Red Carpet Preening

Well, I obviously need to stock up on gowns, because there are some awards events going on!

First, the fabulous Lindsay T nominated me for the Weblog Premio Award as one of the bloggers from the younger set. Now, having just turned 34 and being unequivocally in my mid 30s rather than early 30s (which I claimed through 33) I don't know how much longer I'll be considered young. I sometimes find myself in the next demographic category up in statistics and it's always a shock. But I'll take it while I can get it.

Rules: 1. Select 6 bloggers to whom you would like to give this award; 2. Put the award on your blog and indicate who gave it to you by identifying her/his blog; 3. Paste these rules on your blog; 4. Write 6 of your most important values and 6 negative points you condemn; 5. Inform the 6 recipients by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm going to be loose with the rules; I don't like singling people out because I'm sure to miss someone great when I do so. I like all of you. But it's interesting to think of 6 values. I'm interpreting "values" loosely. It's more like items.

Three sewing values: adjust the bust in flat pattern stage, press your seams, and clip your threads. That last one always gets me.

Three communication values: I am working on a new (to me) project at work and I am seeing some unproductive communication strategies in the group (we are spread across the world and communicate mostly by email). What people don't seem to get is that by using positive communication you get what you want. And people are happy to give it to you! I am revealing my secrets here, but this is how to respond to someone's statements: "1. Great idea. 2. I agree. 3. To get to that, let's do this." Even if number three is in BLATANT contradiction to 1 and 2 (and consequently their original statement) they will almost always agree. It's simple, really. This is more of a three step strategy than three values per se, but making people feel good while still being assertive for myself is a value for me.

Six things I abhor: when someone runs the water while brushing their teeth, littering, comments that serve no purpose other than meanness, people touching the top of my head (because I'm short), superfluous quotation marks and apostrophes, and getting up early (by which I mean before 9:30; workdays suck in that way).

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Then I found out I was nominated for PR award for Best Fashion Photography. How very exciting! The whole nomination process was write-in; that people took the time to affirmatively single me out is so sweet and touching.

The category was quite a surprise. I find taking pictures a pain in the behind because I have to use a tripod and self-timer 90% of the time (unless I'm seeing Cidell, who has taken the best pictures of me--the one on the right being my favorite of all time, I think) and I am NOT naturally photogenic. In the beginning, about 90% of my photos were "wadders." Taking project photos has taught me how to look better in pictures and now up to 30% of them might be acceptable. Although my background is not very interesting (not having a yard or live photographer limits me to indoors) I do put effort into "styling" my shoots with hair, shoes(!!!), makeup, and accessories and I'm glad that people enjoy looking at the photos.

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I added my Goodreads shelf to the lists on the right. There are more books on it than the widget shows; I'm not sure how it selected those to highlight since most of them aren't even books I rated that highly, but whatevs. If you're on Goodreads let's be friends. I love to read, and a few other people have their book lists on their blogs and I enjoy seeing what's on their shelves. I'm always looking for a good book to read--assuming the library has it.