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Instagram Recommendation List

Trish3 Comments

In my latest Podcast Recommendation List, Kim commented and requested that I do a similar post about Instagram.  I love fulfilling readers’ wishes, so here you go!  Five people I follow on Instagram that I think other people might like following too.

@lifeinbloomphotos

This Midwestern instagrammer posts simple pictures of life in the country:  leaves, sunsets,dandelions, farmhouses.  The photos are simple and pretty, and they remind me of everything I love best about my homeland.

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@andrewknapp

Momo is the cutest dog on the internet, and I cannot help but feel happy every time a new post appears of her (his?) expressive black and white face.screen-shot-2016-11-07-at-3-58-52-pm

@icelandair

Iceland is at the top of my list of must-visit countries, and this Instagram account fuels my desire with each new picture of stunning mountains, ice blue lagoons, and sweet cityscapes.screen-shot-2016-11-07-at-3-56-49-pm

@sejkko

This Instagrammer specializes in minimalist photos that make my heart feel peaceful.  Therapy in an app.

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@hotdudeswithkittens

With all this natural beauty, it’s only fitting to appreciate the male form too, right?  And it is a scientific fact that male forms always look better with a kitten!

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What Instagram accounts do you like?  

Leave a recommendation in the comments below!

A Week in Greece #25: I HAVE A CAT

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On Monday, I had the world’s longest layover in Istanbul (five hours!) on my way back from Cappadocia (check out a video of my weekend here).  Of course, if you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’ll know that on Tuesday, there was a bombing in the Ataturk airport where 40+ people were killed and 200+ people were injured.

I feel…weird about this?  I was one day off and one airport away, but it still feels really close.  I don’t know what the appropriate emotional response to this is, probably because there isn’t one.  I do want to take the time to say, however, that in light of this terrorist attack, PLEASE don’t hate on Muslims as a whole.  Just like there are terrible Christians who use violent Bible passages to murder African Americans or trans-people, there are terrible Muslims who use violent Kuran passages to instill terror in people’s lives. But they are SO not the norm!  The entire weekend in Cappadocia, Muslim men and women who were fasting for Ramadan were so hospitable and kind to us.  Just…don’t let the fear win, yeah?

But back to that title:  I HAVE A CAT!

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Continue reading →

Cookie Gets Blessed: The Feast of St. Francis

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Today is the Feast of St. Francis, and the Episcopalian church near Elizabeth’s house was celebrating the Blessing of the Animals.  We decided to take Elizabeth’s dog Cookie, and I loved the service so much.

There were around fifteen dogs present, two cats in their carriers, a guinea pig, a terrarium with hermit crabs, and one kid brought two of his stuffed animals.  We met in a church alcove, and for the first five minutes, chaos reigned as the dogs asserted their dominance and the owners struggled to quiet them.  The lovely thing was that no one cared – we were here for the animals, and their chaos is part of their character.

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Two reverends came out to lead us in a hymn and some responsive prayers.  One woman read Genesis 1:20-25.  Then came my favorite part, as we prayed collectively for the pets specifically and animals in general.  Continue reading →

StumbleUpon Sunday (18)

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StumbleUpon is a great way to lose hours of your life.  Luckily, I braved the Internet vortex so you don’t have to.  This week I found these especially interesting websites:

  1. Fully-Customizable Tiny Homes Start at an Affordable $22,000
    Cut to:  Tricia, hyperventilating.  I WANT A TINY HOME SO BAD.  These are adorable.
  2. To the New Culture Cops, Everything is Appropriation
    As a tumblr user, I see the term “cultural appropriation” a lot.  I really liked this article’s balanced view of the subject.
    “At one time, such critiques were leveled against truly offensive art — work that trafficked in demeaning caricatures, such as blackface, 19th-century minstrel shows orethnological expositions, which literally put indigenous people on display, often in cages. But these accusations have become a common attack against any artist or artwork that incorporates ideas from another culture, no matter how thoughtfully or positively.”
  3. 14 Cool Psychology Tricks You Need to Try
    This is basically just manipulation tactics, but…..I still find them extremely interesting.  My favorite (that I hadn’t heard before) was the suggestion that you can end a repetitive mental song by intentionally remembering the end of the song, since closing the loop allows our brain to stop latching onto unfinished things.
  4. 14 Brilliant Re-Imagined Names For Everyday Objects We All Need
    Hahaha!  I like the “people shelf” and “t-rex deer.”
  5. 14 Stories that Prove Animals Have Souls
    I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying.
  6. You May Not Need These 19 Things, But You’ll Definitely Want Them Pretty Badly
    There has never been a more accurately named post.  Give me that divided frying pan immediately!!
  7. A Fast Food Purse
    Um, this is GENIUS.
  8. Here are 20 Animals That You RARELY Get to See as Babies
    The bison!  And reindeer!  And that little chameleon all curled up into itself!!
  9. Witnessing Beautiful Autumn’s Transformations
    Excellent documentation proving that autumn is the most beautiful season.
  10. 10 Fun Movie Facts
    “Because Bruce Lee was so fast, they actually had to run his films slower so you can see his moves.”

