Suggestion Saturday: January 12, 2013

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, quotes, videos and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

Wanna make a monster? Take the parts of yourself that make you uncomfortable — your weaknesses, bad thoughts, vanities, and hungers — and pretend they’re across the room. It’s too ugly to be human. It’s too ugly to be you. Children are afraid of the dark because they have nothing real to work with. Adults are afraid of themselves.- Richard Siken, “Black Telephone”

What if Disney’s Princess Movies Were Horror Stories? I’m a big fan of reworking classics but these tales are definitely not kid-friendly. Then again, neither were many of the originals!

Sexist Humor No Laughing Matter. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same can be said about racist, homophobic, classist, etc. jokes as well. Laughter is wonderful…but not if it’s coming at the expense of someone else.

Sisters Separated by WWII and Seventy Years, Reunited by Facebook. Wow, I can’t imagine the emotional pain Tanija and Hedija Talic and their brother experienced. My brothers and I had typical childhood squabbles growing up, of course, but I bonded with them before they were even born. One of my favourite memories is of Jesse and me having a long conversation with our very pregnant mother’s belly about everything we wanted to show the new baby. To be separated from my siblings would have been excruciating. I hope this family has many happy years together and is able to find their missing brother.

What Would the Apocalypse Mean To You? A great thought experiment.

12 Ways to Make Talking to Strangers Less Awkward via mediocreventure. I disagree with the book recommendation in this link as I don’t find Dale Carnegie’s work to be helpful. The list, though, is worth reading.

On a lighter note:

To be quite honest with you I knew little about Etta James’ life before I read Rage to Survive. I’ve never been a drug addict or professional singer but it’s amazing to see what has actually happened in other people’s lives. There is a sense of relief that comes when one realizes that behind the shiny exterior every one of us has struggled with something. Some are big, others small but no one lives a charmed life.

What have you been reading?

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0 Responses to Suggestion Saturday: January 12, 2013

  1. Jesse Schoch

    What would the apocalypse mean to you- this is something i actually often think about and almost welcome…theoretically of course where i don’t have to deal with people i really like not making it through the apocalypse. But even so, I like to think I would see it as a new challenge and enjoy it

    • It’s one of my favourite things to think about as well! I relish the thought of living and working with relatives who get along well with one another. Even though growing our own food would be a ton of work it would be nice to know there aren’t any other people around for hundreds of miles. I like to imagine going out for a walk or horseback ride and not seeing a soul until I came back home for supper.

      Of course, everyone I love always survives and the ones who need daily medication to stay healthy never, ever run out of it.

      If this scenario actually occurred neither of these things would be very likely.

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