Link Love for a Rough Week: The Last Week in March and Holy Week

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

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:

Want to know why it's a rough week? Well, mostly because I'm still struggling with Mono and it's been a month. I'm exhausted and tired and achy and... you get the picture. Plus so behind on research, writing, and grading that I don't know what I'll do! 

What I’m Reading in real life: Honestly, as much as it shames an English professor, I'm not. Blogs, I guess? Books I'm preparing to teach? 

What I’m watching: I'm super addicted to vloggers right now, particularly Rowena Tsai and Kalyn Nicholson.

What I’m listening to: The Audiobook Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint by Nadia Bolz-Webber. I adore her and love her voice. If you're a Christian who isn't following her, you're missing out. 

What else I’m digging: 

  • Puppy Snuggles: Obvs. 
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  • My Lavender Hair: Because I am a badass. 
  • Instacart and Uber Eats: Although it's been rough for my banking account, I would not have made it through Mono without being able to have groceries and food delivered. Once I get home, only Gary or Aki the Beagle will get me out of my apartment. 
  • Audiobooks on Audible: I finally broke down and signed up for Audible because I realized I was getting depressed from not reading book-length texts. I started with this amazing book, You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero--which I have since purchased for three of my bffs and will probably be giving it to more people soon.  

 

What I read this week:

My favorite post: Why a conservative from Texas up and joined a labor union... (The Fire Within): My dear friend, Steph, tells it like it is. And let me tell you, this girl is one of my heroes. When she speaks (or writes), everyone should listen. 

Runner up for favorite: Go Ahead, Millennials, Destroy Us (NYT): Reading this the first time, I almost cried. Thank you, Mr. Kreider, for seeing the power of this generation. 

By Category:

Religion and Spirituality:

  • Women of Color Only: A Lenten Practice (Sojourners): Honestly, I wish I had paid attention to this at the beginning of Lent. But I think this is wonderful and the list includes so many texts I already love. I'm going to be checking out those podcasts, though. 

Social Justice: 

  • Blacks Were Enslaved Well into the 1960s (Vice): While I wasn't necessarily surprised when my friend told me about this article, after reading it I was devestated. I think that everyone should be aware that this continued to happen in the U.S. so late into the 20th Century and, quite honestly, still happens today. 

  • Japan’s Prisons Are a Haven for Elderly Women (Bloomberg): On one side, I totally get this. I think that if I were an older, single woman, I would far prefer prison life to being along, probably dying in a one-room apartment only to be found when I didn't show up to class (this is legit my life fear). But on the other hand WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR SOCIETY THAT THE ELDERLY ARE THIS FUCKING LONELY?

Reading and Bibliophilia:

Writing:

Life in General:

Success:

  • This Is How To “Work Smarter Not Harder”: 3 Secrets From Research (Barking Up the Wrong Tree): I have to admit that this article challenges me. I'm one of those people with like 10 different projects going at once and three side hustles in addition to a full time job and being a PhD student. So, of course when I read that I should "do less, then obsess" over what's left, I definitely thought "no way!" But the more I think about it, the more I realize that this author, and the many people he cites, are right. Focus is my word for 2018 and this article is definitely going to challenge me to follow through. 

  • The 6 Steps to Turning Setbacks Into Advantages (NYT): Working on it. 

Supporting Diversity and Representation: 

Art and Other Pretty Things:

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

  • Mental Health Crisis for Grad Students (Inside Higher Ed): As a current grad student, mental health patient, and trauma survivor, I can tell you--this is real. Of the people who have come through my graduate program during my four years here, only one that I know of hasn't been on anti-depressants, anti-anx, or both--and he needed them. The rates of mental health and suicide among graduate students are too high and the support from departments are non-existent (I say as someone currently meeting with HR about abuses in my department). This needs to be fixed!

  •  Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be teachers (Andre Wheller): THIS IS SO TRUE. We need to prioritize educators--but this person forgets the more important and more abused contingent faculty at the University level. 

Environmentalism, Farming, Food, Health, and Nutrition:

Parenting: 

Link Love for 24 January 2018

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

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:

What I’m Reading in real life: This week, I was super excited to reread, yet again, Anzaldua's Borderlands to prepare to teach it to my lit class. Such a great read and I really feel like she's writing just to my soul. 

What I’m watching: Still re-watching Full House. 

What I’m listening to: Music by my friend, M.'s brother's band, The Tillers

What else I’m digging: Zera Coffee, my temporary home while Jupiter House is being fixed up

 

My Writing

This week: 30 by 30: Looking Towards the Future: My list of things to do before I turn 30. 

 

What I read this week:

This week's topic: The Morning Routine: My friend, Mina, and I are working on setting morning and evening routines that allow us to be more productive without falling into the pit of social media. Here is some of my research on the topic:

Pens/Pencils/Stationery:  

Reading and Bibliophilia:

  • Middle Grade Review: Erasable (Texas Girl Reads): This book looks great! I love YA novels. Sort of like the next generation of A Wonderful Life, no? 

Writing:

Technology:

Life in General:

Tough and Awkward Topics: 

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

  • Disorientations: On Disability in Graduate School (Medical and Health Humanities): This is a great article that touches on a topic close to my heart. "Part of learning to write my dissertation was also learning to navigate disorientation and its unexpected contours of pain linked directly to the act of scholarly labor itself. Disability’s (ar)rhythms often clash with the academy’s relentless temporality that frequently makes costly demands upon my physical and affective resources." I definitely relate. 

  • 18 Awesome Higher Ed Social Media You Should be Following (Workzone): I can't help but notice that none of my schools are listed, but it's great that these institutions have figured out social media!

Simplicity and Minimalism:

  • Casita Vibes (Very That): The artist behind one of my favorite etsy shops reflects here on paring down to the basics and cleaning 40 years of belongings out her family home. Simple reflection, but beautiful. 

Environmentalism, Farming, Food, Health, and Nutrition:

Dogs:

  • Are Dogs Self-Aware? (Daily Treat): Okay, so I don't care what science says--Gary is self-aware and super smart and amazing. Disagree and I will fight you. 

The first Link Love of 2018!

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

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:

What I’m Reading in real life: Right now, I'm researching for chapter 3 and reading for my classes that I'm teaching. 

What I’m watching: Full House and Fuller House

What I’m listening to: The Planner Girl Chatter podcast

What else I’m digging: Being back in school

 

My Writing

This week: On New Year's Goal, My Birthday, and the start of a year I'm planning to rock! (BTWM)

What I read this week:

My favorite read from the last few weeks: Saying 'yes' to a priceless 'nun cut' (Global Sisters Report): I love this reflection from my sister, Tracey. 

