Thank You

So I went to that place on the corner where they do the dogs just so and the mustard’ll Mike-Brady-perm your nose hairs, puffed out my chest, and asked: “Hey, any discounts for, say, recent weblog award winners?”

“What the fuck is a fuckin’ 'wee blahj'?"

So no joy there.

At the Dirty Hippy joint?

“Fuck you. Narc.”

The drink-slinger absently planing condensation rings and peanut shells off the bar at the Irish pub?

“Whoozat? Blagoozavitze’s cousin?”

"Sweet, slam-dancing Jebus," I wept. "In a world where no country but Iceland honors web-based awards as legal tender, how could we expect the global economy to have gone any direction but tits-up?!"

And trudging home -- dogless, un-fair-trade-coffeed and undrunk through a Chicago winter cold enough to suspend atomic motion -- I discovered one place where being a 2008 Weblog Award honoree counts for something.

Turns out here at the castle, it means a lot.

It means that people I respect and admire in a community that has accepted me as a member think enough of what I do and how I do it to stop by and give me a pat on the ass. And to those of us out here in the tall grass of the digital exurbs, that exchange -- irrespective of contests and awards -- counts for so very much.

There are a lot of people to thank, but I want to single out the sentimental favorite for Best Liberal Blog in any arena, the cruel terminatrix of Taylor Marsh’s dreams of glory, and the Digital Den Mother to half the dirty hippies in New Gauchington, our own Blue Gal.

Thank you, BG!

Many thanks, too, to Shakes and the denizens of Shakesville.

To the whole crew at Crooks and Liars: that Big Blog with the Little Blog touch where I hang out sometimes.

To the General, whose het-abulous manliness is the towering tree in which the rest of us build our treasonous nests.

To Rawrahs (and his lady fair).

To the indispensable Jon Swift.

To Ms. Susie Bright, writer extraordinaire.

To the cats and kittens at the Group News Blog.

To the other, overlapping clowder (look it up) of cats and kittens at Fighting Liberals, where I post from time to time.

To the splendid Mock, Paper, Scissors.

To every last hussein at Brilliant at Breakfast.

To the filthy bastid ‘Ristocrats.

To Bill “Absolutely Not Safe For Work Unless You’re Larry Flynt” in Exile.

To FranIAm

To Darkblack (whose Sekrit Tribal Name is He-who-hath-stolen-the-Devil’s-Own-Photoshoppe-grimoire (look it up))

To Phydeaux and Phriends

To the Ornery Bastard

To Last Left B4 Hooterville

To Welcome back to Pottersville

To Impeachment and Other Dreams

To Wonkette and Sadly, No!, whose ICBM throw weight made such a huge difference.

To Mike, the Mad Biologist.

To Yoga Korunta

To “Berwyn Talk Forum”.

To Swimming Freestyle.

To the Pajama Pundit.

Thanks to Lindsay at the mighty Majikthise for her skill and wow.

Thanks to The Anchoress for her gracious comment.

Thanks to the late Steve Gilliard, blogger of the First Water, who kicked my ass out of the nest and got me started doing this stuff.

Thanks to my astonishing family and that cadre of dear friends who also know me in civilian life and keep my secrets.

I’m sure I missed a bunch of people because, well, (to steal from Digby, as we all do) I’m dead inside. So forgive me that, and accept my thanks.

And now, on with the circus…

Best,

driftglass.