A Good Way to Start the Day

 

            I woke up this morning absolutely determined to do some writing. I have been making a huge effort this week to get more exercise and even go on a (cringe) diet. I won’t bore you with the details of the diet. Suffice it to say that after a year of increasing my work hours followed by a vacation to Hershey, it had to be done. The only writing I’ve been doing this week is in my diet journal. I was determined today to do some real writing. I was not even going to check e-mail or Facebook. I was not going to read any blogs. I was going to get up and write!

They like us! They really like us!

            I dutifully recorded my weight into my log (down two pounds—yay me!), got a cup of coffee, and opened my laptop. I was ready to write. I was not going to get sucked into reading something else. I wasn’t… that is until I realized I had left the computer open to Facebook and I had a lot more notifications than usual. Curiosity got the better of me and I checked. This was one of those rare times I’m glad I got distracted.

            Several of those notifications were messages of congratulations. This past winter, I was in a production of The Odd Couple. It was the first time I had been on stage in over ten years. I must still know what I’m doing, because I was nominated for a DASH (Distinguished Award and Special Honor) for Best Specialty Ensemble along with Maureen, the brilliant woman who played my sister in The Odd Couple. DASH awards are given out by the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres. There is a big gala at the end of the summer. It’s a good thing I’m on a diet, because I think I’m going to need a new dress.

An Award? Moi?

            So last week (or the week before—I’m not sure I was in a parallel universe of community theatre) I was honored with my very first blogging award! Patricia Iles of the blog Contemplating Happiness has bestowed upon me The Versatile Blogger Award:

            Stop by her blog and say hi http://contemplatinghappiness.blogspot.com/. In order accept this award I am supposed to give my nominator a shout out (see above), tell seven random things about myself, and nominate fifteen of my favorite bloggers. I’m going to be a party pooper and only nominate eleven. Not because I don’t have fifteen bloggers that I adore, but because many of my favorites have already been bestowed with this honor.

           

So here are my seven random facts…

            1.) I am BAD with names. I know, everyone says that, but I’ve been known to call my son Sammy. Sammy is our cat. This is genetic—my mother and grandfather passed it on.

            2.) However, I am REALLY good at remembering food preferences (also genetic—same branch of the family tree). If we have lunch together and you tell me you don’t like celery in chicken salad, I will remember it forever. If I get you coffee once, I will always know you like it black with two sugars. If you prefer Canada Dry over Schweppes ginger ale I’ll have it on hand when you come to visit. But I’ll probably call you Stanley (unless your name is Stanley, in which case, I’ll call you Fred).

            3.) I have some strange physiological trait that destroys printers. It can’t be explained—maybe some sort of electro magnetic impulse. This is not that I’m not as tech-savvy as I’d like to be (although that IS true). My very intelligent and logical engineer husband can attest to this phenomenon.

            4.) I did my very first show in sixth grade. It was a lip-synch musical comedy written by a student teacher called, “Fabulous Fixed Franks”. There is no video—God be praised!

            5.) I love clothes but hate shopping. I particularly hate shopping with other people. I absolutely cannot relate to the multi-generational group shoppers that frequent my place of business. It does not take a party of eight to pick out a mattress for a single 30-year-old woman.

            6.) I always mean to take a nap and then I get distracted and miss out. 

            7.) I’m going to be forty this summer, so I’m going to have to change the name of this blog. Suggestions?

            So here are some of my favorite bloggers in no particular order…

Nancy is one of the first bloggers I began following. I love her writing style.

http://npoj.blogspot.com/

I stumbled upon this blog pretty recently. Tulpen is a mother of two and a nurse. Some of the things she writes will make you say, “I can’t believe she wrote that.” But you’ll be glad she did.

http://tulpensbadwords.blogspot.com/

Spuds is a single dad of six kids who has recently taken up farming. I have no idea how he finds time to blog.

http://blirred-reality.blogspot.com/

A regular at the Red Dress Club Ericka Clay is a writer, mother and struggling vegan. Check out her blog and enjoy what happens when blogging and wine collide. 

http://creativeliar.com/

Que is a dad blogger who never fails to make me laugh.

http://mywifemykidsmydogs.blogspot.com/

Erin is an exceptionally talented writer. She is the real thing.

http://www.erinmargolin.com/

Katie is a former English teacher and homeschooling mom as well as an Orton-Gillingham tutor. If you have an emerging reader in your household, her blog has some great information. Plus, she’s my sister—my family loves words.

http://becomingareader.blogspot.com/

Ash is a very talented writer. I love her blog posts, but the snippets of fiction she shares knocks my socks off.

http://www.shadesofblueandgreen.com/

From the “one of these things does not belong” category. This is the only blog on the list NOT written by a parent. My very talented niece writes about pop culture, politics and her study abroad.

http://smellslikesquanderedyouth.blogspot.com/

Sara Taney Humphreys is one of the hardest working paranormal romance authors in the business. Never heard of her? You will.

http://amoveoromanceseries.blogspot.com/

One of the latest bloggers I’ve discovered. Angie is a mother of two little boys in Australia. Like yours truly she is petite environmentally efficient. 

http://thelittlemumma.typepad.com/the-little-mumma/

        I hope you have a chance to check out one or two of my favorite bloggers. Now, I'm going to see if I can sneak in a nap.