Category — Friday Blog Roundup

I started leaning toward the “buy now” decision after hearing from people after I wrote the cell phone post (thanks, Internet people!). And then on Monday afternoon, the NYT announced Tim Cook was stepping down. A new twist! Do I purchase now before too much change happens with the new guy? Do I wait and see if the new guy brings better options or prices? Who knows the best move?

*******

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’s post made me teary. It’s a beautiful life they have together, and she graciously explains what helps and what absolutely doesn’t help her as they face down a terminal diagnosis. Please go over and read all of her beautiful words: “We couldn’t have it all. We knew that. We couldn’t have children. And we’re not going to have an old age together … But we have had a lot. After not having children, we made the choice to accept it, and live. And our life together is not over yet.” Sending an enormous hug.

Lastly, Infertile Phoenix talks about change. Changing your life DOES take a lot of work. And I agree with her that is why a lot of people don’t do it. Why they stay in unhealthy situations. She writes: “Living in my children’s house without my children was not an option for me. Not if I wanted to stay alive. I am that serious. Staying married when I could be lonely by myself was also not what I wanted for myself. I deserved more than that.” I’m glad she took control and made those changes for herself.

The roundup to the Roundup: Trying to time a phone purchase. 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 April 17 – 24) 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.

Quentin’s first birthday happened this week. He was super confused about our birthday lawlessness (unlimited treats! parsley with breakfast! head rubs all day long!) and now super confused that all of the birthday excitement went away. The best was when people FaceTimed him, and he stood on his hind legs, his mouth half open, staring at the screen with his ears flicking because he kept hearing his name but couldn’t see a person.

Look at this face:

Happy birthday, Quentin Aeneas.

*******

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:

• “Unexpected Disclosure” (Infertile Phoenix)

Okay, now my choices this week.

The Road Less Travelled has a very sweet story about a KitKat theft, which was her mother’s favourite candy. She even traveled with her own stash because apparently KitKats are different country to country. I love the idea that her mother orchestrated the heist from beyond.

Lastly, Bereaved and Blessed defines her year with a word every blogoversary, and she is on #19. I want to hear what led to improvising, but nonetheless, go wish her a happy blogoversary.

The roundup to the Roundup: Happy birthday, Q. 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 April 10 – 17) 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 woke up Thursday morning feeling terrible. We went to the theater the night before and didn’t get home until late. I didn’t sleep well, and I woke up with a headache. Normally, I would tell myself to get out of bed when my alarm goes off and do yoga, no excuses. But I couldn’t do it.

I reset my alarm for 8 — the first time in years — and then took a pretty lazy morning until my first meeting at noon. It felt so wrong, but I ended up doing better work in that shorter amount of time.

I can’t always take the morning off, but I felt oddly proud of myself for taking care of myself. I feel like I need to leave a post-it note for myself somewhere to remind myself that things will ultimately be better if I give myself the morning sometimes.

*******

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:

• “My 11th Survivor Anniversary” (Infertile Phoenix)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Finding a Different Path went glamping, and it gave her space to breathe. She writes, “There is something about going somewhere else, about disrupting your regular routines, that presses a reset button.” Yes. It doesn’t need to be far; it just needs to be somewhere you don’t normally go. I especially loved this post for the “Instagram-view” and the actual view photos — a good reminder about careful angling.

Lastly, Swistle has been struggling with a terrible work situation and finally came to the decision to leave it. It was one of those moments where she kept wondering if she would go through with it, walked right up to the edge, and then did the act and felt perfect peace. There have been posts since about the aftermath, but I loved this one because it’s really about taking care of yourself.

The roundup to the Roundup: Give yourself the morning. 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 April 3 – 10) 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.

Sometimes I feel sad when I read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland because she has this incredible experience and then has to go back to normal life. It’s one of the things that made me love the Magicians trilogy because Quentin addresses this multiple times: Why did the Chatwin children have to leave Fillory? Which is really why did the Pevensie children have to leave Narnia? Which is just another form of why did Alice have to leave Wonderland.

I recently returned to a project I worked on years ago, and it is exactly like getting to return to Wonderland. My March Hare and Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts are all still working on the project, too, and I get to spend every day down the rabbit hole, remembering past work and thinking about pathways to future work.

I’ve been back to places I’ve left, but most of the people have been different. And I’ve seen people I’ve known a long time in different spaces. But it’s rare that you get to go back after many years and have the people and place together in the same formation. I feel very lucky.

*******

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.

The Road Less Travelled writes about a blast from her past. I have had my own old television show in my head this week, so this spoke to me even though I don’t know her show. I can imagine it based on Mr. Dressup’s connection to Mr. Rogers. But while she may take you down memory lane, read all the way to the end to get her personal connection to the performer. Love that.

Lastly, reading All & Sundry brings you back to the old blogosphere, where posts were raw and either you saw the world in a new way or you whispered, “me too.” She is currently writing about life after her divorce. She explains: “The truth is that it was tough, it still is tough, it’s going to be tough. This is tough and that’s okay. It’s okay for things to be hard because sometimes things are hard. Pain does not automatically mean I did something bad.” She processes her story for herself, but in doing so, she writes in a way that makes people feel less alone.

The roundup to the Roundup: Going back to Wonderland. 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 March 27 – April 3) 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 how I told you that Quentin was burying and urinating on the pea flakes to show me how much he hated them, and then he was grudgingly taking them and unenthusiastically eating them? He has catapulted past gusto into frenzy.

He now stands and watches me move through the room (it’s a little unnerving, to be honest), and if I go anywhere near him, he starts wheeking frantically and will not stop until he gets multiple pea flakes.

I know it’s what I wanted, but now he cannot calm down enough to learn a trick. He is so focused on the pea flakes that he won’t perform any action beyond shrieking for pea flakes. Maybe this is another stage? And he’ll get through this and then calmly consume pea flakes?

On the flip side, at least we know we’ll be able to get rid of 8 ounces of treats.

*******

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.

Scientist on the Roof writes about a parenting fail. After going through middle school with two kids, she finds that she knows enough by now to know what she can skip. But everything is shiny and new for her child, so she has to go through things a third time. It’s hard to be the youngest kid.

Lastly, Infertile Phoenix captures within the personal what so many people are feeling collectively; there is too much upheaval. She is going through too much change, too much uncertainty, too many unknowns, and without the cushion of feeling stable, she can’t catch her breath. She writes about her last move, “I already knew it was going to be hard. I didn’t need to know how hard it was going to be before it even started.” Send her a big hug.

The roundup to the Roundup: From rejection to obsession, a guinea pig’s tale. 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 March 20 – March 27) 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.