It’s worth mentioning that this blog was the runner-up in the 2010 Seven Days “Daysie” reader’s choice awards again this year. The sisters LeMay took the top prize for the second time in a row. I was shocked to have made the runner-up spot despite the utter lack of any serious blogging around these parts lately. Thanks, if you voted for Candleblog!

I’m a filmmaking fool these days, having just completed the Baruth campaign film (see it in the previous post), and now I’m deep into a short web video for an environmental start-up. Also, the Pants projects are rearing their heads and gaining some slight momentum. I hope to have something good to report on that front soon.

You must now go and vote for my SXSW panel proposal! You have to register to vote and comment, but I swear it’s really quick and easy. My thirst for hanging out with alpha nerds and rock stars must be slaked.

And if you’re not already following Emily’s Tumblr blog, you should go there now and subscribe. It’s a continuous linkdump of cute awesomeness.

And look at this crazy shit!

• Justin Bieber slowed down 800% sounds ethereal and awesome. They should have used this in Inception.
• Wil Wheaton has quit W00tstock in a fabulous way.
• This short film teaches you How to be Alone.

Here’s how they arrived at the list, on which Steve is listed as #44 — one higher than Lou Dobbs. I think Steve should consider this alone a personal and professional milestone.

And because all of this has to ultimately be about me, I’ll note that the still they used for Steve is taken from Digital Pamphleteer, the film I made about him back in 2007.

W00t!

Congratulations also goes to the excellent wonks over at Green Mountain Daily for claiming the Best Vermont Blog (political) Daysie. They were also in an active run for this award last year so it’s nice to see some folks rewarded for all their efforts. Philip Baruth’s Vermont Daily Briefing is this year’s runner up despite actively encouraging his readers NOT to vote for him (because he’s busy seeking an altogether different sort of vote). Congrats all around and I’ll see all you wonderful bloggers on Friday at the big shindig.

The writing is on the wall, I argued, because Candleblog’s readership has never been all that (indeed, it has declined somewhat over the last couple of years) and because as more and more Vermonters spend more and more time online, another blog is sure to become legitimately popular (as opposed to just popular enough for a few well-placed pleas for votes to scooch it over the top to victory) and when that happens, Candleblog won’t even be in the running.

All of which is to say I will not be actively seeking Daysie votes this year for Candleblog. By which I mean you won’t find me repeatedly shilling for votes here on the blog and I won’t be sending out any emails to friends and colleagues and I won’t be pestering my family members and associates, reminding them to fill out their ballots (and honestly, with Twitter all the rage these days, I’m surprised there’s even still a category for “blogs” — it’s so 2005).

I’m not saying “don’t vote for Candleblog.” If this really is your favorite Vermont blog, go ahead and vote for it, but my time actively competing for a Daysie is all done (short of, you know, trying to publish a blog that someone like me would enjoy reading).

I’ll note that Vermont Daily Briefing blogger (and perennial Daysie winner) Philip Baruth is also explicitly not seeking Daysie votes this year, but his reason for staying out of the Daysies fray has to do with the fact that he’s actively seeking an altogether different kind of vote — the kind that gets you elected to state senate. Instead, Philip has thrown his Daysie support behind the excellent group political blog, Green Mountain Daily, and I think it’s a fine pick for Best Vermont Political Blog. Odum and the rest of the GMD crew are committed deeply to Vermont politics and provide a valuable public service to the state. They get my vote too.

On the non-political side, I have a few friendly suggestions to throw out there of some very worthy Vermont blogs for your Daysie consideration (note: I absolutely will accept bribes for an outright endorsement, make me an offer!)…

*Nobody wants the non-political blog Daysie more sincerely or obviously than The House of LeMay. At last year’s Daysie party at the ECHO Center, the Sisters threw down their fabulously ornamented gauntlet and vowed to take home the 2009 prize. If either desire or glitter is a metric by which Daysie worthiness is measured, the Sisters should have it wrapped up this year!

*I mentioned these blogs as worthy choices last year as well. Undead Molly and SR Wild are my kind of bloggers. They are both creative and funny and wry and awesome. If you have to pick one, I suggest Molly’s, just because Scott’s last post was in March announcing he’d been laid off. Where are you, Scott? Doesn’t losing your job mean you have more time to do other stuff? Like blog? Molly is a Vermont treasure. If you’re not reading her blog constantly, you should be.

*I don’t know if this one is eligible or not, but Blurt, the Seven Days staff blog, is a daily stop for me. I wish Cathy Resmer was personally blogging more often, but now that other staffers are picking up some of the slack, it’s becoming a must-visit blog in my routine. This is a blog that actually breaks news. And while the comments can occasionally get heated, the 7D staff does a very good job of setting the tone so it doesn’t devolve into stupid troll-baiting… often. (note: 7D has several great blogs but rather than make this post a love letter to the paper, I’m limiting my recommendation to this one blog — it doesn’t mean the others aren’t also full of win.)

*Speaking of daily stops, Dear S is a Tumblr blog kept by a friend of mine (I’m honestly not sure if it’s intentionally anonymous or not, so I’m not spilling the author’s name). It’s a Vermont blog and one of my primary sources for crazy shit online.

*And speaking of crazy shit, Matty the Greek (AKA Magister Matt G. Paradise) holds court at Diabologue (runner-up for a blogging Daysie in 2006) where he shares cynical insights, hilarious links and schlock horror movie reviews. If his blog wasn’t published in unreadable white-text-on-black-background it would be almost perfect!

Any of these fine Vermont digital publications would be deserving of recognition. If I didn’t mention your Vermont blog, it’s obviously because I think it’s stupid and worthless. Wait, that’s not what I mean. I mean there are lots of great blogs and If I’m not going to yours often enough to make me promote it for a Daysie it’s because I’m an ignorant jerk. Send me some cash and I’ll gladly openly endorse your blog on this site too (still waiting for my check, Satan Boy).

1. I know (and publish) my own readership statistics and let’s just say that despite all the accolades, Candleblog is still a pretty well-kept secret.
2. More and more Vermonters are getting online all the time, starting their own blogs, and communicating with each other.  Sooner or later, someone’s going to do something with a blog that is both non-political AND really popular.
3. And (perhaps most importantly) the House of LeMay (this year’s runner up in the category) has thrown down the gauntlet.  Next year may be a whole new ballgame.

I’d also like to congratulate Philip Baruth for his third Daysie win for Vermont Daily Briefing, as well as John Odum and co. at Green Mountain Daily for their runner-up standing in the Best Vermont Blog (political) category.  Philip, Odum and other GMD bloggers will descend upon Denver in a couple of weeks and represent for the Green Mountain State at the Democratic National Convention.  w00t!

I’m also pleased to announce that a certain Emily Stoneking is this year’s runner-up for Best Vermont Craftsperson!  Yay!

Congratulations to all the winners and I hope to rub elbows with my fellow Daysie recipients at the big shindig at ECHO on Friday.