Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Pledges are now closed.

Sponsors: if your blogger made it through the Blogathon, you should be receiving an email in the next 48 hours containing instructions on how to fulfill your pledge. If you have any questions regarding fulfilling your pledge, please contact your blogger.

by...frykitty... 7/31/2007 09:17:00 PM ... ~link~


Blogathon Mailing List

Want to know when signups open for Blogathon 2008? Join our announcement-only mailing list. It says on the page that you'll get an update once a month--but honestly--we have only used the list so far to let everyone know the site has launched.

by...frykitty... 7/31/2007 11:04:00 AM ... ~link~


You have about 10 hours left to gather sponsors. Pledges close at 9pm Pacific tonight. GMT time, that's Wednesday, August 1, 2007 at 04:00:00.

Sponsor instructions will go out shortly thereafter.

Bloggers: if you haven't updated your Sponsor Message, get that done. This message will go out with the sponsor instructions, and it's the place to include a thank you, or any special instructions required for your charity. Be aware that sponsors will be instructed to contact their bloggers with any donation questions.

by...frykitty... 7/31/2007 10:40:00 AM ... ~link~
Sunday, July 29, 2007

Thank you all so much for a FANTASTIC BLOGATHON!

Remember, you still have 48 hours to let people pledge. Sponsor reminders will go out after that.

See you next year!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 08:59:00 PM ... ~link~


I survived the Blogathon!

If you did too, feel free to snag one of these snazzy banners, made by Kamigoroshi.

button 1
button 2

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 08:58:00 PM ... ~link~


Congratulations to Have a Heart, blogging for the British Heart Foundation. You can sponsor her here.

Here is Have A Heart's best entry.

And more:
(There may be some A-shift mixed in there--though only Bs were eligible, I wanted as many as I could get!)
Luka
Written Justification
Miriam's Blogathon
Walk On By
Aurora Lamour


Feel free to keep sending your best entry to games@blogathon.org for the archive.

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 08:46:00 PM ... ~link~


Last game of the morning, and of the Blogathon.

Wow, that sounds kinda sad. But it will be GREAT! GREEEAAT!

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT LINE: My best
RECEIVE BY: 8:50am Pacific
PRIZE: $50 sponsorship
WHAT: Okay late shift, think over the past 24 hours, and send me a permalink to what you feel is your best post. Only one winner, but ALL will be posted, so get 'em in here!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 08:20:00 PM ... ~link~


Comment Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Sarah at Written Justification for winning the contest! $10 will be pledged for her charity, Planned Parenthood. To sponsor her, click here.

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 08:06:00 PM ... ~link~


Congratulations to Advert Expression, blogging for the American Diabetes Association. You can sponsor Sara here. And you can see her here!



Here then, are the Faces of B-Schedule:

Imperfect Christian:


Not Without My Coffee:


Canis-Fabula (who sent no URL! *snif*)


Written Justification:


And a BONUS! Here's Sheana!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 07:51:00 PM ... ~link~


Blogathon Press!

A little late in noticing this one, but I figure it's still pretty neat. Blogathon was highlighted in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. It's just a short article, but still pretty neat. Check it out! :)

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 07:38:00 PM ... ~link~


Contests Extended!

Both the Comment Bomb and the Photo contests are extended until 7:30am PST! If you haven't already read:

Photo Contest
EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT LINE: Me now
RECEIVE BY: 7:15pm Pacific (30 minutes)
PRIZE: $20 sponsorship
WHAT: Take a picture of yourself. Yes I said take one. Don't post a good picture from your golden past. Take one now. Put your head in the scanner if you have to. Post it to your blog, then send the permalink to games@blogathon.org.

Snap snap!

Comment Contest
Post five comments on B-Schedule blogs and then post links to your comments on this thread on the forums. The winner gets a $10 sponsorship! Get commenting!

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 07:09:00 PM ... ~link~


And if you think you look worse than I do, here I am after two naps since the A-schedule started. I just stumbled out from the latest nap, clad in my wonder woman tshirt, my hair unbrushed. So don't be shy.



by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 06:50:00 PM ... ~link~


GAAAAME!

Sheana's idea, and it's a goody: The Faces of B-Schedule!

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT LINE: Me now
RECEIVE BY: 7:15pm Pacific (30 minutes)
PRIZE: $20 sponsorship
WHAT: Take a picture of yourself. Yes I said take one. Don't post a good picture from your golden past. Take one now. Put your head in the scanner if you have to. Post it to your blog, then send the permalink to games@blogathon.org.

Snap snap!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 06:41:00 PM ... ~link~


Time for another COMMENT BOMB!

With just three hours left for bloggers in the 2007 Blogathon, it's time for another comment bomb!

Here's what happens: comment on (at least!) five B-Schedule blogs in the next 30 minutes. Make a post in this thread on the forum and link all your comments. One blogger will be chosen at random to receive a $10 sponsorship to their charity!

So go comment, already!

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 06:00:00 PM ... ~link~


Interested in learning more about Jewish faith and culture?

Miriam is blogging to raise money for the Chabad Jewish Student Center at Arizona State University. She's posting all about different aspects of Jewish culture, from "Wheat and Dates" to Orthodox weddings to stories and debates about science and religion. My favorite post so far is about Sarah Nachshon. Don't know who she is? Go read the blog and find out!

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 05:35:00 PM ... ~link~


Guess that movie quote!

Speaking of guessing games, Yoshi over at hello! yoshi is posting quotes from all sorts of movies and inviting visitors to guess the source. Think you've got the skills? Go take a guess, and support him as he blogs for Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 05:26:00 PM ... ~link~


Everybody Have Fun

If, like me, you have a particular fondness for the music of the eighties, check out MPYR Radio right now! They've been playing some of the classic hits of the eighties all time, including tunes from Devo, Wang Chung and others. Missing your favorite Flock of Seagulls song? Head over to the chat and put in a request!

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 05:15:00 PM ... ~link~


5 p.m. Blogger Highlights

Dreama over at Again, I Said is doing name that tune with short clips of various songs; she's blogging this year for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

Over at Lawsy.net, Johnny has posted a "tiredness update", something that plenty of us can empathize with. I would question, however, the tiredness of the guy behind him - that guy looks like he's just downed a couple of cases of Red Bull. Jonny is blogging this year for Child's Play.

Lastly, Arthur at We Were the Cool Kids is blogging to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. He's devoting his 'thon efforts to debunking (or verifying!) various urban myths, including that myth that a famed college library is sinking into the ground because it wasn't designed to accommodate the weight of the books. True or false? Visit him to find out the answer.

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 04:44:00 PM ... ~link~


4:30 p.m. Highlight Roundup

Cat's put me on the trail of 'thon highlights, so I'll be periodically rounding up the best or most interesting things going on in the 'thonosphere and posting them here. How do you get featured? Post great content, of course! (and yes, lolcats are DEFINITELY great content ;)

At You Can Heal from Sexual Abuse, Anna is blogging for Stop It Now! and is sharing resources, stories and inspirational videos and songs about recovering after sexual abuse.

Meanwhile over at Zoe's Blog, Zoe has been posting all kinds of interesting tidbits - including this recipe for cheats fish pie - in her effort to raise money for Samaritan's Purse.

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 04:04:00 PM ... ~link~


Only one entry for the last game. Hrm. I shall think of something a little more inspiring for the next one!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 03:29:00 PM ... ~link~


Oh! Oh! And here's one I was saving to post last, from Quixotic:



by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 03:26:00 PM ... ~link~


Here are the rest of the A-Schedule's best posts, as sent during the last game of the night. Heck of a reading list!

