While I wasn’t completely thrilled, I figured I would at least find out how well my backup strategy worked.  I use Time Machine for my home computers and have apparently been completing their tasks successfully.  However, I had never tried to restore from it before.

While I am now back up and running, I did learn about a few problems with my backup strategy that didn’t work seamlessly which I will pass on along with things that did work.

Perform Regular Backups

This is a no brainer, right? If you don’t backup routinely, you’ll lose data.  The aspect of this I never really thought much about is that psychologically, you will be most concerned about the data you were working with most recently. This also happens to be the stuff you will lose if you don’t regularly backup.  For me, this is the best part about Time Machine.  When it is enabled, you get hourly backups and you can’t configure it with any other frequency. Until you have a failure, this may seem overkill. When the failure happens, you will be very happy about this feature.

Make Offline Storage Part Of Your Backup

While your computer is down for the count and in need of restoration, you may need access to certain documents while this is occurring. Dropbox is a great solution for this and they offer 2 GB free storage. This amount of space is typically enough for document syncing. It also doubles as a convenient way to use these documents any time you are away from your computer.  A bonus is that since you get a chance to utilize your synced content before a failure happens, you can feel more confident that restoration will work.

Do NOT exclude your iTunes Library Files From Your Backup

If you have chosen to exclude your media from backup because you have stored it elsewhere such as a network share, etc. make sure to backup your iTunes library files. I made this mistake while choosing to exclude my Music folder from my backup and found out the hard way that this also means your iPod can’t sync files back to your library.  Apart from the hassle of re-importing the files, you lose playlists, ratings and more.  Further, if you exclude like I did, you may  lose apps you have as well.

Exclude VM’s From Backup

When configuring Time Machine, you have the option of excluding files from the backup. You might do this if you have a different backup strategy for certain files, and in the case of virtual machine disks, you really want a different strategy. Time Machine will determine if a file needs backed up based on modification date. Since virtual machine disks modify this date at every use and they are in the many-gigs size category, they would quickly fill your hard drive, unless of course you never used them.

Include System Files In Your Backup

I had read in some  articles the notion that it made sense to exclude these from your Time Machine backup, and I did. The idea was that you would save space because you had the installation disks. Big mistake. Firstly, relative to everything else they don’t take up that much space. Secondly, if you don’t back these up, you lose out on a very nice feature of the Leopard/Snow Leopard installation process, which is to restore from a Time Machine backup.  As it was, I needed to go through the installation process and then do my restore, which takes longer and is more manually involved.

It’s OK to Backup iPhoto/Aperture Libraries

Due to the same reasoning about backing up VM’s, one might be led to think that a large iPhoto library or Aperture library might not be a good idea to backup since they end up being large over time and change frequently for the typical user. While these look like very large single files to you in Finder, they are actually bundles. This means they may be expanded by you for examination and Time Machine does this too. The result is that it makes incremental updates within the bundle.

Secondary Backup For Important Stuff

When faced with a hard drive failure, you really reflect on what files are important. This is the stuff you should have a second copy of — just in case.  Redundant hard drives and optical are fine for this, but I found that while I was re-installing things, I considered how if a fire or theft occurred, I would need something offsite.

There are many offsite backup options such as Mozy, Carbonite, JungleDisk and DropBox that I suppose fill this purpose.

For me, the big thing is photos. I store my photos on SmugMug that offers unlimited storage with their plan. Unlike the other solutions, this is geared also for photo sharing, so the bonus is that I get some value out of it even before using it to restore photos.

If interested, use this code for $5  off at SmugMug: Z072MKPtbXNgA.

In short

• Time Machine works wonderfully well — don’t try to over think it to save disk space. Using the default settings would have worked much better for me.
• Complement your local backups with remote storage for immediate access and redundancy.

Rebecca surprised me with pictures she had taken of Katherine just a few weeks ago, ~6 months old. They are beautiful. I dare say we have a very photogenic child — and I admit to being biased

Katherine ~ 6 months

I am feeling extremely blessed today!

Car Travel Has Changed

This is a scanned photo of my brother David (left) and myself (right) in either my parents’ or grandparents’ vehicles.  I don’t have the exact date, but I am going to guess it was around 1977.  Apart from the lack of car seats and what was probably just lap belts with maybe a booster seat for us, it is odd to see us that high above the front bench seat.

These were simpler, albeit more dangerous, times.

