Several weeks ago I was given the Stylish Blogger Award by rumblycottage. Because I’d already received this award months ago (and felt self-conscious about it the first time), I really didn’t know how to handle this second honor. Then, about a week later, I was notified by play101 and writerwoman61 that they’d named me for the Versatile Blogger Award. The two honors have the same format and requirements — that I tell some things about myself and name a few other bloggers I feel deserve recognition.
And the similarities got me thinking.
Now I know someone is going to get upset about this, but I’ve decided to combine the awards into one, called the Stylishly Versatile Blogger. This accomplishes two things: It allows me to weasel out of creating a second post, and it blurs the nature of the award sufficiently that I almost don’t even feel self-conscious anymore. “Stylishly Versatile” seems to say something, until you think about it, and then it sounds fuzzy and incoherent, as though I were acknowledging that I’m “Pleasantly Obscure” or “Fascinatingly Bland.” Those are names I could live with.
* * * * *
Here are seven things that I tend not to talk about, mainly because they’re trite and uninteresting.
1. I have a history of getting locked in bathrooms, both in public and in the homes of other people. Okay, in my own home, too. And on trains and planes.
2. I graduated from high school in 1973, a date that, when I look at it now, makes me think of George Washington and the Revolutionary War.
3. I often watch recorded lectures on math and science. I do this, not only because I’m interested in the topics, but also because I like being alone; those lectures always cause everyone else to scatter to the far corners of the house.
4. In 1989, I set a personal record by eating pizza on eight consecutive days. I tied the record in 2010.
5. I’m no longer afraid of dying, but I’m also not looking forward to it. I guess I’m neutral about death, similar to how I feel about home entertainment systems and cole slaw. My fear is that I’ll die in some pointless way, like getting hit by a falling telephone pole while waiting for a red light to change.
6. I’m very easily confused. I don’t know how to buy a lottery ticket. I get lost in any building that has more than four sides. I have an inordinate amount of trouble with remote control devices. Airports baffle me. If someone gives me directions and there are more than three steps, I immediately forget the first one.
7. I have to know what something is before I’ll eat it. Even before I became a vegetarian, I would never consider tasting snake, shark, insects, rodents, internal organs, or the tongue of anything. I also won’t eat certain things just because of where they might come from; mushrooms, for example, sometimes grow on rotting tree stumps. What food looks like is important; bean sprouts remind me of pictures from my Biology textbook, although I’m not sure why. And there are things I will consume, but only if I can manage to temporarily forget what they are; both eggs and honey fall into this group. On the other hand, I eat Oreo cookies and I have no idea what they’re made of. So all in all, I’d say my dietary choices are a fascinating and enchanting mix of preferences. However, no one I know would agree with that assessment. Most people want to chain me to a fence and shove food down my throat.
* * * * *
Having combined the awards, and thereby doubling the vagueness of their names, it may seem as though I’ve watered down the honor I’m supposed to bestow on others. I assure you that isn’t my intent. At least once a day I stumble upon another amazing blog written by someone who’s talented, creative, and smart. My blogroll reflects many of those happy discoveries, but not all. The thing is, the Stylish and Versatile awards have been making the rounds for months, and everyone I know has received one or both of them, some several times. Rather than continuing this recycling process, I’m going to mention six bloggers I like a lot. Under each name, I’ve listed two recent posts that I enjoyed. Please visit their blogs when you have some time — I think you’ll like what you find. And if you happen to be one of these six and want to accept the Stylishly Versatile Blogger Award, it’s all yours.
