Awards Lead to Truths & Lies

I was going to bring out the tux to present a couple of awards but realized I've been wearing it a lot recently and left it at the cleaners last week. You'll have to make do with me as I am...warts and all (don't ask).

I'd like to thank Bernard S. Jansen, one of my favourite Aussies, for bestowing upon me the Versatile Blogger Award. He can be found lurking at his blog How to Get Published. I am now a two-time winner of this award (if you really care and must know all my sordid truths, you can link to my previous list of truths here) but I will present the ground rules just in case you missed them the last time...


The Rules for The Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award.


2. Share seven things about yourself.


3. Pass the award to fifteen bloggers that you think deserve it.


4. Lastly, contact all of the bloggers that you’ve picked for the award.

Hmmm...what 7 things can I share about myself that have not already been inflicted upon revealed to the faithful readers of Land's Edge? I shall give it the old college try...and most of it will be true...

• I occasionally worked shirtless in the basement of my downtown Vancouver office building as I sawed through rock and drill core samples for a mining company.


• I once fell off a donkey while visiting the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.


• Also while living in Vancouver...a fellow YMCA-dweller and myself went to a nearby drinking establishment for a beer and discovered it was a gay bar. I refused to leave until I had finished my beer.


• I badly sprained my ankle when I was 20 while rock climbing in Victoria, BC.


• I believe in ghosts.


• I dropped out of university with poor grades at the end of my third year, but returned to college three years later and maintained an 'A' average for a two year program.


• I played the violin for three years as a child but can't read sheet music.

Now, I'm supposed to pass this along to 15 people (which is about the size of many of the small villages here in Newfoundland). I'm thinking that since I live in a small shed with no electricity or plumbing, and hence have no friends, I can't pass this along at all...however, if you are a follower of Land's Edge I automatically consider you a friend and you can consider yourself tagged with this fine award. Yes, I want to hear your truths...

Moving on, the other award bestowed upon me was the "Creative Writer" blogger award. This gem was passsed along to me by the very talented Erin Cole (via that Bernard guy in Oz). Erin, or as I prefer to call her 'The Grand Mistress of Horror' is beginning to take in submissions for the 2010 edition of the 13 Days of Horror at her blog, Listen to the voices. I wish to thank her for the honour and will do my best to lie. A lot.

With accepting this sparkling award, I am expected to:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link to them.


2. Add the award to your blog.
   
3. Tell six outrageous lies about yourself and one truth. (Another variant: Tell six truths and one outrageous lie. YOU get to guess which variant I chose – and which statements are true, as well as which are lies.)


4. Nominate six creative liars/writers and post links to them.
   Let your nominees know that they have been nominated.

I'm thinking that since I spilled so many true things about myself earlier it will be easier to make up six lies about myself and give only one truth...

• As a young man I was an avid paintball competitor.
• As a young man I was hit in the eye with a projectile and temporarily blinded.
• I have been dragged out to ballroom dancing classes several times by my wife.
• I was once arrested for disturbing the peace.
• I got my first fez at the tender age of 13.
• I wore a white suit and pink shirt to my high school grad dance.
• I once ballooned up to 250 lbs in weight.

So there's the selection, ladies and gents. Which is the truth in that list? This award blog thingy has gotten a bit long-winded (yeah, I know...big surprise) so I'll finish up here.

I'm supposed to pass this along to somebody...hmmm...same lack of friends in my life is again a problem. My dad once told me that when I was a boy he had to tie a pork chop around my neck with a string just to get the neighbourhood dogs to play with me...

But you know what? I'll pick one of my longest blog followers, Natalie L. Sin. of Written by Sin, as the recipient of the fine "Creative Writer-Liar Thingy" because I know that she'll make up some cool stuff. Some of it may even be readable by kids...well, maybe not...)

I'll post some doggy pictures during the week from our recent visit to the anual Greyhound Picnic here in St. John's. Oooo, Aaaaaah!