Awards: 2013
Working backwards, as I often do, these are the awards my blog amassed this year, 2013. My apologies go out for my tardiness in accepting them but I’ve just not been in the right place for receiving such things. However, tis the time of year for feeling grateful, giving and accepting of things: so here I am feeling grateful, giving and accepting things. I’m ready to give back to my loyal readers, followers and give kudos to all the artistic and writerly places I like to visit.
I read an enormous amount of blogs and web content written by talented and engaging writers, artists and poets [read: I procrastinate a hell of a lot, while also being entertained; when I’m supposed to be working!]; today, I’m chuffed that I get to have this awards night, showing my appreciation for the support and followings that we share. So, here goes:
Dragon Loyalty Award
This award, I adore: it’s the dragons, you see. It’s so Game of Thrones! Don’t you think?
If Disney had a version of Game of Thrones. (Can you imagine a G Rated version of Game of Thrones? I know, not half as fun!) The lovely Rachel Meeks, who blogs over at the awesome blog, Do I Look Sick, awarded it to me. This blog is a must read for anyone who has an invisible illness because this is one gutsy, amazing woman who’s real-life tales are as inspiring as what they are fascinating. No longer do I fantasise about going to Disneyland. Because, I can check it all out over here. Rachel, thank you for this marvellous Dragon Loyalty Award. Kisses and a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to you and your peeps. Now, what exactly are the rules for this award?
Oh, that’s right, I have to list 7 interesting things about myself, and then nominate 15 of my own loyal readers.
Seven Things
- I harbour a secret fantasy of, one day, becoming a beekeeper
- I wish that I had three dragon children just like Daenerys Targaryen
- For Christmas I am getting a set of bluetooth noise cancelling headphones to help me focus. I’ve found that if I do 1 thing at a time, I can complete it in a relatively short time frame. However, I find background noise [read children, dogs and pet birds] very distracting and often find myself doing 7 things at a time without completing much at all. Music helps me focus!
- My dog is now off of her Prozac (Lovan), and I prefer seeing her this way–after that small medicated window of time she’s so much braver and much less Scooby-Doo about things that used to frighten the bejesus out of her! (Yay! For Prozac for Dogs.)
- I hope to visit Canada one day (they actually have fragrance free accommodation!)
- My favourite show is… yep, you guessed it, Game of Thrones
- For the last month, I’ve found that I’m so much better with inks. If I my air books, I can actually read them without suffering upper respiratory symptoms. For me, this means that I’ve started on the box set of Game of Thrones that I bought of Amazon way back at the beginning of 2012! Here’s to long baths with good books! (Cause iPads and bathtubs don’t go together! I came to this conclusion via logical thought and critical thinking, not because I dropped an iPad in the tub.)
While we are on the subject: Behold, This Epic Dragon Scene from Game of Thrones, Season III: Daenerys Targaryen Rise to Power
My fourteen Nominees:
- Life in the City with a Future (Each time I read this blog, I just want to go for a walk in the fresh air and check out the amazing birdlife around here.)
- Poetic Parfait (A blog that’s insanely rich with juicy poems and the writings of Christy Birmingham, author of Pathways to Illumination.)
- Musings of a Dysautonomiac (This girl rocks, and she’s funny. There is so much she’s taught me about POTs, that I just know that one day I’ll meet someone and be able to say: “Yeh, I know all about that!” And in that one sentence, I’ll make them feel understood. Sometimes, that’s all we need: a little understanding!)
- MCS Chatter (We agree to disagree on guns, but we agree to agree on all things MCS: the lovely and funny, Sonda!!!)
- Dragonfly MCS ~ an organic place to live (Over at Blogspot: Help for all those who, due to our toxic environment, have been left ill, isolated, homeless…)
- Always Well Within (One of my favourite blogs offering “Simple Wisdom for a Happy Life.)
- One Canary Sings ~ notes from an industrialised body (Pushcart Prize winner and author of The Butterfly Effect, Jennifer Lunden Click here to read about monarch butterflies, the Butterfly Lady of Butterfly Town, USA, and so much more. And here to read Exposed, The Mammogram Myth and the Pinkwashing of America)
- Allergictolifemybattle (A very special blog, close to my heart, and a fountain of information regarding recovery from mould illness and MCS.)
- A Country Woman who Paints (A deranged, color-ravenous artist whose paintings often become female landscapes incognito. just watch…)
- Water Colour Candy (You need to check out ‘Synesthesia Bird Takes Flight… or something like that…‘ aminated video.)
- MCS Gal ~ Sensitive to Chemicals (Here, you can print out recipes, too!)
- 25 Pills a Day ~ Fibromy-Awesome (Ha, I’ve just discovered this blog just at a time in my life when ‘fibromyalgia’ has been rearing it’s fung-dungled head. Check out: Poetry Pure Poetry)
- The Allergista (My fav place for fashion and food tips.)
