Reading Update
Painting Your Way Out ofÂ Corner: The Art of Getting Unstuck by Barbara Diane Barry. Good book about using intuitive painting (whether or not you’ve ever painted before) to help you get past blocks in your life.

“Please bring back the birds, Mom. I miss them!” -Mayhem

(Soon. Very soon. I hope.)

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity keeps drowsing off whilst typing, so that’s all for today, folks!

March 9, 2018 Chris 7 Comments

Bookity

New releases: Tor.com (scifi, fantasy)
Linkity from Smart Bitches.
“A condensed comic version of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time“.
Winnie-the-Pooh quotes.
Jane Austen quotes.
Quotes about libraries.
Leia and Han as Beatrice and Benedick.
10 cool librarian shirts.
Haiku I wrote.

Do, Make, Learn, Think

“The real history of Daylight Savings Time“. Plus “How to fend off Daylight Savings Time fatigue“.
The NASA Guide to Air-Filtering Houseplants (plus a link to what plants are toxic to cats and dogs).
What’s up in NASA land for March.
Thundersnow (we had it earlier this week, too).
Some bad news about Omega3s.
Trailer for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary.
A new penguin “supercolony” has been discovered.

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

To remember.
Solar system and planets embroidery.
Walker Sculpture Garden in the snow.
Merriam-Webster’s time traveler page – what words were first used in print the same year you were born? For me: found poem, gastroesophageal reflux, big hair, bunny slope, art deco, multitasking, panic attack, paperless, ripple effect, unisex, zit… and many more.
Linkity from kmkat.

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

“Athletes are turning to leeches…”

LOL

Teh Cute

Baby penguins!

Reading Update
Art Journal Your Archetypes: Mixed-Media Techniques for Finding Yourself by Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli. My favorite part of this book was the archetypes quiz. I think that mine were spot on, too: artist, student, detective, engineer, rebel, scribe, and hermit.
Collage with Color: Create Unique, Expressive Collages in Vibrant Color by Jane Davies. Very good explanation of creating your own painted papers with watercolor and acrylic, then using those papers in collage. I liked the instruction parts of the book, but not so much the finished products.

“Are you sure those snowflakes aren’t really birds?!” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity is especially fond of today’s cat photo

March 2, 2018 Chris 8 Comments

After I continued to randomly mark large chunks of my feed as read trying to use the Feedly app for Android, I tried a bunch of other feed readers and have settled on Newsfold. It’s not fancy, but it does what I want a feed reader to do. So! *fingers crossed*

Bookity

Do, Think, Learn, Make

The history of the price tag.
“This mutant crayfish clones itself, and it’s taking over Europe“. That’s the amusing tumblr thread about it – here’s my fact checking link to Science.
We had a very snowy weekend here in Minneapolis. Very snowy.
“Bee stings and cow kicks kill way more Americans than sharks“.
A look at how different Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was from the rest of the Star Trek franchise.
Some journaling prompts from Lifehacker.
Good for you, Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Drunk History on Mister Rogers.
“Is coffee good for you?“
“Beyond hope and despair: Teaching climate change“.

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Knitting linkity from kmkat.

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

This is an interesting way to remember to do something… Wouldn’t it be easier to just set a reminder on your phone?!
Six degrees of Wikipedia.
Chopstick gallery.
Humorous horror short about a pet cemetery.

Wha…?

LOL

The stages of a cat yawn.
Dogs getting stuck in snow (video).
Interaction. (Hover/long-press cursor for caption.)
xkcd on The Simpsons. (Hover/long-press cursor for caption.)
Bill Murray, you might be onto something there re: the Olympics!
“This hero made himself a boyfriend out of boxed wine cartons“.
“If HAL9000 was Amazon.com’s Alexa“. (Thanks, Cheryl!) (vide0)

Teh Cute

Kittens (video)! Baby penguins! Baby penguin! Baby otter! Baby cheetahs!

Reading Update
The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico Iyer. Thoughtful look at being still and meditating, with unexpected Leonard Cohen.

“IÂ SAID I DON’T WANT MY PICTURE TAKEN!!!” -Chaos

“Oh s**t!!!” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity is trying to ignore the gently falling (again) snow

February 23, 2018 Chris 8 Comments

My usual mobile feed reader, gReader Pro, went wonky on me last weekend and wouldn’t connect to Feedly anymore. I switched to the Feedly Reader, which is ok, except… I keep making some motion that marks chunks of my feed as read and I can’t figure out how to turn that off. ARGH.

Bookity

Think, Make, Do, Learn

Congrats to the Team USA women’s hockey team!
“23 State Attorneys General sue the FCC to preserve Net Neutrality“. Very glad Minnesota’s AG was one of the 23.
Goodbye, Mars Phoenix Lander.
Thoughtful comic. (via maderr)
A brief history of the Walkman.
“Because unregulated capitalism values profit over human life and suffering“.
“How gender, language affect public discourse in the tRUMP era“.
“It’s time for the myth of the fanboy to fade“.
How cats defend their territory.
A bit about Swedish death cleaning.
“5 steps to strong bones“.
You can keep track of the Tesla Roadster on its journey.
“Learn computer concepts with IKEA-style diagrams“.