You saved my life from a colorless one
Randomnymity
Hard 7
Iron Chef Moo
I'm not just a mom...I'm a Home Mom
Gus' Gang
24hr_ralphathon
Livestrongblog
Oh, Bring On The Sun
Kamigoroshi
Stefficus
Sodapop09er
Coathangerwings
Mommy The Maid
The Archivist
Craterdweller
Boobathon
Avalon
The Adventures of Two Huskies and their Cat
This Book Is For You
Genre Impaired
guillainbarre
yoru_no_bojou)
The Material Blog
Feral, Not Homeless
positivelyloved
Adventures in Juggling
Adriana
maybe an arm..or a leg
I Aim To Misbehave

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 02:43:00 PM ... ~link~


Next game!

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT LINE: Can you hear me now?
RECEIVE BY: 3:00pm Pacific (30 minutes)
PRIZE: $10 sponsorship
WHAT: What do you listen to during Blogathon? Blogathon radio? A movie in the background? Sweet silence? Let me know. Don't forget to include your URL.

Er, I meant 3pm Pacific on that. Make it 3:15?

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 02:29:00 PM ... ~link~


Front page archive is available, if a bit cryptic.

Blogger is being a bit wonky about archiving at the moment, but you can tweak the url and get to a one-page scrollable archive of this year's Blogathon front page: it's here.

by...Bill Hooker... 7/29/2007 02:02:00 PM ... ~link~


COMMENT BOMB!

Okay, I've fixed the surfing frame so everyone should be seeing only the late shift. Except for Potterthon. It's either a bug, or Sheana put a spell on her site. Anyway, reload your surfing frame if'n ya need to. Then go find a fellow blogger and leave a comment! Say hello to your neighbor!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 01:46:00 PM ... ~link~


Congratulations to It's not exciting but it's my life, blogging for The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. You can sponsor Chris here.

The winning suggestion (and I totally agree!):
Okay, what would make this late shift better? Getting as many people
as possible to pile into a chat-room or the IRC room to keep our
morale up. If Blogathon pushed it a little on their front page it
could help.

I've loved all the radio that's been produced around the event so for
tonight I say let's pile into MPYR Radio Chat and listen to MPYR radio whilst we do so. Keep us all going.

From Sarah:
Hype the B's a little more in the sign up process.
More hype = More B's.
More B's = More fun!
More Fun = More creative posting in the end game.

From Adriana:
Hmm, more Blogathon games would be nice. Granted, there's not as many of us, and I'm not quite sure that would be fair. But with less people you could organize games that require a bit more, like an online scavenger hunt or something. The early morning hours after the people on Schedule A left were kind of hard to get through. Some sort of active entertainment would be nice. {And yes, I barely saw the post about the radio and chat! xD}

From Heather (no, you didn't come off harsh--this is what I want to know!):
I guess I would say, the main difference is that when 9am rolled around, almost everyone shut down. It got really really quiet and the time has been crawling, mostly because noone is around. The chats all died, most of the radios went offline for a while, etc. I guess my only wish for the late crew in upcoming years, would be more people around and things to do going on. It kind of felt like we were not as worthy as the first crew. Maybe some incentives, donated prizes for games to keep the bloggers going, etc.

Please don't get me wrong. I have had fun, I'm going to do this again, and the chats I have found have been so much fun, without them I never would have made it. But I worry about the others who didn't find the chats or radios or whatever.


You all rock. We're new at this, and giving it a lot of thought. Let's make next year spectacular!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 01:29:00 PM ... ~link~


GOOD MORNING (sort of) B SCHEDULE!

Let's see who's awake! Gonna revive the games for a while.

Here's how it works. I'll tell you the email address (which is always games@blogathon.org, but I know you're groggy), the subject line I want you to use so I can tell your entry from the spam, and what I'm looking for. Send me an entry by the deadline (always include your blog's URL, or I can't link you!), and I'll draw the winner randomly from all qualified entries. Then I'll post extensively about it. So here we go:

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT LINE: Loving the Late Shift
RECEIVE BY: 1:15pm Pacific (you have about 35 minutes)
PRIZE: $20 sponsorship
WHAT: Okay, you've been at it a while. You saw some of the early shift, and you've seen much of the late shift, or B-Schedule. B-Schedule is a fairly new thing, and we're still finding our way. Give me a suggestion to make it a better experience. Don't forget to include your blog's URL.

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 12:33:00 PM ... ~link~


B Schedulers, we are still HERE! Yes, yes, we are. ::grins:: This is Pandora, the Team Leader of the Rupees, your monitors! Yes, the "B" schedule monitors, CJ and Rachel. And Cat and Sheana gave me the keys. What were they thinking. Well, I do know one thing...

Internet Radio goes on! Yes, it does! MPYR Radio is still broadcasting live for you, B'ers! They just love you that much. Pop on by and visit them. There's even a chatroom for you to drop by to talk to the on-air DJ.

Stay tuned for more B'er goodness!

by...Pandora... 7/29/2007 07:21:00 AM ... ~link~


Time to say GOOD BLOGATHON! to the A-Schedule. I shall be back after a bit of sleep to hang out with the late shift.

MUCHO SMOOCHOS TO YOOUCHOS!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 06:00:00 AM ... ~link~


Here are a whole bunch of best posts:

Smarmy Carny
Written Justification
Living Without Meat
Kate D
Cassathon
Bloggin4Ferrets
Ravens Roads

And I will post the rest of these when I wake up--keep sending 'em even though the game is over!

The winner is: Gus' Gang blogging for Children's Organ Transplant Association! Best post is here.

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 05:45:00 AM ... ~link~


Congratulations to The Smarmy Carny, blogging for One Economy. You can sponsor Novac here.

Worst thing he did?
I made the mistake of reclining my chair all the way back and closing
my eyes -- in hour 23!!! I didn't fall asleep, but I had a deep
daydream and jolted up confused and disoriented. That's always a
treat.

In a similar vein, Derek writes:
Well, all night I've been sitting straight up in my chair, fan blazing keeping me nice and chilled. However, my brain decided to trick me (just like every other time I pull an all nighter) and I decide to lay down on my bed. Harmless enough, right? I was going to just lay there for a few minutes and get back up when my time came back around to blog again. Well, I was a little cold from that fan, as I mentioned, so I drew the top sheet over me, making me nice and cozy warm in comparison to what I was feeling. And only to top it all off, my cat thought "Finally! It's bed time!", so she came running in, jumped up on the bed and snuggled up at my feet after a few ear scratchings. I was almost gone forever before I realized what I was doing. I jumped out of bed, covers flying, cat ready for seemingly the world blowing up. So, moral of the story. Never even touch your bed when you're pulling an all nighter, sometimes the brain can play some mean tricks on you!

The Archivist

 did a bit of starving:
The worst thing I did?

I had to begin blogging at eleven pm Eastern Australian Time, being an Aussie. I had pies about fifteen minutes before that. Didn't eat anything until... well over 18 hours later.

That was really, really dumb. Especially as I kept complaining I was hungry.

Laura says:
I don't recommend eating junk food! Sometime after I drank two sodas and had
a couple slices of pizza, my tummy hurt quite a bit! After that, I switched
over to healthy mode; and tried apples and Crystal Light instead!

Stay healthy! Stick to fruit, and Vitamin Water!

On the other hand, Jaime says:
Worst thing I did tonight, by far, was drink the Vitamin Energy drink. Yuck. It tasted nasty, and it made my stomach flip flop for most of the night! Next time, I'm sticking with water after 10pm. Caffeine isn't worth the boost if you're sick the whole time!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 05:35:00 AM ... ~link~


FINAL GAME!

I'll announce winners for the last game in a moment, but I wanted to get this out there while there's time!