Charly Walker’s Blog
She takes a subject — any subject — and whips it into a frenzy with clever wordplay and breathless monologues. I keep telling her these posts could be performed on stage, but she won’t listen.
http://charlywalker.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/the-tail-wagging-the-blog/
http://charlywalker.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/sweep-it-under-the-blog/
Earth Ocean Sky Redux
Great photography and insightful narrative, mostly about locations in southeastern New York State and southwestern Connecticut. Some great travel posts, too.
http://earthoceanskyredux.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/bedford-village-architecture-101/
http://earthoceanskyredux.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/historic-ossining/
The Happy Freelancer
One of my original blogging buddies, Heidi dispenses valuable advice about the business of freelance writing, and refreshing commentary about life.
http://thehappyfreelancer.com/2011/04/01/networking-your-elevator-pitch/
http://thehappyfreelancer.com/2011/02/14/my-secret-society/
I Tried Being Tasteful
Real-life experiences and observations, told with sensitivity and humor. She calls herself Texas Trailer Park Trash. What else do you need to know?
http://youcallthatart.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/justice-is-blind-deaf-and-ninety-one/
http://youcallthatart.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/age-its-all-your-relative/
Lenore Diane’s Thoughts Exactly
Funny, candid, and thoughtful reflections, Lenore’s posts are like letters from an old friend, only much better written.
http://lenorediane.com/2011/04/06/you-are-i-didnt-know-that/
http://lenorediane.com/2011/03/31/letting-go-of-little-baby-girl/
Magsx2
This blog, based in Australia, is a buffet of jokes, stories, essays, and fascinating videos you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.
http://magsx2.wordpress.com/2011/03/09/the-making-of-a-boeing-737-time-lapse-video/
http://magsx2.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/new-yorks-smallest-apartment-video/
As usual , most of the original artwork for the cartoons in this post was done by Ron Leishman. I manipulate the images to fit my needs and add dialogue and captions, but the true brilliance is Ron’s. Visit his website to see what I mean.
Mostly Bright Ideas 
Amiable Amiable
April 9, 2011
Getting locked in bathrooms is trite and uninteresting? Au contraire! I got locked in our family’s bathroom at the age of four. My brother had to climb through the window to rescue me. I was scarred for life by that mishap and could talk with you for hours about my irrational fear of having it happen again.
On my recent trip to Mexico, I got stuck in a stall in a restroom and panicked about the thought of not escaping and the thought of not knowing how to scream “Help!” at the same time. Finally, the door opened after I pounded on it for 20 minutes (okay, maybe 2-3 minutes). I would have had a few drinks to calm my nerves, but was afraid I’d have to visit the restroom again.
Great job combining the awards, Charles! I now present you with the Clever Blogger Award …
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bronxboy55
April 9, 2011
Isn’t it funny how getting trapped in a bathroom is totally humiliating, and when it happens we hope nobody notices, and then we tell everybody about it on a blog?
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TexasTrailerParkTrash
April 9, 2011
Thanks, Charles! Although, I think with me you should have named it the Speciously Interesting or Vaguely Disturbing Award. 🙂
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bronxboy55
April 9, 2011
That’s the beauty of this approach, TTPT. You can call it anything you want.
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Terrance H.
April 9, 2011
Thanks, Charles! I was eating mushrooms during that read………….Suffice it to say, I’m not now!
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bronxboy55
April 9, 2011
You’re welcome, Terrance. Are there any other favorite foods I can ruin for you?
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Lenore Diane
April 9, 2011
I find your ability to get locked in bathrooms interesting, but I most enjoyed your preference for certain recorded lectures and your fondness for Oreos.
Thank you, Charles. I genuinely appreciate the nod.
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bronxboy55
April 9, 2011
Happy to do it, Lenore. I genuinely appreciate your blog.
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souldipper
April 9, 2011
You are a foodie-after-my-own-heart. Who wants to put fungus in one’s body? Do you have a food blog hidden somewhere in the blogoshere?
Thanks for introducing more excellent posts.
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bronxboy55
April 9, 2011
Texture is a big thing with me, Amy, and the texture of mushrooms bothers me. Also the taste. And the thought of what they are. And the very sound of the word fungus. Other than that, I love them.
There are more than enough food blogs. And, really, what would I say?
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magsx2
April 9, 2011
Hi,
Thank You for the awards, and a very clever idea of combining the 2 together.
