2008-04-01 - 5:11 p.m.

A long, long time ago, sometime back during award season, this here diary received an award. Can you believe it? (No, you cannot.) It was called an E award (E for excellence, it said), and it was accompanied by a proud icon. It was from Soggy Librarian and Lass. Thank you! I now pass along this award to my favorite online reads, but sadly I sully the award by failing to include the icon.

[imagine swell icon here]

Ceildah
If the posters in Murray's office in Flight of the Conchords aren't enough to convince you New Zealand's something special, this girl will do it. Freewheeling, London-dwelling dater of sneaker sniffers. Irreverent, and that's what we look for. I never read her diary without smiling. Many moons ago, she wrote about doing aerobics in her living room using bottles of wine as weights. Admit it, you have to smile.

Emeraldtiger
Ambidextrous, accomplished grad student who's getting a super-fancy degree in something that requires complex math. As nice as they come and very insightful. On more than one occasion, a comment she's left me has had a real impact on me. Only one more year before she finishes coursework and takes over the world. Or at least a university.

The muy elegante Katherinhand
Such beautiful writing. Really.

Kayemess
I've been reading her diary since 2002, back when we were both unmarried, child-free, and on totally different career paths than the ones we're on now. While I remain child-free, she has a new baby, and her candid tales of new momhood are a welcome reprieve from the "babies beget pure enchantment" set. I really do feel like I know her.

La Vie Cerise
In a word, class. She has lived in the best cities (Paris, San Francisco, LA, and now New York, by way of Brooklyn). She enjoys the finer things, including, but not limited to, good coffee, fashion, art and architecture, fine foods, travel. I feel more civilized just knowing her.

Lass
Snarky, funny, Austin-dwelling, ex-nanny, current writer. She's always ready with a hot tip, like how to enter this year's Skunk Poetry Contest, and that's nothing to sniff at. (Not funny?) Anyway, who knows where she finds these things, but she finds gems.

Mimi Smartypants
Who doesn't love Mimi Smartypants? I love everything about her blog, the fact that it's on diaryland, the penguins, the hilarity.

Oh Sweet Pea
I've actually met this fine lady too. Twice! Once in Vancouver, once stateside. She's an incredibly talented Renaissance woman. An artist, web developer, card maker, and chef (with an amazing food blog). I'm leaving out a handful of other talents, I'm sure.

Sarah Brown
She doesn't know of me, but I heart her. A mix of the funny and the beautifully rendered nostalgia.

Soggy Librarian
Man, I wish she'd been my librarian when I was a tween. Maybe I would've laid off the Sweet Valley High and that other trashy Francine Pascal series, Caitlin, the girl who -- to everyone at her exclusive Virginia boarding school -- seems to have it all, but there's a secret need that haunts her life: a need for love. Anyway, in her efforts to keep kids Caitlin-free, this librarian previews approximately 1,000 teen books per week, always with an eye toward, "Would a kid get something meaningful out of this?" and "Would a kid not think this was lame?" I met her in real life once too, and we visited a high-class establishment. Also, she's getting married in like a day! Congrats to her!

The Shivers
You know how when you come across someone who's truly a good person, you can just tell? When I meet someone like this, I refer to them as a "solid citizen," a practice I stole from my friend Balmer. I think it may have more of a junior statesman-ish quality than I intend, but it means "this person is one of the good ones." I don�t know, it's hard to explain. But I use it sparingly, and it applies to this one.

�

---

<< Previous - Next >>