And I only list 8.  Sure I could have found the obligatory 10, but I only wanted to list 8, and this is my list after all.

1. Snapture – There are many Camera alternatives available for the iPhone, but I have found this to be the most useful.  The following features are what set this apart for me.
   • 3 shot burst mode .  When photographing a moving target such as a cat, this is helpful to get a better shot.
   • Quick view/delete/mail features. This means less back and forth to camera roll since the photos can be managed in application.
   • The level aid is also handy to ensure that photos aren’t crooked.
2. MotionX GPS – There are a lot of navigational apps out there and many of them are replacements for TomTom and Garmin units for use in the car.  This application adds many of the features that I like on my handheld GPS as well.
   • Record your tracks. This is similar to the breadcrumb trail I have used on my hand held Garmin. The log can be exported as well, which is useful for a number of things, and it uses GPX standard. One is to be able to sync your location with photo timestamps. Using freely available software such as GPSPhotoLinker, you can then add the coordinate information to your photo’s EXIF data for geotagging capability.
   • Save custom waypoints.
   • In-application access to iTunes. I guess that is useful if you want to record your running workout while listening to music. I don’t use it, but I am sure others do.
3. aNote – A handy note taking application that does two-way syncing with Google Docs. This makes a very easy way to accomplish things like shared lists with your friends and family.
4. RedLaser – This app is interesting in that you can photograph barcodes, which are then interpreted with OCR technology.  Then, the item you have scanned can be searched online to do comparison shopping for the best price. What impresses me with this application is how well the barcode ’scanning’ actually works. That’s just cool technology.
5. AirMouse – With this app and a free AirMouse server application running on your computer, you can use your iPhone like a mouse on the computer over a Wi-Fi connection.  This makes controlling computer based media centers easy and also allows you to use your iPhone as a handy Powerpoint/Keynote presentation remote. No laser pointer — but it is still pretty cool.
6. DirecTV – This is a very easy way to remotely schedule DVR recordings. You can also schedule season passes and choose which DVR to record to if you have multiple units.
7. Ustream Live Broadcaster - Video on your iPhone is cool. Especially when it is only a 3G. To stream video live is exceptional.  It works really well, though I don’t work well without a net, so you probably won’t catch me streaming live often.
8. Skee-ball – I guess I had to have at least one game on here. I am not a big gamer, but I like simple games that I can quickly play.  This very much fits the bill and I love the cheesiness of redeeming tickets for items like fake mustaches and mullets.

If you have an app suggestion, please leave it in the comments.

We have decided to name her Katherine Elizabeth Jacobs and look forward to her arrival.

Oden State Fish Hatchery

While in the Petoskey area, we got a tip to check out the Oden State Fish Hatchery.

This old railcar is now used to give some information about the hatchery. Back in the day, the trains used to be used to transport the fish from the hatchery to various lakes and streams.

Also, there are free guided tours available throughout the day as well as self-guided trails that take you past some of the ponds and streams containing various broodstock.

Simple Serenity - Our cottage view of Crooked Lake

We originally planned that the Petoskey area would be our base of operations for our various sightseeing adventures. It turned out that Petoskey was probably our favorite area apart from our time at Sleeping Bear Dunes Park. There is a lot more to see in the area that we didn’t have time to experience, but I think this is one area we’ll go back to with some regularity.

Below are some highlights.

The Good

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park – This park offers many beaches and scenic views.

The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive seemed well worth the 10 dollar admission to us.

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive - Glen Lake Overlook

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive - Lake Michigan Overlook

Glen Haven Beach – This beach is in Sleeping Bear Dunes and at first glance gives you the impression that it isn’t a public beach at all. The beach is very secluded, but there is a bath house to change in. When we were there, the water was very, very cold yet exhilarating. It was colder than the pacific for sure but it felt great.

Glen Haven Canning Company

Glen Haven is a restored historical logging village located in the Leelanau Peninsula. This building used to be a Cherry cannery, but is now a boathouse museum.

Petoskey State Park - This park had an entrance fee of 8 dollars. A bit steep, but as far as beaches go, this was a really, really nice one. The beach was on Little Traverse Bay and so the water was a bit warmer. Also, when we were there, the waves were incredibly high and ocean like. I forgot how fun it is to play in the waves.

Downtown Petoskey - There are a lot of high quality establishments in a downtown area that could otherwise just take advantage of being located in a touristy area. Here were the ones we were impressed with.

