Regular Life

It isn’t an elected position; it is an appointment. My memories of this no doubt will be fonder than the first time I received an appointment (more on that later). In turn, I would like to appoint five of my own (also coming up).

On Friday I was awarded the title of Thinking Blogger, by fellow blogger and regular reader Blitz Krieg. First attracted to his blog for its sheer ballsiness, I dropped in only occasionally for a while, and then it eventually became a part of my regular reading. That’s how I am with most blogs I now frequent, by the way.

What made me stay were not his bitter rants (though they can be entertaining and informative), but the voice of a regular dad telling about, you guessed it, regular life. I could read Kevin Smith’s blog, and I have, but I don’t find myself going back to celebrity blogs very often if at all. It’s the folks doing things I can relate to, and then recounting those adventures intelligently, that keep me coming back.

Blitz isn’t the only person like that. I lead with him because he listed me on his five blogs that make him think. In fact, in his paragraph about me he said, “His subject matter is relevant and written in a manner that makes me think he actually has the ability to organize his thoughts before writing them down for us to read.” I’ll take that as affirmation that I’m doing at least part of this right.

I’ll be political and say all the blogs I read make me think, or I wouldn’t keep reading. Someone who reads as slowly as I do doesn’t have time to waste on mindless tripe (unless it makes me laugh, because laughter’s good whether it comes from rapier wit or an accidental board to the forehead). Don’t get me wrong — I enjoy mindless tripe in other forms, but reading it takes me too long.

Without further ado, here’s a list of five blogs (besides Blitz’s) that make me think:

What I’m Really Thinking - This one happens to be the youngest blog in my list, but written by the one I’ve known the longest and the only one I can slap on the back (so far). He’s known here as Alvis. He doesn’t post more than a couple or few times a week, but it’s quality stuff. To think, back in college I just thought he was a goofy guy with one of the most hilarious dance moves I’ve ever seen. Now he’s a father and a man I’m glad to take with me wherever I go (when ever we both can).

Simian Farmer - Written by Simon, this is the personal blog I’ve read the longest, by the man who has a vocabulary to rival Roget. Besides that, my wife and I agree that he’s the Canadian version of me. I’ve (virtually) watched him bring up one baby from a year old (because that’s when I started reading, not because that’s when he started rearing the child), and saw the coolest 3-D sonogram ever of his second child. We discovered each other through the comment threads on Cheeseburger Brown’s online serial novel Simon of Space. I remember he always called himself “Simon (of not space)” perhaps to distinguish himself from some fiction blog commenters who pretend to be the lead character.

Tales of an Impish Gren - Another blogger I “met” through Simon of Space, Moksha Gren also posts sporadically but meatily. If there were an award for best self-imposed nickname ever, he would win it without contest. His “Cast of Characters” feature is a clever addition and a simple way to take a deeper look at those whose names appear in his posts.

One Wink at a Time - The only female blogger on this list, Linda can make me think of music I love or once loved, and then make me take a hard look at my past by tossing in a post about racism. On top of that, she has a grown-up child of her own and is a great example of how to keep having fun past 29 (ahem). I think I found her blog through Simian Farmer’s comments, but I could be wrong.

Cheeseburger Brown - This blog is where a man from Canada posts his serial fiction. He happens to have a day job and is married with kid, but manages to crank out quality stories in a style that works well for me. No matter the genre — from science fiction to drama to comedy to children’s story — he manages to get me thinking about the future or just the relationships people forge while trying to get through one of the ordeals he’s cooked up for them.

Somehow, I’ve managed to mention every blog on my Blogroll except those who a) go weeks or months without a new post, or b) are written by me (A Storied Man). I can understand why some folks might not want to make such a list, but it was easy for me.

There’s no expectation for any of those listed to do anything. If one so chooses, however, there are some general guidelines.

The participation rules are:

1) If, and only if you feel like it and 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’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

The first time I received an appointment to anything?

Chosen with a few other boys from my junior class to attend Boys’ State, I got myself elected mayor of my “city.” The boy who got himself elected governor of our “state” had to appoint more than 300 participants to various government positions. I guess my mayoral success got his attention, or my name attracted his dart, and I was appointed State Aviation Officer. For that, my reward was a trip to Camp Robinson instead of the beautiful state capitol on our big field trip day. The one highlight of that was my first and only look through military night vision goggles.

Later, in college, my freshman dorm room was a few doors down from our illustrious former Boys’ State governor, and when I confronted him about my lucky appointment, his answer was wishy-washy enough that I can’t remember it.

If Blitz Krieg wasn’t already hiding his head for awarding me a Thinking Blogger Award, I’m sure he is after my powerhouse use of “wishy-washy.”

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