Movies and TV:

  • In Praise of Paris Geller and Her Anger (Slate): The older I get, the more I love Paris Geller. "The emotion Paris tends to express most often—disappointment—might seem like humility, but it's actually a side effect of her ambition, something than stems from a real desire for the world to be better than it is. Or, in Paris’ case, for yourself to be better than you are. Her primary goal in life, after all, is to “be able to read an in-depth biography about herself and not be disappointed.”  What a goal. Let's all be like Paris. #noregrets

Life in General:

Goals: Given that we're at the start of a new year, I thought I'd do a whole section on goals. 

Tough and Awkward Topics: 

Art and Other Pretty Things:

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

  • PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: How to select which conference to attend (PhD Talk): This is helpful for new academics trying to figure out what conferences to attend. 

  • 5 Principles of Outstanding Classroom Management (Edutopia): Some good reminders here.

  • The gift of record-keeping: A tool for future promotion (The Research Whisperer): While I have tried to keep track of my achievements, this article is definitely a wake up call! And the included excel spreadsheet is fantastic!

  • 3 Assumptions Teachers Should Avoid (Edutopia): I struggle with this because often my students aren't able to do things I assume they should be able to do. I like the term "commiting assumicide." Once my students know that I am disappointed in them, they lose interest. But of course the opposite problem is when I have to stop and explain but the others get restless. This is one of the greatest challenges of teaching such a diverse population. 

  • How successful academics write (The Thesis Whisperer): This article talks about a new book by Helen Sword, author of Stylish Academic Writing. Although I wasn't crazy about that text when I first read it, I've come to appreciate Sword and was interested to learn about her new book. I'm planning on picking up a copy soon, but in the meantime, I took the included quiz. I'm a "Hang Glider." According to the quiz, "Your skill level is high, and you often engage in fruitful conversations with other writers; however, you struggle to write as productively as you would like to, and you get little joy from writing." While I'm not sure that I get little joy from writing, I definitely think that I struggle with productivity. Maybe the book will help!

  • Dear Scholars, Delete Your Account At Academia.Edu (Forbes): A good thing to consider. 

Dogs:

  • 23 Dogs Making ‘Sweater Weather’ the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (The Dogington Post): I'm not sure about you, but I have come to adore dogs in sweaters. Gary has two that I love and his bestie, Aki, is the most adorable beagle in a sweater I have ever seen. In case you don't have your own doggo in sweaters or if you just can't get enough, check out these good boys. What about your doggos? Do they like sweaters?  

Link Love 11/10/17

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

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: This week was basically a shit show. My illness has gotten worse recently and I'm really struggling with humaning right now. But at least I have time to read? 

What I’m Reading in real life: High Aztech by Ernest Hogan

What I’m watching: Frasier, because my friend Mina got me into it and it's sooooo good. 

What I’m listening to: Gary's snores

What else I’m digging: Sleep, mostly, and also the variety of apps that bring food to me already prepared

My Writing

Three years ago: There is no room for ego in Love (Spiritual Uprising)

What I read this week: 

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

  • Redeeming the Unwanted Single Life (Ethika Politika): As a single Catholic, I definitely relate to what the author terms as the seven sorrows of the unwanted single life. It's a misery to be surrounded by Catholic friends with their perfect spouses and ten children knowing that my friends are secretly whispering about what's wrong with me and how I'm not a real woman, just as I hear them whisper about other single women. I'm not sure, however, that the author succeeds in his goal of redeeming this experience. 

  • Smoke Taint: Lessons in Providence (Conversations in the Vineyard): I love this: "It is during times of chaos we have an opportunity to grow in (at least) two ways.  We learn to rest in Providence and we grow in hope.  Resting in Providence simply means we accept the situation while we grieve any losses because we believe God’s benevolence and wise care undergirds all of life, even the hard stuff.  If we allow it, chaos can also activate a seed of hope in us that works towards a new, and potentially, more beautiful normal." I am working on leaning into Providence. 

Pens (Pencils, Stationery, Handwriting):  

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

Movies and TV:

  • Getting Frizzled (Monsters and Molecules): I adore Miss Frizzle. I'm working on getting a Frizzled wardrobe (thanks to cowcow on Amazon). I can't wait to watch the new series!

Life in General:

  • The New Mid Life Crisis (Oprah's Blog): I have to admit that although I'm a "generation" behind these women, this sounds all too familiar and similar to the experiences of my peers. I'm pretty sure that the number of women in my age group that I know of who aren't on or were previously on anti-depressants could be counted on one hand. It's not a mid-life crisis--for us, it's just life. And it doesn't seem to be changing. This particular paragraph really hits me: "Nearly 60 percent of Gen Xers describe themselves as stressed out. A 2009 analysis of General Social Survey data showed that women's happiness "declined both absolutely and relative to men" from the early '70s to the mid-2000s. More than one in five women are on antidepressants. An awful lot of middle-aged women are furious and overwhelmed. What we don't talk about enough is how the deck is stacked against them feeling any other way." Truly, I think the deck is stacked against all of us. How do we fix that? 

  • My Life as an Unhappy Overachiever (Thrive Global): This article also sounds familiar. I think that about half of the students I encounter in my classes probably will experience the same when they end up in the careers they dream of entering. I particularly appreciated this: "I know now that I was caught in a cycle of achievement, of working hard for someone else’s dreams or expectations, and not my own. It was only when I accepted that I needed a quieter life, needed to reframe success on my own terms, and figure out the tool kit I needed to get there, that I could find joy at work. Becoming “less successful” set me free." Mother Theresa talked about how we should seek to be faithful instead of successful. I wonder how that would look for this young woman. 

  • People Are Loving This New Word To Rival The ‘Mansplaining’ Phenomenon (Huffpost): I'm not going to lie, hepeated is a word that every woman I know needs to internalize--especially in academia.

  • Girls, Don’t Become Boy Scouts (NY Times): I might be a little behind in posting this, but good points made here.  

  • What I Don’t Tell My Students About ‘The Husband Stitch’ (Electric Lit): This is an important article on many levels, not least of all the fact that when a woman tells you she smells something dangerous, you should listen to her. 

