Voting begins today! – UPDATE

As I mentioned last week,this blog has – for the third year in a row – incomprehensibly been named a finalist for the Weblog Awards.

I thank those who nominated me in the Individual Blogger category, and thanks to Kevin Aylward and the Wizbang gang for selecting me as a finalist, but honestly…I don’t understand it. I just went over to the voting site to cast some for my favorites, and, in perusing the lists of great blogs in various categories, I kept thinking, “well, sure Sister Toldjah! Well, of course, Captain’s Quarters, and Instapundit, Sullivan, Blackfive, Libertas, Yon, Think Progress, Bizzy Blog, Confederate Yankee and Malkin and Beth and Betsy! Of course Deacon Greg and Evangelical Outpost and Go Fug Yourself!” (Look, you know I like fashion!)

Then I wonder where some other blogs are and it just strikes me – what the heck is this little blog doing in this very impressive company? I’m cranky, I’ve lost half my readership because I’ve dared to disagree with some on immigration and Ann Coulter. Sometimes all I want to do is post opera videos and naval gaze. I can’t seem to reliably stick to any subject – I am ever the ADHD-afflicted canine wandering around sniffing everywhere, marking here and there and then gallumphing away until something shiny gets my eye.

I don’t understand it. And looking around at all of the bloggers for whom I have so much respect, well, it’s pretty humbling. I mean, I know it’s only a meaningless little thing; it doesn’t “count” for anything. But I’m still feeling surprisingly humbled by it, and when I say “it’s enough just to be nominated,” it is not with the irony you might expect. I feel like the sophomore who feels delighted to be at the senior prom.

I think voting goes on until next week, and you can vote once every 24 hours in every category. Go check out the list of finalists and vote as you like, and do take the time to visit some blogs you have never heard of before. You might find your new favorite among them! The Weblog Awards are bi-partisan where specific politics are not mentioned, and to my way of thinking it’s kind of a nice “get-together” for all the bloggers and readers – a chance to explore and have a little fun. Okay, I’m a dweeb, I think it’s fun to watch the votes tally up!

UPDATE: I have closed comments on this post because I went in to moderate and found all of these lovely “we love you” sorts of messages there – and that’s awfully sweet, guys – but I’d hate for it to seem like I was looking for that, so, thank you much for the sentiments – they’re much appreciated – but I’ll keep them in private, if it’s okay with y’all.