Monday 24 September 2012

Auntie Seraphic & the Blog Requester

Dear Auntie Seraphic!

I would like to say first that I've been reading the blog for a while, and I truly appreciate the wit, humor, and kindness you dispense on a daily basis. Having said that, while I think I am called to marriage at some point in time, that time is almost certainly not now, and I need to not focus on it quite so much. To me, this means, well, not reading quite so many relationship-oriented blogs. As fun as it is to live vicariously through the romantic misadventures of others, it seems a little, em, unbalanced when my primary internet activity is romantic in focus. As I was considering this, I realized with dismay that I really had no idea where to look for good blogs that were non-romantic. (I am convinced that obsessing about romance shrivels you. SHRIVELS.)

This is all to ask: could you possibly ask your readers where they go for online unromantic fun? They all seem like wonderfully interesting people, and I'm sure they must follow some fascinating blogs/sites/SOMETHING/ect. If not, I understand, and I appreciate your patience.

Best,
Blog Requester

***

Well, girls? What cool, non-relationshippy blogs do you read? Please add links!

24 comments:

Lilysnark said...

I can't answer the question, because this is the only blog I read, but I have to agree with the "SHRIVELS."

That is the perfect way to describe what happens when you obsess over romance all the time.

(This is the first time I'm commenting, though I've been a dedicated lurker here for months.)

Christina Grace said...

Most of my favorite "fun" blogs are style blogs, like www.thepinkpeonies.com or inhonorofdesign.blogspot.com, but if you're looking for something fun AND substantive, check out www.theevangelista.com (full disclosure: this is my blog :)), which is about cultivating true beauty through personal style.

Maria said...

Hey, I'm subscribed to the Evangelista! I just subscribed like two days ago but I went and read every post. I really liked your blog!

Marie said...

I have loads of favorites and here's a smattering of my daily reads. Enjoy!

For the writers--both current and aspiring: http://www.dailywritingtips.com.
Daily reflections on meaning and purpose: http://www.dominicanablog.com/
A regal indulgence: http://whatkatewore.com/
A taste of art, its history and its visual appeal: http://theredlist.fr

Marie said...

I have loads of favorites and here's a smattering of my daily reads. Enjoy!

For the writers--both current and aspiring: http://www.dailywritingtips.com.
Daily reflections on meaning and purpose: http://www.dominicanablog.com/
A regal indulgence: http://whatkatewore.com/
A taste of art, its history and its visual appeal: http://theredlist.fr

MaryJane said...

I end up reading mommy blogs almost exclusively, because all my friends are moms and they recommend them! I enjoy the "slice of life" portrayed on these blogs, but they may or may not make other single people feel bad, etc. I think it just depends on where you are in life.

That being said, here are a few: testosterhome.net (life with 5 boys and a new girl!); designmom.com (6 kids and living in France- she posts a lot about artsy/ style stuff, not just family things); kellehampton.com (a photographer mom, with a beautiful story about her 2nd girl having down syndrome).

A few other blogs that aren't really mom blogs: kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com (totally inspiring! She also just published a book about her life as a an adoptive mom to 13 girls in Uganda); conversiondiary.com (everything from scorpions in the toilet to how to pray the liturgy of the hours), and of course whatever Simcha writes - simchafisher.wordpress.com.

I am looking forward to seeing other people's suggestions.

MaryJane said...

Also -- I can't recall if anyone has mentioned Verily here before, but they are def. worth checking out if that is your kind of thing: http://verilymag.com/blog/ (Style, fashion, relationships, culture etc. all from a good perspective.)

Grad in a big city said...

If you are into cooking, my favorite is smittenkitchen.com, and from there you can find scores of other food blogs to read.

Any knitters/crocheters should start with the Yarn Harlot, www.yarnharlot.ca. She is wonderful. The name refers to her inability to commit to any one knitting project (or skein of yarn) at a time.

It is also worth mentioning that, like Seraphic, the authors of both of these blogs both manage to create nice, tolerant spaces for their readers and commenters.

Jam said...

