My Ode to @BulldogBackup

After several years of backing up my computer about once a year maybe periodically, I decided to look into an online, automatic backup system. I stumbled across @BulldogBackup on Twitter and after checking out their website I signed up.

I am so glad that I did. Not only have they always been great to work with, but my computer died this week, taking my hard drive and thousands of pictures, songs, documents, history and dozens of other irreplaceable things with it. I tried to access the hard drive with my new computer... dead.

I would have hated to lose this picture
and about 12,000 or more like it. 

I cannot stress to you how important it is to get an online backup if you have digital pictures or other things on your computer that you wouldn't want to lose. In fact, earlier this week someone I follow on Twitter was very upset for just that reason - all her children's baby pictures were gone because her hard drive died.

I can already hear your excuses...

It's expensive... not really, Bulldog has very reasonable prices. Are your children's pictures worth $6.14 a month? Or $63.27 per year? I think so. And that's for unlimited space. Yes, you crazy picture-taking fool, unlimited.

It's hard to use... no, not at all. Yes, the initial backup took awhile, but the system allows you to throttle your upload and you can pause it if you need to and let it run overnight. Set up was a breeze and once you tell it what to back up, it automatically backs up new files and new revisions to existing documents. It even stores older versions. My system was backed up to right before it died - I didn't lose anything except the things I didn't tell it to backup (like my desktop - doh)

I backup on disk... that's great, but what if (God Forbid) your house were to burn down? Not only would your computer be gone, so would your backups. I think this thought alone was enough to convince me.

And the best part, their customer service is great. I was having problems today with restoring my files, so I emailed them. I got a response back almost immediately. They were very patient and helpful, and ultimately we got my issue resolved with very little hassle.

So seriously, get off your duff and get an online backup service. Do it now, don't wait until you have a problem. Some day you'll be so very thankful that you did it. I recommend Bulldog Backup.

Note: I'm not getting, or expecting, any perks for this post. It really is a great service, and deserves a "shout out" :)

My Group Project Rant

Group projects are dreaded by many A-seeking, hard working college students. Invariably there’s at least one member that you simply never hear from, another who does the bare minimum, often there’s one that just doesn’t understand the assignment and turns in work that’s unusable and then there’s the team leader who, because good grades are important to him or her, ends up doing the bulk of the work herself, or with the help of one other like-minded team member. Perhaps one of the most frustrating things about these group assignments is that they really don’t teach people how to work in groups in a work environment. That appears to be the point, but the concept falls short in many ways.

For some, getting a “C” and coasting through college putting in the bare minimum of effort is fine; they’ll still get the same degree with all “C” as they would with all “A”s. In a work environment a team member can try to coast through, but his performance is not tied to a grade letter, it’s tied to a performance evaluation, raises and even continued employment; and continued employment means paying your bills. So while there are “slackers” in a work setting, the rewards and punishments for poor work are completely different. If anything, group assignments in college teach bad behaviors, primarily that if one doesn’t put forth any real effort, someone else likely will and you’ll still get a good grade. I would argue that it even pulls down the “A” students and makes them question whether putting forth the effort so that others can coast through is worth it or fair. It’s de-motivating and demoralizing, and teaches not cohesive group behavior, but that the only person you can count on is yourself.

In a school environment there is no “boss” and the only recourse the other team members have are peer evaluations, if they’re even used. Some people realize early on that if they don’t do the work others will. Different things motivate different people, and a good manager understands and capitalizes on that, in a work environment. He also understands that some people work very well in a team environment, and others don’t; successful managers know their people. So if there’s anything to be learned from group assignments in college, perhaps it’s that team projects don’t always work out the way they should, and sometimes people get left behind, and that’s ok. You reap what you sow.

So then what happened?

So here I was, feeling all proud of myself.

Mature.

Hello, my name is Wendy. I just turned 39 and I am mature. (Go me! - LOL)

I reviewed my life, determined that I was happy with who I am and let someone back into my world who I was never quite good enough for - my ex-husband. He flew in, befriended me on Facebook and had a few one-sided conversations with me and then...

BAM

He's gone.

His posts on my Facebook page

gone

His profile

gone

This has really left me feeling very conflicted.

Did the girlfriend say x-nay on the x-wifay?

Was Facebook just not for him?

Does he not have the courtesy to say good-bye?

Was I once again lacking in some undefined way?

Was he disappointed to find me happy, hearty and actually able to talk to him as an equal about more than one topic?

Am I just petty or too sensitive? Yeah, maybe.

Maybe he'll sweep back in one day and I'll get to feel all mature again and can ask him.

Until then I childishly feel like I wasted some of my maturity on him - LOL.

But it begs the question- do we secretly hope that once a relationship ends the other party ends up sad, desolate, alone and miserable; cursing the day they let you go? And if we cross paths with them at some later date are we proud to be happy and perhaps quietly disappointed to find that they are too?

