Okay. This might be a case of shooting myself in the foot, but I think I have to say it.
Awards are awkward.
There. Good to have it out.
I remember when I first started noticing blog awards I was curious, and in awe. How great these blogs must be, getting all sorts of "awards"! I didn't at first ponder over who gave the awards, or even why. Thus, when I got my first I was thrilled, and I proudly displayed it in my sidebar as I had seen others do. Someone liked my blog enough to give it an award!
That last part is the one thing still remaining in my opinion about awards from the first encounter. It is nice to be liked, and I do think that most people genuinely like the blogs they choose to give an award to. Which is nice. Also, it helps spreading the word about these likeable blogs, which is also nice. Nice, nice, nice.
Despite this, however, I have now decided to remove myself from the whole awardosphere within the blogosphere.
There are several reasons. First, and it's an important one, is that almost all the awards require quite a lot of work. You have to pass it on. Link to whomever gave it to you, to everyone you pass it on and their uncle Fredo. You have to display it in your sidebar, or on a different page, or in a post or on whatever metaphorical mantelpiece you choose (but you ought to pick one, or you'll feel bad and ungrateful). And often you have to answer 5-50 questions about yourself, write 17 lies and one truth, confess 3 sins or say a Hail Mary.
Because of all this work, I have for several months been slacking whenever a friendly "you have an award!" pops up in my inbox. I'm flattered, and I think it's sweet, but I also feel like pretending I didn't see it. Once or twice I simply forgot about the entire thing, and probably came out as the most arrogant, ungrateful person on earth. More than once or twice I have said I would put it up on my site, but still failed to do so.
A second reason I feel awkward about awards, however, is that while most of them are sweet, some of them have ulterior motives (or rather, the person giving them do). I have seen what I'd like to refer to as "spawards" - they are the award equivalent of spam. Many bloggers receive them at once, from a previously unknown sender, whose only intent is for each and everyone of us to display an icon with a link to their site on our blogs. They don't give us anything (other than fake credit), but we give them ads. For free.
I don't do ads on my blog, on principle. Similarly, I won't do spawards. Occasionally, however, they are hard to distinguish from "actual" awards. Recently I got one I suspect is a spaward, but rather than being from a company or organization, this was from a person, a single blogger. A clever way of promoting your blog, or an annoying and cunning trick to lure people you have no intention of networking with into visiting it?
Finally, and more shallowly, I am sick of the way the awards clutter up my sidebar. They made it look messy and disorganized, less pretty and less professional. So now they're gone. For good.
In the future, if I get an award, I will naturally still think it's nice (especially if it's from one of my blog buddies), and I will thank him/her, and I will mean it. But I will not pass it on. I will not display it or mention it here on my blog.
I really hope this does not offend anyone (as it is not intended to do so). It's really just a matter of giving myself an award I've been wanting for a long time.
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, October 1, 2010
On this fine day in October...
...it is time for take off. NaBloWriMo is starting today, and I look upon the task of writing blog posts for every day of October with a mixture of glee and dread. I find myself having much of the same problem as I did this time a year ago. I don't really have anything in particular to say. And that makes for lousy bloggery (I'm not fishing for compliments; I really mean it. It is the sad fate of many a blog when it eventually winds down to only posts along the lines of "I have nothing to blog about today, so I'll blog about that" and then "I have nothing to blog about today either, but let me post this picture of my cat" [I'm planning on joining Wordless Wednesday next week... No cats as of yet, though] and eventually "Oops, it's been three months since my last post. I am not dead. But I just don't have anything to blog about. Add me on Facebook, though!". We've all seen blogs like that).
So instead of taking that route I thought I'd write down the first three things that pops into my head, and let that be today's post (and hope for better days ahead).
1) Dear Cruella. You don't like cortado. Yeah, the coffee. Every time you are feeling brave in a coffee shop that's what you ask for, and every time it's a big, awful failure. You walk away disappointed in every way - of its size (eeny tiny small! Sometimes size does matter), of its taste (how can it be too coffee-y and not enough coffee-y at the same time?) and of the fact that you keep repeating this mistake. Every other coffee variety there is = fine. Cortado = not.
2) I once had a semi-regular feature on this blog called "currently reading/listening to" (it's true - look it up in the topic cloud in the sidebar). I'm not entirely sure why I didn't keep it up, but it probably was a combination of not reading enough books (I felt terribly self-conscious whenever I didn't get around to finish a book before my next update - not unlike how I feel whenever I update my Goodreads status only to see all the books where I've made no progress whatsoever in the longest time...); listening mainly to Spotify where I generally end up mindlessly going through random playlists; and perhaps most importantly: I didn't really have anything to say about what I was reading or listening to. Okay, you're having a Bob Dylan week. So what?
Well, today that is different. I have been reading a lot of nonsense lately, page turners intended to offer a certain escapism in my constant combat with thesis-ness. Running low on supply of that genre, however, I picked up Aryn Kyle's The God of Animals, a book I originally bought in my very first visit to a bookstore in the US. There I pulled it out of a shelf at random - going for gut feeling and nothing else. I kind of liked the cover, but I can't really recall if that was the only decisive factor (I suspect there might have been a "take 3, pay for 2" deal in play... This might have been my number three). Anyway, I never got around to read it, and thus it came unread back with me a year ago. It didn't even make it among the small selection of books that fitted into my tiny (why do I always feel the need to signify size by usage of font sizes? o_0) Also, am I using the word tiny too much?) apartment when I moved this spring.
Last time I visited my parents, however, I rediscovered the book, and decided to give it a go. From the very start two things struck me: a) this book reminded me strikingly of "To Kill A Mockingbird"; and b) I was about to read a horse book for the first time in fifteen years.
Yes. It's a horse book. Not one of the mass-produced "romance-meets-mystery-meets-pretty-animal" things for young girls - though this book can be read by young girls (I don't recall it being in the YA section in the bookstore, though, but then again, I was pretty jetlagged and high on my first visit to a US Starbucks...).
I'm not sure how much more I should say about this book - reviews isn't really my thing - but let me at least say that I didn't put it down when I left the house the other day. Which explains why I nearly got myself killed by a car that morning...
And for the record (no pun intended), I am listening to Wes Montgomery's "Whisper Not" right now. But there isn't all that much more to say about that...
