Award Policy

Award

Thanks!  but no thanks.

Shortly after starting here on WordPress one of my favorite blogs received an award.  How cool!  A couple of days later another received one.  Then another.  Then another…  I read the award and became disillusioned.

The awards going around WordPress seemed almost like the chain letters I used to get in my e-mail and now see every day on Facebook.  They promise that wealth and health are guaranteed simply by sending the letter to 10 friends.  If those 10 friends each send to 10 friends of their own who send it, etc. soon the whole world would be awash in that simple message.

I had decided that I was against awards when I received a “nomination”.  OK, this nomination came from a blogger I really respected and I knew it was given for the best of reasons.  I started to rethink it.

And then another one came.

I decided to write up response.  When I had completed this task I stumbled upon a very cynical post about awards.  After reading through all of the responses I changed my mind again and never posted award acceptance.

Now I received a third one.  I guess it’s time to define an award policy for Trent’s World Blog.

First I want to say that I am not cynical about it.  I feel the people who nominated me did it for the best of reasons.  It is the height of peer acknowledgement.  Well, for some it is.  For me I would rather have you read my posts and like and/or comment on them when you have time, which my “awarders” have done.

Since I think the people who nominated me are sincere I will sincerely thank them.

Sunshine Award – Thank you Sonya at captureyouphotography!

Liebster Award – Thank you Lee @ (a)typical amateur!

Versatile Blogger Award – Thank you Rose Red!

I really do appreciate it.  I hope you three are not disappointed that I am declining your nomination.

 I will try to thank those who nominate me in the future, but I’m not going to accept any awards.

As a small bonus for this post, I’m going to put down quite a few “things people here don’t know about me” and incorporate a few of Lee’s questions into it.  So here goes, some little known facts about Trent:

  1.  I live in New Hampshire but (as an adult) have lived in Massachusetts, Texas, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
    I’m originally from Ohio
  2. I once spent a summer as planesman/helmsman and SONAR operator on a nuclear sub
  3. I once was an Air Traffic Controller
  4. After some time away I’m transitioning back into a position as a Software Developer
    (update June 2017 – I am no longer a software developer.  For a while I have been a PM for a web hosting environment)
  5. I have sat in the ‘jump seat’ of a commercial jetliner (when I was in ATC) during a normal flight
  6. I’ve skied, nonstop, down Tucker Mountain on the backside of Copper Mountain (look it up).  Down the steepest, longest face.
  7. Last summer I got to watch Air Force 1 land from a control tower on a military base and then watch Marine 1 take off.
  8. On my honeymoon I once put us on the wrong train and we headed to Naples instead of Florence.
  9. I once got my real estate license and worked for a short time as a Realtor.
  10. My all-time favorite book is “To Kill a Mockingbird”.  The words on the paper are beautiful like poetry and ideas contained in those words are beautiful.
  11. I watch very little TV except for the news and special occasions.  I do not watch reality shows.  My philosophy is to live my own life, not watch others live theirs.
  12. I run, even during this harsh winter.  I swim occasionally.  I used to bike 100+ miles a week from March to November.  I don’t X-country ski as much as I used to nor downhill.  Advice – Start slowly, stay with it, don’t push too hard.
    (update June 2017 – These days I kayak a lot.  I have kayaked at least once a month for over two years.  There are weeks that I kayak every day.  Of course there is always walk a lot and hike.)

OK, back to our regularly scheduled program….

——

Picture by Trent P McDonald with apologies to the Academy…

23 thoughts on “Award Policy”

    1. trentpmcd Post author

      Thanks Penny! I know you and others do awards with the best intentions and am not as cynical as this post may sound – which is one reason I did put the 12 facts down. I hope you enjoyed them :)

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply ↓
            1. trentpmcd Post author

              Uhg, not something I could do :( Some day you should write a memoir. I think “normal” people’s lives are usually much more interesting than famous people. (I don’t think there are any “normal” people.)

              Liked by 1 person

              Reply ↓
              1. pennylanethoughts

                yeah, it was pretty awful. But I’m glad I did it. A lot of life lessons learned. I got out of it when I found out how dishonest and deceitful it really is.

                Liked by 1 person

                Reply ↓

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  11. Gene'O

    This is a respectable position, and I like the way you handle it.

    I like them, myself, but I always begin my award posts with a statement that says “Hey, accepting is optional. Acknowledging the nomination is optional. I’m still going to read your blog either way, and at the very least, I’m sending you a compliment.”

    Totally get the chain letter vibe, and respect that point of view. Also, awards posts are a lot of work.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

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