Category — Friday Blog Roundup

I love People magazine; love it with all of my heart. A few weeks ago, Loribeth posted an article that hinted that People magazine may move to digital-only like many of the other magazines in Dotdash’s stable including Entertainment Weekly. It’s not clear which direction it will go, but I think about it every time I pick up a paper issue.

I don’t know if I’d keep reading it as a digital magazine.

While I’ve made the jump to e-books — the pandemic nudged me deep into e-book territory — I haven’t made the same jump with magazines. So I keep watching the news. Please don’t take my People magazine away.

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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.

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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.

Finding a Different Path writes about pronatalism and the housing market. Not just the thoughtless comments of a physical therapist, but the greater question about why neighhourhoods exist that are clearly designed to cater to kids, and neighbourhoods exist that are clearly designed to cater to the retired. But… “There are so many neighborhoods that are clearly made with families in mind (borderless backyards in developments with 8 billion playsets), I don’t really get how you can’t have a small neighborhood (read: 2 dead end streets in the middle of nowhere) meant to attract people without children so you can build a community.” Good question.

The Evolving Engineer writes about being in an emotional hole and how she got herself out. All other tricks weren’t working. It took reaching out to someone who understood and a quick talk to get her climbing upwards. She writes, “When we have people in our lives who not only understand feeling this way but who can help boost us out of the spiral, it changes everything.” Indeed.

Lastly, Bereaved and Blessed is approaching the one year anniversary of her father’s death. Part of the healing process is writing it down and thinking through the moments. She writes, “One year ago today began the last four weeks of my father’s life, though we didn’t know that at the time.” I’m honoured, as a reader, that she is letting us abide with her as she remembers.

The roundup to the Roundup: I love People magazine, and I cannot say that enough. 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 June 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.

Thank you for the birthday wishes. I had a day this week where I didn’t have any meetings, so I took the day off to celebrate, but it was EXACTLY what you expect to happen during the pandemic. The moment I settled down with Beorn to read my book, the twins texted to let me know that school was canceled due to an issue with the air conditioner. So my pyjamas day at home didn’t go according to plan, but it was still relaxing.

Mostly it was all about sleeping-in. That’s what I wanted for my birthday week: more sleep. I live a wild life.

*******

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.

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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:

• “Being an Aunt” (No Kidding in NZ)

Okay, now my choices this week.

The Barrenness writes what we’re all feeling about gun violence: “This is just nightmare on top of nightmare, and then another nightmare.” She writes about her niece, and how children are processing their lack of safety. They should be learning how to share and count blocks and read books; not hide under desks.

Lastly, the Next 15000 Days writes about a wonderful seaside adventure. She wants to write about the rest of life — not infertility — now. She explains: “I have spent 10 years of my life writing a blog about life after infertility. I am glad I’ve been writing about that – it has helped me with the healing. But now I think I am done with it. The infertility took away too much from me. Now I want to focus on the life that I have and enjoy in small things.” Yes to that! And more seaside pictures.

The roundup to the Roundup: Thank you for the birthday wishes. 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 May 27 – June 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.

I marked a bunch of posts earlier in the week, but I stopped reading after the shooting. It is hard to focus. Hard to not feel heartsick every time you go online. Hard to read the news. Hard to not read the news.

There are really no words.

*******

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:

• “Blogjubiläum Nr. 6” (Elaine ohne Kind)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Infertile Phoenix points out how a phrase can be turned around to mean something entirely new. She plays with the words “left behind” turning them from something done to her into a space where she is taking action. And feeling empowered in the process.

Hopelessly Infertile and Surrounded by Fertiles unpacks how even the most open-minded, wanting-to-understand man may not have a deep understanding of women’s bodies. And how there are a lot of men making laws pertaining to women’s bodies who aren’t trying to understand. She writes: “This is why women’s voices and the diversity of experiences within those voices are so damned important.” Yes.

Lastly, The Uterus Monologues writes about why we should talk about a pregnancy before the end of the first trimester. She points out the problem with waiting to tell anyone until 12 weeks: “You didn’t tell people out of some vague notion that this very thing might happen, and now it has you realise you’ve unwittingly cut yourself off from any sympathy or understanding. It keeps you quiet and confounded. It feels a lot like shame.” No, loss shouldn’t have to happen in silence.

