Three Awards and a Very Big Thank-You . . . !

Over the past month, The Eye-Dancers site has been lucky enough to be nominated for several awards.  I thank everyone for continuing to read and follow these ramblings of mine.  You are fantastic.  You are, in the lingo of one of the awards posted here–epically awesome!

The three awards I have been nominated for are:  The WordPress Family Award, The Epically Awesome Award of Epic Awesomeness, and the Awesome Blog Content (ABC) Award.

I also have been re-nominated for The Liebster Award, The Versatile Blogger Award, and The Very Inspiring Blogger Award.  I was fortunate enough to have been nominated for these awards previously, but I wanted to thank Kristy at familyeverything, Mary-Ann at likeitiz, Lorna at lornadounaeva, Christy at poeticparfait, Robin at witlessdatingafterfifty, and mummyshymz.  Thanks so much to each of you for these nominations!  I definitely urge everyone to visit their wonderful blogs.  Please take your time–there is much to enjoy!  I promise, I’ll wait till you come back . . .

Okay, onward!

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Thank you very much to Joseyphina from Joseyphina’s World and Kelsie from tenshishouoni11 for nominating The Eye-Dancers for The WordPress Family Award.  This is a very nice award to win because the community here at WordPress is welcoming, talented, and very much like family.

 

The rules: (I am going to break one of these rules–more on that later!)

1. Display the award logo on your blog.  
2. Link back to the person who nominated you. 
3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family.    
4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them.
5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people who have taken you as a friend, and spread the love.

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Thank you very much to Kimberly at words4jp’s blog for the Epically Awesome Award of Epic Awesomeness!  I highly recommend Kimberly’s blog.  She is a poet and wonderfully gifted wordsmith.  I am honored she nominated me for this award.  Epic!

The rules for the Epically Awesome Award of Epic Awesomeness are – (and again I will be breaking one of the rules–more later!  Can you stand the suspense??)

1. Tell 10 epic and/or awesome facts about yourself

2. Pass along some epic and awesome love to 10 blogs

3. Let everyone know that they are Epically Awesome

4. Thank the Epically Awesome person you received your epically awesome love from &

5. Of course, do not forget to add the Epically Awesome bling to your site.

Okay, here are ten things about myself–though I’m not sure they qualify as epic or awesome!

1. When I was a kid, I had a love/hate relationship with the basement in the house where I grew up.  I liked how cool it was on hot summer days, and I sometimes retreated down there to be alone or write.  But at night?  You wouldn’t catch me down there alone then!  There was (still is–my parents still live in the old house!)–a particular window that leads out to a crawl-space area.  Looking through the window, all you can see is darkness.  I used to call it “The Window to Nowhere,” and I would tell my friends about it–of course making up stories as I went along.  “Never, ever go through The Window to Nowhere,” I would warn them.

No one ever did.

2. Some of these same childhood friends were actually the inspiration for the main characters in The Eye-Dancers, and we still keep in touch, all these years later.  When we were kids, I used to write ridiculous stories that featured them (and me) in starring roles–adventures, mysteries, sci-fi thrillers, and I would then read these stories aloud to them.

They were pretty bad, but a lot of fun.   Those were the days . . .

3. I have always been a fan of James Bond–both the books and the movies.  And my favorite Bond movie is From Russia with Love.  It stars the best Bond, Sean Connery, features Robert Shaw as a memorable villain, and the hand-to-hand fight scene between Connery and Shaw on a moving train is as good as it gets.

 

4. One of my favorite Stephen King books is It.  Over 1100 pages long, the novel, admittedly, should be much shorter, and I’ve always hated the ending.  But I have always loved the characters in the book–the Losers Club.  And the effortless manner in which the story follows two time lines–1958 and 1985–had me riveted from the opening page.

 

5.  Keeping on with books, if I had to choose a single all-time favorite novel (a very difficult thing, choosing just one!), it would probably be Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.  The prose in this book is just about perfect, and the “voice” the author creates for protagonist Scout Finch is more than just endearing.  It’s unforgettable.

