The Liebster Awards

Author and blogger Marny Copal included me among her nominees for a Liebster Award. 

The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers by bloggers. It’s for blogs like mine with fewer than 200 followers. Having been nominated for the award by Marny, I’m now supposed to post eleven random facts about myself and answer the eleven questions Marny posed to me. In turn, I’m supposed to nominate another eleven bloggers and ask them eleven questions, thereby perpetuating the program.

My first reaction to the nomination? The award seemed suspiciously like a manipulative chain letter with its attendant rules to be adhered to. Its origin is a mystery; it doesn’t appear there is a person named Liebster after whom the award is named. “Liebster” does mean “dearest” or “beloved” in German, so this may hint at its provenance. The more I learned about the Liebster Awards, the more I became assured that it is a genuine means for bloggers to earnestly promote the work of their favorite fellow bloggers. Consequently, I am honored Marny thought highly enough of SW Oregon Architect to have nominated me. 

So, I’m ready to play along and accept my Liebster Award. Let’s start with the eleven random facts about myself:

1. I’m a morning person; conversely, my wife is most definitely a night owl. Because we share one computer at home, early weekend mornings have become my preferred time for blogging.
2. I enjoy music. As a child, I progressed from playing the piano to the clarinet, then the alto saxophone, before settling upon the trombone. Since 1989, I’ve been a member of Eugene Taiko, a traditional Japanese drumming ensemble.
3. I’m a terrible golfer.
4. I’ve resided most of my adult life in the U.S. but I’m not yet an American citizen (I’m Canadian). Consequently, I’ve only enjoyed the privilege of voting in an election once since I became old enough.
5. I’m a big fan of the University of Oregon athletic programs. Go Ducks!
6. I purchased my first computer in 1985. It was a 512K Apple Macintosh. My second computer was also a Mac. I haven’t owned one since. Can’t stand them now.
7. I dislocated my right shoulder while playing basketball; okay, full disclosure: it was Nerf basketball. In our bedroom. While in my underwear (perhaps this is TMI).
8. Continuing the medical misadventures theme, my first and only encounter with a chainsaw resulted in yet another emergency room visit. My wife hasn’t let me near a chainsaw since.
9. Despite my office’s relaxed dress code, I feel naked when I’m not wearing a tie at work.
10. I like anchovies on my pizza.
11. My father and his family endured the Second World War years in an internment camp along with thousands of other Japanese-Canadians. My mother and her family, also Canadian-born, suffered the misfortune of being stranded in Japan at the same time, denied reentry to Canada until after the war ended.

Here are my answers to Marny’s questions:

1. When did you first realize you liked to write? A: Probably in high school. I found it gratifying to compose papers and stories in a way that was ordered, coherent, and carefully considered.
2. Who is your favorite villain from a book or movie? A: Darth Vader. Do not underestimate the power of the Dark Side.
3. Can you name one item from your bucket list? A: Visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. 
4. Do you have a muse? If so, what is it? A: No. Being a member of the creative class, perhaps I should have a muse for inspiration but I don’t. 
5. What book excited you the most when you were a kid? A: It was a set of books that was most exciting: I loved learning about the fantastic variety of things I could find in every volume of the World Book Encyclopedia. 
6. Do you write in a linear fashion, or do you jump around? A: I tend to jump around but I do so within the structure of an outline. 
7. Do you live with animals? If so, can you read their expressions? A: Yes; ours is a feline household. I’ve come to learn the many moods and means of expression cats possess. 
8. Do you have a personal motto? A: Nope. Can’t think of one either. 
9. Are you dying to know the answer to any mysteries? A: Yes! Is Bigfoot real? Are we alone in the universe? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? 
10. If you could witness any event in history, what would it be? A: Wow, tough one. Perhaps Orville Wright making the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903. 
11. Do you like dolls? If so, why? A: No, they’re creepy. 

Next, my eleven nominees: 

1. Dave Amos – Towns & Cities 
2. John Danes – JohnDanes.com 
3. Lori Greene – I Dig Hardware 
4. Charles Hendricks – The Gaines Group Harrisonburg 
5. Tara Imani – Indigo Architect 
6. Eric D. Lussier - EricDLussier 
7. John O’Neil - Specology 
8. Liz O’Sullivan – Comments from a Spec Writer 
9. David Stutzman – SpecWords 
10. Vivian Volz – VVAS 
11. Sheldon Wolfe – Constructive Thoughts 

Note that I have no idea how many followers every one of my selected bloggers has. I mean no slight by implying with my nomination that they necessarily have fewer than 200 followers. I just want to do my part to broaden their audiences even further. 

And here are the eleven questions for my nominees: 

1. Do you have ambitions for your blog? If so, what are they? 
2. Where would you live if you could live anywhere you wanted on Earth? 
3. Imagine you’ve won the lottery. If you had to nominate one charity to inherit your largesse, what would it be? 
4. What is your favorite example of architecture? 
5. What excites you most? 
6. If you could change one thing about the city or town in which you live, what would it be? 
7. Are you a glass half-full or half-empty person? 
8. What advice do you have for the young people in your profession? 
9. Has technology changed your life for better or worse? 
10. What’s the first item on your wish list? 
11. Do you make and keep New Year’s resolutions? 

If you’re one of my nominees, don’t feel duty-bound to answer my questions or fulfill the other obligations.(1) However, if you “accept” your Liebster Award, devote a future post to promoting the blogs of others you take pleasure in reading. 

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing SW Oregon Architect ever since I started blogging in 2008. Without a doubt, one aspect of this hobby that is most rewarding is discovering the work of others who hold similar interests. The Liebster Award is a little cheesy but it as a fun way to highlight the work of bloggers who may not yet be well-known and deserve a wider following. 

Thanks again to Marny Copal for nominating me for a Liebster Award! 

(1)   There appear to be several variations of the rules for the Liebster Award. As passed along to me by Marny, you’re supposed to do the following when you accept your Liebster Award: 

• Paste the award picture into your blog. Several different styles are available online. Use the one you like best.
• Link back to the person who nominated you.
• Post eleven random facts about yourself.
• Answer the eleven questions asked by the person who nominated you.
• Write eleven new questions for your nominees.
• Pass the award on to eleven other blogs, and notify the bloggers that you nominated them.

One more thing: You cannot nominate the person who nominated you.