The roundup to the Roundup: Heartsick. 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 May 20 – May 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.

Every time you think the world is a dumpster fire and humans are awful awful awful, you see a news story that spins your brain 180 degrees. (I mean, not literally. That would be horrific! Your brain spinning in your skull.)

Apple announced new features coming to iOS including door detection: “Door Detection can help users locate a door upon arriving at a new destination, understand how far they are from it, and describe door attributes — including if it is open or closed, and when it’s closed, whether it can be opened by pushing, turning a knob, or pulling a handle. Door Detection can also read signs and symbols around the door, like the room number at an office, or the presence of an accessible entrance symbol.”

THIS IS AN AMAZING WORLD.

Or live captions, which generates captions in real time that are on the device. So it can tell you what people are saying in a Zoom call or FaceTime call. Or you can use it if you’re sitting in the same room having a conversation. Do you know how life-changing this will be?

People — they’re awful awful awful but sometimes they invent really amazing things.

*******

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:

• “Apparently Friday the 13th Isn’t an Unlucky Day At All” (InStyle)
• “I’m Retiring from Aunthood” (Yael Wolfe)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Grumpy Rumblings shares a post they wrote a long time ago that is still relevant today: the idea of doing something vs. doing more. They explain it as: “People who do something small sometimes get yelled at for not trying to reform an entire system.” If you can’t do everything and fix the entire problem in one fell swoop, then what you did do was worthless. Or worth less.

Bio Girl writes a letter to her son as he enters the teen years. The Internet is amazing because we get to see people grow up and change. In our corner of the blogosphere, we often hear more about life before birth — we know the hope that goes into building the family — so I love hearing about that life continuing. And this line made me weepy: “So whatever your age, I love you in that moment – and I ache, just a little, for all those moments past with my very favorite person. So if I try to pick you up today, just let me – so I can believe I can still hold you, if I really tried.” Yes to life moving too quickly.

Lastly, I love Infertile Phoenix being grateful for what she is not doing — moving. She begins: “I’m. Not. Moving!!! My boyfriend reminded me of this today as we were not packing. I have moved five times in the last six years.” Home is a place and a feeling. I like the twist on the saying.

The roundup to the Roundup: People invent amazing things. 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 May 13 – May 20) 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’s Friday the 13th. I have no clue why I need to say that every time the Roundup coincides with Friday the 13th. As you were.

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The twins finally finished exams. They were pretty giddy by the time the final one rolled around. It was one they had together, so they studied at the same time. I snuck into the ChickieNob’s room to take a surprise photo, which is apparently “annoying” and “distracting.” But they ignored me and allowed me to take a less blurry one of them studying together because they also know that I’m pretty much a mess about them leaving in a year.

The Wolvog had to make a game for the portfolio section of one of his exams, and it’s so much freakin’ fun. It’s a geography game, and I’m terrible at it. But I love playing it while I cook dinner and announcing my low score to everyone. He told me he would put the game online once he gets his grade back.

It feels like everything is speeding up.

*******

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:

• “We Thought You Were Done With It” (A Blank New Page)
• “The Route to Madness” (No Kidding in NZ)

Okay, now my choices this week.

PocoBrat has a post about the Mother’s Day blues; how she feels about this holiday that keeps rolling around on the calendar, year after year. She writes: “For one thing, I did not grow up with this holiday although it is now widely celebrated in India too. And then, I always think the apostrophe should go over the plural version—it feels more inclusive and more in keeping with the socialist and anti-war origins of the day.” It’s a holiday that comes with a lot of baggage.

Hopelessly Infertile and Surrounded by Fertiles also writes about Mother’s Day. She points out that it has grown in size over the years. “I can handle Mother’s Day. One.Day.Of.Mothers.Day. What I find much more challenging was this year’s three day Mothers Day weekend extravaganza.” I also found that Monday became a fourth day, with people asking about Mother’s Day. Without end, indeed.

Lastly, JewishIVF talks about her pregnancy and these last days before the birth. I definitely identified with this: “I might also be channeling my anxiety about everything coming up toward this particular worry – hoping everyone is safe and healthy and that everything goes smoothly with an easy recovery.” Yes, to all of that, may it be an easy delivery and happy first days.

The roundup to the Roundup: Friday the 13th. Exams finished. 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 May 6 – May 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.