Arte y Pico #2!

This just in: Buddy from Buddy's Fitness News has awarded me with a second esteemed “Arte y Pico" Award. This award was created as part of a tag initiative from the “Arte y Pico" Blog, where you pass along the compliment to other bloggers, and lately, this award has taken EntreCard by storm with so many excellent blogs being honored, and some of us even being honored multiple times.



This is the second award that MTMD has received, and I'm just as blown away by the honor--and really even more surprised. I just wanted you all to know, since many of us have been discussing this, that since I just got off the river, I'll be attending the awards ceremony in IR River Guide Shorts, Teva Sandals and my NOC Staff PFD.

The way this award works is that you have to pick 5 blogs that you find deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.

--Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

--Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

--The Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of the "Arte y Pico" blog so everyone will know the origin of this award. Here it is: http://arteypico.blogspot.com/.

After much thoughtful consideration, the second five I have chosen for this award are listed below, in no particular order, with the reasons why I chose them:




1) Ride to Remedy: Courtney Benefiel is one of the most inspiring bloggers I've ever come across. I first discovered her blog after she commented on my Almost Wordless Wednesday post on Socorro, New Mexico. Courtney is a diabetic, and her life and blog are about living with diabetes and overcoming its hardships. Courtney rides a road bike in Tour de Cures as she raises awareness and dollars in an effort to find a cure. Courtney is one of the most heroic bloggers out there, is an amazing human being, and her blog content will certainly inspire you, and thus she embodies what all recipients of the Arte y Pico Award hope to do.

2) Adopted Jane has a very beautiful and unique blog template, and I'm passing this award to her for the quirky creativity and dark beauty of her site. But there's much more here than a blog that's beautiful to behold. Jane's posts focus on issues of being an adopted child. Children being raised without parents, or those who have been orphaned due to tragedy, are emotional topics. Adopted Jane is all about raw emotion, which I really respect since I write with my heart on my sleeve as well. But there is power in Jane's candor, and her writing is raw--like an onion after the first cut. She will make you cry. And if those tears motivate just one person to take action on behalf of an orphaned child, then her blog will truly be honored.

3) Tricia's Musings: Tricia has been a blogging friend of mine since I started blogging. I took about 18 months off of blogging, but when I came back, I discovered that Tricia's blog had matured and truly become a presence in the blogosphere. Her posts are a mixed bag of random happenings in her life, beautiful photography of her garden, interesting personal anecdotes and informative articles. Tricia has perfected the balancing act between personal diary, news, photography, and paid for posting and advertising. Holding it all together is a pleasant and functional template. Tricia's readers are legion, and if you haven't yet discovered her blog and become a fan, I hope now you'll take a look.

4) Black Tennis Pro's. Sheila's blog, devoted to comprehensive coverage of the Black Tennis Scene is among the finest works of journalistic blogging and sports reporting I have ever seen. A recent interview she did for her "Coaches Corner" Column of her blog was picked up and published by the Chicago Sun Times. This is the blog that fills in all the information that our International Media conveniently overlook; and if you are a fan of tennis, you owe it to yourself to visit this blog on a daily basis, get the latest audio update from Sheila herself, and really enjoy the comprehensive coverage.

5) First Door on the Left. First Door on the Left is a political blog that is heavily opinionated and ultra-left wing. It is one of the finest blogs of its kind I have ever come across. While my views are more moderate than this blog, the zeal and dedication and unfaltering point of view of the writing and the articles and the humor that's demonstrated by the weekly political cartoon roundup present a fantastic information resource for debate and ultimately understanding of the state of politics in this country. Finding current, focused political discussion beyond the typical "Jerry, Jerry, he's my man, if he can't do it noone can!" superficiality that is out there in our news reports and all over the internet is rare, and for that reason alone, this blog is to be treasured.

Please, click the links above. Read these blogs. Then come back to MTMD and let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading.