I’ve nearly given up on the whole blogger award system, since I haven’t had the time to follow up. Still, I like the opportunity to highlight other bloggers. I received this award nomination from Caitlin at The Siren’s Tale back in October. She’s a great writer and I enjoy reading her blog for its eclectic mix of book reviews, commentary and recipes. Thank you, Caitlin and Congrats on being Freshly Pressed for “Homesick” in March!

The rules of this award are as follows:

• Thank the person who nominated you and link to them in your post.
• Share seven unknown things about yourself.
• Nominate other bloggers and blogs you like or admire.
• Contact the bloggers you nominate to let them know and to link them back to your post so they can read the rules.

PS – If anyone can tell me where a clean, crisp copy of this award JPEG can be found, I’d love to update this post with it and be able to hand it off to the nominees below. Thanks.

This blog has been a self-revelatory blabfest for the last year and a half. Coming up with seven things I haven’t already spilled about myself will be challenging, but here’s some things that will be both uninteresting and forgettable.

Name-Dropping, Green Study Style

• In 1997 I rode in a Senate subway car in Washington D.C. across from Senator Fred Thompson. I stopped myself from asking him to re-enact his scenes from one of my favorite movies, The Hunt for Red October. “This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it.”
• I met Gloria Steinem during a book signing. I stuttered through a brief conversation during which she looked slightly bored.

Inappropriate Thoughts

• People I’d like to involuntarily commit: Wayne LaPierre, Camille Paglia, Fred Phelps and Donald Trump. Although, according to Forbes Magazine, they all might have awesome blogs.
• Hobbies I’d pick up, if I didn’t have anything else to do: take candid photos of Johns and pimps to post to websites, stalk child predators, campaign against auto tuning in the music industry, work for the Southern Poverty Law Center outing hate groups and sponsor research studies that show high heels cause premature aging and porn makes your brain shrink.
• Jon Stewart. Enough said.

Places to Which I’d like to Return

• Llangollen, Wales on the River Dee – One of the most beautiful views is from the Llangollen Bridge. It’s a small town know for its festivals and canal system. Standing on the bridge was one of those lovely breathers from a hectic trip.
• Athens, Greece – I was very young the first time, hadn’t yet had Near Eastern history courses in college, but did have a stormy boyfriend in tow. I’d like to go back after re-learning all the history. Sans moody boyfriend and drinking problem. I might get a little more out of the trip the second time around, without copious amounts of Ouzo.

Bloggers I’d Like to Pass This Blurry Award to:

Sisters Karen and Wendy at After the Kids Leave – They live on separate continents, but apparently share the same very funny sensibilities. I’ve enjoyed the mix of entertaining advice and musings on being empty nesters.

Ross at Drinking Tips for Teens – I don’t know why Canadians are so funny, but Ross is no exception and he’s done humorous essays for the CBC. He’s got one of those voices that is familiar and pleasant. Maybe I listen to too much NPR. Also, Ross has two books out that make for lovely summer reads: You’re not Going to Eat That, Are You? and just recently, Don’t Everyone Jump at Once.

Sandy Sue at A Mind Divided – She writes an eclectic mix of posts, accompanied by her art work. Her writing on living with bipolar disorder has great clarity and integrity. And she often makes me laugh.

Karen at Do Not Get Sick in the Sink, Please – Maybe this award isn’t appropriate, because often her posts are jaw-dropping, cold splashes of water in the face. On the other hand, maybe that’s what makes her blog lovely and funny and often thought-provoking. I’m a little scared of her, but it’s an amusement park kind of scared, so I enjoy the ride.

Bill at Pinklightsabre’s Blog – He writes vignettes, poems, and random thoughts that can bowl you over – a lot of power in short posts. I envy his ability to distill slice-of-life stories. He’s got skills!

Congrats and Thank You!

The Awards Show, Part 1

The Awards Show, Part 2

The Awards Show, Part 3

The Awards Show, Part 4