The 7 X 7 Link Award goes to .....Incoming Bytes!

The prestigious 7x7 Link Award

Here at Incoming Bytes  on a recent post, a curious  comment  was received  that included the question: 
" Where is your 7x7 ? " 


'Huh?  You mean my 4x4?  My rusty old Jeep?  Out in the yard ' I thought to myself.  VERY rusty, too, ...but nothing a nice shiny Ford  2012 F150 4x4 couldn't fix.  Oops...a little digression there.


  "Pssst...you won the 7"x7" !


I thought it might have been just another crank comment except for the fact that the "Pssst"  was from Red herself.   That's Ann Marie Dwyer --to those that don't already recognize her as the prolific, quintessential blogger at M3.   
It being just after  New Years,  and all,  --which is getting awfully close  to April Fool's Day if you hang around celebrating long enough, it immediately caused seven degrees of paranoia  suspicion  and an automatically-elevated eyebrow,  I hastened to gulp some searing-hot coffee just in case.  Wake up, man!   Destiny awaits!  Was it the really the 7x7   --would that be the big lottery, finally, the Super 7? 
Red is known to have a sense of  humor.   

Finally seeing a picture of the  7x7  with stars  and fireworks on it. but no wheels or dollar signs,  I was  even more paranoid  suspicious, what would stars and fireworks have to do with April Fool's Day --that wasn't even here yet? 


Alert readers, you can understand my predicament! Not being  any better informed,  we shifted  into default mode, put the pedal to the metal, palpitating and researching 7x7's,   49'ers ,  7/7's  and 1/7ths, just in case.  
Heavy research. Big time stuff.  Internet mayhem.  Scrambling. Google and such.


Now everyone is aware  of that  help-you-escape-from-anything mode  --4x4,--  find'em, grind'em,  pure  gas-sucking power.  It allows you to muddle, dawdle,  diddle,  and doodle, wandering aimlessly through the deepest muck and doodoo  research  with the greatest of ease.  We  didn't waste any time.  
Be it known that we're fearless (unless the ruts are deep and full of water and alligators )so,  roaring and grinning  with much bravado, 4x4 asked Red :  
"What's that?"   
Whoever said men can't ask directions was right, but we ask for information shamelessly  if we have absolutely no other choice, it's dark outside, and nobody's looking.  I digress. 
We soon found out.
It turned out  that Ann Marie Dwyer of M3  ( that would still  be Red   of Mommas MoneyMatters, ) had generously  presented this  award to Incoming Bytes  at the end of December, a whole  week ago,--  that being  pretty close to being  back in the good old days. 
Back in those days, it turns out, I was still in the dark ages.  The lights were out. I missed that all-important enlightening post in M3.  No matter. 
Hopefully, I was forgiven. Maybe.
I told you Red has a sense of humour. 



In spite light of that revelation, inexplicable as it was, I  accepted the 7X7 Link Award complete with  all  associated honor and fame that inevitably accompanies such prestigious awards.   
I immediately discovered that with fame,  lies certain responsibilities .  
I found out I have to actually DO stuff,  the most important of which 
 is to always thank the presenter prodigiously.
I  therefore wish to officially thank Ann Marie Dwyer,  a.k.a. Red,  since it is humbling --and a great honor to be presented a prestigious  award by a wonderful writer, prolific blogger,  helpful mentor, and famous person, --even if she's on a well-deserved vacation.


Here's the whole list of other stuff  in no specific stuffing order:

• Thank the nominator  ( I did that already, but thanks again, Red!  )
•  Tell a Secret.  Any real secret will do. Do you stick gum on your bedpost overnight? Do you keep Twinkies in your desk drawer?  Got any sexy vices that are interesting? 
• Post the 7x7 Link Award in a highly visible location like a Side-bar to enable bragging rights .  Put it someplace where it can be admired!
•  Share Seven (yes, SEVEN )  of your blog posts complete with links.  *Hint: Links that actually work are helpful to your loyal readers.  
• Nominate Seven NEW bloggers  (Yes, SEVEN)  that should receive this award. They should be bloggers that actually do good  stuff.
• Advise all 7 new winners that they are winners and now have 49 MORE things to do.   (Get that?  7x7 =49,  I knew that research would pay big dividends...hm.....now if I can just find the  6 lucky numbers.....)

