Blog award

I'm one of those people who tends to break chain letters and often fails to forward or respond to Internet memes.

This isn't out of meanness or any sort of anti-superstitious inclinations.

("If you don't send this letter to 10 friends, your cat will die in a bizarre shaving accident!")

Even though I use computers and social software all day long—or perhaps because of that—not passing along memes is primarily a matter of simplicity practice.

I appreciate the thoughts and sentiments of those who share memes, but I remember the emperor who agreed to give a peasant one grain of rice on the first square of the chess board, twice that on the second, twice that on the third...and so on.

However, it seems a grateful think to do to acknowledge that someone I don't even know has nominated The Surly Librarian for a blog award.

I got a nice comment on the previous post from Gil S, an English Quaker in Reading, outside of London, directing me to a kind nomination on Stumbling blocks to stepping stones.

Gil writes: "I spent my working life in libraries and can often relate to Mike, The Surly Librarian."

(You can read more about Gil on Stumbling blocks, but the subtitle itself is informative: "A way of extending the spiritual autobiography project I have been engaged in for over 30 years and exploring where Quakers and my Inward Teacher have taken and are taking me.")

Here are the simple guidelines for the blog award/meme: first nominate seven other blogs for the award and then meme seven things about yourself.

My blog reading is all over the map, and I'm not sure whether to focus on bloggers I know or to point to bloggers whom I value yet know less personally. My hunch is to mix it up.

First comes Acrentropy, by my colleague "Alonzo Mosley (FBI)," whose neighborhood library branch I am babysitting while he practices being a new daddy. A wonderful mix of humor, political sarcasm, Lego, and original video mash-ups. ("Alonzo" also maintains The La-La Land Library, the best entertainment web directory I know.)

There are a few library and information science blogs I've written up elsewhere in my posts, and they seem worth nominating here. I've cited Michael Stephens' Tame The Web: Libraries, Technology and People a number of times. Also Brian Herzog's Swiss Army Librarian. And, an always fascinating blog about "information architecture," Peter Morville's findability.org.

For insightful, progressive political commentary on the inside track, Steve Clemons at The Washington Note.

For a Quaker blog which inspires and uplifts me, Quaker Pagan Reflections, by Cat Chapin-Bishop and Peter Bishop. One of those marvelous cases of finding best friends in cyberspace whom I've never (yet) met face to face (though we have chatted by phone, email and facebook).

Also uplifting, a blog by Brain Andreas called Zen Bandit (see also his Story People and a post of mine about Brian's work).


Oy! Now I have to tell seven things about myself?!

• I'm left handed.
• My middle name is Austin, my Dad's first name. When I finally realized in my mid-30s that I knew how to be an adult, I started signing my full name (instead of middle initial "A"), in order to show my appreciation and gratitude for Dad.
• My spouse Jim and I have known each other since high school in 1965, we've been a couple since 1985, and we were married under the care of our Quaker meeting in 1994.
• I'm a cat person.
• I collect crystals.
• I'm sometimes even more grouchy than I let on (ask Jim or Trapdoor Spider).
• Life is all a blessing.

So there!

Mike