Hodge Podge: The Sequel

Another post of somewhat random tidbits. Here we go!

Backing up your computer files:

Do you back up files on your computer? Or are you like I was for years, knowing I should be backing up, but not getting around to it...and dreading the day when your hard drive goes kaput, and you lose pictures, documents, and e-mails?

You might want to check out Carbonite, an online backup service. After an initial backup, updated files are automatically saved to Carbonite's servers. It's only $50 a year. Enter offer code "Kim" or "Rush" to get a special deal. (Carbonite advertises on Kim Komando's and Rush Limbaugh's radio shows.)

A little over six months ago I signed up for the Carbonite free trial. About a week later, my computer died. I can't tell you the immense relief knowing I'd saved all those files and pictures. Restoring the files to my new computer was pretty easy.

Some people aren't comfortable using an online backup service. If that's the case with you, look into getting an external hard drive and using it for automatic backups. I like Carbonite because it's so simple, and I don't have to think about it.

Zoodle update:

Zoodle had his six month checkup today. His stats:

Weight: 17 lb. 13 oz. (Yes, Laurel, that's mighty close to 18 pounds, so I'll do the honors for you--You told me so!) 50th percentile.
Height: 17.5 inches. 75th percentile.

As a comparison, Chickie was 16 pounds at six months and 18 pounds at nine months.

Zoodle tried his first solid foods yesterday--smushed bananas. He loved the flavor but still has a strong tongue-thrust reflex, so he didn't actually swallow much of it.



Whoa, that picture makes me realize it's definitely time for me to wax my arms.

(Just kidding, that's my manly man The Engineer.)

Freecyle:

Freecycle allows members to request things they need. I found this post particularly funny:

WANTED: Large, thick, soft foam pieces (egg crate style)
I need foam, like that egg crate stuff you might put on your bed, or something similar to it. I need somewhat large pieces to lodge into my window openings, so it needs to be soft, rather than rigid. I need it to shield my neighbors as much as possible from noise I will be making.

Um...your guess on the "noise" is as good as mine.

For bloggers only...

Backing up your blog:

After my last Hodge Podge post, did you get your blog backed up? Well, thanks to a helpful comment that Megan posted, I'm using a fantastic free blog back up service, Blog Backup Online. It takes about three minutes to set up; then it will backup your entire blog, and perform daily backups. It's free. Do it. Now.

Why are you still reading? Back up that blog.

Backing up your Blogger template:

If you're on Blogger, you'll want to backup your template each time you change it. Just to go Layout-->Edit HTML-->Backup/Restore Template. Save the file somewhere you'll remember it. If your Blogger site is the victim of some bug, you can restore the template without rebuilding it.

Have a great Tuesday!