And The Nominees Are. . .YOU

Tags

awards, things I like

Once upon a time in a newer universe, these blogging awards were all the rage. In fact, if you go to some blogs of note, you may find that they were nominated or won rather impressive “blogger” awards nationally recognized. So some very talented people would create these nice things that friendly blogs could offer back and forth among themselves as a wonderful way to say “thanks I appreciate what you do.”

They kind of fell off a couple of years ago, and that was okay too. People express their pleasure at a particular blog by going to it regularly! But awards are still nice to receive, and I have received one.

Larry, at Woodgate’s View has nominated me, and I can only say that I am impressed to be in the company of such bloggers! Trouble is, Larry nominated a whole bunch that I would surely nominate if I had the chance, so I just want to say, that I would but he beat me to it!

Instead I’ve found a few that mean a lot to me over the years, and some that, although they are “professional bloggers” but, still, I’d like to recommend you to them as things you ought to read on a regular basis if you wish to be informed on the subjects they generally write about. If you aren’t interested, well you probably aren’t here are ya

So anyway, I’m supposed to tell you ten things about myself so here goes.

1. I won the Best Business Student award my senior year in high school. My business teacher, Jerry James chose me I think because I was not asked to be a member of Honor’s Society (although I graduated third in my class) because the Library teacher blackballed me when I dropped her class because she was a douche. Well she was, and I was very surprised to receive the pin and all, since I didn’t think I was that great of a business student. And of course I didn’t carry through, but studied political science in undergrad and then went to law school and became a boring lawyer.
2. I think I wanted to be a pilot when I was a kid, but never told anybody because when I was growing up, girls definitely were not considered “pilot material.”
3. I had a crush on Richard Widmark when I was a teenager. I have no idea why. But then I had lots of crushes on
   TV and movie actors. I don’t think that I ever sent in for an autographed picture though. I was so “above” that kind of nonsense, since I knew they didn’t sign them, but left it to some secretary.
4. My favorite period of history is Rome during the time of the Caesars, precisely between Julius Caesar and through Nero. I have no idea why, but even as a child, I used to look for fictional books about that period in the school library. I’ve seen most of the movies before you ask.
5. My favorite color is some variation of turquoise, blue greens fascinate me with the possibilities. When I paint, I almost always start fiddling with blues and greens, swirling them into each other. I find oceans fascinating for their blue-green attributes.
6. My favorite animal is impossible to define. I love koalas, polar bears, arctic fox. Fur is the main requirement. I’m not good with things that live without a coat. I make exceptions for whales and dolphins. I enjoy fish, don’t mind touching them, dehooking them and so forth, but fur is key to me wanting to get up close and personal.
7. My favorite book is undoubtedly the bible since it never gets old. There is always something new to learn. I adore Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Cervantes, Dostoyevsky, Steinbeck, heck I could spend the day listing.
8. I’d tell you my favorite actor, but EVERYBODY knows it’s Johnny Depp. Favorite actress? Katherine Hepburn or Elizabeth Taylor at her best.
9. At the moment I’m listening mostly to Melissa Ethridge, Adam Lambert, Black-eyed Peas, Janis Joplin, and Queen.
10. Biggest regret? I never grew to absolutely love any hobby such that it is always my way to unwind. I try them all, am reasonably competent at a good many, but am master of none. I suspect I have no real talent along those lines. The things that comes closest to being a passion is writing and God, or God and writing, lol.

So, on to nominations. These are blogs  I never miss, EVER.

1. Urantian Sojourn. A great bunch of folks that can really get the snark on when it comes to the political arena. Their religious beliefs are fascinating and enticing, although they seldom go into it much. But the writing is biting, witty, and fact-filled. No fence sitters here. Wallow in the humor. If I have any ability in this direction, they nurtured it.
2. Yearning for God. Jan is just a wonderful person with a great spirit. Almost every day she gives us that small tidbit of peace that we can carry throughout our hectic and often stressful days. She’s my little oasis in the midst of chaos and she helps me to slow down, take a breath, and rest in the eternal.
3. Finding Grace Within. Shannon is a chaplain at a prison. She manages to find such goodness within walls that house such depths of despair. In relating the small stories that come out of her experiences, she manages to take us out of ourselves, remind us of our blessings, and reassure us that tomorrow is another day. I find her blog refreshing, and positive.
4. Juanita Jean’s. The is a political blog that keeps up with all things Texas, but manages to always have a word to say about the national scene as well. Nobody does it quite the way “Juanita” does, with a rapier wit and great writing. She is plugged into the Democratic party in Texas and never misses in her analysis. She’s a true mentor with her skills.
5. Informed Comment. Juan Cole is a professor at the U of M, and gives some of the best commentary on the Middle East that can be found. Don’t miss his analysis of what’s going on. He’s got all the cred one could want and is of course much maligned by the Right because he is just that good. The louder they whine, you know the better it is.
6. Political Wire. Teagan Goddard posts the best quips of the day and of course links you to the source so you can read it in full. If you have little time on any given day, running through Goddard’s shorts will give you a pretty decent overview of the day’s events. If I’m stymied, I go here to get a quick jump-start of the news.
7. FiveThirtyEight. Nate Silver’s polling analysis is hands down the best in the land. He is consistently the closest in predicting the future and don’t we all want to know. More than that, he explains why he does what he does and how he decided what he decides. It’s like receiving a course in polling everyday. You can rely on his numbers. It’s that simple.
8. Daily Kos. Markos Moulitsas is by far in my mind one of the premier political writers of our day. The site is of course huge, and you can read all kinds of things there, of varying value, but I find Markos’s posts informative and lively.
9. Ezra Klein. If you want to understand economics, then read Ezra. He breaks it down and spells it out. No better example other than Paul Krugman around for helping you get it.
10. NYTimes Editorials. All your favorites come here, so just run down the list and grab you a little Krugman, David Brooks (okay mostly he’s wrong, but sometimes he’s passionately good), Andrew Rosenthal, and tons of others. Always worth a perusal.

