It finally happened. I’ve won a major award. Yes, I am the proud recipient of The Liebster Award, given to me by Timothy Inners, who blogs over at Things I Never Thought I’d Say Until I Became a Parent. In case you are not aware, as I was not, The Liebster Award is a made up chain letter of an award, given by bloggers to other bloggers with a relatively small following. Mr. Inners’ mark was “under 400 Twitter followers.” So the first thing I need you to do is to go follow me on Twitter. Thanks.
So when you are nominated for the Liebster award you need to answer 11 questions, designated by the nominator. Here is what I must now answer for you:
1. What made you decide to start a blog? I started this blog as a way to keep in touch with people as I was moving from the D.C./Baltimore area to Vermont. I envisioned it as a place to tell stories that were too long for tweets or status updates.
2. Do you find the social media element of blogging as enjoyable as the blogging itself? I do enjoy social media. I am generally annoyed by the platforms themselves, and Facebook drives me crazy with all of its changes to the point where I mostly only use it to post my blog at this point, but I have gotten to know a lot of great dad bloggers online, and there are people who I was never that close to IRL that I find quite wonderful online, so it’s a different way to interact with people, with its own ups and downs.
3. What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to do? Apologize.
4. When you get a spare hour how do you spend it? Video games (on my phone or on the PS4), watching TV, or trying to create something.
5. If you could live anywhere, where would you live? Burlington, Vermont. So I’m pretty lucky. If I couldn’t live here, probably the Pacific Northwest.
6. If you were a household appliance, what would you be and why? A freezer, because I prefer to be cold, and I am often full of ice cream.
7. What’s your favorite book? Impossible to answer. Some favorites include A Storm of Swords, Fifth Business, Jennifer Government, and anything by Christopher Moore.
8. Is the experience of being a parent different from how you imagined it? It’s like I imagined, only better and worse. I think I had the movie idea in my head before, but there is just so much more whining and pooping, cuddling and squeezing, fighting and kicking, drawing and loving than I could have ever comprehended.
9. Is there a song that describes your life, and if so, what is it? Hmmmm. Probably Rainbow Connection.
10. What would be the first thing you would do if you won the lottery? Call a lawyer. And then give a bunch of it away. The second thing I would do is pay off all of my student debt and travel.
11. Where do you see your blog (and you) in five years? I hope to have more than 400 twitter followers, and to still be writing and creating. It would also be nice if people enjoyed what I was doing.
Okay, phew! Now I am supposed to list 11 facts about myself:
1. My favorite color is green.
2. I have (so far) been to 38 U.S. states.
3. I won a writing award in elementary school and got published in an anthology.
4. I have never broken a bone.
5. Mornings are the worst. I am a night owl.
6. I pronounced “nauseating” as “Noss Eating” well into high school.
7. I currently have 3 jobs. 4 if you count writing. 5 if you count parenting.
8. My wife and I started our relationship 19 years ago, when we were in high school.
9. Even though I have dirty blonde hair, I considered it brown for a long time.
10. I used to have a lot more hair.
11. The first thing I ever wanted to be was a farmer. Then I changed my mind (see #5).
There! I have done what was asked of me! Now all I have to do is to nominate 5 other bloggers with low Twitter numbers and give them 11 questions. So I will give this prestigious award to:
1. @philipsfree from Philip’s Free
2. @andimthedad from And I’m the Dad
3. @RadDadTees from Rad Dad Tees
4. @unitedwedad from United We Dad
5. @twynmawrmom from Twyn Mawr Mom
So there you go. Check out these 5 blogs, because they are good, and also follow them on Twitter since they clearly need it. And if any of you five would like to play The Liebster Award game, here are 11 questions for you to answer:
1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
2. If you have to give one reason, why do you think you have fewer than 400 Twitter followers?
3. Are you superstitious?
4. What are you wearing right now?
5. How do you feel about blogging?
6. Vacations: somewhere new? or the favorite annual spot?
7. What is your favorite candy bar, and why?
8. How do you find the time? Honestly.
9. How much sleep do you get?
10. What was your best day ever?
11. If someone asked you “what would your best day ever be,” would it be anything like your previous answer?
And there you have it! Thanks for reading, thanks for playing along, and I hope to see a few hundred of you over on Twitter later today!