It never ceases to shock, stun and amaze me that people actually read the crap I write on this blog! What stuns me even more is that they like the crap that I write on this blog!! I've just been nominated for a second time, pop over and have a look at Senorita Still Standing :)
The rules are simple; give 11 facts about you, answer 11 questions then nominate 11 people, so here goes!
First of all, I would like to thank JR Barker, Children's Author from http://jrbarker101.wordpress.com/the-blog/ for this gracious nomination. Please check out her awesome blog.
Looking for a little inspiration today?
I must both thank and congratulate Mike Smith at Mikes Film talk for honoring me (again) with the Versatile Blogger Award. We appear to be on an award exchange program that seems to be working out well for both of us, especially me 
This is my fifth Versatile Blogger award. It definitely grants me “award-winning site” status and actually, as one of the awards that is highly appropriate to my site — I’m nothing if not versatile — makes me feel appreciated. Special even. I realize I will never be everyone’s favorite cuppa tea, but there are a few deranged people out there that do seem to like me. Perhaps because they are equally deranged?
I think one has to be a bit mad to persist at the whole blogging thing. We don’t make money and whatever fame and glory we garner is fleeting and limited to a community of other crazy people who do the same thing. I could say we each do it for our own reasons, but that’s not entirely true. We do what we do in our way, each of us focused on what most interests us … or, as do Mike and I, focus on whatever has grabbed our attention now.
But that’s what we do, not why we do it. It certainly doesn’t explain why we continue to work at it when we are sick, tired and would just as soon go shopping. What drives all of us is a kind of internal prod. It makes us return to the keyboard, the camera, both, or whatever. We do what we do because we need to do it. Despite rumors to the contrary, ambition isn’t a big prod in the blogging world. Big numbers are a bit of validation and may indicate you’ve become a moderately well-known blogger … but really, we are equal in this world.
Whether we have 10 followers or thousands, our fame — notoriety? — whatever you want to call it, is ephemeral. If we stop publishing, we will be swallowed up by the cyberworld with the speed of a high-speed connection. Maybe some particularly close friends will remember us but as for the rest of the world? We will be no more remembered by the bigger world than is a pebble thrown into a pond once the ripples have disappeared. It’s a big world and ripples don’t remain long to trouble the surface of the pool.
If you have never visited Mike site, I urge you to visit. Despite the title of his site, it’s not all about movies. He talks about movies and does excellent reviews, but he also talks as much about books, life, and the meaning of everything. Setting titles aside, he is passionately eclectic, something to which I fully relate.
These awards are a great way to learn about new blogs and their writers. Each award is set up to allow the reader to learn more about the guy or gal who posts and, serves to drive “traffic” to that site. It helps turn a bunch of miscellaneous writers, photographers, movie lovers, pundits and Sunday philosophers into something like a cyber community. It makes a difference. Many of us count on our internet community for feedback and a hook to a larger world that we can access on our own.
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Include a link to their blog.
3. Name the bloggers to whom you would like to pass the award and send them a link to tell them you’ve selected them.
4. Finally, tell the person who nominated you seven things about yourself.
Number’s one and two have been accomplished. I cross-reference Mike’s site on a daily basis. You can always find him in my blog roll, recent “likes” list, and frequent reblogs of his fine postings.
Now, for a few some nominees: Sharla at Catnip of Life. Sharla, I love you. I don’t expect you do deal with this until your life is a little less fraught. Just wanted to remind you that you are very far from forgotten! Sharla is the epitome of eclectic and versatile, manages to be an upbeat and wonderfully supportive friend to so many people. If you need a pep talk, drop by her site. There’s always something positive and encouraging.
My Beautiful Things, a woman who find beauty everywhere and in everything. In a world where so many people seem to be grumpy and discontented all the time, it’s a real pleasure to know someone who is exactly the opposite! Go and visit … and be inspired!
Vastly Curious is the perfect versatile blogger. She writes about every that interests her and her interests are many and varied. Her photography is top drawer and she writes beautiful. If you have been to visit, please do. Whatever interests you, she’s got it on her site!
I have gifted pretty much everyone else with at least one award recently, so I’m, going to quit while I’m ahead. I’ve got a lot of awards in my back pocket. If I accidentally missed you, if you let me know, I will instantly rectify the problem. I’m not sure how many awards I can heap on friends before I start being the (virtually) annoying friend who keeps dropping in around dinner time.