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
YOUR SUBJECT LINE: My Best
RECEIVE BY: 5:50, so I can post before the end of A!
PRIZE: $50 sponsorship.
WHAT: What was your best post of the night? Send me a permalink.

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 05:15:00 AM ... ~link~


Wow, there was a great response to the last game! You guys are totally more awake than I am!

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT LINE: Don't do that!
RECEIVE BY: 5:30am Pacific (30 min)
PRIZE: $20 sponsorship
WHAT: Okay, we talked about tips for the Blogathon. What should you avoid? Tell us the worst thing you've done to yourself tonight or during another 'thon. As always, don't forget that URL!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 04:56:00 AM ... ~link~


Congratulations to Food and Movies (And Other Stuff, Too), blogging for the ASPCA. You can sponsor Stacia here.

Will she do it again?
I'm definitely going to do this again next year! I'll probably be thinking of theme ideas all year and deciding on a new charity. I love my charity (the ASPCA) but it's good to share the love, too. This has been a really satisfying way to raise funds for charity - plus I've met some really nice people, found some great blogs, and the way I felt when I saw my pledge totals rise was indescribable! Next year I'll make sure I give myself more time to go to other blogs, I just didn't spend enough time doing that this year because I bogged myself down with too many formatting details.

More plans...

From Liz:
Absolutely yes! This has been a blast, and it feels great doing something for an organization (and topic) I feel passionate about. I've gotten letters from other members in the organization, so I know some have stayed up fairly late with me - it's been great, seeing the support, even if we didn't get the sponsorships (only $80 so far). But that's ok. The point is to do it, you know?

Now - the question is whether or not I'll be blogging for DVS again next year. There's another organization I would like to blog for, but they don't have a website, yet, so it'll depend on whether or not the develop an online presence. If not, absolutely DVS again.

From Brittany:
Am I doing this again next year? Absolutely. I feel like I've not only
helped make a change, but I've made friends with people who are out there
making changes for what they believe in, and that's way cooler than anything
anybody could ever talk me into doing.

So my changes for next year? I plan on having my blog more organized and
interactive. I also plan to have a friend blog with me, to keep me busy
inbetween posting times.

But will I do it again? I'm a lifetime member now, you can't get me to go
away. Addicted baby! I'd do it every weekend if I could.

From Blue:
Will I be participating in next year's blogathon? Absolutely! We've been going now for 7.5 hours, my friends and I, and it's been a blast. We've been talking all night, laughing... and every now and then we just stop and marvel of this great thing we're a part of. We're doing something for our community AS a community. We're each doing what we can for something we believe in and want to get behind. And it's been such a joy to do this together. We've got some great ideas for passing the time and making this even more fun for our readers and hope to come up with even more for next year to make it truly interactive.

I am having a blast... it's 4:30am and I'm loving every minute.

Blogathon is awesome! I can't wait to do it again next year!

And finally, from Tracey:
Okay, so I'm a b-blogger, and don't know the pain of 24 hours of no sleep just yet.

I'm already positive if it's possible I will be doing this next year, though. I think this way of getting charity is possibly the most personal way of doing it out there. When you run, all you can say is 'I'm so dedicated I ran a zillion miles per hour and nearly made my feet turn to stumps!' This blogathon you actually CONNECT with the people sponsoring you, and offer them a way to interact right back. It's got a very community-based feel to it, and that is very Nice. Plus, what an awesome way to showcase your talents - some of the things I've seen bloggers doing is incredible.

Then, we have the fact that this is on the internet. You pretty much can get sponsors from anywhere in the world - heck, I even got one from across the globe in New Zealand - whereas you might not have that opportunity in other charity events. I'm getting so much out of this fact with my charity, which is dedicated to American politics. I've been getting to interact with people from other countries, and as a political science major some of the conversations I've had have REALLY been interesting. I never would have gotten this doing any other kind of charity event.

So yes. I, in fact, will be joining the masses next year, coffee in hand. I'm proud to be a part of this fabulous group.

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 04:25:00 AM ... ~link~


Okay, let's see if I can manage another game or two. You ready?

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
YOUR SUBJECT LINE: Blogathon 2008
RECEIVE BY: 4:30am Pacific (20 minutes)
PRIZE: $10 sponsorship
WHAT: Are you gonna do this again next year? Yes/no why? Don't forget your url.

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 04:07:00 AM ... ~link~


Better Know a Blogger - Featuring Novac!

A short time ago we requested that folks blogging in the Blogathon this year get in touch with us for brief interview segments. All total we've done (in one fashion or another :) about 10 interviews.

Next in our interview series "Better Know a Blogger" is Novac, blogging at The Smarmy Carny. This year Novac will be blogging for One Economy - to pledge to sponsor him, click here!

Go listen to the interview, and then come back and sponsor Novac!

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 03:39:00 AM ... ~link~


Better Know a Blogger - Featuring Twyla!

A short time ago we requested that folks blogging in the Blogathon this year get in touch with us for brief interview segments. All total we've done (in one fashion or another :) about 10 interviews.

Next in our interview series "Better Know a Blogger" is Twyla, blogging at Newsong's LJ. This year Twyla will be blogging for the Not For Sale - to pledge to sponsor her, click here!

Go listen to the interview, and then come back and sponsor Twyla!

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 02:55:00 AM ... ~link~


i think i can still type...

Nathalie is drawing a cat portrait every hour to raise money for the MDSPCA.

Julie of Lone Prairie is writing -- um -- a story... I'd call it original fiction with a lot of homage, rather than fan-fic. And illustrating it, with these amazing little photo-dioramas using action figures. She's raising money for Joni and Friends.

The Southern California Library Literacy Network is blogging for -- you guessed it -- the Southern California Library Literacy Network! No, there's nothing dodgy going on -- the SCLLN is an association of library literacy programs and a registered 501c(3), and the SCLLN blogspot blog is the work of one of their volunteers. Most of the posts are detailed blurbs on the network members.

Jaynee of Something Simple Art is a crafter, and her theme is featured artists from Etsy.com. She's raising money for Victory Junction Gang, a camp for children with chronic and serious medical conditions.

Anna, herself a survivor, says that You Can Heal From Sexual Abuse, and she's raising money for Stop It Now!. Her aim is to spend the 24 hours creating a resource for survivors and for people concerned that they may have observed signs of sexual abuse.

by...Bill Hooker... 7/29/2007 02:30:00 AM ... ~link~


Congratulations to The Trainwreck Diaries, blogging for Amnesty International. You can sponsor them here.

Worst song in the world, by a considerable margin... that'd be 'Dance The Night Away' by The Mavericks. I can't explain what I hate about it... yes I can, I hate everything about it. Argh. Just thinking about it makes me grind my teeth. Ack.

More badness:

From Fuzz:
"Cats in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin

The song destroys my mood so quickly that I once ran out of a supermarket that was playing an instrumental version of it as Muzak.

The song makes me feel really, really, really bad. It makes me think that I am a bad son, and that I am ignoring my wonderful father. I am not perfect, but that song has a way of dragging your emotions down into the gutter and stomping on them with soccer cleats. It makes you question your own personal honesty and whether or not you love your parents. Some view it as a cautionary tale of remembering to pay attention to what is important. I think the dark overture of the song clouds that message and replaces it with a message of absolute despair.

Spider Robinson once wrote a Callahan's story where a time traveler went back to change one event in history. An extremely popular, but very dark and depressed, singer had a life establishing moment when she was scarred in a Police raid. In the original future, her music brought on brooding, suicide and self-destruction. The time traveler wanted to go back and just remove her hurt from that one single event.

