Link Treats

Well, this has been the longest break I’ve taken from the blog in a while now. Life has been busy. Last weekend involved a drive down to the Eastern Shore of MD to see family. Much fun was had and many crabs were eaten. We returned with many pics of family gravestones and pounds of scrapple. (You can’t get scrapple up here in New England. Yes, that’s a bad thing.)

These links have been sitting around for a while, so there’s a good chance you’ve already read them. You know, if you hang out in the same neighborhoods I do. Hopefully, they’re not too redundant. I like them, anyway.

Hey, Everyone — Stop Taking This Picture! (No, I Mean It.)
This is the oldest one–from last year. Fit, Feminist, and (almost) Fifty hipped me to it.

Beta Readers
Minerva Zimmerman shares her thoughts about a writer’s dearest asset, her beta readers.

These Are a Few Of My Favorite Things, On Tiers
I used to be one of those folks who creates best-of lists. I was very Rob Gordon about it, but then I met Alpha Reader who refuses to makes lists like that. At first, I found that kind of quaint; over time I saw his point. It was interesting to see Scalzi’s take on the concept.

Your Ultimate Feminist Mixtape
A good collection of tunes from Vagenda’s Emily B. Fun suggestions in the comments, as well. What would you add?

#510: Falling out of love with your creative work and losing momentum
I so needed to read this today. As I said on Twitter yesterday, I’m trapped in the third act of The Travelers and can’t get out. Well, the only way out is through, isn’t it? Finish the fucking novel, M.

Link Treats

This batch of links isn’t quite as heavy, at least in my mind. I hope you find something of interest.

Lessons sports teach you: Perfection is the enemy of excellence
Sam B. at Fit, Feminist, and (almost) Fifty shares her thoughts on the problems of perfectionism.

Trayvon Martin, The East, and the Consequences of Inaction
My inner seven-year-old is a lot like the Belle Jar’s. It’s part of why I’m so cranky all the time.

OMG, like there are totally things called Valley Bees!
I’m so sure, Bug Girl!

Angry Young Woman
A poem from Wordlander. It’s awesome.

To Succeed, Fail Boldly
The Weekly Sift offers some words of hope.

Not Really Weekly Linkroll

So, last Sunday, I mentioned that the weekly link post wasn’t doing it for me anymore. However, I still find links that I must.share.with.everyone because that’s just how I am.

I decided that a more random approach might be worth a try. Random, in that there won’t be a set day during the week these posts will go up. And perhaps random in that I’ll post them whenever I have a certain number. I’m thinking right now that 5 is a good number. I like 5. (of course, that could change; hence random)

But what do you know? Today the number’s 5 and I already have that many.

Do I Look Like a Baby Killer?
Kat Richter talks about Planned Parenthood and what inspired her to become a clinic escort.

Being good can be a shortcut. There is no shortcut to being good.
Scott Lynch on the magical secret shortcut to becoming a successful writer.

69 reasons not to send a message to space
Rico Simpkins at Worlds Without End brings up some reasons the METI project might be a tad premature. As I said on Twitter the other day, it’s always good to lurk for a while before commenting.

Gender Policing of Girls in Children’s Sports
Tracy I at Fit, Feminist, and (almost) Fifty on gender policing. When I was a kid, I was a “tomboy” with short hair, so yeah, I know where she’s coming from.

Sometimes. Writing. Sometimes.
Yes, writing is like this. Amanda Ching knows the score.

Weekly Linkroll

Summer has arrived in Vermont, at least for the weekend. Hot and muggy and time to clean the carpets? Yeah, don’t ask. But they’re mostly done, and I’m recuperating on the couch with a cold drink and links for you. Enjoy!

What Do We Really Know About Vampires?
From R.G. Emanuelle at Women & Words. House of cards, people.

Copyright and Using the Work of Others
A good reminder from Karen Gadient. Don’t be grabby and rude–a good philosophy to live by.

Hot pants, wobbly toning shoes, and the latest in skinny making fashion
Sam B. at Fit, Feminist, and (almost) Fifty on the scam of exercise fashion. Yoga pants and seaweed?

The Distress of the Privileged
The Weekly Sift dissects privilege and the folks who just want their dinner.

A Safer and More Caring Society
On the anniversary of the murder of Dr. George Tiller, we also mourn the death of Dr. Henry Morgenthaler, the man who succeeded in making abortion legal in Canada. The Belle Jar shares her thoughts in a beautiful essay.

