Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Sacrifice the limb to save the life

I'm going to be MIA around here for the next week or so.

I received a reminder yesterday that due to my old photo storage site shutting down, the first five year's worth of my journal entries will become the internet equivalent of a boat anchor in about four weeks. That's when the storage site (that I have faithfully paid for, every single month, since November of 2003, not that I'm freaking BITTER or anything) is being shut down and all my photos along with it.

I thought I had dodged this bullet by upgrading my storage site, but I found out this week I had not.

The photos have actually been saved, but they will disappear from my blog forever if I don't manually change the url addresses of almost two thousand photos ... one by one .... by hand .... individually .... manually .... yes, I know you know what the word "manually" means, but I feel the need to drive home the point. Do I really want to spend several hundred hours poring through my archives and changing each address? No, no I do not.

So at this point, I feel my options are threefold:

1) Accept that the blog entries themselves aren't going anywhere and learn to live with almost two thousand little red x's, where the photos for the last five years should be.

2) Accept that this blog has run its course, do nothing, and shut down the site. Then spend the time I normally spend writing here doing other things (Blaine: "Kristie, let me introduce you to the vacuum cleaner!" .... and relieving myself of the anxiety I feel when I have nothing to blog about.

3) Accept that I need to be a little more proactive about transferring my content over to a site of my own before it is all deleted. This is the option I am most seriously considering, but I have to get all my ducks in a row, so to speak, before I can move forward with this plan.

So excuse me while I spend the next few days (FINALLY! This is what I get for procrastinating .....) transferring the remainder of my blog archives over from Caringbridge. And hope that the web design team I'm consulted can really and truly save everything as easily (although not cheap ...) as they say they can.

I don't want to quit blogging. I enjoy doing this. I consider it my personal journal and love the fact my children's childhoods are being documented in this way.

But I have to be realistic about the time and money I'm willing to put into this. This is not a business blog or a blog for money or a blog for ads or a blog that really accomplishes anything besides for my own pleasure .... its just my silly little personal blog. For now, I'm sacrificing the limb (updating for the next week or two) in the hopes I can save the life of the blog.

Please excuse the absence.

31 comments:

Jennifer said...

I'm not sure how Caringbridge works but you might be able to do a find and replace. I work as a front end developer and frequently have to change out urls and if you do a find and replace it will do the whole thing for you and it will only take a few minutes.

Kelly said...

Hmm...what if you just printed out the blog into a hard bound book? I know people who have done that? That way you don't lose it...and you have a cool book (or 20) for the kids to look through 50 years from now. I think the site to do this is www.blurb.com. I plan on doing this one day for my kids.

Anonymous said...

You seriously cannot quit!

hyzymom said...

Oh Lord above... you can't quit blogging... I look forward to you every morning! :o)

I like the idea of a book as well...

Rosemary said...

I'll miss you while you're gone. Good luck with the mission!!!

Lisa C. said...

Please don't quit blogging.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't have the first clue about how to do any of what you face. While you're away, I will be sending good thoughts of fast progress to you!

Bridget

Anonymous said...

The nice part of me says (sincerely) - good luck with transferring everything! Your pictures are too good to lose!!

The selfish part of me says - No! You cannot quit blogging!! I love reading your blog!! :)

Mary Z

René S said...

Good luck. I hope it is easier and less expensive than you anticipate!

Anonymous said...

No preasure.....
but you have to know how reading your blog has gotten me thru some of my lowest days. Our kids faced the unthinkable at such a young age. Knowing I could come and read how you were managing to do it, helped me get thru it. I struggle with expressing how I feel about my son's cancer journey but can read your enties and feel my own thoughts in your words. I have been addicted ever since.
Thanks for that support.
I hope your family stays well and all this mess works it's way out and we still have a cyber blog buddy in you for a really , really long time!
moose's mom in philly

cakeburnette said...

You cannot quit blogging! I will subscribe to it if you want! ;)

lynne said...