I can gift anyone with almost anything at any time, so beware! I’ve got YOU in my crosshairs!
I have a collection of hard plastic and composition dolls of the 1930 through 1950s. Although I’ve stopped adding more dolls, I still have a few hundred of them and their eyes follow me where I do.
I used to collect very antique Chinese porcelain. I have a Tang horse (real, not reproduction), a Han pot, and many vases.
Despite their antiquity, they look great with daffodils or roses. The Chinese really knew a thing or two about pottery and glazes.
We have too many books, but we’ve read all of them.
We have too many movies, but we’ve seen all of them (and can do dialogue with most of them).
We have too many dogs, but we adore them and couldn’t live without them.
My hair turned white over night when I was ill, just like in bad novels.
The only time I’m not reading, writing, processing photographs or editing text, I’m at the doctor, eating, cooking or sleeping. It seems I don’t have a very eclectic life, just taste
I've got to thank Asian Cinema Blog for sending this award my way. When she told me I'd been nominated, she stated, "I see you already have one, so another couldn't hurt."
How true.
I've always wanted to refer to my site as an "award-winning site" and now I can, several times over. Due to the generosity of my fellow…
I have been many things to many people over the years, but this is the first and second time I’ve been awesome much less epically awesome. Yet last week, I got not one, but two Epically Awesome Awards of Epic Awesomeness!
First, Natasha over at Films and Things honored me and before I had a chance to catch my breath, Mike at Mikes Film Talk gifted me with this amazing award again. I’m trying very hard to not have an epic and possibly fatal attack of ego bloat.
Natasha has a wonderful, creative blog. A young woman who thinks for herself and has more enthusiasm in one post than I can dig up in a month. If you like movies and even if you aren’t all that into film but just enjoy good writing and unique idea, take a look at her site.
Now about Mike. I’ve given him so many awards and he has given so many to me, too that we form a little mutual admiration society. I know his URL without looking it up. I think I know it better than I know my own. Despite the site’s title, it’s about life, the universe and everything … movies too. It’s a great writer, whether he’s being witty or serious. Smart, hyper-literate, his site has something for everyone from healthy recipes to fiction.
Please visit their sites. You will not regret it, I promise you.
Almost all awards in the blogging universe come with rules. Not so onerous, but still requiring a little effort, some thought, perhaps a bit of planning. Not an entirely bad thing, especially for someone like me who has a lot of trouble with the whole “following rules” thing. When I was a kid, I was a little bit rebellious. As a senior citizen, I don’t take crap from anyone. It’s an old person thing. You don’t get a lot of bennies in the mis-named golden years, but one of them is doing it your own way. So every once in a while it’s not a bad thing for me to recognize the legitimacy of a few rules and agree to follow them. If I can do it, so can you.
Awards are supposed to be fun, not punishment … and regardless of every other consideration, it means one or more of your peers thinks enough of you to honor you. It also helps to build bonds between us even though we may live oceans apart. In the end, it’s not just about what you write or the pictures you post. It’s also about spreading a certain kind of camaraderie. We aren’t in competition. We are in this world together and if we work together, maybe we can make it a better one. We aren’t going to right all the wrongs, but maybe we can make life more interesting, pleasant and fun. And we can be nice to each other. That’s epically awesome all by itself.
Now, about those rules:
ONLY two. Only two? All that for just two rules? All that fuss.
Oh shut up. I need to occasionally climb on my soapbox and wax eloquent. Or something like that.
Tyson Carter over at Head in a Vice who manages to be the Johnny Carson of bloggers, turning a website into a forum and a collaborative effort across oceans and mediums.
Isaacs Picture Conclusion who describes his site as honest reviews from an honest guy (who doesn’t take things too seriously), which pretty much says it. It’s a pleasure reading his writeups.
JCAlberta at My Favorite Westerns. He does beautiful graphics and nostalgic posts about MY favorite westerns.
Rich Paschall whose Sunday Night Blog is a weekly dose of erudition and honesty. Beautiful writing and frequently reblogged by me!
Christine M. Grote – Random Thoughts from Midlife. Unique, humorous and smart observations on the world and life.
