Author Archives: lydias

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, short stories and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

From Heart of Glass (This post is work safe but previous entries on the site are not!):

Sometimes even just a little bit of progress takes a lot of time—way more time than we maybe think we have to spare.

Sometimes just the fact that you’re trying, reaching out, again, to say “I’m here when you’re ready, I’ve been here the whole time” is what finally makes a difference, even if the message has been rejected over and over again in the past.

25 Surprising Facts You Might Not Know via KenKaminsky. I can’t vouch for the truthfulness of any items on this list but I found #1 to be quite interesting.

Shunned. What happened to one woman after she accidentally became pregnant at 16 in 1966.

Deep Inside: A Study of 10,000 Porn Stars. Before you click on this link take a few seconds to imagine the “typical” porn star. Immediately I thought of a blonde woman with large breasts. Boy, was I wrong! It’s invigorating to learn the truth even if that means admitting you have blind spots.

What Blogs Do You Read? I picked up a few new favourites from this post. The comment section is full of even greater suggestions on a wide range of topics: LGBT, skepticism, the emerging church, humour, science, sex, and (U.S.) politics.

From Afterlife:

Mary pushed her black, dime store bifocals to the back of her nose. “Afterlife is existence after death. And you are all dead.”

The kids faded inside their seats. Their seven bodies turned translucent. Mary pointed again at her lesson. This was a disturbed group. Recalcitrants, every one of them.

A few years ago Westlake Soul suffered severe brain damage in a surfing accident. He can no longer speak or move but his mind can visit any or time place on earth, including his favourite memories. While his family debates whether to remove the feeding tube of a son they believe is in a persistant vegetative state Wes gears up for the battle of his life with the evil Dr. Quietus.

This was the best fantasy novel I’ve read so far in 2013. Wes’ thoughts are at turn funny, depressing, erotic (he’s quite, um, vividly heterosexual in his assessment of certain home health care aides), snarky and irreverent. Love him or hate him he’s the kind of guy every novel wishes it could attract.

What have you been reading?

Photo by Alchemist-hp.

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, videos, photographs and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

From Life is a Theatre – Who Is in Your Front Row?

Observe the people who are close to you and with whom you spend a lot of time.  Which ones uplift and inspire you?  Which ones bring you down? Which ones encourage you?  Which ones discourage you?  Which ones are growing, positive, enthusiastic and supportive?

When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse?

How Old is “Too Young to Die”? A Straight Dope thread that attempts to answer this question. In general I’d say anyone under the age of 65-70 fits this description but it really depends on how well you take care of yourself and whether you adapt to or are emotionally paralyzed by change. I’ve known ancient 40-year-olds and youthful 75-year-olds.

What They Say, What They Mean. The truth about feminism. This link is work-safe but the rest of the tumblr may or may not be appropriate.

Wild Things. A short story about a woman and her unusual lover.

The Bitch is Back. What happens after menopause. Is it weird that I’m looking forward to that stage in life? I started puberty earlier than most of my peers and it’s difficult to remember what life was like before menstruation. It will be an adventure when that part of my life cycle ends in a few decades!

 I never grew out of reading young adult fiction. Bog Child is a good example of a book written for teenagers that may actually appeal more to adult readers. It is the story a girl who dies violently as well the tale of the troubled Irish boy who finds her body almost 2,000 years later while digging in the peat bog where her body was dumped.

What have you been reading?

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, quotes and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

Prayers. These Buddhists accept online prayer requests that are then read aloud once a day by volunteers. I’m sharing a link to it because the idea of anonymous, electronic prayer requests reminds me of a scene in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale where the narrator describes something similar in great detail. Does anyone remember that scene?

A Cream Cracker Under the Settee. One of the most memorable monologues I’ve ever read. I wonder how often the disturbing events alluded to in this story actually took place in previous generations?

50 Things Money Can’t Buy via OliviaMagdelene. To this list I would add:

• A robust imagination.
• Forgiveness.
• The euphoria of meeting kindred spirits.
• Happy lucid dreams.

What Your Favourite Ice Cream Says About You. When I have a bad cold or the flu and hate the thought of eating or drinking soy mint chocolate chip ice cream is my ultimate food bribe. Only 50% of what this site says about my choice is true but it has given me an ice cream craving!

A Legends Position on Banning Assault Rifles. One of the best ways to explain your position on a controversial subject is to tell a story.

From New Age Bullies:

During my 36 years as a psychotherapist, I’ve seen many clients who have been victims of people like those Hannah and my friend describe. I call them New Age Bullies — those who, sometimes with the best intentions, repeat spiritual movement shibboleths, with little understanding of how hurtful their advice can be.

Imagine you’re a black Korean war veteran returning Home to Georgia. After fighting for your country you come back to a society that has institutionalized discrimination against you. In the 90 years since the Civil War ended precious little has changed. Normally I wish Toni Morrison’s books were shorter. This time I didn’t want to stop listening to Frank’s stories. He’s the kind of literary character that feels more real to me than some of the flesh and blood people I know!

What have you been reading?

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, videos, quotes and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.- Anaïs Nin

The Science of Sex Abuse. Trigger warning for rape and childhood sexual abuse. I don’t know if any of my followers are unusually sensitive to that topic…but you have been warned! Everyone agrees that sexual abuse is horrifying. What we don’t always agree on is what the best way is to stop current abusers and prevent tomorrow’s rapists from attacking anyone. The problem is we haven’t figured out the most effective treatment yet.

Nice Try, Sauron. Ok, which one of you did this? 😀

One of My Best Workers. From verbal abuse to gentle compliments, what we say to one another matters.

Father Time is My Peer via StoryRoute. A man visits old classmates in a nursing home and contemplates his future. It was hard to choose just one essay from this site as so many of them stretched my mind.

From How Doctors Die:

It’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. For all the time they spend fending off the deaths of others, they tend to be fairly serene when faced with death themselves.

Many years ago my aunt gave me a copy of What Katy Did for Christmas. It tells the story of a girl living in the nineteenth century whose spine is injured in a accident. One day she’s healthy and active, the next she’s bedridden and in terrible pain. Given the time period this was written in there is of course some heavy-handed moralizing about being a good example and proper young woman but what I remember loving about the story is how Katy is encouraged to find a kernel of joy in even the most hopeless circumstances.

What have you been reading?