I've Been Called A "Thinking Blogger"

Karmen at Chaotic Utopia has honored/saddled me with the Thinking Blogger Award/meme.

I rarely ever participate in memes. But since this one is disguised as a compliment I'll make an exception. Since this comes from Karmen, I do take it as a compliment - thank you, Karmen! It was nice to read what you wrote about me...especially this week, which is a bit of down week for me.

So, okay, here's the award/meme guidelines:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

So, who are my honorees/victims? Please note: if you are not on this list, it doesn't mean your blog doesn't make me think. Having to pick five makes me uneasy. Reminds me too much of high school gym class where, yes, I really was always one of the last two or three people chosen when they were picking sides for basketball. Always. Even when my best friend was team captain, she wouldn't pick me till the end. I really sucked. My gym teacher once said to me, "Suzanne, you may be bright, but when it comes to gym class, you're a physical moron." And thus she solidified my budding distaste for sports and pretty much any vigorous physical activity, the consequences of which I am still dealing with as an adult. I was a physical moron! Who could blame me? Jesus, I hated high school. But I digress....ahem....yes, the thinking bloggers....so, if you're not on the list here, it doesn't mean you're a physical moron. Or any other sort of moron. Let's proceed!

1. First off I will go with Dr. Free-Ride and her blog Adventures in Ethics and Science. This is because Dr. Free-Ride is my hero and I want to grow up to be her someday. I envy her dual PhDs in science and philosophy (I would so love to have a PhD in philosophy) and I admire the way she wields them both on her blog, sometimes one, sometimes the other, sometimes both simultaneously. She cannot be flummoxed, she is never flustered by any topic. She skewers idiots calmly and reasonably. Also, I suppose I must mention the sprogs or her legions of fans will descend upon me in force.
2. Absinthe. Absinthe is even more in touch with her inner pissed-off woman than I am, I suspect. Hers is a blog of righteous anger and of the quest for justice. Absinthe is not seeking justice merely for herself - she's taking on an entire system and exposing its ugly machinations to the light of day. She pulls no punches. It takes strength to read her blog. Imagine what strength it takes to live through everything she's chronicling.
3. Female Science Professor's posts nearly always make me think. One could learn much about running a lab group in a more humane fashion from reading her blog. She also often posts anecdotes of life in the trenches as a, well, Female Science Professor that are just absolutely stunning. Her vignettes are worth three posts of analysis from me; sometimes they provoke me to want to write three posts' worth of analysis.
4. I would include Skookumchick of Rants of a Feminist Engineer if only because she has given us the Scientiae Carnival, which certainly makes me think - I can't tell you how much good stuff I've found through that carnival already. But I've enjoyed her blog ever since I first found it, and I've had the pleasure of meeting her, too. She's just as nifty and thought-provoking in person, nay, more so, as her blog.
5. Lastly, (for the purposes of this list) Pat & company at Fairer Science. Not only do they write well, with an attitude I love, they also offer up various resources they've created. The whole Fairer Science website is full of good stuff.

Okay, everybody, now you're it! Go forth and tag other honorees/victims!