Thursday, March 3, 2011

Random acts of kindness.

I thought I might tell an untold story today. It has to do with [dog]blogging, so unless you're a [dog]blogger, it'll make no sense to you and you might as well skip this post.

***
  
I first noticed Pamela from reading her comments on Rescued Insanity. I'm a sucker for reading comments, and I loved hers. It was inevitable that I would one day click on her name and find myself at her blog, Something Wagging This Way Comes.

Of course, I immediately left a comment, and added her to my reading list. In no time at all, I moved her onto my blogroll. I wanted Pamela as my friend, and I was sure she would soon pop by.

The weeks passed. Pamela didn't respond to my comment or visit. Imagine my disappointment. Hell hath no fury like a blogger scorned, and in a righteous fit of rage, I struck her off my blogroll! and went back to surreptitiously following her on my reading list.

Then the Petblogger Challenge rolled round and Pamela left a comment on my post! MY post! I was so happy, I immediately went over to her blog, where I wrote this hysterical and incoherent note -

georgia little pea says:
January 11, 2011 at 11:04 PM

Hi there, I’m really really hoping you’re the Pamela who left a comment on my Challenge post. I clicked on the name but didn’t see anything. Anyway, I’m guessing it’s you because I’ve been a fan of your blog for a while and it sounds like you. If it’s NOT you, please shoot me now.

But if it IS, I’ve had a good laugh over many of your posts since I discovered it. I did comment on one some time back as well and that post in included in My Top 10 posts of 2010. Yes, it is. And if you want to see what it is, you’ll have to go back to my blog to check it out. You’re not the only one here who can do shameless self-promotion!

Not to rabbit on, I hope you do find a way to continue with this blog while working on your new blog and everything else in your life [mainly because I very much enjoy your way with words and would miss it if Something Wagging That Way Went.]

I think you might be the last blog I have time to read today. Boy! Am I slow at this. I’m guessing everyone has already moved on to The Next Big Thing. I will sign off now with an image of a puppy crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope with butter on her paws. Funny.

Reply

[Please note that she didn't deign to reply. I wonder why.]

I then hastily moved Something Wagging back onto my blogroll where, if you check, you'll see it still today.

Recently, Pamela received The Stylish Award.



On Monday, she decided to include littledogsonlongleashes on the list of blogs she's passing the Award on to. *Thank you* Pamela! 

I know I'm now supposed to share 7 secrets about myself, but you've just read my Shameful Stalker Story that I've never told anyone. Surely, that's worth 7 secrets.  

I am, however, very pleased to be able to pass the Award on to a few more bloggers. After a full 2 days of careful deliberation, I've decided to base my choice on Random Acts of Kindness.

In the order of when they happened, I'll be passing the Stylish Award to -

Edie, for replying, without condescension [and apparently without blinking] to an enthusiastic query from a dog. 

Kristine, for being my first *sob* good fwiend in the dogblog park.

Sonia, para ser meu primeiro amigo fora de do parque de dogblog. E para ensino me Português!

Jean, for sending her very 1st message to me on some dark day.

Juliette, for leaving a bone for Jordan.

Tracy, Who??? for popping by to help a stranger find her Mystery Fruit.  

And finally,

Allison from Florida, who has no blog that I know of, but whom I'd still like to thank, also for her comment on my Mystery Fruit.

When I took part in the Petblogger Challenge at the beginning of the year, I mentioned that I'd found the [dog]blog park a somewhat unfriendly place. Many people seemed genuinely surprised by that comment. I, in turn, was surprised by their reaction.

I now stand corrected.

p.s. I know that some of you in the list have recently received the Stylish Award. You know what your problem is, right? You're too damn popular! 

I do apologise, but when else am I going to get a chance to acknowledge your spontaneous acts of friendship? I hereby wave my magic wand and declare that you do NOT have to share any more secrets, or pass the award on, or do anything you don't want to, except to receive and enjoy it. Did I hear a "Yay!"? :)


"There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met."
William Butler Yeats

23 comments:

Sage said...

Well, guess what! I just gave you the Stylish Blogger award too! Come to my site to collect it.

georgia little pea said...

:) !!! ? :P

sonia a. mascaro said...

Hi dear Georgia,
THANK YOU for the Award! I appreciate your kindness so much!
I invite you, Mom and Dad to see you on Leaves of Grass.
Big hugs!

Edie said...

I welcome all guests, Georgia, canine or human, and you are a very articulate pup. So it was my pleasure -- and thank you very much for the award. And, ok, I'll tell you one secret: The only dogs -- and cats -- that I don't enjoy very much are the ones that speak in baby/cheezeburger (long explanation, either you know what I mean or not). I like grown up writing, no matter what species.

sonia a. mascaro said...

Georgia,
I am glad you like the idea. Be my guest anytime.

Love the photo of you that I choose to ilustrate my update. Thanks again for the Award.

Love the quote you post: "There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met." William Butler Yeats

Kisses and hugs.

Jen said...

Have I mentioned how glad I am I found your blog!! :)

Jen and the Black Dog Crew

Pamela said...

OMG, I had a stalker and I didn't even know enough to appreciate it! Well I guess I can enjoy it in retrospect. I feel so special.

Now I feel really bad for not replying to your comment. You see, I didn't know I was allowed to respond to comments until I saw you doing it here. Most of the bloggers I read never replied. And, since you've been blogging longer than I have, I guess you can call yourself my mentor.

So I didn't know I had a stalker. And you didn't know you were a mentor.

