My friend Linda White nominated this blog for a Versatile Blogger award. I’m honored. I’ve been called asshole, mentally disturbed, jerk and loudmouth. Versatile is a new one.
Mood music:
http://youtu.be/EucafWcPav4
Whenever someone honors me, I like to pay it forward, so let’s play along.
Rules of the Versatile Blogger award…
RULE #1: List 7 Random Facts About Yourself:
1. I recently learned that there’s more caffeine in lighter coffee roasts than the darker stuff I prefer. To get both the strong kick and taste, I now brew a mix of light and dark. That’s what I call balance.
2. I’m probably the only person on Earth who likes the new Van Halen song. That either means I’m cooler than everyone else or my musical tastes have deteriorated.
3. I recently learned that I have ADD as well as OCD. That explains why I’m having so much trouble writing this post.
4. I always work with my feet up on the desk. It makes me look lazy, but it’s really to keep from fidgeting.
5. I’ve only recently gotten over the fact that I had to quit smoking. I quit in August.
6. As annoying as it can be sometimes, I enjoy difficult, dramatic people. Difficult+dramatic=more interesting.
7. My passion for history has taken a darker turn of late. I usually like to visit monuments to the giants in D.C. Lately, however, I favor places where horrendous crimes have happened. I think it’s a subconscious effort to take the sting out of things that used to scare me.
RULE #2: Nominate 15 Other Blogs.
1. http://thewritingresource.net/ This is the blog of my awesome wife Erin. It’s a must-read for anyone who is serious about learning to write well. The blog is chock full of language resources and grammar tips. By the way, Erin edits much of what appears in my blog.
2. http://crudmykidssay.wordpress.com/ Linda has a brilliant wit that bobbles freely between sunny and dark. I love this blog ’cause I know and love her kids, and she really captures their personalities in the writing.
3. http://notnowhoneymommyhastoblog.com/ A new one by another mom with a razor-sharp wit and the talent to capture it in a blog. The pictures of her dog’s hapless expression while wearing a variety of undignified costumes is reason alone to follow her.
4. http://caffeineandcookies.com/ My old Rockit Records colleague Christian Campagnia has traveled cross country at least five times in the last year (OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, but only slight) and I love the somewhat warped picture he presents of the people he meets. His honesty about himself is also refreshing.
5. http://www.ridiculouslife.net/crazy-in-a-crazy-world.html is from Dr. Annabelle Rc, author of “A Life Lived Ridiculously” – the companion blog being “Crazy In A Crazy World.”
6. http://ocdbloggergirl.wordpress.com/ is written by Lisa Burleson. Like me, she writes in an attempt to sort out the daily challenges of life with OCD. Her observations are raw and unflinching, and reading about her challenges makes you realize how so alike we all are. When you realize you’re not alone, life’s big challenges become less insurmountable.
7. http://emergentchaos.com/ is a group blog on security, privacy, liberty, and economics. It’s written by Adam Shostack, Chris Walsh, Arthur and Mordaxus.
8. http://howtoraiseadysfunctionalfamilyin10days.wordpress.com/ is written by my old friend Nancy Casey. She takes the everyday, often serious challenges of family life and puts a humorous spin on it. I introduced her to her husband Chris, so her family challenges are sort of my fault. But they have great kids, so it’s a fault I’m happy to have.
9. http://pennywrites.wordpress.com/ You will never know what courage is until you read about Penny Richards’ journey through hell. She has fought breast cancer and is sharing her journey to deal with the death of her only child. I suspect her daughter is looking down from Heaven at her mom and feeling very proud.
10. http://reassembler.wordpress.com/ This is from my boss, Derek Slater. He writes about food, chess and, of course, a little security. Our big boss John Gallant captures the essence of this blog perfectly when he says of Derek, “You have departed from reality.”
11. http://blog.uncommonsensesecurity.com/ Another security blog, written by my old friend Jack Daniel. Jack has a special gift for articulating the more ridiculous side of our industry.
12. http://thesweetestreasons.typepad.com/the_sweetest_reasons/ I used to work with Olivia Gatti, a gifted photographer who captures the raw beauty of family life each day. I’ve never met her husband and daughters, but in reading this blog I feel like I know them very well.
13. http://run-dmz.blogspot.com/ Few people can write like by former boss, Anne Saita. There’s a lot about running in this one, but it’s about so much more than that.
14. http://www.savagechickens.com/2009/12/hey-beautiful.html This is a showcase for Doug Savage’s “Savage Chickens” cartoons. He’s warped, and I mean that as a compliment.
15. http://idiosyncratic-routine.com/ is written by Amber Baldet, a capital markets and investment banking technology consultant, science lover,
artist, gamer and digital rights and privacy advocate. All of these subjects shine through in her blog. That’s some serious diversity.
Thank you, Bill!
I appreciate the shout out. I’ve never been called brilliant. But I like that I bobble freely.
You’ve given me some great new stuff to bookmark! Thank you, my friend!