If I was a time traveler I would seriously consider going back in time and asking Harry Chapin to not publish that song.

From Novac:
"This is the song that never ends. It will go on and on my friend."
And so on. But this is my version, so it stopped early. :)

from DiAnna:
achy breaky heart by Billy Ray Cyrus... If I hear it one more time, I think my head will explode!

And dang, I have to post this for the coincidence value.
Sarah also hates Cat's In The Cradle (but darn, no URL!):
My absolute least favourite song is "Cat's in the Cradle" --

You know

"My son was born just the other day, he came into the world in the usual
way ... etc. etc. ... When you comin' home dad I don't know when, but
we'll get together then" etc.

It's not even a bad song - it's incredibly well written, or it couldn't
touch the rotten emotional chord in me it does. But my dad has always
travelled a lot, and my brother has a few part time jobs, a major band
he's a part of, and college ... it's almost like witnessing this song a
little in my own family, so it makes me misty.

I hate that. *mist mist*

from Stacia:
My least favorite song has to be George Michael's song "Father Figure". Holy cow, that is one terrible song. It's like he figured if he did something Freudian everyone would think he was deep. He was close: "deep" rhymes with "creep". Ew.

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 02:29:00 AM ... ~link~


I Hate That Song Game!

This game was inspired by the current run of terrible songs on BERadio, played intentionally to make tired bloggers flag with horror.

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT LINE: YECH!
RECEIVE BY: 2:15am Pacific (about 25 minutes)
PRIZE: $5 sponsorship
WHAT: Tell me in an email about your LEAST favorite song. The one that makes you dive for the off switch. Don't forget to include your URL. Sing it!

On edit: I'm getting tiiired. I meant 2:15!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 01:47:00 AM ... ~link~


Congratulations to Andrei's Universe, blogging for Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood. You can sponsor him here.

I'm especially tickled about this game. We only had twelve entries, but that's 60 comments! FANTASTIC! Thank you all, and keep it up!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 01:37:00 AM ... ~link~


Reposting chat info, as I know folks are listing and could use some support!

Chat! Chat! Chat!

We're in IRC on freenode.net, in the room #blogathon, port 6667.

Is all that greek to you? Well, mostly me too, so I went to this forum thread and figure things out. If you are on Firefox, Chatzilla works very well--I've been using it all day.

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 01:29:00 AM ... ~link~


A latecomer, but I gotta post this. From Twyla:



by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 12:54:00 AM ... ~link~


It's the Comment Bomb Game!

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
YOUR SUBJECT LINE: Talk to me!
RECEIVE BY: 1:30am Pacific (you have about 40 minutes)
PRIZE: $20 sponsorship
WHAT: Gonna make you work for this one--but it's for the good of the 'thon! Comment on five blogs. Send me the permalinks from the entries where you commented. Don't forget to include your own URL!

by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 12:49:00 AM ... ~link~


Congratulations to La Vie de Laurie, who is blogging for The Global Fund (to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria). You can sponsor her here.

She didn't draw it, but Laurie shared a picture of her favorite animal, the Liger:


More wild thangs:

From Feral Not Homeless:

I also love opossums!

Rosicrucian sent a great lemur:


We got snakes from I am Rhodilee:


And Craterdweller (more Patrick Stewart!)


by...frykitty... 7/29/2007 12:40:00 AM ... ~link~


Better Know a Blogger - Featuring Judy!

A short time ago we requested that folks blogging in the Blogathon this year get in touch with us for brief interview segments. All total we've done (in one fashion or another :) about 10 interviews.

Next in our interview series "Better Know a Blogger" is Judy, blogging at Technicolor Blogathon. This year Judy will be blogging for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation - to pledge to sponsor her, click here!

Go listen to the interview, and then come back and sponsor Judy!

by...Sheana... 7/29/2007 12:39:00 AM ... ~link~
Saturday, July 28, 2007

It's a WILD game!

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
YOUR SUBJECT LINE: I'm Wild!
RECEIVE BY: 12:30am
PRIZE: $20 sponsorship
WHAT: Draw or otherwise produce a picture of your favorite wild animal! Post it to your blog, and send me the permalink. RAWR!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 11:50:00 PM ... ~link~


Okay, I missed one I shouldn't have.

Willo collects awesome cool robots!
I collect the Tin robots because I’ve always had a fascination with Robots – ever since I was a little girl. I used to build them out of Lego. When Star Wars was popular – I used to ask Santa to send me a kit to build my own R2-D2.



by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 11:46:00 PM ... ~link~


Congratulations to LAURA @ BLOGGIN' 4 FERRETS!, who is blogging for, what else? Ferrets Unlimited. You can sponsor her here.

I collect fortune cookie fortunes!

I've been collecting since I was old enough to eat chinese food, and I
definitely eat enough! I've also received fortunes from friends, and family.
My favorite fortunes were actually sent from Japan, fom a foreign exchange
student my family hosted almost ten years ago!

I'm bound and determined to do something super creative and artsy with the
millions I have someday!

Some more interesting collections...

From Justine:
I collect many things, but my favorite collection would have to be my Peace Bears! In fact, I love them so much I was hoping to share the love by offering a raffle ( http://guillainbarre.livejournal.com/6873.html) that includes ways to win through pledging, and a second guessing game on how many peace bears are in my collection. ( http://guillainbarre.livejournal.com/7427.html)

Both links include cute pictures and more information, but unfortunately I haven't had much luck!

I started collecting these guys after the large Beanie Baby craze, after they retired the older version Garcia. I don't know why I love them so, they're just stuffed beanies, but I think if I had to decide on one reason it would have to be because of their tie-dyed colors. Thanks to the patterns, every single one is unique and I have never come across two that are the same, and I have a ton of them! I can't wait to own my own house so I can litter the shelves with them. :)

And I had to post this one from Craterdweller:
Patrick Stewart memorobilia. Mostly just computer images, but I have a
few signed items like this baseball cap he signed for charity.


Neat!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 11:36:00 PM ... ~link~




(image: Miele on the Keyboard by cheshire222; license = CC-BY-NC-SA)

by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 11:28:00 PM ... ~link~


(almost) Better Know a Blogger - Aurora!

A short time ago we requested that folks blogging in the Blogathon this year get in touch with us for brief interview segments. All total we've done (in one fashion or another :) about 10 interviews.

It was bound to happen - we had a few technical glitches, and one of the interviews just wasn't salvageable. I talked with Aurora of The Writing of Love, and I can assure you she was entirely charming and witty and is doing fabulous things for this year's Blogathon.

Aurora is blogging for the National Alliance for Mental Health - to pledge to sponsor her, click here!

by...Sheana... 7/28/2007 11:25:00 PM ... ~link~


Better Know a Blogger - Featuring Mike!

A short time ago we requested that folks blogging in the Blogathon this year get in touch with us for brief interview segments. All total we've done (in one fashion or another :) about 10 interviews.

Next in our interview series "Better Know a Blogger" is Mike Clark, blogging at Michael Clark's Journal. This year Mike will be blogging for the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation - to pledge to sponsor him, click here!

Go listen to the interview, and then come back and sponsor Mike!

by...Sheana... 7/28/2007 11:18:00 PM ... ~link~


We are loooong past-due for another comment bomb. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it: find at least three bloggers and leave them a cheery comment!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 11:17:00 PM ... ~link~


New Game (I'm not numbering them any more because I always forget what number I'm on): Collecting Collections

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
YOUR SUBJECT LINE: I Collect!
RECEIVE BY: 11:30pm Pacific (yep--20 minutes! Get crackin'!)
PRIZE: $10 sponsorship
WHAT: Do you collect anything? What is it, and why?
Please put your answer in your email along with your URL.

