Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Blogs That Make Me Dream (and Blog)


This morning Wylie Kinson gave me a "Thinking Blog Award". Wow. I was quite surpirsed and tickled. Last night I was feeling like I don't know what to blog about...and feeling a little like I suck. Heh heh. So what a treat to find Wylie had tagged me with such a meme. The meme began right here...click please :).

The idea is to tag five people whose blogs "make you think". I ended up reading the original blog post and several other blogs...many of them quite inspiring. The activity led me to wonder...what makes me think in blogland?

I have a wide variety of blogs on my blog roll that I visit and almost all of them have wide interests...I love design blogs, food blogs, I love organic innovations for farming, I love science, and I love art blogs, I have a few mommy blogs that I check out because they are hilarious, and frankly...

I am not really interested in an elitist idea of what makes a blog important or smart or it's thinkability factor. I suspect me typing thinkability should void my nomination from Wylie, but what the hell. I'll keep that silly word. I do like the idea of tagging really cool blogs though...but it's a tough decision, I am really lucky that I have found so many terrific blogs this past year. Honestly, I think any of the blogs on my blog roll participate in friendship and inspiration...but for the sake of being a good sport I will commit to highlighting five today!

I like blogs that make me dream and make me see ideas, see things differently, or through someone elses eyes...and I like blogs that have positive energy. I do not like blogs that whine.

I went for a swim and a workout and while I was doing 60 painful abdominal crunches on a weight machine...(ten pounds, I'm no hero) I wondered what blogs would I link when I got home?

I like all the blogs I visit regularily. Regularily for me, is about twice a week, some more, some less. I just kind of revolve the visits every day or so...most of the time at least leaving a howdy-do in their comments. So my choice for five blogs that make me think do not acurately reflect all the blogs I enjoy...but the following five blogs are not only deeply inspiring to me, but I believe the bloggers themselves are writing posts that might even change the world...and contribute to living thoughtfully. These five bloggers are not only imaginative thinkers a couple of them have put their core moral beliefs into practice and they write passionately about ideas and actions.

I wonder if any of these five blogs will actually join the meme or even notice I posted about them here...hard to say. Considering there are so many memes on the internet and on blogs, there are a lot of folks who do not like participating in memes. In fact, the person who created this meme says she doesn't like memes so created this one to be thought provoking. I would be very curious to know what blogs made these five bloggers inspired...?

For me, it is the combination of passion and dedicated writing that makes these five blogs not only worth paying a visit to, but following rigorously:

This first choice was easy: How To Save The World and blogger Dave Pollard isn't kidding. He not only has ideals and ideas on how to change his own life, make it valuable and fun, but he also has huge applicable and accessible posts about how to work as a community to improve life on earth for animals and human animals. Every day he has intense challenging posts on personal goals, on ethics and practical applications of community enhancing ideas. I haven't found any other blog that has as much work, labour, energy, imagination or commitment to it's goals as this blog by Dave Pollard...I don't remember how I found his blog...I think perhaps I googled some reading material looking for a kindred spirit...and found his blog. I don't know but his work and energy is almost too good to be true. Check out his "save the world reading list". Pollard's blog is really hard work to read, but my god, IT ROCKS!!!!

Incorporeal Works is a blog by a "friend" dare I say? I know Felix...from an online bookclub we have both been participants for years...me for about 9 years, Felix maybe longer. A year ago i noticed that Felix had a blog when I checked out his profile at our bookclub Constant Reader. We have never met in person, but I feel a familiarity with Felix through many book discussions and topics at Constant Reader. His blog has southern flavours and feels like going for a good fresh walk outside in a woodsy grove. He writes about nature, urban life, memories, books and even prohibition. Visiting his blog makes me feel like I'm having a glass of iced tea or a gin with a sweet buddy. I hope you visit his blog...and I hope some of my visitors go and visit Constant Reader, we could use some fresh voices in book discussions. Our upcoming book club discussions include Oliver Twist by charles Dickens, Talk Talkby T.C.Doyle and Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier.



The Last Nerve and Heavy Mentalist these are both written by Cherryl who covers sexual politics, hip hop, social culture and stereotypes, black owned internet businesses, rape and all kinds of power games. Bullshit free zone. I love her.

Built To Be Destroyed is a dreamscape, a languid mysterious writer who plays piano and floats with ideas about tv, buildings, time, loss, words and actors. Everytime I read his blog I am inspired and enter a kind of meditation of associations.

The Blog of Brad is written by a man who had a promising career in molecular biology and computer programmming but packed in those jobs to become an organic farmer. Brad doesn't post very often...but his thoughts on food and diet and nutrition are always interesting and thorough. I suspect if more people visited his blog, he would begin to post more often...although I myself have worked in farming and it is one of the most gruelling jobs out there...so possibly the guy is just toodamn busy making our food to blog much. I hope you will go over and greet him and check out his blog. Maybe he will post more regularily?

Thanks again to Wylie for such a truly friendly and kind gesture and who cheered me up to keep on blogging with her kind inclusion of me in this interesting meme. You gave me quite a shot to my ego Wylie! Also, again, here is the original blog that this meme started with...which I found of interest to see a starting point for a meme, something rare. I was impressed that this original idea had 162 comments! It began on Feburary 11th, 2007.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a daily blog reading route. You and Mr. Anchovy being on that list among others. My preferences are towards blogs that are updated very regularly with comments full of conversation, because it's that public conversation that I love. I have a very low opinion of bloggers who post without getting involved in their comment section. That said, you are probably the most ridiculously courteous person in that regard, to the point where I laugh and think 'you may be in Chicago, but you're so fucking Canadian'.

Wylie Kinson said...

Perhaps coming up with the word 'thinkability' will earn you another Thinking Blogger Award??

Great response and I'm going to go check out the five you tagged. They sound intriguing...

FOUR DINNERS said...

Asterisk nominated you and The Anti Crapitalist. 2 of me favourites. You go girl!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!!!! And, you have given me a bunch of new blogs to check out!

Love this:

I like blogs that make me dream and make me see ideas, see things differently, or through someone elses eyes...and I like blogs that have positive energy. I do not like blogs that whine.


I so agee!

felix said...

Thanks for the kind words about my blog, Candy. Yours is one of the few I check every few days. So many blogs, so little time. And the others you list all look interesting. More hours in the day are needed.

Felix

Toronto Airport Taxi said...

great wording i like this blog entry. and keep it up
my last post was Toronto Airport Taxi

generated by sloganizer.net