Category Archives: Blog Hops

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

Harry Potter: How I Became a Fan 20 Years Later via ‪mandysantos‬. There’s something interesting about seeing how people react to pop culture events that they didn’t experience until years after the book, movie, etc. was released.

Amazing Fall Migrations. The last one was my favourite one.

10 Things to Consider Before Dating a Time Traveller via Blondewritemore‬. This made me grin.

My Chronic Pain Journey Before Surgery via ‪notebksglasses‬. I have a few friends who live with chronic pain. Blog posts like this one are helpful when it comes to understand what that sort of experience must be like without asking my friends a thousand questions about their health.

The Web Began Dying in 2014. Here’s How. Do you think there’s anything we can do to reverse this?

These Are the Things Restaurant Workers Wish You Knew. A lot of this is common sense, but it was still a good article.

From Democracy:

When you’re cold—November, the streets icy and everyone you pass

homeless, Goodwill coats and Hefty bags torn up to make ponchos—

someone is always at the pay phone, hunched over the receiver

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

Ogres of East Africa. This seriously needs to be a full-length book. Wow.

In Photos: The Big Five at Masai Mara Kenya via ‪MagicalKenya‬. Lions, and leopards, and elephants, oh, my! I never grow tired of seeing large animals like this. How about you?

Compliments – Can You Take Them? via KarinSieger. There’s nothing trivial about this skill at all.

10 Myths and Facts About Depression via ‪HDuggalMD‬. I like the fact that this was written by psychiatrist. The rest of his blog posts are excellent as well.

Microwave S’Mores. Wow, I had no idea it was possible to make s’mores in a microwave. They look pretty close to campfire s’mores, too, other than their colour. The photo I found above might be a way to warm up marshmallows in doors while still giving them that crispy, brown shell. I might just have to try one of these the next time I take a break from my low-sugar diet.

What Boredom Does to You. As someone who loves to daydream, this is excellent news.

Boko Haram Strapped Suicide Bombs to Them. Somehow These Teenage Girls Survived. Read this one with caution if you’re at all sensitive about violence or the death of children. It talks about some pretty dark stuff, but it was a fantastic read.

From Seven:

By far the best age is seven, when the summer grass grows around splayed fingers and each winter breath forms little clouds that morph into animals and pirate ships. When your older cousins watch with barely masked envy as sparks fly from your fingertips and pigtails as you spin. You show off for the little kids, their eyes wide with awe and anticipation. Seven, when the barrier between worlds is so thin you can cup the last glow of sunset in your palm and hold it up to the white walls of your bedroom.

Happy Halloween! Here is this week’s gigantic list of comic strips, essays, videos, poems, bonus photos, and other links from my favourite corners of the web.

I’ve been slowly collecting them for months to ensure that everything you read here this week is somehow related to Halloween. It’s a challenge that I relish every once in a while for my Suggestion Saturday posts, and I couldn’t bear to leave any of them out.

Spooky Species. Keep an eye out for these little tricksters if you’re going to a party or taking the kids in your life out trick-or-treating this weekend.

A Victorian Halloween Party via MimiMatthewsEsq. Doesn’t this sound like a good time? I sure would have enjoyed it if I were alive back then.

The Cider That Comes from Beyond the Grave. If you enjoy alcohol and are anywhere close to New York, this sounds as though it would be a fun way to pass the time.

A Stroll Through Highgate Cemetery via ‪DrCarolCooper‬. If you have any interest in all in the art of beautiful, antique headstones, definitely check this link out. I thought it was an incredibly respectful and fascinating post.

We Found Love in a Spooky Place via AmberLeventry. Halloween doesn’t always have to be scary. Sometimes it’s downright sweet.

Annual Transformations via jdubqca. Ooh, this made me shudder.

Halloween and Martinstag. One of my German friends on Twitter recently informed me that Halloween is a very new holiday over there. He didn’t write this article, but I thought it was quite interesting to read about their traditions at this time of the year that have and haven’t been influenced by North American customs.

