My Favourite Articles and Links This Week

This was a fascinating essay on how the internet has given fans the idea that they deserve to shape the art they love.

Productivity isn’t just about what you do- it’s what you don’t do. After reading this, I felt like I just found a missing puzzle piece on a jigsaw I’ve been trying to solve for ages.

Sometimes pausing for 3 seconds before reacting can transform the conversation you are having, and possibly turn your whole day around.

1,300 sheep terrorized (okay, they just sort of wandered about) a small Spanish city after their shepherd fell asleep. Let the counting sheep jokes begin!

I have been forgetting to link to these- I was asked by the amazing Taddle Creek magazine to read a couple poems for their podcast, and it’s always interesting to hear a poem instead of just reading it on the page. Here is a podcast of my poem that imagines a young, pre-Wizard of Oz Dorothy, seeing a tornado for the very first time.  And then here is the podcast of my reading about a tourist’s experience of going to an Irish whiskey distillery.

My Favourite Pins This Week

A fresh summer pasta? Heck yes- full of roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. The toasted breadcrumbs are worth the effort, too! If you are watching your carbs, you could substitute half the pasts for spiralized zucchini noodles. Pinterest link is here, and the original recipe is here.

Blueberry and Lemon Loaf- I love lemon loaf all year round, but now that blueberry season is almost upon us, and I had a nice batch from the grocery store recently. Blueberries and lemon go together so well, don’t you think? Pinterest link is here, and the original recipe post is here.

This cute summer bag is made from two woven placemats, can you believe it? I love how it looks, so great for summer. Pinterest link is here, and the original DIY post is here.

This is a very clever tutorial on how to take more dramatic photos of flowers using a flashlight… and it has me wondering what else the techniques could be applied to. I wonder how knitting of skeins of yarn would look lit like this? Pinterest link is here, tutorial is here.

I think this is the most fun idea for a bridal shower, birthday party, or just some random weekend- you and a bunch of friends get some of the ugliest old bridesmaid dresses you can find (hello, thrift store finds!) and then go play paintball in them. I’m totally going to do this one day, this sounds freaking awesome!! Pinterest link is here, and the original post is here.

What sort of plans have you got this weekend? My parents are coming to visit (Lila is so excited), and we are going to be visiting the Toronto islands again this weekend! I’m going to ask for a high chair for James this time, so he can’t get my hamburger. 😉