Long about a year ago, I ran across a little community blog called The Lesbian Lifestyle. There, I found a whole bevy of Lesbians blogging their little hearts out in one place. It was like finding the girl bar of the Internet! Good thing, too, because I don't go to bars and can't stay up past 10 pm when the music starts.
About the same time, it was running its first-ever Lesbian Blog of the Year Award. I thought, “Heck, why not?” And, sure enough, thanks to handful of devoted readers, I came in the top 5 and was a finalist. I even won—technically—but withdrew because I’m pretty sure I didn’t get 100 actual legitimate votes in 2 hours at the tail end of the competition--I doubted I had 100 readers at the time. Curly McDimple over at Ham & Cheese on Wry was awarded the prize—right on Curly! Fabulous Tina-cious was also finalist and I read her all the time.
Over the course of the last year, I did some posting over there at TLL. I read some great posts too. I hope you'll visit my daily blog, and if you like it, please go vote for the 2007 Lesbian Blog of the Year.
I mean, what’s the point of being a Lesbian if you can’t get an award for it? Can't get married, can't have equal protections under the law, but by golly, maybe I can win that beautiful pink award--hope you'll help!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
C'mon, I Should Get An Award For Being A Lesbian
Seven Things Meme
First LA Day tagged me for this puppy. She tagged my buddy Lisa Andel for it at the same time.
Lisa was well-behaved and did it. And then she tagged me for it again.
These cross-tags remind me of inbreeding somehow... something about it feels wrong...
At any rate, since I've already done it over at West of Mars (the link will take you right to it), I thought I'd come over here and have some fun so that YOU guys can get to know me as well. Here goes:
The Rules:
Link to the person who tagged you;
Leave a comment on their blog so that their readers can visit yours;
Post the rules on your blog;
Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog;
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post;
Include links to their blogs;
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
1. My name is Susan Helene Gottfried. Really. That's what my birth certificate says.
2. I hate to follow rules. Thus, I'm not following all the above rules. Keep reading to see how and where.
3. This rule aversion I've got often makes me feel like a VERY square peg in a world of round holes.
4. It also quite probably is the reason why I'm still an unpublished novelist. I don't write novels that fit nicely and conveniently into the niches that agents and editors want their books to fall into.
5. They call this good business. I call it other things, none of which are flattering, so I won't mention them.
6. Yes, it's hard at times to be the sharp edges in a soft, rounded world. But someone's got to do it, and why not someone like me, who does it well?
7. Yes, it would be easier to suck it up and write something that would fit nicely into the existing niches, but for one thing, it wouldn't be very good. And for another, isn't being true to yourself what it's all about? Isn't that more important? I mean, if my groupies get loud enough and even more demanding, I can always turn to (gasp!) self-publishing and prove I'm right and it's good to not fit into existing niches. Especially crowded ones.
8. Breaking the rules often pays off.
Tags... well, let's keep it simple. Any of my fellow Blue Ribbon Bloggers want to join in on the fun?
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Trying Something New: Sunday Best
When you were a kid, do you remember hearing about your Sunday Best? Or maybe you only read about it in a book; kids who had one fancy outfit they saved as their Sunday Best. Being Jewish, we didn't do this, but the idea was that you'd have one great outfit to wear to church.
If you hang out at my blog much, you'll note that I won't mention the titles of books I read but don't like (or don't finish). I try to keep things upbeat and positive.
And now, following in the wake of the story of the romance author who seems to have lifted passages of someone else's text and placed them into her novels, I want to highlight the good even more.
My intent is to highlight news about books and authors you may not have otherwise heard of, but that's not always going to happen. In fact, my first Sunday Best post this week features the Soup to Nuts Blog Carnival.
Come on over and check it out. Join the carnival if you're so inclined.
If you're even more inclined to highlight a Sunday Best, sign Mr. Linky so I can come check out what's bright and shiny in your world. It doesn't have to be book related, just something you feel deserves a bit of attention.
Spellcheckers
Owed To A SpellChequer
Eye halve a spell in chequer;
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Only So Much
I was very surprised to get the invitation from Gracie Belle to join the talented writers here. I'm Lori from Hahn at Home. I live in Sacramento, CA, but have lived all over the world. I was raised in a college town in Iowa, and I still consider myself an Iowa girl at heart. I adopted three kids--all now teens--and we are a multi-racial family. Oh, and I'm a lesbian. I write about my life, my kids, and my causes.