I also like to know exactly what I am eating, I don’t like surprises as far as food goes, but “shark” I love shark, if I happen to go to a fish and chip shop the first thing I look for is shark, beautiful thick white fleshy, flaky fish, can’t beat it. 🙂 The rest of your “I would not eat” selection I totally agree with. 🙂
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bronxboy55
April 9, 2011
I sometimes wonder what I would have done had I been born in some remote place in the frozen north, where they eat raw seal meat. I suppose I would have been raised on it, so I wouldn’t think twice, but still — it’s hard for me to imagine eating certain things.
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shoreacres
April 9, 2011
I have an aunt visiting from the midwest. On our way to dinner last night, as we waited at a red light, she mentioned a friend’s recent and most unfortunate experience. The friend and her husband had been waiting at a red light. When the light turned green, she reminded him. He didn’t hit the gas. She told him again, “The light’s turned green!” No go.
Uh…. no go at all. He had just died, sitting there at that red light.
Be advised. 😉
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bronxboy55
April 9, 2011
The difference, though, is that he probably had a heart attack, and that could have happened anywhere. But having something land on you requires being in exactly the wrong place at exactly the wrong time. I’m going to specify in my will that I want my obituary edited to remove all embarrassing details about the cause of death.
By the way, is it just some cruel joke that the man’s funeral procession probably ran all of the red lights on the way to the cemetery?
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She's a Maineiac
April 9, 2011
I think the things about you were extremely interesting! My fear of death comes and goes. Some days I am totally fine with it. Other days, well, it scares the bejesus outta me. The older I get, I’m finding that my acceptance of it grows (guess I don’t really have a choice in the matter).
As for food choices, I am very particular. Even the smell of eggs gets to me and my husband eats them nearly every day. Blech.
Kudos to you and your award, your blog truly deserves it. And I will be sure to check out the ones you listed.
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
I sometimes envy people who will eat anything. They can go anywhere and not get that knot in their stomach that I get whenever I’m confronted with an unfamiliar restaurant. I imagine you’re the same way.
Thanks, Maineiac. I was going to pass the awards on to you, but saw that you’ve already been Stylish. Your blog certainly deserves it, too.
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Earth Ocean Sky Redux
April 9, 2011
I am in awe that you can so easily tell seven things about yourself. Amiable Amiable gave me a shout-out last week for the Versatile Award and I Politely Declined Her Kind Invitation. Not that I am not flattered that you (and AA) thought of me, I am, it’s that telling seven things about me would scare my readers away. Okay, I’ll tell one: when I was an oh-so-cool 16 year old, I sat down on a lunch counter stool next to the cutest boy in town. Intention = Flirtation. Minor detail. There was no seat on the stool, just the metal pole. I sunk straight down to the floor and my skirt got caught on the pole, hanging up over my butt (yes, 1964 we girls wore skirts). Quite the pretty picture. I am still traumatized by luncheonette swivel stools today.
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
One down, six to go. That wasn’t so hard, was it? I’m sure you have plenty of great stories like that, and I doubt anyone would be scared away. Would you consider it if we came up with a new name for the award?
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Amiable Amiable
April 11, 2011
I second that, Charles! The swivel stool trauma has got me “hanging on the edge of my seat” about the other six possible random facts, EOS, as I’m sure it would also leave other readers. But we’ll let you “off the hook” far more easily than you were let off the swivel stool. This isn’t to say that I won’t be working on Charles to conspire with me to come up with that other name for the award in an attempt to fool you into responding … (kidding!)
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Jessica Sieghart
April 9, 2011
These awards are good for one thing…meeting more bloggers! I’m going through all these posts and they’re GREAT! How do you get locked in a bathroom? I get locked out of places all the time, but that’s because I’m absent-minded with my keys. 😉 I’ve only eaten one of your forbidden food items, tongue. I went to one of my friends houses for dinner one night. They were Mexican and while I normally adore Mexican food, this smelled just awful. They told me to ignore the smell and that the tongue tacos were delightfully delicious, so I tried one. It was exactly as I imagined it would taste based on the smell. I couldn’t eat it and felt so guilty that I was being rude, but seriously, who invites someone over for dinner and serves tongue tacos? C’mon.