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 11:11:00 PM ... ~link~


Congratulations to welcome to the monkey house, blogging for The Innocence Project. You can sponsor her here.

The reason for the name:
Easy one. I renamed my Livejournal “Welcome to the Monkey House” (with a
subtitle of “Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt”) when Kurt
Vonnegut died earlier this year. His death hit me hard–he was probably
my first “favorite writer”; he had a way of creating worlds within our
world, and characters who were bits and pieces of all of us.
And he was smart. He just… got it. You know what I mean? He just
understood people. Us. Life. In a way not many writers get a good handle
on. His characters were always deeply flawed people, but he loved them,
and he wrote them with love.

Some more blog names:

From Karah:
Well a Track Bunny is a cuter name for pit lizard (racing groupie) that my friends and I came up with… bunnies are a hell of a lot cuter than a lizard. We have a website dedicated to nascar fan fiction called http://www.trackbunnies.org so I thought what the hell.. I’m the main Track Bunny so it’s called Diary of a Track Bunny. The url is Track Bunny Films because that is my “production” company for my films that I create in class (I’m a video major).

And this one I was curious about:
Steff:
my blogathon journal is the goatening. it was a natural choice once i settled on heifer international for my charity, and it's what i call the story of a joke played on a friend involving... well, goats. a friend verbed it, then it got re-verbed and ended up as "pygmies: the goatening", which got shortened almost immediately.

the story of the goatening is here, and icons of the goats are all over the blog.

Thanks everyone who entered! We had a great turnout on this game!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 11:01:00 PM ... ~link~


More highlights.

Joanna at Donating Tenderness is blogging for the Tenderness Trail, an online memorial to child victims of violence. She has an amazing series of posts underway, thoroughly researched and brimming with information. It's not an easy topic but Joanna has turned it into one of the best and most comprehensive 'thon themes I've seen.

Speaking of difficult topics, Kim and Jo at Basilisks 'n' Beads are making necklaces and writing poems, talking about depression and suicide. The necklace photos and poems will be collected into a chapbook, and the necklaces will be sold by auction through the rest of the year; all proceeds from necklace and book sales will be added to their 'thon pledges and donated to the American Association of Suicidology. In addition, you can bid right now on the necklace pictured here (see this post for details).



by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 10:33:00 PM ... ~link~


New game! What's in a name?

EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT: Name Game
RECEIVE BY: 11:00pm Pacific
PRIZE: $5 sponsorship
WHAT I WANT: So many of us give our blogs funky names. Why did you choose yours. Please don't forget to include your URL in your email! No URL, no linky love.

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 10:25:00 PM ... ~link~


Congratulations to Diary of a Track Bunny, who is blogging for Victory Junction Gang Camp. If you'd like to thank her for this chiller, drop her a sponsorship:


I do believe in ghost for a very scary reason. When I was in high school (back in ’94 I believe), I went out with my cousin and her boyfriend. Well we went riding around back in the woods to see if we could find this church that was said to have this collection of money that you couldn’t carry outside the church. We weren’t going to steal the money, but we just wanted to see if the myth was true – that you couldn’t take the money out of the church.


So we find the church and the door was unlocked.. so we walk in. We walk up to the front and there’s some old money in an old rusted bowl on a podium. My cousin’s boyfriend gets the bowl and we start to walk out. The closer we got to the door, the heavier the money and bowl got… and by the time we got to the door, he had to drop it. He tried to pick it back up and it wouldn’t move.


To say the least, we got the hell out of there. Then a few weeks later the church burned down.

More spooky stuff...

From Crazy Redhead Chick:
Not so much scary as...weird. Several years ago, I was living with my grandparents. My grandpa was a log truck driver and had a job that meant he had to stay in Northern California (we live in Oregon) 5 days out of every 7. Now the paranormal is kind of genetic in the women in may family. But this particular night, my cousin woke up and saw a 'see though man' walk past his side of the bed (he, his mom, and his sister were sharing. The kids were pretty young.) Since he was the only male in the house at the time, he woke up his mother. We got the kids out of the room and my aunt and I sat on the bed and tried to figure out who had come to visit.

On the wall of the bedroom, there was a cuckoo clock on the wall that was a family heirloom, but no longer had the interal parts, and so didn't run. Until that night. As my aunt and I sat there for an hour or more, the clock would stop and start running as we asked questions. If it was running, the answer was no. We eventually asked just the right questions to learn that my grandfather was in danger. We called him, and since he is well aware of our occasional visitors, he got in his pickup and drive home. By the time he got there, it was 3 or 4 in the morning. He called his boss as soon as he could and asked him to have grandpa's log truck checked over.

A couple hours later, the boss called back. One of the brake lines on the big truck had severed and the truck would not have been able to stop.

We believe that clock, and the man who woke up my cousin saved my grandfather's life.

From Justine:
I believe whole-heartedly in ghosts. I never used to, but that was before my cousins dared me to go out into their backyard and into the woods alone one scary night. I was 8, but I was far more scared of bears and other forest creatures then the possibilities of ghosts. Plus, I could see how scared they were to go in, obviously they thought I was going to wimp out.

Well, they were wrong. At first.

I took my flashlight and went head first into the woods, loudly clanking around in my boots and pajamas for several yards. I made sure to make a point to turn around and smirk at them as I disappeared further in. Once I lost site of them, that's when I saw it. A floating white figure seemingly hovering off the ground.

I turned my flashlight to get a better glimpse, even though my heart was pounding and I wanted to do nothing more than run. As if it saw my motions, it was just gone, and that's when I booked it.

My cousins never believed me, but I think I scared them more than I scared myself. I remember them telling me in our teenage years that before they moved they had still never gone in. Their loss. :)

And here's a heck of a tale from Mitch:
Yes, I definitely believe in ghosts. I've seen one.

Back in 1993, our house burned down. After a few months of staying
with friends and family, we moved into our "new" house ... It was
built in the 1800s.

Anyway, I started having really bad dreams, all about this boy who was
young, maybe 8 or 9 years old, dying in really creepy ways ... and
always at the hands of a much older man.

And then one night, I saw the boy when I was awake. He was pointing
to the closet door. I asked who he was. He either couldn't or didn't
want to speak. He just kept pointing at the door. I was creeped out,
but went to open it, and the boy/ghost disappeared. Instead, he was
now hanging in the closet. There was a rod in there, but that wasn't
where he was hanging from.

The next day, I started researching the history of the house. As it
turns out, in the early 1900s, a family had lived there. The dad's
brother was "taken ill" (went crazy) and was living with the family.
One night, he killed his nephew by choking him and then hung a noose
around his neck and hung the boy in the closet. The family found him
the next day.

After I found out about the boy, I never saw him again, either awake
or sleeping.

So yes, I believe they're still around, when they have reason.

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 10:06:00 PM ... ~link~


Yup, it's getting late...

"I've hit that point in the night where I'm shamelessly eating Nutella straight out of the jar."

-- Crystal (blogging for Doctors Without Borders)

by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 09:36:00 PM ... ~link~


New game, and a favor:

First, I have a little favor to ask of the B-Schedule bloggers, who are all fresh...go wake up an A-Scheduler! Cruise around the surfing ring and find two or three people and leave a comment!

GAME: Boo!
SUBJECT LINE: Wanna Hear Something Scary?
RECEIVE BY: 10:00 Pacific
PRIZE: $10 sponsorship
WHAT I WANT: Inspired by Tiny Void's theme this year, answer me this: Do you believe in ghosts? Have you seen one? Tell me a story. Don't forget to include your URL.

