Saturday, February 27, 2010

...But is it Worthy of Posting?

It's been a bit of a slack week for me in the posting front. A combination of holiday preparations and the same crappy job have kept me away from the computer. That's not entirely true, I suppose, as I've been reading and commenting on the posts of my online friends.

I noticed a couple of times folks commenting on not really having anything to talk about so they have been reluctant to post at all for fear of boring the shit out of their readers.

I agree that some days it's debatable on whether or not what I post is of interest to anyone at all. In fact, that could probably be said for a lot of my posts. As I began my blog I didn't know what I would be posting about. My primary interest out here in the nether-regions of the Internet is creative writing. You will notice that I said writing, not publishing. I am in the infancy of my writing experience and have used this forum to meet some amazing people who ooze talent from...well, you get the picture (a lot of those folks are horror writers).

As I've noted before, if this blog doesn't pass on much information in the way of my writing progress (the output of which is very small, which would lead to a boring and unpopulated blog) it should at least educate people and perhaps give an image of this amazing island that I live on. I hope that this blog is entertaining. At least once in a while. I view this blog as a forum to keep me writing in some format. All writing is good writing. Correct?

Enough of that introspection. I've only had one coffee this morning and my brain hurts...

And now, for the awards portion of the show...



I was happy and annoyed amazed to receive this fine award from Jarmara Falconer from over at A Mission Impossible for the Nightwriter. I have admired Jarmara's continual pursuit for improvement in her craft while conveying a bit of personal information on her blog. She has followed my blog for a few months and I always appreciate her honesty and kind words. Please visit her blog if you get the chance.

The rules that follow this fine award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you.

4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself and at least one outrageous truth.

5. Nominate 7 3 creative writers who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.

6. Post links to the 7 3 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

You will notice that I took a bit of creative licence and changed the number of folks nominated from 7 down to 3. This is to make this award feel less pyramid scheme-ish and chain mail-ish (are they real words?) and generally less viral.

I would like to nominate:

  • Danielle Ferries at From the Attic because she seems very sweet and honest, and I'd like to force her to fib a bit.
  • Laurita Miller from Brain Droppings because I'm sure that her lies would turn to the macabre and horrific...
  • the incomparable Anton Gully from The Black Dogs Reading Room and Flash B*stard because Laura Eno has the Flaming Sword of Death held to my throat and Karen Schindler is ready to clobber me with a brick if I don't. I have a feeling that Mr. Gully's lies could be very bizarre and amusing (I'm sure that the censors will be on standby as well).

Congratulations to you all. I hope that you're up to the challenge. Please see my one truth and six bald faced lies below...

  1. While working as an Animal Control Officer in London, Ontario I served a court summons to the mayor of the city.
  2. I once caught a 50lb. salmon while fishing in Saanich Inlet, near Victoria, B.C.
  3. I once officiated at a funeral for a West Highland terrier called 'Wee Willie'
  4. I was the star of the cheer leading squad in high school, but the girls kicked me off the team because of the short skirt and the fact that I refused to shave off my beard.
  5. We buried a hairless Skinny Pig in our back yard with a toy and some loose change.
  6. I am interested in genealogy and researched our family tree to find that I am distantly related to the Scottish hero/villain Rob Roy MacGregor.
  7. When I was 9 years old I fell 20 feet from the maple tree in our back yard and broke 9 bones in my body.

Any takers on which one is true?

13 comments:

Laurita said...

Oooh, I really like numbers 4 and 6, but I'm hoping number 1 is true. :)

Thanks for the award. I'll have to pick through my outrageousness and see what I can come up with...

Laura Eno said...

You can breathe now...I've removed the Flaming Sword of Death from your throat. Sorry about the singe to your beard - I hope it grows back all right.

I think that #3 is true, but I can see you in any one of them. :)

Katey said...

I love how the lies people choose say so much more about them than the truths. You crack me up, Alan!

As to not having anything to say, I rarely have anything myself. But I like the Other Stuff you discuss as much as the Writing Stuff, so no fear there :D

DEZMOND said...

1. what did the mayor do to deserve the court summons?
2. I hope you let the little fishy go (you know I'm a vegetarian)
3. poor Willie ...
4. and they didn't have problem with you not shaving your legs but still wearing the skirt???
5. poor Skinny ...
6. which did you inherit - his hero or villain side?
7. were you searching for the maple syrup???

:))

Marisa Birns said...

I am guessing #6 is your truth.

(though if I followed my true feelings, your refusal to shave your beard did get you cut from cheer leading squad)!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Alan! Wow, I hope, amongst all of god's work that I do, that I can appreciate your award. I would hate for you to think that I'm some pushover who doesn't appreciate your blessing.

BTW, I'm making clones now. We tell them it's for diseases, but really I just like pretending that it's the apocalypse. Freaky.

Yay! I told them I'd be a mad scientist. Definitions of mad... paltry.

I AM science. And I am awesome. The work, more or less, handles itself.

Fox Lee said...

I'm going to go with the skinny pig.

Karen from Mentor said...

I bet #7 is true. [I did that when I was 12 and broke four ribs. Was your tree a beech tree? Damn beech trees are so slippery]

And I wasn't holding a brick waiting to bash you with it. It was a femur. Gotta get the facts straight Alan...even in a lying post.

Oh and one of Anton's lies will most certainly have the words "two and one half inches" in it or I will be gravely disappointed in him.
[those of you using the metric system convert amongst yourselves]

Paula RC said...

I love number 4 best of all, but I think the truth be told is number 6, Alan

You'll find the truth about mine on my blog now, Alan

Aaron Polson said...

Oh, I feel the power behind #1.

Do please blog about everything else (i.e., Other Stuff). Writing is only writing, and the other makes our lives what they are.

Danielle Birch said...

Thanks, Alan. Sounds like fun. I'll give it a go :)

Alan W. Davidson said...

Laurita, Bzzzzz, Sorry! And you know if the Mayor was like Andy there would be no way I'd grace his doorstep!

Laura, If the hair doesn't grow back it won't matter...the skin beneath the grey beard is so pale no one would notice. A very fanciful fib on my part, but no Westie.

Katey, As you have noticed, my purpose here is to educate and make people laugh...even if I'm the butt of the joke (the Scottish are good at this).

Dez, You do realize that 6 of these statements are false, don't you? And that was a good point about the girls not complaining about my having hairy legs!

Marisa, sorry #6 is not true. The girls sort of liked my scratch beard ;)

Anton, (*sighs) I thought you promised you weren't going to drink and blog any more...the award wasn't a blessing (I'll leave that to Father Ted) it was a chance for you to Wow us with you twisted imagination. We're still waiting...

Nat, You know me too well! I've told you a hundred times to quit stalking me!

Karen, I stand corrected. I got it wrong because of the blindfold you put on me and the oil you stathered on my hairy chest... I have converted your 2 1/2 inches to millimetres.

Jarmara, Four and Six are very popular, but still incorrect (not that there's not an element of truth to one of them).

Aaron, It was a fantasy of mine to do that, but alas not true. Thanks for the support on 'the Other Stuff'. Appreciated.

Danielle, I look forward to your fibs. Should it work in reverse, though, in the southern hemisphere? Six truths and one lie?

Karen from Mentor said...

Well you know what they say about small packages.... and hey, I thought the oil was just our little secret. *pouting*