Nominated... and thinking perhaps too much about it

Shelly left a comment on one of my recent posts that her husband, Chris (not to be confused under any circumstances with Steph's husband, Chris) had nominated me for a "Thinking Blogger" Award. Yesterday I found that I've also been nominated by Doctor Anonymous.

This award/meme originated with this post on the thinking blog.

In the post announcing the "Thinking Blogger" award, the author swears off memes forever, but asks, "[H]ow can I leave the world of blogging memes without starting one? =)" (Emoticon in original.)

This is also from the original site:

The participation rules are simple:

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 (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

...Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!

Sometimes, when I'm clicking "next blog," my thought is "how can this person say things like this without going to jail?" -- but, even that constitutes thinking, of a sort. And every blog I visit regularly 'gets me thinking' -- otherwise I wouldn't visit. So I've been agonizing on this for some time now: How do I come up with a list of only five?

And then there are the rules: What constitutes "real merits" and "relative content?" It sounds rather pretentious to me.

However, without further adieu, herewith my nominations:

1. Landgirl of Home in the Highlands. Right after Landgirl first stopped by this blog she asked a question that is still something I think about all the time: "Are you writing for publication or to have a conversation with interested people?" For me, this is like asking if I want cookies or ice cream: My answer to both questions is "yes." But these twin goals are not always compatible. Landgirl's essays are interesting and thoughtful, and strongly evoke what is, for me, a very different and foreign place... and lifestyle.


2. Ben and Bennie, of A Work of Art: Raising Our Exceptional Son. Bennie's opinions and reports are newsworthy, too... if you'll recall his recent foray into cable news.


3. Mary Anne, of A Place I call Home. Oh, sure, you'll find updates on the family and photos of knickknacks and (gorgeous) photos of the local scenery... but you'll also find her tackling thorny issues, like When is a lie a lie?.


4. I'll make Ken Levine's blog my fourth nomination. Not that he'll notice. This guy is truly big-time: Just read his profile. And how can a guy have such a great career as a writer and have broadcast major league baseball? Ken Levine's blog gets me thinking, every day, about how insanely jealous I am of him. But he's very funny and worth a regular visit.


5. Chris, of Thermal, is my final nominee. He's not given to long or introspective posts -- but he's constantly looking for gadgets and widgets and other geegaws to drive traffic to his blog, only some of which I've been brave enough to steal emulate. Unless your blog is just a diary that is only coincidentally left out in the open where anyone could find it, you're probably writing in the hopes of being read. How do you accomplish this? Chris is working on this, and he writes about it regularly, and it gets me thinking.