6. I have long been a fantasy football geek.  For many years now, I’ve been commissioner of a league featuring family and old friends.  I always go back home to Rochester, New York, over Labor Day weekend for the fantasy draft.  It’s a lot of fun, and one thing’s for sure–when you’re in a fantasy league, it changes the way you watch football . . .

7. For the past decade, I have done a great deal of freelance proofreading for a handful of book publishers.  In other words, much of the reading I do is assigned!  I enjoy the work, and consider it a privilege serving as the “last line of defense” against typos, grammatical mistakes, and formatting issues.

 

8.  Believe it or not, I have never drunk an entire cup of coffee in my life.  I tried a sip of coffee when I was twelve, didn’t like it, and haven’t tried it since!

 

9. I remember once playing a game where you had to answer certain questions about yourself.  One of them was–“What was the most interesting job you’ve ever had?”  I answered, “Legislative Aide.”  I briefly served as a Legislative Aide for a city councilwoman in Rochester, New York, shortly after I graduated from college.  It was an eye-opening experience, and I learned a lot.  One thing I dealt with on a daily basis?  Irate phone calls.  Constituents of the councilwoman’s ward would call her office with complaints.  The thing was–she usually wasn’t there.  I was.  So I took the brunt of the criticism.  Every day was an adventure!

 

10.  I enjoy the board game Scrabble.  But I have a confession to make–I’m no fun to play against.  I hoard the U’s!  This way, whoever gets stuck with the Q can’t use it.  Dirty pool, I know.  But effective!

 

Thanks again so much to Kimberly for this great nomination!

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And I want to thank Sam from bondingtool for nominating The Eye-Dancers for the Awesome Blog Content (ABC) Award.  Sam’s blog is a delightful place full of mouthwatering recipes and a spirit of fun and creativity.  Please browse around her great site!  I am sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

To participate for the ABC Award:  Upload the award image to your website, use each letter of the alphabet to share something about yourself, and nominate one or more new fellow bloggers!

Okay, here are more tidbits, as we go through the alphabet!

A–Action Comics number 29.  This is the oldest comic book I have ever owned, dating back to 1940.

B–Bill Gray’s restaurant.  This is a local restaurant chain in Rochester, New York, famous for, in their own words, “The World’s Greatest Cheeseburger.”

Being a vegetarian, though, I don’t eat the famous Bill Gray’s cheeseburger.  I go for the veggie burger, which is incredibly good!  Just be warned–Bill Gray’s is not the place to count calories!  Their food is greasy, rich, and, well, just not all that healthy!  But awfully tasty.

C–Charlottetown.  The capital city of Prince Edward Island, Canada–my favorite vacation destination, and the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.  Charlottetown is a pretty, compact little city full of charm.

D–Doctor Doom.  The Fantastic Four’s arch-villain, and my favorite villain in all of comic books.  Doctor Doom made his debut in Fantastic Four # 5, from 1962 . . .

E–The Eye-Dancers.  There’s this really cool book out there called The Eye-Dancers!  I highly recommend!  (Okay, I apologize!  Couldn’t resist.)

 

F–The Fantastic Four.  My favorite comic book title–the original FFs from the 1960s are unsurpassed in the genre.  And I know Mitchell Brant agrees with me on this one!

 

G–Galen, from Planet of the Apes.  When I was a little kid, I had a fascination with Galen.  I wanted to be Galen.  And I would only answer to that name.  One day, when we were at a playground, my mother called for me.  “Michael,” she said.  “We need to go.”  I ignored her, blissfully continuing to play.  She called again.  Again I ignored her.  She finally said, “Galen, we need to go.”  Immediately, I stopped what I was doing, and dutifully went to her.

Thankfully, this was a phase I soon outgrew!  I know my mother was embarrassed that day.  Other parents were listening.  So, years later, but better late than never–“Sorry, Mom!”

