Every week, I curate a list of the best links and articles to make you think and keep you informed. Enjoy!

Thoughts on this week: It's been one hell of a summer and I can't believe it's almost over. This summer, I have gone through a lot of stuff, but I'm starting to feel a little more solid. My exams are over (I'm ABD!) and Gary and I are preparing to write our prospectus.

There are a lot of articles on here and I have a file on my computer of many more I'm trying to work through that I saved this summer, so be prepared for LOTS of link love in the weeks to come!

What I’m Reading in real life: White Rage by Carol Anderson (I'm reading this one because the author is coming to speak to us about teaching race at UNT. I'm also reading So Far From God by Ana Castillo, which I started but didn't have time to finish before my exams. I'm loving it.

What I’m watching: My friend Megan got me into the Bachelorette, which will surprise most of my friends. We just watched the finale. I'm also making my way through Elementary for the first time and rewatching Leverage.

What I’m listening to: I'm still really into the RSVP podcast.

What else I’m digging: Working for Rover. Getting paid to take care of people's dogs is like the best thing ever.

What I've been reading online:

Favorite Article of June: The Kids Are Alright: How Two Artists Built a Goat Farm into a Viable Business (Modern Farmer): I want to highlight this one because LIFE GOALS MAN.

Favorite Article of July: She thought she was Irish — until a DNA test opened a 100-year-old mystery (MSN): This is a super cool story.

Favorite Article of August so far: Art Every Day – Everything I Painted in June (Little Blue Boo): I have to admit, I find Ashley's aesthetic absolutely perfect. I really admire her and I wish I had time for something like this.

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

From Groans to Glory (She Reads Truth): A dear friend shared this with me and I want to share it with you. I especially relate to this line: "In the first chapter of his epistle, James tells us to “consider it a great joy” whenever we face trials because the testing of our faith produces spiritual endurance (vv. 2-3). Trials are accompanied by hope. Hope is a gift. Hope is critical, and the gospel gives it to us in unending supply... One day our groans will give way to glory. While we wait, we place our hope in Jesus." It is particularly difficult for me to hold on to hope. What do you do to remember to have hope in Christ?
How (Transgressive) Beauty Will Save the World (Experimental Theology): This makes a good point. We say that Christ is the epitome of beauty, but we still seem to be turned off by the transgressive quality of that beauty.
The Politics of Inhospitality—Genesis 18:1-15 (Political Theology Today): I think a lot of people could benefit from reading this. I particularly appreciate the following: "What the United States desperately requires is a reorientation of our ethical imagination, a rediscovery of hospitality as a principal ethical category. But radical hospitality will require much from our risk-averse culture. It will require, as the philosopher Jacques Derrida was wont to insist, both a preparation and the impossibility of preparation. “It must even develop itself into a culture of hospitality, multiply signs of anticipation, construct and institute what one calls structures of welcoming, a welcoming apparatus.”" How can we better foster a spirit of hospitality?
The Language Trap: Otherness and Reality (Experimental Theology): I appreciate this: "Economists like to trump conversations by saying that the language of economics is simply describing "the real world," the world "as it is." This gives the language of economics epistemological power, as "reality" is the ultimate trump card. The person who describes "reality" is the one who is telling the truth. But Mark's comment was this: "Economic language isn't descriptive, it's performative. It doesn't describe the world, it creates the world."" How do we allow language to create barriers or support injustice and call it "reality?"

Pens/Pencils/Stationery:

This Weekly To-Do List Setup Is Low-Key Genius (Buzzfeed): I'm definitely going to try this in my bullet journal this week.
Pencils According to Lucy and Perry (CW Pencils): This is too cute!
Old-Fashioned Niceties That Deserve a Comeback (Real Simple): I love that more and more people are appreciating analogue tools.
Miniature Scenes Set Amongst Office Supplies (Colossal): Pretty cool.

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

10 Famous Book Hoarders (Literary Hub): To my friends who tell me I have too many books: at least I am not on this list (although my collection is over 1,500 at this point).
After Years Of Restraint, A Linguist Says 'Yes!' To The Exclamation Point (NPR): I will admit to overusing exclamation points almost constantly, but then again, so did JRRT and he did just fine as both a scholar and a writer (!).
Pemberley, Manderley and Howards End: the real buildings behind fictional houses (The Guardian): Take me there, please!

Movies and TV:

This Artist Creates the Missing Link Between Pokemon Evolutions (Ranker): This article and its images are life changing for Pokemon fans!