Okay, so that’s my list. Hope you find something new and interesting to add to your list of must reads every day!

Stylin’ in Three Layers and Mukluks

Tags

awards, blogging

I was just thinkin’ the other day, blogger awards seem a thing of the past. A couple a years ago, why we were trading ’em back and forth like baseball cards. In doing so, they of course, lost much of their impact and value. In fact it became a bit of a chore.

Then whammy! I up and gets me another one! And I felt all gushy and warm and fuzzy all over again. “You like me, you really like me,” in the immoral (not a typo!) words of Sally Fields.

Anyway, you all have Snoring Dog Studios to thank for the mistaken praise. You remember her? The lovely post about Velveeta®, SPAM®, and SnoBalls®. Otherwise, she writes with élan and humor about all sorts of things. It’s become a delight to find her blog lit up in my reader. I’m sure those of you who have gone over, have found her wit and smarts worth the time.

So, anyway, there are as you might expect, rules to this award. The first, I’ve fulfilled (I would have anyway) by linking back to SDS. The second is more problematical. I must tell you seven things about myself not otherwise known. Having been in business here nearly three years, that’s a bit of a tall order. But here goes.

1. When I was four years old, back in 1954, I was a flower girl for my father’s first cousin. What was unique is that my little dress was an exact replica of the wedding dress. I was draped in old heavy ivory satin with plenty of lace and a train. I was quite fetching, but was afraid to go down the aisle, so the father of the bride, my favorite uncle, carried me down the aisle as I waved to family along the way.
2. Remember the M*A*S*H* episode where Margaret tells Frank that she got the cook to make him pork chops, “your favorite, with extra fat”? Well, secretly, I like pork chop fat too. Don’t care for beef fat, but somehow the pork fat is delicious. I hate that butchers now trim the chops so much. It makes me pout.
3. When I was in my teens, I had a secret crush on Frank Reynolds. Most of you don’t remember him, but he was a very nondescript newscaster in the time of Walter Cronkite. I have no idea why I had a crush on him, and frankly don’t know much of anything about him. But I did.
4. I once faked “sickness” as a very young teen to stay home and watch an episode of “I Love Lucy” which the TV Guide said would feature a guest appearance by Richard Widmark. He was a much older man, but I had a crush on him too. I married an older man which seems appropriate. The Contrarian is 7 days older than me.
5. I never stole anything in my life, but was once accused of stealing something from a local drug store. They banned me from coming there again. I was scared to death, but have no idea why they thought I stole anything. I wonder if they are still there, and if they still remember?
6. I once had to ask someone to stamp out my cigarette in class at MSU. I had come to class barefoot. Poor planning on my part. Yes, we could smoke in class, and also bring pets, which I did as well once.
7. I was walking down a road one day when a rather large herd of cattle all ran toward me. A homeless dog used to sometimes find me and accompany me. He cowered behind me, as I faced down the herd. A fence between us saved me. But we had a heck of a stare down.

Now of course, it becomes incumbent upon me to gift this award to others. I’m to give about as many as I wish. And there is some notion that they are to be new bloggers, but I don’t think that counts for much, since I’m as old as sin. So here goes.

Like a Child is a new blog for me. I was directed there by James McGrath’s blog, Exploring Our Matrix. LAC is newly released from fundamentalism and is struggling to discover what she in fact truly believes in. It’s painful, poignant, hopeful, and thoughtful. For all who believe or don’t there is something to be learned here.

Living Next Door to Alice is just one of those blogs you never miss. Thomas writes several posts a day, many of them thoughtful statements or cartoons. They lighten your day, and often make you think rather more deeply than you were prepared to. Always a worthwhile stop. Thomas and I don’t see eye-to-eye on some things, but he is bright and interesting in his analysis.

Whatever Works is written by Moe, who is a very lovely lady who lives in an obnoxious state, being Florida. But don’t hold that against her. Her blog always has timely political fare and plenty of extras. She reads the best stuff and directs you to a fuller account of her subject. I find she is a good source because she sources so well! She will keep you in the know.

That’s Why is written by Lisa, and most of you probably know her, but I had to include here, because if anyone could be said to write with style, it would definitely be her. She’s simply a terrific writer, and I don’t understand why she isn’t being paid oodles of money to write. She’s that good. She writes about life, and that’s a big topic.