- Without Gadget (Sharon’s heart rendering and inspiring blog about living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity after losing Gadget, her service dog.)
Readership Award
Kathryn Treat, from the blog, allergictolifemybattle, gave me this award a while back. Here’s what she wrote:
“http://the-labyrinth.com/ (Miche is also a fellow mold survivor and chemical sensitivity sufferer. She recently interviewed me about my book and my life struggles. I hope to be able to share the interview soon.”
I’m excited to share this news too. My piece is taking longer than I would have liked; and I hate this word but it ‘should’ have been finished by now. Ergo, it’s so close to being ready, that I can almost hear it calling my name; and, it’s been accepted for publication in Sensitivity Matters! (This is the first time, ever, that I’ve had something accepted for publication without anybody (except myself, of course) seeing it. Of course, it could still get rejected but I am working like a meerkat making it suitable for it’s audience that I doubt it will get knocked back.) I would have to say 2013, for me, has been the year of getting published. (And for some of this I was actually Paid. Yep! Sold my soul, I did. But this piece, although close, is one that didn’t make it to the finish mark of this year. But do wait for it…It’s my best work ever.
(For those of you who don’t know, Kathryn Treat is the author of the just-recently-released book, Allergic to Life: My battle for Survival, Courage and Hope.
To buy a copy, click on the image, above. It’s available on Amazon and you can find out more about it here. Or read my review here.)
Rules
Rule 1: Display the pretty firework picture. (Done!)
Rule 2: A great reader is someone who… leaves insightful comments, shares your work with others, and truly has an IMPACT on the blogs they read!
Rule 3: Nominate 14 readers who fit your description!
- Havering (An awesomely insightful Australian author blogging about the writing and self-publishing process)
- MCS Gal (A blogger who has been with since the beginning)
- Author Thelma Cunningham
- BioDwell Blog (Holistic Home Ecology)
- The Allergista (My fav place for fashion and food tips.)
- Poetic Parfait (Check out: Pathways to Illumination.)
- Musings of a Dysautonomiac (Check out Lindsay’s Chronically Ill Holiday Guide)
- MCS Chatter (Sonda, may you feel better soon! The world needs your humour and light)
- Infectiously Optimistic (Have Lyme? Visit for Tips on Good Health)
- Tissue Tales (A journey, navigating through life with a Connective Tissue Disorder)
- Mold Can Make You Sick (A A single mother on a mission to save lives)
- CSN Blog Deutschland (You may need Google Translator for this, but it’s WAY worth it!)
- Celiac and Allergy Adventures (All the info needed to live a fun and full life with allergies and celiac disease)
WordPress Family Award
This award has come from some of my fav bloggers. The WordPress Family Award: the name says it all; it’s like we are all family, yes? I find WordPress a much more supportive environment than some other social networks–not naming names now…
Again though, I’m breaking the rules (twice): first, I’ve received it from two other bloggers. This means that each of my recipients get this award twice. Silly? Excessive? I think not. This is multi-tasking at its best. Heartfelt thanks go out to Kathryn Treat and MCS Gal (I bet you gals thought I forgot?!) Secondly, I’m passing it on to just 1 (out of the 10) blog that are not WordPress… So sue me.
🙂
The rules for this award are simple. They are:
- Display the award logo on your blog;
- Link back to the person who nominated you;
- Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family;
- Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them; and
- That is it. Just please pick 10 people who have taken you as a friend, and spread the love.
- Queer Without Gender (Writings on queer life in a gendered world)
- Dylan Marshell’s Blog (You look up from your book to find life well lived)
- Six Backpacks (Wandering the world (with kids)) (You can check out the book, Six Backpacks – A Journey Through Vietnam, here)
- Jen’s Thoughts (Writing, Reading and life)
- Interesting Literature (A Library of Literary Interestingness)
- Musings of a Disautomoniac (If you have a hankering to see what Santa looks like with a chronic illness, check this out)
- Not Out of a Packet (My 2nd fav place to find healthy recipes. This is the birthday cake, I’m about to do a practice run on before making it for ‘someone’s’ birthday)
- Water Colour Candy (The name says it all!)
- Annelie (Annelie on Asthma, Humour and the World)
The Liebster Award
I’m chuffed to receive another award, and from Kathryn Treat. You can visit her ever-resourceful blog, allergictolifemybattle, here.
Origin of the Liebster Award:
According to blogger, Sophysays, Liebster means ‘Dearest one’ in German. (And as I’m part German, I’m seriously stoked to have won this award! So a double, double thank you to the person who gave it to me.) The earliest mention Sophy could find was over at German blog, Birdy of Paradise, 2010, so I’m gathering it’s a relatively new award.
Five Random Facts
By accepting, I am supposed to share five random facts about myself and answer five questions posed by allergictolifemybattle. Then, I have to nominate five other blogs and come up with five questions to ask them.