Cookity

Gluten Free

Quinoa stuffed cabbage rolls. (I must’ve missed the memo that it was cabbage recipe week on the internet.)
Air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites.
Healthy protein pancakes.

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Black kitty boys, whatcha gonna do…
xkcd on self-driving cars. (Hover cursor/long-press for caption.)

Teh Cute

“Zoos get into a brutal cute animal battle“. Tapir and baby!

Reading Update
Ask Me: 100 Essential Poems of William Stafford by William Stafford (Kim Stafford, ed). I had to jot down many phrases and entire poems in my notebook whilst reading this, and I’ve already made an art journal page for some of them…
Incredible Good Fortune: New Poems by Ursula K Le Guin. This was really mixed for me – I desperately wanted to love all of the poems, but only a few resonated with me.
Humans Wanted, edited by Vivian Caethe. Probably 2.5 stars. As with most collections, there were good stories and not-so-good stories. However, I don’t feel as if the book managed to capture the essence or magic of the “humans are so weird, but in a good way” post on tumblr. So if that’s what you’re hoping for….. 🙁

Stand-off/Stare-off on the exercise bike! O, teh dramaz!!!

Covers, Linkity linkity link, Reviewettes

Linkity specializes in dawdling

February 16, 2018 Chris 6 Comments

Bookity

Think, Do, Learn, Make

Some thoughts and points about dragons’ eyes.
On sexual harassment, denial, and backlash. (via maderr)
“A year on the sun through our satellite’s eyes“.
Spurious claims and the burden of proof.
A bit about adblockers. (I use uBlock Origin and Disconnect.)
How likely is it that Musk’s Tesla will crash back into Earth?
“The risks of driving while drowsy have been vastly underestimated“.
The Obamas’ official portraits are done.
“We need another Winter Olympics ‘Miracle’…“

Cookity

Gluten Free

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute!

Kittens! Penguins and Valentines! Penguins and spy cam! Bottle of unicorns!

Reading Update
Swan: Poems and Prose Poems by Mary Oliver. This one had a couple of things I quite liked, but overall it didn’t resonate that much with me.
Journal Sparks: Fire Up Your Creativity with Spontaneous Art, Wild Writing, and Inventive Thinking by Emily K Neuburger. Very good collection of creative journaling ideas for those times when you need some inspiration. It also includes a section on making your own simple journals, plus has some stickers and artsy paper to use in your own creative journal.
Dare to Sketch: A Guide to Drawing on the Go by Felix Scheinberger. Ok overview of drawing basics with particular tips for urban sketchers. Definitely feels like a variation of other things I’ve read before.
Footnotes from the World’s Greatest Bookstores: True Tales and Lost Moments from Book Buyers, Booksellers, and Book Lovers by Bob Eckstein. A lovely little book highlighting 75 bookstores from around the world, with a watercolor painting and anecdote for each. This is one I’m perfectly fine with reading from the library and not owning.

“FeedMeFeedMeFeedMeFeedMeFeedMeFeedMeFeedMeFeedMeFeedMeFeedMeFeedMeFeedMe!” -Chaos

Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity still thinks titles are hard

February 9, 2018 Chris 4 Comments

Bookity

New releases: Tor.com (scifi, fantasy, genre benders)
Linkity from Smart Bitches.
14 bookish space-themed gifts.
Some language/writing humor.
And some poetry humor.
The very hungry looking bookdrop.
Snoopy’s Little Free Library.

Learn, Make, Think, Do

Three-year timelapse of Seattle.

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Knitting linkity from kmkat.

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

“NASA has officially listed Musk’s Tesla Roadster as a celestial object“. (Best comment on Slack at work about the whole thing: “It looks like a bad photoshop, but it’s real.”)
Chocolate-covered cherry tasting Valentine’s drink at Starbucks.
Short scifi film about camping.

Wha…?

LOL

The snowball-dispensing machine that was part of the Super Bowl festivities. The artistic shot. The side view (I love the side view).
The possibly NSFW geode cake – a Minnesota original…
For Iron Man fans.
STTNG, as told by predictive text.

Teh Cute

Black kitty! Penguins and baby! Feathertail gliders! Spotted tail deer and baby! Baby tigers!

