Weekend linkage // 7QT #27

Linked up with Conversion Diary.

1)

"You are your own niche, my darling."
-J specializes in making me feel special

2)

To begin with, a long (and clever, although verbose) Imaginative Conservative article on Jane Austen and her literary perfections.

Try as one will, there is nothing ominous or subversive to be found lurking within this lucid moral world in which people may indeed do dreadful, but never dubious deeds . . . But there is something behind this world which supports it without ever making an explicit appearance. There is a perfectly plain, unflinching, ungenteel knowledge of the facts of life: the letters speak bluntly of the aspect of corpses, baldly of the wear and tear of child-bearing, coolly of gentlemen taking mistresses, ribaldly of obvious cures for fertility. And on the other hand there is settled orthodoxy, steady devoutness, and the fear of death overcome. I am thinking of Jane Austen’s last letters, written when she was already an invalid in 1817, which show a serene faith, albeit still gilded by some of the old wickedness—the very last lines of her last surviving letter cast aspersions on the length of some acquaintances’ petticoats.

3)

You know how most of us have a "good side," the side of the face we like to present to the camera? (I certainly do.) This is an interesting photography project that emphasizes just how asymmetrical most of our faces are.

4)

These breakfast scramble avocado cups look utterly scrumptious. Also this dijon and cognac beef stew and this three-ingredient flourless chocolate cake.

5)

Here is an interesting post on why we actually need drama. There would be so much more to say about this from a Christian perspective-- looking at humans as God's creatures, and our "dramatic" tendencies as a possible reflection of His own character-- but even so, it made me think.

6)

I liked this article: "The Best Exercise There Is, Hands Down." Some really interesting thoughts on why we should do the physical activity we enjoy, not necessarily what the latest smartest guru is prescribing.

7)

What We Et:
Chili from the freezer (after a long day at IKEA) + leftover rice
Oatmeal pancakes + fried apples + sausage
Spinach-stuffed chicken thighs + sauteed vegetables + Alexia rolls 
Shepherd's pie + mozzarella salad
Honey mustard chicken + spaghetti squash + carrot craisin salad 
Chicken divan from the freezer (doubling a recipe and freezing half is one of the smartest things I ever do) + strawberries and yogurt