When Inspiration Strikes

Well, well. I like awards as much as the next person, and my blog has been recognized by Daryl G. Stewart with a “Very Inspiring Blogger” award, so thank you to Daryl for the kind words about my blog on his. I take these kinds of awards seriously because it means I’ve touched at least one other person with my brand of witticism, with my tales of the homefront, and with my creative writing and photography. So, thank you to him. Now, on with the show…

Here are the official rules of acceptance:
• Display the Award Certificate on your website. CHECK.
• Announce your win with a post and link to whoever presented you with the award. CHECK and CHECK.
• Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers. COMING (but only 5 — sorry).
• Drop them a comment to tip them off after you have linked them in the post. A LINK SHOULD SUFFICE.
• Post 7 interesting things about yourself. COMING.

MY OWN VERY INSPIRING BLOGGERS:

1. shaunanagins.com – What can I say about Shauna? She inspires me with her writings, and particularly with her compilations on The Taboo Tab. Approaching subjects that are often… taboo is an interesting concept and each one of her writers holds my interest every time. The most recent one is on financial crisis, and I love it. So thank you for inspiring me, Shauna.

2. sanesamantha.wordpress.com (or Insanity) – Samantha (cool name, by the way) always has something thought-provoking on her blog. And while I am usually not a fan of writing on writing, she does an excellent job at showing her process and letting her readers see into her mind. It’s amazing, and I always wonder what’s going to be next, but I don’t wonder if I’m going to like it or be challenged by it. I always am. Thank you, Samantha, for being certifiable.

3. happinessatthebottom.wordpress.com – These thoughts are always deeply insightful. I particularly like the latest entry, “The Power of ‘I Don’t Know.'” They make me think about myself and my own spirituality, as jaded as it can be at times. It’s uplifting, and that’s hard to find in many blogs these days. Thank you to the bottom.

4. justlikemine.wordpress.com – What can I say about KC’s diary? It’s incredibly revealing about who she is, and I like that because I try to do the exact same thing here. Sometimes I fail, but at least I did my best at trying, and I feel that so much with KC. I feel like we are kindred spirits, and she inspires me to keep writing my story on here. So, thank you KC. Yours is just. like. mine. 🙂

5. cnmill.wordpress.com – My final inspiration comes from cnmill, who makes me break my rule on reading writers writing about writing (did you follow that?) because she lays her hopes and fears bare on the page, about being an author, about getting her work published, and about paranoia, as her latest blog admits. I like her naked style of writing, and she inspires me to continue working on my own work, even when I get paranoid myself. Thank you, cnmill, for your thoughtful analysis of your process, and for letting me into your world.

NOW ON TO THE SEVEN THINGS ABOUT ME:

I’m pretty much an open book all the time, so this is the hardest part of accepting the award, but I will do my best to let you in on some things you didn’t know about me.

1. I have 13 half-siblings. No, not step-siblings. Half-siblings.

2. My first car was a Ford Probe, mint green. Now, imagine all 6’5″ of me fitting in a Ford Probe. Cue laugh track.

3. The first short story I wrote was called “The Sinister Smile,” and it featured a pitcher bound on revenge. It has a very small hint of the writing style I would grow into, so it’s interesting to critique at this point. I may re-write it someday.

4. I am a huge fan of Tracy Chapman, Cher, Sarah McLachlan, and Tori Amos. Yes, I’m straight.

5. The Olympics is a huge event for me. When they are happening you might as well not even try to speak to me. You should see the miles of footage I have copied of every Games since 1996.

6. The first time I had my head shaved it was the coldest day of the year, and I didn’t have a hat. Talk about forethought.

7. I started a Facebook book club at the end of last year, I enjoy reading with others so much, and the discussions are amazing too. You can join too if you would like. 🙂 Its name is the Literary Society Book Club.

Hope you enjoyed and were inspired by my inspirations. Have a great day!

Sam