StumbleUpon Sunday (17)

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StumbleUpon is a great way to lose hours of your life.  Luckily, I braved the Internet vortex so you don’t have to.  This week I found these especially interesting websites:

  1. 15 Things Worth Knowing About Coffee
    For a person who drinks so much coffee, I know surprisingly little about it.  Until I read this funny infographic, anyway!
  2. 25 Genius Hacks That Make Having a Dog So Much Easier
    These are so simple and, like the title boasts, genius!  I especially like the tip to play fetch downhill so your dog will get tired faster.
  3. 15 Amazing Places You Can Tour on Google Maps
    Don’t have the money to travel?  Staring wistfully at your computer screen is the next best thing!  I toured the Coliseum, and it was pretty cool.
  4. The 11 People to Unfollow on Facebook
    Hahahaha, yesssss.
  5. 15 Super Cute Hand-Sized Baby Animals
    Everything is cute when it’s tiny!  They snuck three baby foxes into the list, and I am so okay with that.
  6. 22 of the Most Secluded Hotels in the World
    A traveling introvert’s DREAM.
  7. 3 Leadership Lessons Learned from Jon Stewart
    Good TV host, great leader.
  8. 100 Disposable Cameras Were Given to Homeless People
    This is a really cool art project!
  9. 20 Great Escapes that Will Make You Feel Small
    Beautiful photography.
  10. My DIY Coffee Pot Terrarium
    I don’t usually like Pinterest-y craft projects, but I think this coffee pot terrarium is super cute.

StumbleUpon Sunday (15)

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StumbleUpon is a great way to lose hours of your life.  Luckily, I braved the Internet vortex so you don’t have to.  This week I found these especially interesting websites:

  1. 10 Incredible Thrill-Seeking Adventures To Do Around the World
    I will never do any of these because I am a big coward.  Maybe the wing walking.  But only on a dare.
  2. 29 Mind-Blowing Coincidences You Won’t Believe Happened
    I’m naming my son Hugh Williams.
  3. Dog and Lamb
    A boxer frolicked with a lamb, and there are pictures!
  4. What It’s Like to Fly the $23,000 Singapore Airlines Suite Class
    Oh my GOSH this is the most amazing thing I’ve ever read.  Someday when I’m flush with cash I will spoil myself silly on the world’s most expensive flight.  The guy who wrote this has a great sense of humor, too.  I especially loved his horror at sleeping for six hours, or “$6,000 worth of the flight.”
  5. 14 Brilliant Pieces of Literature You Can Read in the Time it Takes to Eat Lunch
    I love this list of bite-sized literature.  It is especially useful for its links to places you can read the story for free.
  6. ‘Real Monsters’ Art – Mental Illnesses as Monsters
    Wow.  These creatures are really beautiful, in a horrible way.  The artist, Toby Allen, does a wonderful job making mental illnesses understandable.
  7. 26 Gifs So Cute You Might Die a Sudden, Tragic Death
    Death by adorable is a good way to go.  (Hint: click on #5 to see a whole video of this tiny orange kitten climbing up to sit on a cameraman’s head. And #11 IS SO CUTE.  Just, all of them.  Look at all of them.)
  8. 12 Interspecies Hugs That Show That Love is Universal
    More cuteness!  I’m especially awed by the lion and the fawn, but there’s also the cat and the owl!  And that last picture of a koala sleeping on a dog’s back is super adorable.
  9. 10 Mnemonic Tricks for Never Forgetting Anything Again
    Super useful!
  10. What Real Beauty Looks Like Around the World
    These photos of diverse women in their 20s are a stunning reminder to embrace your culture and background.

