I May Blush.

   I am extremely proud to announce that Victoria's Boys in Red has been nominated twice for the "Stylish Blogger" Nominations. I am sure there are blogs out there that will collect more (in fact, I believe one of my nominators has garnered three nominations so far!), but for me this is most gratifying. I've always treated my blog as a fun little add-on to my gaming, and a way to share ideas with my fellow VSF nuts out there, but really, I am honored to be chosen for an award. Especially since I have felt that my blog entries of late have lacked a lot of panache.

  The Stylish Blogger Award is given from one blogger to another. A sort of "attaboy" from your fellow enthusiasts, I suppose. It's definitely a viral, zombie-like spread of goodwill so it's too good to pass up. I was awarded mine last week, and have been thinking a little on who to nominate myself. There are four rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person giving you the award
2. Share seven things about yourself
3. Select 10-15 blogs who you think deserve this award
4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award

1.   In response to my nominators:

   The two bloggers that nominated me for the award are Eli from I See Lead People and Ruardih from The Ooh Shiny Complex.  I See Lead People has over 200 followers now, and is a great place to cadge a few ideas. I even have posting privileges there! The Ooh Shiny Complex is also full of a variety of topics, as, like me, the owner seems totally incapable of focus in his efforts. But his wanderings are brilliant, so I suppose we can forgive him that small foible (as if we weren't all like that).

2. Seven Things About Me:

1. I teach US History in an economically disadvantaged middle school.
2. I am a recent (2 years now) convert to the Catholic Church.
3. I love Doctor Who (Baker and Tennant), zombies and Star Wars. Han. Shot. First.
4. I have a semi-rare skin condition and therefore do not go out in the sun without SPF 1 Million - it burns us, my precious!
5. I have been gaming in one form or another for over 25 years.
6. I am teaching my sons to drive (15-year-old) and paint (12-year-old).
7. I think a neat desk is a sign of too little to do.

3. 10-15 blogs to choose:

  Wow, this one is hard. I follow a lot of really good blogs, and I would have nominated I See lead People first of them all, and Ooh Shiny Complex as well! But a few of my other choices would have to be (in, mind you, no particular order):

Armored Ink - Run by Sir Alfrik, a man I think is a virtual genius in the terrain and conversion field. Especially for VSF. He has a great ability to see new troops from old minis. Definitely check it out.

Yours In a White Wine Sauce - Possibly the central blog for the VSF genre. As Eli put it, "A great news site for new products, pieces of media or just that cheeky bit of pluck, this is a great blog for steampunks everywhere." Couldn't say it better myself. And the blog title is worthy of a style award all by itself.

Khurasan Miniatures - Yes, it is primarily a commercial for their products. I don't care - I love the blog. Loads of good fluff material for the excellent minis that Khurasan produces. I have probably a hundred of their minis awaiting a turn on the paint table.

Dampf's Modelling Page - Loads of great wargaming material here, especially if you like stuff that is just a half a bubble off from history. Tony, the Dampfpanzerwagon himself (it means steamtank, by the way), has some good stuff, and he tends to back his projects with some storyline. Which is what I like!

VSF and 15mm Wargaming - Are you noticing a trend, here, folks? I follow a lot of VSF-themed blogs.

Dropship Horizon - What Yours In a White Wine Sauce is for VSF, I think Dropship Horizon does for 15mm Sci-fi. This is the starting point for any 15mm Sci-Fi, with gobs of photos and reviews of products. There are other good 15mm sci-fi blogs; for my vote, this one is the best.

The Armchair General - This one I was slightly conflicted on nominating. Not because it isn't a dashed good blog, because it is! No, I was conflicted because I am connected to this blog by way of working on When the Navy Walks. So, I opted for full disclosure and a nomination.

Steampunk Scholar - Run by a Canadian university English professor, this blog details his work and passion for defining steampunk as a literary genre. You can get gobs of good book ideas from it. And books lead to new ideas, I find, so it spurs a lot of creativity.

One More Gaming Project - This blog is produced by Chris Palmer, one of the creators of one of my favorite gaming rulessets, GASLIGHT. Lots of neat stuff here, as well. I especially like his Aeronef landing zones.

Rule 4: I will be notifying the recipients of my nominations tonight and tomorrow.

   For the record, this is what Eli said about this blog. It darned near made me blush. Thanks buddy!

   Victoria's Boys in Red - Another blog brought to you by a buddy of mine, VBIR is a great blog that shows off one man's brilliant vision of his VSF universe. Mr. Womack presents to you bits and pieces collected from all corners of the miniatures market recruited into his own world. But it's not just about miniatures at VBIR. There are great bits of background material detailing the troops, creatures, equipment and background of Mr. Womack's universe.