Please don't quit blogging your's is a wonderful voice of sanity, wit and humour in this crazy, online world. We'd miss you.

Lorie in Atlanta (Justin's mom) said...

I will miss you!! Good luck in transferring over everything and please don't shut down; I check in with you every day :-) Your wit and your observations have brightened many a day for me.

Claudia said...

I have read your site for years...please don't quit!! I don't think that is really what the point of your post was, but I wanted to let you know that there is one more person who really enjoys reading about you and your family.

Anonymous said...

That stinks that you have to change all of the URLs. Please don't quit writing though! I always save your blog to read last each day because it is my favorite (even over Dad Gone Mad!)

Jessie - B.Town WA

Anonymous said...

One of the highlights of my day is reading your blog.... Please don't quit blogging!

You ought to try SmugMug for your photos. Get the $60 a year package and you can upload as many photos as you want.

Kristi near KCMO... a longtime reader

krueth said...

oh gosh! I dont' blame you one bit for wanting to save your photo's. I will miss your blogging, I love to check each day to see what you have to say and get my laugh of the day....so no, you cannot quit....ha! Good luck with your project...Wendy

Sandie said...

Is it time you starting using ads on your site? Do people really make any money doing that? Though I am a avid blog reader, I don't know much about it-- only that it seems some of the blogs I read are obviously endorsed by blogher or whatever. Is that worth it?
Just don't quit on us!

Anonymous said...

I reiterate everyone else...I look forward to your blog! I would totally check out that whole "find and replace" thingy that Jennifer mentioned...

Praying for an easy solution for you...

And by the way, your blog IS NOT a "silly little personal blog." It lifts the spirits of readers each day.

Why, advertisements for Sonic and Diet Dr. Pepper should account for something!

Hope it all works out!

Kate said...

I love your blog! But only if you're loving it as well! In a creepy twist of fate, Facebook suggested that I "friend" you the other day. How does facebook know I read your blog!? Ahhhhh......

Dianna in Louisiana said...

I have one word for you Kristie..... ADVERTISEMENTS..... even the Pioneer Woman does it!!!!! I know that you have been against it in the past, but I hope that you'll at least throw that into your choices when considering expenses. In any event, please, please, please, PRETTY PLEASE don't stop blogging all together.......

Melissa in CA said...

You are totally excused...as long as you come back!

Anonymous said...

Please, please, please don't stop blogging! I would miss you so much!

Meg from Americus,Ga

Marisa said...

Goodluck with your project and I am with all the others. I look forward to reading your blog everyday. I have cracked up laughing and cried while reading this. Please don't quit writing!

Anonymous said...

Best of luck to you on your ginormous task. We will miss you, but know you're doing something worthwhile!

Karen

whiterecluse said...

Hope everything goes smoothly! I'd like to add my voices to the masses saying I look forward to reading your blog every day. Anything that keeps you blogging is a good thing. :-) 'Til then!

Denise said...

You will be missed! TRULY!

Anonymous said...

Hope you'll be back. I would truly miss you and your great adventures.

Hugs,
Connie F-G

Anonymous said...

I for one DO NOT want you to stop blogging! I honestly look forward and enjoy seeing a new blog! Please think about it, and know that your blog keeps so many people happy! :) Will miss you!

Alice said...

You're not allowed to quit. I love reading your blog...and selfishly, I want you to continue...whatever it cost you personally. :)


Seriously, I hope you continue to blog.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I'm so glad you are willing to save your pics with your blog. I have enjoyed reading almost all your posts on this site and some of your cb stuff, even though I became a follower long after Kendrie was cured. But I can tell you we buried a friend a month ago who died from leukemia at the age of 47 (with 2 teenagers left behind...I HATE LEUKEMIA) that I found a lot of support as she battled the beast through sites like yours that journalled where you where, what you all went through and seeing the outcome for your family! It was so encouraging to remember that not everyone ends up the way our friend's battle ended up and gave us hope even when it looked bleak. Looking forward to you 'coming back' when you're all done!
Patricia, Garden City, GA