The Thinking Blogger Award Is Upon Us
Those of you who visit a variety of blogs may have run across the Thinking Blogger Award. I saw it for the first time the other day on Princess Haiku.
Well, now this blog too has been nominated! Dr. Zaius states, in his nomination:
I'm not sure why Dr. Zaius is unsure what the blog is about (more than one thing, I hope), but I am looking forward to posting more rabbit pictures this summer and will let him continue in his labor-of-love, which is to say showing many images of Nancy Pelosi in the role of Wonder Woman. (For those not familiar with Nancy Pelosi, she would immediately become the President of the United States if the current President and Vice President were deposed or assassinated. I can see why Dr. Zaius has a special fondness for her.)
It's now my turn to nominate Thinking Bloggers. All of the blogs on my sidebar deserve mention, but it must be admitted that some provoke thought more consistently than others, and some bloggers spread the thought-provokingness across more than one blog, so I apologize for not nominating the whole lot. (Also, I'm more familiar with some than others.)
And now for my nominees, to be presented alphabetically:
BibliOdyssey: Surely one of PK's many other readers has nominated BibliOdyssey already and he has merely been too busy to admit it, but just in case no one has, here goes. Amazing examples of old and new book art, posters, and suchlike with much information about them and links to further resources. The curator is modest but writes very good copy.
BikerBar: Lawrence always puts up an intriguing mix relating to art, music, hermetic philosophies, and life as an American in Prague. Not your average expat, he's now also chronicling life as a new father.
Japonisme: Lotusgreen presents a beautiful and carefully researched exploration of the theme of Japonisme (roughly speaking, the West's fascination with things Japanese, but slightly more broadly interpreted here). As when I first encountered BibliOdyssey, the riches here have me a little daunted and I'm only gradually beginning to explore this trove.
Kolo Kolo Mlynsky: Julia has been, perhaps, a bit preoccupied of late and not blogging much (I suspect that life with Caroline, who is no longer exactly a toddler, is a new challenge every day), but she writes with such grace and charm when she does get around to it. Julia gets to the poetry of parenting a small child in Prague, and all the lovely things about life here.
NvB (formerly Nuda v Brně): NvB has been a thought provoking blog right from the start. Jesse has covered a wide variety of issues relating to the Czech Republic, music, human rights, and of course just plain interesting and humorous stuff. Posting has been a little slow since Jesse moved back to Ann Arbor and went back to reading Clifford Geertz, but let this be a prompt from all of his friends and fans to keep up the blogging.
Susie Bright's Journal: As with BibliOdyssey, it seems a bit unlikely that no one has nominated Susie Bright as a Thinking Blogger, but hey, just because she's famous is no reason to leave her out. I'm sure Molly Ivins (were she still with us) would approve of this nomination, which provides lots of sex and politics and is often, as they say, wickedly funny.
Rules:
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
Following Princess Haiku's good example (not everyone who gets awards chooses to participate), I have nominated more than five blogs. If your name is above, go for it.
Well, now this blog too has been nominated! Dr. Zaius states, in his nomination:
This is a blog about the author's stay in the fictional country of Pottsylvania. Aside from that, I can't figure out what the blog is about, except that there are lot's of great articles and stuff - and occasionally there are pictures of rabbits. More rabbit pictures, please!
I'm not sure why Dr. Zaius is unsure what the blog is about (more than one thing, I hope), but I am looking forward to posting more rabbit pictures this summer and will let him continue in his labor-of-love, which is to say showing many images of Nancy Pelosi in the role of Wonder Woman. (For those not familiar with Nancy Pelosi, she would immediately become the President of the United States if the current President and Vice President were deposed or assassinated. I can see why Dr. Zaius has a special fondness for her.)
It's now my turn to nominate Thinking Bloggers. All of the blogs on my sidebar deserve mention, but it must be admitted that some provoke thought more consistently than others, and some bloggers spread the thought-provokingness across more than one blog, so I apologize for not nominating the whole lot. (Also, I'm more familiar with some than others.)
And now for my nominees, to be presented alphabetically:
BibliOdyssey: Surely one of PK's many other readers has nominated BibliOdyssey already and he has merely been too busy to admit it, but just in case no one has, here goes. Amazing examples of old and new book art, posters, and suchlike with much information about them and links to further resources. The curator is modest but writes very good copy.
BikerBar: Lawrence always puts up an intriguing mix relating to art, music, hermetic philosophies, and life as an American in Prague. Not your average expat, he's now also chronicling life as a new father.
Japonisme: Lotusgreen presents a beautiful and carefully researched exploration of the theme of Japonisme (roughly speaking, the West's fascination with things Japanese, but slightly more broadly interpreted here). As when I first encountered BibliOdyssey, the riches here have me a little daunted and I'm only gradually beginning to explore this trove.
Kolo Kolo Mlynsky: Julia has been, perhaps, a bit preoccupied of late and not blogging much (I suspect that life with Caroline, who is no longer exactly a toddler, is a new challenge every day), but she writes with such grace and charm when she does get around to it. Julia gets to the poetry of parenting a small child in Prague, and all the lovely things about life here.
NvB (formerly Nuda v Brně): NvB has been a thought provoking blog right from the start. Jesse has covered a wide variety of issues relating to the Czech Republic, music, human rights, and of course just plain interesting and humorous stuff. Posting has been a little slow since Jesse moved back to Ann Arbor and went back to reading Clifford Geertz, but let this be a prompt from all of his friends and fans to keep up the blogging.