1. I believe that if everyone in the world meditated, the world could be a better place.
2. My favourite pastime is walking or running on the beach.
3. I love making my own ice-cream from healthy ingredients like honey, avocado, lime and coconut cream: one day I will post up a recipe.
4. I collect bonsais.
5. I’m currently working on an anthology of poetry.
Questions from allergictolifemybattle
1) What is your favorite book?
The Secret River, by Kate Grenville.
2) Who do you most admire?
I admire people like Sarah Wilson, Gemma-Rose Turnbull and Kate Holden because they make a difference by changing people’s perspectives on issues within our society.
3) If you had the money to make a difference, what would you do and why?
That one is easy: I’d help all the homeless people by giving them homes to suit their needs, and, if desired, education in their chosen fields of interest; I’d help all the women who work as sex-workers only because they need the money, and I’d pay of all their debts and give them a fresh start wherever and however they wanted; and I’d secretly employ politicians, and lawyers to help change global laws so that everyone, including gay and queer, differently abled, the poorer demographics, and the poorly educated could all have rights equal to those of our richest, most powerful men (and women).
4) What is your favorite pet?
I could never choose. It would be like having a favourite child (Like, it would be a total secret!). Having said that, my dog, Bella, is pretty in tune with my way of thinking, and my sporting abilities, so if I had to choose, it would be her.
5) If you could eat anything (I ask this because I have food allergies) what would it be?
I would eat all the petite fancy chocolates that I could find. I’m a chocolate connoisseur forever, but since having trouble with foods, I can’t just eat any chocolate, and I can’t walk into my favourite chocolate shop and just choose willy nilly. So I stick to the Green and Blacks brand: I used to have the milk, the dark, and the white; now, I only have the dark (no milk and less sugar) and I use these to make my own special little chocolates using dried cranberries, sultanas, coconut oil, and dried coconut.
My Nominees
- Rachel Meeks @doilooksick
- MCS Gal @ cookingforthechemicallysensitive
- The Silver Poet @ silverpoetry
- Tsena @ succumbing
- Thelma Cunningham @ thelmac
My Questions
- What is your favourite movie?
- Do you have a hero, and if so, who would that be? And why?
- If you had the money to make a difference, what would you do, and why?
- What is your best achievement–so far?
- If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?
Blog of the Year 2012
I got this award on New Year’s Eve, 2012. From MCS Gal, I was sitting on the beach about 9 km from where I’m living now. It was a 4km walk to get to a part of the beach that most holiday makers wouldn’t go to. Too far a walk. Mostly what I remember is wishing with all my heart that I could find a suitable rental property out here in the fresh air. And that it was a full moon. The way the moon shined down over the bay, reflecting it’s silver shining scope out across the calm water, giving me quiet focus. Hope. Strength, if you will. I had taken my computer along, stashed away in my back pack, like a detachable limb that I couldn’t leave home without. Looking at internet listings for rental properties, I couldn’t believe that a suitable property even existed; we had looked at so many houses that amounted to chemical emitting disasters… and houses that had been treated like hovels not fit for hobbits or dragons to nest in?!
Yet, since February 2013, I’ve been here in a house with a bathroom I can actually use. Although my health has improved, it’s not where I want it to be (I’m lucky, seriously lucky, if I have a few good days a week, which is an improvement on 2012 (where I had No good days for over 9 months); and, these days, for my health to be okay, I must walk in the fresh air everyday, morning and night; only air out my rental home, opening doors and windows of my safe-er house at key times (before 8 in the morning and again early evening, but only so long as it’s not raining or smokey outside or BBQ-y); I have to stay off the freeways; away from diesel trucks; wear a mask most places I go; and, sadly, avoid most human beings who use products with fragrance in them (It’s just easier, this way.); but the positive is that I can see distinctions that mean something: the main difference between this New Year’s Eve and last year’s new Year’s Eve is I now know where my life is going and how I’m going to survive and thrive with this illness. It’s taken me 10 months of adjusting to get to this point. 10 months of being frozen in fear of what it is I have to achieve (If I hadn’t had my studies and the few projects I’ve been working on, I think I may have lost it.) Now that I’ve pulled my head out of the proverbial sand, and realise that, yes, I have a plan to get out of The Labyrinth of Chemical Sensitivities, and that plan includes building a low-toxic house, which starts this year (which clocked in 10 minutes ago)! Yes, I’m building a house in a place that has relatively fresh air 80 percent of the time! And, on a metaphorical level, I’m pooping in my pants over this massive, epic, ever-important task. Welcome, 2014.
Happy New Year!
So, here are the rules (in case anyone’s not bored with me giving these out by now):
- Select another blog or other blogs who deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award;
- Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award;
- Include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award at the Thought Palette and provide these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
- Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
- You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
- As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…
And. Drumroll, please…The blog I am nominating is:
- This blog
More: About Blog Awards
The Pros and Cons of Receiving Blog Awards
Did you know that, since 2012, Goodreads gives out a blog award to bloggers who review books?