Weekly Links: Valentines, Working in the Arctic Circle, and more!

It's the weekend links! On the real weekend! Less than a week after the last installment!

I can't remember the last time this happened.

They're short this week, but nice and meaty.


First off, a writing article from Rachel Aaron: "Flavor vs. Bake". Here's a tidbit:

Just as a good chef is known for the amazing flavors she creates, a good writer is known for their incredible creativity. Food has to taste delicious and books need to be interesting. Both of these come down to flavor, the creative flourish, but in books and cooking, flavor alone is not enough. 

If I had to create a [Great British Bake Off] drinking game, I'd get everyone hammered by having people take a shot every time [the hosts] bemoaned the shame of a bake with wonderful flavor but terrible execution.

Yep. Creativity and execution: you've must have both. You can (and should!) read the rest at her website here.


And this one's a few years old, but it was fascinating: "Interview with a Lab Worker at the Arctic Circle".  Here's a snippet:

This is a remote “community,” but probably not in a manner that you envision. Generally, community implies things like houses, post offices, stores, etc.; we have none of that. We are a remote fly-in camp. We are about 22 miles from the closest town, which is the village of Noatak, Alaska. Neither the mine nor Noatak are accessible by road. None of the villages in this region are accessible by road. The only way in to the mine is by air, and Noatak is accessible by air and river in the summer, and by snow machine during the winter. Our mine facility includes a living area for about 400 persons. The best description may be a large industrial complex with an attached dormitory facility. Meals are prepared by a staff of excellent chefs/cooks, and we have a wide variety of entertainment options. There are several weight rooms, aerobic exercise facilities, sauna, craft areas, satellite TV and game rooms (pool, darts, cards, etc.).

Imagine living and working in a place like that!


And, seasonally, here are some "Theologian Valentines". No snippets, because they're a visual treat and you should just go to the site and enjoy. :)


Finally - and very appropriately for the beginning of Lent - one of the books I'm enjoying right now is Adam Johnson's "The Atonement: A Guide for the Perplexed".  This interview with him is a great taste of what's in the book, and a good listen. It's the sort of thing that goes great with an hour of knitting, or doing the dishes, or just a nice glass of wine:




I hope you all have a good first Sunday of Lent!

Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell


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