I got an award, I did -- I did

I got this award from my friend csl. I was quite touched, especially because it came from her. I have found her to be, since I discovered her a while ago, a fascinatingly articulate, witty and I am fully prepared to say ‘tough’ woman who has battled through some domestic adversity and I think provides a wonderful role model for others, especially women, who find themselves dealing with some life-challenges. But, what she says, both personally, and indeed professionally, applies to men who have undergone similar trials (like me, for example) and have managed to get out to the other side unbowed. And, she’s funny, too, an excellent photographer, inspiring Mom, and finally, a fine cook if the dishes she photographs bear testament.

So, needless to say, I was very flattered when she offered this award to me. I was also touched by what she said about me and my blog:

Ian, who writes on a wide range of interesting topics and seems to gather up interesting folks around him. I’ve found my way to several blogs I’ve stuck with through him. And I always enjoy reading the thoughts of this kindred spirit.

Shucks, she finds me a kindred spirit, and I say the same about her, so that works nicely.

I’ve never really thought of myself as a ‘schmoozer’ as such. I consider myself friendly and outgoing (though inwardly more shy than I let on) and I can say that I genuinely like ‘most’ (though assuredly not all) people. I think I am also very ‘democratic’ when dealing with people from all walks of life and can relate to them at their various levels without ever sounding (or feeling) patronizing. This was invaluable help when I worked as a reporter, and also working in a drug and alcohol rehab. So, if that qualifies as an ability to schmooze, then so be it.

Now comes the difficult part – the tagging. Again, this must be narrowed to a mere five people, which I find virtually impossible to do, because I like my blogger friends (all of them, or they wouldn’t be on my list) very much. So, I am going to stick with the schmoozing aspects of their blogs and think of individuals whom I’d love to sit down and have a coffee with in a sidewalk café and sort out all the woes of the world, but also to have a good laugh about the ludicrous traits and habits of the mass of humanity, ourselves included. Which doesn’t mean I wouldn’t also like to share a coffee with all the others, and also some who aren’t on my list.

So, here are my schmoozing award choices:

Heartsinsanfrancisco is a west-coaster like I am, and we seem to have sensibilities which mesh nicely, and she has a delicious sense-of-humor combined with a big chunk of intelligence and is just a lot of fun to visit on a daily basis. I like Big Brother (even though he’s never told me what happened with the ‘Holding Company’) because I was once a teacher, and he still is, and he’s also a trivia aficionado like I am. And, I can’t mention him in this context without looking at his baby sister, Jazz, whom, if you haven’t found her yet, you should. She’s funny, irreverent, has a wonderfully dirty mind just like mine, and so she’s up for a café au lait and a schmoozing award. Voyager of Spindrift and Dreams is also very intelligent, very funny, wonderfully irreverent and lives in my hometown and shares lots of wonderful journeys I’ve also taken in years past. Finally, I am going to mention somebody with whom I actually have shared a coffee and real-time conversation, and want to do so again, and that is Tai. She is very much in real life like her blogs, and her blogs are varied and consistently diverting.

So, there you have it. And, those tagged, if they will, have to grant the award to five good people of their own choosing.