Versatile Blogger Acceptance Speech

A few weeks ago I was honored to receive the Versatile Blogger Award. The award was conveyed to me by John Wiswell as part of his acceptance of the award. Did I mention I was honored? (Even if part of the reason he chose me was my post on auto-flushing toilets.) I don’t win many awards – ok, I don’t win any awards – so I’m taking advantage of this and have decided to give an acceptance speech. (Well, technically this is just a blog post, but that’s the beauty of writing – I can call it anything I want.)

The terms of the award seem to be that the recipient has to provide seven little known facts about themselves and then they have to pass the award on to others. Since I was included with a group of Twitter friends in the award, I’m gearing this speech toward those who know me digitally. Therefore, my interpretation of “little known facts” is from that perspective. People who know the non-digital me will already know most of these facts, but maybe I’ll surprise you too.

Seven Facts:

1. I am a vegetarian – This is actually quite strange to say for someone who got their picture on the wall for eating the Ridiculous Burger in under five minutes. (See Photo. BTW, I accomplished that on two different occasions.) I’ve always been the type to try different things and after a few stints of eating vegetarian-only I found that I feel better with that diet. I used to think that vegetarians were weird, now I am one, which further confirms my initial assumption.
2. I am an ordained minister – I don’t spend a lot of my online time talking about my spirituality. You will find some of my thoughts on my blog, but for the most part I like to talk to people who are interested in talking to me. I don’t like talking at people. And while I love good debate and banter, I despise arguments. It’s a fine line, but most people know when a debate moves into an argument. And I must admit that we Christians often tend to talk at people or argue instead of engaging in dialogue. One request, though – please don’t try to label me. I’ll be happy to share my beliefs if you’re interested, just don’t lump me into any particular group.
3. I have hiked Taal Volcano more than 5 times – One of the most beautiful places in all the world is Taal Volcano in the Philippines. The hike itself is only about a mile and a half and it’s not extremely difficult. In addition, the view into the crater is a bit anti-climatic. However, the views around the area are breathtaking and the ride across the lake is always a fun trip. Hiking the volcano has recently stopped due to increased seismic activity. Once it’s cleared again, though, you can be sure I’ll be wandering back for another trip.
4. I enjoy being married – I’ve heard all the jokes about married life. Heck, I make many of the jokes about marriage. But the truth is that I actually enjoy it. Correspondingly, one of my goals for this year is to revive my old marriage blog. I agree with the comedian Rita Rudner, “Marriage is finding that special someone you want to annoy the rest of your life.”
5. I want to be busker – I’m not a very good guitarist and my vocal skills are quite average. Neither of those facts deters me from my dream of one day busking. I’m not sure why I find that so enthralling, but the idea of sitting on a busy street singing to anyone who will listen sounds like a lot fun. So one day… one day.
6. Pretty in Pink is one of my favorite movies – Go ahead. Let the jokes begin, but “If You Leave” by OMD was an awesome song. Not to mention I always had a slight crush on Molly Ringwald.
7. I’m actually a hologram – Most people don’t know this, but I don’t really exist. When my batteries get weak I look twenty pounds lighter. Did I mention that I like to make up stories?

Now, in accordance with the rules, I now convey this award to the following writers:

• Lee-Ann Kho – I met Lee-Ann through #FridayFlash and really enjoy her stories. But she doesn’t just write fiction. She also writes articles for Perth Walkabout which are very interesting – including one about a busker. Fiction or non-fiction, Lee-Ann is definitely versatile.
• Michael Tate – I enjoy reading Michael’s stories because he captures the psychological aspect so well. Whether it’s stories of pistol games, old men, grieving teenagers or monsters, you can be sure to get a peek into the minds of the characters. Besides, Michael got bonus points for once using a taylor series expansion for natural log formula as part of a story. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but it makes me feel smarter just to say it.
• Duane Scott – If you like versatility you’ll enjoy Duane Scott. His blog has squirrels, Cheetos, Man vs. Kitchen, inspirational stories and, of course, Pleasantly Disturbed Thursdays. I refer to him as the next Max Lucado, even if he doesn’t see it yet.
• Lara Dunning – I’ll admit it. I would nominate Lara for this award simply based on her Vampire Tracker series. (I’m hooked.) However, Lara is also quite versatile. She writes other short stories, book reviews, author interviews and articles about being a writer.