Some tried-and-true favorites:

- http://amodelrecommends.com/ is written by the very intelligent and beautiful Ruth Crilly, who also puts up lots of cute rambly videos. She does like expensive products, so watch out for your bank balance, but she actually USES everything before she talks about it, which is great. Somehow, even though she is obviously a wealthy, gorgeous person whose life and body/face are nothing like mine, I never feel bitter or jealous reading her posts. She just seems really nice and down to earth.

- http://www.lisaeldridge.com/ is maybe a little bit less of a blog? Lisa Eldridge is a pretty big-time pro makeup artist, so a lot of her blog is just posting photos from shoots she's done, BUT she also posts regular how-to and get-the-look videos, and those are brilliant. She uses a whole range of products from budget to ultra-luxury, and you can tell she really knows her stuff. She obviously has a deep interest in how products are formulated and what they actually do. A lot of the makeup she posts is very high fashion, and I don't watch the videos to copy what she does, but I feel like I've learned a lot from watching her and hearing what she says. Plus it's just interesting to see what her job is like. (All of this goes for Ruth Crilly too, now that I think of it; the biggest difference is that Eldridge is sort of "on duty" on her site, if that makes sense.)

- http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/ If you like to bake, the King Arthur Flour blog is for you. They post up lots of awesome recipes with step-by-step instructions and photos. They really explain how to do things, and it's another one of those sites where I think I learn a lot by osmosis!

- http://www.avclub.com/ I don't watch much TV, I rarely see movies within a year of their coming out, and I listen to the same three CDs over and over, and yet I STILL almost always find something interesting to read on The AV Club. I can only imagine that people who are less out of touch would find it even more entertaining.

Anonymous said...

I love Bad Catholic: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/badcatholic/

Barefoot and Pregnant is usually very funny: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/barefootandpregnant/

A good fashion blog is Modly Chic: http://www.modlychic.com/

And a student I know is blogging about her adventures in France: http://lauraenlorraine.blogspot.fr/

Enjoy!

-Emily

fifi said...

I second the smittenkitchen reference! Other fave is called "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" There are so many fun food blogs out there to provide a delightful escape and they help you build a valuable, enriching life skill into the bargain!

Travel blogs are also a lot of fun, if you know the people writing them. As an antidote to unrealistic or just not relevant romantic blogs, I also enjoy Simcha Fisher, who writes for the USA's National Catholic Register, and her personal blog "I Have to Sit Down." She's one of the cleverest and most snarky writers I know, and combines a hilarious glimpse in to life with nine kids with wonderful spiritual reflection on living holy lives that anyone can relate to.

n.panchancha said...

Aha! I get to be a total leech off this reader's question. Woohoo, things to read!

Erm, the only blogs I visit most days (besides this one) are Awkward Family Photos (http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/) and Cake Wrecks (http://www.cakewrecks.com/) because they're hilarious (the former especially). I believe they are also both safe for sensitive eyes. Come on, you international intellectuals, who doesn't need a chortle in the morning?

I also periodically check Jeremy Denk's blog for updates, though it's a mostly futile endeavour. (He updates once every few months, it seems.) But I love his blog! He's a high-level professional concert pianist, and an unabashed music nerd, and a surprisingly insightful (and funny) writer. Here is the most recent "real" post (not "my CD is out" or "my article is in the New Yorker"): http://jeremydenk.net/blog/2012/04/23/immortal-schubert/

And a little plug for my friend Jeremy's blog, which I find hilarious, and which also features some of the cleverest poorly-drawn comics I've ever read: http://jeremyhasablog.wordpress.com/

Also! Good podcast recommendations might be helpful, too. There are some excellent NPR and CBC ones, although those looking for a Catholic/Christian/religious-of-any-kind perspective might be disappointed.

amy said...

