Mainstream journalists hate us, bloggers, because they realize that we are the future of journalism. Many people rely on their favorite blogs for information, entertainment, company, opportunities to vent, make friends, ask for advice, share experiences, and do many other crucial things. A Douthat-like reporter who only knows how to disgorge a column filled with same old banalities once a week for a huge salary cannot really compete with a dedicated blogger who shares her or his multi-faceted reality with people every day and for free. This is why I really like the idea of the Versatile Blogger Award that recognizes bloggers who approach a variety of topics in a variety of ways.
I’ve been nominated for this award by Rachel A. Hanson who had the following to say about my blog:
An insightful blog talking about a variety of topics. Definitely very versatile. Sometimes Clarissa makes me laugh, sometimes she makes me think. But always she makes me want to be a better person.
Thank you, Rachel! This makes me very happy and also gives me a chance to promote some really cool bloggers.
Here are the conditions of the award:
1) Nominate 15 fellow bloggers
2) Inform the Bloggers of their nomination
3) Share 7 random things about yourself
4) Thank the blogger who nominated you
5) Post the award badge.
So here are the bloggers I would like to nominate. I don’t think I can get all the way to 15 because I want to nominate only the folks who are really and truly versatile:
Northern Gaijin is a Canadian blogger who is a veritable fount of useful information on a variety of issues. If you run out of blogging ideas, visit his blog and you are bound to found something curious and new. Besides, he posts amazing travel photos and beautiful restaurant reviews.
Spanish prof’s blog – When the blog was first started, it was defined as a blog for people who teach Spanish. It’s author, however, has so many things to say about politics, traveling, movies, makeup, money, etc. that the blog soonj became truly versatile and great fun to read.
The Anachronistic Aardvark not only discusses a variety of subjects on his blog. He also writes really well. This is one of those really good blogs that definitely deserve a wider readership.
Nominatissima is a blogger we all know and love. She is also a person who talks about a variety of subjects on her blog. Autism, student life, LGBTQ activism, foodie adventures, love, romance, politics – what a great blog, people! And she posts a lot, which is something I really like.
Dan Miller is a blogger whose research is always meticulous and whose posts on a wide variety of subjects are always very informative.
Danny of Danny’s Corner is a blogger I really like and respect because he is very honest, he writes very well, and he always has a very unexpected approach to things. I never fail to feel enlightened after visiting his blog.
So these are the truly versatile bloggers I know and want to nominate.
And now 7 random facts about me:
1. The very first thing I do after getting out of bed in the morning is turn on my computer.
2. I always read, eat or watch videos in the bath-tub.
3. I spend at least 15 minutes every day staring at the sky.
4. I don’t like dessert. Unless the dessert is a piece of sausage.
5. I know a recipe called “hairy sausage” and will share it on this blog soon.
6. When I laugh at a joke, it’s usually just to be polite. Normally, I get the joke two days later and then have a real laugh.
7. You can figure out what my mood is every day by observing what kind of cup I drink my morning coffee from.
Clarissa's Blog 
Thank you very much, Clarissa.
LikeLike
wow thanks, Clarissa! this is quite an unforeseen honor. 🙂
I have only recently begun to realize though what a completely disorganized mess my blog is – where totally random personal posts in the nature of diary entries are mixed up with essays and attempts at fiction. Can you maybe share some thoughts on how you keep a blog with so many posts as yourself, so well-organized? Also why do you or most of the other great bloggers you count among your readers not write fiction or poetry, seeing as you are such good writers? Or do you perhaps keep them in another blog?
LikeLike
I don’t see your blog as a mess at all. It’s versatile (hence, the nomination) but it’s also tied together very well with your personality. You have a distinctive voice as an author that is very recognizable. But if you feel like you need to organize it, you can create many different pages at the same blog and title them “Fiction”, “Personal”, etc.
I don’t know about other readers, but I don’t write fiction because I have zero imagination. 🙂 I need to write exactly what exists and it has to be all about me. 🙂 I’m as honest as a heart rate monitor, as we say in my culture. 🙂
LikeLike
Oh man, I thought I was the only one who did that with jokes!
LikeLike
Oh no, it’s very common among autistics.
I identified with several items from your list, too. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for the unexpected nomination!
My blog is basically an outcome of an unusual life which wasn`t planned as in I spent part of my honeymoon in a tent, on the side of a mountain and in the middle of a hurricane (really!) and I felt that I would like to share some of the stories with other people. It also helps my writing since I have been a science guy and need the practice. Reading your blog and others also introduces me to subjects and topics which I have not considered.
LikeLike
I’m glad you are sharing your unusual life with us!
LikeLike
Wow! Thank you very much Clarissa! 😀
This is a great way to start off 2012 in blogging for me.
LikeLike
Danny of Danny’s Corner of the Universe is a blogger I really like and respect because he is very honest, he writes very well, and he always has a very unexpected approach to things. I never fail to feel enlightened after visiting his blog.
You made my day (like seriously I was struggling to stay up today after playing Skyrim WAYYYYYY too late last night). But please you can just call it Danny’s Corner (I just left the URL the same because I didn’t want to deal with the headache of setting up redirecting). Thanks for the nod!
Really thanks because sometimes I wonder if I’m just talking to hear myself talk.
LikeLike
5. I know a recipe called “hairy sausage” and will share it on this blog soon.
Let me guess. Its a dessert recipe right?
LikeLike
It contains real sausage and real pasta, which for me is a dessert. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks so much for the nomination!!! Is there a timeline to write my own post? I’m still in California, and my access to Internet is not very frequent. I’ll be back home on Saturday.
LikeLike
No, you can take as much time as you need. Have fun in California. 🙂
LikeLike