I'm a Winner.

Recently, my alter ego was nominated for an award, fairly well known in certain specific circles. I won't know the results of that for another two weeks, and because I keep my career separate from this blog as much as possible, I'll probably never be able to divulge any details. Still, it was an exciting surprise and a huge honor, but not the only one I received. No, I still haven't won the Blogger's Choice Awards. The other day B13 presented me with a “Courageous Blogger Award”.


“For those bloggers who are battling or have battled with physical and mental illness, those who are survivors of abuse, poverty, or who have overcome other challenges in life. Those who serve in the military or work/volunteer in dangerous situations in order to provide a service or to help others. This award is for the strong, the brave, and the courageous.”

B13 himself received a “Creative Blogger Award” from Junie Rose, and these awards stem from Christie Z. As the originator of these titles, all she asks is that winners go on to name five other deserving blogs. It's going to be tough, since a lot more than five on my blogroll are daily reads, and I check all of the consistent writers at least once a week.

I'll borrow from B13 and throw in my honorable mentions at the end. Some of these categories will be repeated, and while many of the winners qualify for more than one, I've picked the one that best describes each of them. Here are my five choices:


1. Lorna in Wonderland
I speak here of Lorna's attitude, the caring and encouragement that goes into her own posts as well as her comments. Whether going to a rock show or spending quality time with her family, her blog demonstrates a zest for life and genuine interest in others. When a post of mine goes for a few days without any comments and I start to doubt myself, she's someone I can count on to turn that “0” into a “1” at the very least, with positive reinforcement. She even sent me an e-mail a few weeks ago letting me know she reads all of my posts and finds them enriching. It's things like that which keep me going, and earn Lorna an “Inspirational Blogger Award.”


2. B13's Fotographica
While a site largely dedicated to capturing and/or creating great images might be more appropriately the recipient of a “Creative Blogger Award”, I'm filing my buddy B13 under “Inspirational” because I've gotten a lot of great ideas from his work, and learned a lot from his techniques. We've joined forces in the past, and whenever I've thought I'd run out of interesting subject matter, he'd come up with a new location. We've both been working on weekends lately, and it's been too hot to go on any real expeditions, but I'm sure we'll join forces again in the future.


3. The Art of Getting By
If you leave Janet a comment, she will make her way to your site. She also engages her readers in dialogue on her own site, responding to comments and expanding upon thoughtful and insightful topics. Her “Tell it to Me Tuesday” feature especially encourages thought and social interaction with her community, and even in the midst of wedding planning she still manages to maintain an online presence and provide things to read and discuss several times a week.


4. Rey's A Point
One of my best friends from college, Rey's loose drawing style has always impressed and inspired me. I've read the same comics and I know exactly which artists influenced him, but there's an energy to his work, a kinetic quality to his lines that brings stationary images to life. Even if I didn't know him in real life, I'd probably imagine this artist hunched over a sheet of paper muttering sound effects with each wild pen stroke. He's got a great design sense as well, both web and print, and knows his way around Photoshop as well. It's great to see his creativity come through on his site, in his words as well as the pictures he posts.


5. The Southern Conservative
Darrell currently has a monkey wearing a suit and holding a gun, which should probably be all the explanation this award needs. Whether dissecting politics or religion, reviewing movies, or crafting his own unique brand of internet silliness while occasionally zinging deserving celebrities and other public figures, he's carved out a unique niche in the blogosphere with an original flavor.

Honorable mentions go to:

Curt, and by extension Jerry; without either self-proclaimed “geek friend” I'd never have found my way into the world of blogging.

Sean, whose frequent posts manage to inform me of all things geeky in the world of movies, television, and comics, but include a healthy mix of beautiful women as well.

Rhodester, whose courage and sense of humor in the face of unemployment woes are truly inspiring.

Lyndon, who manages to reinvent himself constantly as he finds new games, music, or cartoons to explore.

Giuseppe, another old college pal who switched out of a major in fine arts, pursued a more business-oriented career, and inspirationally now makes his living drawing cartoons.

SwanShadow, writer, game show champion, and comic book art enthusiast who faces life with courage and insight.

Kev Bayer, who proves you can be a huge science fiction geek and still have a family.

The Unseen One earns mention for his inspirational range of topics and political insight, but especially for the occasional appearance of monkeys, and his courage as he took a positive and proactive approach to reduce his weight.

Otis is damn funny and creative, with a knack for finding or producing the best images to support his posts.

Scott went from being “Captain Eucalyptus” to a “Spiritual Tramp”, but retained the same spirit and humor.

Why are you still reading this? Go check these blogs out; check out my whole blogroll!

Wait, where is everyone going? Come back! Now this “Courageous Blogger” is scared...