So,  first of all,  the secret....they call them secrets because you don't really  want to tell them but  for this award,  'ya gotta.  Use small type. Maybe nobody will notice.
  I'm guessing nobody knows this secret--  I often  type   sdrow  words backwards whilst minding my own business.  I can also backspace at 120wpm, error-free. 


Seven Blog Posts:  These are some favourites, for various undisclosed reasons....

1. Most beautiful piece: The Age of Light
2. Most helpful piece:  The trouble With Word Mills: Writers Beware
3. Most comical piece:  The Ball and Chain Approach might Work for THEM too....
4. Most popular piece: North America...Rent this Idea !
5. Most controversial piece: EU Bans Canadian Seal Products but Condones Bullfights, Atrocities, and Hypocrisy
6. Most Surprisingly Successful piece: Sometimes Life Becomes a Legend of Glory
7. Most Underrated piece: Reinventing Energy:  the Rossi E-Cat

 I hope everyone likes the recommended blog posts! 

Now, happily,  I  get to   nominate present     this award to the following Seven wonderful bloggers --who  also get the 7x7 Link Award --complete with all 49 benefits.  ..(a.k.a. '49 more things to do" and stuff.)


The New 7x7 Link Awards go to:

1. Mandy's Pages    Amanda Dcosta may have been away on holidays, for a month,  but her peaceful approach to life, her incredible faith and skilful blogging has  much merit.  Mandy's Pages has almost become a sanctuary to read, a place to reflect.  The brilliant Eastern star is shining in the sky over Oman once more. Mandy's pages was previously recommended ! 
2. Just Camping Out    Jim Bessey's  blog on camping, relaxing and enjoying the great outdoors induces both peace of mind, encourages pleasant memories of past camping trips, and stimulates future summer plans.   Just Camping Out  is full of  interesting camping stuff.  Check it out, you'll see why We like camping better!  
3. Glory's Garden     Glory Lennon keeps gardens alive year around--out in the yard in the summer,-- and helps them grow in our minds in the winter.  If Glory's  not gardening, she's spinning novels  or teaching crafts!   Entertaining and highly recommended! 
4. Lala Musings       Rachel Howells has a unique voice in her blog that keeps you coming back. Insightful, cutting, and at times, hilarious.  A great read and  Highly recommended!
5. A Heep of Everything    Alexandra Heep  has an interesting way of  analyzing everything, ---heaps of life.   Alexandra also writes " A Heep of NASCAR.  Both of these blogs were previously highly recommended !
6. Freelancing and More    Doreen Martel's fab blog site on the business of writing is a 'must read' for anyone in the business.  If you're interested in learning the ropes about the intricacies  of writing successfully, Doreen's advice is  highly recommended !  By the way, while you're at it, check out Doreen's brand  new  web site  http://noscamworkathome.biz/.  You may be glad you did !
7. Poetic Parfait    Christy Birmingham's  *new blog Poetic Parfait is looking  at poetry and music  with  refreshing, open eyes and her unique insight.    *A relatively new blog,-- with a promising new approach!   ** By the way, watch for *Silver Drops*   in the next few days!  Hm...that sounds familiar, the poetic neck is on the line, and you'll see why!                                                                                                                     Tune in and help the new 7x7 Link Award winners enjoy their recommendations too!    Thanks again, Red!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The Prestigious 2011 Sunshine Blogger Award !

 

 

The Prestigious Sunshine Blogger Award

 

 

The sunshine of November and the unseasonably warm weather is not my only blessing, it seems. I get to read blogs of my choosing, and I  follow a list of favourites regularly.  Most of them are no less than amazing.  As a blogger myself,  I am always on the lookout for interesting stuff to read, new ideas, and devious ways to attract new readers or even keep  loyal readers interested.  

At Incoming Bytes I am also  always deleriously  happy  to receive any sign that someone has actually read 'the blog'...so  I am especially delighted to have picked for a  2011 Sunshine Blogger award.