  • How I Learned Not To Confuse Occasionally Feeling Sad With Failure (The Financial Diet): I think that this article is super important--especially with where I am in my life right now. I like this line: "The problem is not associating happiness with success. The problem is doing it so emphatically that we are then assuming sadness is equal to failure. And it is not." I think it also goes deeper than this. It's easy for me to think that because my mental illness is keeping me behind in my work that I'm a complete failure. But I'm not. I'm living with a severe illness. Even being alive is a success. 

Relationships and Community

Tough and Awkward Topics: 

To Make You Smile:

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

  • The ideal PhD researcher has no baggage (London School of Economics): I think the fact that the university (and often tenured professors) see PhD candidates in this light is sort of a "no shit" article, but the complexity of PhD life is represented as well. I'm blessed with a director who acknowledges my humanity, but I see this from other faculty in my department every day. 

  • Facing poverty, academics turn to sex work and sleeping in cars (The Guardian): Guys, this is real life. WE NEED TO FIX THIS. 

  • Universities are broke. So let’s cut the pointless admin and get back to teaching (The Guardian): Seriously. Too many admins. I mean, if they could fucking communicate and do their job it would be one thing, but given that interdepartmental communication is still a shit show, I think that the admins (the well paid ones with titles like Vice Dean of Whateverthehell) need to be let go and that money needs to go to the professors above. 

  • The Lowdown on Longhand (Edutopia): I love this article and I hope to integrate more longhand writing into my classroom. I particularly love this paragraph: "When students take notes with their laptops, they tend to mindlessly transcribe the data word for word, like speech-to-text software. But verbatim transcription is not the point of taking notes. What’s lacking in their note-taking-by-laptop is the synthesis, the reframing, and the understanding of the information. Students who transcribe with laptops form shallow connections to what’s being presented to them, while those who take notes by hand process the information and represent it in a way that makes sense to them. They’re learning." Such important information. 

  • Unicorns Were Real, But They Were Also Pretty Scary (Ranker): OMG. 

Dogs:

Link Love

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

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 a long, hard week over here at the PhDog house filled with lots of work and catching up. But Gary and I are both good, our car is now fixed ($2,000 later), and we are blessed with amazing friends, including a new friend and her adorable pup. We have so much to be grateful for. 

What I’m Reading in real life: Transformation Now! Toward a Post-Oppositional Politics of Change by AnaLouise Keating. I'm reading this for my dissertation--it will likely be one of the most formational texts I read. I love reading Keating's work because it feels so familiar, so much like myself. I'm so grateful to my director who introduced me to her work. 

What I’m watching: I finally finished The Handmaid's Tale, so Gary and I are back to working our way through Elementary. So good. 

What I’m listening to: Not much, to be honest. Still my usual Pen Addict Podcast. 

What else I’m digging: This nail polish that I bought because I was obsessed with it when Kara over at Boho Berry was wearing it in her daily journaling videos. I'm not really a nail polish kind of girl anymore, but I've gotten many compliments on this one! 

My Writing

This week: Bullet Journal Set Up for October 2017

What I read this week:

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

Pens/Pencils/Stationery:  

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

Life in General:

  • Women Aren't Nags--We're Just Fed Up: Emotional labor is the unpaid job men still don't understand. (Bazaar): I appreciated this article on emotional labor, even as a single woman. Read this: "According to Dr. Michele Ramsey, Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences at Penn State Berks, emotional labor is often conflated with problem solving. “The gendered assumption is that ‘men are the problem solvers because women are too emotional,’" she explains. "But who is really solving the bulk of the world's problems at home and in the office?” As the household manager for my husband and three kids, I’m fairly certain I know the answer." As the person who has often been referred to as mom by people older than me, I, too know who is doing the problem solving, whether in the office or in my former home. I can relate to the partner who walks around a mess ten times a day because they expect me to clean it. It's confounding, exhausting, and insane. 

  • Why your morning habits are standing between you and your goals (The Mission): I'm really working on waking up earlier and being productive in the mornings because I know it's my sweet spot for getting lots of shit done at once. Unfortunately, I also haven't been sleeping well and like naps in the mornings (I am my father's daughter). These methods do help. What do you do to make mornings productive? 

  • I Sold My Wedding Dress To A Guy Named Jeff (Ravishly): An excellently written piece. 

Tough Stuff: 

  • 21 Powerful One Sentence Reminders To Read When You Are Doubting Your Growth And Healing (Thought Catalogue): These are helpful. "Your trauma does not own you and it never will; remember that when it is trying to convince you that you are forever broken." I need that reminder often. 

  • The Gift of Presence, The Perils of Advice (On Being): I love this paragraph: "Here’s the deal. The human soul doesn’t want to be advised or fixed or saved. It simply wants to be witnessed — to be seen, heard and companioned exactly as it is. When we make that kind of deep bow to the soul of a suffering person, our respect reinforces the soul’s healing resources, the only resources that can help the sufferer make it through." I have a friend who really struggles with this. He wants to fix or save everyone. I struggle with that, too, to be honest. But recently, in my severe depression, he's found that hard. I needed someone to just sit with me, to be with me while I suffered. I didn't need someone to fix me. It's a hard thing to do, to make space for someone in their suffering. But it's a true expression of love. 

  • Please Stop Infantilizing Me — Especially In The Workplace (Ravishly): So, let me tell you a story. During my second year in grad school, a new campus minister joined our team at the Center for Faith and Vocation. Now, he knew I was going to Notre Dame for my MA. He knew I was a full time campus minister. He *knew* this. But a few weeks into his time there, he saw me coming from my Starbucks hours on campus (man, I wish that was still a thing) and asked, "Are you coming from class?" I managed to stop myself from responding angrily and just said that no, I was coming from my Starbucks hours. 

    This article is SO TRUE. People, even people who know you, sometimes peg you into this intern/student/child role just because you're a woman, especially for women under thirty. It's a constant struggle for me to not remind people about my multiple degrees, awards, and my recent publication everytime they do this. I have to take it in stride because even though what they're doing is incredibly insulting, they will overreact and be insulted if you call them out. So, here's my call out to everyone who does this: PLEASE JUST STOP. It's better for everyone. 

  • Gabrielle Deydier: what it’s like to be fat in France (The Guardian): This was so eye opening. It's sad that even in the States, where obesity is literally the norm, this same attitude is more common than you think. Did you know that people are statistically more likely to assume you're unintelligent if you're a fat woman? I did. Yes, even though I'm in a PhD program. Yes, even though I have an MA from one of the best schools in the country. It's so sad--and so problematic. 

  • Why we need to listen to undocumented poets (PBS): SUCH an important topic! 