Glad you're having fun with the award. You deserve it.

georgia little pea said...

@edie - gotcha! :p

@sonia - obrigada xox

@jen - and i you. which is why you're now on my blogroll too!

@Pamela - hey! mentor sounds...old. i've only been doing this 2 months longer than you!

Anonymous said...

Hi! Thank you so much for the award, it my first blog award ever! I don't reply much to comments on my blog though. But I read a bunch of blogs-RSS feeds are my friend!

georgia little pea said...

well done then! i hope that you comment, even if you don't reply to comments! :p have a great day :)

houndstooth said...

Ha ha ha! I guess we all have our stalker stories, but most of us aren't brave enough to tell them. I have found the dog blog park to be a pretty friendly and fun place!

Trixie, Lily, and Sammy-Joe said...

Now we feel guilty because WE don't always respond to our comments! We used to respond in our blog, but then we realized most people probably didn't go back and check every post they had commented on. So we started responding personally to the people who's email addresses we have. We will try harder to respond to all comments! Who knows... we might be hurting someone's feelings without even knowing it!!! :(

georgia little pea said...

@T, L & SJ - if you replied to THE TON of comments you get, you wouldn't have any time left to post! I can do it because I get very few comments. So I wouldn't feel guilty about it at all. Plus, you EMAIL people personally? That's one notch up in my books! Come to think of it, you wrote me once :)

Kristine said...

Yay!!!! You are so awesome, I can't believe you think I, me, the dorkness personified, was your first dogblog park friend. Really? I'm the one who hides in corners and hopes no one will talk to me. The internet rocks. But not nearly as much as you.

I wish i could remember how I first found your blog. Maybe through a comment somewhere else? Kenzo even? Not sure. But you have been making me laugh every day since. I miss you when I have to work.

Thank you so much for being so awesome and so stylish. And thank you so much for thinking me worthy of the energy it takes to type. It means more than you could ever know.

georgia little pea said...

@Kristine - I think you came over to say hi after I commented on your life plans. Maybe..... :) anyway, you were definitely my first immediately friendly dogblogger. Thanks for keeping me company throughout the quiet lonely months, Ms T xox

Juliette said...

Hello Georgia, thanks so for the award -it'll go up on my site today! Jordan's story was the first post I ever read on your blog and it stuck in my mind so. Actually you were my first blog friend and I was quite flattered that you had bothered to visit my sites and then email me - you are a true professional blogger! My secret - I've been guest blogging again at American Dog Blog (link below). I've left a little pile of homemade dog treats for you and your guests today, enjoy!xx

http://americandogblog.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/why-when-and-where-is-a-dog-life-jacket-needed/

georgia little pea said...

Glad you picked up your award! Just read and left a comment on your guest post :)

Jean said...

Hi Georgia LP - so sorry to be late picking up my award, but the thanks are just as genuine! As you know, I've been busy shuffling the dogs back and forth to the vets and even though I read this post when it first appeared, and intended to respond later that day, it just kinda got blown out of the little gray recesses of my mind - must have been that wind, sleet, snow, rain, sun, hail storm we had.
I don't always respond to comments, but I sure enjoy receiving them! And I'm very glad I found your blog.
(PS. Do you think you might let Mr. Rufus Thumper post an entry some time, when he's feeling up to it? We don't hear about him anywhere near enough!!! Old dogs are my passion.)

georgia little pea said...

Hi Jean, I know you've had an interesting day - loved reading about it, btw. Thanks for picking up the award *phew*.

Your comment made me look at my labels (on sidebar). I thought I had quite a few Mr Thumper stories but I now see that I probably didn't label them too well and will get down to sorting that out this weekend. Unfortunately, Mr T mostly sleeps and does short uneventful walks, so there's nothing much for me to report...which is, in a way, kind of Good!

Have a warm weekend :)

Daisy's Mom said...

This is why I love your blog posts! Truth and humor!

I am saying YAY!!!!
And, I SO agree with Edie. I hate the baby pet talk too. Just can't do it. Not because I think it's stupid (well okay, maybe a little bit), but mostly because I can't ever figure out what they're saying! LOL!

Anyways, I want to let you know that I do try to respond to comments, but being a pet sitter and dog walker my schedule is sometimes so hectic that I can't always find the time to do so. But, I still appreiate all comments and I love your blog!

georgia little pea said...

Thank you Daisy's Mom.. I just left an incoherent comment on Daisy's blog, only slightly less scary than the one I wrote Pamela. I'm trying to get to the bottom of your dual identity :p As recent events have shown, I do like A Mystery. (It may be A Mystery only because I'm too stupid to have figured it out.)

Have a great weekend! P.S. Thank you for your very kind words. I must remember you next time an award rolls round, though I see you already have your hands full of them :)

Team Kenzo said...

Congrats with the award, I am happy for you! This is one of the best blogs around and it is always such a pleasure to read. Enjoy the award recognition!

Something wagging is one of my fav blogs too, was fun to read how you exchanged stalker and mentor experiences :)

But hey! Portuguese? Is there something I don't know about you? Or did I missed a post with a clue why you can speak Portuguese? I am so curious...

georgia little pea said...

awww...schucks. obrigada kenzo [that's thank you :p]

no, you didn't miss anything. i do capoeira and know a teeny bit of portuguese to help with the singing. sonia has a fantastic blog [leaves of grass] where she writes in both english and portuguese. i practise my portuguese by reading that first and then looking at the english translation. works a treat!

also very helpful - free online translation and dictionaries heh heh :)