Pretty much everything is a dumpster fire right now. I don’t know if it needs more brain power or commentary than that, so… onward!

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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:

• “Living Inside Stories” (Torthúil)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Infertile Phoenix unpacks some uncomfortable confessions that were dumped on her lap. She writes, “I have been deemed a safe person to whom they confess their most personal thoughts.” Usually about (you guessed it…) children. Some awkward overshares and other touching moments.

Lastly, I really loved Finding A Different Path’s post about self care. I both roll my eyes and feel I need to prioritize self-care. And I adore the self-care items on the to-do list, most of which were actual self-care (sleep-in) vs. fake self-care. Putting this out there in case you need a reminder.

The roundup to the Roundup: Things are just not great. 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 February 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.

Television feels like an all-or-nothing thing. Either we have too many things we’re interested in seeing, or there is zero that feels worth watching over reading a book. But right now, we’re at the start of a “too much we’re interested in” moment after a long dry spell.

We’re currently finishing Fleishman Is In Trouble, which I didn’t love at first, but which I’m glad I gave a chance because the later episodes are fantastic. And we’re watching Hello Tomorrow, which I love so much that my heart hurts.

Other things I want to see:

• Three Pines (out now)
• The Reluctant Traveler (February 24)
• Ted Lasso 3 (March 15)
• Schmiggadoon 2 (April 7)
• The Afterparty 2 (spring)
• Big Door Prize (spring)
• Empire of Light (movie)
• Ripley (no release date)
• Good Omens 2 (no release date)
• Moonflower Murders (no release date)
• The Other Two 3 (no release date)
• The Palace (no release date)

What are you excited to see or watching?

I am really hoping that the trend of traveling with your parents continues for the next 10 – 20 years. I wrote 10 and then felt ill thinking about only having 10 years of trips ahead of us before the twins ditch us, so I extended it to 20. But in all honesty, I hope they’ll take me with them forever.

They are my favourite people to travel with. I mean, yes, Josh, too. But the twins are funny and clever, and they know interesting things, and the Wolvog is amazing with a map. Or even without a map. He somehow instantly memorizes how to get from A to B and gets us there.

They told me they’d continue to travel with me, mainly because they know we’ll stay in a good hotel. But I also know that I probably said the same thing, not imagining that I’d end up being okay with hostels and that airfare is cheap when you’re a student.

So the trend is exactly what I want. I just kind of wanted it to start later when I needed it.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

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I feel so seen. Lifehacker gave seven reasons to hoard Bonne Maman jars. Only seven? I can give you at least fifty because I often have to trot out my reasons when Josh insists that we have too many teeny tiny jam jars, and this needs to stop.

I am currently using three to test a self-watering plant system that I rigged using a wicking string. If it works well, I’ll need many more for the rest of the plants. I make salad dressing in one every night (put on the lid and shake). I drink out of them. Yes, they are spilling out of cabinets, but how does one get rid of them when they’re so cute?

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Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.

I was sad to hear the news about Jimmy Carter. While Bill Clinton may have been my first vote that counted, Jimmy Carter received my first vote in the elementary school Weekly Reader poll. I gave him my vote because I loved peanut butter and heard people calling him “the peanut farmer.” It made perfect sense in my brain that a second term for Jimmy Carter would be the best situation for the country and ensure that I had continual access to peanut butter, pretty much the only thing I ate at the time.

I cried hard when he didn’t win despite his strong support from my elementary school class. My dad told me that this wouldn’t be the first time the person I wanted to win would come in second, which is how it sometimes happened with elections. I remember that every time I go to vote.