The Ghosts of Queen’s Park. Here are a few Toronto ghost stories for you. While I have no idea if any of this is rooted in  historical truths, I love the way communities come up with interesting stories about their pasts.

Halloween Candies: How to Choose the Merely Unhealthy Over the Absolutely Ruinous. 30% of the reason why I’m recommending this link to you is because the title made me grin.

From The Top 3 Japanese Ghosts via ‪matthewmeyerart‬:

As scary as Japan’s modern day horror movies are, they are the result of a long tradition of ghost story telling that goes back much further than the invention of films.

From An Honest to God Ghost Story via bjknappwrites‬:

I didn’t expect to actually see a ghost.  But the history and the stories were fascinating.  But then, as we stood in the base of the guard tower, I felt something brush my hair off my shoulder.

I really loved this history of Halloween and explanation for how and why it became such a commercialized holiday:

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

How Reading Rewires Your Brain for More Intelligence and Empathy. I wonder if more intelligent and empathic people have a higher chance of finding pleasure in reading, too?

The Sorrow and Shame of the Accidental Killer. Wow, what a story. It must be excruciating to live with that much guilt over something you didn’t do on purpose and would give anything to fix.

On Presumed Innocence, Believing Victims, and Keeping the Legal Balance via CeeArrBookNerd‬. This is one of the most important articles I’ve read this week. I can’t agree with it more.

My Mum – from Schizophrenia to Dementia in 60 years via AmandaGreenUK‬. When one member of a family is mentally ill, it can affect everyone one around them. This blogger’s story was quite interesting.

First Evidence That Online Dating Is Changing the Nature of Society. This was fascinating. For any of my readers who don’t already know this, I met my spouse online.

Minimalism and Emails via WriterDann‬. Oh, I really need to start doing this. My inbox always gets stuffed.

From Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering From Severe Anxiety?

Jake was right — his parents didn’t understand. Jake didn’t really understand, either. But he also wasn’t good at verbalizing what he thought he knew: that going to school suddenly felt impossible, that people were undoubtedly judging him, that nothing he did felt good enough. “All of a sudden I couldn’t do anything,” he said. “I was so afraid.”

From Don’t You Worry, You Aliens:

There isn’t a virus. He’s pretty sure of that. The radio, when the BBC news had come back every day for a week, before ceasing once more, had mentioned rumours of a virus motivating some of the big “refugee trains” that had got stuck in the West Country. But nobody who’d left from round here had been ill. Nobody who’d come through had been ill.

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

Under One Roof. My family moved around a bit when I was a kid. Every time we packed up to go to another house, I secretly wished to find the belongings of the previous inhabitants in its attic or crawl space.This story reminded me of that memory.

Ten Awesome Things My Wife DIdn’t Have Growing Up in America via queerxfamily. It is so interesting to read posts like this that compare small differences between countries. I wish I could find more of them out there.

Diwali Over the Years via rachnaparmar. This was such an interesting explanation of this holiday. I didn’t know anything about Diwali when I first found this post, but it seems like it’s a lot of fun.

Black Forest Naked Cake. I’m sharing this with you in honour of Oktoberfest. If I were going to celebrate it, I’d make this version of black forest cake for sure.

My Dual Identity via ‪ManisMadness‬. This was a good post.

How Science Found a Way to Help Coma Patients Communicate. Mind-blowing is the only word I can think of to explain this article. Wow!

From Return of the City-State:

If you’d been born 1,500 years ago in southern Europe, you’d have been convinced that the Roman empire would last forever. It had, after all, been around for 1,000 years. And yet, following a period of economic and military decline, it fell apart. By 476 CE it was gone.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian readers! I’ve decided to split up my holiday-themed links between the dates when Canadians and Americans celebrate this holiday since most of my readers come from one of these two countries.

I was originally planning to put a traditional Thanksgiving picture in this post, but this photo was too funny to pass over. I have no idea what the model in it is doing, but I hope that all of your squash are cooked and preferably made into delicious pies this weekend.

