Monday, August 13, 2012

Monday Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff

It is Monday, isn't it? 
This morning, at 1:30 a.m., I managed to drip hot tea on the keyboard. It wasn't much, but you can guess what happened -- everything went blank and the computer immediately shut down. Thankfully, I was able to reconstruct the appraisal report I'd been working on. (There have been a lot of those lately, unusual for summertime.) But we'd just loaded a huge batch of photos -- and deleted them off the camera. And what about the other reports I'd been working on?
     I mentioned it to the Brick after he got up this morning, figuring that all was lost. He spent the entire morning working on it -- carefully blow-drying each part, and using a thin-tipped brush and tweezers to dry and clean out each area. I still can hardly believe it -- not only did he retrieve all of the data on the hard drive, but he thinks the laptop will be ok. That is, after he can call Google and get the password. (Google apparently assumed that since he pulled the motherboard and fooled around in there, he was trying to steal information. So it won't let him boot everything up.)
     Thank God for grace after you do something stupid. Thank God also for a clever, patient husband who just doesn't take no for an answer. This isn't the first mess he's gotten me out of, computer-wise. But as he pointed out, we're a team. We tackle things together. 
     I am a lucky woman.
    So while I'm kicking myself from one county to the next, you might enjoy sipping from here and there on the Internet. (Don't drink anything else while you're on your computer!!)

Len Penzo's annual 'State of the Sandwich' survey...wherein he analyzes the cost of 10 popular sandwiches. (Warning: the news ain't good this year.) His post on ingratitude at the Olympics is also interesting, though I'm not sure it happened for the reasons he gave. (You'll have to read the post to see what 'it' is.) Maybe nobody had the bucks...

Whether loyalty counts for anything in today's job market...according to One Frugal Girl. (I saw similar happenings when I was laid off from Leman Publications years ago, courtesy of the hatchet man from Rodale. And I wasn't the only one laid off, either -- a good share of editorial got the ax that day, with the same grace and delicacy OFG experienced.)

Why the American Dream became a nightmare. Another finalist in the PF Olympics, this one from Randy Mitchelson of Dailydollarnewsletter.com . Good, thoughtful stuff. 

One of the weirder memory pieces I've ever seen -- necklaces made from your kids' teeth. (Go here for more.)  The girlies would have my head if I suggested this. (Confession: I do have a few of their baby teeth, as well as some elk teeth the Brick gave me, in my jewelry box. Couldn't help it--but I don't WEAR them!)


Need an inspirational pick-me-up? Try this amazing rendition of Beethoven's Piano Concerto, Movement #3, courtesy of Itzhak Perlman and the Berliner Philharmoniker:


(Perlman's fast bow and finger work about the 8 minute mark is awe-inspiring)

A practical look at what being a 'stay-at-home-dad' really means. This one's from Joe at Retire by 40. (He's also my boss; I write for him now at MidlifeFinance.com .

How this blogger healed her son's skin infection -- without antibiotics. (She doesn't trust them.) Looks a bit messy, but hey, if it worked... and I'm all for saving $$ by not having to go to the doctor in the first place!

"I just want to have fun" -- one of the worst excuses for not saving, via Financial Samurai.

And from Penny Thots, my fruity tribute: Peaches....Ahhhh. 

When your parents die broke -- what to do. Sage advice from Liz Weston. Thankfully, we haven't gone through this -- my Hollander father would have been heartbroken to put his kids through this. And because he saved and scrimped and wore the same workclothes over and over, he didn't have to.

Hopefully the rest of the week will go better than the start has. For you, too...

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