819th Friday Blog Roundup

Last week, when the returns were trickling in at a snail’s rate, I started taking screenshots. I couldn’t keep the numbers in my head, and I spent a lot of time on Wednesday saying, “Have the numbers moved?” Screenshots solved that problem and provided an answer. Because the time was also part of the screenshot, I could start judging how many ballots each state would get through in an hour. I felt in control of something that was completely outside my control.

Of course, we know the answer now so I no longer need these screenshots. But I’m finding it difficult to delete them. They capture a moment in time, and I feel weird tossing them in the trash. But I also need the space on my compiuter.

Maybe I’ll keep one or two. Maybe I’ll just be happy with the results, delete the screenshots, and keep looking forward because there’s still a lot of work to be done.

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It’s Friday the 13th. Remember? Compulsive need to say that every Friday the 13th? Zero clue why.

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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:

• “My Blog Is a Teenager” (The Road Less Travelled)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Infertile Phoenix is controlling what is under her control. She writes, “Some things don’t have a definitive ending. They happen over time and change your life forever. It can take years to figure out how to live again within your new reality.” Yes—all of this. And applying lessons forward is the only thing you can do.

The Next 15000 Days has a quote about the concept of acceptance, highlighting a strange question that really only has one answer. Some things just are. She explains: “Am I OK with being childless? There are many days that I am and there are also days that I am not.” It’s a brief post that will make you think.

Finally, The Road Less Travelled has a post about passing along family heirlooms and the stories that go with them. The post also serves as an important reminder to draw up your will. But the main focus is deciding what to do with those physical objects that have been passed through families. She points out: “If we want people to appreciate the things we want to leave to them, we need to make sure they understand their significance.”

The roundup to the Roundup: What to do with my election screenshots? 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.