Thanks for the memories (yet to be made)

[katiefoolery]

So I've been thinking about this whole Great LJ Disaster and how the Russian Bear Is Sacking Everyone and soon the whole thing will be run by a small chicken with a Microsoft certification and an uncanny ability to peck exactly the wrong keys at exactly the wrong time.

Obviously, I'm unsure what I'd do without LJ. I mean, I'm guessing we'd all get together and discuss an exit strategy so we end up somewhere else... but would it be the same? I'm just so accustomed to LJ being there, even when I'm not. Even when I abandon it for months on end and then come sidling back in through a side door whilst pretending I never left. LJ practically is the internet for me.

These thoughts inevitably lead to the whole backing-up phenomenon and I began to wonder if I should follow suit.

And I decided that no. No, I won't. Thanks for asking, but I'm good.

Even though I made this decision myself, I was a little surprised by it. "But..." I asked myself, "what about all of those memories? What about all of those lovely comments? What about all the fun you had playing with words in some of your posts?"

To which, I replied: "What about them?"

Don't get me wrong - I've loved these years on LJ and I have some great memories to cherish... but it's all in the past. It's happened; it was savoured... and now I'm moving on. I'm more interested in what's going to happen, in the people I'm going to meet or get to know better, in the memories I'm going to make in the future.

And I think that's emblematic of my entire approach to 2009. 2009 is about possibilities. 2009 is about letting go of the old me and seeing what I can actually do if I stop living with the expectation of failure instead of the anticipation of success. 2009 is all about "what if" instead of "that'll never happen".

All in all, I'd say I'm doing pretty well so far. But what about all of you? How is your new year going? Has your mindset changed? Are your resolutions on track? And have you backed up your LJ yet? :D

Comments

[emmaketurah.livejournal.com]

I haven't backed it up, because we're on a download limit. I'm just fervently hoping it won't shut down.

[peachynat3.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the very same thing actually. Although part of me would like to one day look back on things, I know that I'll either laugh at my stupidity or be completely embarrassed to have written some of the things I have... And besides, like you said, it won't change anything. I remember what's important to me, and that's good enough.

Even still, I do hope that LJ is around long enough for me to continue writing when I feel the need. It's the one place I've stuck to keeping a written record of things.

[http://users.livejournal.com/traycer_/]

I've been backing up my LJ on a regular basis ever since the last time we had one of these scares. And I've been doing it for all the reasons you listed above. I have memories here. New friends, new interests, great times mixed in with some pretty low days. I guess I just have a harder time letting go.

And my new year is going great so far, thank you for asking. :D (Knock on wood, of course.) No catastrophes or disasters so far, and at a good place with my writing. Writer's block took up most of last year, so I'm thinking I'm due a very productive year this time around.

Resolutions? *clears throat* Well, um... who actually keeps up with those things anyway?

Is a little bit behind the times

[bathmat.livejournal.com]

What scare? What closing down?

[rhianon76.livejournal.com]

Not backing up my LJ. If it goes (which I doubt) then it's gone. I'll miss the connections with individuals, the communities. And while having a record of my thoughts over the course of the past however-many years is nice for nostalgic reasons, there's nothing on here of value (like my writing) that I don't have backed up and archived elsewhere. Like on my comp. And my flashdrives.

New year... mindset? Ehh... Same Shit, Different Year. *facepalm* All the same bills; the same job, the same coworkers; the same stress-triggers. Resolution: to write, and write and write. And finish [dic] zero draft. The former is on track and ahead of schedule... the latter isn't as far along as I would like it to be, but I'm making progress. Slooowly. :)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I definitely hope it keeps being there - nothing else is quite like LJ. Would you back it up if you didn't have that limit holding you back, though?

Re: Is a little bit behind the times

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Good Clare, you must catch up! The news was going around that LJ's new(ish) Russian owners had fired, like, all the staff and were going to shut down the place entirely OMG! But it turns out they've fired the design team, for some reason, and are keeping the rest on board. For now.

Read more here. (http://news.livejournal.com/112503.html)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah - there are definitely far too many sames lingering about. I think I'm just trying to approach them differently. Or to ignore them.

Which... doesn't work all that well with bills.

Your writing seems to be going insanely well, though, so maybe that will make a difference for you in 2009. I hope it does, anyway.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly! And having gone over some of those old entries while I was tagging them, I'm not entirely sure I actually want to keep a record of them...

