Category Archives: Suggestion Saturday

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

Found a Baby Bird? I can’t remember if I’ve shared this infographic with you on a previous Suggestion Saturday post or not. It is a good reminder of what to do if you find a baby bird at this time of year, though.

If We Survive the Night. The twist at the end of this story was brilliant. (Fair warning: it’s a horror story, but don’t let that stop you if you’re not typically a fan of this genre. It’s fantastic and not at all what you might expect).

Discovering You’re Bi: What People Think vs. What It’s Really Like. I couldn’t stop gigging. This hit the nail on the head.

A Cure for Melancholy: Victorian Medical Advice on Treating Depression via MimiMatthewsEsq. This was fascinating.

The Ugly Industry: How the Beauty Industry Makes You Feel Worthless via WMASLAM63323693. What a great post. When I avoid advertisements, I’m surprised by how much less I think about being beautiful.

Magic Dog Vomits Any Liquid Required for Him via TarkabarkaHolgy. I’m sharing this with you because it is by far the strangest folktale I’ve heard of in my entire life…and I’ve read a lot of folktales! It’s hard to imagine how and why someone came up with it. Did they have a pet dog who vomited a lot? Was it a retelling of a nightmare? We’ll never know, but it’s still fun to think about.

Rainy Day Reading. Toronto has been getting a ton of rain this past week. Yes, this comic strip is an accurate picture of how I’ve been passing the time.

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

Non-Mythical Beasts. If you’ve ever wished that there could be dragons in the real world, this comic strip is for you.

The Water Cycle. This was too funny.

The Non-Complaint Department via notquiteold. I absolutely loved this.

The Myth of Not Aging via RADnursing. The only alternative to growing older is to die young. I like this post’s healthy attitude to aging.

Yuval Harari on Why Humans Won’t Dominate Earth in 300 Years. While I’m not entirely sure that I agree with the premise of this article, it still challenged me to think.

Accidental Therapists: For Insect Detectives, the Trickiest Cases Involve the Bugs That Aren’t Really There. This was simply fascinating.

From A Conversation About Science via MoxieJavi‬:

As an environmentalist and a concerned citizen, it is alarming that science has become so politicized. After all, scientific inquiry is what has brought us into the 21st century and continues to teach us more about the world and universe in which we live.

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

In the Air. For those of you who live in places that have long, cold winters, does the air in your neighbourhood smell like spring yet?

Guest Posts Wanted via DarciaHelle. Are any of you interested in this?

The First Runs of the Season via andre1begin. This was such a descriptive blog post about what it feels like to go for a run again just after winter has ended.

7 Ways to Overcome Destructive Self-Criticism via colleen_m_story. What a great essay.

Escape to Another World. I wonder how this will shape the world in the future? I’ve heard of similar things happening in Japan, so this kind of escapism could be more common than we think.

From The Secret to Happiness? Stop Trying to be Happy:

Indeed, if people recognize in Pasricha’s “values” some of their own but they can’t seem to live them out, that’s because they’re facing another, deeper dilemma: They are growing up or growing old in an era unlike any other in human history, where the basic instinct to survive has morphed into a complex desire to thrive.

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

Prehistoric ‘Aspirin’ Found in Sick Neanderthal’s Teeth. One of my favourite pastimes is reading articles about archeology, especially when it relates to Neanderthals and ancient modern humans. This was utterly fascinating. It makes me wonder what we might discover next about people that lived that long ago.

Different. I couldn’t agree with this more. The twist at the end is also of the things I love the most about living in Toronto.

What You Don’t Know About Refugees via AIRSAZ. This was excellent. I hope the author of it posts part two soon.

Tripping in the ICU. I had no idea that ICU doctors and nurses thought about things like this. I hope this becomes a widespread program.

“I Made That Bitch Famous.” What a list. It made me angry to see so many examples of women’s work being stolen.

A Pug’s Guide to Medieval Holland via thijsporck. There’s plenty of history and a cute dog here. What more could you want?

The Story Behind A United Kingdom via Dan_Salerno_. I hadn’t even heard of this film before I stumbled across this blog post, but it sounds like a fabulous story. It’s about an African prince who fell in love with a woman from England in the 1940s. The racism and hate they faced was unrelenting. This is the story of how they persevered and what their legacy has become for their descendants.

