Blog This

The Okie Blog Awards were announced this past weekend at the first annual Okie Bloggers Roundup. Sadly, I was unable to attend the gathering; such are the travails of having a baby and a bitch of a methadone addiction.

Even more sadly, I have to bid adieu to the 2005 Best Overall Blog honors. This year's award went to the richly deserving Charles Hill of Dustbury fame. The guy is amazing. Having been blogging for less than two years, I can say without hesitation that this isn't always as easy as it looks. Sure, this is chiefly for fun -- but it can swiftly turn into a beast that must be fed. That Charles Hill still manages to crank out consistently entertaining and interesting blog posts is ... well, it's kinda scary. He's a machine. Maybe a cyborg, even.

Congratulations to all the winners (and to all the nominees, for that matter).

And while I'm on the subject, kudos to all Oklahoma bloggers, and thank you for the diversity of voices, the enthusiasm, the passion and (for the most part) civility. A special shout-out to my personal faves, from the can-do-it-all bloggers like Dustbury and Okiedoke to the solid political rants of Okie Funk, Existential Ramble and Left End of the Dial. For a laugh or groan, I dig Doc Pants, The Daily Bitch, Agent Bedhead and Lip Schtick. And then there are just the unique and wonderful windows into some amazing lives -- 3:40 a.m., AuntT and Brit. Oh, and there are even the right-wingers I always enjoy reading, such as Fits & Starts, Sean Gleeson and BatesLine.

The skeptics and wags in the mainstream media might continue to stick their heads in the proverbial sand, but the democratizing effects of the blogosphere have gargantuan ramifications that have yet to shake out.

Thanks, y'all.