There's something about the interaction of LJ that makes it a more enticing place to write your thoughts than a journal or a standard sort of blog, isn't there? That is, hands down, what I'd miss most if LJ vanished - the people.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I used to be an incredible hoarder and then I had to throw out dozens of boxes of stuff because they were water-damaged and there was no point keeping them. Ever since then, I've been kinda ruthless with the things I decide to keep or not. I come from a family of hoarders and I think I'm just desperate not to end up with a house full of clutter. Even though that clutter might contain memories... Oh well.

I'm glad your year's going well! Hopefully it'll continue to do so. And from your entries of late, it looks as though that writer's block has taken off for what will hopefully be an extended holiday far, far away from you.

[emmaketurah.livejournal.com]

Yes, I would. I stopped writing in my actual journal and started LJ.

[naelany.livejournal.com]

I've backed up LJ, yes lol. But hey, shouldn't you do so, too? I mean, at least the stories you've written and shared? I'm thinking mainly of jane_of_letters, but I believe you've had other stories in your regular LJ, too. Would be a shame to loose those, wouldn't it?

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Ah, then you'd definitely want a record of your writings. How much is your limit, though? Because I wouldn't imagine an LJ back-up would be that big. Although, admittedly, I haven't actually looked into it myself. Maybe you could do it somewhere else - work, perhaps?

[emmaketurah.livejournal.com]

Work? LOL. No computer at work. After cricket season it won't matter so much. My step-dad needs it all for work.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Any stories I've put on my LJ are already on my computer or backed up on other portable media. That's all taken care of. Good call on jane_of_letters, though - I hadn't thought of that.

[naelany.livejournal.com]

so back up jane_of_letters? ^_~ Nice to know you've got your other stories elsewhere though ^_^. Would hate to see you loose them

[theemdash]

With the exception of fic, I'm not sure I'd bother reposting my lj anywhere, but I like having a documentation of the last few years. Also, sometimes I post about things that are important, or that I might need to reference again (usually related to establishing timelines) specifically so that if I forget, I'll still have that accurate record. So, I'm with you, but I'm going to back up my lj anyway. ;) Well, as soon as people stop freaking out and I can actually get to an archive that supports Mac. *sighs*

2009 is treating me pretty well! Aside from drama this past week which exacerbated every physical ailment I have, things are going quite well. I think 5dn is going to encourage me to stay on a few goals like weight loss since I cannot believe how over-weight I am on that screen. EEEEK!

I'm looking forward to 2009 continuing to be positive.

[purpletigress.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking, and hoping, that it's all a storm in a teacup and we're going to all be just fine. Although if people don't have paid accounts I think they should so LJ has the funds to keep at it in these troubling economic times. I don't want it to go anywhere. I don't really use those hip new social networking sites. This is where I fit. And I have a permanent account. No backups but I am crossing my fingers.

As for the resolutions, mine is on track! I want to use more stuff from the pantry. It sounds simple but before Christmas we threw out three garbage bags full of different vinegars and dukkah and other fancy things. So now I'm resolving to choose recipes based on what we already have and use those things up!

New Years going well but I seem to be pretty busy these days! I'd like that to slow down.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I hear it's hard to get onto some of the archiving sites because of the demand.

I'm glad 2009's going well for you. :) And it can't all be as crazy as that past week, hopefully. Personally, I'm hoping 5dn keeps me on track with my writing - the threat of a public shaming should do pretty well there. :D And I think you look great on the screen. Then again, I guess the whole thing just makes us aware of our own flaws, which are always going to look worse to us than they ever will to anyone else.

2009 shall be full of win. Or else.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Hopefully it will turn out OK. I'm pretty sure I'll renew my paid account at the end of the month (hoping for a slightly better exchange rate by then...) and I'm certainly not thinking of setting up shop anywhere else at the moment. I'm on Facebook, but I don't really see the point of it - it doesn't have the depth and interactivity of LJ to me.

That sounds like a great resolution, actually! Things accumulate in pantries so easily, with the way things sort of get shoved to the back as more interesting condiments and ingredients are placed at the front... It may be time I gave mine a good clean out, too.

[theemdash]

Yes, everytime I try to archive, it gets mad at me. :(

I really hope every week at GYWO isn't as crazy as this one. If it is, I'm going to cry.

And I think you look great on the screen. Then again, I guess the whole thing just makes us aware of our own flaws,

The real thing is that I've put on about 50 lbs (god, too early for me to convert that to kg for you) in the past 5 years and while it's not so noticeable as you go up 10 lbs, it's the dissonance of what I think I should look like and what I actually look like and that is, um, 50 lbs lighter?

