So I pulled into the convenience store/Shell station/McDonald's combo. I wanted to get some money out of the ATM and some dinner for the trip home.

So I walked up to the ATM, swiped my card, and told it I wanted to withdraw $100. It said, "Sure!" And then it chugged and chugged and chugged — and suddenly, it said, "Withdrawal amount altered. Read receipt." And it dispensed $80. I said, "Wait a minute, I know I have more than that in there." And I checked the receipt, and it showed plenty of funds still in my account. But then I looked at the ATM screen; and in big red letters, it said, "OUT OF SERVICE. CONTACT ATTENDANT." So I did as I was told.

Then I went to the mini-McDonald's. These don't have the full menu. This one, for example, had 10 piece chicken McNuggets and 20 piece, but no 6 piece like a regular McD's has. So I ordered the 10 piece, figuring I was hungry enough for that. Then I took my cup and went over to get my drink. And when I came back to the counter, the manager said, "Sir, I'm afraid we're short three nuggets for your order. Would you like a cheeseburger to fill out the order?"

I decided maybe it was a good thing I didn't need to gas up the car, or I might have caused a local energy crisis.

...how recent is your latest backup?

Were I in that unfortunate position, I can now answer, "Last night." Can you?

This post is in honor of Duane, who made a great sacrifice to provide the rest of us with an object lesson...