  • An Empowering Way to Respond to Hurtful People (Thrive Global): This is an excellent article with some great advice. I am trying to be grateful for the teachers I've met who have shown me how not to be. 

Just for Fun: 

Simplicity and Minimalism:

  • Defend the Sacred (Barefoot Five): This line: "I could spend all day talking about how twisted up things are. I could also go on and on about how corrupt the system is. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I could easily write a book on the current state of the planet and how desperate the situation has become..." Preach, sister. Preach. 

Money, Budgeting, and Finance:

Dogs:

Link Love for September 15, 2017

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

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:

What I’m Reading in real life: My class is reading Jack London's The Iron Heel and I'm reading mostly as research for my prospectus (due today!). 

What I’m watching: I have finally given in and started watching The Handmaid's Tale. I had watched the first episode over the summer and the premise was too much for me to handle right then. The trauma from being diagnosed with PCOS and then losing my nieces and nephews has made issues around babies really hard for me right now. 

What I’m listening to: I've recently started listening to my favorite music group again, Rising Appalachia. I love them so much. 

What else I’m digging: I'm really getting back into my fountain pens again. If you didn't see my recent post on instagram, I just inked up a ton of pens. 

My Writing

Four years ago: What I’m Reading Right Now (PP&P)

What I read this week:

  • Favorite Article of the Week: You’ll Never Be Famous — And That’s O.K. (NY Times): I very much enjoyed this article, both from the message and the use of literature as an example of life experience. I have spent a lot of time reflecting on these words: "The most meaningful lives, I’ve learned, are often not the extraordinary ones. They’re the ordinary ones lived with dignity." How very true. I wonder, in the end, will my ordinary life be all I imagined? 

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

  • The Obligations of Grace: Part 1, The Reciprocity of Grace (Experimental Theology): An interesting reflection on faith v. works. Be sure to read the second one, too. 

  • Why Mourn The Confederate Dead, But Not Nazi Ones? (Political Theology Today): This is an excellent theological reflection on an important question in our current moment. "The Confederate monuments and flags function in an active context with a deep history. We can only sanitize them if we engage in a particular form of forgetting and memory. Doing so requires having a very short memory (forgetting the use of Confederate symbols during the civil rights era and current White terrorism) and a very long memory (recalling one’s great-grand-ancestors in the battle trenches while forgetting what they fought for)." I hope we can use our memories correctly. 

Social Justice: 

  • Insensitive or Racist? (Inside Higher Ed): Know what drives me crazy? When we have to have an entire study to prove that people who say racist things are racist. "The study, published in the journal Race and Social Problems, defines microaggressions as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group.” Focusing on those who use microaggressions, rather than those who are on the receiving end, the study found a positive correlation between uttering microaggressions and harboring racist attitudes." No shit. 

Pens/Pencils/Stationery:  

  • What *Is* Modern Calligraphy? (The Postman's Knock): I love this wonderful explanation of the differences between types of calligraphy. 

  • SF 2017: A Fluffy Pawspective (Hand Over That Pen): This is literally the best pen show post ever. 

  • Kaweco Perkeo Fountain Pen Review (The Pen Addict): I was excited to see a review on the Perkeo because I just broke down and bought one. I wasn't keen on it at first, but I like it now. I bought the cotton candy (of course) and am enjoying it as part of my current carry. 

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

Life in General:

Tough Stuff: 

  • What I Learned as an INFJ After Pregnancy Loss and Infertility (Introvert, Dear): I related to this article on many levels. I'm an INFJ and I feel like this writer really gets me. And, as someone who was diagnosed with PCOS almost a year ago (and had another cyst burst only three weeks ago), I live in perpetual fear of infertility. Then, there was this: "As an INFJ personality type, I’m much different. I replayed all the events in the hospital in my mind seemingly thousands of times a day. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t shut my brain off. I relived the pain. I relived the fear. I relived it all, trying to find some sort of understanding for such a traumatic event." That sounds exactly like me after the situation with the sociopath. I have replayed the events of that time over and over and over again, looking for understanding in a situation that simply isn't logical or reason-driven. There is no understanding to gain. But i keep at it anyway. Her talking about being misunderstood and alone also rings super true with me. 

Art and Other Pretty Things:

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

  • An Academic Use for Social Media (Edutopia): I love teaching with social media. Although I've taken a break from teaching with twitter, I now use Slack in all of my classes. I think this post is really interesting: "When we look at 21st-century learning skills, it’s important to see students as co-creators in their own learning. Social media is the outlet where most of us, including students, get the majority of our information. It’s important to integrate digital platforms and social media tools in the classroom to bridge the gap that we have between traditional approaches to teaching writing and the 21st-century communication skills our students need to develop." How do you allow your students to be co-creators of their learning?

  • Two things that made me think this week (Patter): I appreciated this article discussing imposter syndrome because it's a serious problem around my department. Everyone is so self conscious that they feel the need to be constantly "competitive" (read: catty) instead of just buckling down and doing their research. The results are about as good as you can imagine. I wish imposter syndrome were taken more seriously and graduate students given resources to help deal with it. 

  • Feeling Like an Impostor Is Not a Syndrome (Slate): Another helpful imposter syndrome article. 

  • How Schooling is Used to Determine who Has Value in White Society (RBR): This is an important article on a topic that I am becoming more and more aware of. I'm sick of the belief that because someone is "college bound" they are more important, valuable, or moral. I've met plenty of college grads with less brains than the average dropout, not to mention less talent and drive. It's all about opportunity and the choices we make before our brains are developed enough to make solid choices. 

Simplicity and Minimalism:

Dogs: 

Link Love for September 6, 2017

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

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: I can't believe we've been in school for a week now! I'm finally getting back into the swing of things and enjoying my students. It feels like time has passed so quickly!

What I’m Reading in real life: Caesar's Column is the book that we're talking about in class today. It's fascinating. 

What I’m watching: Last week, I finally finished all three seasons of Fresh off the Boat, so I'm mostly watching Elementary. 

What I’m listening to: I'm still digging The Pen Addict Podcast all these years later. Also, I've been revisiting the work of my favorite band, Rising Appalachia. 

What else I’m digging: I'm loving my bullet journal set up from September, which you can check out here. I'm also loving some recent bujo accessories I bought, especially this super cute pug bookmark from Shop Paper Covers Rock. 

 

My Writing

Three years ago: God is Good (Spiritual Uprising): This was a sweet memory to find in my blog archive. 

Four years ago: Another Book Recommendation: Into the Depths (PP&P): I loved this book. Maybe I should pull it out for another read through. 