25 Vintage Photos of Librarians Being Awesome
Hannah Meiklejohn shares a great collection of library pics that she reblogged from Flavorwire. Librarians rock.

Let me tell you a thing, about an amazing man named Patrick Stewart
LemonSweetie tells us about her meeting with Patrick Stewart. It’s gonna get dusty.

Casting Lord of the Rings, the gender swap and POC version
This is amazing. Sabrina Vourvoulias at Following the Lede recasts Lord of the Rings. My only question: where’s Gina Torres? She would make an awesome Aragorn, too. Or Boromir. Ooh, wouldn’t that be interesting?

A Transcript of Joss Whedon’s 2013 Wesleyan Commencement Speech
How could I not link to this? Joss Whedon’s commencement address at Wesleyan. Pretty cool. Although I learned that in Billie Jean King‘s commencement address at Williams College today, she played tennis with the audience. Wish I’d seen that!

 

Weekly Linkroll

Looks like we’re going to combine a couple weeks of links here, considering I haven’t been keeping up with blog business lately. There’s been gardening, writing, and general enjoying of spring, so it’s not like I’ve been goofing off. Much.

Book Review: Winter Well: Speculative Novellas About Older Women
First, a little self-promotion. My next novella is coming out in three weeks, and Jule’s Book Reviews has already reviewed Winter Well, the collection it’s in. May 24, folks!

White Lady Feminism, Christian Blogging, and the Worst of Both Possible Worlds
Dianna Anderson has some interesting thoughts on the similarities between online feminism and online Christianity. Dissent is often necessary.

Sexy Pool Party
It’s the last shot that really made me laugh.

Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls… SO I WILL
The Militant Baker on body image and loving yourself.

The Myth of the Free Market: You’ll Find a Unicorn Before You Find a Free Market
Scriptonite Daily with thoughts on the free market, or if there really is one. A long read, but worth it.

Kentucky woman ordained as priest by dissident Roman Catholics
Sofia Perpetua, with NBC News, discusses the ordination of a woman as Catholic priest. I didn’t know there were dissident groups who did this. Cool.

Honey bees, CCD, and the Elephant in the Room
Fascinating post at Bug Girl’s Blog on colony collapse disorder in honey bees and how a lot of folks might be taking the wrong approach. Dr. Doug Yanega guest posts.

Newsflash: Spot Reduction/Spot Training Does NOT Work
Fit, Feminist, and (almost) Fifty calls out a longstanding exercise myth.

14-Year-Old Scientist Makes a Groundbreaking Discovery
Maria Elena Grimmett is working to ensure that people around the world have safe drinking water.

Little Girls Are Better at Designing Superheroes than You
A fun tumblr project by Alex Law. Law draws superheroes based on little girls’ costumes. Kinda cool.

Applications open for Mars One, the first human space colony
Casey Johnston at Ars Technica tells us about the private space project that plans to colonize Mars.

Weekly Linkroll

It’s actually been feeling like spring this weekend which is a very nice change. Especially since we’re mostly out of firewood. There might even be garlic planting today, if enough snow melts off the garden.

Fortunately, the weather isn’t an issue when it comes to sharing links. Here’s what struck my fancy this week. What cool stuff did you find? Let me know with a comment, if you like.

Public Shaming is a Better Example of “If it feels good – do it” than Teen Pregnancy
Brené Brown on the ineffectiveness of public shaming. Have you seen those Georgian anti-obesity ads and the new NYC ads shaming teen mothers? Gross!

Bicycles: Making good women go bad since the 1800s
Sam B. over at Fit, Feminist, and (almost) Fifty writes about bicycling in the 1800s and the influence it had on early feminists.

Easter Is Not Named After Ishtar, And Other Truths I Have To Tell You
If you’re going to make a big deal about how a Christian holiday is really pagan, you might want to get your facts straight, Mr. Dawkins. The Belle Jar sets him straight.

Losing my religion for equality…by Jimmy Carter
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter shares his thoughts on leaving the Southern Baptist Convention because of its misogynist attitudes.

Second-Hand (E) Books
Something to keep in mind from Women and Words. As a writer who hopes folks will buy what I write, this makes me quite nervous.

Buzzkill? How Climate Change Could Eventually End Coffee
NOOOOOO!!!!!!

Is The USPS More Likely To Lose Boxes Emblazoned With The Word ‘Atheist’?
You know, I’m one of those wierdos who loves the U.S. Post Office, but if this is actually a thing? Not cool.