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
If I went to a friend’s house and they were serving tongue tacos, I’m pretty sure I’d get locked in the bathroom.
Jessica, congratulations on your new weekly column:
http://mortongrove.patch.com/articles/the-sandwich-generation
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writerwoman61
April 9, 2011
Nobody’s going to get mad at you for combining the awards, Charles…I’ve done it myself (combined two VB Awards with the Bloody Brilliant Blogger’s Award last fall)! And I bent the rules on my last one by picking posts I liked as opposed to just saying, “Check out his blog!”
Hope and I got locked in the staff bathroom in the basement of one of our local Italian restaurants…we’d wandered in there by mistake (which means we also have #6 in common!). We hammered on the door until someone came and let us out! That was embarrassing…
You might have to give up your membership in our Doormat Club…apparently you do say “No” to some things! I happen to love mushrooms and bean sprouts (raw and cooked), and beef liver and chicken hearts are among my favourite foods. However, I don’t enjoy spicy foods…we didn’t have many spicy dishes growing up in Ohio, or southern Ontario!
I’ll enjoy checking out your nominees!
Wendy
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
There’s a Bloody Brilliant Blogger Award? I hadn’t heard of that one.
I also got locked in an Italian restaurant’s bathroom — in Italy. The lights went out while I was washing my hands, and there was no window, so it was completely black. I kept trying to turn the doorknob, but my hands were really slippery from the soapy water, and in my panic I forgot the lock was a latch just above eye level. It took me five minutes to escape. But I did my best to look calm and cool when I finally did get out, acting as though I always yelled “Help!” ten or twelve times before leaving the bathroom.
Mushrooms, bean sprouts, beef liver, and chicken hearts. Don’t ever invite me over for dinner. I won’t come.
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Allison
April 9, 2011
It amazes me how all of my strange quirks are actually your strange quirks that I have inherited. Here I was thinking I was weird (and before you even say it, I know I still am…), but I am weird because you’re weird! I get locked in bathrooms, I have never bought a lottery ticket (aside from the scratch off games) because I have no idea how it works, and I forget the first step of directions after the second step! I also love foods like froot by the fuit, lucky charms, and dunkaroos, but have to make a conscious effort not to think about what I’m eating when I eat chicken or eggs. And mushrooms? Forget about it! (I know you know this one…) By the way, congratulations on the awards (again)! Has anyone mentioned that these blogs would make a hilarious book? Also, you’re right, the pictures might be my favorite part. They’re like the sprinkles on an ice cream sundae (I know I should say the cherry, but I love sprinkles).
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
Don’t kid yourself. You have plenty of strange quirks that I don’t share. For example, I have no problem with socks.
I love sprinkles, too, but they have to be the sugary crystal kind, not the waxy kind that look like colored ants. (And that’s not a quirk. It’s a choice.)
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Amiable Amiable
April 11, 2011
Ahem. Excuse me. See, Charles? Even Allison thinks these posts would make a hilarious book!
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bronxboy55
April 13, 2011
Yeah, but what does she know? She gets locked in bathrooms, can’t follow directions, and doesn’t even know how to buy a lottery ticket.
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Jess Witkins
April 9, 2011
Good talents you have. Getting locked in bathrooms is original. I might have you beat on the getting lost in general. I’m BAD with directions.
Looking forward to checking out your blog recommendations and I like how you selected specific posts. Thank you and congratulations, Charles!
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
I lived in Boston for a while and there were several times when I had to stop and ask someone how to get to my own apartment.
Thanks, Jess. I think you’ll like those blogs.
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Melinda
April 10, 2011
These things just make you delightfully charming. Maybe it should be called the Delightfully Charming award. You and my daughter would make a scary pair since she manages to lock everyone out of the bathroom with no one in it and we don’t discover it until there is an emergency. Congrats! You deserve it ten times over. Made me laugh through the whole thing.
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
The only thing different would be that instead of an empty bathroom with the door locked, I would be trapped in there.
Thanks, Melinda. You always have something nice to say.
