Breaking up is hard to do

From loveisrespect.org

Ending an unhealthy or abusive relationship is not like ending a healthy one. Your abusive partner may not accept the break up or respect your boundaries. They may try to control you through guilt trips, threats or insults. It may be very difficult to have a peaceful or mutual breakup with an abusive partner. Just know that as long as YOU are ok with the decision, it’s ok if your partner is not. If you're thinking of ending your relationship, consider these tips:

• If you don’t feel safe, don’t break up in person. It may seem cruel to break up over the phone or by email but it may be the safest way.
• If you break up in person, do it in a public place. Have friends or your parents wait nearby. Try to take a cell phone with you.
• Don’t try to explain your reasons for ending the relationship more than once. There is nothing you can say that will make your ex happy.
• Let your friends and parents know you are ending your relationship, especially if you think your ex will come to your house or confront you when you're alone.
• If your ex does come to your house when you’re alone, don’t go to the door.
• Trust yourself. If you feel afraid, you probably have a good reason.

For help call 1-866-331-9474
This is sponsored by the National Dating Abuse Helpline and Break the Cycle.

Back up your computer

From lifehacker.com
Whitson Gordon


You never think losing your files will happen to you until it actually does, and you're caught without a backup. Backups are extremely easy to keep, so there's no reason not to have one. Here's how to set one up.Whether you accidentally delete a file or lose a bunch of your data to a hard drive crash, regularly backing up your machine is always a good idea. Both Windows and Mac OS X have great built-in backup utilities, so it only takes a few steps to get started. Here's what you need to do.

On Windows

1. Get a backup drive. This can be just about any USB external hard drive, and you can get them at most electronics stores. Try to get one that has twice as much space as your computer, so you have room for multiple backups and so you have room for all the data you might get in the future.
2. When you first plug it in, Windows will actually ask you if you want to use it as a backup. Tell it that you do. If you don't get this prompt, you can just go to the Start Menu, type "backup" in the search box, and hit Backup and Restore.
3. From there, click the "Set Up Backup" button. Pick the external drive you plugged in and hit Next. Windows' default settings are probably fine, so you can just hit Next and the next screen too.
4. On the last screen, hit "Save Settings and Run Backup". Windows will make its first backup of your drive, during which you don't want to turn off your computer. After that, it'll make regular backups in the background as you work—you don't need to deal with it again.

If you ever need to restore a file you lost, you can just go to the Start Menu, type in "backup", and go back to "Backup and Restore". You can hit the "Restore My Files" or "Restore Users Files" buttons to get those files back

Computer

From Infohq.com

Never, never, turn your computer off with the power switch until Windows has shut down. The one exception to this rule is when your  computer  locks up and your hard drive is not running (hard drive light is not blinking). In this situation, you can turn the power off without harmful effects to the hard drive. As cutting the power can also result in lost data or Windows files, you should only do this when you have to. Following this rule will prevent permanent hard drive defects caused by the hard drive heads contacting the surface of the drive disc, and it will prevent a host of Windows problems.
Whenever possible, recover from crashes by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys at the same time. Press them again to reboot

Twitter and You

What is twitter? According to Twitter:
"Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about what you find interesting. Simply find the public streams you find most compelling and follow the conversations...you don’t have to tweet to enjoy Twitter."

In the interest of learning something new, I opened a Twitter account. It is an amazing "world" of information. I have discovered huge amounts of information being tweeted. Jobs are constantly being posted by companies like Disney, Pepsico, Bank of America, Microsoft, and the National Institute of Health. There is a wealth of information on finance, health, government programs (like take back Rx day) that are easily accessed by "following" on the twitter streams. I can see how it can become a time sink as one sifts through to find the nuggets that most appeal. On my blog, I will find them for you. The tweets that educate and inform will be retweeted and be available on my blog. Should you decide to leap into Twitter, please "follow" me. Happy Tweeting!

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