What I have read lately:

Best Articles:

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

Pens/Pencils/Stationery:  

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

Life in General:

Art and Other Pretty Things:

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

Simplicity and Minimalism:

Parenting: 

Dogs: 

Link Love is BAACCCKKK and we are ABD!

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

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:  

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

Movies and TV:

Life in General:

Tough and Awkward Topics: 

To Make You Laugh:

Art and Other Pretty Things:

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

Environmentalism, Farming, Food, Health, and Nutrition:

Dogs:

Link Love 6.14.17

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

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:

What I’m Reading in real life: SO MANY COMPS BOOKS. 

What I’m watching: I'm really into the new tv show Downward Dog. Watching it on Hulu. 

What I’m listening to: The Sacred Ordinary Days podcast

What else I’m digging: These super delicious gluten free chicken strips, my bullet journal (blog post still in the works), working for Rover, and snuggling Gary. 

 

My Writing

Two years ago: 

Three years ago: Let It Go (Spiritual Uprising)

Six years ago: The tale of my travels and the start at Notre Dame (PP&P): I kind of can't believe it's been that long. 

 

What I read this week:

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

  • Prison Diary: From the Revivalistic to the Ethical (Experimental Theology): This talks about the struggle of shifting from justification to sanctification, perhaps one of the most difficult shifts in our daily life. 

  • For the sake of our democracy, go back to church (or synagogue, or mosque) (Dallas News): I love this line: "It's like belonging to a family. The enduring genius of that primeval institution is that in families we learn to live with people we didn't choose. Similarly, in churches and synagogues and mosques (when they are healthy and diverse) we learn the same lesson." I think that this is an important and challenging part of being religious. I noticed that the author is Catholic. I don't think that's a coincidence. It's all too easy for Catholics to feel like we don't belong or to not get along with their parish culture (ahem) but we still have to go. 

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

Technology:

  • How Billionaires Stole My Mind (Raptitude): So, I'm not sure that I could really handle a technology detox because it's part of how I get my work done (okay, a huge part of my distraction from work, too), but I like this idea: "For the next 30 days, I will not be waking up to a torrent of images, opinions, jokes and fears from around the world. The first step was to get the most addictive apps—Facebook, Twitter and Reddit, for me—off my phone. I still have accounts, and will still use them, but I’ve set them up so that I can’t reach them from my bed, or from waiting rooms, coffee shops, and sidewalks. And they can’t reach me in those places. All my social media use will be done “2007 style”: when I want to use one of these services, I have to go to my desk, and manually “log on” by typing in my username and password. At least for the next 30 days, social media will no longer have an all-day, or even everyday, presence in my life. I want to use them like the tools they used to be, picking them up when I need to use them and putting them down when I’m done." I don't have a lot of these apps on my phone, but I will admit I've given in to the app addiction more lately. Might give this a try! 

Life in General:

  • A to-do list trick (Modern Mrs. Darcy): This looks like a great idea!

  • Bad at remembering to take care of yourself? These 25 tips can make it almost automatic. (Upworthy): I struggle with this a lot and hope that this will help others like me!

  • We Really Need to End the Stigma about Introversion in the Workplace (Introvert, Dear): This reminds me of one of my most frustrating moments as a campus minister interacting with another campus minister. I was at Naz Farm and made a comment about how I'm an introvert--I was telling my duckies I was going to go get introvert time and they could come get me if they needed me. Another CM turned to me and said that I couldn't be an introvert because I was so bubbly and friendly. I had to explain what introversion really means (not shy), but I really wanted to punch him in the face and be like, well, our job REQUIRES us to pretend to be extroverts, but all the best CMs are introverts underneath!

  • The Best Walking Workout for Non-Exercisers (Fitbit): Kind of obvious, but a good reminder!

  • The Disease of Being Busy (On Being): Oh my gosh, I had forgotten this phrase that I used to use all the time with students. How fitting to be reminded that I am a human being, not a human doing right now: "Tell me you remember you are still a human being, not just a human doing. Tell me you’re more than just a machine, checking off items from your to-do list. Have that conversation, that glance, that touch. Be a healing conversation, one filled with grace and presence." 

To Make You Laugh:

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

  • 8 Tips for Teaching With Mentor Texts (Edutopia): In our program, sometimes we struggle with mentor texts that don't match our learning objectives. I'm spending a lot of time thinking about this as we prepare for the next term. 

  • At Northwestern, Not Just Adjuncts Voted to Unionize (Chronicle of Higher Ed): Good information here. I'm glad that others are standing up for adjuncts!

  • Rebooting Industrial Era Seating (Edutopia): This is something I think about, too. At UD we had tables that allowed us to sit in a circle. Now, I have to take time out of every class period to have my students move their high school-sized desks into a circle. We need a new norm. 

  • Detours and Diversions — Do Open Access Publishers Face New Barriers? (The Scholarly Kitchen): Interesting thoughts. OA is a big topic in lit crit circles. 

  • Double-Edged Sword of Dual Enrollment (Inside Higher Ed): I have a lot of opinions on Dual Enrollment classes and community colleges, both from the perspective of a current instructor at a large research university and as a former dual enrollment student and the daughter of a former community college student. I think that there's a lot of room to improve a system that should be serving both its instructors and its students better. 

  • I'm Never Assigning an Essay Again (Inside Higher Ed): I'm in love with this essay and can't wait to see how I can adapt his ideas to my student's work. 

  • How Acaddemia Uses Poverty, Oppression, and Pain for Intellectual Masterbation (Racebaitr): This article is very challenging for me, as a white woman studying Chicana and Native literature. I was struck by this statement: "One of the tragic consequences of a traditional system of higher education is working with colleagues who claim to have expertise on the topic of social activism, but who have never experienced any form of intervention. I am referring here to those academics who have made careers out of the pain of others by consuming knowledge obtained in marginalized communities." I think it's good to consider these perspectives as I go forward with my dissertation. 

Simplicity and Minimalism:

Money, Budgeting, and Finance:

Environmentalism, Farming, Food, Health, and Nutrition:

Dogs: 

Link Love

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

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:

What I’m Reading in real life: This weekend, I read five books of poetry for my reading list. At least I'm making some good progress! If you want to see what I'm reading, check it out on my instagram feed. 

What I’m watching: I just finished the latest season of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I thought it was good. I'm also rewatching Young and Hungry to prepare for the Netflix launch of the new season later this month. 

What I’m listening to: I'm still listening to podcasts. RSVP is my latest favorite. 