3) Awards! I got some lovely awards! First of all, the Versatile Blogger award. I keep getting this one, and I love it, because I feel it is one of the few blog awards I really get why people want to give me. I'm not a category blogger (which, incidentally, might be the cause of today's problem - if I'd been a "mommy blogger" I'd know I was supposed to write about my kid all the time (but then I would probably have to actually have a kid first... So that is sort of out of the question). If I had been a food blogger, I would write recipes (but then I'd have to follow recipes. Which I don't. Ever). Instead I am left with whatever pops into my head at any given time, and sometimes that is naught. (Which reminds me of the saying "If a messy desk equals a messy mind, what does an empty desk mean?" - not that I'm in danger of EVER having an empty desk. I am lucky to find the space to plop down my laptop most days - in between towers of books, instant coffee, packs of gum, post-its, [unused] tea bags, hand moisturizer, pens and hair clips - and my laptop is tiny [there we go again... ])
(Fortunately, even when my mind if blank, I have enough digressions in there to fill up a parenthesis or two)
Well. The awards. The Versatile Award was given to me by Debbie of words 'n' whimsy. Debbie claims she's a newbie since she hasn't been around the blogosphere all that long, but I'd rather say she's a fast learner, because her blog is great. Go visit her to find out for yourself. I won't be passing this award on this time, since I've already done that in the past, but I'd still like to thank Debbie properly :)
As for the other award, I have definitely not gotten it before. You see, it's brand new. Leigh, of That's Write (and she usually is!), made the "Strangely Irresistable" aka "Yo Gabba Gabba" award. Thank you, Leigh, I love it! The only rule for this award is to give it on to three bloggers who are - surprise, surprise - irresistible! I know a bunch of those, but the first three that popped into my mind are... *drumroll*
Georgina Dollface. This is one of the places I visit even on days I don't have time to visit blogs. Georgina masters the difficult art of being both organized and creative at once. On a scale from one to funny, she is hilarious with a side of thoughtful.
Nonamedufus. I am fairly certain that deep down he knows how funny he is. But just in case: he is one of the funniest bloggers there is. Now you all know.
Finally, and appropriately considering that today is the first day of NaBloWriMo, Heather (who is NotHannah - I will never tire of typing that, tee hee) is pretty darn irresistible too. In a way she reminds me of myself in that she appears to write on whatever subject that pops into her mind - from her kidoodles to her garden to her writing to Hell-Mart (makes me giggle every time). Unlike me, however, Heather always mixes her humourous musings with a foundation of seriousness. She bravely tackles difficult topics, and I always feel that I am a little wiser whenever I've read one of her posts.
So there. You guys are irresistible!
And I guess for a tiny post about nothing, this became rather l o n g (and about a lot).
So instead of taking that route I thought I'd write down the first three things that pops into my head, and let that be today's post (and hope for better days ahead).
1) Dear Cruella. You don't like cortado. Yeah, the coffee. Every time you are feeling brave in a coffee shop that's what you ask for, and every time it's a big, awful failure. You walk away disappointed in every way - of its size (eeny tiny small! Sometimes size does matter), of its taste (how can it be too coffee-y and not enough coffee-y at the same time?) and of the fact that you keep repeating this mistake. Every other coffee variety there is = fine. Cortado = not.
2) I once had a semi-regular feature on this blog called "currently reading/listening to" (it's true - look it up in the topic cloud in the sidebar). I'm not entirely sure why I didn't keep it up, but it probably was a combination of not reading enough books (I felt terribly self-conscious whenever I didn't get around to finish a book before my next update - not unlike how I feel whenever I update my Goodreads status only to see all the books where I've made no progress whatsoever in the longest time...); listening mainly to Spotify where I generally end up mindlessly going through random playlists; and perhaps most importantly: I didn't really have anything to say about what I was reading or listening to. Okay, you're having a Bob Dylan week. So what?
Last time I visited my parents, however, I rediscovered the book, and decided to give it a go. From the very start two things struck me: a) this book reminded me strikingly of "To Kill A Mockingbird"; and b) I was about to read a horse book for the first time in fifteen years.
Yes. It's a horse book. Not one of the mass-produced "romance-meets-mystery-meets-pretty-animal" things for young girls - though this book can be read by young girls (I don't recall it being in the YA section in the bookstore, though, but then again, I was pretty jetlagged and high on my first visit to a US Starbucks...).
I'm not sure how much more I should say about this book - reviews isn't really my thing - but let me at least say that I didn't put it down when I left the house the other day. Which explains why I nearly got myself killed by a car that morning...
And for the record (no pun intended), I am listening to Wes Montgomery's "Whisper Not" right now. But there isn't all that much more to say about that...
3) Awards! I got some lovely awards! First of all, the Versatile Blogger award. I keep getting this one, and I love it, because I feel it is one of the few blog awards I really get why people want to give me. I'm not a category blogger (which, incidentally, might be the cause of today's problem - if I'd been a "mommy blogger" I'd know I was supposed to write about my kid all the time (but then I would probably have to actually have a kid first... So that is sort of out of the question). If I had been a food blogger, I would write recipes (but then I'd have to follow recipes. Which I don't. Ever). Instead I am left with whatever pops into my head at any given time, and sometimes that is naught. (Which reminds me of the saying "If a messy desk equals a messy mind, what does an empty desk mean?" - not that I'm in danger of EVER having an empty desk. I am lucky to find the space to plop down my laptop most days - in between towers of books, instant coffee, packs of gum, post-its, [unused] tea bags, hand moisturizer, pens and hair clips - and my laptop is tiny [there we go again... ])
(Fortunately, even when my mind if blank, I have enough digressions in there to fill up a parenthesis or two)
As for the other award, I have definitely not gotten it before. You see, it's brand new. Leigh, of That's Write (and she usually is!), made the "Strangely Irresistable" aka "Yo Gabba Gabba" award. Thank you, Leigh, I love it! The only rule for this award is to give it on to three bloggers who are - surprise, surprise - irresistible! I know a bunch of those, but the first three that popped into my mind are... *drumroll*Georgina Dollface. This is one of the places I visit even on days I don't have time to visit blogs. Georgina masters the difficult art of being both organized and creative at once. On a scale from one to funny, she is hilarious with a side of thoughtful.
Nonamedufus. I am fairly certain that deep down he knows how funny he is. But just in case: he is one of the funniest bloggers there is. Now you all know.
Finally, and appropriately considering that today is the first day of NaBloWriMo, Heather (who is NotHannah - I will never tire of typing that, tee hee) is pretty darn irresistible too. In a way she reminds me of myself in that she appears to write on whatever subject that pops into her mind - from her kidoodles to her garden to her writing to Hell-Mart (makes me giggle every time). Unlike me, however, Heather always mixes her humourous musings with a foundation of seriousness. She bravely tackles difficult topics, and I always feel that I am a little wiser whenever I've read one of her posts.
So there. You guys are irresistible!
And I guess for a tiny post about nothing, this became rather l o n g (and about a lot).
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
On bold faced confessions
Well, well... We had some interesting guesses yesterday. Perhaps I am better at lying than I thought. Or perhaps I am just very tricksy. The task was to create six truths and one lie, or six lies and one truth. I actually chose to come up with a bunch of half-truths, a few complete falsehoods and one I cannot talk my way out of, even if I once tried.... If you didn't read the original post, all my lies can be found here. Let's sum up:
The truth behind the lies:
1) While I have had many of those jobs at one point or other, I have - as Patricia guessed - never written obituaries. In fact, I have never been paid for anything I’ve written. And I suppose it’s a stretch to say I’ve been a maid as well, even if I felt like I was doing a lot of cleaning when I lived with my parents (I didn’t really).