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Angelo DeCesare
April 10, 2011
Congratulations, Charlie! It was nice of you to list some of your favorite blogs. I went to each of them just to check ’em out. Interesting stuff from a diverse group of people. I realize that in order to blog, you don’t have to believe that other people are interested in what you have to say. You just have to have the need to get something off your chest. It can be very therapeutic.
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Earth Ocean Sky Redux
April 10, 2011
Uh, oh, Angelo has caught on to us bloggers.
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
Most of the time, Ang, when you have something you want to get off your chest, there are plenty of other people out there who feel the same way. But even if there aren’t, as you say, it’s still therapeutic.
Did you see the video on New York’s smallest apartment? It’s on Magsx2’s blog.
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Jac
April 10, 2011
“By the way, is it just some cruel joke that the man’s funeral procession probably ran all of the red lights on the way to the cemetery?”
I don’t think I know anyone else that would have the insight (or twisted mind) to even think of that. Of course, my mind is twisted enough to admire that in you, and be jealous that I wouldn’t pick up on the irony!
I love how much I learn about you in these posts. I’ve known about your knack for locking yourself out of the house and car, but never imagined that you get locked in bathrooms. Our upcoming trip will be interesting, to say the least… 😉
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
If I get trapped in the bathroom, don’t think you’ll be able to take off with the rental car — the keys will probably be locked in it, anyway.
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corkey
April 10, 2011
Mushrooms bad, Blog good, 1973 excellent year to graduate from High School
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
Does that mean you were born in 1955? That’s an excellent year to be born, too.
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Jac
April 10, 2011
Jessica, this may make you feel better about someone inviting you to dinner and serving tongue tacos. I know of a woman who served Rocky Mountain Oysters and didn’t tell her guest what they were.
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bronxboy55
April 10, 2011
New rule. No one is allowed to mention tongue tacos on this blog ever again.
I mean it.
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Jessica Sieghart
April 11, 2011
GET OUT! Who does that and why? No one outside of Fear Factor contestants wants to eat that. Egads! Ok, I have to stop talking about this or risk potential banishment. 😉 I’m a rule follower.
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Val Erde
April 10, 2011
I’ve got locked in a bathroom twice. The first time was in a youth club and I called out and someone eventually had to climb over the top of the door to let me out from the inside! The second time I was ill and had had a fit and my mum climbed up a couple of storeys and got in through the fire escape window and rescued me.
I eat mushrooms but I’m with you on being weird on (at least some) textures and appearances of foods. I hate spaghetti squash. I bet you would too! That said, I eat blue potatoes… and yes, that’s a type of potato and no, it’s not a normal one that’s gone off! Oh, and we’re growing our own now, as we like ’em so much! Well… that should have confused you, then!
😉
And as for you being “Pleasantly Obscure” or “Fascinatingly Bland,” you’re both pleasant and fascinating but no way are you bland, and by now I don’t think you can even possibly regard yourself as obscure!
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bronxboy55
April 11, 2011
I once bought a packet of seeds for spaghetti squash and planted them in the backyard garden. For some reason, I had no idea it was a vegetable, and was expecting a crop of real spaghetti. I’d like to say I was five years old at the time, but I was somewhat older. (I think I drove right to the store and demanded my money back.)
Those are some pretty dramatic bathroom stories, Val. I’m sure all of your readers would join me in saying that I’m glad you were rescued.
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Val Erde
April 11, 2011
Ah, well if you were expecting a crop of real spaghetti then you’ll enjoy this video about a spaghetti harvest.
I’m glad I was rescued too, thanks Charles.
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happykidshappymom
April 11, 2011
I love what you’ve done, by combining the two awards! I think it was a great choice, and still as fun to read. Even more fun, actually, as you really got me thinking about names and awards and acceptance speeches.
Plus, I think it’s great that you took the time to link to all those other posts. I can’t wait to check them out.
As for having no sense of direction, I used to get lost a lot too. Now, I just look strange. Because whenever I turn a corner, or take an exit ramp, or pull into a garage, I turn and look direcly behind me and try to memorize the view, so that I’ll recognize it on the way back.