Though I am one busy single-mom, I still find time to contribute at The Rising Blogger and The Lesbian Lifestyle. Before the ownership of The Peace Tree changed, I contributed there. By way of introduction, here is a piece I wrote for that blog:
Every day, I go to work past the Loaves & Fishes and the Salvation Army—where the homeless can get a meal and maybe even find a job. It’s in a rough warehouse area. Not inviting at all to the city’s residents as a whole. Men in wheelchairs, women on bikes, people walking with their shopping carts or bags full of their life’s belonging form an endless stream of people running from the river banks from one direction to the bushes and alleys downtown from the other, all converging at this point because breakfast is about to be served. There is no progression through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs here—it’s pure survival, baby.
I take frequent trips around the block at the office, mostly to clear my head, but sometimes just to see what’s going on outside the confines of the space I share with smart, sane, college-educated folks that may worry about where they might find a good happy hour after work but haven’t known a hungry night or the felt the indifference of others. I’ve come to recognize many of t
he folks on the street and have spoken to more than a few…mostly to tell them I have neither change nor a smoke for them. Some hope for the largesse of the capitol employee-set to put a couple bucks in their pocket, one quarter at a time. Some rage in scary ways if you dare look their way—and have self-medicated that day with drugs or alcohol. Most don’t take their legal medication, if they can get medication at all. But, they’ve created their own community; one in which they are understood and accepted, and where they form friendships based on security and a strength-in-numbers outlook. Many of them will spend tonight in jail or will be rousted from their box by the riverbank, where they share camp with other lost souls.
I just keep thinking of the guy who was probably 40, now haggard and hunched over in his wrinkled, dirty fatigue jacket as he stood outside of the store I popped into. I’d seen him before, at the same corner, kickboxing an imaginary opponent. I told him I had no change as I went in but said to him on the way out, “I had no change, but now I do, here.” As he looked into his palm at the 78 cents, he said, “Thanks, have a wonderful day, young lady.” I said, “You, too.” He broke out into a great snaggle-toothed smile, and said, “Thanks, that made my day more than this money,” rubbing the coins together and sliding them into his pocket.
These days, I have more questions than answers regarding what I believe are the pressing social issues of my community. Where do we begin to help? Our lack of humanity as a species of thinking humans makes me feel a little helpless sometimes. I could carry on about how Reagan’s policies of the 80s shut off many avenues for long-term assistance for the mentally ill and how general hospitals, nursing homes, and jails and prisons have become the new, but ill-equipped solution, but it really doesn’t matter anymore. We need to rethink this issue now and provide tangible solutions that allow them their personal dignity while providing safety for themselves and for the greater community. Please visit the National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness to learn more.
Give me your tired, your poor,/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,/ The wretched refuse of your teeming shore./ Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,/ I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
~ Emma Lazarus
© Text, by Lori Hahn 2007
Friday, January 11, 2008
Hello Everyone
Hello and greetings to everyone here. I must agree with Mo when he stated his surprise at being invited to be a contributor to this site. I too am amazed,nervous and grateful all at the same time.
Let me begin by saying thank you to Gracie Belle The Blog Fairy for inviting me. I do not know what I have done to deserve this great honor but please know that I am thrilled.
Many of you already know me from The Painted Veil, Santa's Community Blog, and recently the very lovely home of The Blog Fairy herself.
This is turning out to be quite the year for me and I am full of excitement and very grateful for many,many things. Not only have I been added here as a contributor but I have also recently been added as a co-author at Santa's Community Blog and The Blog Fairy's Blog.
For those of you that don't know me my real name is Jackie and please feel free to call me by either name. I chose the name Shinade for my nickname when I started my blog. In Gaelic it translates into: Graciousness of God, and Lord knows that I can always use some of that. It also reminds me everyday to be very grateful for everything that God has blessed me with.
I wish I could think of something really witty and funny to say but I have been at a loss for words ever since I received this invitation. So for today I will simply say thank you very much and leave you with this little thought.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Breast Cancer Site needs your help!
Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on 'donating a mammogram' for free (pink window in the middle).
This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors /advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.
Click the image above! And here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.
Breast Cancer Site
AGAIN, PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS TO TELL 10 TODAY
