One Lovely Blog Award

My blog is very new and I’m still amazed that anyone actually has read it.  I have a mere 25 followers, and about 450 views the last time I checked.  I get VERY excited when someone comments.  So imagine my surprise when Unladylike Musings nominated me for the One Lovely Blog award!  Musings is really not unladylike at all.  She has a wonderful blog about gender and social issues and it is a favorite of mine.  Stop on over and see what she’s musing about.  It never fails to get one thinking.

The rules of the One Lovely Blog Award are that you:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.  Thanks again Unladylike Musings!!
2. Add the One Lovely Blog Award to your post.  I have done so 🙂
3. Share 7 things about yourself.  That’s coming.  Read on.
4. Pass the award on to 15 nominees.  Well, I don’t have 15 as of yet, but I will pass it on to several of my favorites.  I’ll add to the list as I read more and more blogs.
5. Include this set of rules.
6. Inform your nominees by posting a comment on their blogs.

So, you’ve read on.  Now for the 7 things about myself.  You’ve already read the deepest darkest secrets of my soul, so I will try to keep this list less stressful for you.

1. I am a classical pianist.  I started playing the piano when I was 5 (well, as soon as I could sit at the keyboard, but the lessons started at 5).  I took 12 years of lessons, stopped for a couple of decades, and then went back as an adult for 3 more years of lessons from a flighty, amazing jazz pianist who taught me things about piano and creativity in general.  I’m actually pretty good, but I suffer from very bad stage fright so few have actually heard me play.  This summer I put my heart into practicing and finally (FINALLY!) mastered one of my favorite pieces–Chopin’s Nocturne No. 19 in E minor, Op. 72 no. 1.  I have no idea how to get a good video of myself playing it…you’ll have to trust me on this one.  But here’s an amazing young man playing it beautifully.  Chopin…the haunting beauty, I just can’t express how it moves me.
2. On the other hand, while I do enjoy a good symphony and am amazed at anyone who can pull off Rachmaninoff, at heart I’m a bluesy girl and could listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan play guitar all night!  I’ve got a CD with Stevie playing with BB King.  Unbelievable!  Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, give me 12 bars and I’m a happy camper.
3. I absolutely cannot live without a cat in my home.  I’ve had several over the years.  When one passes away, I always swear I will never get another so that I do not have to go through the sorrow of putting them down, watching them be sick, etc.  It never takes more than a month or two before the next little kitty shows up.  Here’s my current old man kitty.  He’s getting a little cranky, but we love him:
   

   He looks like he’s making an obscene paw gesture here. “Get away from me, silly human, I’ve got napping to do!!”

4. I try very hard to be a vegetarian (No, I’m not perfect just yet).  Mainly for my health…I’ve got some type of autoimmune disorder and a vegetarian diet is supposed to cause less inflammation.  It’s helped and I don’t miss meat at all.  Can’t give up cheese though!
5.  I would LOVE to be a writer.  It’s kind of my dream job.  I envision myself holing up in the woods in a cabin somewhere with an old typewriter, cranking out Pulitzer winning novels, of course.
6. I am the absolute worst housekeeper ever.  I throw socks on the floor, rarely pull my weeds, and only mop for company.  It’s terrible, really.
7. For some reason, this year I have become rather a raving lunatic about certain political issues (which I will NOT bother you with).  This is fairly new for me.  Suffice it to say, my governor is NOT my friend, I’m not looking forward to November, and everyone around me has had to hear about it.  My son leaves the room whenever politics comes up…and he agrees with me!

Now for my nominees for The Lovely Blog Award:

1. BroadBlogs:  Feminism, social justice issues, gender, sex…it’s got it all.
2. Damn Right I’m a Feminist:  I think the name says it all 🙂  Another blog that always gets you thinking.
3. Opt4:  One of my favorites, and one of the first blogs I found.  Lots of posts about how we can promote healthy, nonviolent relationships.
4. WrongReaction:  A blog from another rape survivor.  Very powerful stuff.
5. Blue Milk:  A blog about feminism and parenting.  She writes about all types of things…from the serious to the heartwarming.  It’s very well-written and I enjoy every post.  Check out this one called “Don’t Get Raped“.  It’s the one that led me to her blog.
6. Sweet Mother:  Not all the blogs I follow are so serious.  Sweet Mother will make you laugh on every single page.  She’s awesome!
7. Canadica:  Alright, this one’s just a bonus–I don’t know if it qualifies as “lovely” so much as dripping with sarcasm, but I thought I’d throw it in there.  Canadica is a spinoff blog from Sweet Mother and the equally funny, though sometimes disturbing Le Clown.  I live on the Canadian/US border, so this new blog is just hilarious for me.  Will it be funny for others?  I have no idea, but it cracks me up.  Canadian and American bloggers take turns writing posts.  Try the Name That Canadian Thing quiz.  I actually did surprisingly well 🙂
8. Sincerely, Slapdash:  Also very funny and entertaining.  I particularly enjoy her Obscure Rock Song of the Week (given my bent for classic rock) where her daughter Teen chooses songs for her to post.  I wish my own teens had an appreciation of the songs I love!

So, it’s not 15.  What are they going to do to me?  But these are the blogs I follow on a regular basis.  I hope you enjoy them.

Back on a serious note, I cannot express how it has made me feel to hear someone call my blog “extremely powerful and well-written”.  I hoped I would be able to connect to other survivors with this blog, and I’m finding that I have.  Thank you so much to all of my readers.  Your comments have touched my heart.