I've Got A Shiny New Award...

… and I’m pleased to be able to show it off.  Great big shiny hugs and thanks go to Eli over at My Life With Tits for passing (one-fifteenth of ) the honour my way, and, as I’ve already commented in response to this whoop-inducing news, I am also now the proud owner of a Warm Fuzzy Feeling.

And here it is, the Versatile Blogger Award:

Really, it’s all my readers who deserve an award, for making blogging so worthwhile; I’d never have felt so comfortable sharing my Thinky Thoughts if it weren’t for the insightful and generally excellent responses I’ve received.  As a bit of an Odd One, it’s of great comfort to me that I can really be part of a community.  Very odd feeling, I must admit, but not one I’d give up for anything.  And for that, I thank you all…

OK, so, enough of the rambling, and more of the rules…

The Versatile Blogger Award Rules:

• Add the award to your blog.  Check.
• Thank the blogger who gave it to you and include a link to their blog.  Check… and once more for luck – thank you!
• Mention 7 random things about yourself.  Oh God.
• List the rules.  Check.
• Give the award to 15 or more bloggers.  Well, I’ve got a long enough Blogroll…

Right.  So, 7 random facts.  Assuming they can’t be things I’ve already mentioned on here… hmm, that’ll be tricky.  But I’ll give it a shot.

1. I can write backwards.  And I do so as often as I can.  When I was a Very Small Person, I noticed that my mum signed things backwards (in the days when you had to sign receipts, you know, with, like, a pen and stuff), and naturally I wanted to do the same thing.  So I taught myself.  Quite successfully, too.  And it was one of the few things I actually kept working on over the years, while most other interests (which were still as obsessive and Aspie as could be) withered and died in a dust-covered corner somewhere.
2. I can’t see 3D.  I was born with strabismus, which I’ve already mentioned on here, and despite two operations early on, it still gets in the way sometimes.  But I’ve recently realised, what with all the 3D-ifying of films expanding exponentially all over the place, that I’m nearing a point where I’ll be an Excluded Minority from the cineworld.  Which is sad… and thankfully, there is a “however, it’s lucky that…” side also, which will be my next point.
3. I have an auditory memory.  So I’ve been told.  And this is The Point That Keeps Me From Topping Myself, as I’ll always have the words, even if I don’t have the pictures.  (Yes, I like TV that much.)  In other words, while I’m rubbish with names and faces – in fact, I have needed “chaperones” on occasion, to help me navigate crowded places to find people that I’ve known for years but find myself unable to recognise - I can recite films that I like word for word.  It used to creep the hell out of people when I was younger.  Which, of course, was Fine By Me.
4. I saw my first psychiatrist when I was four years old. Which proved, once and for all, that they’re all morons.  That was also the first time that I realised that I knew more than a medical professional.  Altogether, a very comforting and, at the same time, extremely disturbing thought.
5. I used to memorise car numberplates.  Because I’m odd.  And I also used to recite the class register to myself over and over when I got nervous.  I couldn’t do that now (I think, anyway; not that I’ve tried), because that would involve memorising over 130 names, in order, and some require intense concentration for me simply to pronounce them.  And I still probably wouldn’t do it right.
6. Daydreaming has saved my life.  On a number of occasions.  It started with a Nightdream all the way back in Year 7 (I was 12), which became a storyline, which blossomed into a whole other world in my head.  Real Life Things leave their mark on my characters as they happen, and conversations between characters which seemingly develop all by themselves provide perspective and grounding in otherwise chaotic times.  It’s very complex now, and shows no signs of stopping by itself, but sometimes it’s comforting to know what your subconscious can do if you leave it unbounded by Normal…
7. I did judo for a while.  I was quite good at it, too.  I stopped when they spoilt it with competition.  Needless to say, I was better at remembering the words for the moves than anything else… and when it came to the competitions (over which there was no choice), I didn’t want to hurt anyone.  Especially not Just Because The Grown-Ups Want Me To.  And although judo’s more defensive than offensive, I’m not one to risk it.

That’s all I can think of.  Lots of words, none of them interesting; I know, I know.

And on to the nominations…  Can I just say “Everyone on my Blogroll” please?  I suppose that’s too much of a cop-out, so here I go…  Alphabetically, of course, by blog name.

• 400 Days ’til 40.  Always a comforting read.  Always gives me things to think about.
• American Trans Man.  Brilliant, insightful and full of shiny wisdom.
• Brokenpenwriter.  Musical, magical words.
• Genderkid.  Resonance, sometimes unexpectedly, makes me think.
• Genderweird.  Lots of resonance with me.
• George.  Jessie.  Love.  Exceptional and inspirational… and at the same time very down-to-earth.
• Lautopolis.  Versatile is a fitting word.
• Laments and Lullabies.  Humour and then some.
• Le Clown.  On Fire, in fact.  Humour that keeps me sane… or is it insane?
• Neutrois Nonsense.  Hugely useful, lots of resonance again; I have to stop myself from commenting on every post with “meeee toooo” or “I know the feeling”… or something similar.
• One HuMan’s Journey.  Useful and resonant.  Too much resonance floating around WordPress at the moment…
• Sweet Mother.  Humour of the best kind.
• The Adventures of Transman.  Trans things, but funnier.
• The Artistry of the Bipolar Brain.  Insights and then some.
• Vagabond.  Check out the Baked Typeface Project.  Brilliant.

Phew.  That’s my fifteen.  I’d like to include more, but my hands hurt.  One last thing… can I nominate Eli again??  Please??

At last, I’ll stop typing and leave you all alone.  Digital wave… and I’m out.