Category — Friday Blog Roundup

I know it’s boring to read about someone else’s dream, BUT in my dream, all newscasters around the world had stopped reporting on the news and were reporting solely about what I’m about to tell you. So technically, the dream-you already know all of this.

In my dream, the ChickieNob got a new, lemon-yellow guinea pig named Pepper, which was one of a new breed of guinea pig that were born without hair but covered entirely by the clear side of velcro. So about the size of Quentin when he was three weeks old, lemon-yellow body, no hair, clear velcro. The plastic tips on some of the loops were burnt, leaving a smattering of what looked like black dots through the plastic; hence the very uncreative name of Pepper. (Come on, dream-ChickieNob. You can do better than that.)

But all of that wasn’t what made Pepper newsworthy. What was so amazing about Pepper is that if you lined up a row of normal guinea pigs, all facing forward, Pepper would crawl underneath each one and pause to touch noses (which is how guinea pigs actually kiss) before crawling underneath the next one. And his Velcro body would never stick to the other guinea pig’s fur. Newscasters could not get over this fact. They kept running report after report about how Pepper had crawled underneath another row of guinea pigs.

This is how badly my brain is begging for a different story when I read the news.

*******

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.

A Separate Life took an amazing trip to Egypt, and she brought us along through a post and photographs. I am most impressed that she did the trip piecemeal, pulling together lodging, transportation, and tickets herself. I know that smartphones make a lot of things easier these days, but it’s still a huge undertaking (Cairo is enormous), so I was extra impressed. Click over to see Cairo and Luxor.

Lastly, Finding a Different Path writes about giving away the glider. Goodwill and a consignment shop felt wrong. An individual felt right, but it still hurt to give away an object that was symbolic of a larger dream. She writes: “It doesn’t negate the love that I had for a nonexistent, completely elusive child. But there was something about that glider being gone that reopened a long-shiny scar, at least for a couple of hours.” Sending a hug.

The roundup to the Roundup: Pepper the velcro guinea pig. 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 January 16 – 23) 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 spent last weekend at the beach. We needed a break, but we also learned that the US Fish and Wildlife Service was dismantling the visitor’s center in January in preparation for the moving of the beach in 2027, and this would be the last time to see it. It was the site where the ChickieNob first decided that she needed a pet clam. And while we hadn’t been inside in many many many years, it was still sad to think about its demolition.

It was a little grey and misty on Saturday, and a small section of the building was already missing. But I was able to take a few pictures to remember the building. We found a park that allowed us to look out over the water once they close the current beach. And we ate a lot of ice cream, watched Taskmaster, and read books.

It was kind of perfect.

*******

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 Barreness asks the question many of us think when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror. She captures well the emotions of the moment, too: “It is a strange time we are living in, and being here in the states makes it even more surreal by each hour. I am heartbroken and exhausted and constantly worried about something or another.” I absolutely loved this truth: “Fear presents itself differently in us all.” Sending a hug.

Swistle captures how I feel when the kids leave to go back to college. She writes, “Having all the kids home reminded me that my main job (taking care of all the kids), which has long-since stopped being a full-time position, is ever continuing to diminish—which makes me look around at what is left.” Change is hard.

Lastly, No Kidding in NZ is back from an amazing trip, and she recounts how children mostly didn’t come up as a topic or consideration during their travel. She compares it with another blogger’s trip and wonders what factor made their two experiences so different.

The roundup to the Roundup: Goodbye, visitor’s center. 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 January 9 – 16) 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 was stressing about the fact that three books were all coming to me on the same day from my library holds list, followed by another book the next Tuesday. All four were super popular books, so if I suspended the hold, I would be waiting weeks to get them again.

But then it occurred to me that if you read 5% of a book per day, you would finish it in 20 days, leaving you with 1 day of wiggle room for a 21-day checkout. 5% of a 400-page book is 20 pages, and most books are under 400 pages. I could easily move each book forward by 5% per night, right? 15% seemed do-able.

