<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Driller"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 600px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/GoldenDriller.jpg/450px-GoldenDriller.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It's voting season in Tulsa, everyone. While you beef up your reserves of mayoral candidate trivia (show them off <a href="http://www.tashadoestulsa.com/2009/11/are-you-ready-to-rumble.html">tonight, Nov. 3, at Jewel on Brookside at the KRMG Mayoral Smashup</a>), exercise your voting prowess by logging on to <a href="http://thetulseys.com/">The Tulsey Awards</a>.<br /><br />The Tulseys, like the People's Choice Awards of <a href="http://www.tulsaspiritaward.com/">Mayor Kathy Taylor's Entrepreneurial Spirit Award</a>, recognizes Tulsa pioneers and innovators. They come in ten varieties: Civic, Emerging, Entertainment, Franchise, Green, Interactive, Legend, Restaurateur, Serial and Young. Each entrepreneur <a href="http://vote.thetulseys.com">on this ballot</a> is also eligible for the Entrepreneur of the Year award.<br /><br />Unlike the mayoral election, voters get more than one shot at deciding the winners of the second annual Tulsey Awards. I'll be the first to say it: Thank goodness. With as many as 14 nominees in a category, each of them bringing some serious oomph to the local economy, it's nice to know that as long as I wait 24 hours between votes, I can weigh in for my hand full of favorites. It makes for less nail biting and fidgeting and nervous arm pit sweat for all of us, which is a good thing.<br /><br /><a href="http://vote.thetulseys.com/">I was humbled to find myself among the nominees this year</a>. I'm up against some seriously talented individuals in the Interactive category, each of whom more than deserves to take home the prize: <a href="http://www.imobilizemedia.com/">Jeff Rhoton of iMobilize media</a>, <a href="http://www.phillips360.com/">Ryan Phillips of Phillips360</a>, <a href="http://ping.fm/">Sean McCullough of Ping.fm</a> and <a href="http://www.academicfreedomacademy.com/">Susan Reidel of Academic Freedom Academy Online Homeschool</a>. While I'm not sure that I belong in a room full of tech heads this rad, I'm glad to have the opportunity to hang with them, even if it's only on a form in cyberspace.<br /><br />I mean, how cool is it to be the uncool kid in the AV Club? Oh, I am <span style="font-style: italic;">so</span> that geek. I stand ready to receive the wedgie of a lifetime.<br /><br />Winners will be announced Oscar-style on Nov. 19, when Mayor Kathy Taylor and the winner of the 2009 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award (which, by the way, comes with a prize of $30,000) will join candidates at <a href="http://cainsballroom.com">the historic Cain's Ballroom</a> to celebrate the start-up spirit in our community. The event will be the culmination of Global Entrepreneurship week. It starts at 7pm, is open to the public and is free to attend.<br /><br />Plus, Tulsey award winners get this really cool hand-cast bronze Golden Driller Statuette. Cool, right? If I win one I'll move my knitting basket so that it will hang out right next to where I sleep at night.<br /><br />Yeah, I have a knitting basket. Because I am also <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> geek.<br /><br /><a href="http://vote.thetulseys.com/">Go vote. Tomorrow, vote again</a>. Repeat until Nov. 10, election day in more ways than one here in T-Town.