In other news....

I am deeply flattered that my friend Jasoni has bestowed on me an "I love this blog" award:



He wrote of my blog, "I really love her blog! It was one of the first ones I ever read, and Laura has a great mix of writing news, goings on in SF, adventures with her family and travel, and just whacky stuff. It is a great way of keeping up with this very clever and talented writer, who is just starting to achieve her goals. She's awesome :-) Her writing entries have this habit of spreading contagious motivation." (Heavens!)

And, according to the rules*, here are my seven (ordinarily I'd just tag Jasoni right back, but that would be silly. (Note: there are tons of blogs I love, but I had to narrow it, so I also considered frequency of updating, subject matter, etc.):

Peter M. Ball: a man with a true gift for writing. Plus, he is interested in, and writes about, many things very different from me, and it's always good to get a unique point of view from an intelligent and rather alarmingly talented writer.

Jess Irwin: another fabulous writer, who can always come up with a deft phrase that changes your whole perspective. She's a ripper graphic designer, too.

Chard Nelson: Chard has a breadth of interests and a depth of understanding that are seldom (if ever) found together. And he's a bloody good writer, as well.

Food History, by Gillian Pollack: The blog's tagline is, "She knows where your food has been." Need I say more?

Cat Sparks: as an observer (not to mention a creator) of popular culture, Cat is unparalleled.

Houston Dunleavy: Want to know more about music, life, and how they intersect? Check out Houston's blog. He's my husband, but that in no way should deter you from checking out his blog.

Michelle O'Neil: Michelle's descriptions of life in her unconventional family are by turns hilarious and heart-rending. This woman has talent.

Lajos Hamers: A new blog that is tracking the progress and foibles of a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream involving a joint company of able-bodied and special-needs actors. Lajos, too, is a good writer.

Okay, so there are eight. Sue me.

*Here are the rules:

1)Add the logo of your award to your blog
2)Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3)Nominate at least seven other blogs
4)Add links to those blogs on your blogs
5)Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs