It was a sad day yesterday for Northern Nevada blogging. A local publication released its annual “Best Of” edition and cited favorite reader blogs, of which none of mine made the list. While I read most of Nevada’s blogs, if not daily at least weekly, there are some that stand out in my mind as being well worth regular visits. Here they are, in no particular order

Around Carson. Scott Schrantz’ unassuming commentary on my second hometown of Carson City is always of the variety not seen in other media outlets. Scott doesn’t have an ax to grind; yet, he tells it as he sees it, and his updates are nearly always relevant and interesting, such as when local restaurants open or close. Or construction updates, or the town’s history. Around Carson is always interesting, and anybody can post to it.

MrJerz. I’ve been a longtime reader of Ryan’s blog and always appreciated his honest tone and willingness to call out dirt when he sees it. Ryan’s gotten into trouble, some of it serious, only for standing up for what he believes in (and, I have to add, with offensively little support from his fellow bloggers). Most of the time he’s right. Because of this, he has made enemies and burned bridges, which probably contributed to why he didn’t make the “Best Of” list this year.

Inside Nevada Polics. Done by the Reno Gazette-Journal’s political reporter Anjeanette Damon, INP publishes political news not found in regular news stories. Anjeanette seems to always get scoops nobody else does and is highly dedicated to her craft. While I wish she was more interactive with her readers, she reports politics well and her blog remains the source for Northern Nevada political updates.

www.twitter.com/mehwolfy. Mike Henderson’s Twitter is a laugh a minute. Whether he’s biking the cheatgrass outback or drinking at his favorite pub, mehwolfy’s Twitter is a mandatory one to follow as he combines social media know-how with sardonic, 140-character commentary.  (Toilet humor warning.) 

Mostly Dogs. I have a love/hate thing with Mostly Dogs. I am in complete disagreement with Mark Robison’s fundamental animal rights/”animals are part of the family” stance; at the same time, his blog is timely, relevant, informative, funny and, best of all, Mark responds to his readers and corrects obvious misinformation as he follows stories from start to finish — a rarity in the news business these days, it seems. As a dog lover, I find Mostly Dogs to be an incredibly valuable read, and Mark sets the blogging example for his journalist peers.

Bike Carson. This is another (second) hometown favorite done by my longtime friend (since middle school, maybe earlier!), Jeff Moser. I’m not a bike fanatic, nor am I generally interested in the topic, but the, uh, spin Jeff puts on biking in town and his advocacy of cycling as a mode of transportation is done with wit and honesty and is minus the dogmatism sometimes seen with the more edgy pro-bike crowd. I even partially commute by bike now because of Jeff’s blog.

Dullard Mush. I don’t know the person (not keen on the anonymity) and I’ve only began reading this blog recently, but the Mush(man/woman) takes a refreshingly honest stab at political commentary not seen in most other so-called political blogs here up north.

As a final word, I think it’s important not  to take popularity contests too seriously. We’re all familiar with Alexis de Tocqueville’s famous observations of America and democracy, in which he pointedly mentions the fundamental underpinnings of the curse of the thinking of the majority. So it is with irony that we continue the de facto celebration of this underpinning while giving lip service toward the marginalized. Such is the nature of “Best Of” contests in the so-called alternative media.

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