i think, therefore, you think, too...or something like that

the kind men behind desmond's place and restoring the covenant recently included me among their selections in their “thinking bloggers award” tag, and honestly, i’m quite flattered to have been even considered, let alone chosen. if nothing else (though, obviously, i think it more than "nothing"), it helps me realize that all that noise i hear in my head, the stuff i think only i’m thinking about and yet sometimes gets spilled out onto the internet for others to read, perhaps resonates with someone.

trust me, as much as i love them (you might say, yes, i have a girly boner for them…), it’s not all kick ass racks, bullets and all things 80s that i obsess on. ok, sometimes (i’m talking to you, bullets) they are among the things that make me the most happy and therefore think about a lot, but then i click around the blogworld and hook up with some other amazing people who make me happy, as well.

many of the obvious have already been named in other people’s entries. for example, ftn – whose site I lurked at for so very long before raising my hand and joining the discussion, because it is 3/4ths of your grade – would be an obvious choice for my list for he pretty much has me considering all things having to do with world peace, the plight of orphans in africa, The Sex, what i can personally do to curb the onslaught of global warming and panties. not necessarily in that order. he’s tremendously funny and appropriately self-deprecating, and i think if we met in person, we might realize without ever saying a word who the other one was.

because my raging girly boner and “i 'heart' mike rowe” shirt would give me away, of course.

the two gentlemen who chose me make me happy and willing to pontificate, as well. desmond charmed me the moment i “met” him when i was ceremoniously chosen to participate in ftn's real blogger world. When i "moved in” i barely knew any of my fellow participants, but i learned quickly that desmond rocks the marriage thing like no other. the man is devoted to his wife and his family and to his faith and i admire those qualities like no other. i read his writing – when he can now – and often go back and read it again (and again) because i learn something new each time. either about him or about faith or whatever strikes his fancy. he’s charmingly funny, terribly sweet in his replies and because of him, my kick ass rack has it’s own acronym, KAR ™. Come to think of it, he was also the first to pick up on the girly boner issue…hmmm…

recovering soul at "restoring the covenant" is a newer read for me. rs gamely stepped out, gladiator style, and dared take me on in the back and forth “bad video/song” challenge. see what a little debbie gibson will do for you?! while no one was declared an actual “winner,” i may or may not be walking around my house right now sporting a jaunty sash and crown of my own making trumpeting me as the rightfully victorious master (with a bit of help tossed in from rs’s wife, therese, who realizes also that men can and will cave at an ugly sweater and shoes). i’ve been exploring rs’s site more and he’s also a brutally honest writer (as is therese) as he discusses the ramifications of their marriage following infidelity, and how they are working together to strengthen what i imagine is a pretty amazing family after the fact. and when in doubt, you can count on him to pop off a lyric for you (but i’m still the queen. just sayin’…).

so, i am going to include in my list five writers who i’ve come to admire and think of as friends in hopes that, if you haven’t read any of them before, you may consider doing so. like the writers i’ve already listed, these selections may have already been included elsewhere, but the blog world, despite it’s vastness, sometimes feels rather small, so we may all bump into each other around the block or at the grocery store.

before we start, there is apparently some guidelines to this effort, so please consider following along:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. (Optional) Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

nanette at underachieving mommy– i simply can’t say enough or adequately express how much i have come to love this woman. i think we’ve both been blogging for roughly the same amount of time and how we stumbled upon the other is not important. what is important is that she’s one of the first places i go visit and if i could visit her in “real life,” i’d probably be at her house all the time and she’d be making up excuses to leave the room and scream into a pillow, or calling friends, begging them to call her back in two minutes and feigning an emergency. when i read her, i’m laughing, nodding my head and wishing she were actually in the room with me so i could tell her how great i think she is. entrenched in utah but not a mormon, the mother of twins, smart as heck (seriously – check out her profile for her degree), beautifully opinionated, and perhaps willing to allow me a brief fling with john taylor, she’s the real deal. i want to be her neighbor. seriously.

j at j under covers – ah, truly, if i could have a brother, i’d ask whoever i had to ask to make sure i could have one like j. i want him to be the luke to my leah. but probably without that awkward "star wars" chemistry (ok, so i’ve seen his “stuff.” we’ve made a pact not to talk about it should our paths ever get crossed and we meet for a drink. i’m pretty sure we can handle that. we’ll just talk in random song lyrics and television dialogue to break the ice!). i met j last fall as i stumbled around blogs, and immediately dug him. we like much in the way of the same music – seriously, i hang out at his place many times on mondays when he ultimately adds to my ipod tracks - he bears a striking resemblance to rivers cuomo from weezer, so that’s tres cool, he has stepped up and offered his assistance even when he barely knew me. he’s appropriately snarky and very smart, so i appreciate he has that advantage over me, and he’s an amazingly devoted husband, and it’s refreshing to read about marriage really falling into place nicely from a man’s perspective. truly a good guy.

nocturnal+tendencies – i hope when i say that this site is simple but never simplistic that makes sense. before i truly became aware of the man behind the work, i’d visit nocturnal’s site for the imagery, the thought behind it and the music. seriously, i’ve watched him play drums there with my jaw a bit dropped. it’s a decent look for me, so i’m ok with that. but back to this site. you can find just about any thought there – pure randomness to questions of authority – presented in such a succinct nature that, as a former editor, i admire and yet find unable to do. which is why i’m glad, through osmosis or whatnot, i learned about him. often, i leave there with a perplexed look on my face and have to think about things before i ever respond. and, of course, as is the case with my other choices, a nice guy behind the scenes.

finished last – i may be wrong and short of going back to september when i started my own blog to research it, i think this truly nice guy behind finished last was one of the first people among the handful who read my blog and comment on it. before long, we had struck up a very honest line of communication. i admire greatly that he is someone taking a hard, honest look at his life and then having the guts to share it with us. i’m not sure i could do that in some avenues of my life, and i like to think i’ve been quite honest with everyone who comes here. when we first “met,” finished last pretty much told me he was an open book, and when i peppered him with questions, he didn’t back down. i respect what he’s doing in his life, wish him success, and routinely check on him as he opens up to all of us.

artful dodger at the secret brain – i think it’s fair to include a newer addition to my regular reads. i’m still discovering this writer, but what i’ve dove into so far often makes me laugh and definitely think. perhaps a few other things. i love a clever writer, and i find art quite truly clever, and very honest. plus, as a girl who appreciates humor and talent because she struggles with that ability, i often enjoy clicking through art’s work so i can watch the rotating display of his blog headers. a beautifully clean site – though not necessarily always “clean” content, fyi – i find much about it that provokes me to linger.

i read many people (and were i not “link stunted” you’d know that), but i reserve most of my return trips to the assorted writers who have truly struck me, in one way or the other, since i started writing last fall. the above and many others not listed never fail to make me think. there are writers i wish i could include on my list who have ceased writing for whatever reason, but i hold out hope they’ll one day return. that i feel i’ve developed friendships with these people humbles me. as does how nice people have been to me.