OKJimm’s Eggroll Emporium is written by OkJimm. Mostly I’m giving him this award because I wanna bug him, and make him write all this stuff down. But actually, his humor is great, and when he writes seriously, then you better listen, because he really has something to say. You can find him mostly at his favorite bar.

There, and I’ve notified all the winners, so I’m done. Thank you for your attention. Go Packers. Or God help me if they lose. I gotta live with HIM!

Stories that Stuck Like Flypaper

Tags

Arnold Schwartzenegger, awards, Books, Britain, choking, Evan Bayh, fashion week, GOP, haute couture, health care reform, hotdogs, Japanese, Party of NO, Toyota, unsafe cars

I’m surely not the only one who finds Evan Bayh a pale comparison to the giant many of us consider his father, Birch.  Well, Ragebot, has done a lovely satirical piece on the retiring Senator from Indiana. Or is he? Go and take a gander at this quite amusing little post.

And guess what? It turns out that Evan’s wealthy wife, Susan, sits on the Board of Wellpoint, the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross. You remember them? They were planning a 39% rate hike for their existing members in California.

I guess we see why Evan has been so vehement in his refusal to consider anything meaningful when it comes to health care reform. Not gonna mess up that golden egg are we Evan? As I said, your father must be appalled.

***

Everyone in the world knows that America is nuts. After all, we are the home of swallowing goldfish, stuffing phone booths with people, food eating contests, Evel Kneivel, and Dog, the Bounty Hunter, and his fashionista wife. Need I say more?

Well, the Brits can give us a run for our money it seems. That should be clear anyway. Ever get a look at  what passes for royal fashion at Buckingham Palace? Enough said.

The silly Brits have a thing called the Diagram Award, and it features the best and silliest of book titles they can find. Past winners have been Bombproofing your Horse and Living with Crazy Buttocks.

Do stop by and see the finalists for this year. What can I say? I guess I have too much time on my hands again.

***

I’ve never been much of a fan of Arnold. I tend to be skeptical of actors entering politics. No doubt I’ve said an unkind word about the Terminator now and then.

But utter kudos are in order. Appearing on This Week, George Stephanopolous’s old gig, with Governor Rendell of PA, Arnold was willing to call it down the middle.

He condemned his own party for decrying the merits of the Stimulus package, all the while posing at home for photos with the big check, taking credit for bring money home. He also acknowledged that Republicans were in fact the “party of no” and it was time for ideas and compromise.

Colin Powell also echoed the call for compromise, calling on both parties to stop the bickering and start working for the American public.

I found it refreshing that Schwartzenegger was willing to put his state first and not merely echo the usual Rethug talking lies. Maybe we are seeing a few cracks in the monolithic GOP propaganda machine.

***
Okay, so we like Ugly Betty and Hollywood’s rendition of the fashion world, but to us sane folks, most of the crap worn on the runway is fit for either a Halloween costume or the grand finale of the Barnum and Bailey’s Circus.

I guess it stands to reason that each season, some attempt is made to “outdo” last year. Being more outrageous (ever seen the stilts Lady GaGa has tripped around on?), seems to be the key to wowing them in the aisles.

Anyway, Isabel Mastache, (we hope she is not an American. . . .as I said, our cup runneth over with weirdos already), offered us “penis pants.” in her new spring collection. There is a video attached so link up and go see for yourself.

One would be tempted to say, what next? but I rather think that we can’t fathom the possibilities. But what do I know? I after all, shop mostly at the Goodwill a hotbed of sweat pants and t-shirt fashion.

***

Is nothing sacrosanct? I mean really! Okay, its a serious subject. Choking is no laughing matter. People die from choking, but this?

It seems that doctors, some at least, think that hot dogs are the worst offender to young children. They also add in grapes and popcorn.  I mean how more American can one get than a hot dog? It’s more American than apple pie and mom right?

Yes, I can see that these items could be dangerous. But heck, should you not allow your children to ride their bikes down the sidewalk because somebody might suffer a stroke and go careening over the curb and run down your offspring?

These overly cautious ones want the hot dog redesigned, whatever that might mean. I guess we can redesign the Dachshund while we are at it. And what about the poor hot dog bun? What is he supposed to be used for now? A pen holder?

***

It’s beginning to look a lot like Toyota has got its tit in a wringer, or is up a chit creek without a paddle, which ever works for ya.

I’m not sure the Japanese automaker will be surviving this endless parade of its failure to build safe vehicles. Today I saw a feature where a man has been imprisoned for some years on a manslaughter conviction, all from an accident he claims was caused by an accelerator that would not release.

I’m wondering if Japan sells Toyotas to Japanese folk at home. While there are plenty of reasons why Asians have some axes to grind against America, callously ignoring the safety of innocents seems a lousy way to redress grievances. It’s impossible to believe that the average Japanese is so unfeeling, so we can only conclude that Japanese business leaders go to the same ethics lacking schools as Americans do.

Sad. Just sad.

Enough of all this drivel. You must have important things to do. Get on with them, and I’ll see ya tomorrow with who knows what. I never do.