My Beautiful Things – Finding the Beautiful in the Everyday. And she does. She finds beauty in all the things that surround all of us in our daily life and shows us how beautiful they are.
Vastly Curious posts one extraordinary image every day, pictures that aren’t just things. They are moods and mysteries.
Hot Rod Cowgirl doesn’t post every day but every post is beautiful, memorable, full of the joy of her life and the land she loves.
Rarasaur is funny, sad, poignant, hilarious, weird, outrageous and absolutely unique. Try her. You’ll like her.
Rumpy Dog - I’m cute. I’m funny. And I’m making a difference for animals. And she is. Every day. She makes me laugh, makes me cry, makes me glad to cuddle up with my furry kids. She does make a difference.
There are others to whom I would happily give this award but either they are dealing with LIFE in capital letters and there will be other awards to confer when life is less crazy. And other friends recently gifted or who do not like awards
So go check these bloggers out and the folks who nominated me as well, they’re all EPIC AND AWESOME! And now, so am I!
P.S. You might also want to notify your fellow bloggers that you’ve nominated them. I almost forgot that part 
My mother always told me I was special (she still does actually) and even though I knew that she thought so, I knew it was because all mothers think their children are.
But today, I've had no less than three different bloggers nominate me for the Epically Awesome Award of Epic Awesomeness!
First, Kim over at Tranquil Dreams, then Natasha over at…
I've been very kindly nominated for the 'epically awesome award of epic awesomness' by Kim over at Tranquil Dreams, so a big thank you to her :D check out her blog if you haven't already, you won't regret it :D Also a nomination from Meera Darji, who also has a brilliant blog that you should definitely have a look at :D…
A huge thank you goes to Mike at Mikes Film Talk, who thinks more of me than I think of me. By giving me this award, he has honored me while simultaneously depriving me of someone on whom I would have liked to bestow this award. Mike certainly deserves it. He has a great site that is only partly film-centric. Mike is a lot more than a film critic. He is a literary omnivore, writing everything from personal history and fiction, to book and movie reviews. And such excellent writing it is. Please make sure to visit him. You’ll be glad you did.
I owe a debt of gratitude to the folks over at Moment Matters for originating this unique award. They’ve also created a fine logo for recipients to display on their walls. There are words and music to accompany it. I’m sorry I don’t have the music, but following are the words and they’re lovely:
Awarding the people who live in the moment,
The noble who write and capture the best in life,
The bold who reminded us what really mattered -
Savoring the experience of quality time.
Pretty nice! As with most awards in the WordPress Blogging community, there are a few rules. Simple guidelines. Not onerous, but specific. Since this is my first encounter with this award, here they are. They are simple:
Rules:
Resources:
I’ve included these since they are a legacy from Mike’s post and provides guidelines if you need help:
Acceptance Speech:
I’m genuinely touched by this award. Touched and grateful. Receiving appreciation from ones peers is a special kind of recognition. It means more than I can easily express.
Living in the moment has become a way of life. After finally admitting I have no control over the future, I relaxed, stopped trying to push the river, and began to enjoy whatever came, even stuff I would have considered “bad news” in my misspent youth. I’m a lot happier since I stopped trying to force life to go my way. Living in the moment and going with the flow takes a whole lot less effort than fighting the current. Whatever chills and thrills come with the ride, I’m ready. Remarkably, I keep discovering it’s fun. Live and learn. I wish I’d learned a little earlier!
This moment — this exact moment in time — IS your life! This is the day you’ve been waiting for. It will never come again. Enjoy it.
I am delighted to accept The Best Moment Award originated by MomentMatters.com … another site definitely worth checking out.
I never stop being awestruck when I realize I have influenced someone in a positive way, maybe even made a difference in one or more lives in this mad, mad world. Again, thank you Mike!
Blogging has become very important to me. I have always been a writer, but until I started blogging, I never wrote about personal things. As a professional, I wrote what I was paid to write. Now, I write from my head and my heart. It has been life changing. Everything inspires me. Other bloggers — especially Mike — have influenced me in more ways than I can list. But in the end, all of life is inspiration.