Reading Update
Evidence: Poems by Mary Oliver. Lovely. Thanks to Margene for reminding me that the 2nd was Silent Poetry Reading Day!
Horoscopes for the Dead: Poems by Billy Collins. How the heck do you rate and review poetry anyhow?!
Noted: A Journal to Explore How We Shape, Create, and Develop Ideas by Adam Turnball. Great title and look, but – boring. Didn’t find it inspiring, alas. In fact, it’s probably going to get cut up for collage, which I would not do if I’d found it useful.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity is 2.5 miles from the stadium in which the Super Bowl will be played on Sunday

February 2, 2018 Chris 7 Comments

Bookity

Think, Learn, Make, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Merchant’s War (Merchant Princes #4) by Charles Stross. I think I’m going to use my status update from finishing this book as my review: “OMG, another cliffhanger. I have the next two ebooks on hand (bless you, library), but I have to sleep. And these are not short books. But the suspense! At least I know things have to be tied up by the end of the next two books, since that ends the series…
The Revolution Business (Merchant Princes #5) by Charles Stross. How can the intensity just continue to build like this?! Anyway, yeah, another cliffhanger, so make sure you have the next book on hand.
The Trade of Queens (Merchant Princes #6) by Charles Stross. This was a white-knuckle read right until the very end! Whew. It feels like this series was heavily influenced by the way the world turned after 9/11… Also, willful ignorance and refusing to change/adapt can be extraordinarily dangerous to those around you…

“It’s your fault he’s like this, Mom.” -Mayhem

“What’s a cat gotta do to get fed around here?!?!??????” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity was not emotionally prepared for a foot of snow

January 26, 2018 Chris 7 Comments

Also, very dawdly during my linkity time, so you get a hot mess o’ linkity again. 😀

Reading Update
Picture This: The Near-Sighted Monkey Book by Lynda Barry. Another good illustrated book from Lynda Barry – this one focuses mostly on drawing.
The Bloodline Feud (The Merchant Princes #1-#2) by Charles Stross. I kept tripping over the language a bit at the beginning (it seemed overly descriptive), but I got completely sucked into the story anyway and stayed up too late to finish it. So!
The Clan Corporate (The Merchant Princes #3) by Charles Stross. Make sure you have the next book on hand, because this ends on a really evil cliffhanger!

*BLAAAAAAAAANK* -Chaos (totally alive – I checked)

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which linkity got paged during linkity time…

January 19, 2018 Chris 7 Comments

So you get a whole mess o’ linkity! 🙂

Reading Update
CreativeGIRL: Mixed Media Techniques for an Artful Life by Danielle Donaldson. Ok book with some techniques for using watercolor and sewn paper in your mixed media projects. Definitely one I’m glad I borrowed from the library – not close to a keeper.
Dot Journaling – A Practical Guide: How to Start and Keep the Planner, To-Do List, and Diary Thatâ€™ll Actually Help You Get Your Life Together by Rachel Wilkerson Miller. Yes, you can get all of this content hither and thither online, but – I just really like having it all in a single place. The book is fairly bristling with sticky tape flags marking things I want to remember or reference.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos, creepily sleeping with his eyes open (Yes, I’m sure he was asleep – he was snoring!)

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity agrees with Calvin

January 12, 2018 Chris 8 Comments

Bookity

tRump sent a cease and desist to the publisher of Fire and Fury: Inside tRump’s White House. The publisher responded.
Linkity from Smart Bitches.
Linkity from Inkophile.
Linkity from Bookwyrm Knits.
“A brief history of the Big Dumb Object story in science fiction“.
Beowulf goes to the movies.
“Pamela Dean’s Tam Lin changed my life“. (Hmm, might be time for a reread.)
“How to build a reading nook“.
Songs about bookstores.
There’s allegedly a Starbuck’s secret Harry Potter menu.

Make, Think, Learn, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

You might live in Northeast Minneapolis if this is something you’ve seen. (Yes, that IS a unicycle with either an all-terrain or a snow tire on it…)
A printer that can turn paper into fake leather, wood, alligator skin, etc.
“Guardians of the Galaxy is leading the unlikely cassette tape revival“.

LOL

Teh Cute

Canoeing kitty! Baby mountain lion! Baby leopards! Baby panda!

Reading Update
What It Is by Lynda Barry. Very good book about how to get started writing, presented in Lynda Barry’s inimitable style of illustration. This older book covers some of the same ground as Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor, but with less drawing involved. If I had to pick just one, I would definitely go for Syllabus. (Even though Syllabus doesn’t have the helpful Magic and Creative Cephalopod.)

“Whoa.” -Mayhem

May’s mind is apparently blown from whatever she’s absorbing from The Master and His Emissary there…

Stumbling Over Chaos

Category Archives: Reading

Linkity is just THRILLED to be under a winter storm warning

Linkity keeps drowsing off whilst typing, so that’s all for today, folks!

Linkity is especially fond of today’s cat photo

Linkity is trying to ignore the gently falling (again) snow

Linkity specializes in dawdling

Linkity still thinks titles are hard

Linkity is 2.5 miles from the stadium in which the Super Bowl will be played on Sunday

Linkity was not emotionally prepared for a foot of snow

In which linkity got paged during linkity time…

Linkity agrees with Calvin

Art journaling, reading, knitting, and cat parenting. It's a wild life.