It being such an honour,  I would especially like to thank Rachel Howells,  who picked Incoming Bytes for such kudos,  is a friend and superlative writer. She writes with refreshing honesty, curious logic, wit and  with biting hilarity  on Lala Musings.   (http://lalamusings-lala.blogspot.com/ )   Rachel  also fearlessly tackles  tough issues and now, bravely  hands out awards only to the best,  doing  so with an elegant touch.

As a blogger or writer, it is always an inspiration to receive recognition from friends, individuals and prestigious organizations  even if  received for the most  obscure reason.  Recognition encourages us to  write more, write faster, but above all,  be better at what we do. Write better. Write more thoughtfully.  Sometimes it even encourages us to hand out more awards.  

  

There are rules involved in accepting the amazing Sunshine Blogger Award, which are:

1.  Thank the presenter,  and write a blog post about it.

2.   Answer a few basic questions,  and

3.   Turn the spotlight on ten or twelve blogs that inspire you.  Adding links for the blogs is essential.

 

The questions are as follows:

What is your favourite colour and why?

What is your favourite animal?

What is your favourite number?

What is your favourite drink?

Which do you prefer,  Facebook or Twitter?

What is your greatest passion in life?

Do you prefer giving or getting presents?

Which day of the week is your favourite?

What are your favourite flowers?

 

Here are my responses to the questions at hand: 

 Favourite Colour:  My favourite colour is yellow, the colour of the morning sun. It awakens, and inspires, and makes morning coffee more enjoyable. Some say it is also the colour of madness and lemons. I like it anyway.   It is not a coincidence that my favourite blog heading picture is blinding yellow. Oops......

Favourite Animal:   My all-time favorite animal is the horse. Horses run like the wind, the  symbol of freedom. They can kick back, but they also know how to kick back and relax.

Favourite Number:  Although 3 comes after two and  7 is supposed to be a lucky number, I am fascinated by 9. The number 9 is no less than amazing.  No matter what you do with the number 9, it works out.  I like things that always work out.  3+6=9,  3x6=18,  but  1+8=9. Add as many nines together as you like, the sum of the resulting numbers always add up to nine somehow.  That's where yellow comes from too, you get the idea.

Favourite drink:   Water wins, hands down and bottoms up.  Adam's ale. The most valuable liquid in the universe.  Curiously, water also floats boats and  rusts nails. There has to be a subliminal message there someplace.

Facebook or Twitter?   Facebook is unnecessarily intrusive into privacy.  I'm guessing it's smarter to like Twitter better.

Favourite Passion:   I could easily say writing fiction, because that is what I enjoy doing. The inspiration for that proclivity,  however, comes from observing humanity, so that's my favourite passion. Watching an alien species do alien stuff comes to mind.

Getting or giving presents:  I much prefer to give presents. Getting them is always difficult and seems to infer future obligation, however tenuous.  Giving is much safer.

Favourite day:   Saturday is the best, hands down. You can do anything on Saturday, knowing you can recuperate the next day.

Favourite flowers;   Black-eyed Susans.  They don't have thorns, they're yellow and they're wild, unlike sunflowers, which are coincidentally also yellow.  Don't get me wrong here, I like sunflowers the best  too. The problem with sunflowers is they are tame, usually grow in rows, and they follow the sun like slaves, which is a cool thing to watch, but seems just a bit too organized, something like choreography gone berserk. 

 My favourite blogs, for various and sometimes arcane reasons, whether it be excellence, humour,  incredibly good writing, wisdom, wit, the foibles of humanity, philosophy, objectivity, fuzzy warm subject matter or just plain fun,  are as follows:

Glory       at  Glory's Garden

Jim          at   Just Camping out 

John        at   Gold Mining and Prospecting

Mandy    at   Mandy's Pages

Nadine    at   Last Known Nest

Alex        at   A Heep of NASCAR 

Julie        at   Wooly Acres

Sharon    at   Resistant but Persistent

Olivia     at   Olivia's Open Book

Conny     at   Under the Toronto Sun

Rachel    at    Lala Musings   ( Rachel,  this is not a conspiracy. This is a genuine award. You had to receive this award again to become the Dual Sushine Blogger Award winner. )

Enjoy!  Thanks again, Rachel!

 that's my story and I'm sticking to it