Cogito ergo blog.

Today I was given a Thinking Blogger Award by Gerbil of There's a Penguin on the Telly. It's hard to express how cool it feels to be nominated by someone I respect so much as a writer, storyteller, and all around kickass chick. So, Gerbil...thank you.


This, of course, makes me feel even more sheepish about the fluff I posted all last week while suffering from the Cold That Ate My Brain and, I suspect, my first fever in 10 or 15 years. I do apologize. If you've been poking around and can't figure out why anyone would consider me a thinker, I somewhat meekly offer up the posts in category 42 as proof that I can sometimes rustle up content about stuff other than thrift store shopping, Google searches, and memes.

Over the past year, this blog has become more important to me than I thought it would. After barely writing at all for almost two years, having a place to regularly empty out the contents of the brainpan feels great. Making connections with new friends is just icing on the cake. Thanks to everyone who reads and comments; I appreciate you more than you know.

Now for the really hard part:  I'm supposed to pass the award on to five other bloggers who deserve the title of Thinking Blogger. I've been pondering all day, and I have finally made my decision. I nominate:


(1) The Mater

She's smart, funny, and a crazy-good writer. Of all the bloggers I read, she's made me tear up more than anyone else. Her writing can be laugh-out-loud hilarious and breathtakingly beautiful. I suspect she might've already won this award from someone else, but I don't see it in her sidebar, so I'm going to take a chance that she's still a newbie like me. Mater, thanks for all the great stories. I'm so glad I found your blog!

the Mater cures Torquemada the turtle

seeing the love in her father's eyes (and bringing tears to mine)

Babushka

(2) Wordgirl at Half of the Sky

I think I discovered her through a comment on my blog or a blog I frequent. I just started reading her recently, but I dig her a lot. She's written some fantastic, fantastic stuff--posts that make me wish I could write like she writes.

no sympathy for the man getting the snip

some thoughts on blogging relationships

one of the best endorsements I've read for marriage

(3) HeatherAnn Fragglehead at Pale is the New Tan

Heather is pretty much a brand-new blogger, so I'm hoping this award will guilt motivate her into posting lots and lots. She's pretty much the epitome of the Thinking Blogger, in my mind. She thinks hard and she writes well and, best of all, she stands for what she believes in without condemning others. Well played, my friend! Plus, she's hilarious and funky and gorgeous.

on being vegan

reacting to the mean-girl attitude among her daughter's first-grade classmates

on being harassed by teenage boys on the street, just for being female

(4) Danger

It may be fair to add a disclaimer that Danger is among my best friends in the entire world. However, I honestly feel that she deserves one of my nominations. Like Heather, she's a somewhat new blogger. I don't think she realizes just how mad her writing skills are, which is a pity. She can also make me laugh my ass off, often while talking about somewhat serious things.

Nieces and nephews

Giant African land snails freak her out

New life philosophy: WWRRPD?

(5) xkcd: a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math and language

I don't even know that it's fair to nominate a webcomic, but I like it so much that I don't really care. This webcomic is fabulous. Sometimes it's laugh-out-loud-at-work hilarious and sometimes it makes me feel like I'm going to cry. True, sometimes it's about computers and I don't get it, but that's not the writer's fault. A few favorites, demonstrating the range of awesomosity:



(this one almost makes me cry, it's so achingly sad and sweet)







All right, nominees, now it's your turn to nominate five more brand new Thinking Bloggers. The intention is for the award to go to five people who haven't won it before. If you can't think of five people or can't find five who aren't past winners, you still get the award from me!


Thanks again, everybody. xoxoxo