The Best Things I've Seen on the Internet Lately: top picks and fave finds
Some Good Articles
An evocative and gripping story of lonely death — definitely worth the read if that’s your bag!
A fun survey of some lesser visited Parisian cemeteries. I’ve been to Montparnasse a long time ago and of course, Père Lachaise… In fact I had to do a bunch of research about Père Lachaise for my novel The Honeybee Emeralds because one of my characters was buried there and a mysterious stranger regularly leaves roses on her grave. My research revealed that it’s quite tricky to get buried there and you have to be a Parisian, so Jim Morrison must have really pulled some strings…
A Dispatch From the Real-Life Creepy Town of Severance
Are you watching Severance? It’s good. Weird and funny and the Season Two finale was on Friday and it was excellent and alarming and maybe life affirming, but definitely confusing. Anyway, it’s set in a creepy town and the fine folks at Ministry of Pop Culture (another excellent Substack follow!) have gone to the Hudson Valley to document it.If you’re looking for some Can Con in your Severance, a recent episode featuring a very bleak, wintery town by the ocean was filmed in Bonavista Newfoundland.
The Fifty-One Best Canadian Films of All Time
The Hollywood Reporter did a round up. I might have to hand in my Canadian passport because I have only seen seven, and I counted “Meatballs” even though I am not acutally certain I’ve seen it… A couple of my faves were missing from the list— I loved Highway 61 when I saw it years ago, although I haven’t checked if it stands up.
I also really liked Margaret’s Museum when it came out, though again I haven’t checked back to see if stands the test of time.
Reels
(Warning, when you click, you’re taken to Instagram)
If I had even one tenth of this girl’s moves…
God forgive me, the screams make me laugh…
I thought this would be standard cute dog video, but the eye work really elevates it.
Wholesome library reel
Bookish Things
I am going to be out of town for this, but other people should go! It’s a Scholastic Book Fair for adults at a brewery… Super Cool.
Details:
Kitchissippi Brewery/Tap Room 2265 Robertson Road, Bells Corners
May 3, 2025 from 1-4pm
Sample a beer and grab a book or two — what could be more delciious?
P.S. An update on my social media use (in case you care!). About six weeks ago I vowed to stop the endless scroll, and I have been kind of successful. I didn’t delete the social media apps (well, Twitter is gonzo) but tucked them away in my phone so I had to search for them every time I needed to use them. I’m trying to get Meta out of my life.
That little bit of friction has been enough to see my usage go down a signifcant amount. I am hardly ever on Threads or Bluesky any more and am using Facebook for a couple of groups I am part of, but that’s it.
Instagram is a little harder to kick, but I am getting there! I have migrated some of that energy to Substack Notes, but not all. Anyway, if you want to reduce your screen time, maybe give the “hiding your apps” downgrade a try…
Thank you for sharing MOPC's Severance story! And your tip on reducing screen time is helpful, I might give it a try :)