2) I did once cut a class to go see the Crown Prince (he was opening a museum in my home town, which is something of an event I can assure you) as many of you guessed. However, this was definitely not the only time I “played hooky”. Though most of the occasions when I didn’t feel like going to school I pretended to be sick, and then I felt so guilty I actually got sick. Most of the time...
3) My bike-o-phobia is completely false (no, Leigh, I guess I'm not your daughter's twin after all). I learnt to ride a bike as a kid (not sure of the exact age, but maybe seven-ish?). It isn’t entirely far-fetched that I’m not overly comfortable on a bike, though. I especially don’t like riding bikes in cities (so it’s out of the question here in Oslo).
4) I wish I had travelled that much! Actually, the only continents I have visited are Europe and North America. I have been to Asia, but as Japan technically isn’t part of the continent… Okay, maybe that counts. I still have a lot of travelling to do, though. And the story about Egypt is true. Stupid war! I really want to go to Africa (and not just because of the giraffes).
6) The story about me applying for a show theatre doesn't have a grain of truth in it. The mere thought of myself in that setting is completely ridiculous. However, something similar happened to my sister (and she was brave enough to go to the audition… Man, I wish I had photographic evidence!)
7) The funny thing is that this is true – almost. I once was asked to leave the Opera House, but I didn't get a fine - I only got a warning. The “public drinking” consisted of opening one can of beer, and I should specify that this took place on the roof of the Opera House (hm... That doesn't make it sound any better... It might help if I add that the glacier looking architechture of the Opera has made it a popular hang-out where you can walk freely all over it - including on the roof). It actually is illegal to drink in public in Norway, except in establishments that have a license (so it’s legal to drink in a restaurant, but not on the pavement outside the restaurant). This rule is not often enforced, though, otherwise the cops would have a blast in any given park every sunny day all summer. The Opera House, though – don’t try it…
As for the truth (5) – what can I say? I was a goodie two-shoe, and I couldn’t bear the thought of one poorly crafted wooden box to blemish my perfect report card…
For those of you who have a few moments to spare today I also have a post up at the Burrow Blog. While you're there I also highly recommend checking out this week's drabble challenge. I'm very eager to see what you all can come up with to match the excellent picture Tara picked out for us :)
The truth behind the lies:
1) While I have had many of those jobs at one point or other, I have - as Patricia guessed - never written obituaries. In fact, I have never been paid for anything I’ve written. And I suppose it’s a stretch to say I’ve been a maid as well, even if I felt like I was doing a lot of cleaning when I lived with my parents (I didn’t really).
2) I did once cut a class to go see the Crown Prince (he was opening a museum in my home town, which is something of an event I can assure you) as many of you guessed. However, this was definitely not the only time I “played hooky”. Though most of the occasions when I didn’t feel like going to school I pretended to be sick, and then I felt so guilty I actually got sick. Most of the time...
3) My bike-o-phobia is completely false (no, Leigh, I guess I'm not your daughter's twin after all). I learnt to ride a bike as a kid (not sure of the exact age, but maybe seven-ish?). It isn’t entirely far-fetched that I’m not overly comfortable on a bike, though. I especially don’t like riding bikes in cities (so it’s out of the question here in Oslo).
4) I wish I had travelled that much! Actually, the only continents I have visited are Europe and North America. I have been to Asia, but as Japan technically isn’t part of the continent… Okay, maybe that counts. I still have a lot of travelling to do, though. And the story about Egypt is true. Stupid war! I really want to go to Africa (and not just because of the giraffes).
6) The story about me applying for a show theatre doesn't have a grain of truth in it. The mere thought of myself in that setting is completely ridiculous. However, something similar happened to my sister (and she was brave enough to go to the audition… Man, I wish I had photographic evidence!)
7) The funny thing is that this is true – almost. I once was asked to leave the Opera House, but I didn't get a fine - I only got a warning. The “public drinking” consisted of opening one can of beer, and I should specify that this took place on the roof of the Opera House (hm... That doesn't make it sound any better... It might help if I add that the glacier looking architechture of the Opera has made it a popular hang-out where you can walk freely all over it - including on the roof). It actually is illegal to drink in public in Norway, except in establishments that have a license (so it’s legal to drink in a restaurant, but not on the pavement outside the restaurant). This rule is not often enforced, though, otherwise the cops would have a blast in any given park every sunny day all summer. The Opera House, though – don’t try it…
As for the truth (5) – what can I say? I was a goodie two-shoe, and I couldn’t bear the thought of one poorly crafted wooden box to blemish my perfect report card…
For those of you who have a few moments to spare today I also have a post up at the Burrow Blog. While you're there I also highly recommend checking out this week's drabble challenge. I'm very eager to see what you all can come up with to match the excellent picture Tara picked out for us :)
Monday, August 9, 2010
On creative lying or bold faced awarding
I know, I know. Horrible title… I was exhausted from all the inventiveness going on further down this post, okay?
I mentioned last week that I had one more award up my sleeve. This one I’ve been holding for a while – not because I am not grateful to the wonderful Patricia Stoltey who gave it to me (I am!) – but because I’ve been slightly intimidated about its requirements.
The Bold Face Liar Creative Writer Award requires you to:
4. Nominate six creative liars –I mean writers– and post links to them.
5. Let your nominees know that they have been nominated.
I must admit I was slightly put off by the task of listing true, false and/or plausible facts about myself – mostly because I didn’t feel like I would be able to pull off writing any interesting anecdotes about myself and pretend they were lies, or pretend they were truths… I’ve only lived (almost) 25 years – I haven’t had the time for all that much action yet!
Oh, well. I tried. Like Patricia I won’t give away whether I am posting six lies and one truth, or six truths and one lie. It’s all for you to find out.
1) As should be known to all regulars here, I work part-time in a bookshop, and I have done so for eight years now. Aside from this, though, I have also had (more or less) paid work as a baby sitter, gardener, soccer camp cook, wedding player, wedding present opener, university lecturer, obituary writer and maid.
2) The only time I ever skipped school was one of my final math classes in high school, and the reason I skipped it was that I went to see the Norwegian Crown Prince who was visiting town.
3) I didn’t learn how to ride a bike until I was about twenty, and I still don’t feel comfortable riding one.
4) The only continent I have not yet visited is Africa (not counting the two poles, that is). I almost got to go to Egypt for a school trip once, but the trip got cancelled because of the Iraq war.
5) I have never failed a subject to this day. The poorest grade I ever got in school was a 3+ (which is roughly equivalent to somewhere between a C and a D), and it was in a craft class. I was so annoyed with the teacher that I talked him into giving me a better grade. (I think I ended up with 4-, which is slightly closer to a C.)
6) I once applied for a position at a show theatre, just for kicks. Much to my surprise I actually got called in for an audition (which surely would have been the most embarrassing experience of my life had I gone, but I chickened out). Who knows, maybe I could have been a show girl?
7) I was once fined and banned from the new Opera House in Oslo. The reason? Drinking in public. How was I supposed to know that this was the only place in Oslo where the otherwise dormant “public abuse of alcoholic substances” rule applied?
