megfowler.com

Wow! Look what I got from the lovely and brilliant Monty and the equally awesome Barbie! It’s the Thinking Blogger Award!

You guys are the best. And yes, I know I am formatting this all wrong, but it’s early and Game Seven is tonight, so I’m a bit of a flake. Which, now that I think of it, is nothing new…

First off, Barbie: Thank you so much for writing so honestly about your life and sharing all your joys and struggles and opinions and loves (and pictures of Moo.) I love how much we have in common (ugh, the health issues!), and most of all, that we share a common disease that NO one really recovers from: HOCKEY! Woo! You’re a great girl.

Monty: You probably make me think more than ANY other blogger I know, mostly because you are a beautiful and true writer and a deep (and gritty and real) ponderer, and partly because we have the best (and sometimes most fiery!) conversations via email. You are a kickass parent and a wickedly funny woman. You have also been there for me whenever I needed it, and that has been a blessing. I love what you do, and you do it brilliantly — so keep doing it! And I love that we can disagree and still find acres of common ground in the end.

It’s my job at this point, from what I understand, to nominate five more people for this award. Which is easy to do. Because I know a lot of thinky people.

Now, since I can’t nominate these women again, and since I only get five…

1. I love how Wood and Dutch write over at Sweet Juniper. They’ve made me laugh until I was crying, and then… well… cry because I was crying. Dutch’s parodies are brilliant beyond brilliant, their playlists have pointed me in the direction of some excellent tunes, and their site and product recommendations are always spot on. But I love to read MOST about their relationship and way they navigate the tricky waters of parenting. And their little girl, Juniper? Gorgeous.

2. Dick is one of my old buddies from the Salon days. His blog covers everything from the personal to the political to the poetic, and flows so beautifully that you never notice the stitches joining his thoughts. He’s also a musician, and heaven knows I cannot help crushing on “band boys.” His kids are also unbelievably sweet.

3. Liz is one of my most forever-y readers, and the kind of writer I aspire to be someday. She just has a way of saying things that is so absolutely and totally RIGHT. I love hearing about what she’s thinking, what’s she’s feeling, what she’s up to, and what she’s passionate about. Plus, she’s in Sweden, which makes everything more fun, especially town names and food names. I also love her amazing photos. Well done, girl.

4. I really should NOT give Eric this award. Not because he doesn’t make me think, and not because he’s not a fabulous writer and an amazing friend. No, he just SUCKS at updating his blog. Mind you, he used to be really good at it, and we’d all spend tons of time there trying to follow the quirky trajectory of his thoughts. But now? Now he wears Waldo shirts and claims to be too busy lighting stuff to write. Go there anyway, and read his archives. I’m sure he’ll get off his ass soon.

5. It wouldn’t be right not to nominate my original blog fairy godfather, Chuck. He is a terrifically gifted writer who thinks deeply and then pours that depth onto the page without being maudlin or saccharine. He also encourages me in my own work more than almost anyone I know (and that’s hard to do… I know pretty encouraging people!) I love that he’s always coming up with weird projects for us to write together — projects we never actually end up doing. But they always sound fun.

Honestly, I could give you twenty more. But a good way to figure out who makes me think is to click “Sweet Reads” up there and see what you find.

Big love to Monty and Barbie! I’m honoured.