[erinmacha.livejournal.com]

*raises hand* How do you back up LJ?

[zanpakto.livejournal.com]

Yea, I'm not backing up either. I don't read my old posts. That would be so messed up if we lost LJ though. I've been using it my whole adult life.

[vegetachik.livejournal.com]

Wait....what's wrong with Livejournal?!

I've obviously not read any LJ news, haha.

[purpletigress.livejournal.com]

I agree - I'm on Facebook too but I tend to only use it to play Scrabble! It's marginally better than MySpace but you're right, it still lacks the depth that I'm after.

You might be surprised what's lurking in your pantry. We couldn't believe the number of things we had which expired in 2007! Why did we move house at the end of 2007 with these things? This place has an even bigger pantry than the last, so it's a dangerous thing unless I take matter into my own hands. Consequently tonight's recipe will include pine nuts ;-).

[lennoxmacbeth.livejournal.com]

I'm also not backing up my LJ.

1) I'm not all that convinced LJ is going anywhere any time soon. I have a feeling that they're just trimming the fat in their company.

2) I was never that into "journaling" in traditional methods. Of the memories that I do have left of my childhood, I'm trying to get rid of over half of them, because they're just a lot of negativity and emotional baggage that I really don't need anymore. Why would I keep the wangst of my adult life? I've had good times, bad times, a lot of fun, but...eh, what's done is done. I've started orienting myself more toward the present and future, so it's not a biggie.

As far as my fics and art go, I have them on other sites and I have my own website. I have e-mail. There will be new sites that come and go. When I first started in fandom we were all on USENET - LJ was only a distant nightmare for the grammar nazis who prided themselves in chasing 12-year-olds off of their Usenet lists. :| It's not going to be the end of the world if and when LJ does go anywhere. :/

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I'm usually only there to play PuzzleBee - that thing is so addictive!

Maybe you thought: It's not worth throwing this stuff out - we'll just use it up straight away in the new place! And then it all ended up shoved towards the back of the pantry, as things do...

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I stumbled across this list while browsing my flist the other day: LJ back-up tools (http://zvi-likes-tv.livejournal.com/480601.html). Hope it helps!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Reading my old posts mostly results in cringing and a fervent wish never to let anyone read them ever again. Not fun. I'd definitely be lost if there were no LJ. What would we all do??

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

News link for you! (http://news.livejournal.com/112503.html) :D

Basically, some people were fired in a pretty nasty way and now everyone thinks LJ's going to vanish forever because it's no longer a viable business. Your icon is relevant for many people.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I hope, hope, that it doesn't just vanish because I'd be kinda lost. Sure, there are other ways of staying in contact with the friends I've made and people I've met through LJ, but I'd miss the chance LJ gives me to write and be read and to read in turn.

The future is the way to go! The past was all very well and I enjoyed and it served its purpose... but now it's time to move on. So huzzah for that. :D

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Well, it's been the whole sorting-things-out and laying-down-the-rules and marking-people-for-painful-death kind of week for GYWO, I guess. Once people start actually writing, it may quieten down a bit. Maybe.

I hear you on the whole thing where video doesn't let you hide from yourself. Personally, I'm going to be working on my odd expressions. WHY HAS NO-ONE EVER TOLD ME I MAKE SO MANY??

[everydayjoy.livejournal.com]

Ooh. I could've written this. Only less eloquently.

LJ is the internet for me, too. Seriously.

Also, something about losing everything here and having to start from scratch appeals to me in a kind of bizarre, masochistic way.

[purpletigress.livejournal.com]

I will definitely need to check out this PuzzleBee :-) and I'm sure we probably did! best laid plans and all that ;-).

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

:D

It's as though LJ takes all the good and interesting things about the internet and brings them all together in a nice little package!

There is a certain appeal in a new start, isn't there? I hope I won't have to make one (because it seems like just the tiniest bit of hard work) but I do agree with you: it would be an interesting experience all the same.

[theemdash]

MARKED FOR PAINFUL DEATH! I don't have a list, I swear.

I find odd expressions to be charming. I figured that if people weren't amused by me talking, they'd probably be amused by my tongue. SO I WENT THERE. OH YES. I don't mind making weird faces/noises, but I just do like the weight gain. THE WEIGHT GAIN!!!!