Around the Interwebs
Are you on Threads?
The case against travel. Well, that’s a thought-provoking essay. Where do you stand?
An unexpected way to get your home organized. Have you heard about the 5S Method?
How do you feel about engagement rings? (I neither had a proposal, nor a real engagement ring, so you can probably figure out where I stand on it.)
I’ll confess that Jon and I have on occasion watched the show “Hoarders”. While it is morbidly fascinating (not to mention appalling and mind-boggling) to watch, I am aware that this is a serious mental condition and people need help. What is behind extreme hoarding?
How to learn something new every day.
Around the blogosphere
My friend Anne recommended this blog post “Who’s afraid of being idle?” and I found it so intriguing and thought-provoking that I wanted to share it with my readers as well. Where do you stand?
How to Pack in Just a Carry-On. I aspire to this.
Jamie blogged about Fictional Geography. Do you care if the description of a place in a book, if it refers to a “known city/town”, doesn’t line up with how it is geographically in the real world?
Craftiness/DIY
I used to to this all the time. How to make envelopes from magazines.
So pretty: Knit Mitered Square Blanket.
For my runner friends
Couch to Half Marathon: 12-Week Training Program, Nutrition & Tips.
Heat Acclimation Strategies for Summer Races.
Deliciousness
Arnold Palmer Popsicles. Oh, intrigued.
Are you a tomato lover? This looks simple but delicious.
Roasted Vegetable Couscous. Looks delicious!
Big Kale Pasta Salad. I am trying this one soon!
Share a good link with me in the comments!
Suzanne
July 19, 2023 at 3:32 pmAlways such a great collection of links, San! Thanks so much!
I wear a traditional engagement ring and I love it. My mom always told me with much reverence the story of her diamond ring, so I think it was family lore that made me really want a diamond. My husband got a diamond passed down in his family so he didn’t buy one. And to me, that family aspect is so much more important than number of carats.
I haven’t read the Fictional Geography post yet, but I am wholeheartedly behind fake towns and villages and other landmarks. The world is too small, and there is a lot of pressure on the writer if the location is real, and sometimes you just need your main character to live on a cliff even if there aren’t any cliffs in your setting!
Melissa
July 19, 2023 at 10:02 pmAnother great list, thanks!
I love to smell the roses and think deep thoughts, so you can put me on the idlers list. We usually pack in a carry-on for our Europe trips because they often involve flights with multiple connections to get there, train travel and apartments with no lifts, so it is easier to go with a carry-on.
Endless Weekend
August 4, 2023 at 3:23 pmThank you, San, for your delightful mention, and I’m curious: where do you stand on idleness? I’m asking because a friend who’s recently retired from her job told me that she “doesn’t know what to do with herself sometimes” and she’s thinking of getting a part time job. Partly for the extra cashflow, but partly because of the burden of idleness. Needless to say, as an author of a post about “who’s being afraid of being idle”, I’m not, and I’m exploring with my friend why she feels this way.
So as a fellow lover of the idle, what do you think, Melissa and San: how is it that we’ve become so disconcerted by idleness?
San
August 6, 2023 at 7:41 pmThanks for coming by. I am not afraid of being idle. I have a lot of hobbies and do know how to fill my time. I think it’s partially to blame on personality (I’ve always been a person that was interested in a lot of different things and wanted to try *everything*, so the idea that without a job, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself, doesn’t apply).
Engie
July 20, 2023 at 8:03 amI think we all know that I’m relatively anti-travel. I like my home, my routine, and the ability to eat without it being a THING. But I think that this essay misses the point. Most of the time, people come back from traveling as the same person, but sometimes big changes happen. You might meet someone who has a big impact on your life, discover a new career you never knew existed, or learn something that will change your life. Of course, that’s more likely to happen during certain types of trips than others – consider backpacking around Europe versus going to Disney World – but anything that’s NEW can make a difference. *shrug* I’m not a big fan of travel, but if someone IS than I think that’s great! I feel like if this essay was entitled “The Case Against Knitting” (or any other hobby/lifestyle), it would be equally obnoxious. Let people do what they want to do!
Elisabeth
July 20, 2023 at 8:29 amI am NOT a jewelry person; I might wear a necklace one time every 2-3 years, don’t own a single bracelet, and own exactly two rings – my engagement ring and the matching band. I look at/admire my ring daily. It’s not flashy, but I think it’s beautiful and I love the white gold (and love being married)! I read the article and can appreciate some of the points but think a few of the views are pretty dated (like an engagement ring being a symbol of being able to financially care for a future wife, for example). I know many people who don’t have engagement rings so I don’t think anything of it if a friend doesn’t wear an engagement ring/diamond, but I LOVE having one.
Ally Bean
July 21, 2023 at 7:54 amI embrace being idle. It’s when I have my clearest ideas, relaxing into the nothingness of just being. I have yet to read an article about packing only a carry-on that seems realistic to me. I don’t want to be doing laundry every night in my hotel room. I’m on vacation for crying out loud, not bringing chores with me. Just saying
Tobia | craftaliciousme
July 22, 2023 at 10:00 amOh my gosh these salads look amazing.
I do craft my own envelopes more often than not. And you may recall, that I have a template on the blog for downloading too: https://www.craftaliciousme.com/diy-envelopes-spruce-up-snail-mail/
I have to read the home organizing part. Never not learning on that topic.
San
July 23, 2023 at 7:20 pmOh yes, I remember you posted the tutorial for the envelopes on your blog! So cool!
Lisa of Lisa’s Yarns
July 30, 2023 at 5:03 amI can see some of the authors points in his article. When I went to Paris for the first time, I did not go to the louvre! I think I didn’t see it until my 3rd trip. I wasn’t super interested in it and I wasn’t going to do something just because you are ‘supposed to’. But I do love to travel. I like seeing new things and having new experiences, although travel has dropped way off for me since having kids.
I do have an engagement ring but I don’t wear it ever day. I wear my wedding band – I never take it off. And then I only wear my engagement ring when I am going out of the house for work or an evening out or something. But I don’t wear it at home. It’s been tricky to get the right fit. My fingers are TINY! Like I had it sized to 3.75 last summer so it would fit a bit better. But it still moves around quite a bit which can annoy me.
Anne
August 7, 2023 at 5:31 amI am, apparently allergic to idleness. Sigh. I wish I were able to just, well, sit. This is a major issue with me – always going going going because there’s always SOMETHING that can be done.
Fictional geography is so hard! I completely agree that if it’s a real place, they should get it right. And if they can’t – they should make up a place! Some authors do such a good job at describing their fictional places that I’ve been known to um, look them up. Fooled, several times. :)
San
August 12, 2023 at 4:28 pmHaha, I am also someone who googles fictional places LOL and I am bummed when they don’t exist.