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 09:32:00 PM ... ~link~



1,743 to 1,932

Remember Michael's marble challenge? We're down to fewer than 200 possible solutions -- somebody's going to win soon, and those are some good prizes (winner chooses: hosting/consult package, iPod Shuffle or $100 charitable donation).

Oh yeah, and Michael is blogging for CHARGE Syndrome Foundation, and you can sponsor him here...

by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 09:19:00 PM ... ~link~


Congratulations to Baggage and Bug, who one I Will Survive with the following suggestion:

Make the house really cold by cranking up the air conditioner. When you are freezing your butt off, it is easier to stay awake.

Baggage and Bug are blogging for Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition, and you can sponsor them here.

Here are some other suggestions (and yeah, I'm picking out the really good ones!)

From Jen:
My best tip for surviving the Blogathon is this: stay hydrated. Getting sick from dehydration and sleep deprivation is one of the biggest downfalls. Drinking water (not soda and not coffee) will help regulate your system and keep you from getting overtired and sick.

From Missy (who knows food!)
Eat healthy food instead of junk, even if you can only manage a few bites between posts. You'll have more energy and you won't feel sick by the time you get to go to sleep!

From Crystal:
BE ACTIVE - Participate in chats, games, comment on other blogs, return your comments, talk about the Blogathon with your family and friends.
BE OPTIMISTIC - Always keep a cheerful outlook, write happy entries, browse through your old entries and smile!
BE CREATIVE - Come up with some wacky theme and have fun with it! Create a personal goal to reach at the end of the Blogathon!

From Betty:
How to survive Blogathon '07: Interact like crazy with the other bloggers.

From Wren, I don't know if this works, but it sounds like fun!
Raid your housemate's/mothers/own makeup case and to do the most intricate tribal designs possible on your face and arms using lipstick, eyeliner, glitter, and mascara. Make sure to do your hair crazy too, perhaps with lots of tiny pigtails strewn about. Set up a fort in a dark room, and take sequences of pictures of you in the fort. Later, stage a one-person raid and to destroy the entire edifice. Posted the aftermath of the triumphant Blogathon finale!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 09:06:00 PM ... ~link~


WELCOME B-SCHEDULE! WOOOOO!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 09:01:00 PM ... ~link~


I've been slacking on games!

Okay, I've been busy. But let's get things started again.

Game #4: I Will Survive
EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT LINE: I Will Survive
RECEIVED BY: 9pm Pacific, to help out the B-Schedule!
PRIZE: $5 Sponsorship
WHAT I WANT: Send me your best tip for surviving the Blogathon! Don't forget to include your URL!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 08:31:00 PM ... ~link~


The Write Stuff runs a heck of a Blogathon! They have constant games, great writing, and they are pushing the heck out of their charity. I'm very impressed.

(PS: Yes, these posts are getting shorter and less elegant. Bill is napping, and he's the writer in the family.)

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 08:20:00 PM ... ~link~


Better Know a Blogger - Featuring Angelina!

A short time ago we requested that folks blogging in the Blogathon this year get in touch with us for brief interview segments. All total we've done (in one fashion or another :) about 10 interviews.

Third in our interview series "Better Know a Blogger" is Angelina, blogging at Fear Will Always Make You Blind. This year Angelina will be blogging for A.T.I.M.E. - to pledge to sponsor her, click here!

Go listen to the interview, and then come back and sponsor Angelina!

by...Sheana... 7/28/2007 08:11:00 PM ... ~link~


Chat! Chat! Chat!

Lewis reminded me, I should post about the chat room! We're in IRC on freenode.net, in the room #blogathon, port 6667.

Is all that greek to you? Well, mostly me too, so I went to this forum thread and figure things out. If you are on Firefox, Chatzilla works very well--I've been using it all day.

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 07:54:00 PM ... ~link~


I started studying Tarot in my teens. Though I haven't taken out a deck in years, I was very pleased to see Denise, who is blogging for the Alzheimer's Association, is creating a deck from scratch for her Blogathon run. At last look, she was busy on the Six of Coins.

You can sponsor Denise here.

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 07:48:00 PM ... ~link~


You can stop remembering now. The winner is hotarunohikari of For A Better Future. Her first memory:

My first memory is very vague since I think I was just an infant. I was lying down in a crib, looking up at a white ceiling. I remember it was really bright. It was daytime. There was also a window in the lower area of my field of vision and it was open.

And that... is all I remember. Strange thing is, I told that to my parents and they said that I indeed slept in a crib in a white room, but that's probably too vague to say much about.

A few more memories:

From Jen:
My earliest memory is of sitting with my great-aunt Elsie at her house in Wilsonville, Oregon. We were sitting in some kind of porch swing and she was reading a book of nursery rhymes to me. I was probably 2 or 3 years old at the time and I think that this memory is one of the reasons I love to read. The reading gene has come full circle in my family as well: I’ve read to two generations of my cousins and they’ve read to the next youngest ones.


And this beautiful memoir from Che:
My earliest memory is sitting on my great-grandmother’s lap and playing with the diamond ring on her finger. We would rock in the rocking chair and the sunlight would glint off the stones and reflect onto the wall, forming prismic rainbow lights. My great-grandmother was one of the strongest, kindest influences in my life. When she died I inherited the ring, and I’ve never taken it off. I still feel like she’s with me.

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 06:02:00 PM ... ~link~


Pictures!

The winner of Game 2 is The Zeus Excuse, with this delightful self-portrait:



Completed without the use of opposable thumbs!

A few more faces...

Paint-Nailish:


Crystal:


Cynthia:


And a portrait Novac calls "Ten Hours In":


by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 05:27:00 PM ... ~link~


Scroll down a little, y'all.

Blogger auto-saves drafts, which is nice, but it also posts according to the timestamp on the first save -- so there are new posts appearing that aren't at the top of the page. Just sayin'.

by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 05:26:00 PM ... ~link~


Better Know a Blogger - Featuring Jenn

A short time ago we requested that folks blogging in the Blogathon this year get in touch with us for brief interview segments. All total we've done (in one fashion or another :) about 10 interviews.

The fifth blogger in our interview series "Better Know a Blogger" is Jenn, blogging at Potterthon. This year Jenn will be blogging for First Book - to pledge to sponsor her, click here!

Go listen to the interview, and then come back and sponsor Jenn!

by...Sheana... 7/28/2007 05:17:00 PM ... ~link~


Okay, no more pictures! I'll take a look-see and announce the winner shortly.

Now let's do an easy one.

Game #3: I remember
EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
RECEIVE BY: 6:00pm Pacific
PRIZE: $5 sponsorship
WHAT I WANT: Post your earliest memory, and send me the permalink.

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 05:04:00 PM ... ~link~


Ah, first shower of the Blogathon.

Frequent showers, especially where the weather is hot, is a great way to stay alert. It's also good to post naked right afterward. Just sayin'.

On that note, I'd like to post a sober reminder:

Please don't get sick.

Staying up 24 hours is easy for some folks, and nearly impossible for others. Every year, someone gets very ill trying to stick it out. I feel horrible when that happens. Know what? Not worth it. Take care of yourself. If you're sick, and cannot post anymore, please drop your blog from the Edit Blog function in your profile.

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 04:50:00 PM ... ~link~


I swear it was random! I wasn't trying to favor the lolcats!

The winner of our first game is Betty Baker, who submitted:

My Poem: Apology to the 'Thon

Dear Blogathon,

I made you a poem.

(It was a very nice poem.)

But I eated it.


Some honorable mentions:

From Stefficus:
roses are red,
violets are blue.
it's for a good cause
so break out your blog-fu.

daisies are white,
lillies are, too.
since the drawing is random
i'm not really concerned about the rhymingness of this poem so everybody sponsor a blog and postpostpost, yeah!