Without further ado, here is this week’s list of recipes, memories, blog posts, and other links from my favourite corners of the web.

Thanksgiving Cake via NiloufersKtchn. Ooh, this looks good!

Thanksgiving in Germany. Had my ancestors remained in Germany, I might be getting ready for Erntedank instead this weekend. It was quite interesting to read about how this holiday is observed over there.

5 Ways to Have a Sustainable Thanksgiving. I especially liked the idea of turning leftovers into soup.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake. Desserts are one of my favourite parts of Thanksgiving dinner. Can you tell?

Talking Turkey: Thanksgiving Traditions and a Sperm Donor via AmberLeventry. I love the fact that this blogger is so interested in helping her children develop relationships with their donor siblings. What a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Getting Ready for the Holidays: Eating Pie on a Weight-Loss Diet. While I don’t worry about counting calories or eating a healthy diet on Thanksgiving, this post has some great tips for reducing your calorie count if this is something you’ll be thinking about when you decide what kind of dessert to have.

A Special Reason Why I Celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico via fabiolaofmexico. This sounds like so much fun.

Perfectly Nerdy Thanksgiving Feast Ideas: A Recipe Round-Up. The fact that this blogger found a way to include everything from Harry Potter to Alice in Wonderland to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe was impressive.

Perpetual and Universal Peace: A Message of Thanksgiving in 1814 via ‪18thCand19thC‬. I found it fascinating to see how people viewed this holiday 200+ years ago.

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

It’s Okay to Be Self-Centered. Isn’t this an eye-catching title? Be sure to read the whole thing before deciding what you think of it.

Rules for Preserving Health in Victorian Times via 18thCand19thC. One of the biggest reasons why I’m recommending this link to you is because of how fascinated I am by how the rules for preserving your health change from one century to the next. Don’t you wonder what people will have to say a hundred years from now about the diet, exercise, and lifestyle habits that medical professionals recommend to us in 2017?

How to Choose Wisely. Making decisions isn’t something that bothers me too often, but this article was full of great advice on how to decide when everything appeals to you or when every choice seems to lead to the same place.

The Hunt for the Tinmouth Apple. Now I’m craving apples like nobody’s business! I’m glad they’re in season again.

Where Pain Lives. Here’s hoping that this research unlocks better treatments for chronic pain soon. I know several people who have lived with it for many years.

Either. I’ve been a fan of this comic strip for years. If you’ve never read lunarbaboon before, this is an excellent place to start. Yes, those words are supposed to be stuck together like that. Yes, longterm readers of mine will probably recognize this site. I try not to link to it too often for the sake of giving many different sites a chance to shine, but I know I’ve recommended it more than once in the past.

Healthy Movement Matters – It’s Not About Getting a Gym Body via ‪TempusPT‬.Yes, exactly!

Discovering Sam, Our Transgender Child via girlology. What a beautiful reaction these parents had to their daughter’s secret.

From The Wolf and the Tower Unwoven:

Now, old birds may like to talk but there’s song and there’s nattering on for the sake of the sound. Suffice it to say the wolf learned quickly. He came inside, he learned to hold a spoon, and, other than the issue of the bath, he never tried to bite me.

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

The Ant & The Grasshopper. I will never think about this fable the same way again.

Blessing the Boats. This is the final Lucille Clifton poem I wanted to share with my readers. I hope you’ve enjoyed all six of her poems that I’ve linked to on alternating weeks since July.

Summer’s Last Dance via ShykiaBell. Summer technically didn’t end until yesterday, so I picked the closest Suggestion Saturday date to the fall solstice to share this poem from my friend Shykia. It’s a beautiful one, and today’s picture is in honour of it.

Slut-Shaming in South Asian Communities: Reputation and Dishonor via ‪chai_fiend‬. As I read this, I wondered what it will take to change these kinds of traditions in every culture they can be found in. How many generations will it be before  women stop being treated this way?

Octlandis: The Underwater City Built by Octopuses.  I already liked octopuses, but learning about the amazing things they’ve figured out how to do only makes me admire them more.

