One night in late December 2009, I decided to start a photo-a-day blog. I am not sure where the idea came from or why I thought it had merit. But the idea presented itself and showed no indication of leaving. And here I am, nearly four years later, still posting every day. I’ve learned a lot about blogging; my photography skills have improved; I’ve learned what I like to shoot (skies, old buildings.); what I don’t like to shoot (people); and I have developed a network of other bloggers whose work I admire.

One of these bloggers, Brett Erickson (see his work here), was gracious enough to nominate me for the Kreativ Blogger Award. I am a huge fan of Brett’s work, and I hope you’ll take the time to stop by his site. When you do, please tell him I said hello.

In accepting this nomination, there are five things I have been asked to do:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
2. List seven random things about yourself.
3. Nominate ten other blogs.
4. Notify these ten nominees.
5. Display the Kreativ Blogger logo on your blog.

And, so, in no particular order are seven random things about me:
1. Because my friend and writing partner double-dog-dared me to do it, I participate in National Novel Writing Month. I’ve done it for four years, completing the requisite 50,000 word novel each time. Don’t click over to Amazon looking for the books, though: I wrote 50,000 words, which is significantly different from writing 50,000 good words. Or having stuff like a plot, or character development, or any of those things novels generally have. It’s good discipline, though, to commit to writing an average of 1,666 words every day for a month.
2. I once applied to an MFA in Photography program. I didn’t get in. That’s probably for the best.
3. Although I haven’t been in a darkroom in ages, I still miss the smell of the chemicals. Maybe there should be a scented version of Photoshop?
4. I used to be painfully shy. Life is so much better since I’ve gotten over that.
5. If I can’t see the horizon, I start to get nervous. That’s what living on the Texas High Plains will do to you.
6. My first car was a 1974 Ford Pinto.
7. Perhaps in relief that I didn’t meet an unfortunate end as a result of that Pinto, I spent almost a decade photographing roadside crosses for a project called Where the Spirit Left.

Ten blogs I am nominating
Objects Gross and the Unseen Soul
Miguel Solorzano Photography
Sarah Takes Pictures
Mike’s Look at Life
Light from the Sun
Everyday Paranoid Visions
Burnt Embers
Robert Santafede Photography
Draw and Shoot
HoverCraftDoggy

My thanks to Brett Erickson for nominating me.