Category Archives: Blog Hops

Here is this week’s list of essays, short stories, and other links from my favourite corners of the web. This will be the last Suggestion Saturday post from me, at least for the time being. As I mentioned earlier this month, I’ll be experimenting with other types of posts here in 2019. Stay tuned!

New Year Candy. What a creative idea.

Celebrate New Year’s Eve the Latino Way via StephyOrtez. The effigy portion of these celebrations really appeals to me.

Don’t Set Goals for the New Year; Set Goals for Life via JamesPackWriter. Ooh, I like this advice.

The  New Years Day Reflections of John Quincy Adams via shannonselin. Some of you might chuckle at this, but I’ve never really thought about what people thought about New Years Day in the past. Have you?

How to Prepare for a New Year of Blogging. There was a lot of excellent advice here. This is the perfect time of year to, take inventory of what is or isn’t working, make any necessary changes, and possibly even revamp your blog in general.

Five Reasons Your New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Stick, and How to Make This Year Different via DrJanaScrivani. I especially liked point #2.

From New Year:

The old Year is going. I am yet in the old year. I don’t want to let her go.

“Hi Buddies. I am going. Stop loving me. A new year is coming for you. She will take care of you.”

“I want you. You are very lovely. I flourished to so much in this year. I don’t know, how the New Year will be for me. I want you to stay.”

From The New Year Is the Oldest Thing – Inside Philadelphia’s Mummer Parade :

The parade occupies a weird position,” one of the Vaudevillains’ captains, Adam Leeds, told me afterward. “On one hand it’s a citywide parade, and it’s on New Year’s Day, which is an important day, but on the other hand, it’s also the parade of a specific set of neighborhoods and a specific set of ethnicities in South Philly, and those neighborhoods are continually changing. It needs to change. It needs to include more kinds of Philadelphians.”

Happy Holidays! Here is this week’s list of comic strips, poems, and other links from my favourite corners of the web.

The Dark Side of Santa via CandyKorman. There’s a fantastic Futurama episode about this exact concept. How I wish I could still be around in a few thousand years to see how the myth of Santa actually evolves for future generations.

The “Perfect” Holiday – Make It a Family Tradition. This was a thought-provoking piece on navigating the holidays when you have a relative whose disability makes certain traditions hard to follow.

Christmas Carols in the U.S. and Britain via ellen_hawley.  I had no idea there were so many differences between Christmas carols in these two countries. Did you?

What Is Your Favourite Thing to Do on Boxing Day? via SkygateStack. The U.S. shares many holidays in common with Canada, but this isn’t one of them. I was surprised and a little impressed by the fact that this American blogger had heard of Boxing Day…especially since he’s a dog! 😀

Clamdy Canes, Clam Flavoured Candy Canes. No, this isn’t a joke. There really are clam flavoured candy canes out there. If any of you decide to try them, I’d love to know what you thought of them.

Nell. This is a retelling of The Little Match Girl that I like quite a bit more than I did the original version.

25 December 1840 via ruthrblair. I’ve done a lot of reading about workhouses, but this was the first time I’ve never learned what Christmas was like in such a place.

Merry Newtonmas. What a cool holiday. I’m quite tempted to start celebrating it.

Happy Holidays to those of you who have already begun observing them! Here is this week’s list of comic strips, poems, and other links from my favourite corners of the web.

Christmas 1931. A Yuletide of Hunger via harryslaststand. This brought tears to my eyes.

The Vegan Vulture. In no way do I judge people who have to be careful about what they eat due to allergies, intolerances, medical conditions like diabetes, etc. (I’m part of this group!) This is hilarious, though.

Christmas Past. Various holiday-themed links have taken over Suggestion Saturday this month. Rather than fighting this year, I’m accepting it. Also, this is the perfect thing to read for anyone who loves Charles Dickens.

Carrots and Whiskey via SDJackson85.  This is the perfect short horror story to read as Christmas looms in the near future.

From 6 Awkward Holiday Conversations You’re Dreading:

Hopefully everything for you will be hugs, warmth, light, and reconnection with the people you love. But if you are dreading dealing with that one jerk relative or bracing yourself for an onslaught of intrusive questions and and awkward topics, here’s a guide to keeping your cool and choosing your battles when everyone around you is making it weird.

From You’re Damn Right There’s a Santa Claus via tjtherien:

There will be time enough to crush the hopes and dreams of a person. Leave children alone. Let them believe. The magic of being a child is in believing anything is possible.