Those were my truths. I mean lies. I mean… Oh, you’ll find out eventually ;)
However, the most important part remains – passing the award on. Now, I always get numbers mixed up. For this one I was sure I was supposed to find seven liars, I mean bloggers, but then I reread Patricia’s post and realized I was making false assumptions… I was supposed to give the award to SIX bloggers. Oh, well. In the past I have cut the numbers short a few times, so I feel I have a little leeway here. I will stubbornly give theBold Faced Liar Creative Writer Award to these SEVEN lovely people, in no particular order:
Mr. Stupid
Powdered Toast Man
Vatche
Leigh T. Moore
Rosie Connolly
Georgina Dollface
Boonsong Somboon
Happy guessing! I’ll check back in tomorrow with the TRUE version of my claims above.
I mentioned last week that I had one more award up my sleeve. This one I’ve been holding for a while – not because I am not grateful to the wonderful Patricia Stoltey who gave it to me (I am!) – but because I’ve been slightly intimidated about its requirements.
The 1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link to them.
2. Add the award to your blog.
3. Tell six outrageous lies about yourself and one truth. (Another variant: Tell six truths and one outrageous lie. YOU get to guess which variant I chose – and which statements are true, as well as which are lies.)
4. Nominate six creative liars –I mean writers– and post links to them.
5. Let your nominees know that they have been nominated.
I must admit I was slightly put off by the task of listing true, false and/or plausible facts about myself – mostly because I didn’t feel like I would be able to pull off writing any interesting anecdotes about myself and pretend they were lies, or pretend they were truths… I’ve only lived (almost) 25 years – I haven’t had the time for all that much action yet!
Oh, well. I tried. Like Patricia I won’t give away whether I am posting six lies and one truth, or six truths and one lie. It’s all for you to find out.
1) As should be known to all regulars here, I work part-time in a bookshop, and I have done so for eight years now. Aside from this, though, I have also had (more or less) paid work as a baby sitter, gardener, soccer camp cook, wedding player, wedding present opener, university lecturer, obituary writer and maid.
2) The only time I ever skipped school was one of my final math classes in high school, and the reason I skipped it was that I went to see the Norwegian Crown Prince who was visiting town.
3) I didn’t learn how to ride a bike until I was about twenty, and I still don’t feel comfortable riding one.
4) The only continent I have not yet visited is Africa (not counting the two poles, that is). I almost got to go to Egypt for a school trip once, but the trip got cancelled because of the Iraq war.
5) I have never failed a subject to this day. The poorest grade I ever got in school was a 3+ (which is roughly equivalent to somewhere between a C and a D), and it was in a craft class. I was so annoyed with the teacher that I talked him into giving me a better grade. (I think I ended up with 4-, which is slightly closer to a C.)
6) I once applied for a position at a show theatre, just for kicks. Much to my surprise I actually got called in for an audition (which surely would have been the most embarrassing experience of my life had I gone, but I chickened out). Who knows, maybe I could have been a show girl?
7) I was once fined and banned from the new Opera House in Oslo. The reason? Drinking in public. How was I supposed to know that this was the only place in Oslo where the otherwise dormant “public abuse of alcoholic substances” rule applied?
Those were my truths. I mean lies. I mean… Oh, you’ll find out eventually ;)
However, the most important part remains – passing the award on. Now, I always get numbers mixed up. For this one I was sure I was supposed to find seven liars, I mean bloggers, but then I reread Patricia’s post and realized I was making false assumptions… I was supposed to give the award to SIX bloggers. Oh, well. In the past I have cut the numbers short a few times, so I feel I have a little leeway here. I will stubbornly give the
Mr. Stupid
Powdered Toast Man
Vatche
Leigh T. Moore
Rosie Connolly
Georgina Dollface
Boonsong Somboon
Happy guessing! I’ll check back in tomorrow with the TRUE version of my claims above.
Friday, July 30, 2010
On wolves, maybe?
Cherio, good people!
I'm over at the Burrow Blog again today where I offer my advice on... Oh, I won't give it away here, of course. You'll have to run over there to find out!
I do have a little something for here too, though. See, I keep getting these awards. I know, what a hazzle, right? Nah, I’m kidding, of course. I LOVE awards, because it makes me feel all blog loved (bloved? Lovged? Blovged?) plus it is a wonderful opportunity for me to discover new blogs. So yay!
I am terrible, terrible at passing them on, though. So I thought that since I planned to write a “head over to the Burrow” post today anyway (makes me sound like the world’s worst blogger – yesterday I didn’t so much post as show you pictures of my coffee mugs… Sheesh!), I might as well take this opportunity to share some blove (after much consideration I think this is the term I’ll coin).
A small clarification is in order, though. Most of these awards come with conditions such as “pass on to 173 bloggers” or “write 52 interesting things about yourself”. While I like rules as a rule (hah), I also like to break them… I will pass these awards on to a few, very deserving bloggers, regardless of rules. It’s just the way I roll…
First of all Clarissa at Listen to the Voices (a blog that offers great tips and clues for writers, by the way) gave me the Supportive Commenter Award. I have lots of supportive commenters, and I cherish them all (and try to reply to them and visit back every now and then), but there is one that practically never misses a post. Thus, I hereby award the Supportive Commenter Award to Yvonne of Welcome To My World Of Poetry. Congratulations!
Secondly, I have been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award from Rosie and Jamie (or The Powdered Toast Man. Hope I didn’t just reveal his superhero identity). I already accepted this one in all its “Reveal Seven Things About Yourself” glory, so this time I’ll stick to passing it on to one awesome blogger: my dear friend Chary at Bronx Tales and Inner Musings. Chary is a member of the Burrow, so we go back way before we became bloggers. However, I am really glad she dived into blogging as well, because her point of view as a writer/mom/wife/daughter/sister/American/New Yorker/Puerto Rican/teacher/[insert many more labels], expressed in drabbles/memoirs/short essays on debate topics/[insert form of writing] always provide food for thought.
Finally, I was much to my surprise awarded another award this week, by Mohamed Mughal. The Trendy Blog Award astonished me because I never think of myself as “trendy” (and frankly, it baffles me that anyone else would think so). But I very much appreciate it. Mohamed is one of those writers that have so many clever thoughts (and ponderings) that I almost am afraid to comment. He is also very down to earth, though, so there really is no need to worry. You should all click “open link in new window/tab” (since I don’t want you to disappear from here before I have said everything I wanted to say…) and go check his blog out.
Anyway, the irony isn’t lost on me that I received this award directly after having read a post from Deb and Barbara at The Middle Ages about how they were annoyed with “Hot/Not” lists made by people who apparently elevate themselves to judges over what is trendy and not. The post triggered a nice debate where the common consensus appeared to be that it is more important to find what you like and your own style than to mindlessly follow trends. I am not criticizing the award or those of you who do like to follow trends – after all, staying tuned with trends can be a great way of exploring new things – but I would like to add an extra element into this award.
