ME, ME and MEME

An amazing thing has happened. Someone has given me a blog award. It's called MEME. Mr. H over at Irregular Periodic Ruminations has been regularly ruminating on my periodic posts since I started in August. When I found out he'd given me this award I was flattered and flabbergasted.
He awarded it last month and it has taken me this long to get over the shock. And I had to figure out the rules, of which there are five: (1) claim the award in a post; (2) link back to Mr. H; (3) pass the MEME award along to five other bloggers and link to them, (4) list five addictions I'll admit to having; and (5) require my five award recipients to link back to me.
Okay. I can do a post. And I am delighted to link to Mr. H. His blog is well-written and entertaining. Naming five more blogs I like? Can do. There are so many good ones to choose from. And coming up with five addictions is no problem. The list is endless.
But, umm, requiring the award winners to link back to me? I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Self-promotion makes me uncomfortable, upsets my stomach. I'd feel like an Horatio Hornblower. Which is not to say that spawning awards are a bad thing. They're not. Neither is self-promotion. In fact I applaud those brave enough to do it. It's just not for me.
Since I cannot follow all of the rules of the award, I'll post it here. But I won't put it on the main page of my blog.
I know, I know. First-time visitors are impressed by awards. And when other bloggers link to me it increases my "traffic." Unquestionably, if five excellent bloggers linked to me it would exponentially increase traffic. And I've been told I'll get more visitors if I dispense clever comments on a multitude of blogs. But umm, it seems like self-promotion. Aaargh. Can't do it.
Call me a blogobitch, maybe "idiot" is more apropos, but I was sort of thinking my blog would stand (or fall) on its own merits. My hope, or delusion perhaps, is that people will read it because someone else recommended it, or another blogger linked to me, unsolicited.
Then again, I'm an unsophisticated blogger, not so savvy. I've heard some bloggers had a month or more of posts in reserve before they published their first one. Wow! Me? I plunged in with no preparation, I had no clue. One day Mr. M drove me crazy and when I'd tried to relax on a patio with a book and a sandwich, I was accosted by birds. So that's what I wrote about in my insanely long first post.
Hell, it took me months to figure out how to post a picture or a video. I only found out a few weeks ago, thanks to Stiletto Mom, how to link to an article.
But I digress. Back to MEME.
First, five blogs I enjoy:
1. The Stiletto Mom. She's funny and she's a good writer.
2. Mom Grind. She's brainy and articulate.
3. Pun Intended. It's offbeat and whacky.
4. Althouse. Wish I could be a law professor.
5. Know Your Teeth. A witty dentist is hard to resist.
Finally, a few of my sweet spots:
1. Baths (with Vitabath).
2. Books (Fortune's Rocks is high on my favorites list).
3. Chardonnay (specifically, Toasted Head).
4. Chocolate (Godiva cherries are an out-of-body experience).
5. Ironed sheets (nobody beats Sunshine Cleaners for great sheets).
Put a few together and they're even better. There's almost no greater pleasure than a great read in a big tub with a great big glass of wine.
So thanks for asking, Mr. H, and thank you for my first award. Hopefully you're not too upset with me for not following the final instruction. Following the first four was sure fun.

Labels: Random