Category — Friday Blog Roundup

I am getting my COVID and flu shot together this weekend (along with a blood draw!) because I like to maximize my medical center visits. I’m prepared to not feel great for 24 hours, but that’s what Ted Lasso episodes are for.

Go get your shots.

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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.

The Road Less Travelled has a link to the truly bizarre CNN piece for World Childless Week. Not the interview itself, but the graphics that run during the voice overs. You can imagine the conversation—Bill: “I don’t know what to show visually for childless women.” Mary: “Hey Bill, just show normal women going about life, looking normal.” Bill: “Nah, I’ll put a bunch of pregnant bellies and babies. That’s how people will know we’re talking about childless women.” Go watch.

Lastly, also rounding out World Childless Week, No Kidding in NZ states 10 things she learned through childlessness. I really love this: “That I would learn many things from adversity; some good, some bad, all useful.” Go read the whole list.

The roundup to the Roundup: Vaccinations… check! 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 18 – September 25) 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.

It wasn’t until a day or two after our recent dental appointment that we realized the dentist did not give us a take-home toothbrush after our cleaning. How were we supposed to brush our teeth without a toothbrush with his name and practice address embossed on the handle?

Was this like potato chip bag shrinkflation, where they give you fewer chips instead of raising the price? A teeth cleaning only costs a reasonable bajillion dollars, but they were going to withhold the take-home toothbrush at the end to give you less for the same price?

Or was someone just forgetful, the toothbrushes destined for our hands left back in the closet? I can believe that because they cheerfully promised to email me my receipt and never emailed me my receipt.

All I know is that when I brush my teeth right now, I do so with a blank handle.

*******

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.

Swistle gives an update about a friend who brought her husband with her when they went out for coffee (a situation I was super interested in because I once had a friend who did this every time we went out, and it was bewildering), but I actually bookmarked this post for her very calming repetition of “This is not my problem to solve” about someone else’s worry. I need to learn how to do this.

Lastly, The Road Less Travelled posts for World Childless Week, and I like this theme of succinctly telling people everything they need to know about her when it comes to pregnancy loss and her daughter. You can learn a lot from a single post.

The roundup to the Roundup: How will I remember my dentist’s name? 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 11 – September 18) 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.

We are back from the last college drop off. They may end up in graduate school, and I’m sure they’ll move to new spaces and need help, but they’re seniors. This was the last time navigating the dorms and filling their under the bed boxes with backup toiletries and eating a have-a-great-year dinner at a favourite restaurant.

It’s pretty bittersweet.

I remember being sad on and off my senior year. Happy that I felt so settled with my friends. Sad that we weren’t going to be living near each other anymore. Happy that I really knew how to navigate college life. Sad that once I felt on top of things, everything was going to change again. I really loved college, and I’m glad the twins got to have positive experiences, too.

But the end will be hard. Especially not knowing what comes next.

On another note, this really is the 1000th Friday Blog Roundup. See here for the explanation. Happy 1000th Roundupaversary.

*******

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.

Dear John vents about a very frustrating situation with her late husband’s sister, but I loved this thought island in the tumultuous word sea: “I was angrily composing things in my head, and you were on my shoulder whispering ‘don’t bother. Let karma take care of it. Nothing you say will make a difference.’ It’s been a bit since you were actively advising me on anything, so it was nice to feel you with me.” I am so sorry that Dear John had to read his sister’s words and have them in her head.

Lastly, Slaying, Blogging, Whatever… has a tiny post (just 24 words) that intrigued me so much that I read those 24 words maybe 24 times.

The roundup to the Roundup: Happy 1000 Roundups. 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 4 – 11) 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.

Remember back in 2024 when I said, “This is the 1000th (okay, 900th) time that I’ve written the Friday Blog Roundup, a weekly series that started back in 2006,” and I noted that it was really the 900th time because they got misnumbered at some point? Well, the next Roundup really is the 1000th Roundup. It’s kind of bonkers to think that I’ve written this type of post 1000 times. But I guess when you write it weekly for 20 years, that’s what happens.

Happy 1000 Roundups (one week from now).

*******

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:

• “Aufatmen” (Elaine ohne Kind)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Congratulations to No Kidding in NZ for being chosen as this year’s People’s Champion for World Childless Week. The “World Childless Week Champions are people who are making a positive difference for the childless community,” and the People’s Champion is a special designation because it is chosen by the community. Well deserved!

Lastly, Scientist on the Roof writes about back to school, a topic that is on my mind this week. Her oldest child is entering his senior year. She writes, “My cousin, who has 3 kids, all in college or grad school, says parenting has entered another stage: it’s more supportive listening and less giving advice.” Change is hard, especially when everything feels like it’s moving so quickly.

The roundup to the Roundup: Happy (almost) 1000 Roundups. 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 August 28 – September 4) 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 am now the owner of a new coffee maker. Our old coffee maker stopped working, and after some scientific Googling, the Internet agreed it was probably a blocked valve. No problem. I found a tutorial on YouTube, and asked the Wolvog if he wanted to help me fix the issue.

“That looks like an afternoon activity,” he mumbled, half awake.

Or, I decided, it could be a now activity. I first tried to remove the tubing, which ripped because it was about 15 years old and completely dried out. No problem because the local hardware store assured me that if I brought in the tubing, they could cut me new tubing to the same size.

Because the tubing already needed to be replaced, I decided I could cut into it to get to the one-way valve. Big mistake. The piece shot out of the tube and shattered on the floor. My broken coffee maker was now broken beyond repair.

We went out and bought a new coffee maker that night because we could not live without caffeine. It was sad to say goodbye to our coffee maker, but it had a good life. Right? I feel like if I had just opened the tube over a soft surface, I would still have our old coffee maker.

*******

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 proves research correct: When we feel terrible, helping others can make us feel better. She gives advice and guidance to a friend about to go on a trip, pulling in her own extensive travel knowledge. Personally, I would love her to set up my eSim on my next trip. She’s a good friend.

Lastly, Infertile Phoenix celebrates creating the life she wants to live. She talks about the last move: “I didn’t want to do any of it. I did it anyway. And I’m calling this the finish line. I did it. I’m done. I have arrived. It’s time to stop and smell the roses. I created a life I want to live.” I love that. What a gift to yourself.

The roundup to the Roundup: Welcome to our home, new coffee maker. 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 August 21 – 28) 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.