To me, trendy isn’t just following what’s “in”, but rather sticking with your own style and voice, and make others see the value of this. After all, that is how trends are made. Thus my final award today goes to a lady who is not afraid of speaking her mind. She definitely has a style of her own, and she proudly displays it. She definitely inspires others to do the same. That is as trendy as it gets to me. Thus, February Grace, you have been given the Trendy Blog Award!
I actually have one more award up my sleeve (what a misleading “finally” it was up there, you might think), but I will hold that one a little bit longer. I might consider following the rules for that one (ish).
Now that I have said everything I wanted to say here, I suggest you go there and see what I really meant to say today. (It might have something to do with the title of this post. But then maybe not.)
I'm over at the Burrow Blog again today where I offer my advice on... Oh, I won't give it away here, of course. You'll have to run over there to find out!
I do have a little something for here too, though. See, I keep getting these awards. I know, what a hazzle, right? Nah, I’m kidding, of course. I LOVE awards, because it makes me feel all blog loved (bloved? Lovged? Blovged?) plus it is a wonderful opportunity for me to discover new blogs. So yay!
I am terrible, terrible at passing them on, though. So I thought that since I planned to write a “head over to the Burrow” post today anyway (makes me sound like the world’s worst blogger – yesterday I didn’t so much post as show you pictures of my coffee mugs… Sheesh!), I might as well take this opportunity to share some blove (after much consideration I think this is the term I’ll coin).
A small clarification is in order, though. Most of these awards come with conditions such as “pass on to 173 bloggers” or “write 52 interesting things about yourself”. While I like rules as a rule (hah), I also like to break them… I will pass these awards on to a few, very deserving bloggers, regardless of rules. It’s just the way I roll…
Anyway, the irony isn’t lost on me that I received this award directly after having read a post from Deb and Barbara at The Middle Ages about how they were annoyed with “Hot/Not” lists made by people who apparently elevate themselves to judges over what is trendy and not. The post triggered a nice debate where the common consensus appeared to be that it is more important to find what you like and your own style than to mindlessly follow trends. I am not criticizing the award or those of you who do like to follow trends – after all, staying tuned with trends can be a great way of exploring new things – but I would like to add an extra element into this award.
To me, trendy isn’t just following what’s “in”, but rather sticking with your own style and voice, and make others see the value of this. After all, that is how trends are made. Thus my final award today goes to a lady who is not afraid of speaking her mind. She definitely has a style of her own, and she proudly displays it. She definitely inspires others to do the same. That is as trendy as it gets to me. Thus, February Grace, you have been given the Trendy Blog Award!
I actually have one more award up my sleeve (what a misleading “finally” it was up there, you might think), but I will hold that one a little bit longer. I might consider following the rules for that one (ish).
Now that I have said everything I wanted to say here, I suggest you go there and see what I really meant to say today. (It might have something to do with the title of this post. But then maybe not.)
Friday, July 2, 2010
On more awards
I have come to realize that there are things you are good at and things you are not so good at in the blogosphere.
Posting regularly - I'm doing alright at the moment, but I have had my glitches (and chances are they will happen again).
Commenting on other people's blogs with some frequency - well, I mean to comment a lot. But then I forget what I was supposed to say. Or someone else said it better.
Keeping up with everything new in your Google Reader? Uhm, no. Does anyone do that?
When it comes to awards, though, it is pretty clear that I am no superstar. I have in the course of the past few weeks received several, and I have been meaning to pass them on, but for several reasons I have put this off. Today I plan on making up for this, though, by having something of an award seremony!
The Journey
First of all, my dear friend Tami (aka Watery Tart, aka Hart Johnson, and soon-to-be aka Alyse Carlson) sent me the Journey Support Award a while back. The logical thing for me to do would be to send it right back to Tami, and to the others she gave it to, since Tami and I entered the world of blogging at roughly the same time (though I remained in read-only mode for longer than she did), and anywhere Tami went, I followed...
However, since I am trying to be slightly original nowadays (you know, except for when I follow Tami in everything she does), I'll send this award off symbolically.
I have read several blogs lately which discuss the old fashioned stereotype that writers are alone, most of which concluded that in the modern world no writer is an island. I know I am not. My parents have always encouraged me in everything I have set my mind to. My sisters have been great role models. My grandparents have always been the only ones for which I have been willing to consider censorship. My friends have supported me and given me the confidence to come out of my writing closet. And the online writing community has been the most welcoming and friendly place I could have ever hoped to find. So - if you fall into any of the above categories (which, by default, you do unless you are my arch enemy reading this only to gain information about my weak spots - but I'm considering that relatively unlikely), feel free to accept this award as your own!
The Beauty
One of my new blog favourites gave me another award not long ago. February Grace's blog is both funny, heart-wrenching and optimistic all at once, and in addition it has the cleverest author interviews. You should all check it out.
Needless to say, I was very flattered when she gave me the One Lovely Blog Award. Now, I think I'm supposed to pass it on to 15 (fifteen!) blogs I have recently discovered. Uhm... That's a lot. I want to cheat. Not that I don't love all the new blogs I discover, but... There is also another one that is supposed to go to 15 bloggers I have recently discovered...
The Versatile
I've been given this award twice these last few weeks, first by Vatche (you should all check out his "Mental Snacks" - he definitely offers food for thought) and then by Mohamed (it is such an honour to be considered "versatile" by a blogger whose background must be one of the most varied I have ever come across).
One of the requirements for this award is that you share seven (ideally interesting) things about yourself. I twisted my mind to come up with seven things I hadn't already (over?)shared on this blog. I'll leave it to you guys to figure out whether I score any points on the "interesting" part:
1) My first attempt at writing something resembling a book was when I was 13. It was a memoir… I think I was aware that 13-year olds normally did not write memoirs, but mine was "different", you see. It was modeled upon Anne Frank’s Diary. The title was “A Kingdom Lost and Won”, a title I believed I stole from one of Anne Shirley’s (aka Anne of Green Gables) imaginary books. The Kingdom, cleverly, represented my mind/identify/self/concept of me-ness, and I was the Queen who had to fight for her right to remain ruler of her kingdom. Or something. What I failed to realize was that what made Anne Frank so interesting to the world was the fact that she lived in refuge from the Nazis and eventually was captured and tragically died in the Holocaust. I failed to understand that my personal demons about boys and teenage drama was not as interesting material for a “memoir”.
2) My favourite herb is dill. Superfavourite. As in there is no one else even close. I love dill with fish, on potatoes, potato chips, in salad dressings, and the other day I ate a veggie burger that due to the dill in it was so good I very nearly asked the chef in the restaurant for the recipe. Once I was desperate for a snack and found nothing to my satisfaction, I even tried eating dry dill directly from the jar. I don’t recommend it – it’s a waste of effort and dill – but it illustrates how much I love dill.
3) I have never smoked a cigarette. I’ve never even taken a single drag from one. The only two things I ever have smoked is a cigar (but only one drag. It wasn’t pleasant), and grass. And no, grass isn’t a euphemism. I mean plain, old grass. And no again, it didn’t have any effect whatsoever (it tasted a little like burnt hotdogs, for some reason).
