Thanks, Jacqueline!

Many thanks to Jacqueline T Lynch, author of three excellent blogs: "Another Old Movie Blog," "New England Travels," & "Tragedy & Comedy in New England" was kind enough to present me with the Premio Dardos Award. According to the wording sent me by Jacqueline:

"The Dardos Award is given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web."

The rules:
“1) Accept the award by posting it on your blog along with the name of the person that has granted the award and a link to his/her blog.
2) Pass the award to another five blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgement, remembering to contact each of them to let them know they have been selected for this award.”

I'm very flattered to receive this, especially from someone whose work I admire (& recommend). Now the tough part: picking just 5 blogs to pass this along to—I follow a number of blogs & all of them are deserving. As regular readers know, I spend my Thursday mornings-early afternoons wending thru the canyons & mountain passes in these parts, & I'll spend that time thinking over how to choose.

In the meantime, thanks to all you readers, & special thanks to Jacqueline T Lynch for her kind consideration.

UPDATE: OK, I'm back from the frigid & foggy wilds, & my picks follow, in alphabetical order (by blog name):

Ginger Ingenue of Asleep in New York: Ms Ingenue has a consistently unique, humorous & insightful take on classic films— I always learn something & I'm always struck by her wit. Her post on "Hollywood Dolls" really hooked me on this blog, & I always look forward to her posts.

Citizen K. of Citizen K.: Citizen K's blog is a must-read in my opinion. Very insightful on political issues, & not afraid to tackle these subjects in depth— this is way more than pointing to interesting stories: Citizen K is generating quality content. & it's not all politics, either. Citizen K. writes very insightfully about books, music & films— & he gives us the Sunday Funnies every week.

mouse (aka kimy) of mouse medicine: This blog is relatively new to me, but I'm impressed both by the quality of the photography posted here (& at mouse's other project, in which she's assisted by Minerva Mouse, Lakewood Daily Snap) & also by the quality of the commentary & by the pithy quotes that often accompany the striking photos. I was really taken by today's post at mouse medicine, "someone's in the kitchen." All the posts are great, but this one seems exceptional to me.

The End at Occupied Territory Funk: This is a blog that's gone thru some signficant transformations, & while I liked the original form I first encountered, I believe that all the changes have made it even better. What's not to like about a blog that gives you everything from "A Beginner's Guide to Afro-Beat"(& some fantastic Afro-Beat clips) to William Blake's poetry. Since the inauguration, The End has been making more political posts than I recall in the past, including today's about the Ledbetter Law, which President Obama signed today. There's also some very imaginative creative writing here as well.

Kat at Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes: Kat is a talented & witty poet who presents her poems in a delightful format, complete with compelling & appropriate photos. Kat has a real gift for formal, often rhymed poetry; what I notice is that she's able to use form to serve the poem, not the other way around. It's the same way with a lot of good musicians: you should feel good about the song & not feel you need to focus on the technique used to put the song across. In addition, there's a warm & welcoming vibe at Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes; generally speaking, the blogs I like best are about making a real (if also virtual) community.

I'll be dropping these five a note within the next few minutes. Thanks again to Jacqueline T Lynch.