasonal e-book sales commence! 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 22nd and 29th) 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.