I’m continuing my month long quest to show gratitude and give thanks. Since starting this blog, people have kindly added me to various award lists. I think this is the most important aspect of the blogging chain award, to bring attention to blogs you might never have seen.

When trying to figure out who to list on these award posts, I really try to bring attention to those blogs that might be overlooked, aren’t being followed by half the known world and also that aren’t crazy professional (where I sense that I’d be mocked for listing them as a nominee).

It’s a mini version of “Freshly Pressed”, without all the traffic. Or like a personalized algorithm of “If you like this blog, you might also like these other blogs”.  A lot of bloggers and blogs that I like, do not participate in this awards fluff. I get that, but yet I continue to be obnoxious with them, because I think other people should see your blog as well and it’s a great chance for me to thank you.

The rules are thus:

• Identify and show appreciation of the blogger who awarded you.

Thank you to Ruth at Life in the 50’s and beyond for passing on this Beautiful Blogger award on 08/25/12. Her blog is an eclectic mix of nostalgia – music, photos, cars and humor. I enjoyed “101 Things to Do with Your Husband” and the fact that she couldn’t come up with all 101. Thank goodness. I thought she might be an overachiever, and she may be, but she is also a funny, lovely commenter and fellow NaNoWriMo participant. Thanks, Ruth!

• You must add the award logo to your blog.

Added to my “About” page.

• Tell your readers 7 things about yourself.

1. I once interviewed for an administrative assistant position in a veterinary office. The vet insisted on interviewing me while he was doing a dog hysterectomy. I stood, nauseous and woozy, while answering questions. I didn’t get the job. He might have heard the retching sounds.
2. My mother said they named me after the Beatles’ song. I found out later that they actually thought I was going to be a boy and had planned on naming me Michael. Don’t lie to your children. They pick your nursing home.
3. When I was in high school, I competed in a state speech contest in the category of extemporaneous speaking. I spoke about the nuclear arms race between the Soviet Union and the U.S. Not to brag, but I think it might have ended the Cold War if that judge hadn’t marked me down for all the “ums”.
4. From the Senate gallery in Washington, D.C., I watched the live, original presentation of the bipartisan campaign finance reform bill, presented by Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold in 1997. It was enacted in 2002. The Supreme Court stripped it in 2010. Yes, that’s right, apparently corporations are people. Jackasses.
5. I went to a private church school for a year. The fact that it was only a year says it all.
6. I generally get up at 4am. Wow, you say. Until you realize it’s 8pm and I’ve dozed off in the middle of the conversation.
7. The first time I ever drove my car without an adult, I put it in a ditch. Hey, it was a gravel road and I was showing off for my brother. He didn’t rat me out, but all the weeds sticking out of the radiator did. That will teach my family for raising me on junk TV. I saw waaaay too many episodes of “The Dukes of Hazzard”.

• You must nominate 5-10 of your favorite bloggers you read regularly for this award.

Since this award addresses the issue of beauty, I’d like to pass it on to some visual and scientific blogs that I enjoy.

Here are two people that have awesome commutes to work:

The Eff Stop Lorri is a multitalented individual. She takes fabulous photographs, is a wonderful storyteller for her family and now, is also a writer taking on the NaNoWriMo challenge (check out excerpts from her novel, The King of Isabelle Avenue!). It doesn’t look like she deals with this award crap as I can see from comments on her “About” page that she’s already received several. However, I still wanted to say thank you, Lorri and keep up the awesome work!

Just My Echo She’s a blogger from Florida that takes great photos and sometimes plays around with them for artistic effect. She doesn’t participate in the awards process, but I still wanted to mention her blog and to say thanks to her.

I love illustrators and cartoonists:

bighairmetamorphosis She’s a fabulous illustrator out of the UK. I love seeing her work pop up on my reader, because it’s usually something off the beaten path that makes me smile. Her clean-lined, colorful cartoons are lovely. She describes herself as a “wannabe illustrator”, but there’s no wannabe about it.

Here’s a couple of science/nature blogs that deserve some attention:

Scientific Femanomaly She’s an engineer and a feminist. She referred to her writing as “over factual word barf”, but she writes from a unique perspective. It appeals to me for my own interests and for those of my daughter who is curious and interested and may just be a scientist/engineer/mathematician one day.

Tough Little Birds Katie is a graduate research student out of UC Berkeley. Her blog first caught my eye when she detailed her research on dark-eyed juncos, a bird that we see in our own backyard. Once her research year came to an end, I didn’t know what to expect, but she has done wonderful posts on other kinds of birds, the scientific process and the other critters in her life.

Inform your nominees that you nominated them.

I’ll get there, eventually.

One more award down and several more to go. People have been kind and I intend to kill them with kindness right back. It’s a rough world out there. Whatever your attitude about “awards”, it can’t hurt to pass along a little kindness. Until it does. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep coming up with more things to blab about myself and for that, you should be very, very grateful.