Lydia Schoch

Winter Fox from mechanical apple on Vimeo.

Okay, so technically the title of this short film is Winter Fox, not Winter in Heaven.

I like the contrast between it and the video I shared with you last week, though. Winter in Hell was more visually striking, but I’d much rather visit this setting.

I have a confession to make: the amazing commercials (and the occasional performance from Beyonce) are the only reasons why I’ve ever paid attention to the Super Bowl.

This isn’t a judgement on how other people spend their time. I’m sure my love of stuff like the Harry Potter books is equally tedious for some.

Football is a sport that I find boring even when I’m playing it.  Sitting still and watching other people play football for hours simply isn’t something my brain is capable of doing.

So imagine how confused I was when owls started showing up on my  Twitter stream last night.

Someone – I’m still not entirely sure who – attempted to hijack the Super Bowl hashtag in order to talk about Superb Owls.

This image above was one of many graphics about how owls live and what they look like. I found them endlessly interesting because of all of the owls that were mentioned in the Harry Potter books and because this isn’t a species I know a whole lot about.

At least for me, owls are better than football.

Where do your interests lay?

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

Freedom and Apology via Kim_Batchelor. The author of this post teaches a creative writing class in a jail, and she’s learned a lot from her students. This was such an interesting peek into a part of society I know almost nothing about.

February. I actually found this poem last spring,  but I decided to wait until February rolled around again to share it with all of you. 🙂

Fear and Monsters via CamelaThompson. Isn’t it wonderful to stumble across blog posts that ask questions you’ve never thought of before?

Why Birds Fluff Up. Just the thought of this makes me shiver.

Powers. This is also true for those of us who are bisexual. Haha!

Confidence Trick via Hannah_Chutzpah. Yes, exactly.

From The Jellyfish Method Of Handling Criticism:

But the problem with developing thick skin is that there’s a tendency to start deflecting anything and everything that isn’t overwhelmingly positive.  After awhile, even a well-meaning critique runs the risk of being labeled as “hater talk” and disregarded.

What have you been reading?

I’d find this fascinating even if I didn’t currently have a cold.

Winter in Hell from Enrique Pacheco on Vimeo.

What a title, eh?

This is a video you can watch without listening to the background music if you’d like. It’s a collection of volcanic explosions, frozen meadows, and small icebergs bobbing up and down in the ocean.

Iceland isn’t my idea of hell at all. It’s actually a beautiful, peaceful place. I’m still not interested in visiting it at this time of year, though. Haha.

I just arrived home from a relaxing vacation in a warm, tropical place.

My pale, German skin soaked up as much sunshine as it possibly could without getting burned or otherwise damaged by UV rays. (Ha!)

If  I close my eyes, I can still feel the warm sun on my skin. Even the harshest Canadian snowstorm can’t chase that memory away.

The ocean looked just like the water in this photograph. I wish all of my readers could have seen it for themselves. It is so interesting and odd to be surrounded by sparkling water that is this particular shade of blue-green.

Ontario lakes are much deeper shades of blue, and they’re almost always filled with algae and other water-clouding things. Being able to see the bottom of a body of water was unfamiliar and beautiful.

My days were full of relaxation. I swam quite a bit. I read. I took long walks. I ate mounds of delicious fruit, which is my favourite thing in the whole world to have for any meal of the day. I laughed while playing silly card games.

In short, it was a perfect trip.

What makes you feel refreshed? I’d love to hear your answers, big or small!

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

Good for You, Not For Me. I identify with this so much. Some things don’t change from one subculture to the next.

Rivers. Who else is mesmerized by this?

Why Wait for Spring to Walk Outside? Those of you who have followed this blog for a while probably remember how much I dislike being outside in the winter. This article raised some great points about the benefits of exercising outdoors at this time of year and how you can do it safely, though. It was written with senior citizens in mind, but the tips in it can work well for anyone.

Dispossessed in the Land of Dreams. If I ever win the lottery or become a best-selling author, I’m going to do something about this. Nobody should live this way.

8 Research-Supported Ways to Bust the Winter Blues. I’m planning to try all of them this winter.

How to Tell if a Canadian Is Mad at You. As a Canadian, I can confirm that the entire list is true. This include item #4. 😉

Childhood Lost. This is heartbreaking, especially once you see the photos of the lost stuffed animals.

What have you been reading?

1. Some silence is okay. Don’t be afraid of it.

2. Ask them what they think of topic X if they haven’t spoken up yet.

3. Never comment on how quiet they are. I feel so awkward and self-conscious when people do this.

4. Give them time to respond. Sometimes it takes me a little bit to decide what I want to say.

5. Try to minimize small talk. There are so many other things in this world to discuss. We don’t have to limit ourselves to weather and sports.

6. Ask them what they’re thinking about. I can’t guarantee that every quiet person will enjoy this, of course, but I relish this question. It’s so much fun to share the weird, funny, and off-topic thoughts that are rolling around in my mind, especially when I know that general-you are genuinely interested in hearing about them.

7. Reduce background noise, if possible. I know that some people love having the television or radio on for hours at a time, but that kind of stuff  irritates me. I’d much prefer to socialize somewhere that doesn’t require me to tune out so many other competing voices.

This is the kind of art I’ve never understood.

What am I supposed to feel when I look at it? Is confusing what the artist was going for?

What is it about a squiggle that makes it artistic? Would it be less artistic if it had fewer loops?

Do the colours mean something?

Is there meaning in the ways the lines intersect?

Assuming it was actually possible, what would we find lurking behind this design if we peeled back one, tiny corner of it? (I’m picturing something grey-skinned, warm-blooded, and mostly friendly….)

The art appreciation class I took in college didn’t cover this. We spent nearly all of our time on classic, famous paintings. I understand the basics of them and would feel comfortable discussing them in a group even though I don’t remember all of the technical terms I once learned to describe that movement.

When I look at something like this, though, I’m completely lost.

None of my questions are snarky in the least. Maybe there is a meaning in this style of art that I’ve never been able to uncover. I’d love to know what that meaning is.

Can anyone help?

I can’t believe I’ve gotten to this point after years of having far more books to read than the time with which to read them, but my list of pending titles is dwindling down to almost nothing.

Longterm readers already know this, but these are the genres I love:

• History.
• Poetry.
• Sci-fi and Fantasy.
• Folklore from any culture.
•  Horror, especially the psychological/non-gory kind.
• Biographies.
• Psychology.
• Sociology.
• Young Adult.
• Science (any branch of it).

I sometimes enjoy:

• Romance.
• Mysteries.
• Animal fiction, as long as the animal doesn’t die at the end 😉 .
• Plays.
• Math.

I’m not interested in:

• Religion.
• Alternative medicine.
• War stories.
• Sports.
• Politics.
• Extremely violent or disturbing content.

Can anyone recommend a good book or three to me?

If you tell me what genres you do (and don’t) enjoy, I’ll return the favour! I love giving and receiving recommendations. It’s such a fun way to find new authors to read.