Hey guys, I owe you an apology.
This weekend was a total mess, and yes, it’s 100% my fault. I tried to make things better… and ended up breaking everything instead—classic me.
The Chaos Begins
Here’s what happened: late last week, my hosting provider — who shall remain nameless, but you probably know who they are — started having some serious issues. The blog went down, pages were mixing, and I couldn’t log in to anything. It was chaos.
I’ve been considering relocating my sites outside of the U.S. for a while, and a friend recommended a hosting company they highly recommend. They said the setup was smooth and straightforward. So I thought, “Why not? Let’s give it a shot.”
Yeah… that was mistake number one.
“Easy” Migration, Not So Easy
Now, I’ve migrated plenty of WordPress sites before. I know the process — export the database, upload your files, swap out a few folders, and you’re done. Easy, right?
This time, though, it just didn’t go according to plan.
The new host offered to handle the migration for me, which sounded great… until things started acting weird. Pages wouldn’t load, some links broke, and a few settings were completely off. I’d fix one thing, and something else would pop up.
And when I got to migrating UNB — the big one — everything really went sideways.
No matter what I did, the backups wouldn’t restore correctly. I had multiple backups ready to go — Jetpack, local copies, a paid migration tool — but nothing was syncing the way it should.
Passwords didn’t work, logins got stuck, and at one point, WordPress was displaying one theme publicly while using another behind the scenes—a total head-scratcher. I even dove into the SQL database (because yes, I’m that person) and tried to sort it out manually… still no luck.
The Support Struggle
The hosting company used a mix of AI and live text chat for support — and honestly, my issues were just too complex for that kind of setup. I tried explaining the situation, sent screenshots, and walked through everything as clearly as I could, but it just wasn’t getting resolved.
After two days of troubleshooting, I hit the point where I realized I needed to cut my losses and regroup.
Going Back to the Devil I Know
Thankfully, I never cancel an old host until the new one is 100% up and running.
Everything was still in its original position, where it had been before the experiment began.
I finally decided, “You know what? Let’s go back.”
I redirected the domains, started restoring things to the old servers, and within a few hours, pieces started falling back into place.
Yeah, my old host has its quirks, but at least I can talk to someone if things go sideways. And after this weekend, that feels like a big win.
The Worst Timing Ever
Oh, and because life has a sense of humor? This all happened on UNB’s 17th anniversary.
Seventeen years of running this site… and I couldn’t even log in to post about it.
You have to laugh at that point.
Meanwhile, I was supposed to be doing schoolwork for my master’s program. I planned to spend Sunday studying, but instead, I spent it fighting with databases. So yeah — it was that kind of weekend.
Lessons Learned (and a Little Perspective)
What did I learn?
- Don’t try to migrate five websites in one weekend.
- “Easy” doesn’t always mean simple.
- Sometimes, sticking with what you know is the best course of action.
I also learned that I’m very patient — until I’m not. Once I hit that limit, diplomacy leaves the chat. But hey, I’m working on it!
Wrapping This Up
If you’ve had trouble accessing the blog or podcast lately, I’m genuinely sorry. I was trying to make things faster, safer, and more reliable — it just didn’t go the way I hoped.
Everything’s backed up and on its way back to normal. I truly appreciate everyone’s patience and support through the chaos.
Now, I’m off to finish redirecting a few domains, grab a cup of coffee (or maybe something more substantial), and take a deep breath.
Here’s to smoother migrations, calmer Mondays, and fewer “learning experiences.”
