Carnivalesque

So many, many ways to pass the time. At work I give my Blogines feeds a quick once-over and post the interesting stuff to a work blog. I add a miscellany of internal news, minutes, and the like. The result is an intranet digest that's supposed to keep others up-to-date and save their time. At home I try to scan Arts Journal and Arts & Letters at least a few times a week; and take a look at Crooked Timber and Cliopatria. As I said in another post, Gobbergo is also on my must-read list.

There's more, but my point is that it's enough. I don't need or want there to be more. I relish what Paul Ford says on distractions: the Web "lets you wander so far afield that getting work done if you are, like me, the distractable sort of person -- getting work done is almost impossible"; and so he puts it "aside for a few hours a day so that I can think without the world humming in my ear."

So? So I am not exactly pleased to discover Alun's Archeoastronomy blog. He's currently hosting Carnivalesque, and it shows me just how richly interesting a blog can be, not just interesting -- laugh provoking, attractive, challenging, and giving an opening to pursuits new and (quite likely) both intellectually and emotionally gratifying.

How did I find this treasure? I sent Alun a email about my Lady Shelburne posts since the Carnivalesque celebrates Women's History month. Normally, this Carnivalesque would be devoted to ancient history, but women's history topics from more modern periods were also invited. It's hugely flattering that he puts his mention of the Diary up with an article by the prolific Natalie Bennett whom I first found through her writings on London and her blog Philobiblion.

I'm tempted to show you what's in Alun's Carnivalesque. It's full of good stuff: Davenant making a feeble attempt to feminize the Restoration stage or Kristine on early modern reading habits. One of the links led me to the irresistible The Secret Lives of Fonts. Another to an eerily beautiful Celtic God Mask. There isn't time.

Just take a moment. Open Alun's blog. See what I mean.