Other Good Blogs:

http://anglocath.blogspot.com/ where the author writes on whatever comes to her interest, particularly art and natural history as well as social commentary. If you visit, and comment, mind your company manners :)

http://www.thesartorialist.com/ Fashion on the streets. Eye candy.

http://littleflowerfarmcsa.blogspot.com/ This blog chronicles (and advertizes) a small sustainably run family farm in Minnesota- they don't post very often, but the writing is often poetic and profound.

http://tinyhouseblog.com/ This blog may inspire you to get rid of everything that you own and live the minimalist lifestyle... or it may make you feel like your apartment is like a grand palace!

"First Things; On the Square" and "Darwin Catholic" both have substatial food for thought.

There are of course excellent blogs on Faith, Politics, and Books... but I'll make you find those on your own due to the delicate nature of personal taste and preference.

(Tip: find a blog that you like and and check out the blogs linked in the sidebar.)

MCN Hobbs said...

First Things' "On The Square" blog (http://www.firstthings.com/on_the_square.php) is a daily fixture, keeping me informed :)

The Everywhereist (http://www.everywhereist.com/), a travel blog written by a woman who travels with her husband on business a lot. It's smart and funny.

The Everygirl (http://theeverygirl.com/) A smarter, kinder, less bodysnarking version of a ladies' magazine.

Oh, and the Reddit I've curated for myself, which does not include any of the default sub-reddits.

Maggie said...

I love Verily (http://verilymag.com/)
Dapple Things (http://dappledthings.org/)
and Shameless Popery (http://catholicdefense.blogspot.com/)

Brandon Vogt usually has good stuff too (http://brandonvogt.com/blog/)

Domestic Diva said...

For commentary on political happenings (U.S. focus): catholicvote.org

Headline Bistro gives you the headlines for Church, U.S., and World News and links to the articles, a quick overview of what's going on.

I don't often look at these, but fallibleblogma.com and whispersintheloggia.com are often recommended for Church news.

I also love some recommended above, such as What Kate Wore for style and The Pioneer Woman for humor and cooking. PW's "Confessions" are often hilariously funny, especially her archives. Here's a link to a personal favorite, so you can judge for yourself: http://thepioneerwoman.com/blog/2011/12/all-i-wanted-was-a-doughnut/

Christine P. said...

Ok, this is going to be a long one, because I love blogs and I read an awful lot of them. Here are a few (including some webcomics, because they are great):

Across the Page: A homeschooling mom in (I think) Pennsylvania, with two daughters. Lots of book reviews and butterflies.

Sycorax Pine: An American prof in Nova Scotia. Personal adventures, humourous things students do, book reviews, pop culture.

real actual hilary: Would you like to be published? Hilary will help.

Dinosaur Comics: Exactly what it sounds like.

Hark! A Vagrant!: Smart, hilarious history/literature/pop culture-related comics.

Wondermark: The subtitle is "An illustrated jocularity" and I'd call it accurate.

Kitchen Musings: My friend Kendra's recipe blog. Updates are sporadic but the food is delicious.

Off the Wall: Personal blog of the director of a house of prayer in Southern Ontario. Modern urban monasticism.

Ponder-Worthy: Small weekly reflections on Christian truths worth pondering.

Table Flip Vineyard: Friends from highschool who have decided to start a vineyard.

Posie Gets Cozy: Alicia has a beautiful and well-ordered life, and I like to look at her pictures of it.

Camp Patton: SAHM in St Louis with two-under-three and one more coming. Complainy, but in the funny way.

Gail Vaz-Oxlade: She makes money make sense.

Free-Range Kids: Bringing North America back to sanity one blog post at a time.

Honest Toddler: If you spend time with the under-three set, this will make you howl.

ProWoman ProLife: What it sounds like.

Vie de Cirque: Personal blog of one of the contributors to the above. She's got eight children. Some posts are in French.

A Holy Experience: You may have heard of the book One Thousand Gifts. This is the author's blog.

Anglican Samizdat: Global news and Anglican snark. I can't get enough.

Ask a Manager: Kind of like Dear Abby for the working world. Fantastic resource.

Drink Some Freaking Chamomile: My friend Kate chronicles her treatment for an anxiety disorder.

Books I Done Read: Amusing, ranty book reviews.

Adulting: Becoming a grown-up, one step at a time.