• Papa Lou’s Pizza – The pizza quality was great  and an outdoor view of Petoskey Bay is hard to beat.
• Roast and Toast - When we peeked in to this place at first, I thought it was just another soup and sandwich shop that served coffee. However, after reading a bit more about them, I found that they did roast their own coffee, so I figured it warranted further investigation. I ordered a ristretto, which was very well done. While we didn’t sample the food they served, it did look very good and the place was always packed with people eating.
• Crooked Tree Arts Council – This is an active facility for dance, theater, pottery, and other arts. The building is repurposed space from a Methodist church that moved out of the space in the late 70’s and the exterior still looks like a church. It also hosts private galleries  as well. I was very impressed by what they did with their space. It would be welcome in any community.
• American Spoon – They specialize in jam’s and sauces made from Michigan produce. The flavor combinations are exceptional. The gelato from the cafe wasn’t bad either, though it wasn’t quite Jeni’s good.
• City Park Grill – Phenomenal food at a phenomenal price. Almost too good of a price. Oh, and Hemingway hung out there.

House of Pies – Located in Oden, MI is this wonderful pie shop. Holy moly were they good.  Indeed , their website is awful, but the pies are great.  A place serving pies this good shouldn’t have been as empty as it was.  I have no idea why they mess around with gourmet hot dogs and antiques. I think they’d do far better to partner with a good local coffee roaster.

Leelanau Coffee Roasting Co. – Located in Glen Arbor, I noticed this establishment while driving through the little town and smelling the familar aroma of roasting coffee. Judging from the outside, I did not have good vibes about the quality of the product and was concerned that even if it were good quality, that it would be served by summer help.  I was mistaken. The espresso I was served was probably the best I have purchased in the last 5 years. Kudos.

The Bad

The Little Traverse History Museum – There was a 2 dollar admission fee for this museum in Petoskey, which seemed reasonable, but in retrospect should have clued me in that they couldn’t command a higher entrance fee. There just wasn’t much to look at and quite honestly, I was already tired of hearing about Hemingway hanging out in the area, so it didn’t do much to read about it yet again.

St. Ignace – This town just across the Mackinac Bridge seems to have pretty much everything going for it. Great views, great location, but it is just a run down town with run down stores. In a weird way, this is kind of a good thing since it isn’t congested, which makes their rundown boardwalk kind of fun to walk around. However, it seemed clear that the town is just content with being a stop to catch the ferry to Mackinac Island. Very strange.

The Odd

Stalled Wind Turbines - Driving across the Mackinac Bridge, we noticed two of those enormous wind turbines that produce electricity. It was a pretty windy day, which should have been good for producing energy, however, we noticed they were stalled. We found out, ironically, that it because it was too windy to run.  Hmmmm.

Roadside Table Litter Barrel - I don’t recall seeing signs like this in Ohio, but we saw several signs on 31, that said ‘Roadside Tabel Litter Barrel’, which seemed a bit odd until we realized it was quite literally a small stop consisting of a picnic table and a trash can alongside the road.

Baby Jacobs circa 13 weeks in utero.

Some folks know this, some don’t, but Rebecca and I are expecting our first child in December of this year.  I too have seen many of these sonograms and quite frankly, I know they may not look like much, but it is true — when it is yours it means everything.

The picture above was taken just after the first trimester — Rebecca took a spill at a Dayton courthouse and out of precaution had an exam to confirm everything was alright.

There have been a few reasons why we haven’t mentioned it publicly until now:

• We have dealt with infertility as a couple and have experienced early losses.
• Generally speaking, the most risky period of miscarriage is within the first trimester. We wanted to wait until at least then to announce publicly.
• Even though we are now past the first trimester, I got so used to not discussing it that sometimes I forget there are people who I haven’t told.

Below are a few questions we get asked frequently.

Q: Have we picked out any names?

A: We have a few ideas depending on if it is a boy or a girl, but we are keeping it close to the vest.

Q: What about the adoption?

A: Our agency, Adoption Circle, is putting us on hold, but we get to keep our paperwork on file for a time with them. We had mostly completed our home study already. This is a great thing because adoption may yet be a part of our lives. It is definitely a great option and we really have loved working with Adoption Circle.  They have been absolutely fantastic to work with.

Q: Will you find out what you are having ahead of time?

A: Yes. We should know by the end of July. Our expectation = human