H–The Honeymooners.  This classic show from the 1950s is my favorite sitcom.  Art Carney as Ed Norton makes me laugh every time I watch him.

I–Irondequoit.  My hometown–a suburb of Rochester, New York.

J–Joe Marma.  Of all the characters in The Eye-Dancers, I probably relate least to Joe.  I tend to be methodical and a stickler for details.  Joe, on the other hand, is impulsive and likes to wing it.  He was refreshing to write for, and he is a reminder to me that sometimes we just need to let go, and not overthink.

K–Killington, Vermont.  Killington is the nearest major Vermont ski resort to the town where I live.  The thing is, though–I don’t ski!

 

L–Live and Let Die.  Roger Moore’s debut as 007!  I am not a big Moore fan, but he played the role well here.

M–Morse Farm.  The Morse Farm, in Montpelier, Vermont, is a nice place to visit.  They have an educational feature on maple sugaring, a gift shop, an expansive acreage, and the best maple ice cream you ever tasted!

N–Notorious.  One of my favorite Hitchcock films, starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman . . .

 

O–On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.  An opportunity missed, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service may be the best Bond script, but the actor who played 007 here, George Lazenby, has about as much charisma as a soggy old two-by-four.  A great movie with the wrong lead actor . . .

 

P–Poopsie.  In my family, growing up, all our dogs were named “Poopsie.”  Poopsie I.  Poopsie II.  Poopsie III.  And Poopsie IV.  This wasn’t my idea!  It was my mother’s.  Hmm.  I wonder if that’s why I came up with the “Galen” . . .

Q-Q.  What would an old 007 movie be without Desmond Llewelyn in the famous supporting role of Q?  He has always been a favorite of mine. . .

R-Robot comic book covers.  There have been some classic robot comic book covers over the years.  The 1950s, perhaps, was the high point for these covers.  For example, Journey into Unknown Worlds # 49 from 1956 . . .

S–Paul Simon.  A true poet, Simon is my favorite all-time songwriter.

T-Twilight Zone.  My favorite television show, featuring many unforgettable episodes.

U-Upstate New York.  As a native upstate New Yorker, I have always appreciated the rural beauty of The Empire State.  Sometimes, New York is strictly thought of as urban, but, in actuality, the heart of the state is rural.

V–Vermont.  The state I currently call home, Vermont is a wonderful place to live.  And, of course, The Green Mountain State takes no backseat when it comes to scenery . . .

W–Weather.  I have always been fascinated by, and interested in, weather!

X–The X-Men.  For a long time, I had no interest in this comic book team.  But then, finally, when I gave them a chance, I was hooked!  Another Marvel Comics triumph.

Y–You Only Live Twice.  For me, You Only Live Twice begins a downward trend in 007 movies.  Even with the previous installment, Thunderball, the Bond movies began relying more and more on gimmicks.  You Only Live Twice takes this reliance to a new level, one that would continue  straight through the Roger Moore films.

Z–Zombies.  Zombies are a big hit these days, spurred on by The Walking Dead.  But the phenomenon that started it all was George Romero’s black-and-white 1968 cult classic, Night of the Living Dead.

Thanks so much, again, to Sam for this nomination!

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And now–the rule-breaking part . . .  I am not going to nominate specific blogs for any of these awards.  All of you in the WordPress community are great, and I appreciate each and every one of the bloggers who continues to stop by The Eye-Dancers website.  (And if you’ve made it this far reading this long-winded post, you deserve more than a blog award.  You deserve a medal!)

So, I would like to take this opportunity to share these awards with each of you.  I am nominating every follower of The Eye-Dancers blog for all three awards.  Whether you’d like to accept the nomination or not is of course up to you.  But please accept my thanks for all the support and encouragement you’ve given The Eye-Dancers.

You are, well, epically awesome!

Thanks so much for reading!

–Mike