Category Archives: Blog Hops

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

The Jesus Fly via MBTTTR. No, this probably isn’t what you’re expecting it to be.  All I will say about it is that it’s hilarious.

Don’t Worry If Your Job Is Small. This is the kind of short, snappy poem I’d read out loud to someone who doesn’t like poetry.

Vulcan Emoticons. I’m sharing this in honour of Star Trek: Discovery premiering this month. Who else can’t wait to see it?

Pockets. If you’ve ever emptied out the pockets of something you haven’t worn in a long time and found a surprise in them, this story is for you.

The Real Problem with Suicide via queerxfamily. I absolutely loved this post, and I couldn’t agree with it more.

Snow White. Apple season is nearly here, and this is hilarious. No, that sentence isn’t a non-sequitur. It will make perfect sense once you’ve clicked on this link.

Fitness Calculator. This was a fun quiz to take. I’ll tell you my results if you tell me yours.

From It’s Not Always Possible to Be Happy, and That’s OK via ‪AmyL_Henry‬:

Death, displacement, loss, rejection—these things still dog us, an inescapable part of the human condition, as core to our being as an arm or a lung. Only our acceptance of sadness, our ability to deal with it or even to admit to it, has changed.

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

Today’s picture isn’t related to any of the links below. I’m sharing it with you because I find it beautiful and because I’m mesmerized by the thoughtful expression on the young woman’s face.

“I Hate Poems”: Introducing Poetry via JamesTheo. This is for everyone who finds poetry hard to understand.

1994. This is the fourth Lucille Clifton poem I’ve shared with you so far. There are two more of them I want you to read, and I’ll continue posting them every other week on Suggestion Saturday. I hope that I’ve converted a few of my followers into fans of this poet. She’s incredible.

In the House of the Seven Librarians. If libraries are magical places to you, go read this.

Living with Racism via Krista_Quintana. This was an excellent post. It must be exhausting to answer the same questions over and over again.

A Day in the Life. I’m not sure if there’s an official term for this, but I love it when people modernize old sayings.

Will Art Survive? via ‪UpmaSharma369‬. I don’t know what the solution is to this, but the post sure was an interesting read.

The Ration Book Diet. This completely fascinates me. I wonder if it will ever become a mainstream method for eating a healthier diet?

From Conscious Consumerism Is a Lie. Here’s a Better Way to Help Save the World:

I stood behind the dais in a secondhand blouse, recycled polyester tights, and a locally made pencil skirt, took a deep breath, and began to speak. “Conscious consumerism is a lie. Small steps taken by thoughtful consumers—to recycle, to eat locally, to buy a blouse made of organic cotton instead of polyester—will not change the world.”

Here is this week’s list of short stories, essays and other links from my favourite corners of the web. If you live in North America, I hope you enjoy the solar eclipse that will be happening on Monday. This photo made me think of everyone who wishes they could see it but who don’t live in the right part of the world for that.

Eclipse Searches. If any of my readers don’t already follow XKCD, go read this strip from them.

In a Heartbeat. I don’t share many short films with my readers these days, but this one was fantastic. If you have 4 spare minutes today, definitely go give it a try.

Stop Pretending Superman Might Lose a Fair Fight via MBTTTR. I love the fact that this is a debate.

Jamaican Folklore: The Lizard’s Story via ‪naditomlinson‬. I had no idea that there were so many stories and old wives’ tales about lizards. How interesting.

Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience. Wow, this was incredible.

When Wishing for Rain, Equip Yourself for the Possibility of Thunder via

DavidLodda. This was an interesting metaphor for preparing for the unexpected in life. It also made for an eye-catching title for the post.

From Love Letters to Things Lost and Gained:

We’re supposed to think of each other as a team, while we integrate. You already think of us that way, to the extent that you think at all, so most of the work there is on me. I’m told that it’s not uncommon for that to be a somewhat bumpy road. I’m told all sorts of reassuring things.

Here is this week’s list of poems, short stories, calls for guest posts, and other links from my favourite corners of the web.

I Am Sound via ‪ajh_books. ‬This is one of those links I find occasionally that works best if you know nothing about it when you start reading.

“Oh My God, That’s the Haggis Exploding” via GlenRStansfield‬. I couldn’t stop giggling at this and wondering how big the explosion was.

How the Main Coon Cat Learned to Love the Sea. If I wasn’t allergic to cats, I’d want a Main Coon or two of my own. They’re beautiful creatures.

If Everyone Ate Beans Instead of Meat. I’ve long since replaced meat with beans for a few of my meals in the average week. This article makes me want to do it more often. What a cool way to reduce greenhouse emissions.

