Category — Friday Blog Roundup

Yesterday was Super Thursday, which is when many many many books are published in the UK ahead of the holiday season. In case you never noticed, the US releases new books on Tuesdays, and the UK releases new books on Thursdays. I’m sure we have something similar to Super Thursday in the US, though Googling “Super Tuesday” takes you to political articles, but I buy a lot of books from the UK, so I’m particularly excited to read all the book newsletters going out this weekend.

It kind of feels like a big online party for books.

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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.

Infertile Phoenix marks 9 years of blogging. She writes: “Nine years and five days ago I took the plunge and published my first blog post. I had been thinking about blogging for awhile and decided to do it. I was extremely lonely and looking for connection. I hope what I have shared here has helped someone, but I think that what I have received here is exponentially more than what I’ve given.” It’s the same thing that drives a lot of us to set up our site, and I love our little corner of the internet. Congratulations, Infertile Phoenix.

Lastly, No Kidding in NZ has a post about childless perks. She talks about something I hadn’t thought about before: “The thing is, many of the perks that I used to think about are largely irrelevant now that I am older. On a daily basis, my life is not much different to those friends of mine who have children.” While it’s true that lives that diverged begin to look similar again, she still notes a difference and provides food for thought.

The roundup to the Roundup: Perusing the books this weekend. 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 October 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.

I’m not a big clothing-shopping person, but I had such a positive experience at the Boden store (now closed) a few years ago, that I decided to give one of their sample sales a try.

I’ll start with the positive: It’s organized, everything is a flat price (e.g., all dresses are $70), and they have every size. So whether you are a size 4 or 14, there will be plenty for you.

But I sensed while I was standing in line to go in that sample sales were not my thing. The people around me were carrying their own full-length mirrors. That was my first clue that this was not going to be chill experience. I guess I would best describe it as people grabbing armfuls of items (the sale was many many many copies of the same 20ish things from their site, with a few single copies of a handful of items), racing to try on things, and tossing them aside if they didn’t fit. Everyone was lovely, but the whole thing felt like sharks in a feeding frenzy. No joy. Just all-consuming consumption.

It was kind of the opposite of the experience in the store. It’s a bit of a bummer that the brick-and-mortar store is gone.

*******

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.

Infertile Phoenix changed her last name a long time ago in anticipation of having the same last name as her future child. It was a change of heart from her original plan not to change her name with marriage. But a divorce and second name change later, and she comments on how, “Every application, every official form. They all ask for any previous names you’ve had. So I have to acknowledge my kids’ last name until the end of (my) time.” It was just a profound reminder.

The Road Less Travelled posts a picture from the dock of the cottage she was staying at, and it looks like my ideal place. It’s just a good reminder to take a step back sometimes and reconnect with people you like in beautiful places.

The roundup to the Roundup: I learned I am not a sample sale person. 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 26 – October 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.

We decided it was a good time to do a little subscription shedding. It’s partially cost — it’s hard to justify a charge if you barely use the service — and it’s partially maintenance. Each subscription brings a slew of emails telling you about all the exciting things streaming that week or reminding you about all the exciting add-ons you can get. I open all of those emails in case there is something I actually need to know from the service. But I will not have to open an email if we no longer subscribe to the service.

We’ll hop back on a service for a month or two to watch a show, but we’re trying to bring it down to the bare minimum of ongoing subscription services.

*******

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.

I was blown away by this post from Dear John, where she points out how her husband’s craving for external validation brought on a lot of unhappiness. She writes: “I think therapy would have helped you realize that your failures were a product of your willingness to take chances. That your self-doubt should have been cured by your many, many successes … Contentment is what you should seek, because that’s longer-lasting and stable. You wanted the highs, but found yourself far more entangled in the lows.” While speaking to an individual, she so perfectly captures that gap between the external and internal self. It’s a quiet, heart-tugging post. Go read the whole thing.

Lastly, there is a lot to process inside Road Less Travelled’s brain dump. I liked Elizabeth Day’s Magpie, and I wrote on Goodreads: “I have never felt more seen by a book. She captures infertility perfectly. And far from being a painful read, it was like spending time with a friend who got it.” Guess I now know why. And sending a big hug for the big changes coming to her parents.

The roundup to the Roundup: Backups are good. 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 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.

Even though I continued to post a backup reminder every Friday in the Roundup (see below), the truth was that while I was doing some backups, I was not doing others. When I got back from college drop-off, I wrote out a backup plan that I can follow each week, step by step, that covers everything. I have returned to a thorough backup job. It’s a good feeling.

This is a long way of saying that backups are a good idea, but they only happen if you make a plan and follow it.

*******

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:

• “In Conclusion: My Childless by Marriage Commencement Address” (Childless by Marriage)

Okay, now my choices this week.

No Kidding in NZ asks when caring counts. If you say you care but you never express that care towards another individual, do you actually care? She writes, “I understand that others might have limitations that mean they can’t provide the support we want and need. Even after we specifically articulate what we want and need. But being told that ‘they care’ is really irrelevant, if the person in need of support doesn’t feel that.” It’s an important reminder to show that care if you feel it.

The Barreness has a great post about being invited to a book club while waiting for her car at the mechanic. Book club may require quotation marks around the term. Click over to read what happens at the meeting of bog witches.

Infertile Phoenix talks about why it is difficult to recover. She explains, “One of the many reasons why I grieved so hard and so long for my unrealized dream of raising children is the idea that parenting is so pervasive that it’s the default way of thinking.” She gives the example of a frustrating conversation with her mum.

Lastly, A Half-Baked Life writes about deadheading flowers, a term I know but I don’t quite understand what it looks like in practice. She writes: “I guess in some ways it’s a little zen; don’t get too attached to the flowers, let them go, others will come. But it’s hard to be so ruthless when it comes to the things you love, isn’t it?” This line got to me: “It’s all terribly unfair, this pruning process, when we’re so prone to attachment.” I definitely am.

The roundup to the Roundup: Backups are good. 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 29 – September 19) 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.

Just as in past years, I am going to do reruns for a week or two at the beginning of September. The twins are going back to college soon, and I feel myself emotionally burrowing inward. I think about it all the time. It’s the first thing I think about in the morning, and it’s the last thing I think about at night. We’re entering our third year, and I feel the same.

I scheduled posts that you may not have seen in many years (or missed altogether), and I looked in the draft folder and pulled out a bonkers story I never posted. I’ll be back when I feel better.

*******

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.

Apron Strings for Emily has a very moving post, an open letter for World Childless Week to her dog Kirby, who died six months ago. Maybe it’s because Beorn is always on my mind, but this post made me start crying for a dog I never met. I sobbed at this: “Maybe you heard or saw it, but after your last breath, I broke out into sobs. All I kept saying was, ‘My baby! My baby boy is gone!’ I felt my whole world crumble underneath me.” Sending a huge hug over an enormous loss.

Lastly, The Barreness is back with a health update. She needs to be hyper-conscious, and it spills over into every minute of the day. I thought this was profound: “I have found myself looking at people and wondering what it is like to walk in their life, eat what they eat, socialize like they do. I have found myself so much more serious and introspective. I used to identify with Tigger and now I am a cross between Piglet and Eeyore.” Sending a lot of good thoughts to her, too.

The roundup to the Roundup: Super sad about the end of summer break. 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 22 – 29) 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.