Does anyone read these things?: My friend Jessie's dad is an Anglican priest in Virginia, & this is his blog.

Conversion Diary: From atheist to Catholic, now with five kids.

Lisa-Jo Baker: Wonderful encouragement for moms.

... and that's just a smattering of them! Enjoy :)

Anne said...

Oh, so many blogs, so little time! Out of the MANY that I enjoy, I really like Oh She Glows (http://ohsheglows.com/) , vegan recipes but will appeal to anybody who likes to cook (or at least read about cooking!), and I also like The Happiness Project (http://happiness-project.com/)

Mustard Seed said...

oh fun! I enjoy the following:

newdressaday.com - The creator, Marisa, takes thrift-store finds and refashions them into super cute outfits :) love it

smittenkitchen.com - Every recipe I've made from this site was awesome, and the writer Deb includes lots of cute stories about life in NYC and her family

Just a couple favorites - hope you like them!

Urszula said...

I love these suggestions and will definitely spend my time checking them out! What a rich variety of interests and hobbies represented here!

I love literature, food, foreign languages, and travel (in ascending order) so I often will just search those tags on Wordpress. I also seem to attract a fairly similar crowd to my blog, so I explore what their own blogs have to offer. Some of my favorites:

http://hovercraftdoggy.com/ - a very clever architecture/design blog (mostly pictures, but still fun!)

http://soundlandscapes.wordpress.com/ - Travel = sounds + images. Travel all around the world without leaving your couch!

http://thedisplacednation.com/ - insightful, collaborative blog about expats all over the world! Lots of humor, and different viewpoints.

http://anthonywindram.wordpress.com/ - a Brit living in the US. Often hilarious, usually quite spot-on.

http://hikingphoto.com/ - as in the title. Lots and lots of beautiful photos.

http://vialucispress.wordpress.com/ - a couple go about France taking photographs of Gothic churches. The photographs are stunning, and the text often beautiful. http://vialucispress.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/a-summit-in-time-dennis-aubrey/ is a good example.

I could go on, but probably not everybody is as interested in the above as I am. I'd like to end with just one helpful tip I have - if you find yourself overwhelmed by mommy blogs, relationship-related advice, or seeing relationship info on facebook - populate your facebook feed as well with beautiful places, or sites that make you happy. I liked a place I had been to in Jordan and now every morning I have a different photo from there show up in my facebook news feed. Makes me happy to remember I was there, and that such beautiful places exist.

EM said...

Adding my praise to Verily and Simcha Fisher. I used to read The Sartorialist regularly, not so much these days, but it's still good. I used to read more theology related blogs, but there's so many of them it can get exhausting or boring. So, for light relief on the internet.....

For cooking: Joy the Baker is GREAT
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/

She is a single woman who bakes for a living, has just published her first cookbook but also blogs about life etc She is funny and refreshing.

For pretty pictures & lovely words: A Trail of Flowers
http://trailofflowers.blogspot.com/
For a pick-me-up moment, it's like a breath of fresh air.

For a laugh:
http://catholicryangosling.tumblr.com/

For style/fashion: Elegant Musings
http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com/
She has awesome videos on how to do beautiful hair styles, which are easy too.

If you need to have a good cry:
http://welcomehomeblog.com/2010/06/10/best-of/

Seraphic said...

Thanks, girls! These are great! And a nice change from my usual Catholic stuff sites and political sites!

amlovesmusic said...

Have to add:

onegoodthing.com - Fun blog with all sorts of DIY tips, tricks, and recipes.

How could anyone not mention dog-shaming.com ?! If you are a pet lover it is a MUST read, and a great way to smile even on the saddest of days. :)

Andrea said...

Does anyone check The Onion as a guilty pleasure? Sometimes so inappropriate. Other times, so funny.

then there's

Momastery

someone already said Vie de Cirque, it's great...

Five Feet of Fury

Small Dead Animals

Dumb Old Housewives

Lilley's Pad

there's a couple!

(and thanks to Christine for mentioning ProWomanProLife, which is the blog I write :-))