Seen and Heard in Edmonton

I need some distraction from American politics, and perhaps you do, too. Here is a whole bunch of something else to think about:

We begin with self-care, because that seems like a smart thing to invest in these days. Variant Edition will help you out with that; Kendyl Lauzon draws her anxiety; Megan of Mastering Health finds joy; Rachel Jones ignores negativity; and Nic Winski recovers her writing mojo.

You can always escape to another place: Rhonda Krause went to Easter Island; Hannah of Honey & Betts went to Calgary; Lindsey of Over My Styled Body went to Scotland; and Linda Hoang and Karlie Marazzo went to Jasper. Also, Kelly-Dawn Aulenbach has sage advice on how to travel happily with children.

If you can’t get away, there are other ways to explore different worlds: Jenna Marynowski previews the reprise of Darrin Hagen’s Tornado Magnet; Jennifer Quist publishes a short story; Erika Ensign ponders fame upon returning from a podcasting festival; Nicole Rowan thrifts her way to happiness; Stephanie Mitchell offers up something delicious; and the Northern Sessions gives us a musical escape with 100 Mile House.

Maybe stats and analysis are your drug of choice. Nerd out on weather with Chris; go deep on hockey stats with Sunil Agnihotri; and go slow on the hockey-related joy or despair with Ryan Batty.

A trip into the past can be an attractive distraction, too. Lawrence Herzog remembers Edmonton’s funeral parlours (including my great-great-uncle Alec’s); Rev Recluse digs up some interesting clippings from 1909, including some hardcore touting of Edson as the next great metropolis; David Climenhaga remembers his dad, an astrophysicist and great champion of post-secondary education.

If all else fails, kids and babies make things better, no? Trent Wilkie is a dad for the second time; Ana Vicioso chills with her little guy; and the cute overload on this episode of Stump Kitchen will cure whatever ails you.

Maybe getting down to business is the best way forward. Ashley Janssen helps you get over your fear of self-promotion; Beverley Theresa gathers up social media no-nos; and Nadine Riopel offers ways to get the most out of networking.

OK, fine, a little bit of politics. Dave Cournoyer looks back at other times Alberta meddled in Saskatchewan; Graham of Almost Infinite ponders the limitations of libertarianism and anarchy; and Todd Babiak thinks about the American election through the lens of his own people.

So, there we are. Look after each other and yourselves. For even more distraction, check out ShareEdmonton. You can also find these picks and previous ones on my Flipboard magazine and in past roundups. Also, if you want to know what else I’m up to, read this.