“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”
― Oprah Winfrey

It’s the last links post of the year and I’m feeling nostalgic. (It’s also my brother Brig’s birthday – fam shoutout!) Old friends, olden times, or just 2013 throwbacks…walk with me, kitten, we have much to remember. I’ll do a roundup of my own posts from this year closer to New Year’s Eve, but currently we’re in a food induced coma and planning our attack on various museums and sites we want to visit while Jeff’s off of work. What’s been your favorite thing about this past year, and what are you looking forward to most in 2014?

Great find from Amanda, a lovely university pal from our days in a (really odd) course on Shakespeare taught by a professor named…William Shakespeare! Can’t make this stuff up. Can’t say I loved his class but for Amanda and a few other mates when we banded together to earn extra credit by acting out major scenes, but on the subject of semi-doppelgangers and tributes…

Holy. ****. The worst part about this is, we’re not actually not that far removed from them, and the attitudes behind them are still very much alive and well. I had a rather nasty experience with racism in a cultural space I value lately

How else shall we measure the inexorable march of time?!

…Oh. Okay, we can measure time’s inexorable march like this too, I guess.

Or this way as well, apparently.

Although, I prefer this one. I’ve always been a big reader but this is the year I really started keeping track of my books (holla, Goodreads!) and I’ve noticed my amount has gone up. I’m either snobby, competitive, or really just like making lists. (Possibly all three…)

On a related note, lovely friend Janssen over at Everyday Reading recently released her list of personal favorite books from 2013. Since she’s an excellent judge of all things YA and non-fiction, it’s very much worth a look in.

Um, did these ever truly go out of use? The Small Dog clan employs them regularly (we prefer “tisn’t” to “tain’t”, personally, and they didn’t even include my favorite grumpy go-to response, “Shan’t”). Clearly “N’art” needs to be brought back into everyday conversation, though. Let’s make this happen, people.

So, Prop 8, remember that? Now read this.

Everything in style comes ’round again. I’m more than fine with this particular incarnation, but I genuinely adore men’s fashion and tailoring.

Historical helpdesk! The Middle Ages was rough, team.

Christmases of yore.

Beyonce ended the music year on a bit of a high (and surprised) note, but there have been other albums that dropped sneakily and changed the music game.