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

Festivities and Kindness via ‪gemmaorton‬. One of the things I love about the holiday season is how it encourages people to perform random acts of kindness and look out for one another. This is an excellent example of that.

Getting Into the Spirit. Okay, this was pretty funny.

Effigy. Today I’ve decided that the term effigy should apply to non-humans, too.

Sleep Training a Jerk Russell via KittyDeschanel. Normally, I don’t share links from the same site two weeks in a row on Suggestion Saturday posts. Part of the reason why I bent this rule today is that I’m a brand new reader at Kitty’s site and I wanted to give all of you another taste of the humorous content she publishes. She has quite a way with words.

How to Find Holiday Happiness via cynthiaharriso1. This blogger has an interesting approach to dealing with painful holiday memories. I thought some of my readers might like it.

From Suddenly Santa:

Suddenly, towards the end of the film I’m approached by a woman so sweet looking that she can only be described as a young Ms. Claus in street clothes. I’m told that they have a Santa costume, but no Santa. I’m also told that they have been planning this event since approximately 1952, but that somehow things are just coming together at the last minute.

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

Happy Hanukkah! This is the last piece of Rockets art I’ll be sharing with my readers unless the owners of that blog decide to update it again. I hope you’ve enjoyed the links to it I shared several times over the last year.

Sweets on a Plane – Will TSA Confiscate Your Candy? It’s time to start thinking about this if you have any travel plans over the holidays and are hoping to bring sweets along with you.

December 1st. Brace yourselves. The holiday season is about to go into high gear for the next month.

5 Ways to Make Your Flu Recovery Faster and Easier via KittyDeschanel. Hopefully all of my followers will stay healthy this winter. If you do get sick, this post has some funny and possibly quite helpful tips to make you feel better.

How I Stopped Emotional Eating and Started Feeling Better About Life. I’m the sort of person who loses their appetite when I’m going through very rough times. (In order to avoid misrepresenting myself, this has only been a problem for me on rare, limited occasions. One bad day, week, or even month won’t do it).  Still, it was fascinating to see how someone who takes the exact opposite approach to food has learned to have a healthier relationship with food and with herself.

Handling Holiday Guilt via DrJanaScrivani. Ooh, this was a good read.

11 Little Mental Health Tips that Therapists Actually Give Their Patients. Does anyone know how accurate this article might be?

From The Lady Hero’s Journey:

Why would she even want to go on The Hero’s Journey in the first place? She already has a lot to deal with at home. Slaying the Great Dragon of the North does not really seem like her thing.

Happy Thanksgiving, American readers! Here is this week’s list of blog posts, short stories, recipes, poetry, and other links from my favourite corners of the web.

Pumpkin Pie With a Nut Crust via maria_mckenzie. Wow, this looks delicious.

A New Gratitude via seanpaulmahoney. Thanksgiving honestly isn’t at the top of the list of my favourite holidays, but I really like what this author has to say about balancing all of the different ways to think about what it represents.

Allergen Friendly and Vegan Pumpkin Pie Tarts. These sound delicious and very appropriate for this time of the year.

The Feast. Can you guess what this is about?

Ughhhhh…Fkn Eggs! via Iedab. Go read this if you’re having trouble with something you’re baking or cooking today. It’s such a humorous take on what it’s like when an ingredient or dish doesn’t look/taste quite right.

Thanksgiving: Thank Those Who Deserve the Praise. My friend Bruce has posted a lot of great articles on his site over the years. This is one of his most recent ones, and it just so happens to fit today’s theme perfectly.

Roles of Potatoes in Diets a Hundred Years Ago. Mashed potatoes (with gravy, of course!) continues to be one of the first dishes I reach for on Thanksgiving. I thought this was an interesting look at how people ate potatoes a century ago when there was far less processed food available.

7 Ways to Support People Who Are Estranged From Their Families Over the Holidays. The blogger who wrote this was full of excellent advice.

First Thanksgiving. Wow, this was well-written.

Thanksgiving Turkey. Vegan and vegetarian friends, this post is 100% safe for you.

Old-Fashioned Spiced Cranberries. I don’t like fresh cranberry sauce, but I do like the canned version. I wonder if I’d like this one? Will any of you be trying it?

From Wielding and Yielding via daveryshiftn:

It was Ilene’s idea to include Marge’s senile mother for Thanksgiving.

“Everyone just be whoever she thinks you are. It’ll be fine.”

From This Is Why the President Pardons a Turkey Every Year:

Every year, the U.S. president holds a National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation sparing a turkey from a Thanksgiving table. Instead, the birds are sent to a farm to live out their lives in peace…But why does the Commander in Chief spend time pardoning a bird?