From Luna:
For a Cause

Strangers gather digitally
To raise money for charity.
No selfish gain;
A desire for change,
Blogs rise from nothing,
To spout poetry.

International friendship,
Searching for sponsorship.
Unusual community,
supporting cancer to literacy,
All in one place;
24 hours for a cause.

Caffeine fixes,
Overnight binges,
All to keep the words flowing.
Never stopping, just going and going,
All to help others,
More needy than ourselves.

Blogathon 2007,
International Event,
Bloggers from all over,
Sleep deprived we suffer,
To change the world,
30 mins at a time.

From Stacia:
Thoughts tumble around.
Lucidity escapes me.
Poetry is hard.

From Laci:
So far, so good
Then again, it's still early
Only 5:30 at night
In a few hours I'll be blurry

Gotta make it
It's for the kids
They're what's important
Not seeing the inside of my eyelids

Thank you all very much!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 04:21:00 PM ... ~link~


Alrighty, no more poems for now. I shall post the next game and let you work on that while I go through some violet verse.

Game 2: I Found A Picture of You
EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT LINE: Picture this!
RECEIVED BY: 5:00pm Pacific
PRIZE: $10 sponsorship
WHAT I WANT: Post a self-portrait to your website. Photos, art, be creative. If you enter, I get to post whether you win or not. Don't forget your URL!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 04:10:00 PM ... ~link~


Big ol' roundup 1

The links are piling up in the highlights section, so I'm going to do a couple posts with shorter descriptions of multiple cool blog(athon)s.

Sodapop is blogging for Aid For AIDS of Nevada; just one of the hundred things you can learn about her is that she knows a lot about gambling addiction.

Adrith is wearing her own boots, making brownies and providing a ton of good information about organizations whose mission, like that of her chosen charity Fisher House, is to help military personnel during and/or after active service.

Maldrobe Warfunctions are writing and filming an entire movie in 24 hours, to raise money for Doctors Without Borders.

Stacy and Becca are telling some remarkable, heartwarming stories about the students at the Blue Gargoyle (that's a school for adults, not a pub!).

Jess of Spectavi is blogging for the Tibetan Nuns Project, turning one poem into 48; you have to figure out the "code" to read it.

The staff of KMRL Mojo Radio Live are blogging (and broadcasting) for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. They've got 'thon coverage, prizes, giveaways and music and if you've always wanted to be a DJ, go talk to them -- they might just have a gig for you.

Heather over at tales from a twentysomething artist is writing ficlets and drabbles -- no, I'm not going to tell you what those are, go see for yourself -- and taking requests/suggestions. Mind, there are some dark themes, so supervise the kiddies on that site, 'k? Heather's raising money for The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

There, that should keep you all happily surfing while I go find more!

by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 03:51:00 PM ... ~link~


LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

I think it's about time we starting throwing some sponsorships around. Here's how it works.

I will post the game email (always games@blogathon.org, but I'll post it anyway), and the subject line you must put on your email, or the entry will be ruthlessly discarded, or misfiled, or something. Then I'll tell you what I want, and how long you have to do it.

If it's a trivia question, I will draw randomly from the correct answers. If it's something else, I'll draw randomly from the something else.

Game 1: Make Me Pretty Words
EMAIL: games@blogathon.org
SUBJECT LINE: A PRETTY POEM FOR YOU
RECEIVED BY: 4:00 Pacific (about an hour from now)
WHAT: Write a poem about the Blogathon. It can be haiku, a sonnet, limerick--just something poety. I will choose a winner randomly from entries. By entering, you are giving me permission to post your poem, whether or not you win. Extra-bad poets should keep this in mind. Be sure to include your URL in your email.
PRIZE: $20 sponsorship. Later games won't be so lucrative until the wee hours, but I thought I'd start off big.

Get writin'!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 03:01:00 PM ... ~link~



$100,000! Wo0t!

And because I am a tremendous nerd, I've been plotting our progress. And by "our" I mean "your", since all I'm doing is sitting here surfing around all these amazing sites and fetching snacks for the spousal unit.



by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 02:54:00 PM ... ~link~


Better Know a Blogger - Featuring Pelf

A short time ago we requested that folks blogging in the Blogathon this year get in touch with us for brief interview segments. All total we've done (in one fashion or another :) about 10 interviews.

Third in our interview series "Better Know a Blogger" is Pelf of The Giving Hands. This year Pelf will be blogging for the Eden Handicap Service Centre - to pledge to sponsor her, click here!

Go listen to the interview, and then come back and sponsor Pelf!

by...Sheana... 7/28/2007 02:38:00 PM ... ~link~


Team Monitoring Weblogs

bspies the yellow darts

While making the rounds today don't forget to stop by our regular schedule monitor team blogs, the bSpies and The Yellow Darts! Your monitors are posting there regularly, highlighting their monitees and keeping each other entertained. Go say hello!

by...Heather... 7/28/2007 02:32:00 PM ... ~link~



Fembat is crazy too.

Eliza Fembat is making 24 original, widget-ready WordPress templates in 24 hours, and giving them away. She's done this for three years running now; you can switch between all of last year's designs using the sidebar here. My favorite so far this year is the chameleon one (it's no accident that I'm a biologist by trade!).

Eliza's raising money for One Parent Families/Gingerbread, about whom she has this to say:
I was raised in a one parent family, and I understand how difficult raising a child in these circumstances can be. One Parent Families|Gingerbread provides an important service, ensuring the voices of lone parents do not go unnoticed, and their children are not disadvantaged and do not suffer from poverty, isolation, or social exclusion.
In between templates, Eliza's taking questions -- initially from sponsors, but as the 'thon wears on I'll bet she will answer questions from any of you loons on the internet! (Do consider sponsoring her, though; it's a great cause, plus, she has excellent prizes.)



by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 02:03:00 PM ... ~link~


Comment Bomb!

Okay everyone, last year we just had monitors do this, but this year, I'd like everyone who's watching to get in on the act.

Blog comments are the glue that binds the Blogathon community. Want to help? Pick two blogs and make a comment! Me, I'm gonna pick...TEN. Ten in the next hour to stop by and say hello.

We'll do this a few times during the event. Get commenting!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 01:43:00 PM ... ~link~


Four novels in four blogathons!


This is the fourth year that members of fanfic site Jixemitri have written an entire 48-chapter novel for Blogathon.

They're raising money for a fitting cause, the National Center for Family Literacy, and they're up to chapter 16 already -- so you better get reading!



by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 01:42:00 PM ... ~link~


Neuroblastoma really, really sucks.

Not least because it's almost exclusively a children's cancer. It is frequently aggressive and highly metastatic, usually requires surgery in addition to chemo- or radiotherapy, and is prone to cause paraneoplastic effects (unpleasant consequences of having a tumor which can, for instance, secrete hormones).

Blogging for kids is posting stories of children with neuroblastoma and raising money for the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation. The stories are inspiring and wrenching all at once. Do go read, but keep the tissues handy.



by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 12:47:00 PM ... ~link~



Jimmy Patterson is nuts.

We mean that in the nicest possible way, of course. Jimmy is spending 24 hours 30 feet in the air (45 feet, if you make a $500 donation; did I mention he doesn't like heights?) on a scissor lift in the parking lot of a grocery store in Midland, TX.

He's raising money for Midland Fair Havens (from their site: "a place of refuge and restoration for single mothers as they prepare to make a better life for themselves and their children"). As I write this he's well on his way to his $5001 goal.