So I guess this is just another piece in my social networking series, and further proof that blogging helps you get stuff off of your chest so you can move on.

Have you seen the real me?

So, with social networking on the rise the question is if we'll all soon have to decide whether to have both a public and a private identity or not. It's something that's occurred to me in the past and I think I mentioned it here. How once you let people know you have a blog your blogging becomes more and more limited. I mean really. Not that I want to rant about anyone in particular (at this particular moment - well ok maybe just a little...) but every once in awhile I could write a really good rant and get things off my chest, but can't because it might cause a firestorm.

So, the question becomes can you be just one person for everyone in your life - parents, spouse, people at work, your boss, your employees, you children - or is there a need to draw lines in the sand and at least attempt to segregate your lives? And even if you wanted to, could you really pull it off? Have you ever Googled yourself? Crazy stuff comes up - some of it very scary. So even if you did make two identities for yourself online - on Facebook and Blogger for example - how long until you're outed? Except for the occasional photo *cough* or comment would it really be so bad?

It's an interesting dilemma. One of the unintended effects that the Internet may have is forcing us to be who we are. Period. And with that, accepting our friends, family, co-workers and children for who they are as well. Perhaps it'll broaden all of our minds. It may be a painful process, but maybe it's necessary and long overdue. In the end, I think it has the potential to make us all better people.

Or I'll just give in and rant anyways. :)

Christian Worldview Economics Integration

The United States has found itself in a tremulous economy over the last two years. Perhaps in an attempt to forestall the downward slide of things, Americans elected a President in 2008 who wants to take the profits of small-business owners and “spread the wealth around” to those with smaller incomes (Bandyk, 2008). So it may be a good time to discuss whether it is society’s responsibility to redistribute property and wealth to make things more balanced.

I would agree that there is some responsibility inherent upon every man to try to make life more balanced for everyone. There is a standard of living that should be readily available to every single person on earth; a roof over their head, clean water to drink and enough food to sustain them. I would also argue that everyone should have certain resources within their grasp and that a strong moral framework is imperative to making the world a better place to live.

The Old Testament has been used as a moral compass for entire civilizations for several millennia. Written between the 10th and the 2nd century BC, it is the cornerstone on which Judaism and Christianity are built (Upshur, Terry, Holoka, Goff, & Cassar, 2002). While neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament (collectively called”The Bible”) contains a chapter specific to economics, it does offer some advice in the form of parables and stories. However it seems that the Bible references to wealth most commonly used suggest that it is inherently evil.

Long has there been division between economics and Christianity because of it. The clergy is one example, giving up all worldly possessions in service to God. Christian Charities abound, offering food, clothing and shelter to the poor. At no time is a Christian a better example, it would seem, than when they are helping those less fortunate than themselves. After centuries of discussion and rampant interpretation of the books of the Bible, there is still an implied shame upon those who are “rich”.

Can there be no common ground between Christianity and economics? Surprisingly there seems to be a movement, at least in some quarters, towards compromise. “Christians today need to place the modern world within a narrative of faith,” suggest the authors of Economic Theory and Christian Belief (Britton & Sedgwick, 2003, p. 291). Yet another article suggests that one must put the teachings of the Bible into perspective of today’s world where the common man does not herd sheep or own an ox. “What does this mean about my behavior in my life today?” the article asks (Blank, 1992).

At least half of the Bible is thousands of years old. Even the New Testament was written many centuries ago. Were it not a religious book, but a historical one, there would be no question that the stories told within are not always relevant to modern day situations. Just as the story of the tortoise and the hare suggests that “slow and steady wins the race” suggests a moral guideline to follow, so does the Bible (Aesop). I believe the most prolific advice the Bible has for living a moral life is in the form of the Ten Commandments from The Book of Exodus. Short, sweet and to the point, these ten items pretty much sum it up for those of faith.

Even if one does not believe in the Christian God and disregards the first four commandments as irrelevant, the rest of them are solid advice to all of mankind; regardless of whom or what they believe in. Religions have been the basis for morality since the beginning of time. Each religion suggests, at a minimum, a philosophy on how to live one’s life and offers a reason for doing so; whether that reason be the lure of Heaven, the threat of Hell, the promise of reincarnation or a means to break the cycle of life, death and rebirth (Hopfe & Woodward, 2009).

The Eastern religions of Sikhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism and Shintoism tend more towards introspection, right living and balance between man and the universe. The four tend to believe that man is intrinsically good by nature, and that outside influences are evil. All of these religions are more a way of life or a philosophy than a religion.

Sikhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Buddhism and Hinduism all have aspects of karma and reincarnation to them; it would seem to be the common thread between them. In addition, each of these religions suggests a way of life, and often a structure of government, such as the caste system of the Hindus and the feudal system suggested by Confucianism. These religions are all very spiritual, with emphasis on universal energies and natural flows. While rituals are a part of some of these religions, there is much focus on the inner man, finding ones place in the universe and on moral living.

Each of these religions, or ways of life, suggests a moral standard to live by with salvation left to man to obtain though his own actions and choices. Regardless of whether one believes in one God, or many, or none, or chooses to believe in the energies of the universe, karma and reincarnation, and looks forward to Heaven or a final release from life or something in between, there is a common thread of morality and choice. Is “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” very different from “what comes around goes around?” Each of these religions would suggest not.

So why would it be hard to reconcile what would seem an almost universal agreement to live a moral life to economics? The short answer is greed; the proliferation of it as well as the fear of it. Bible parables suggest that rich men have little hope of getting into heaven, but it seems grossly unfair to equate wealth to damnation. Does the gain of wealth break the commandment “thou shalt not steal? (Holy Bible)” No, the gain of profit in business, by either enterprise or individual, does not imply that anyone was robbed.

The primary goal of a corporation is to maximize shareholder value, however this does not and should not mean that it is the only goal of a corporation; nor does it alleviate the company from ethical, moral, legal or environmental responsibilities. During the last few decades companies have learned the hard way that unethical, immoral and illegal behavior can destroy a company. If there’s no company, there’s no shareholder value. Yes, managers should grow a company, but they should do it the right way. Profits and social responsibility are not mutually exclusive.

In a perfect society everyone would have the same basic privileges; shelter, food and water. Just as salvation is typically considered up to the individual in the spiritual world, financial security and opportunity are up to the individual in the material world. One makes one’s own destiny. Those willing to work for a better life should be entitled to it. Those unwilling will at least have the basics.

Perhaps one of the best examples I have heard of redistributing wealth is the Mormon food bank system. I am not Mormon and confess that the bulk of my understanding of Mormonism is based on one friend and her family. We have had many long talks about religion and society over the past few years and I have gained a respect for her and her church through the process. While I would balk at giving ten percent of my income to charity, Mormons do it every week. They also make a specific point to save up to a year’s worth of food in their homes for use during an emergency or when times get rough. Times like the recent recession.

Another facet of the Mormon religion is what resembles a private welfare system. Food, counseling, employment services and other facilities are made available to Mormons with the intent to make them more self-sufficient. The food is provided by Mormon owned farms and the services volunteered by other members. In the middle of modern day society, rampant with greed and selfishness, there exists a society that at least attempts to redistribute property and wealth to balance the material and spiritual lives of its followers. With the country in a recession, the program has seen a twenty percent increase in demand over the last year, but has “seamlessly” kept up with demands (Kuruvila, 2009).

Motivated by faith, it appears to me that the Mormons have done what the premise of this paper asks is possible. Whether I believe in all of their teachings or not, I believe that in this they have been a silent role model. So perhaps it is faith that is missing from the economic models of today; and with faith comes moral values. As society pushes ever forward revealing all of the mysteries of life with science, promoting and rewarding selfish behavior, ridiculing old fashioned values and beliefs and discarding the values of our ancestors I believe we are moving further away from a society where things can be balanced, but I do believe it’s possible, if we just have faith.

References

Aesop. Aesop's Fables.

Bandyk, M. (2008, October 16). Capital Commerce. Retrieved August 16, 2009, from U.S. News & World Report: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2008/10/16/did-barack-spread-the-wealth-obama-just-blow-the-election.html

Blank, R. (1992). What does the Bible say about economics? Retrieved August 16, 2009, from Progressive Christian Witness: http://www.progressivechristianwitness.org/pcw/pdf/Blank_Economics.pdf

Britton, A., & Sedgwick, P. (2003). Economic theory and Christian belief. Bern, Oxford Peter Lang.

Holy Bible.

Hopfe, L. M., & Woodward, M. R. (2009). Religions of the world, eleventh edition. VangoBooks.

Kuruvila, M. (2009, March 9). Mormon food bank a private welfare system. Retrieved August 16, 2009, from SFGate.com: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/08/MNP1168NEP.DTL

Upshur, J.-H. L., Terry, J. J., Holoka, J. P., Goff, R. D., & Cassar, G. H. (2002). World History Before 1600: The Development of Civilization, Fourth Edition. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth.

Again with the religion.. Oy!