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

The B Word via bloggerbythesea. This was an interesting blog post about what it’s like to live with chronic back pain.

Pocosin. It’s been a while since I shared a science fiction story with you all, but this was a good one. It was also the inspiration for the picture included in today’s post.

Managing Holidays When Relationships Are Complicated (Part 1) via FindingGracie. When part 2 of this series comes out, I’ll give you all a heads up. It’s sure gotten off to a good start.

Why Walkable Cities Are Good for the Economy. As someone who was lucky enough to spend various parts of my childhood in rural, suburban, and (somewhat) urban areas, I have to say that walkable neighbourhoods will always be my favourite places to live. At one point, my family lived in such a rural area that we had to drive for an hour to get to the nearest mall! I can’t tell you all how many times I’ve been grateful to live close to lots of shops now that I’m an adult. It makes life so much easier.

Why Doesn’t Ancient Fiction Talk About Feelings? Wow, this was a good read.

Guest Blogging: Dos and Don’ts via alisonverhalen. The social norms surrounding guest blogging are still being solidified from what I’ve observed, but I’d argue that these rules are a good place to start.

From The Healthiest People in the World Don’t Go to the Gym:

Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without even thinking about it. This means that they grow gardens, walk throughout the day, and minimize mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.

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

Cats Don’t Work Without Internet. Could it also be argued that the Internet doesn’t work without cats? I’d say yes.

The Room via SDJackson85. . This one is for a certain sibling of mine who reads this blog and loves doing construction projects on his home. May he never stumble across anything like this during a future project. Ha!

Books I Want to Read via bjornlarssen. My new friend, Bjorn, wrote this last week in response to something I wrote at the end of October. How cool is that? He included a link to my post at the end of his, so I didn’t feel the need to do it again here. Definitely go check out his post, though. He has excellent taste in books.

The First 10 Thoughts I Had: USA via Fushiee_. If you live in the United States or have ever travelled there, this is a must-read.

Why We Forget Most of the Books We Read. Honestly, this is something that has mildly irritated me for a long time. It’s nice to know I’m not the only person who forgets most of the novels I read.

From A Brain Scientist Who Studies Alzheimer’s Explains How She Stays Mentally Fit:

And she realized early on that puzzles and games weren’t the answer because they tend to focus on one very narrow task. The result is like exercising just one muscle in your body, Langbaum says. That muscle will get stronger, but your overall fitness isn’t going to change.

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, articles, and other links from my favourite corners of the web. There were a lot of news articles this week because I kept stumbling across great ones.

The Not so Invisible Problem via tjtherien. This post is several years old, but the problem it talks about still hasn’t been solved. This issue definitely isn’t unique to Toronto. A lot of places struggle with it, and I hope we find better solutions for it soon.

Regency Era Etiquette for the Sick. Honestly, a lot of this is good advice for 2018, too.

Views from the Road: The Kindness of Strangers via marieannbailey. What a tear-jerker. I always appreciate hearing stories about humans going out of their way to help strangers without any expectation of being rewarded for it.

What I Learned from Turning My Notifications Off via bamblingsofnafy. How many of you have turned your notifications off? I don’t think this is something I’d be able to do permanently or regularly, but I am intrigued by the idea of it in general.

Acting Like an Extravert Has Benefits, But Not for Introverts. Honestly, this should be common sense, but I’m still glad to see research being done on it.

The EU Is Right – 2018 Should Be the Last Time the Clocks Go Back. Agreed. Now to get this idea so much exposure that every country ends daylight savings time.

No Such Thing As Too Much Exercise, Study Finds. I found this a little surprising. What do you all think can or should be done to encourage people to exercise more in whatever ways they’re able to?

Microplastics Found in 90 of Table Salt. Wow, this is gross. The good news is, they haven’t found any health effects from it so far.

Finally, I have a call for submissions and guest posts to share with all of you.

Please share pic.twitter.com/cp87myMYJs

— Ginger Nuts of Horror (@GNutsofHorror) November 2, 2018

If you can’t click on that link, here’s an embedded version of what they’re looking for:

And here is a summarized version of the text for anyone who needs it:

Ginger Nuts is a horror blog that is looking for LGBT+ authors as well as authors who write LGBT+ characters to be featured on their site through interviews, guest posts, short stories throughout the month of January 2019. Email them at jimmcleod @ gingernutsofhorror DOT com for more information or to recommend people you know who might be interested in this opportunity.

I can’t wait to see what kinds of stories, interviews, and other features they publish in a few months. How cool.