The Box via WMASLAM63323693‬. First you must begin with the phrase “thinking outside the box.” What this blogger did with that idea is well worth reading

I Am Accused of Tending to the Past. This is another one of my favourite Lucille Clifton poems. If you lived next door, I’d come over and read it to you if you were okay with that. I find that poetry is often more meaningful when people hear it aloud.

Tolerance Is Not a Moral Precept. I couldn’t agree with this more.

From Fast Gas:

How was I to know

it would begin this way: every cell of my body

burning with a dangerous beauty, the air around me

Also, my friend AuthorSJB  is looking for guest bloggers:

Happy to consider guest posts on my blog. Preferred subjects: authors/writing; mental health; sepsis; going barefoot; Doctor Who; Arsenal.

— Stewart Bint (@AuthorSJB) August 8, 2017

Contact him through his site or on Twitter if you’d like to be featured there. I’m thinking about doing it myself!

If your site is looking for guest posts, I’d be happy to mention it in a future Suggestion Saturday post. While we’re on the topic, I accept guest posts here as well. I have two that are in the works at the moment, but I’m always looking for more.

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

Protest. Climate change has been weighing heavily on mind lately. The fretful post of the figure in this week’s photo reminded me of this link.

Seven Reasons Why August Sucks via DrCarolCooper‬. I can’t stop laughing at this list. August definitely isn’t my favourite time of the year due to how it affects my seasonal allergies, but it sounds like this blogger enjoys it even less than I do.

This Is Just to Say. Don’t ask me to interpret this, but I love the imagery in it.

Why Rabbits Never Make It As Stand-Up Comics via MonsterMermaids‬. This was another link that made me laugh a lot this week.

Black Stories Matter: On the Whitness of Children’s Books. How many of you have heard about this discussion, I wonder? I’d love to see more diversity in children and young adult books.

How Not to Pack for a Holiday via joannesarginson. As someone who has perfected the art of traveling light, this made me chuckle.

From Packing:

Today is not the day I wanted to do this, but we aren’t always given choices. It’s time to pack for the new seasons.

No, you can’t stay. This place won’t be here soon. It’s already going, slipping away, each new summer tearing off strips.

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

The Phantom Traffic Jams via MBTTTR. I couldn’t agree with this more.

Telling Our Stories. As I mentioned two weeks ago, I discovered Lucille Clifton’s poetry earlier this month. Here is another wonderful selection from her catalogue. Don’t you love the way she assembles her words? It reminded me of the picture I included in today’s post.

How Eclipse Chasers Are Putting a Small Kentucky Town on the Map. What a fascinating article. How many of you in the United States are planning to see this eclipse, I wonder?

How We Really Tamed the Dog. A small number of foxes have been domesticated much faster than anyone thought was possible. This makes me wish I could go back in time and find out exactly how and when humans domesticated wolves. The first true dog must have been a wonderful creature.

Etobicoke “Park Stairs” Story is a Perfect Example of the Crass, Reactionary, Anti-Regulatory Nonsense That Lead to the Grenfell Disaster via ‪theleftchapter‬. I’m going to guess that my non-Canadian readers probably haven’t heard of Toronto’s recent controversy over a set of homemade stairs that a man built at a local park, but this blog post explains it well before diving into the author’s opinion on the matter. I thought all of you would find this interesting. I sure did.

What It’s Like Going to the Gym After Many (Many!) Years Away! via ‪SteffanyMR‬.I loved the message of this post.

Boys & DnD: The Second Session. Last week I linked to part one of these series. It sure sounds like my friend’s kids are enjoying this game a lot. Now I want to try Dungeons and Dragons someday. It seems like it would be a fun way to pass an evening.

From La Bestia:

A large plastic bag will keep you dry

during the heavy rain storms.

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

Summer Friends. Summer is about half over now. This is a funny take on one of my least favourite parts of this season. Hopefully all of us will be able to build elaborate sandcastles this summer instead of worrying about this stuff. Ha!

What Your Doctor Is Really Saying via DrCarolCooper‬. For those of you who might not know this, my mom has been a nurse for 20+ years. I’m going to have to ask her what she thinks of this list and if she has anything to add to it.

The Epidemic of Gay Loneliness. Ooh, this was a good article.

Letting Neural Networks Be Weird. This is  what happens when you ask a computer to come up with new proverbs by feeding it a lot of old ones . My favourite new proverb was “A good fear is never known till needed.”

Travelling a Million Miles Away: Nextdoor to Canada via LevRaphael. As a dual citizen, I approve of this message.

Fuck the Law of Attraction via CockAndCrow.Sometimes rants are exactly what you need to get through the day.

