painters – Sappho's Torque

So this week the delightful SJ over at Snobbery named me as a recipient of the Beautiful Blogger Award. Wheee! How cool is that?? (Thank you, SJ!) You should all check out her blog, which is really entertaining, and which is actually created by two people, SJ and Meg (whose illustrations are absolutely top-notch). Among some of the great stuff they churn out is a regular column called Trashy Tuesday, in which they (usually SJ) sacrifice their time and mental energy to read and review in detail terrible books so we can feel sanguine about not getting around to reading those things ourselves. May I never find one of my books on their docket. 😉 I fell in love with the posts when SJ reviewed the Mortal Instruments series. If Snobbery hadn’t already won this award, I’d be sending it their way this time, too.

Apparently the criteria for the Beautiful Blogger Award are open to interpretation. Perfect. 🙂

Now, a few simple rules come with this award, all of the pay-it-forward variety. Here they are:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.

Thank you again, SJ! 🙂

2. Paste the award on your blog.

See above.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for the award.

It’s up there. Way back up at the top.

4. Nominate up to 7 other bloggers.

See below.

5. Post links to the (up to) 7 blogs you nominated.

And here we go…

MY NOMINATIONS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL BLOGGER AWARD (in virtual-drumroll-accompanied alphabetical order)…..

1. The Airborne Timeline — The new blog of a first lieutenant in the US Army, who is on her first deployment. She left last week. She’s in Afghanistan. I suspect this blog may be updated catch-as-catch-can, but I guarantee she’s a really good writer, and I’m expecting this will be well worth the effort.

2. The Byronic Man — This blog makes me laugh like few ever have. I kind of want to take a sabbatical just so I can peruse the archives.

3. Deidra Alexander — Her introduction line says, “I have people to kill, lives to ruin, plagues to bring, and worlds to destroy. I am not the Angel of Death. I’m a fiction writer.” I think that about says it all. I’ve never been disappointed when visiting here.

4. Lone Star Squared — Here’s the blog of one of my former students, Rachel Rosenthal, who’s currently studying abroad, writing about her experiences with immense passion and joy.

5. Paula Billups Art — This blog follows the work and art of painter and art teacher Paula Billups. She is also very talented. I have a few of her paintings in my humble collection. We have little hangable wall space in our house, and she totally makes the cut.

6. Stay-at-Home Economist — Dr. Margo Bergman explains in accessible terms the intricacies of the PPACA, as well as blogging about other Rather Important Things. And she’s the mom of The Rhyser and Professor X.

7. you do doodle too — This is a charming blog about all kinds of things meaningful and domestic which really drive home the idea that the Human Condition is something to be cherished. Especially when it manifests in such graceful ways as stories about our kids and the fun things we do with them.

Ta-da! 🙂 That was fun. It must be noted that there are many other blogs out there which I enjoy very much, and if the BBA or some other appropriate opportunity comes around my way again, they will be on my list to share with you.

Now that you’ve had a chance to see all these other cool blogs and know how much I esteem them, please take a click-trip on over to my most recent poetry contest, which is closing this weekend. Read the entries so far and even throw your metaphorical hat into the proverbial ring, should the Muse descend. Have a great week!

This week, I want to give a nod to some projects and blogs I think are really worthwhile and deserve more attention. Please click on the links below and check these out!

Brown Girl Magazine

http://browngirlmagazine.com/

The person who writes the “Dear Seema Aunty” column is a friend of mine, and really insightful. I believe the magazine targets young women of any ethnicity, in the way that the Human Condition makes all struggles relatable to all people.

Pluck Magazine

http://www.pluckmagazine.com

This is a great online magazine that’s been around for maybe a year or so. I was published in it back in September, a brief personal narrative about my arranged marriage. Here’s the link to that: http://www.pluckmagazine.com/articles/article_jamail_01.php

Victoria Love’s New Album

Yeah, I know, you’ve heard about her on my blog before. There are two main reasons I’m passionate about this project: first, I love the music; second, Victoria Love is my sister. 🙂 Love’s Kickstarter page is up and taking pledges; they start at $1, and she’s offering great rewards. She also needs to raise a lot of money in the next few weeks for the project to be funded. Can she do it? Will it happen?? Ooh, it’s a nail-biter! 😉

Here’s the Kickstarter page: http://kck.st/twBUzl

And here’s the review I wrote of her EP: http://wp.me/p1MOqK-1q

You can hear some of her music on her website: http://www.victorialovemusic.com

Pass it on!

Soap. You Know, the Fancy Kind.

http://www.soapier.com/

The tag line says it all: “Life’s dirty. Get Soapier.”

These little cakes of cleanliness are well-made and super fragrant, they lather beautifully and look even better next to your sink, and they make excellent gifts. Plus, they’re less expensive than fancy soaps in a boutique for the exact same product.

The website is not flashy and exciting, but the blog is current, and you can Like them on Facebook.

Some Blogs I’m Following

Here are some interesting and insightful blogs and artists you might enjoy.

you do doodle too: http://udodoodle2.wordpress.com/

Paula Billups, Painter (gallery and blog): http://www.paulabillups.com

Babette Fraser Hale, author: http://www.blogger.com/profile/16801971149305731956

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Thank you, everyone, for your attention.