What else I’m digging: Dog sitting for Rover! Dudes, if you have a dog and need someone to care for them, check out my dogsitting page.  

 

My Writing

Two years ago: I want Stan Lee to be My Adopted Grandpa and other musings on Dallas Comic Con 2015 (Popery, Pens, and Paperbacks)

 

What I read this week:

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

  • The Politics of Traversing Difference—Acts 2:1-21 (Amy Allen) (Political Theology Today): I hate to spoil this wonderful article, but I have to share with you the very end in case you don't click through (but do, it's a beautiful story)."This, I believe, is God’s wish for the Church as a Pentecost community—not that we settle upon one common (or colonized) way of doing or communicating things, but rather, that we recognize the one power, the true Power, is broader than any one (or group) of us. I believe that God’s will for the Pentecost community is that we live together in our diversity (not in spite of, or overcoming it). To the colonial, homogenizing force of the Roman Empire, this must have been quite a threat. To the post-colonial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural churches in Namibia in the early 2000’s, I heard this message proclaimed and celebrated with hope. For us, today, in 2017, what do these politics mean? How might we live together and grow together across our differences, with God’s Holy Spirit as our guide?" What a great reflection on language and the Gospel message!

  • How to See an Old Church (Experimental Theology): I loved doing this when I was in Rome. 

  • Paving the path to social change guides the life of young Indiana sister (Catholic Herald): Loving this article shared by my college spiritual director about my sister and friend, Tracey, who she didn't even know. Tracey and all my sisters inspire me daily. <3

  • What Would Jesus Resist? (Historical Jesus Research): Read this. 

  • Prison Diary: How To Stay Cool (Experimental Theology): Why does no one care about this very important pro-life issue?

Pens/Pencils/Stationery:  

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, etc.):

Writing

  • How To Connect With Your Writing Tribe (The SITS Girls): I'm still looking for a writing tribe, but this is a good article!

  • When It’s Hard to Maintain Your Focus (Writer Unboxed): I found this article really helpful because it's sooo hard to focus right now on writing, reading, anything. But we have to keep going! 

  • Surround Yourself With Success (Writer Unboxed): This is a really great tip for writing and academia, and it's weirdly harder than you would think. Academics get burned out so easily that they spend more time complaining than really talking about each other's craft. I'm blessed to have one really good friend who talks with me about her dissertation and I talk with her about my reading. It's been so helpful!

Life in General:

  • Why a Pets at Work Policy Is a Good One (Fitbit): I'm blessed to have a dog who can go everywhere with me. I wish that everyone was able to bring dogs to work!

  • What makes you switch your ways? (Unclutterer): One of the things about recovering from what happened to me over Christmas break has been figuring out how to change my life, my habits, and everything else that fell apart or contributed to my life falling apart because of the sociopath. It's good to think about methods of motivating ourselves (and others) to change. 

  • There's an Important Reason We should be Having More Meaningful Conversations (Introvert, Dear): I really appreciate this great article and the ideas for how to go deeper in conversation with people. 

  • Critical Thinking Series: Reading as the Arena of Critical Thinking (Decolonize All the Things): I'm seriously thinking about giving this to my students on the first day of class in the fall. "If you don’t understand the benefits of reading or why it is useful to you and crucial for your own self development then you aren’t likely to take advantage of reading lists which are crucial to sustaining an anti-colonial political awareness to then apply to your actions.  Below  I discuss the importance of reading to critical thinking and praxis.  One of the greatest benefits of the methods of critical inquiry is NOT so you can argue with others but for you to argue with YOURSELF. " So important!

  • Our Mothers as We Never Saw Them (NYT): A great article. 

  • The Real Problem With Being Child-Free and Unmarried In Your Mid-30s (Huffpost): So, I might not feel the same way about my future as the author, but I do relate to this: "I realize I should probably sound more apologetic when I tell people I’m not married. Perhaps I should try a bit harder to make those around me less embarrassed when they meet me. I’m a disgrace. I’m a single lady. I was about to get drunk on lots of prosecco. I’m always the wedding guest — not the bride. And I don’t even own a cat." I guess I'm doing better than he because I don't drink a lot and I have a dog, but still. Stop judging!

Tough and Awkward Topics: 

To Make You Laugh and Smile:

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

  • Accreditation Is Broken. Time to Repair It. (The Chronicle of Higher Ed): So, accreditation organizations are also running out of funds because they ARE LITERALLY NOT PAID for the work they do. "Why is the accreditation system falling down on the job? Because, as my research shows, by and large accreditors don’t have the budgets or staffing to do their job properly. Despite the tremendous burden of guarding the roughly $120 billion awarded each year in federal student grants and loans, a review of tax filings shows that the 12 main accreditors spend a shockingly small amount on measuring quality — just $75 million in 2013. For comparison, Corinthian raked in $1.3 billion in taxpayer money in one year. That is 17 times more than the combined sum that all 12 accrediting agencies spent monitoring quality at nearly 7,000 campuses over the same period." So, why are these people the ones harassing us into submission for preposterous accreditation requirements while our students can barely read at an 9th grade level?

  • Who Defines What Is Racist? (Inside Higher Ed): This is problematic all the way around. I would hate to be in that atmosphere right now. 

  • Analyzing Black Lives Matter Without Black People Involved (Inside Higher Ed): Ummm??? Who made this decision?

  • When Things Suck and You Still Have a PhD To Do: 7 Tips to Get Stuff Done (Academic Mental Health Collective): This line particularly spoke to where I am: "There is no shame or failure in being realistic about what you are capable of in this current moment. The amount of work you do is not a reflection of you as a person – whether that amount is high or low. It can be hard to believe this and drop the self-judgement. But if it’s going to make life easier for ourselves, doesn’t it make sense to do so?" There was a lot of shame involved in changing the dates of my exams, but I had to be honest about what I could do in that moment. I'm so grateful for a director who understands. 

  • Clinging to the Core (Inside Higher Ed): It's not often that my awkward little alma mater makes a large academic site, but when it does, it's because there's a huge hullaballoo going on that common sense could have stopped. "The university’s president, Thomas W. Keefe, acknowledged the idea has been enveloped in drama. But he said that Dallas needs to explore new ideas" Yes. Like getting a new president who doesn't refer to alumni as brats or students as dogs. Ahem. 

