Saturday, September 25, 2010

Where Memes Go to Die

A couple days ago, the wonderful Angela over at Jaded Love Junkie bestowed upon me The Versatile Blogger award. Thanks, Angela!

It's the first award I've received for my work at The Wheel, and to show my appreciation, I decided the first thing I'd do was demonstrate my versatility. Behold:

Before:
    After:
That's right, I gave it a Photoshop upgrade. TVB, you're welcome.

Anyway, the award also came with a set of rules to which I'm supposed to adhere. And that's where I stop playing along.

Rules. They're all well and good in some situations, but I pretty much ignore any rule contrived just to spread a meme. A few examples:

Meme Rule Reaction
Forwarded surveys Answer 21 questions about myself, then send to 21 friends I don't answer any question seriously, then only send it to those who sent it to me
Chain letters Send to 10 friends, or never find true love I send it out, but only after converting it into a Mad-Lib
Certain dances Do the exact same moves as everyone else at the exact same time, because we said so I avoid them like the plague avoids them1

The first couple rules were fine. Thank the person who gave you the award. Post the award. You know, that sort of thing. But then I got to rule #3:
Nominate 15 other bloggers to pass the luv.
First of all, if I'm going to pass along a misspelled word, it's going to be a misspelled word of my choosing, such as "sammich" or "Canadia." And secondly, it's too hard to pick which 15 bloggers to give this award. Instead, I'll fall back on my versatility once again:
Nominate 15 other bloggers to pass the luv Louvre.
Who am I nominating? You. That's right! If you're among the first 15 to read this, I've just nominated you for an all-expense paid trip to Paris!2 Just think about it: la Tour Eiffel (the Eiffel tower), la Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris (the Cathedral of Notre Dame), and l'Arc de Triomphe (the Lark of Triumph) are all now within your grasp.

I know what you're thinking, and: You're welcome.

Au revoir!


1 Okay, so I may have inadvertently been pulled into a conga line once or twice. And I've done the Hokey Pokey. But, in my defense, so has the plague.
2 All expenses paid by you, the aforementioned blogger.

10 comments:

  1. LOL, sometimes the author is insane. Love what you've done with the meme, Nate. It's gorgeous now. I have to thank you again because you gave me the best idea ever for my first blog contest!!! Don't worry, I'll credit you with a backlink just for the inspiration ;)

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  2. Okay, that's pretty much the best response I've ever seen to all the Awards Shenanagins, which feel a little too much like the Hokey Pokey to me--didn't like it in kindergarten and don't like it now!

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  3. Angela, so glad I could provide you some inspiration! Looking forward to seeing what sort of contest I've caused...

    J.B., nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks that way about these awards. It's not that I don't appreciate the sentiment when I receive one; I just don't like the added stipulations. But hey, now I'm kind of looking forward to getting more, so I can "fix" them.

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  4. :) I've been so recalcitrant that I no longer recieve them! What a relief (and a tiny disappointment)

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  5. So, what you're saying is I can ward off awards if I eat more calcium. Got it! :)

    (Oh, and if your disappointment grows, let me know. Maybe I'll create some snazzy new award to give you. Then you'll REALLY be disappointed.)

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  6. I think there should be a Deviant Blogger Award—featuring a Don Martin character—for all those bloggers who like being acknowledged once in a long while, but who hate all the responsibilities and follow thru that go with it...

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  7. Love the new look for the TVB and the Deviant Blogger Award idea. I'm in that category. :)

    Thanks for your encouraging words on my blog, Nate.

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  8. JB: Deviant Blogger, you say? I'll have to mull it over for a bit. That might not be a bad idea...

    Especially since it already has a backer. Thanks for stopping by, Alison!

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  9. Nate, my husband keeps threatening to do the artwork, but that might just be the wine talking...either way, these crazy awards have to start somewhere, right?

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  10. I think you're right: these awards probably all trace their roots back to the consumption of alcohol. It all makes so much sense now!

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