Here is the final list of blog posts, quotes, poems, paintings, charts and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web for 2012.
I know this quote is talking about individual human beings but it’s thought-provoking to apply it to our species as a whole (or even to the year that we will soon bid farewell!)
We die containing a richness of lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed, bodies we have plunged into and swum up as if rivers of wisdom, characters we have climbed into as if trees, fears we have hidden in as if caves. I wish for all this to be marked on my body when I am dead. I believe in such cartography – to be marked by nature, not just to label ourselves on a map like the names of rich men and women on buildings. We are communal histories, communal books.- Michael Ondaatje
Mermaids of the Canary Islands. This painting is a great short story prompt if any of you are looking for such a thing.
How an ENFP Celebrates the Holidays: AKA Why You Should Invite an ENFP to Your Holiday Party. If I were planning to throw a New Year’s Eve party I’d invite this blogger in a heartbeat. She sounds like a delightful guest! Hopefully she wouldn’t mind this INFP writing a few poems about her the next morning.
The First Rule of Hug Club. I like this idea but I have complicated feelings about hugging. I’m cuddly with my spouse and love hugs from family members and friends but social situations in which one is expected to give physical affection make me quite uncomfortable. Hugs should always be given and accepted freely. They should never be an obligation.
The Basement. Go take a look at this photo essay. Everything I want to say about it will spoil the surprise but you’ll like it more if you have no idea what to expect. Don’t worry, it’s nothing frightening!
The Meaning of Life Illustrated. The 9 pleasures of stimulation chart is a tongue-in-cheek look at the meaning of life. My favourite combinations are AG, DH, EH and HI.
From Lights Out:
a child’s question
pulls my attention
from a book to his questing eyes
‘did you ever fall in love?’
Althea’s family only looks rich. Since the death of her stepfather they’ve rapidly been running out of money. Her home is rotting away and the only way a woman of her generation can come up with the money to restore it is for her to marry a rich husband – and fast! One of the bloggers I follow recommended Keeping the Castle. Initially I was skeptical as I’m usually uninterested in love stories. What can I say, I’m not very romantic. 😉
I’m not ashamed to admit how much I loved this book, though. It was funny in a deliciously snarky (although never cruel) way and the interactions between Althea and her beaus reminded me of the pitfalls of modern dating and relationships. Too often we think more about making a good impression than actually getting to know the person sitting across the table from us.
What have you been reading?
Loved the basement story. Then laughed when the meaning of life poster actually described me!
I really wish we could take a tour of that basement. I want to read those notes in greater detail.