StumbleUpon Sunday (14)

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StumbleUpon is a great way to lose hours of your life.  Luckily, I braved the Internet vortex so you don’t have to.  This week I found these especially interesting websites:

  1. 15 Animals That Aren’t Dogs, But Totally Want to be Man’s Best Friend
    This kind of content is exactly what the Internet is for.
  2. Man Walks All Day to Create Massive Snow Patterns
    I love when artists create something beautiful knowing that it will be transient and unseen.
  3. 13 Life-Changing Beauty Hacks Using Vaseline
    “Life-changing” might be strong, but these vaseline-inspired tips are definitely useful!
  4. Maps of War: Middle East
    WOW.  This 90-second video zips through history, showing all the empires and kingdoms who have taken over the Middle East, starting with Egypt and ending with national independence.  Never has this made so much sense.
  5. 18 Spectacular and Bizarre Airbnb Rentals
    Someone give me all the money!  I need to stay in every single one of these.
  6. This Man Found a SECRET Tunnel in His House
    An underground city 18 stories deep!?  With shops, tombs, livestock and individual quarters?  I want that at my house!
  7. 18 Irritatingly Bothersome Movie Plot Holes
    I’m going to try to forget these as quickly as possible, because they are so right.
  8. 17 Diagrams That Will Help You Draw (Almost) Anything
    Some are useful, some are funny.  Like the Internet.
  9. Six Before and After Pictures That Show Why You Should Adopt a Shelter Dog
    RIGHT IN THE HEART.
  10. 23 Super Creative Repurposed Items
    These are so cool!  I want the card catalogue mini bar and globe bowl.  And suitcase chair!

StumbleUpon Sunday (13)

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StumbleUpon is a great way to lose hours of your life.  Luckily, I braved the Internet vortex so you don’t have to.  This week I found these especially interesting websites:

  1. 53 Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down
    I cheered at the names of titles I loved and put several unknowns in my library queue.
  2. Young Girl Who’s Best Friends with African Wildlife
    I’m hyperventilating with how much I wish I had her life.
  3. Untranslatable Words Turned into Charming Illustrations
    I like those “if only English used this word” lists, but the addition of illustrations makes this so much better!
  4. Photograph
    I don’t normally link to a single photograph, but the simple whimsy of this outdoor space is so cute!
  5. Important Things from History Everyone Pictures Incorrectly
    The Egyptian pyramids were white, Greek statues were brightly painted, etc–time changes things!
  6. The Quest for Every Beard Type
    This is a man after my own heart – I’ve always thought there’s no point in being able to grow facial hair if you don’t experiment with it.
  7. Hope You Had a Better Day Than These Guys
    Sometimes all you need to feel better is a collection of pictures and GIFs showing you people who have it so much (hilariously) worse.
  8. The 50 Cutest Things That Ever Happened
    This title is no lie.  *squee*
  9. 23 People Posted the Wisest Words They’ve Ever Heard
    From “The single raindrop never feels responsible for the flood” to “By living, there’s a risk of dying.”
  10. Create Face Online
    What a weirdly addictive webpage.  My only complaint is that there don’t really seem to be options to create a female face.pimptheface-com

StumbleUpon Sunday (12)

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StumbleUpon is a great way to lose hours of your life.  Luckily, I braved the Internet vortex so you don’t have to.  This week I found these especially interesting websites:

  1. She Lives in a Boeing 727
    This woman is a genius!  I want to live in an airplane treehouse!
  2. Wild Polar Bear vs. Dogs
    I was side-eyeing this photo series in case something horrible happened, but they became friends, how adorable!
  3. 20 Photos of “Terrifyingly Ferocious” Pit Bulls
    I lived with a pit bull last year, and she was the sweetest little cuddle bug.
  4. There are Two Kinds of People
    These cute little drawings highlight the (often technological) ways we differ.  I found myself cringing throughout this post–how can people leave notifications on their apps??
  5. 7 Disturbing Comics on Depression
    I would necessarily say “disturbing” so much as “encouraging” and “awesome.”
  6. Clever Tips to Make Your Life Easier
    These suggestions are genuinely helpful, from increasing phone volume by placing in a bowl to downloading YouTube videos with a simple hack.
  7. Visit Norway – Geirangerfjord 360
    This is a place.  On Earth.  How can I go there immediately?
  8. How I Can Afford My Life of Constant Travel
    Blogger Wandering Earl gives a detailed list of 12 years worth of travel–where he went and how he picked up odd jobs to get him to the next destination.
  9. Apps to Watch
    Ten new apps to consider downloading, whether you like photo editing, pruning trees, cooking eggs, or finding wi-fi.
  10. 15 Strangest Houses From Around the Globe
    #8 and #13 are especially delightful/weird!