4) Before I knew I wanted to be an author, I wanted to be an astronaut, and then an archeologist. Before all of this though, the “profession” I most desired was to be an agroculturalist's wife in my mother’s birthplace at Toten. Actually, that last one still sounds pretty appealing to me, I just need to find my Prince Farming first.
5) I used to play the flute. The sole reason I ever started was that both my sisters and my father had played instruments in the school band. The nine-year-old me was influenced, if not pressured, by my family members to join. I have always been musical, but my interest and diligence was practically non-present. I played in the band until I was 18, and then I put the flute down for what so far appears to be forever. The thing that one day might haunt me, though, is that considering the minimal effort I put down I actually got pretty good. So if I had bothered to practice just a couple of times a week during those nine years, who knows how good I might have become.
6) I love calendars, cook books, curling irons, chandeliers, coffee, cocoa, clothes hangers and cotton swabs, but I really hate Camenbert.
7) One of the things I really miss from when I used to live in Japan is ironically something it took me a while to adjust to: coffee jello. It is weird as sunbathers on Saturn, but it grows on you. (Yes, I am aware that I chose to include my fondness for coffee jello as one of the seven most interesting things about me...)
Now onto the actual awarding part of the "ceremony..."
Instead of giving away two separate awards to 30 (!) different blogs, I will name 15 bloggers (in no particular order) that I think deserve one or both of these awards, and then they can choose whether they want to grab one or both of them. I will mainly try to stick to the rule about "newly discovered", but I am starting off by naming one blog that I think deserves both awards even if it has been a long time since I first stumbled upon it...
1) Katie at Belles-Lettriste: Uncategorhetorical (I've never realized how difficult that is to spell...). This is definitely a blog that is both beautiful and versatile. Katie offers insights on writing, cooking and interior design, and she's got the best playlists the internet can offer. Check it out!
2) Clarissa at Listen To The Voices. It isn't entirely recent that I discovered Clarissa's blog either (I know it's been more than a month, because I remember reading it at the beginning of BuNoWriMo), but it is such a lovely and useful blog that I simply must mention it. Also, you should check out her other blog, which is actually a novel, and it's so intriguing that I hope she will soon post the next chapter or I might have to try to hack her computer to get the rest of it... (Okay, I wouldn't. It's a reference to the novel, where there are some people with some serious code breaking skills!)
3) Jemi at Just Jemi. There is nothing "just" about Jemi! A great blog, and a great blogger. I particularly find it interesting that there seems to be so many parallells between her work as a teacher and my job as a bookseller (who would have thought?).
4) Hannah at Musings of a Palindrome. It may not be entirely fair to associate this blog with the image of Britney Spears as a "hot bald guy", but I can't help it... You should check out the other posts as well, though, but I challenge you to get the image of Britney acting as the villain of a(ny) story from now on out of the head. Had I not been so fond of Ralph Fiennes I might have suggested they consider her as the part of Voldemort for the final Harry Potter movie...
5) Sarah at Falen Formulates Fiction. Falen not only formulates fiction (and blog posts), but in such an entertaining way that it doesn't matter if you stumble upon those concerning guinnea pigs, the dictionarying dog or writing conferences.
6) Jennee at Cheap Therapy. In additon to offering free psych advice for those of us who need it, Jennee is on a quest to visit the countries of the world with the hottest men! This is a worthy cause I can support! (May I recommend Norway, by the way?)
7) Nicole at Damsel In A Dirty Dress. I have already confessed on this blog that I am a big Aussie fan, but did you also know that I *heart* New Zealand? No, it's not just because of Lord of the Rings. It's not even just because of Flight of the Conchords. It may or may not have to do with the fact that there are 12 sheep for every person in NZ... It doesn't really matter, though, because Nicole offers inside information of all of the above. (And may I just say I adore her blog title - it is awesome!)
8) February Grace at Pitch Slapped. This blog is already described above - stop reading and go visit it!
9) Yvonne at Welcome To My World Of Poetry. I am happy if I manage to write blog posts somewhat regularly, but this lovely lady doesn't only do that - she also rhymes!
10) Amanda at That Unpublished Writer. I first ran into this blog when Amanda had just posted a hilarious (and well-researched) post about Japanese drinks...(she should be familiar with coffee jello, come to think of it) It took me right back to Japan, and consequently I kept coming back to her blog.
11) Summer at ...and this time concentrate. I think what first made me check out this blog was her reply to the "random question" in her profile, and a lucky thing I did, because the blog is highly entertaining.
12) Debra and Barbara at The Middle Ages. This blog offers two (often quite different) perspectives on various situations in life. I particularly enjoy the ones describing all the funny things kids say.
13) Karen at Coming Down the Mountain. This is one of those blogs that almost makes me a little scared because it is so established and professional, but since it has extremely useful content, and a giraffe in the header, I really couldn't ask for more!
14) Michelle at beautiful chaos. Michelle openly admits she is a grammar snob, and for that purpose she has decided to leave out caps in her blog! I must admit I would have a REAL (see?) hard time not using caps, but kudos to her for challenging herself like that! In additon she offers great posts on writing and life in general - check it out!
15) Last, but not least, I am cheating again... Tara at Princess of Procrastination is hardly a new discovery of mine (we go back, what, four-five years? A long time, anyway). But her latest blog post is all about new beginnings, and what better way to celebrate that than to have a sparkly award, eh? Tara is such a great friend and blogger, and I am very exited participate in an upcoming Burrow-project together with her... (Shameless plug on my part - I will get back to what this new project entails at a later date...)
Finally - I realize that some (maybe all?) of these bloggers may have received this (these) award(s) on previous occasions, some even multiply so. Oh, well. I believe the awards are meant to show appreciation, and I most certainly appreciate all these blogs and their bloggers, so I don't see the problem... Thus, please join me in a big, blog hooray for all these wonderful writers!
(And yes, I am aware that this post is about two lightyears too long. Sorry. I got overachieveish)
Happy Friday, and Happy Weekend, everyone! (and for the Americans - happy holiday weekend! )
Posting regularly - I'm doing alright at the moment, but I have had my glitches (and chances are they will happen again).
Commenting on other people's blogs with some frequency - well, I mean to comment a lot. But then I forget what I was supposed to say. Or someone else said it better.
Keeping up with everything new in your Google Reader? Uhm, no. Does anyone do that?
When it comes to awards, though, it is pretty clear that I am no superstar. I have in the course of the past few weeks received several, and I have been meaning to pass them on, but for several reasons I have put this off. Today I plan on making up for this, though, by having something of an award seremony!
The Journey
However, since I am trying to be slightly original nowadays (you know, except for when I follow Tami in everything she does), I'll send this award off symbolically.
