So there's this thing that's been quietly passing along from blog to blog, called the Versatile Blogger Award. Being awarded one by the lovely Pandora Blake (whose spanking/politics blog you should check out, btw) suggests that people really like what it is that you do, and there's nothing like the praise of one's peers to brighten up what had been a day full of stress!

But these awards have Rules, don't you know, and these are the rules of this one. I have to share seven things about myself; pass this award along to 15 blogs I enjoy reading; and contact my chosen bloggers to let them know. Easy peasy, right?

Well, first, I guess I should share 7 things about myself...

-I still get freaked out about things under my bed sometimes. I worry about having my toes outside the blankets, too- like something's going to bite me!

-I know how to blacksmith. My dad taught me, and I really enjoyed it, but haven't done it in a while.

-I had my first published piece in a book when I was 12. It was in the book of my grandma's employer, who was a power lesbian and motivational speaker. The piece published was a call to arms for women to stand up for themselves and their agency.

-I have a brown belt with two black stripes in Okinawan style karate. It was the after school activity I was the most committed to- I took up the bo as my weapon of choice.

-I used to troll on cybersex forums, particularly kinky ones, as a 40 year old man in stained sweatpants... when I was about 14.

-I was a part of an MIT student's thesis about how MOOs(MUD, object oriented) could act as social and educational spaces online. If you check it out, I'm Storm. :)

-In spite of it being ridiculous and not true, I have a really hard time not treating my stuffed animals like they have souls. I used to struggle to decide which stuffed animals deserved to sleep on my bed with me, so I let most of them sleep on the bed and I slept on the floor. I still can't give them to goodwill- it seems cruel.

And now, 15 bloggers I recommend you check out:

1. Maggie Mayhem- she's like sexy political porn dynamite. Read her to be stimulated in the brain and in your nethers.

2. Ms. Slide- a London-based proDomme who writes a lot about female dominance, politics, and other interesting bits and pieces, including fun vintage images.

3. Post Modern Sleaze- she writes about nonmonogamy, sex/gender, being dominant and feminism. She often leaves me reflecting about my own relationship to the world.

4. Mollena- as a female dominant who enjoys submissives, Mollena's blog has given me a good look on the other side of the leash. She's often hilarious, right on, and remarkably vulnerable.

5. Rarely Wears Lipstick- feminism, style, and sex interconnect on this blog by BitchBuzz's sex and relationships columnist. Her blogs on vintage lingerie/looks are fabulous.

6. One Hot Crumpet- this is a relatively new blog, but has some interesting insights, reviews, and explorations of kink, sex and nonmonogamy. Worth checking out.

7. Sugarbutch- swoon swoon swoon. This blog gives me a window into the heart and mind of one sexy sexy butch, and the writing often brings tears to my eyes, it's that good.

8. Rachel Rabbit White- I really like the things she discusses in her blog, which end up being good starting places for some of my thoughts- so she's kind of my muse, in a way. Is that creepy?

9. Pervocracy- oh my god, I refer to this blog all the time. It's BRILLIANT. It covers a lot of issues about the intersections of sex, BDSM and feminism. Everything in it is spot on. I could say more, but I'd just be gushing.

10. Jiz Lee- I mean, Jiz is amazing, but their blog is also a really good place to keep up to date on interesting things going on in the adult industry, and Karma Pervs is fantastic.

11. Charlie Glickman- Charlie writes some great stuff on a variety of topics ranging from pegging to the objectification of the male body.

12. Tits and Sass- a sex worker blog that covers different areas of the industry and is both humanizing and politically pointed. Definitely a good one to keep an eye on.

13. The Beautiful Kind- there's so much good information on this site I don't know where to start! Expect sex toy reviews, advice,

14. Unspeakable Axe- I'm new to this blog, but so far I really like it. The blogosphere is pretty female-heavy, and it's nice to hear male voices, particularly submissive ones.

15. Pandora Blake- whose fault it is that I'm writing this post! At first I thought "oh, another female submissive spanking blog", but man, I'm glad I read more. She's one hell of a writer. Also, many sexy photos.

I just have to quote Kendra from The Beautiful Kind, because this made me laugh-

Remember back in the day when I used to blog five times a week and wrote so much about my intense sex life with Beast, aka Matthew, that people actually complained about it? They got sick of all the facefucking and hole invading, can you believe it? And by "they," I mean one guy who bitched about it, and he stopped reading the blog. Problem solved.

(Speaking of, if you ever encounter someone who tries to shit talk what you do, the best course of action is to quickly assume that THEY ARE JUST JEALOUS. Jealousy is resenting someone else's good time. Don't devote energy to haters. Don't let them distract you from your positive mission.)"

At some point I'll have to tell all these people I gave them this award. Most will likely respond with "and who are you?" ;)