The Boys Try Dungeons and Dragons. This sounds like so much fun. I hope these kids get to have many more D&D games in the future.

What Not to Do in a Disaster. Everyone needs to read this link. It was full of good advice.

Here is this week’s list of poems, videos, comic strips, essays, and other links from my favourite corners of the web. The picture on the left reminds me of the “Choose Peace” link on this list.

7 Venn Diagrams About Teaching via JamesTheo. This made me grin.

The Photograph: A Lynching. The imagery in this poem was chillingly detailed. Lucille Clifton is a poet I’ve recently discovered, so expect to read more stuff from her in future Suggestion Saturday posts. Her writing style is gorgeous.

I Don’t Accommodate Uncontrolled Men. My thoughts exactly.

30-Day Habit Challenge: How I Changed One Thing About Myself via ‪shyvish‬. What a cool experiment. I won’t tell you what habit she decided to break, but I will say it’s something that’s quite common.

Catcall. The only kind of catcalling anyone should do.

Toronto Poetry Map. The title of this link tells you exactly what it is. If I ever find maps of other cities that show where various poems about them were set, I’ll share them with you. It’s such a creative way to arrange poetry.

From Choose Peace via OneTovarysh:

You have a choice in how you live each day.

You have a choice in the thoughts you choose to harbor,

The feelings you choose to hold onto.

The choice is always yours

Because you have free will.

Choose peace.

Fair warning: some of the jokes in the video below are cringe-worthy. This is a nice overview of Canadian culture, though, if you’ve ever wondered about stuff like where the word “toonie” comes from, what kind of pizza we invented, or which part of Canada used to have a license plate that was in the shape of a polar bear.

Here is this week’s list of essays and other links from my favourite corners of the web.

How Running Changed My Life via ‪mandysantos‬. One of the things I like the most about spending time on social media is running across other people whose lives have been changed for the better through regular exercise. I’m not a runner, but I  do identify with a lot of the things this blogger talks about when it comes to improving your mental and physical health in ways you weren’t expecting when you first began a specific exercise program.

Do NOT Compartmentalize How Somebody Acts Towards Another Person. I couldn’t agree with this more.

Meet Martin the Brain Weasel. What a helpful metaphor. I’m going to start using it.

25 Vegan Popsicle Recipes That You Need to Make This Summer. Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars and Ombre Berry Yogurt Ice Pops are the ones I’m most looking forward to trying. Most of these recipes are also free of many other common allergens like soy or nuts, too.

Handshake: A Western Custom Only? via ‪KeralaMoments‬. Every section was interesting, but I like Kenya’s method of greeting the best.

The Art of Sitting and Being via ‪AmyL_Henry‬. Ooh, I like this.

Animal Folklore: Chasing Hares Through Stories, Myths, and Legends via ‪LariDonWriter‬. Did you know that there were so many old tales about hares out there? I had no idea, but it was very interesting to read about all of the different cultures who tell stories about this creature.

Happy Canada Day to my Canadian readers, and Happy Fourth of July to my American readers! Here is this week’s list of poems and other links from my favourite corners of the web.

Fourth of July. The vivid descriptions in this poem were fantastic.

My Father Spent 30 Years in Prison. Now He’s Out. Last week I shared another essay from this writer about red velvet cake. She was such a good storyteller that I had to promote her again. It would be so hard to grow up with a dad who couldn’t be around for any of your milestones.

Blogging About Your Own Life via NicolaG01‬. What I found most interesting about this were all of the links to other posts this author has written about life with cerebral palsy. Definitely take the time to check them out after you’ve read that post.

The Highs and Lows of Diabetes via ‪HerMelness‬. I’d never thought about this symptom of diabetes before. It was so interesting.

Rock Cakes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Just like the Turkish Delight in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, I assumed that rock cakes were a made-up food the first time I read Harry Potter. It’s so neat to see that they actually exist in this world. Will any of you be trying this recipe, I wonder?

Battling Bullying by Building Empathy via ‪Bunny__Scout‬. Aww, I love the idea of teaching empathy to kids with rabbit role models.

Dublin LGBT Pride Was Asking for Feedback. I Gave Them Some. What struck me the most about this post was how easy it is to make assumptions about what others want, especially when it comes to a majority group attempting to speak for everyone. This would have annoyed me, too, but it also makes me think of the times when my assumptions have inadvertently annoyed others. So my sympathies lie with both the blogger and the people who put this event together and didn’t realize how their work was coming across.

Inspirobot. This is an AI who creates inspirational posters for you. For example…

It is the weirdest and funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time. I can’t recommend it highly enough. (Fair warning, though – some of the computer-generated sayings are socially inappropriate as well, so don’t share this link with kids).