Susie Bright's Journal: As with BibliOdyssey, it seems a bit unlikely that no one has nominated Susie Bright as a Thinking Blogger, but hey, just because she's famous is no reason to leave her out. I'm sure Molly Ivins (were she still with us) would approve of this nomination, which provides lots of sex and politics and is often, as they say, wickedly funny.
Rules:
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
Following Princess Haiku's good example (not everyone who gets awards chooses to participate), I have nominated more than five blogs. If your name is above, go for it.
Labels: blogs
posted by Karla at 8:37 AM
17 Comments:
Thanks for the cybernod of approval. Its a cool meme ..
I'm sorry to hear you are leaving .. but you'll be back I predict. Maybe our paths will cross at the Štyrský opening, Ill keep an eye out.
I am honored beyond belief! I've never been praised for my blog like this... I feel like carrying on with a big bouquet and a tiara, lotsa crying.
Seriously, though, I'm so flattered, THANK YOU.
I will think of my next five, and post them next week!
Sorry I didn't sign my name, I'm "Expiration Date"
Susie B.
nice blog
Congratulations on your Thinker Blogger Award. I will be trotting off to visit your favorite spaces. I ended up discovering a lot of great new blogs when I participated and made some new cyber friends. -So enjoy.
This is quite fun! Next, perhaps I'll do a list of blogs I read almost every day, which is not quite the same as this list at the moment. Princess Haiku is right that this is a neat way of learning about other interesting blogs.
I'm wondering whether the Štyrský opening will be something mere mortals can attend. If so, I plan to be there. If only I could figure out a way to dress up as one of his collages...
I am stunned and honored to find that Expiration Date...er... Susie B. herself... has dropped by with bouquet and tiara. We'll be watching for your choices with considerable interest, Susie!
It's not just because I'm incessantly (of late) busy, I'm also elitist scum who won't deign to engage in meme-trafficking. The ebb and flow of visitors you mention is relevant - I really really can't keep up: I see things sometimes when I get mentioned, cited or meme-tagged but honestly, I just want to get on with my normal fare kind of thing, and so I don't have the wherewithal to follow it all, especially of late when it has been just crazy. Do I sound like I'm complaining? BoingBoing cites invariably flood out technorati for days and I have to stop looking.
So I'm sincerely honoured ma'am and thank you for your kind words. I've been planning to do a BIG link dump of more like 500 than 5 sites that I visit: hopefully that will work towards removing some of the guilt I feel for ignoring the blogosphere and ameliorate any alienation my pondscum ways cause.
I still don't know what your site is about either. Heh. In a good way. It's one of 13 trillion I just cannot get to visit as often as I would wish. Back under the rock I do go..
1. One wishes to point out especially interesting blogs to others who might enjoy them.
2. Naturally this sort of thing doesn't fit the goals and design of all recipient blogs. I didn't mean to hit a sore spot.
i am so touched by this karla--thank you! responses feel so good, but something like this feels wonderful! (and ironic in ways you could never know).
i'll tell you why i'm hesitant to nominate anyone: i am uncomfortable with anything that turns the internet into a competition. because then if you're someone pouring your heart and soul into your blog and you never get nominated by anyone for anything you feel bad.
does this make any sense? feedback welcome.
Lotusgreen,
I entirely agree with your hesitations. Like, perhaps, most people who get nominated for something like this, I wondered "how can I choose?" I decided that while there are many wonderful blogs, I could choose among those I knew well (I knew yours the least well of my final list, but it's been consistently impressive), that are not "completed," AND that I thought would be of strongest interest to most of my readers. This is in no way a slight to other blogs and bloggers.
But I do think that the truest feedback for one's efforts is in the comments, not in any awards or memes. Do readers express interest, appreciation, even disagreement? Do posts prompt discussion and/or badinage? The few who choose to comment on any given blog speak for the many more who don't like to write comments. (I'm usually slow to start commenting on a blog but once I start, I usually continue.) One thing I like about the blog form is that it has so many possible permutations, from the all-text to the all-image, the utterly personal to the utterly impersonal.
whew! i was afraid i would sound stuffy or something. thanks for being so understanding, karla!
i had more of a response to your comment, karla, i realized.
i am moved and thrilled by the responses i get to the blog. and i want more!
i wish there was conversation and bandiage; i guess in my not being really controversial or very personal, it doesn't beg responses....
Thank you ma'am! You are one of my blogging inspirations so your good thoughts on kolokolo reflect well on rabbits, toyen too!
Hope to see you before you take off, will you be here when Jesse is in town?
Julia, I'm email you since I'm not sure my last SMS got through. We could lunch this week though!
Lotusgreen, I don't think sparsity of comments is necessarily an issue (if there are visitors coming and links to bring them in)... my impression is that a small minority of visitors actually leave comments. However, I do think that the blogger responding to most (respondable) comments creates a friendly atmosphere. And if a few personal friends tend to comment, that can (depending on their style of comment) encourage other readers to feel at home commenting. I think Kristen and Jesse set a good precedent for comments on this blog back when I began it. Anyway, I'll be leaving you more comments on your blog now!
thank you karla! and that's a really good tip. i think i'll be responding to respondents more now too (but sometimes it's hard, for some reason).
but.... you've gotten me to finally do something i've been "preparing" to do for months: open a new blog so that i do have a place to talk about all the wonders out there i stumble across that aren't directly related to my main blog.
and, like i said, to maybe even get personal now and again.
thanks for the push :^)
Karla, you should take a cue from Lotusgreen. If I have said it once, I've said it a thousand times - A blog is not a home without a few pictures of She-Hulk.
I was most astounded by the She-Hulk (mainly by where it appeared). I promise that I will shortly be putting up something that, while more subdued in its color scheme, should startle anyone who has been to Prague and also most people who haven't.
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