A new cause to fight for!

Everybody loves it so much when I use this blog as a call to action, right? Mostly because it's a call from me to act on behalf of me. And that's just charming. Well, as it turns out my friend Karen has nominated me as a candidate for a CBS Tampa's Most Valuable Blogger Award! And not only are we nominated, but we're one of five finalists in our category ("Dining/Entertainment"). Now, as with all awards, it's an honor just to be nominated (giggle) but the real purpose is to win. That's where, once again, you come in. There are five or six finalists in each category and the eventual winners will be determined by votes from the general public (you).
Below are some questions and answers that will cover everything you need to know. You're welcome. Oh, and thanks.

What the hell is this now?
It's CBS Tampa Most Valuable Blogger Award! Were you not paying attention to the whole expository section above? Try to keep up please.

Aren't you already campaigning for a loofah or something like that?
Loafie. Yes, I'm also trying to win a Creative Loafing Best of the Bay award, or "Loafie". And you can still vote for that here, if you haven't already done so. This is different.

Which award is more prestigious?
Whichever one I win.

What if you win both awards?
Yay! Happiness, sunshine, rainbows and unicorn vomit (it smells like berries!) all across the land.

What if you win neither?
Boo! Gloom, sadness, despair and unicorns shot on sight like that rabid dog in "To Kill A Mockingbird".

"Sorry Scout, but Boo Radley was a stupid name for a unicorn anyway."

How is anything about this blog 'valuable'?
Well, think about in terms of 'most valuable' awards that are handed out in sports. The guys who win those awards are the ones who post the most impressive statistics. It's really more like 'best' than 'most valuable'.

How is anything about this blog 'best'?
Next question please.

What's at stake here?
The prestige of actually being recognized with an award = knowing that somebody loves me. Also, popular vote winners from each category will win a $50 Amazon gift card and one Overall Editor’s Choice winner will also win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Of course, the placement of this logo should have absolutely
no influence on the selection of the Overall Editor's Choice
winner. But hey, Amazon.com is really, really great!

What's involved with voting?
By clicking here the link above or on the logo in the side column there to the right, you'll be taken to the site where you can vote for one nominee in each category. You can...and should...vote once a day, every day through September 9th.

Cripes. Every day?
Every single day.

I like being told what to think and do. Who should I vote for?
You should not end sentences or questions with prepositions.

Sorry. Who should I vote for, you jackass?
Okay, here is a complete list of CBS Tampa's Most Valuable Blogger Awards 2011, by category, with brief descriptions and followed by my official recommendations...

Dining/Entertainment

• Breezin Entertainment Blog » "Fun guide to fun things"
• I Love The Burg  info » "Invaluable for folks living in Downtown"
• Soundcheck » "Great local music blog"
• Tampa Bay Dining Out » "Check this blog out before you go out"
• Tampa Bay Food Monster » "Brought to you by the good taste of the Food Monster"
• Ridiculously inconsistent trickle of consciousness » "Love his witty humor and take on life! Its a fun daily read :)"

RECOMMENDATION: The Trickle! Because Love + Witty + Humor + Life + Fun X smiley face = WINNER!
 
Local Affairs

• Tampa Do Gooder » "Come on! Do some good!"
•  The Bay buzz » "Inquiring minds want to know..."
• The Grade Book » "Great education blog for northwestern Fla."
•  The Real Estate Sizzle » "If real estate were steak, this guy would have a ranchful."
•  The Tampa Bankruptcy Blog » "If you're in bad shape, this blog actually can help."

RECOMMENDATION: Tampa Do Gooder. I know the author, Dawn Morgan, and she really is the Tampa Do Gooder! She recycles and everything!

SPORTS

• Bucs Beat » "Great Bucs commentary."
• Bucstop.com » "The mixture of video quality, its devotion to the history of the Bucs franchise"
• Tampa Bay Sports Blog » "Great blog for sports in Tampa"
• The Gator Report » "GO Gators!!!!"
• The Heater » "This guys really knows baseball"
• The Seminole report » "GO Noles!!"

 RECOMMENDATION: None. Four of these six nominees are under the masthead of the St. Petersburg Times. I'm sure they're fine and I guess they're eligible for consideration but blogs that have the resources of a major daily newspaper at their disposal don't really need an award like this, do they? So instead, I'm going to recommend you read John Fontana's Raw Charge.com. Because it should have been nominated, hockey season is coming up and oh yeah, full disclosure: I'm a contributor there too. Boom.

Health, Fitness and Medical

• City Bike tampa » "Biking blog with a ton of good stuff"
• Pilates Tampa Blog » "Not the 'PIRATES' Tampa Blog, pilates is better for your health."
• Run Tampa » "Good running blog, very inspiring."
• Tampa Thyroid Blog » "Know your thyroid, read this blog."
• Tampa Yoga Blog » "We're so much cooler than pilates. So. Much."

RECOMMENDATION: A tie between Pilates and Yoga because I sense that it wouldn't take much to start a rumble between them and I think we'd all like to see that.

 
Lifestyle and Family 

• One Life In St. Petersburg » "Great life-affirming blog"
• Out in Left Field » "Far out there, but funny"
• Pop Life » "Not just a great Prince song..."
• Tampa Bay Life » "Life in Tampa Bay"
• Whoa, Momma » "The grand-daddy of mommy blogs..."

RECOMMENDATION: Out in Left Field. It's written by longtime nemesis respected peer Catherine Durkin Robinson and our alliance, formed in pursuit of mutual Loafies, remains strong. After all this time, I actually met her in person for the first time last week. She's cool.

 
Everything Else 

• Bizarre Florida » "Tres bizarre est tres chic"
• Tampa Bay Arts Blog » "Great resource for Tampa arts and culture"
• That's Glitchy » "ThatsGlitchy.com is the newest premier source for 80s and 90s babies with ultimate reading and viewing pleasure."
• The Daily Loaf » "And who doesn't need at least one loaf per day"
• The gadget guy » "Great advice"

RECOMMENDATION: That's Glitchy. Glitchy is a great, underused word.