736th Friday Blog Roundup

Josh and I are back on the healthy-eating wagon, which means that we mostly text each other several times per day and say things like, “Remember crackers?  Remember how good crackers tasted?”   And then we reassure each other that a handful of almonds are just as satisfying and drink our water.

I gave up sugar for over a month.  I didn’t even cheat and have a cookie while I was making dozens of hamantaschen for our friends.  But then we went to Hershey and a gorged myself on York peppermint patties.  That was a bad idea.  I said goodbye to them once we returned home, even though there are still precious patties left in the bag.  And I went back to almonds and water.

But more than the York peppermint patties, I want crackers.

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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 in order 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.  In order to read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “How to Choose” (The Uterus Monologues)

Okay, now my choices this week.

I normally don’t include magazine articles, but I have to start off with The Atlantic’s “The Fertility Doctor’s Secret.”  Holy shit.  And probably not a situation the creators of Ancestry.com (or other connection tools such as Facebook) ever imagined during their early years.  “The children Cline fathered with his patients now number at least 50, confirmed by DNA tests from 23andMe or Ancestry.com … They keep in touch through a Facebook group. New siblings pop up in waves, timed perversely after holidays like Christmas or Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, when DNA tests are given as well-intentioned gifts.”  It’s a chilling read.

Life’s Basic Elegance has a post about conflicting feelings.  She talks about a video she posted, pointing out that it’s possible to be sad and filled with hope at the same time.  “Going through seasons of loss and despair is difficult especially when it seems that everyone wants you to move on. But who said moving on means you can’t grieve, that you can’t cry, or that you can’t express your inner brokenness?”  Both truths can exist at the same time.

Lavender Luz has a post about what happens when you’re ready for open adoption but the grandparents are not?  She gives really good advice about setting up healthy boundaries and establishing autonomy as well as closely examining your beliefs.  I love this sentiment: “You will teach your family about love that goes beyond blood and the myriad ways people can be connected through their lives and hearts.”

Lastly, I have to include Res Cogitatae as a fellow dragon wanter. (There are magical creatures I probably want more than a dragon, though the sentiment is the same.) Especially this: “I stopped looking for the door into the faerie realm, the wizard on my doorstep, the quest to come calling … Deep down, though, I’m still the little girl I used to be, the one who escaped to other worlds when she didn’t want to inhabit her own The one who would have given anything to ride on a dragon.”  Me too.

The roundup to the Roundup: I miss crackers.  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 15th and 22nd) 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.