Thinking Blogger Award

As I woke up in a zombie haze this morning, coughing and considering committing hari kari on the television that I fell asleep just a couple of hours before when some nitwits at the network decided that commercials have to be louder than a sonic boom than the program that is on, I stumbled to my laptop snarling.

Imagine my delighted surprise to see as I was blindly rooting about the innertubes that Katherine Coble had nominated me for The Thinking Blogger Award. My irritation at said television was wiped away immediately and I must express that this was, in fact, so unexpected and a damned skippy surprise that my mood was lifted. To see myself nominated with such kind words and in a mix of such incredible company that I really was taken aback in a good way. And I’m humbled and honored by this award given to my by Katherine, I really am.

So, I think the rules are as follows, I have to “pay it forward” and nominate five blogs that make me think, that are thoughtful and that keep me coming back for more. Now, I want everyone to know, picking just five bloggers instead of the 25 I read like a crack addict on a daily basis is not easy but I’m going to go with a few that just come to mind and try not to obsess about it.

So here’s how it goes:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote

And the envelope for my nominees are:

1. Salem’s Lot: John H. comes to mind almost immediately. The man thinks things through on his Nashville-based blog (Salemstown, sorry) and has generously been the ambassador to bloggers all throughout Tennessee. With a kind sense of gentle humor, pointed and pun-filled headlines and a willingness to be hard-edged when he has something on his mind, I find myself dreamily going over to his hacienda on the web on a daily basis. He is more than a political blogger, he is a proud, doting father, a television critic and unabashed sports fan. He also is one of the best commenters on the web, leaving little bits of himself all over the blogosphere and I find myself nodding when I read him. John is many things and was the first to come to mind for the Thinking Blogger Award.

2. Cup of Joe Powell: Joe reminds me of one of those hard-boiled reporters from a fifties Noir movie. His blog is one-part liberal politics, one-part pop culture and an on-going love letter to obscure movies that should be on everyone’s daily blogging diet. I honestly can’t wait for Cinema Obscura on Fridays, where Joe will lay out the latest horror movie delight, Samurai sampling or drive-in movie extravaganza. About a year ago, he lost a pet and I found myself bawling over the computer, the next day he was writing about the injustices of big government and I found myself nodding enthusiastically at my laptop’s computer screen. I really adore going over to Joe’s place and I like the way he throws it out there, damned the torpedoes. He’s just plain groovy.

3. Ginger Snaps: Whether she’s writing a post about the her work in the music industry, her proud love, and don’t you forget it, of the Bee Gees, the death penalty, life after divorce, being a single parent and the journey women take after turning 40 (we both do that), I like her. She can go from talking about the Geico Caveman commercials to valuing folks considered the underdog in her writing in a New York minute and I like the way she is just who she is. She is funny, self-deprecating, obviously enjoys different people and has come into her own in the last few months since she has joined the blogging community and she makes no bones about that what you see is what you get through the laughter and tears. She does think things through as well, and she deserves this award.

4. The Freedonian: Rick is from Memphis and doesn’t suffer fools in his home-town’s government lightly. He isn’t afraid to throw put an idea into a rocket launcher out into the blogosphere about his politics and he obviously is not very smitten with the political spin inundated in mainstream media in this day and age. He’s going to tell you about it, and I find myself smiling when he does. He can be snarky one moment, and thoughtful the next and I like reading the way he can turn a phrase on its ear. I started reading The Freedonian last fall during the election when I wanted a West Tennessee perspective on the Senate race and I found that he had a lot of interesting ideas that kept me going back for more. Sometimes he says things with a hammer, other times it’s a gentle whisper meant to stay with you until you get the point he’s trying to make.

5. Lake Neuron: John Carney is one of the kindest writers on the internet. He’s very different from me, but very much the same. He writes about many things, but the posts I like the most are about his eagerness to help others and improve his life and the lives around him. He writes about learning Spanish, his spiritual life and it’s value to him, working at his newspaper and his love of pop culture. I find that he brings his faith to you in a calm, matter-of-fact manner and for some reason, I find myself thinking about him after I read him. I also adore the fact that he is a television junkie (and it appears he likes late-night television as much as anything), and he can’t be put into any set category, which I find to be especially interesting and thoughtful. How many bloggers can write about the scriptures one moment, Saul of the Mole Men the next and then give you a recipe a few posts later. John Carney can.

This was really hard because there are so many blogs out there that make me think. I especially like to read posts that give me pause and wonder if maybe I was too rigid in something. Sometimes it’s small meaningful posts, other times it’s that robust in your face delight of the written word that gets me going.  I tried to mix it up a bit, but there are so many other people who have become part of my on-line community that have given me a lot to think about, and I thank each and every one of you.

Now I’m off to cough now and try very hard not to hack up any more of more organs. Bronchitis, my friends, is kicking my heiny.