Well imagine my surprise! I won an award! No, it was NOT the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the first ever given in the field of panda satire.  I have Miss Demure Restraint to thank for this honor. She is a blogger who recently stumbled upon my blog. I can only guess how.  Actually I can’t. I mean how does anyone find anything here in the bloggosphere with millions of blogs floating around in our computers. I mean is there even room?  Any way, my profound thanks to Miss DR for finding me, liking me and giving me this award.  Although, it does have some strings.  No, no, I didn’t have to promise her my first born (for which she would wait a long time) She said nothing about being nicer to my mother (as if!).  What I have to do is recognize here on my blog 15 others whom I admire.  And thank her. So, thank you for this award.  I almost never win anything. This may take a while. Not because there are so few, but because:

Fact 1:  I am a technological idiot.  That may be a bit harsh, as here I am, actually responsible for 3 blogs.  The truth is that it took me years before I would even touch a computer, more years before I got one of my own, and then only last April did I allow the internet into my house. (This was after I had been blogging for 2 years already. Go Figure.)

Fact 2: Sometimes there are dirty dishes in the sink for 2 or three days.

Fact 3: I am not really a panda.

Fact 4: I am not really a boy panda.

Fact 5: I sometimes hum commercial jingles all day.

Fact 6: (wow,this is hard….not so much because there is nothing that the blogging world doesn’t know about me, but because I’m kind of secretive and hate revealing things.)  I once annoyed a famous Seattle glass artist while we were both in a restaurant, because I was louder than he was.

Fact 7: Sometimes my pandas and I do the happy dance around the house when no one is watching.

 

Of course there had to be a cartoon commemorating this event.

So here is my list of 15 blogs/bloggers that I admire.  I will resist the urge to only list blogs that make me laugh, or only pick my friends blogs even if I never read them, or put in blogs that I think I should lest someone get mad at me, so here goes:

In the category of blogs that I find very useful,

1. Literary Rambles: A blog that profiles agents, tips for writers and just about anything else an aspiring children’s writer or illustrator would want to know.

2. Funds for Writers: Hope Clark must have the energy of a panda kindergarten to publish opportunities for writers, write thoughtful essays about the process and business of writing, and still have time to do her own work.  And don’t think I’m trying to score brownie points, Hope.  You Da Bear!

3. Art Biz Blog:  I love Alyson’s no nonsense (and no excuses) advice to artists on how to not only survive but prosper as creative professionals.  And as soon as painting sales pick up I am absolutely buying your book.

4. Blue Horse Marketing:  OK, full disclosure. This is one of my friends and there is already a link to her website here.  Lately I’ve been doing a lot of reading about blogging and marketing, and she has a lot of useful stuff to say on the subject, some of which I may even do someday.

5. The Bindery at the Crown and Book:  This is another of my friends, who makes absolutely beautiful books in authentic methods and materials from several centuries ago,  and his blog is very appealing visually.  I’m hoping he will get so busy making his books that he can quit his day job. I will admit that he has not posted much, but the books are really beyond exquisite.

Well, that’s the first five.  The rest will have to wait for another post, as my paws are getting cramped from all this typing.

I will return to my snotty and amusing format soon. (After all, that’s why you read me, isn’t it?)

Thanks again Miss D.R. You da Bear!

Bob T. Panda