I checked out the first book and read to 5%. Then I checked out the second book and took it to 10%. Then went back to the first book and brought that one to 10%. I was currently 1 day ahead of schedule! I waited until the next day to check out the third book and bring that to 5%. As long as I always end at the daily percentage goal, I can keep this going indefinitely. Though it feels like 4 books may be my limit.

Take that, library holds 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 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.

Finding a Different Path is on a hunt for delights. I love this as a teaching concept, and while it’s similar to a gratitude journal, there is something different, too. Gratitude is more about acknowledging and thanking the world for a moment. It feels weighty. Noticing delights is more whimsical and speaks to the fact that there are good things in the world, even when it looks like a dumpster fire. And beyond that, noticing them is kind of the point of living. Love this.

Lastly, All & Sundry writes about two visits: one at a care facility and one at hospice. While I was deeply moved by the hospice story, it was a thought she wrote about in the care facility one that was a light bulb moment for me: “What I now understand is that he has trouble expressing things but no trouble at all receiving, if that makes sense. He can often answer questions, he cannot ask them.” The human brain is fascinating.

The roundup to the Roundup: 5% reading goal. 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 January 2 – 9) 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.

Happy new year! May your 2026 be better than your 2025.

I had to do a weird speed-up slow-down thing with reading this week because I finished a book faster than I thought I would, and then had to race through an additional book to make it an even number again. Why an even number? Who knows. But I felt strongly that I needed to close the door on 2025 with an even number in my Goodreads end-of-year review. Though I don’t always put re-reads in that review so the number isn’t correct anyway.

The world is chaos.

But now it’s a new year. 2026. Let’s make it a good one.

*******

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 talks about a general sense of unease, disconnected from any single event. Everything is fine, “And yet, there is a nagging sense of discontent that’s just kind of there. Like a film on top of boiled milk. Like an unpleasant aftertaste that just lingers. I feel like I can’t trust myself. Like I am on a cliff edge but have no idea that I am a step away from a catastrophe.” This perfectly captures how I feel right now, too. Let’s hope that we’re not one step from catastrophe. May all of our fears not come true.

Lastly, Infertile Phoenix talks about recovering from burnout and taking time to rest. This thought stayed with me: “Moving doesn’t get easier. Maybe it gets harder. I was comfortable where I was. I lived there for five years. For four years, I lived in a home that I owned. I won’t be settled like that for a while. But I’m glad I moved.” Doing something more doesn’t always make it easier. Hope we all get stability in 2026.

The roundup to the Roundup: Happy new year. 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 December 26 – January 2) 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.

Many months ago, we were in Deerfield, MA, and we decided that we’d watch The Holdovers during winter break. We had never seen it, though it had been on my TBW list for a long time. Winter break was the perfect time for a holiday movie, right?

So there we were, all snuggled up and ready for movie night, when we learned it had left streaming a week earlier. WHY WOULD THEY REMOVE A CHRISTMAS MOVIE BEFORE CHRISTMAS? That is probably the only time someone would want to watch a Christmas movie.

The ChickieNob quickly pointed out that it was probably in the library (it was) and we could borrow it (we could). Of course, we now need to rig up a way to watch the DVD.

The lesson of this story: Don’t wait to see things on streaming sites because they pull them off.

*******

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.

Finding a Different Path is getting rid of things, which both weighs on and lightens the heart. She writes, “Even all these years later, to get rid of something someone bought us for a baby that never was feels somehow ungrateful. Logically we know that’s not a thing, but emotionally it feels icky.” I get that. Objects hold meaning, including nursing chairs.

Lastly, Not a Wasted Word gives an update on stressful, annoying, and happy things. The change in packaging (and formula?) for a beloved product resonated with me. I don’t do well with any change, but I especially don’t do well when I need to find a new product because a random manufacturer threw a curve ball. The “improvement” is rarely an improvement for the user.

The roundup to the Roundup: Streaming sites confuse me. 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 December 19 – 26) 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.