Life in General:

Sometimes It Doesn't Get Easier (Modern Mrs. Darcy): I ended up writing these words in my bullet journal. Such a great reminder.
What’s the Difference Between Cow Cheese and Goat Cheese? (Modern Farmer): An interesting article about the different types of cheese!
I dressed like my skinny best friend for a week — here's everything we wore (Revelist): I have to admit, I admire their dedication. It's hard enough to find basics as a plus size woman, much less matching clothes with a straight-size friend.
5 Ways To Find Motivation When You Don’t Know What Your Next Step Is (The Financial Diet): I connected with far more of this article than I would in fact like to admit. "For many years, there was no fire under my butt. Do you experience fire? I know what it feels like to not want to get up in the morning. To feel empty and heavy at the same time. To have so much to be grateful for, but not feel it." Do you connect with this as well? I'm hoping that these and other ideas can help me find that fire again.
The Power of Positive Quitting: How To Intentionally Do Less So You Can Gain More (Thrive Global): This is a great reminder that sometimes we need to give up some things in order to focus on others. I've been trying to get rid of the things that no longer serve me, including old hobbies and interests. Those only bring guilt. What are you going to quit?
15 products under $40 that totally changed my life (USA Today): Some good ideas in here.
Stay Single Until You Meet Someone Like This, Based On Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type (Thought Catalogue): I'm an INFJ and yeah, that sounds about right.

Tough and Awkward Topics:

25 Things You Do as an Adult When You've Experienced Childhood Emotional Abuse (The Mighty): I recognized a few of these inme. I think that it's important to be honest and up front about these things in friendships and relationships as people work through their wounds.
When Anxiety Presents as Anger, Not Fear (The Mighty): It is incredibly frustrating that people don't understand the different ways anxiety presents itself. Please read this.
A Daily Self-Care Ritual for Those Who Feel Lost in Life (Uplift): Some good ideas here.

To Make You Laugh:

Here Is a List of 10 Extremely Good Goat Beards (Modern Farmer): THIS. IS. EPIC.
16 Things Everyone Gets Totally Wrong About Dog Clothes (Daily Treat): Gary hates hoods, but doesn't mind clothes!
I’m A Primary School Teacher And I Illustrate My Teaching Experience In Comics (Bored Panda): Some of these are truly spot on.

Art and Other Pretty Things:

Classical sculptures dressed as hipsters look contemporary and totally badass (Today I Learned): I always share this when it comes across my feed. It just brings me such joy!

Academia, Education, and Teaching:

To my colleagues, on the death of their students’ grandmother(s) (Tenure, She Wrote): I really appreciate this article and it communicates much of what I, myself, have tried to communicate but failed. Please stop assuming that your students are horrid lazy millennial brats just because they ask to be excused from an absence when their grandparent dies and it's the second time that year.
Sharing Your Best Work With Other Teachers (Edutopia): I always say that there's no plagiarism in teaching materials. The goal isn't credit, it's teaching. These are great ways to share your teaching wins with others!
Resisting The Corporate University: What It Means To Be A 'Slow Professor' (NPR): As I prepare for exams and ready myself for ABD life, I am also thinking about my future in academia and what kind of professor I want to be (God willing). I think that, without question, I want to be a "slow professor."

Environmentalism, Farming, Food, Health, and Nutrition:

The Future of Fertilizer Might Lie With Insanely Precise Drones (Modern Farmer): Not going to lie, this reminds me of E.B. White's, "The Morning of the Day They Did It" in a manner that makes me REAL nervous.
Tyson and Other Meat Companies Linked to Biggest-Ever Dead Zone in the Gulf (Modern Farmer): Ugh. It's looking more and more like I need to become a vegetarian for moral reasons...
Agriculture As A Required School Subject Is Gaining Popularity (Modern Farmer): YES PLEASE.

Dogs:

7 Fourth of July Safety Tips (and the Truth About Dogs and Fireworks) (Daily Treat): Helpful information.
15 Chain Restaurants & Drive-Thrus With (Secret) Menu Items For Dogs (I Heart Dogs): Gary and I are going to have to check some of these out.
60 Totally Crazy--Yet Completely Acceptable-- Things for People who Love Dogs (Best Products): Yes, please! Especially to the vidcam pet dispenser!
An Illustrated Guide to Dog Behavior (Daily Treat): I thought this guide was super helpful!
4 Surefire Ways to Stop Your Dog from Barking So Much (Daily Treat): I'm working on the training aspects of this.
Wife Receives Flowers From Her Husband, Then Realizes They’re For The Dog (I Heart Dogs): DOH!