link love

My life has been consumed by Harry Potter lately. Not complaining. Not complaining AT ALL.

I'm helping out part time at a greenhouse. I work every other day. It's backbreaking work and I'm exhausted, like, 90% of the time. I've been doing a lot of reading on my days off though, so that's good. 

But reading and working isn't enough. I've also joined the Y (I think I mentioned that in this post) and I'm trying to set a routine this week. In my head I like to think I'll go work out every day.. but I know that's something I'll have to work up to. I think going four times a week might be a nice start. My current sneakers are all torn up, so I'm keeping those for work and I ordered myself this pair for exercising/going about life. They should arrive tomorrow - fingers crossed they fit. (I was going for something that'd be appropriate in the gym but would also look cool af. Success or nah?) 

Liz shared this hilarious but super accurate list of charts for people who worry about everything all the time. It rings especially true as I write about going to the Y...... I may or may not be working myself up over it. "What if I don't know how to work any of the machines?" "What if I can't find where the gym section is?" "What if the people who work there hate me because I annoy them with questions?" "What if I look awful in my work out clothes?" Stop worrying, Charlotte. I have honest to God things to worry about, so I don't love when I get crazy over nothing.

I've been working on my body and my physical health, but I also need to work on other aspects of my life. ~spirituality~ for instance. So! Finally trying to get my act together and go to confession.... it's been 17 years. 17! Mind you, I didn't really know I was supposed to go for most of those years, but I have known for at least the last few months that we're supposed to go. I don't know what's been stopping me. I found this link helpful for tips on examining your conscience (plus knowing what to say once you're in there). And hey, speaking of religion - Pope Francis is getting an instagram! Woo! 

And since we're on the topic of sacraments - this is a beautiful post about the baptism of two baby girls before they passed away, written by their mother. 

"Because after I had done all a mother could do – carry life within me, nurture them with good food and quiet rest, place them in the care of wise and trusted doctors, let myself be broken open that they might come into the world – he did all that a father could do. He took them into his hands and gave them new life, second birth, death with Christ."

That post reminds me of this picture of a newborn baby being washed in a refugee camp. Heartbreaking, and we could do better. 

Moving on to much less important things.. 

I'm pretty sure I have something wrong with me because I honestly teared up while watching a video of random people on a beach working together to help struggling dolphins get back into deeper water. 

I marveled over this article. Two women are no longer friends because one "stole" the baby name of the other. I think it's kind of crazy. I'd understand being upset, but.. there are ways to work around a "stolen" name. (I know Liz and I share some taste in baby names and I know for a fact that my friend Dana and I are planning on using the name "Teddy" - she says I should let her have it because I have a whole list of names I love and she doesn't. We shall see.)

Speaking of baby names! Hop on over to Appellation Mountain for "March Madness," where voters pick the best baby names. (You'll have to scroll down a tad.) I'm currently rooting for Theodore, Sullivan and Marigold, Clementine. 

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is coming back and the trailer has got me excited!! And because I love it and I think it's something Kimmy Schmidt would put in her apartment, check out this DIY project! (I also liked this idea for tea at your desk, and I love the sentiment, but I sort of think it's a little corny? corny could be good, though!)

Oh man, moving away from the happy-go-lucky stuff: Madonna. Ugh. She ripped a teenager's shirt to expose her breast while on stage, without asking. The girl has defended Madonna, saying she wasn't humiliated and breasts aren't something to be ashamed of. I'm glad she wasn't embarrassed and I agree that breasts aren't shameful, but... missing the point. She exposed someone's body without consent. And then she joked about sexual harassment! Downright fucking despicable. 

I feel like that'd be a weird link to end on, so here, enjoy this Buzzfeed quiz that determines "what percentage Death Eater you are." (I was 31%. Pretty sure Madonna is 92%.)

See ya next week with some more ever-exciting links from around the web. 

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Charlotte