THE LOVELY BLOG AWARD - PLUS 7 THINGS ABOUT ME

The very manly and prolific John Wiswell who blogs at The Bathroom Monologues have given us the (very unmanly-looking) One Lovely Blog Award.

I gotta say, it looks like Holly Hobbie designed this thing with all its frilly doilies and teacups on it. But I digress...

Anyway, here are the rules: I think I have to tell you guys seven things about myself that you may not have known and pass the award along to a few worthy bloggers.

That said, though, I'm sure this award has made the rounds so I'm not sure if I can hit a blog that hasn't had it. If I give it to you and you've received it already, my apologies.

In any case, here are the seven things you may not have known about me:

1. I had two kidney operations when I was 11 and 13 and needed to go to Cornell Medical Center in The Big Apple. Only two docs at the time could've performed the operations -- I had blockages in my kidneys and probably wouldn't have lived to see college had they not been found.

2. If I may put my Bukowski grittiness aside, allow me to say that I could happily live at Disney World resorts 24/7... If you put me at the Boardwalk Resort which replicates an East Coast boardwalk during the roaring 20s, I'd be fine. Especially with all the hot jazz they pipe in everywhere. Now this is blasphemous since Buk was notorious for hating Mickey Mouse.

3. September 11, 2001 was one of the most surreal days of my life. Driving to work, watching those towers smoke in the distance mere miles away was downright scary. It was also one of the only two days during my 20-plus years working at my newspaper that we printed an "EXTRA" edition -- you know, those things paperboys sell on street corners in B&W movies.

4. HGTV soothes me. No kidding...

5. I was pretty much dry until the age of 24ish. It's true... A woman did, in fact, drive me to drink. Thank God. ;)

6. I take roughly 50 vitamins a day. Maybe more. What else would explain my youthful effervescence?

7. I'm no thrill seeker. I don't jump outta planes, ski, hike, mountain climb, mountain bike, swim, ride a motorcycle, jet ski, surf or snowboard. I chill. Gimmie a cabana, newspaper, pair of shades and a cold drink at a five-star Vegas strip hotel. That's what I do best...

And now, here's who I want to bestow the "Lovely Blogger Award" upon:

scibo ergo sum: Jen Brubacher's nifty blog is a cool lil' hangout for any writer. She's a librarian who writes fiction (mostly Mystery/Suspense) and posts mainly about the writing craft, books and authors, libraries and information technology, and issues such as censorship and privacy. Good stuff all around.

Life on the Muskoka River: Cathy Olliffe's stupendous blog delivers her elegant musings, well-crafted flash fiction and a plethora of guest writers where one of the main highlights are Cathy's profile on her subjects. She's got such a way with words that you'll find yourself hanging out at her house more and more...

Mindspeak: Carrie Clevenger brings it on so many levels. Her yarns, ranging from disturbing horror to nuanced crime and noir, are delivered in a gut punch style that is certainly unique. If ever there's a scribe that leaves me in awe, it's Ms. Clevenger.

Winedrunk Sidewalk: John Grochalski's no-frills joint is one of my favorite blogs. When I grow up as a writer, I wanna be just like him. He delivers a poem a day from the gritty streets of Brooklyn (I believe) and my jaw drops at his prolific nature. He makes it look easy. Sadly, we were supposed to share a flipbook/chapbook together published by the now defunct Tainted Coffee Press / Zygote in my Coffee outfit. It woulda been a great title.