Whether you are “Stylishly Versatile,” “Pleasantly Obscure” or “Fascinatingly Bland,” this post was a joy to read. I am so happy I found your blog, and truly enjoy your insightful writing style. Humorous, humble, with a true versatility of style. 🙂
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bronxboy55
April 12, 2011
Thank you, Melissa. I’m glad you found my blog, too, because it gave me a chance to discover yours. Both your website and blog are filled with great writing, as well as innovative ways to help young children learn and have fun.
http://www.play101.org
http://play101.wordpress.com
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charlywalker
April 11, 2011
I had recently locked myself in a bathroom in Pisa, Italy…. I do not speak any Italian… I took out my Flip video and filmed my surroundings…It was a stunning bathroom…plus no one back home would believe me about the second toilet………..
Thank you for the honorable mention…I’m flushed with humility..
spread the humor.
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bronxboy55
April 12, 2011
Locked in a bathroom in Pisa. Too bad Galileo wasn’t around to help everyone understand the gravity of the situation. (You’re just mad because you didn’t think of that.)
Thanks for the comment. I really love your blog.
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charlywalker
April 15, 2011
Why Bronxboy… you’re coming down to my level…..LOL
Thanks..keep dropping in..
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Mitch Mitchell
April 12, 2011
Charles, you’re killing me! For once I can honestly say you haven’t touched upon any of my foibles… well, okay, I’ll have to own up to that last one I’m afraid, but that’s it. And I love the blogs you’ve shared as well; nice job!
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bronxboy55
April 12, 2011
I thought I remembered reading about a few of your eating preferences.
Thanks, Mitch. I appreciate the kind words.
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arborfamiliae
April 12, 2011
My favorite of your seven things is #3: watching things no one else wants to watch to enjoy a little alone time. As an introvert, I cherish my solitude. As a husband, father of two, dog owner and minister, there aren’t a whole lot of pieces of my day I get to myself. Fortunately I genuinely enjoy arcane things–genealogy, ancient history, and soccer. There’s nothing quite like watching a soccer game to clear the room at my house. (Fortunately I’m a strong person and don’t take it personally, since I also played soccer in high school and genuinely enjoy watching it).
On a related note, earlier today my kids were pointing out the abundance of possessions that one of their friends has and wondering why we don’t have such resources at our command. This is not an unusual strain of conversation, so I’m always looking to find new ways to help my kids understand this and other big issues of life. Today I told them that if they want to have money and the ability to buy whatever they want when they’re older, they’d better work hard at math and science because that’s where the money is (their friend’s parents are both in the computer business).
So in my world watching programs about math and science in order to get a little alone time makes you pretty much a genius!
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bronxboy55
April 12, 2011
The lecture series I’m watching now is on physics, and has twenty-four 30-minute sessions. I was pretty much lost by the halfway point, so the challenge now is to look completely absorbed whenever someone does wander into the room. Fortunately, the more complex the lecture sounds, the more quickly the wanderers turn around and leave.
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Damyanti
April 16, 2011
I come to your blog because I can be sure of finding well-written, often hilarious, mostly sensible stuff:D
But what I love most of all is your sense of voice. I wish you would write a book.
Congrats on the awards!
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bronxboy55
April 16, 2011
Thank you, Damyanti. I wish you would write a book, too. Your A-Z series would be perfect.
http://damyantiwrites.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/n-is-for-nothing/
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Damyanti
April 17, 2011
I’m toying with the idea of doing just that…lol, an e-book experiment, just to understand what publishing on Kindle, Smashwords is like.
Would love to have you as my beta-reader if you can spare the time. I mean to weed out the weaker ones from the challenge and replace them with (hopefully) better pieces…and do a small Kindle venture.
Thanks for the link…it made my day 🙂
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cooperstownersincanada
April 20, 2011
Congrats on the award, Charles! And for the record, I’ve very impressed that you can eat that much pizza 🙂
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bronxboy55
April 22, 2011
Thanks, Kevin. I consider the pizza record to be right up there with Dimaggio’s hitting streak and Ripken’s string of consecutive games. (Except that I fully intend to break my record someday.)
