Being Versatile; Or, Fingertips Keeping Up With the Speed of One's Brain

I've been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award…thanks!

More time ago than I care to admit (OK, February), the always-charming, chocolate-loving Anna Belfrage nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award. Coming from someone whose frequent blogs cover a grand assortment of topics, and who does them exceedingly well, this was naturally a great honor. I considered following her lead, doing somersaults upon hearing nice news, but quickly thought better of it; my chiropractor might not approve. 

As Anna herself says, maintaining a blog can be somewhat daunting, though she makes it look easy. I’m exceedingly pressed for time and while I have lots of ideas that flit through my mind, some sit on my living room floor propped up against a bookshelf, along with such resource materials as one very fat, coffee-table-sized book I have checked and re-checked out of the library so often it almost feels like mine.

Others do get written down so I don’t lose the thought, but keep falling to lower levels of my priority list. Admittedly, some of these could be blogged sans long reads into their topics—I suppose I could muse about certain things as appropriate and pound away as I do. But the truth is I’m a bit of a research geek and that, paired with my love of teaching, often results in blogs-to-be reading like some “paper” rather than a competent presentation or even casual discussion.

You’d think that given how much I talk in real life, I’d have it made!

Nevertheless this all is great fun and I keep on keeping on because, well, goals are good, non?  And besides, when I observe the world around me, yes, some of it makes me really cranky, but I also find much of it delightful as all get out and I love to share.

Speaking of sharing, allow me to lay out the tasks one must fulfill in order to accept the nomination. Unfortunately for me, none involved delivering a magical key to Merlin, or correctly identifying the main species of Occidental Dragons, but I think I was able to manage it nevertheless. Which is actually, probably a good thing, but…these would have been fun to pursue. So here you have the requirements:

1: Display the award certificate (you can drag to your desktop, then load as usual) check

2: Write a post and link back to the blogger who nominated you check

3: Post seven interesting things about yourself--well, there are seven things, anyway check

4: Nominate up to fifteen other bloggers, and why you've nominated them check

5: Inform them of their nomination--comment on their blog, e-mail, messenger, whatever works for
    you! check

Now, having said all that, I confess also that my nomination list is rather small for three main reasons: 1) As scarce as my time is, I’m not really able to spend loads of time reading through lots of blogs, so I actually don’t know as many as I probably could; 2) Some blogs I do know of are written by alarmingly fabulous writers who devote the bulk of their time to their current projects and themselves are rather short on time (but trust me, if that ever changes I’ll be the first to shout out about their blogs); and 3) A couple I would have nominated have already been noted!

So without further ado, here are my nominees:

CT Commie Tiger Mommy Whether reviewing mysteries, interviewing cat lovers or featuring interpreters (and more), Marina Julia Neary writes a blog that makes you want to go out and see what you can discover in the world. As a talented writer herself, readers can be sure her reviews are for books qualified to topple their TBR piles.

Jennie Orbell Gail Jennie Orbell is a terrific lady who makes me laugh, which is a great gift. Her blogs are lively, funny, imaginative, sometimes allowing a teensy peak into something a bit more serious, all while maintaining an enviable fluidity. She writes a lot about her own days, which also touch on the world at large with her humorous insights into the ways of that funny, fantastic place.

And now, for a few "interesting" tidbits about yours truly:

1: I dream of one day going to Antarctica.

2: I have encountered ghosts.

3: Though I am pretty much completely clueless on the subject, I sometimes read physics for leisure.

4: I'm a former squid who managed to get through four years without a single tattoo. 

5: As a child I had pet rabbits, one of which, Sabrina, I once gave a full bath. Without all that rich, auburn fur she was really skinny looking, as opposed to the massive size she appeared to be when dry.

6: I’m of the opinion that one cannot lick an ice cream cone and appear angry at the same time.

7: The most unusual item in my desk drawer is a 50^th anniversary facsimile D-Day cricket.