Integrity is very important to me, as are truth and ethics. I try very hard not to be a hypocrite, as that's a real pet peeve of mine as well. However, I feel that much of society today is self-centered and seems absolutely unaware of those around them. I believe that a lot of this has to do with the erosion of faith in communities. I am not a very religious person actually, but as mankind has focused more on science, disproving old notions and ideas and trying to uncover every little secret the world holds, there has been a departure from religions as a whole and the moral values that they teach and enforce. As man has determined that there is no God, or that the rules don't apply to them the free-will we have been gifted with has slowly evolved into an attitude that we can do whatever we want with no repercussions. I am not here to promote any religion over another, but one thing that almost every religion fosters is "right living" and suggested consequences for failing to live "right". Without religion there are no rules, laws or not, because life is short. I actually believe in Karma and reincarnation, thus I am convinced that I am here to learn lessons and those that I fail to learn this life I will revisit again in another until I get it right.

In the artwork and symbology of the 21st century there's a focus on man being alone or solidary. By forsaking God in our lives we've made ourselves alone in a way unlike any of the prior periods. With religion comes a sense of belonging and community; being part of something bigger than oneself. The prevalence of sexuality and violence, I believe, stems from that as man searches for meaning in all the wrong places.

So you might ask me... "Wendy, if you believe all this, why don't you go to church?" Good question. Sadly for all that I believe that religion provides a very important aspect to humanity, I also believe that many of the religions are corrupted and have lost sight of what their mission should be. That and I have yet to find a religion that I can embrace without reservation.

Forgiveness

I strongly believe that we live multiple lives. We’re tasked with learning lessons in each life, relearning lessons that we didn’t or refused to learn in prior lives, until ultimately we become a “perfect soul”. This isn’t meant to imply that there are “perfect” people, but that there are some people who could be best described as possessing an “old soul”. Edgar Cayce reportedly had some theories on this topic that fall in line with what I believe, but I confess I’ve yet to read them. My mother had told me about them years ago. She also said she felt that I’d been her mother in a prior life, to which I thought I’d often felt like her mother in this life as well.

But I digress…

So, believing these things I’m conscious about the lessons I believe I’ve been tasked with learning in this life and have come to fear that forgiveness is one of those lessons. And I’m having a really hard time learning it. The worst part is, I’m pretty certain if I don’t learn to leave it now when my forgiveness would be granted for relatively small offenses, that I’ll be forced to learn a much harsher lesson either in this life or the next. Do you suppose maybe my residual anger and lack of forgiveness comes from things that happened to me in a prior life? That might account for some of my reluctance or resistance to learning this lesson. Hand in hand with my beliefs is also the idea that we also tend to be around the same souls in multiple lifetimes. Much like my mother’s idea (often stated actually) that I’d been her mother in a prior life.

Mark Gungor suggests that holding on to anger is much like drinking poison in hopes of killing someone else. He has a point. Don’t you hate it when someone knocks you down from your self-righteous pedestal with logic?

Actually I wonder if it’s not so much a tendency not to forgive, but a reluctance to trust that people won’t hurt you, so it’s easier to simply move on rather than give them a chance to hurt you again. That would explain my rather strict rule about not being friends with ex’s (I’ve never understood that). As Miranda on Sex and the City said once, “it didn’t work out, you need to not exist”. I’ve always said that I’m a complete Miranda. Besides, if the offending party who hurt you isn’t around, there’s no need to determine whether you forgive them or not, because you don’t have to deal with them either way. I rather like that. Of course, I have done the occasional Google search in the hopes that one certain ex has been run over by a train or publicly flogged or stoned or something. But since I have no real opportunity to run him over with my car, I don’t have to spend a lot of time worrying about whether I’ve forgiven him for being a complete jerk or not.

So yeah, I suppose I should work on my forgiveness skills, but for now I’ll limit it to people I’d generally not want to hit with my car. Hey, it’s my lesson, I’ll learn it at my own pace…

It looks so bad... but it tastes so good!

Let's face it, sometimes the best tasting food - if examined - is pretty gross. Take greasy tacos for example - heaven! But they're often pretty gross looking and let's not even talk about how bad they are for you. But to eat... sooooooo yummy!

So this morning I made corned beef hash for Father's Day breakfast. As I emptied the can of hash into a frying pan Ginger, the Lab, looks at me as if to say "Mom, I appreiciate the effort, but

you can feed me my dog food straight out of the can."

Let's face it, it does look like dog food. It pretty much smells like it too, but it's our guilty pleasure breakfast food. We don't have it often, but sometimes it really hits the spot. Again, let's not discuss calories or fat content, shall we?

I used to think that I liked to be somewhat informed on the world around me, but you know, I really don't. Take McDonald's for example. They now have nutritional information on the side of a Big Mac box and on the side of fries! If I wanted to eat healthy, I wouldn't be at McDonald's!! Do I really want/need/care to know this stuff? NO!

So I shall enjoy my guity pleasure food, say "yeah yeah yeah" to the voice in my head that suggests that it's not good for me and will only go to my hips, purposely ignore the nutritional information on items that should never advertise that information and eat salads every day for lunch to make up for it. Informed? Nah, I like living in my little box. Besides, my husband makes great salads :)