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thelaughingmom
June 8, 2011
Thank you for explaining the Versatile Blogger Award. A newer Blogger Buddie bestowed one on me and I had no clue about the significance. I thought it was a blogger chain letter. I ignored it due to my phobia of chain letters in general. Guess I’ve just been guilted into paying it forward – that is if it’s not too late and I don’t meet an untimely demise because I’ve broken the original chain. You have a great blog!
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bronxboy55
June 8, 2011
I ignored the award for a while, too, for much the same reason. There don’t seem to be any real consequences to stopping the progression — except that you miss out on meeting some great bloggers.
Thanks for the kind words. I’m going to visit your blog right now.
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An Idealist Thinker
August 24, 2011
I am so glad i found this post through Lenore’s blog. It is hilarious. You have a talent for making people smile with your words, Charles. I have, every time I read one of your posts.. even giggled & I just love the cartoons. You have a gift !
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bronxboy55
September 3, 2011
Thank you, AIT. I appreciate your kind words and encouragement. I’m sorry it took me so long to reply to this comment. And about those pingbacks and trackbacks: I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Priya said I need to approve them, but I don’t know where or how. I looked in Comments and they’re not even in there. (I still don’t really know what pingbacks and trackbacks are. Do you?)
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An Idealist Thinker
September 9, 2011
First, it took me ages to find the older posts button at the bottom-left of your home-page! And then, I had forgotten the title of this post. Phew.. I wonder why it is not easier to track one’s own comments across WP?? Which also brings me to the 2 questions I have for you – any particular reason you don’t have an archive list? and wouldn’t a search button make it simpler for people like me to find a post, assuming we remember the title? 🙂
There is another conspiracy going on right here at WP. Until 2 or 3 posts back, I was getting notified of your posts in my inbox. Not anymore.. I wonder why?!! Today, I just happened to see your latest post, ‘The Queen of Cookies’ as I came here determined to find this old post to respond.
I don’t really know how pingbacks/ trackbacks work, Charles. But i received 2 on one of the my posts which showed up in my comments section for approval. I guess if you have pre-approved commentators, it wouldn’t show up for approval. I am not really sure.. with all the conspiracies going on at WP, it is tough to tell. Sorry for my impatient comment earlier.
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bronxboy55
September 9, 2011
At your suggestion, I just added a Search box and an Archive by date. I’d never thought about it before. I wonder if it’s possible to have a list of actual titles — it seems to me that would be more helpful than either of those other two things.
I see that a lot of people are complaining about subscription issues. I don’t understand why WordPress, Facebook, and all of the software companies keep messing around with stuff that’s already working fine.
I did ask Priya about the pingback-trackback thing, and she said I had to approve them. But on my blog, they seem to get approved automatically. Still, is there some way I should respond to them? I really don’t have a clear sense of what they are either, and what the difference is between the two.
No need for an apology, AIT. I appreciate your persistence, and your encouragement.
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An Idealist Thinker
September 9, 2011
Wow, it gladdens me to see that you have taken my suggestions seriously! I am guessing, a list of actual titles in your case will be exhaustive, since you are very regular at blogging. I guess you will have to see what works best for you.
Priya is right. It works the same way on my blog. I think it’s because all the comments on my blog have to be approved by me. I think on your blog, the setting might be such that once a first-time commentator gets his/her comment approved, further comments from them do not need approval. That’s probably why the PB’s/ TB’s seem to get approved automatically. I guess when someone leaves one of the above, you should follow the link and acknowledge or comment on the linked article. I am not sure.. but to me, it felt almost warranted to visit the link to make sure the link was valid in the first place. Then, acknowledge it to be polite. Of course, it’s easier for me to do due to the sheer paucity of it. With 250 odd subscribers [..i noticed when WP changed ‘subscribe’ to ‘Follow’ (!)], I can’t imagine how many of these you receive and how many of those you can acknowledge or respond to.
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