From Waste:

This is how it is: We who live on the edge of the Heap are different. Harper’s arms are no more than nimble flippers that sprout exposed bone. Zora’s skin blisters from the sunlight, while Ernest cannot raise his medicine ball sized head—he only lolls it. They cannot of course talk, so I talk for them, and I talk to them. We bronzer children of the golden class are a motley litter of rejects, everyone knows.

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

I’m Sorry Steve’s Dead, But Maybe He Shouldn’t Have Touched My Snapple. The picture on the left was the perfect accompaniment to this short story. The story itself is told in multiple parts, for the record. Scroll down to the bottom of this link to find the link to part two.

A Light Exists in Spring. This is one of my favourite Emily Dickinson poems.

Sync Your Breathing with This and Relax. I vaguely remember sharing links that were similar to this one in the past. What I really like about this particular site is how customizable it is, though. The nature sounds in particular were a nice touch. I loved breathing in deeply while listening to the gentle patter of rain.

Never Be Late Again with Teleportation via tjonesauthor. I sure like the sound of this idea. Traveling is not my idea of a good time.

Stargazing via adoptiveblkmom. What an interesting post. It reminded me a little of the long walks I used to take with my mom when I was a teenager.

The Wake Up Call. This is what I imagine Daylight Savings Time must be like every year if you happen to live with a cat or other pet.

Is It Worth It to Write Online Even Though the Platforms You Use Could Disappear? via breecrowder. I couldn’t agree with this more. It does make me wonder what percentage of the things we type on the Internet will still be around in a decade or two, though!

Here is this week’s list of poems, predictions about the future, open letters, and other links from my favourite corners of the web.

Late February. This poem perfectly captures what this time of year feels like. I wish I’d found it earlier so I could have included it in last week’s Suggestion Saturday post!

Extremely Fair via SHLubin. There’s a lot of information to process in this post. I read it a few times, and I’ve also been following the #ExtremelyFair hashtag on Twitter to see what other people had to say about it.

My Father Saw via SabeehaRehman. Every family should record and pass down oral histories like this one. Wow!

A Letter to Hermione Granger via SanchWrites. What an interesting idea. I’d never thought about writing a letter to your favourite literary character before.

Mars Needs Lawyers. I love these kind of speculative but still realistic predictions about what could happen in the near future.

Will Democracy Survive Big Data and Artificial Intelligence? This is another long article, but it’s a good one.

From The Epidemic of Gay Loneliness:

The term researchers use to explain this phenomenon is “minority stress.” In its most direct form, it’s pretty simple: Being a member of a marginalized group requires extra effort. When you’re the only woman at a business meeting, or the only black guy in your college dorm, you have to think on a level that members of the majority don’t.

Here is this week’s list of stuff from my favourite corners of the web.

Counting Steps to Increase Physical Activity. Is everyone staying active this winter? I use a program similar to this one, and it’s been effective for me.

Orthorexia Nervosa “Unhealthy” Healthy Obsession via Charmsthefoodie. This is a self-test for an eating disorder called Orthorexia. While it wasn’t included in the DSM-5, I’m hoping it will be included in the future.

34 Books by Women of Color to Read This Year. I love these kinds of lists.

How Writing Poetry Every Day Made Me More Patient and Emotionally Resilient via businessinrhyme. I’d especially recommend this link to those of you who are poets.

Fantasy Novel Title Generator. This might work well for pet names, too. “Hero, Dragon, and Child” could be a book or a trio of mischievous cats that you’ve just adopted from the local animal shelter.

Motivating Factors in My Life via WomenWriters. What life was like for this writer who was stuck in a bad marriage in the 1960s.

From Helpful Tips for Biphobics:

Being biphobic is currently a popular sport for many, and does appear at first glance to be a simple task. However, it’s not as easy as it may seem, so I’ve compiled this list to help you be aware of the many pitfalls you might encounter.

First, it’s important to understand that as much as the intent of your biphobia may be to hurt bisexuals, you may be inadvertently helping them.

What have you been reading?