Simplicity and Minimalism:

  • A different kind of childhood (Restoring Mayberry): I have often enjoyed reading the posts at Restoring Mayberry, but this one, perhaps, more than any other, connects with my soul. He describes the friends he sees when he comes back to the states in this way: "One way or another, they grow angrier every year; they know in their bones that something has gone terribly wrong. Most of them know they’ve lost something, and search for it in different ways. Some of my friends build things in their shed, or cook, or in some way find pleasure in creating something. Some read books about people who lived more traditional lives, anything from Amish romances to medieval fantasy. Some drive off on weekends to hunt or fish, something to get them back to nature, and draw far more from their surroundings than from the animal. ... Some of these approaches do more good than others, but I don’t mock any of them; all these people, I think, are trying to fill the same void." What do you think about this article? I would love to hear your thoughts!

  • Here's How I (Painlessly!) Purged 80 Percent of My Closet (Apartment Therapy): So, I really enjoyed this. I've been getting rid of A LOT of things lately, and hoping to get rid of even more in the future!

  • I Planned My Wedding in 5 Days. You Could, Too. (NY Times): THIS. IS. AWESOME. 

Money, Budgeting, and Finance:

  • How To Stretch Your Dollars (Living Well, Spending Less): As usual, there's nothing truly enlightening in this, but it's a great reminder. 

Environmentalism, Farming, Food, Health, and Nutrition:

Dogs: 

Link Love for Memorial Day

Thoughts on this week: So, the last week has been a busy one for sure! Gary was sick on Thursday, so we ended up at the vet. I've joined Rover, a dog walking and care app (for $20 off your first booking, use the code GARYTHECUTEONE). I've been reading and writing a lot this week, and am still not caught up with my reading list. But all in all, it's been great. My friend, Heidi, is back from Mexico. Dayna and I spent a lot of time working before she went out of town, so now I have double pup snuggles with Berk here. Life is good...

Read more

Link Love--May 23

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

My Writing

One Year Ago: Unbreakable Willy Women: With Love to our Littlest on your Graduation (Popery, Pens, and Paperbacks): I wrote this almost a year ago for my little cousin on her graduation. It's so good to be part of a long line of strong women. 

Two Years Ago: My Thoughts on the UD Commencement Speaker (PPP): As we go through yet another hullabaloo at UD, it's good to remember that we have often made asses of ourselves before the world... 

Three Years Ago:

What I read this week:

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

Pens/Pencils/Stationery:  

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

Life in General:

Money:

 

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

Simplicity and Minimalism:

Parenting and Kiddos:

Animals

Link Love: A Little Reading for Finals Week

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

So, this week I thought I'd start the week with some link love for my friends who need something to distract them from finals. 

What I read last week:

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

Pens/Pencils/Stationery:  

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

Life in General:

Money:

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

Simplicity and Minimalism:

  • Clutter Blindness and How Doing This One Thing Can Make all the Difference (Organizing Junkie): I definitely suffer from clutter blindness, but I have noticed lately how when everything is picked up and put away that my small space seems so much larger. I have been thinking about getting rid of more tchotchkes, but I haven't acted on it because most of the tchotchkes that I have were gifts with sentimental value (I don't buy those kinds of things myself). Some good thoughts here. 

Environmentalism, Farming, Food, Health, and Nutrition:

Link Love: The last week before school begins

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

This is the last Friday before school starts up again. I'm in the midst of so many projects that I wanted to have done before school began. Alas. How is your back to school time going?

My Writing

Two years ago: Wild and Precious (Spiritual Uprising Blog)

What I read this week:

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

Pens/Pencils/Stationery:  

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

  • Jane Austen Films and Onion Headlines: A Perfect Match (Flavorwire): My favorite? "Woman A Leading Authority on What Shouldn't be in Poor People's Grocery Carts." Lady Catherine would be that person if she were alive today (and, you know, real). 

    • There is no Secret to Writing About People who do not Look Like You (Literary Hub): This article is interesting and engages a problem evident in the book world. I love the last two paragraphs, excerpted here: "When a story does harm by presenting a limited view of a group of people, then the author’s craft has failed them in some crucial way. It isn’t that every character belonging to every marginalized group must be perfect and without conflict. It isn’t that an author must present an example every kind of person. Rather, it’s because you present only one side to that person’s life, a side that has often been fabricated and perpetuated by the larger public. It’s because your character doesn’t ring true, has none of the mess that makes a person real on the page. A writer’s work begins and ends with empathy. Without it, there can be no writing, at least not good writing, and if the author cannot enter into the lives of those unlike himself, then he must, I think, hold the work about himself up for closer scrutiny. The distance between the self and the other is never as great as we imagine it to be—the two are often twinned, and it’s this relationship that empathy reveals. The best writing, the writing most alive with possibilities, is the writing that at once familiarizes and estranges; it’s writing that divorces us from our same-old contexts and shifts our thinking about ourselves and the world around us." As a scholar of literature that is not from my own culture, I recognize the difficulties in writing about people who do not look like you. I think that this article is really helpful in engaging this. 

Life in General:

  • You're Not Responsible for Other People's Feelings (Introvert, Dear): Oh my gosh, this is so me: "I was stunned, and speechless. That was allowed? I could ask other people to modify something because it was causing me a problem? Rationally, I understood this concept. But emotionally, it felt like my entire world had shifted." I struggle to speak up for myself. I also appreciate the author's affirmation of communicating via writing. It is SO hard for me to do in person confrontations. I think so slowly that I can't process one thing before the person I'm talking to has moved onto the next. It makes it easy to be taken advantage of. 

  • Why I won’t buy a Fitbit (The Art of the Simple): While I love my fitbit, I really enjoyed this reflection from Art of the Simple. I think we are too numbers based these days. 

  • Why Representation Matters (Edutopia): I think it's really easy for people to roll their eyes when they hear about groups of persons being underrepresented. I know that as a kid, I struggled to find female characters to relate with. This article is really good for addressing the problem with potential answers. 

Environmentalism, Farming, Food, Health, and Nutrition:

  • Don't you dare teach my daughter to fear the forest (Woman Running with Wolves): I love this: "If the time ever comes when my daughter should feel that life has worn her down, I will show her that in the soul-forest, there is always life teeming under the surface. Like an owl stalking a mouse in the moonlight, some part of her somewhere is always awake and bustling peacefully in the silence; alert, watching, waiting.So, don't you dare teach my daughter to fear the forest. You know those stories that speak of the wolf in the wood? I will teach my daughter that she is the wolf – free, primal, and connected to the moon." I never thought about how the stories about kids getting attacked in the woods teach us to fear the forest. I'm so glad it didn't work on me. 