I have read several blogs lately which discuss the old fashioned stereotype that writers are alone, most of which concluded that in the modern world no writer is an island. I know I am not. My parents have always encouraged me in everything I have set my mind to. My sisters have been great role models. My grandparents have always been the only ones for which I have been willing to consider censorship. My friends have supported me and given me the confidence to come out of my writing closet. And the online writing community has been the most welcoming and friendly place I could have ever hoped to find. So - if you fall into any of the above categories (which, by default, you do unless you are my arch enemy reading this only to gain information about my weak spots - but I'm considering that relatively unlikely), feel free to accept this award as your own!
The Beauty
Needless to say, I was very flattered when she gave me the One Lovely Blog Award. Now, I think I'm supposed to pass it on to 15 (fifteen!) blogs I have recently discovered. Uhm... That's a lot. I want to cheat. Not that I don't love all the new blogs I discover, but... There is also another one that is supposed to go to 15 bloggers I have recently discovered...
The Versatile
One of the requirements for this award is that you share seven (ideally interesting) things about yourself. I twisted my mind to come up with seven things I hadn't already (over?)shared on this blog. I'll leave it to you guys to figure out whether I score any points on the "interesting" part:
1) My first attempt at writing something resembling a book was when I was 13. It was a memoir… I think I was aware that 13-year olds normally did not write memoirs, but mine was "different", you see. It was modeled upon Anne Frank’s Diary. The title was “A Kingdom Lost and Won”, a title I believed I stole from one of Anne Shirley’s (aka Anne of Green Gables) imaginary books. The Kingdom, cleverly, represented my mind/identify/self/concept of me-ness, and I was the Queen who had to fight for her right to remain ruler of her kingdom. Or something. What I failed to realize was that what made Anne Frank so interesting to the world was the fact that she lived in refuge from the Nazis and eventually was captured and tragically died in the Holocaust. I failed to understand that my personal demons about boys and teenage drama was not as interesting material for a “memoir”.
2) My favourite herb is dill. Superfavourite. As in there is no one else even close. I love dill with fish, on potatoes, potato chips, in salad dressings, and the other day I ate a veggie burger that due to the dill in it was so good I very nearly asked the chef in the restaurant for the recipe. Once I was desperate for a snack and found nothing to my satisfaction, I even tried eating dry dill directly from the jar. I don’t recommend it – it’s a waste of effort and dill – but it illustrates how much I love dill.
3) I have never smoked a cigarette. I’ve never even taken a single drag from one. The only two things I ever have smoked is a cigar (but only one drag. It wasn’t pleasant), and grass. And no, grass isn’t a euphemism. I mean plain, old grass. And no again, it didn’t have any effect whatsoever (it tasted a little like burnt hotdogs, for some reason).
4) Before I knew I wanted to be an author, I wanted to be an astronaut, and then an archeologist. Before all of this though, the “profession” I most desired was to be an agroculturalist's wife in my mother’s birthplace at Toten. Actually, that last one still sounds pretty appealing to me, I just need to find my Prince Farming first.
5) I used to play the flute. The sole reason I ever started was that both my sisters and my father had played instruments in the school band. The nine-year-old me was influenced, if not pressured, by my family members to join. I have always been musical, but my interest and diligence was practically non-present. I played in the band until I was 18, and then I put the flute down for what so far appears to be forever. The thing that one day might haunt me, though, is that considering the minimal effort I put down I actually got pretty good. So if I had bothered to practice just a couple of times a week during those nine years, who knows how good I might have become.
6) I love calendars, cook books, curling irons, chandeliers, coffee, cocoa, clothes hangers and cotton swabs, but I really hate Camenbert.
7) One of the things I really miss from when I used to live in Japan is ironically something it took me a while to adjust to: coffee jello. It is weird as sunbathers on Saturn, but it grows on you. (Yes, I am aware that I chose to include my fondness for coffee jello as one of the seven most interesting things about me...)
Now onto the actual awarding part of the "ceremony..."
Instead of giving away two separate awards to 30 (!) different blogs, I will name 15 bloggers (in no particular order) that I think deserve one or both of these awards, and then they can choose whether they want to grab one or both of them. I will mainly try to stick to the rule about "newly discovered", but I am starting off by naming one blog that I think deserves both awards even if it has been a long time since I first stumbled upon it...
1) Katie at Belles-Lettriste: Uncategorhetorical (I've never realized how difficult that is to spell...). This is definitely a blog that is both beautiful and versatile. Katie offers insights on writing, cooking and interior design, and she's got the best playlists the internet can offer. Check it out!
2) Clarissa at Listen To The Voices. It isn't entirely recent that I discovered Clarissa's blog either (I know it's been more than a month, because I remember reading it at the beginning of BuNoWriMo), but it is such a lovely and useful blog that I simply must mention it. Also, you should check out her other blog, which is actually a novel, and it's so intriguing that I hope she will soon post the next chapter or I might have to try to hack her computer to get the rest of it... (Okay, I wouldn't. It's a reference to the novel, where there are some people with some serious code breaking skills!)
3) Jemi at Just Jemi. There is nothing "just" about Jemi! A great blog, and a great blogger. I particularly find it interesting that there seems to be so many parallells between her work as a teacher and my job as a bookseller (who would have thought?).
4) Hannah at Musings of a Palindrome. It may not be entirely fair to associate this blog with the image of Britney Spears as a "hot bald guy", but I can't help it... You should check out the other posts as well, though, but I challenge you to get the image of Britney acting as the villain of a(ny) story from now on out of the head. Had I not been so fond of Ralph Fiennes I might have suggested they consider her as the part of Voldemort for the final Harry Potter movie...
5) Sarah at Falen Formulates Fiction. Falen not only formulates fiction (and blog posts), but in such an entertaining way that it doesn't matter if you stumble upon those concerning guinnea pigs, the dictionarying dog or writing conferences.
6) Jennee at Cheap Therapy. In additon to offering free psych advice for those of us who need it, Jennee is on a quest to visit the countries of the world with the hottest men! This is a worthy cause I can support! (May I recommend Norway, by the way?)
7) Nicole at Damsel In A Dirty Dress. I have already confessed on this blog that I am a big Aussie fan, but did you also know that I *heart* New Zealand? No, it's not just because of Lord of the Rings. It's not even just because of Flight of the Conchords. It may or may not have to do with the fact that there are 12 sheep for every person in NZ... It doesn't really matter, though, because Nicole offers inside information of all of the above. (And may I just say I adore her blog title - it is awesome!)
8) February Grace at Pitch Slapped. This blog is already described above - stop reading and go visit it!
9) Yvonne at Welcome To My World Of Poetry. I am happy if I manage to write blog posts somewhat regularly, but this lovely lady doesn't only do that - she also rhymes!
10) Amanda at That Unpublished Writer. I first ran into this blog when Amanda had just posted a hilarious (and well-researched) post about Japanese drinks...(she should be familiar with coffee jello, come to think of it) It took me right back to Japan, and consequently I kept coming back to her blog.
11) Summer at ...and this time concentrate. I think what first made me check out this blog was her reply to the "random question" in her profile, and a lucky thing I did, because the blog is highly entertaining.
12) Debra and Barbara at The Middle Ages. This blog offers two (often quite different) perspectives on various situations in life. I particularly enjoy the ones describing all the funny things kids say.
