Thinking Blogger Award

Back when I started this blog, I wanted to expand and explore good writing first and foremost. Sometimes, I know, that I am guilty of plopping prose down here that can be, as a dear and now departed professor of mine used to say, "as dry as mummy dust."

And I know I often veer from topic to topic like drunken fiend fat with cash and bleary-eyed affection for the neon nights. I also know that sometimes having a worthwhile post is a true challenge requiring buckets of coffee and re-writes aplenty. The posts here can require too much time to read, or may ask the readers to go to a variety of other sites to read and review whatever crust of sand got stuck in my velvety-smooth insides which irritated me to the to point of trying to convert it into some pearl. My mom often says the posts are too long and I ramble some. Well, yeah, that'll happen.

So ok, the point of this post - my good friend and tireless web-writer and newspaper maven Newscoma was generous enough to nominate this humble but lovable blog for a Thinking Bloggers Award. Mucho thanko, NC. Your assessment of this page made me smile and maybe blush a wee bit.

In order to properly participate in such a weighty accolade, it falls now to me to nominate 5 blogs which make me think and ask them to join in this process too. As NC says:

"1. If, and only if, 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

So be it. For the record - this was not easy for me to do, and I hate not to include all those whose blogs you can link to via this page. I hope you visit them all and I include them because they are fine places to visit and read. Here's my list of 5:

1. KnoxViews -- If you live in Tennessee and you don't read the offerings here, you're missing out. R. Neal and others have been expertly articulating viewpoints on not only local and state topics, but national ones too. Posts are typically well-researched, and also provide some plain spoken responses to much of the political world. Claims that it is a 'liberals only' blog miss the mark by a wide margin. Sometimes the discussions get heated, sometimes they get most hilarious. What I like best about KnoxViews: When a political policy is bogus or botched, it gets called out. When the Emperor Has No Clothes, KnoxViews says "Yo, bub - yer nekkid!"

2. Atomic Tumor -- Some great writing here, whether it's about music, raising a family, politics, culture or the Sunday haiku. I can't write a haiku but AT spins them out with ease and much humor. Some may recall the tragic reality that filled AT's life last fall as his wife suddenly took ill and died within weeks. AT stood like a giant in the midst of that and explored what it all meant with unflinching honesty. Some may have become readers because of that sad time, but I was already hooked on AT. AT can be a prolific writer, makes me kinda jealous. I am constantly enriched and rewarded for reading.

3. Tennessee Jed -- "Trying Hard Not To Make Matters Worse" is a heck of a credo. Others should remember it and act accordingly. All topics are here, and as with all those I am mentioning for this Thinking Bloggers Award, readers can discover a distinctive voice. He amplifies that voice with some great graphics and designs. Be sure to check out his design work page too. And his page has one of the hallmarks of a good blog - I always want more.

4. The Vol Abroad -- Another fine voice here, one that I only discovered in the past few months. But I quickly became a regular reader. A Tennessee gal living in London and awaiting the arrival of a new baby, The Vol writes on many topics too, from gardening to politics both London and U.S. And one of the ones I liked recently was her request for things she can't get in London, like Krystal's and catfish and hush-puppies. Baby Cletus is due to arrive in about 40 days. I hope The Vol still finds time to blog and to parent too.

5. The Coyote Chronicles -- Mack is fun to read, but be careful. You might learn a few things while you are smiling. I like how he does that. His recent post on Don Imus is a good example of his voice and his ability to tell a good story while trying to offer some insights into life in America.

One reason I selected these blogs is not just for what they have already done, but for the expectations I have for what they can do and will do. Yeah, the pressure is on now!