Saturday, June 6, 2015

Coffee and Blogs No. 19

It's been slow going for me collecting links over the past month or so. My schedule is thrown off for my morning browsing times- I decided to take a break from writing and use early mornings for the gym until school is out.  This means I'm just oversleeping and getting grumpy because I'm not writing.

I also just did a large purge of my daily-checked blogs (a process I plan to write about) and sought out new blogs and Instagram accounts that support my current interests (read: books. writing. writing about books.)  I'm still getting used to new articles.  I think I finally have enough stuff to make a go of a decent round up, so get cozy.




I've been spamming everyone on Facebook and Twitter about how much I love this pair.  My friend posted this video where they rewrite popular hip hop songs as Broadway hits, and I fell down the rabbit hole watching them cover the evolution of Miley Cyrus and the entire 1989 album.  They're both members (I'm almost positive on this) of the accapella group Pentatonix and they've performed on Sesame Street.  I have a deep weakness for anything that is male and can sing.  I am in love.

I really love following Kate Baer's blog, and this essay about finding a village really struck a chord with me.  It's looking more like our family will be settling in this spot for awhile, and I marvel constantly about how lucky I am to have the people I do here. Finding these ladies has helped me be my own lady, and I can't express how grateful I am.

Christopher Guest mockumentaries were my first love.  No matter who you are, if we can quote Waiting for Guffman or Best in Show together, we're soul mates now, and you can't escape me.  We're linked for life.  One of my favorite Guest-quote buddies broke the good news that Christopher Guest did a set of commericals for PetSmart based on Best in Show-type behaviors among pet owners.  Lots of classic Guest actors pop up, and they're all worth a watch.

Super gorgeous artwork from the tumblr Cosmic Cuties by 17-year-old artist Mikhalia Nodel.  This feminist, body-positive work makes me swell every time I read it.  I love that she shares questions and comments from young girls who are struggling with body issues, and I love her assertion that "fat" is not an insult, but a descriptive term.  That is my biggest goal for myself and the ones I love- to stop blushing red and stammering when the word "fat" is encountered.

If Vin Diesel were your boyfriend, he would rewatch Gilmore Girls with you without argument. He would be staunchly Team Dean (much to your annoyance) until Dean cheats on Lindsay, at which point he would feel personally betrayed. He would always refer to Jess as “that punk” in his signature baritone growl.  

I really loved this list of things that would be true if Vin Diesel were your boyfriend. I haven't watched Gilmore Girls yet (it's on my list) so I'm slightly annoyed by the spoiler, but the article is worth it.

Slave Girl No More.  It took me a reading or two to get past the tone of this article, but I was really intrigued by the stages that woman goes through, and where her power comes from in each stage.  The way trauma can derail development is obvious and startling at the same time.

More heart-stopping art- kids in the 80s playing Star Wars in the backyard.  The series is called "In A Backyard Far, Far Away" by Craig Davidson. They boys have bubble wands right now that look exactly like light saber battles and they are LIVING these pictures in our yard every warm afternoon and if I had actually known about Star Wars when I was younger, these pictures might actually make me explode.

I've resisted Snapchat for a long time, because it makes me feel old and crusty.  I don't understand that point of it, and that sentence just aged me fifteen years.  This article about the "day in the life" component, which friends have explained to me as a selling point, made me start to consider checking it out.  Cities and cultural events being showcased and crowd sourced?  I can get behind that.

There were two big book conferences in New York last week that I followed on Twitter and imagined attending in the future: Book Expo America and Book Con.  Now that I'm reading so much more and following the world of authors I admire on social media, I can see my priorities shifting for the events I want to attend and accounts I want to be aware of.  One of the best new sites I've found is The Book Smugglers- they YA review books with a mind to female agency and value good writing.  One mention of hating "instalove" was what really sold me on their voice when talking about books. They are now a daily stop when I'm checking blogs.

Some Be Your Own Lady articles you might have missed: How To Survive Summer Vacation,  Things I'd Tell My Younger Self, Take the Compliment. Seriously.

Be Your Own Book Club June Pick: The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan (here is the link to the May conversation about Station Eleven)

Currently Reading: Fearless #6 Payback by Francine Pascal, Paper Towns by John Green, The Kick Ass Writer by Chuck Wendig (lets be friends on goodreads!)

Thanks to all the lovelies who send links my way, I love you.
Image from this Etsy shop, text added by me.

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4 Comments:

At June 6, 2015 at 9:11 AM , Blogger Dre said...

My friend Thea at Workman is one of the two ladies at Book Smugglers! Happy to connect you, if you'd like! -adrienne

 
At June 7, 2015 at 6:27 AM , Blogger ashlie said...

Oh my goodness you are my fanciest friend :) I'm loving their site! You are my book-world goddess. I can't wait to see you and celebrate you so soon!

(and then maybe take you out to lunch to ask how the Book Expo went in a few months when everything settles down, Mrs. :)

 
At June 12, 2015 at 10:56 AM , Anonymous stephanie, sandpaper and glue said...

I just finished watching all of Gilmore Girls last night and it is so glorious and fantastic (and so many familiar faces!!! I totally forgot Melissa McCarthy was a regular!) :)

 
At June 21, 2015 at 5:44 AM , Blogger ashlie said...

I have gotten so many recommendations for this show! I love Melissa McCarthy, I can't wait to check this out!

 

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