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

What Aliens Really Want with Humans.  If any aliens read this, I would gladly sign up for this sort of arrangement if I can bring my spouse and some other family members.

Shakespeare in the Bush. In 1966 an American anthropologist attempted to tell the story of Hamlet to the Tiv in West Africa. How well does Shakespeare’s work translate in a culture where leaders always have multiple wives, nobody knows what a ghost is, and witches are the source of a lot of people’s woes? You’ll have to keep reading to find out.

Telling Family the Childfree Choice via WriterDann. This was very good advice.

Netflix Cheating: Your Significant Other Is Probably Stepping Out on Your Joint Viewing. I’ve never done this to my spouse, but the title of this post alone was enough to make me recommend it. What a funny dilemma to have.

Thanks to Tumblr, I’m Genderqueer via tmamone. Trav has taught me so much about gender identity and how complex it can be for some people. This is an article they wrote recently about their experiences. I highly recommend checking it out.

From Rescue via BodyofBreen:

Yesterday, as I walked past the lighthouse and on toward the Boardwalk, a young man rushed past me, vaulted a fence, and, while standing at the cliff’s edge, shouted “Someone’s struggling. Help her!”

In the water below, a young woman was treading water dangerously close to the cliff face.

From Raising the American Weakling:

When she was a practicing occupational therapist, Elizabeth Fain started noticing something odd in her clinic: Her patients were weak. More specifically, their grip strengths, recorded via a hand-held dynamometer, were “not anywhere close to the norms” that had been established back in the 1980s.

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

Can Writers Be Entrepreneurs and Activists? via seejavaciawrite. I couldn’t agree with this more.

Masked. Sometimes I share links without giving away any hints about what’s inside of them or why I’m recommending them. There’s nothing scary or disturbing in here, but I think you all will enjoy it more if you don’t know what to expect when you read the first sentence.

10 Things to Know Before Moving to Germany. He didn’t write it, but thank you to @Oparide for sharing this link with me.

Why I Really Don’t Love Valentine’s Day via AwkwardGirlLA. This blogger’s feelings about this holiday are pretty similar to my own. I wasn’t into Valentine’s Day as a young girl, though, unless we’re talking about eating sweethearts.

The Future is Mixed-Raced and That’s a Good Thing for Humanity. What an interesting article.

From Surprise Procedure via Vodstok:

Paul sat in the waiting room with his head in his hands. He’d considered bolting every ten minutes since he’d arrived, but burly, surly-looking guards stood near every exit. He was trapped in a prison of a court order and his own poor decision.

From It Never Was Golden:

Longing for the past is generally referred to as nostalgia – a gentle, tender feeling that might make these stories seem like nothing more than harmless sentimentality. But it is crucial to distinguish between wistful memories of grandma’s kitchen and belief in a prior state of cultural perfection

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

Overwhelmed. This really does work, too.

Anne of Green Gables Is Obviously Bisexual. While I’m not entirely sure that I agree with this interpretation of Anne’s girlhood, I was fascinated by all of the quotes the author found that could be used to support this theory. Bisexual people have always existed, after all!

Knife Attacks – Pre-Violence Indicators via GershonBenKeren. There was some fantastic advice in this article about remaining aware of your surroundings and having a plan if you suspect that someone wants to harm you.

Vaping and Tinnitus Risk via janlmayes. No, there haven’t been any studies definitively linking these two things together yet. This blogger’s explanation for vaping could damage your hearing was an intriguing one, though, and I’m wondering if any of my followers know more about it.

Revive the Drive via apexmag. Apex Magazine is looking for bloggers who are interested in helping them out with their subscription drive by posting short interviews with that site’s editors on your blog. All of the details are in the link above. I will be participating in this, and I hope that some of you will consider signing up as well. Apex Magazine has posted some incredible stories over the years, several of which I’ve shared in past Suggestion Saturday posts. I really want this drive to be a success!

Careful Examination via ‪SylvesterPoetry‬. The final line in this poem was my favourite one. It drew everything together beautifully.

From The Phineas Gage Effect:

 If an individual’s character changes enough, can this disrupt identity to such an extent that it no longer makes sense to say that we are dealing with the same person?