Like Waking Up To a Fresh Cup of Coffee: The Reader Appreciation Award

I WAS ABOUT to turn in the other night when I received a lovely comment from The Audacious Amateur Blogger or “J” – not her real name – of the delectably irreverent I am an Afterschool Special nominating me for the Reader Appreciation Award.  My reaction was that of pleasant surprise.  J just made my day (it was in the wee hours of the morning)!  I mean, being nominated for an award is one of the two most exciting thoughts a person could ever bring to bed.  Right?
J lives up to her sobriquet, The Audacious Amateur Blogger. Who can ignore self-deprecating humor such as “I cuss like a sailor and have the mouth (and mind) of a dirty old man” or her “explicit” serial “Sex Hiatus: an experiment.”  Her prose is as fresh as a daisy and her criticism as blunt as a nun’s c___t, so to speak (Where do I get these idioms? Am I reading too much Kyle Mew?).  In any case, if you’re looking to read something honest, crafty and riveting, then you need to check out her blog here:

http://iamanafterschoolspecial.wordpress.com/

Thank you so much, J!  I am sincerely honored by your nomination and will be more than glad to pass the love on to other deserving bloggers.  I am truly looking forward to read the rest of your posts, both old and forthcoming.  Sorry for the wee bit of delay as this came at such a busy time at the office :)

The rules of this nomination:

1. Identify and show appreciation of the blogger who awarded you. DONE
2. You must add the award logo to your blog. DONE
3. Tell your readers 7 things about yourself.
4. You must nominate 5-10 of your favorite bloggers for this award.
5. Inform your nominees that you nominated them.

Okay, 7 trivial facts about me:

1. I don’t consider myself a WRITER because I was never formally schooled in writing (my course was Marketing) and I direly need my own personal editor due to my careless and disorganized writing habits.  But I have written practically everything: short stories, poems, plays, fiction novels (one and a half; for personal consumption only), essays, advertising/marketing copy, technical literature, annual reports, press releases and corporate feature stories.  My writing is so diverse that I fear I’ll never be good at any one writing discipline.
2. I am, by nature, shy, an introvert and absolutely terrified of public speaking.  I once sweated down to my pants giving a business lecture to an ultra-exclusive girl’s college class (the concept of 40 gorgeous ladies looking at me all at the same time is simply beyond my acceptable public speaking parameters :p).  However, my career path is towards PR, Advertising and Marketing, which require me to do a LOT of public speaking, hosting and emceeing chores.  So there’s a little bit of Jekyll and Hyde thing going on in this brain of mine.
3. My most recent obsession is to get my economy airline ticket upgraded to First/Business class for FREE whenever I travel.  So far, my score is 2 upgrades out of 3 conscious tries.  If I get 3 out of 4, I’ll share my little secret in one of my future posts.
4. My parents and High School Guidance Counselor once thought I was of genius material.  They prodded me, poked me and gave me actual job application exams to answer at the age of 13 (which I didn’t mind). My university grades later changed their perception.
5. I almost died of glomerulonephritis at the age of 5.
6. I gave up my first love, basketball, because of a girl.  I later took up writing because of a girl.  Tit-for-tat.
7. I can’t seem to find the wherewithal to write about my father who died nearly 3 years ago. A few days after he passed, we found a box that contained all my old report cards, basketball medals, trophies, published writings and other personal memorabilia.  I never thought he’d read a single thing I’ve written or cared about my chosen sport. I was wrong. For 3 years I’ve tried many times to write about him.  I’m still trying.  I miss him.

My nominations, which I think are very well deserved (in no particular order):

1. Christina of reconstructingchristina.  Her truly inspiring story is that of love, hope and overcoming terrible loss as well as seemingly insurmountable odds.  Christina captures all these beautifully in her blog and in such a way that every reader will root for her and want to be part of her “team.” Also, behind the blog is a beautiful person whose enthusiasm and sincerity are way beyond words.
2. Single Again.  Another inspirational blog, yet her stories are often cheerful, charming and bright.  Her posts, in her words, “swing randomly between sanity and non-existence” but are infectious and sometimes possess strength of character via sub-text.  This one’s a ray of sunshine at WordPress.
3. [thoughts of a lunatic].  This lady is a brilliant writer. Her entries are refreshing, darkly funny and very witty.  Her “twisted” logic instantly gets the prezellogic seal of approval.  But make no mistake about it, she has, without a doubt, a beautiful mind. “If you follow me, the kitten lives,” her blog says.  She was Freshly-Pressed recently, winning hordes of new followers I’m sure. Indeed, the Lord works in mysterious ways.
4. Letizia of reading interrupted.  She reads books all the time.  The depth of her reading materials and knowledge about words, accomplished authors and their milieu amaze me.  It is, therefore, not surprising that Letizia herself writes such effortless and compelling prose. Book lovers need not look anywhere else; this is the blog to read.
5. Tammy of Life and all Things Love.  Ah, I turn green with envy whenever I see  organized and flawless writing.  Tammy’s clarity, pinpoint choice of words and no-nonsense style make her posts utterly delightful and rewarding reads.  I can’t recommend her blog enough.

I limited my nominations to a minimum knowing that there are many other equally deserving bloggers from the roster of blogs I follow.  Somehow, and ironically so, nominating more also means missing out on more names, if you know what I mean.  So there…