Flattery will get you everywhere

I hope everyone is enjoying their day! After morning rain here, it cleared up nicely, and it really cooled off! I'll probably have to put on socks soon, because my toes are getting cold!

I was very flattered to get a couple of awards from fellow bloggers. As I do with most awards, I pass them along to anyone I read, and who believe it applies to them. First was Lucy of What is Left of a Whole New Life, who gave me the Honest Scrap award. She says I "say it like it is." I try, Lucy, and believe me, not everyone likes it as much as you do! I do tend to get a little...passionate...about things, and I freely admit that.

It still makes me laugh to think of when we met our blogger friend Mark in Detroit. As we were having breakfast, we talked about how people are often so much like the way they write. (People have told me that in the past, because of my letters, and I think it’s been true so far when it comes to bloggers we’ve met.)

Mark: [pointing to Ken] You...you write about a lot of technical stuff, and you're always really laid back, and that's just how you are in real life.

[Ken and I nod]

Mark: [pointing to me] And you are...

[At this point he starts laughing]

Me: Not?

[we all laugh]

Me: I'm laid back, too!

[Mark and Ken laugh]

Me: I really am! What's so funny? [I'm laughing now, too.] Okay, I'm laid back until I get fired up about something.

I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Second was the Superior Scribbler award from Deb at Write on Target. Deb is an honest-to-God writer, working on her second book, so you know it means a lot to me to get this from her! I love reading her blog, because not only is she a fantastic writer, she has plenty of tips and thoughts about writing and pimping shopping out your book. She's also got a great sense of humor, and I suspect we could stir up a little trouble together. I hope I get a chance to find out one day!

I thank both of you, and appreciate the kindness very much. I don't know anyone who doesn't love a little ego-stroking now and then!

~~~~~

It's no secret that I spend a lot of time on the computer. (I manage to get other things done, and yes, I ironed today!) Sometimes it still strikes me, though, what an amazing thing this is. This afternoon, I spent a little over an hour watching an online health care forum conducted by the President. It still astounds me to see the level of effort the campaign, and now the Administration and other organizations like MoveOn, have put into the Web in order to get their message out. It really is a linked-in society now (and I'm not even on LinkedIn!), and it's really cool to share this in real-time with others online, who are often hundreds of miles away.

Of course, it's a double-edged sword, since so much of the current misinformation has spread via the Web. The other day, a fellow blogger forwarded an email to me concerning all the terrible things that health care reform was going to do to us. (It stopped short of saying that it would induce painful acne flare-ups and cause embarrassing halitosis, but it was a close thing.) The person wanted my opinion, and I can't tell you how much I appreciated that. I don't have all the answers, and don't pretend to, but I can do some research, and I did so, providing several links for information, and refuting some of the ridiculous claims in the original email. I love it when someone doesn't take a forwarded email as factual and tries to learn the truth, and I've gotten increasingly likely to check into the fact or truth of things forwarded to me, and send them back with a link that provides the "rest of the story." Snopes and Factcheck are our friends, people! It should go without saying to not believe everything you read, but too many seem to think that if it's circulating on the Web, it must be true. It often is not.

I would say that the likelihood of my factchecking something and sending it back to the sender is directly proportional to my frustration with those who have blind faith and automatic belief in anything. What really perplexes me, though, is that so many simply refuse to accept proof. Whether it's Obama's birth certificate or the exact page and line that says nothing about "death panels" or specifies that illegal aliens will not be covered under this health care bill, they just will not accept it. "I don't believe you," they say. I wrote to a friend today that I wondered if that would work at the doctor's office.

Doctor: I have bad news. You have cancer.

Patient: I don't believe you.

Doctor: No, seriously...here's the X-ray.

Patient: I don't believe you.

Doctor: LOOK. Look at this X-ray. See this thing? It's your lung. See this big white thing down here at the bottom? That's a tumor. You have cancer.

Patient: You're making it up.

[Please note that I am not making fun of cancer. I've had several loved ones have it, and it is not a laughing matter. I'm just trying to illustrate my point.]

I just don't get it. How does written, notarized proof not provide irrefutable evidence? It seems to me to be a level of paranoia that is astonishing. Frankly, I find it a little creepy, too.