  • These 5 Museums Put the “Culture” in “Agriculture” (Modern Farmer): I would love to visit some of these. 

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

  • Creating an Ecology of Wonder (Edutopia): I don't think it's any secret that I love being a teacher. Even though things like this are harder to accomplish at the University level, I consider my vocation to be no less creative than that of a kindergarten teacher. I love this quote: "Our job as educators is to make our primary resource -- wonder -- the essential learning incentive and outcome. This precious resource of wonder will feed our students, and in turn, our students will enrich their communities when they graduate with future public projects, businesses, cultural opportunities, and the exchange of ideas that in turn will foster wonder and curiosity for future generations. Our students and communities will pass on wonder in much the same way oxygen, water, and nutrients cycle through a well-balanced ecosystem." I think this is a great way to put the job of an educator. 

  • With Dartmouth professor's push, NH veterans finding that 'Homer gets it. Homer knows' (New Hampshire Union Leader): I love this article. Sometimes the Classics seem so far away for my students. They feel like what happened in Ancient Greece cannot possibly impact them. But reading Homer helps us to realize that more than anything, the human is human. The same pains we experience today were experienced then. That gives a certain amount of humanity to suffering, doesn't it?

Parenting: 

  • When satan steals your motherhood (Letters from the Nest): I have to admit that I know some people might not trust parenthood posts that I share, given that I'm not a mom. But, I love this post and I think all my mom friends should read it. I'm like this with other things, and I can only imagine that I would be like this as a mother. It's so easy to lose the joy of the thing that you "must" do (that really, you have chosen to do) and to let that joy be stolen in exchange for anger, frustration, and self deprecation. 

What I read this week and some other things

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

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

Things are finally starting to calm down around here. I spent the last couple days with Andrew and Anna, which was really great. Hope you all are enjoying this last week of May!

My Writing

Two years ago: Retreat, A Rule of Life, and Letting Go (Spiritual Uprising)

What I read this week:

Popery (Catholicism/Spirituality/Religion):

  • A Letter from Fr. Richard Rohr: Although this letter is inviting us to a conference, I think that reading the way Fr. Rohr talks about the election is important. "If we do not own our fears, they will continue to manipulate our politics, culture, and religion, reinforcing a polarized and divided society. Time is much too precious—for each individual life and for our planet as a whole. We must bring as much passion to our cause as do those who call for building walls. But our job is to tear down walls." I invite you to read the rest. 

  • The Catholic Church’s Drinking Problem (Millenial): Reading this article reminds me of a man who came to speak at UD Campus Ministry's Dinner and Discourse and talked about how alcohol can be sacramental, but it can also be addicting and damaging. In the Catholic Church, we have a definite drinking problem. I'm interested in what you, my friends and readers, think. 

  • Dorothy Day: Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History (Ignatian Solidarity Network): I love Dorothy Day. "The prospect of Day as a modern-day saint would give young Catholic women many things to chew on. In a world focused on telling young girls to look pretty in Photoshop selfies or that their self-worth is measured by internet followers, it is important for young women to have a role model who is hard-working, smart, and selfless. Day is a fantastic role model because she was marked by the virtues of Christ—justice, mercy, compassion, and love. When I think of what kind of woman I want to be, Dorothy Day comes to mind. In deed and word, she illustrated that Catholic leadership is not limited to men, but open for all. Canonizing Day would also show women and men that sainthood is an attainable feat for all, not reserved for some. Through her conversion story, Day represents all of us as sinners in need of grace." I hope they do canonize her. 

  • Vatican PR aide warns Catholic blogs create ‘cesspool of hatred’ (Crux Now): An interesting point. I think that a lot of the time I'm easily angered by the things that Catholic Bloggers write and this is why--“Often times the obsessed, scrupulous, self-appointed, nostalgia-hankering virtual guardians of faith or of liturgical practices are very disturbed, broken and angry individuals, who never found a platform or pulpit in real life and so resort to the Internet and become trolling pontiffs and holy executioners!” I hope that I am never accused of this, but God knows I've been attacked for enough of the orthodox, yet "liberal" things that I post. Ugh.  

  • Dear Church (A Frank Letter From A Queer Christian) (Nomad): This is beautiful, familiar, heart-wrenching. 

  • Pope Francis might jettison idea of a ‘just war’ (Crux Now): About time. 

Pens/Pencils/Stationery:  

Paperbacks (Reading, Books, and Writing):

Life in General:

Tough and Awkward Topics: 

  • We Weren’t That Resilient (Maureen O'Leary): This is an important reminder for people who complain about "young people these days" and how weak or sensitive they are. We really weren't that resilient. I think about this a lot, working with my students I see a lot of brokenness. They're no more broken than we were, though, and they have a hell of a lot more hope and desire to change the world. 

  • Banging on the doors of bigotry (Socialist Worker): I don't know very much about DePaul, other than that I have former students who considered going there. However, I think that what's happening there is a microcosm for what's happening in the larger political arena. Something to consider. Note: This is not an objective source. Do your own research, too. 

  • Let's Talk About the Toxic Way South Korea Is Handling its Rape Problem (Vice): Trigger warning. 

To Make You Smile:

Academia, Education, and Teaching: 

Parenting: 

  • 4th Grader Comes Home With Disturbing News—Then Mom Realizes Her “Worst Nightmare” Is Coming True (Faith It): I think this is an important. "It’s simply not enough to instruct your children to “Be Nice!” You’ve got to be more specific than that. Kids think if they aren’t being outright unkind, they are being nice. We know better." There are a lot of "good" kids growing up to be bullies because no one teaches them compassion. We say "be nice," but nice isn't real. Teach kids to be kind. 

  • What I Teach My Teenage Daughter In Response To Her School’s Sexist Dress Code (Patheos): This is important. Teaching kids that they have control over their bodies and that they cannot cause someone else to be distracted (sin) is crucial to creating a world where rape-culture isn't a thing. 

  • I Don’t Want Obedient Children (Love, Joy, Feminism): This article is great in pointing out that the tradition of children being ever-obedient, unquestioning, seen and not heard, is detrimental to the adults that the children grow up to be. I appreciated this quote: "My husband often says that he’s not raising children, he’s raising adults. After all, our job as parents is to prepare our children for adulthood, not simply to mitigate the challenges of raising children in the here and now." And I appreciate this one: "In the end, I don’t want obedient children. I want children who are curious, confident, and compassionate, children who know how to communicate effectively and value cooperation and compromise."All parents should so discern.