Music Protection or Why Wear Earplugs at Concerts via ‪tinnitustoolbox‬. While I almost never go to concerts, this link has made me decide to listen to music at a lower volume and to do so less often than I currently do. Protecting your hearing is so important.

Five Lifestyle Changes that Helped Me Seriously Reduce My Anxiety. Do you remember me talking about Stewart Bint’s call for guest posts last month? Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for him. He is still looking for more guest posts, so send him a message on Twitter or through his site if you want to be featured there next. Stewart is a very nice guy, so don’t hesitate if you’re interested!

From Ray at 14:

Bless this boy, born with the strong face

of my older brother, the one I loved most,

who jumped with me from the roof

of the playhouse, my hand in his hand.

Here is this week’s list of comic strips, blog posts, short stories, tips for staying healthy over the winter, and other links from my favourite corners of the web.

Sfingi Recipe (Sicilian Doughnut) via ‪LorelleCat‬. Yum! I was also surprised to see that this recipe is 100% dairy free. That’s rare for desserts. I might add powdered sugar to them if I ever make them.

Teen Trees. This made me giggle so much when I first saw it last June that I had to save it to share with you today. This is about the time of year when I start asking my spouse when the trees are going to begin changing colour. If they’re late this year, I’m going to assume that some of them are teenage trees. Haha!

Dyslexia via ‪DarrackMark‬. This post made me look at typos into a new light.

A Call to Arms for Deceased Author’s Rights. What if ghost writers literally worked with ghosts?

Moderate Exercise Can Cut Your Cold Risk in Half. I thought this was fascinating. The cold and flu season will be here soon, so here’s hoping we all stay as healthy as possible through it.

Can Cuss Words Make You More Compassionate? via MayaSpikes. This blogger hit the nail on the head. While I don’t make a habit out of cursing online or in real life, I also don’t see a problem with doing it in general. Sometimes a well-placed curse word is a better way to get your point across than a whole speech.

From Rural Electrification Was a Woman’s Movement:

Women were motivated to get central station electricity in their homes because they, by most measures, had the harder life. They bore and raised children without lights or indoor plumbing. They cooked meals over a woodstove on sweltering summer days, washed clothes by hand, and swept dusty wood floors with calloused hands so often, it seemed to their husbands and children they never put the broom down.

Here is this week’s list of comic strips, poems, short stories, and other links from my favourite corners of the web. The last link on this list is the one that inspired today’s picture.

How to Make a Mug of Tea. Cooler days are just around the corner for all of us in the western hemisphere. Here’s is a funny reminder on how to make tea to prepare you for autumn and winter.

The Lost Baby Poem. Here is the fifth Lucille Clifton poem I wanted to share with you. Fair warning: it talks about a miscarriage. Two weeks from now I will be sharing one final poem from this poet.

An Open Letter to the People Posting Spam in My Comment Section via TheGrahamMilne. The never-ending waves of spam were my biggest reason for turning the comments off on my blog. Graham’s take on this issue is as honest as it is hilarious.

The Practical Witch’s Guide to Acquiring Real Estate. The title of this story alone made me yearn to read it. The plot itself is somehow even better than the title.

Zalgo Text Generator. Go play around with this link. You can type whatever you want, and then adjust the text to look very odd. It’s a great deal of fun.

What We Really Mean by States’ Rights via ‪JenniferLesher‬.What an excellent essay.

How to Continue. John Ashbery, the famous American author of this poem, died recently. I hadn’t actually heard of his work until I read a notice of his death, but I wanted to share one of his poems with you today. He had a very unique writing voice.

Toad Words. This is one of the best twists on a classic fairy tale that I’ve read in ages.

From The Healing Power of Nature:

River guides might know that nature is transformative for the human body and psyche; but the mechanism behind such profound change is less universally agreed upon and understood.

From The Advance via ‪ajh_books:

A couple of years ago, while waiting for the bus, I met a man who changed my life. I didn’t anticipate the impact he’d have on my life when we met for those brief minutes. But here’s what happened.