13) Karen at Coming Down the Mountain. This is one of those blogs that almost makes me a little scared because it is so established and professional, but since it has extremely useful content, and a giraffe in the header, I really couldn't ask for more!
14) Michelle at beautiful chaos. Michelle openly admits she is a grammar snob, and for that purpose she has decided to leave out caps in her blog! I must admit I would have a REAL (see?) hard time not using caps, but kudos to her for challenging herself like that! In additon she offers great posts on writing and life in general - check it out!
15) Last, but not least, I am cheating again... Tara at Princess of Procrastination is hardly a new discovery of mine (we go back, what, four-five years? A long time, anyway). But her latest blog post is all about new beginnings, and what better way to celebrate that than to have a sparkly award, eh? Tara is such a great friend and blogger, and I am very exited participate in an upcoming Burrow-project together with her... (Shameless plug on my part - I will get back to what this new project entails at a later date...)
Finally - I realize that some (maybe all?) of these bloggers may have received this (these) award(s) on previous occasions, some even multiply so. Oh, well. I believe the awards are meant to show appreciation, and I most certainly appreciate all these blogs and their bloggers, so I don't see the problem... Thus, please join me in a big, blog hooray for all these wonderful writers!
(And yes, I am aware that this post is about two lightyears too long. Sorry. I got overachieveish)
Happy Friday, and Happy Weekend, everyone! (and for the Americans - happy holiday weekend! )
Monday, June 14, 2010
On the new design and an award
Good morning (though frankly, it's afternoon here...) and good Monday, good people!
I’m celebrating my 150th post with a brand new design. I’ve been meaning to update the look of this blog for a while, but due to time restraints and technical inabilities I kept putting it off. With Blogger’s new (and magic) “design” button, however, it suddenly seemed fairly easy. With the new design I hope to increase the readability of the blog, both because I finally have a template with white background for posts, which allows black text (I’ve been craving that for ages, but I was not willing to sacrifice the pretty green side panels. Now I’ve got the best of both worlds!), and because I’ve added some tabs that hopefully will be helpful for new readers (older readers are welcome to have a looksie too, of course).
Secondly I’d like to take this opportunity to pass on an award I received a while back, from Rayna over at Coffee Rings Everywhere. Rayna and I go back several years, and although we have never met in person I consider her a great friend. She always offers a (to me) exotic perspective on Indian life and culture, among other things. If you are not already following her blog, it is high time you do!
The Sugar Doll Award may have some specific requirements tied to it that I don’t know about, but I am going to interpret it like Rayna did – I want to pass it on to people who brighten my day, “Sugar Dolls”, so to speak. Unlike Rayna I will not try to keep up with who has or has not yet received it, though, because I am new to the whole awards system, and trying to keep up with them would only make me dizzy…
The first one I’d like to send this to is Jan Morrison. She administers not one but two wonderful blogs, one devoted to her writing, and one to the complex task of living a simple life. Both are great reads, and Jan is a wonderful lady who I’ve come to look up to a great deal. Her comments always encourage me greatly.
Secondly, I’d like Marjorie to have this award. She is another old buddy I have never actually met in person. Our friendship is a prime example of one thing I hope world leaders one day will learn: you don’t have to agree politically to be friends. Marjorie is also the Burrow’s very first guest contributor for a drabble feature. Her drabbles are displayed along with ours on The Burrow's website, a new one popping up each day until the end of June.
Third, I’d like to send this to Tami, without whom I probably would not be a blogger at all. Tami must surely have received this award before, but there can never be enough sugar in a tart, right? ;)
Finally, I’d like to make an exception. The name "Sugar Doll Award" implies that it should be forwarded to women. However, I believe gender equality ought to go both ways, and discrimination against men is as bad as discrimination against women. Thus I’d like to send this pink-fluffy thing to Mark at Quiddity of Delusions. I don’t care if he chooses to pretend he didn't notice I wanted him to have this, or if he (who is well in touch with his feminine side) embraces it in all its fluffiness and proudly displays it on his site. Bottom line is that Mark writes a great blog, and you should go visit it.
There are many, many, many more that deserve this award (I cleaned out my Google Reader while fixing things on the blog, and even though I deleted a few, I’m still following some 200 blogs. Weeeee), but these are the ones that came to mind today.
I should wrap things up and get back to my thesis. Nothing like a couple of wars to cheer you up on a Monday morning (still afternoon). Have a great first day of week, everyone!
I’m celebrating my 150th post with a brand new design. I’ve been meaning to update the look of this blog for a while, but due to time restraints and technical inabilities I kept putting it off. With Blogger’s new (and magic) “design” button, however, it suddenly seemed fairly easy. With the new design I hope to increase the readability of the blog, both because I finally have a template with white background for posts, which allows black text (I’ve been craving that for ages, but I was not willing to sacrifice the pretty green side panels. Now I’ve got the best of both worlds!), and because I’ve added some tabs that hopefully will be helpful for new readers (older readers are welcome to have a looksie too, of course).
The Sugar Doll Award may have some specific requirements tied to it that I don’t know about, but I am going to interpret it like Rayna did – I want to pass it on to people who brighten my day, “Sugar Dolls”, so to speak. Unlike Rayna I will not try to keep up with who has or has not yet received it, though, because I am new to the whole awards system, and trying to keep up with them would only make me dizzy…
The first one I’d like to send this to is Jan Morrison. She administers not one but two wonderful blogs, one devoted to her writing, and one to the complex task of living a simple life. Both are great reads, and Jan is a wonderful lady who I’ve come to look up to a great deal. Her comments always encourage me greatly.
Secondly, I’d like Marjorie to have this award. She is another old buddy I have never actually met in person. Our friendship is a prime example of one thing I hope world leaders one day will learn: you don’t have to agree politically to be friends. Marjorie is also the Burrow’s very first guest contributor for a drabble feature. Her drabbles are displayed along with ours on The Burrow's website, a new one popping up each day until the end of June.
Third, I’d like to send this to Tami, without whom I probably would not be a blogger at all. Tami must surely have received this award before, but there can never be enough sugar in a tart, right? ;)
Finally, I’d like to make an exception. The name "Sugar Doll Award" implies that it should be forwarded to women. However, I believe gender equality ought to go both ways, and discrimination against men is as bad as discrimination against women. Thus I’d like to send this pink-fluffy thing to Mark at Quiddity of Delusions. I don’t care if he chooses to pretend he didn't notice I wanted him to have this, or if he (who is well in touch with his feminine side) embraces it in all its fluffiness and proudly displays it on his site. Bottom line is that Mark writes a great blog, and you should go visit it.
There are many, many, many more that deserve this award (I cleaned out my Google Reader while fixing things on the blog, and even though I deleted a few, I’m still following some 200 blogs. Weeeee), but these are the ones that came to mind today.
I should wrap things up and get back to my thesis. Nothing like a couple of wars to cheer you up on a Monday morning (still afternoon). Have a great first day of week, everyone!
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