To all of my friends and followers, thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to share mine. The blogging community has given me a sense of purpose, participation, comradeship and a much broader life-view than I ever had before. There’s a lot of ugly stuff going on everywhere. Scary stuff, unfair, wrong, dangerous, evil. We haven’t the power fix everything, but we have some influence as individuals and collectively. We can help each other through difficult times, rejoice with each other over triumphs (they are few enough), and maybe give something back to our human community.
Everything we share has value. Knowledge, memories, pictures that express beauty or expose evil. Stories we write, books we read and recommend. Movies we see and share. Humor that banishes sadness. It’s not just big ideas that matter. Small things resonate and change lives too. Never think the ordinary parts of life are not worth exploring. They may be the most important of all.
Anything we do to make someone feel good, help them think in a different direction, see the world in a new way, is a deed well done. By giving of ourselves, we continue to grow the chain of good will around the world. If blogging has any ultimate purpose, that’s it.
I have saved every “like” I’ve ever gotten and will continue to do so until my email explodes. I am so glad you like me . What a miracle this virtual community is to me. You touch me. I love reading your comments, love answering them. Love writing them, too because I want you to know I appreciate your work. That people follow me makes me glow in the dark. No really, it does. It saves a lot of electricity!
For all of you who I follow, each of you enriches me. Your views about the world, your pictures of it, your understanding and your humor brighten my days, keep my mind alive and make my world exciting.
Like Mike, I have felt the wings of the dark angel brush me. Life is infinitely precious with all of its perils and problems.
Thank you all for making my world a better place to live, and thank you Mike for appreciating the best of me.
The winners for the Best Moment Award are:
I have had to think hard about this one because I can’t give it back to Mike, who I would have given it to. Like Mike, I’m going to limit this to people who really actually truly have influenced me and changed me way of thinking, writing, looking at reality or unreality, as you would have it.
To everyone else, I know you and appreciate you. I’m trying to follow the leader in making this award specific to people who, as they live in their moment and in sharing them, have made their moments mine.
I apologise in advance to anyone who may feel slighted. Most of you have gotten awards from me in the past and will again in the future. This one is specific; I hope I’ve chosen well. There are a few of you to whom I don’t give awards because you don’t want them. But I appreciate you anyhow! I have many wonderful followers and I don’t like having to choose. But sometimes — and this is one of those time — that’s the way it is.
My awardees are a varied bunch, but each is great in his/her own way.
The last part of this Award process is the instruction to share this with your followers and to tweet your “success” with the hash tagged #MomentMatters. And as soon as I figure out how to do that, I will!
Congratulations to all my winners and I want you to know that you have touched me.
-
Marilyn Armstrong -- Seeking Intelligent Life on Earth
"Never does Nature say one thing, and wisdom another"
Ward Bond, Wardell Edwin Bond, and Western Films, Actors and Scetches
Reviews and ramblings
Book reviews, interviews and more!
... conversations on the architectural phenomena in the Middle East and not only
Featured Artists, Blogs, Websites, Projects and just about everything on the planet!
Movie reviews and anything else that comes to mind
Exploring Paris one blog at a time
SHOW ME THE WORLD!!
We can rebuild him. We have the technology... Drier. Hilariouser. More satirical than before.
art and practice
Welcome To The Fishbowl.
Photography by Lisa Patterson
Find the perfect theme for your blog.
My opinion about the movies I watch, your reaction
Random thoughts from midlife
A great WordPress.com site
What I've seen ... How it makes me feel ...
The Presents of Presence
RAWResome books, stories & ideas for women
No longer daily
An Honest Review from an Honest Guy (who doesn't take things too seriously)
A blog about living, writing, acting, philosophy, Estes Park and a few other things
A Movie/TV Blog for "Raw & Honest" Reviews, Recommendations and Analysis
A journey through writing and publishing an indie book and all that pleases and irks along the way
art and practice
"But this is life. This isn't a movie" -Scream, 1996
An economics and photography blog
A topnotch WordPress.com site
Thoughts on kayaking, science, and life
With camera in hand, exploring European lands, cultures, food, and drink...mostly with a plan, but sometimes enjoying the adventure of just getting lost.
Finding the beautiful in the everyday
We are tackling sci-fi, horror and fantasy films and shows from classics to pure crap.
Just another WordPress.com site
Sapere Aude
THEY WERE A LIFETIME TOGETHER