Oh, and he has a couple dozen business sponsors who have donated prizes you can win in games and quizzes that Jimmy is running throughout the event.



by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 12:05:00 PM ... ~link~


Better Know a Blogger - Featuring Pandora

A short time ago we requested that folks blogging in the Blogathon this year get in touch with us for brief interview segments. All total we've done (in one fashion or another :) about 10 interviews.

Next up in our interview series "Better Know a Blogger" is Pandora of Pandora's Box. This year Pandora will be blogging for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America - to pledge to sponsor her, click here!

Go listen to the interview, and then come back and sponsor Pandora!

by...Sheana... 7/28/2007 12:04:00 PM ... ~link~


Win a t-shirt!

Just link to Laurie, leave a comment to let her know, and you're in the draw! (And while you're there, check out her chosen 'thon charity, The Global Fund, which fights three of the biggest killers in the world: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.)

P.S. be sure to link to La Vie de Laurie and Laurie's sponsor page, not Laurigami!

by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 11:31:00 AM ... ~link~



Nuhaa has set up a single-purpose blog, Blogathon:PCRF, to raise money for the Palestine Children Relief Fund. She's making greeting cards for twenty-four hours, and is getting sleeeeeepy already: go lend her some inspiration!



by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 10:49:00 AM ... ~link~



Michael Boyd Clark is blogging for CHARGE Syndrome Foundation, and he has a neat contest going: guess the number of marbles in the jar pictured.

There's an assortment of hourly prizes (CDs, a year's domain registration, etc), and every hour Michael picks an entry at random for a chance at the grand prize (your choice of: a consulting/web site package from Michael, an iPod Shuffle or a $100 donation to a registered charity).

Incorrect entries are used to keep narrowing the limits, so your chances keep getting better all the time. As I write this we know there are somewhere between 900 and 1 million (!) marbles in the jar.



by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 09:54:00 AM ... ~link~


Better Know a Blogger - Featuring Kamigoroshi

A short time ago we requested that folks blogging in the Blogathon this year get in touch with us for brief interview segments. All total we've done (in one fashion or another :) about 10 interviews.

First up in our interview series "Better Know a Blogger" is Kamigoroshi of Footsteps in the Mirror. This year Kamigoroshi will be blogging for the Association for International Cancer Research - to pledge to sponsor him, click here!

Go listen to the interview, and then come back and sponsor Kamigoroshi!

by...Sheana... 7/28/2007 08:33:00 AM ... ~link~


Wasabi tiramisu? Seriously?

Well, I like tiramisu, and I like wasabi, so I'd definitely try it... Iron Chef Moo (Missy and her monsters!) is blogging for The National Kidney Foundation and cooking up a storm.

Theme ingredients are cheese, chocolate, wine and garlic, and so far we have crepes, ladyfingers and that scary tiramisu.

Missy's also auctioning off a copy of the official Iron Chef book, proceeds to NKF of course.

Damn. Now I'm hungry.

by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 08:31:00 AM ... ~link~



Ninjas and dancing girls and pirates, oh my!

Way of the Scribbling Ninja is posting sketches and taking requests! If you have a moment, surf on over and suggest a theme or an image.



by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 06:34:00 AM ... ~link~




Here's an idea.


Bug of An Indian Summer invites you to play $5 Fairy: go to the blog list, find someone who has few, or no, sponsors (make sure they're actually blogging -- check for that first post!), and sponsor 'em for $5. Then grab yourself a button from Bug and fly your $5 Fairy Flag!

by...Bill Hooker... 7/28/2007 06:14:00 AM ... ~link~


WELCOME TO BLOGATHON 2007

Get posting!

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 05:58:00 AM ... ~link~


It's T minus about 30 minutes, and Cat gets up to make the donuts.

Jimmy Patterson approaches his scissor lift. Rockstar's Blogathon TV is quietly waiting. The housemates at Big Brothathon wonder who will be the first to be voted off.

Soon, the Great Attrition will start, and the number of blogs will drop as the folks who signed up and forgot are taken off the list. The field will winnow until we're left with the dedicated few (okay, the dedicated wow-that's-a-lot-of-blogs) who will stay in for 24 hours, raising money for their favorite causes. Right now, we stand at 527 blogs, $88,336.73 in pledges.

Are you ready?

by...frykitty... 7/28/2007 05:16:00 AM ... ~link~
Friday, July 27, 2007

Surfing frame is up!

It's on the menu, next to the Blog List. The ticker will carry an abbreviated version of the front page. We'll be keeping both updated with cool stuff to see!

by...frykitty... 7/27/2007 05:08:00 PM ... ~link~


The moment approaches...

I'm going to close blogger signups at 6:00pm Pacific--about 90 minutes from now. Sponsors can still sign up, of course, just no new blogs. So add 'em if you got 'em!

by...frykitty... 7/27/2007 04:34:00 PM ... ~link~


He's Baaaack...

Just got off the phone with Lewis, who was buried in spam. He is definitely doing a 24-hour broadcast, and is ready to go! Want to help? Have ideas? Write Lewis AT blogexplosion DOT com.

by...frykitty... 7/27/2007 03:31:00 PM ... ~link~


Bloggers: check your time zone!

The surfing frame shows your blog's current time, as an assistance to the monitors. Unfortunately, our programmer (me) is easily confused by Daylight Saving Time and other anomalies. Please double-check to make sure your time zone is correct for your blogs in your profile, even if you set it before.

by...frykitty... 7/27/2007 03:00:00 PM ... ~link~


So much radio, so little time!

BlogExplosion kinda disappeared on us...but as anyone who follows the forum knows, there are still plenty of options! Radio Mojo is on board, and Webkittyn could use a few hardy souls. Contact her right away (because I'm slow to post, dangit) at webkittyn AT webkittynwarbles DOT com if you're interested!

Fair warning: The Kittyn's radio show is not necessarily for the faint of heart. This is my official disclaimer: if you're underage, please don't let your mom catch you listening! :)

by...frykitty... 7/27/2007 07:50:00 AM ... ~link~
Thursday, July 26, 2007

Blogger Interviews

This year, we're doing a take on a segment of a popular television show, and producing brief "Better Know a Blogger" segments - 10-15 interviews of a few minutes apiece with different bloggers participating in Blogathon.

Here's where you come in. If your computer has a microphone and you either have Skype or the ability to record an mp3, and you're blogging in the 2007 Blogathon, we want to interview you!

When we interview you, we'll include the interview as a podcast on the main blog on 'thon day, as well as a link to your blog and a link to sponsor you. This is a most excellent deal for maybe 5-10 minutes of your time. And you'll be immortalized in Blogathon Podcast glory!

Want in on the interview action? Head on over to this thread on the forum and let us know, or send in a contact form, and we'll be in touch!

by...Sheana... 7/26/2007 08:37:00 PM ... ~link~


Blogathon on the Radio... Friday!

Ah, the magic of technology, allowing interviews to air after they take place. Astounding!

For those who tuned in this morning and didn't hear anything about Blogathon, that's because (it turns out) the interview will be airing Friday morning on 95 Crave FM. So if you're around in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, be sure to tune in (the site has a live stream).

by...Sheana... 7/26/2007 10:19:00 AM ... ~link~


Blogger Spotlight: laurenesque for GBS/CIDP Foundational International

"I'm blogging for GBS/CIDP Foundational International because my godfather, whom I am very close to, contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome in November. GBS is pretty rare and many people don't know about it, but it can affect anyone of any age and strikes pretty much without warning. It's often mistreated because even specialists only see a handful of cases in their lifetimes.

"My godfather's GBS has left him paralyzed from the neck down since November until just last week when he finally was able to move his leg without any help. Prior to that, we've had a lot of near-death scares with him, because GBS has a lot of even more rare variants, and he's been affected by that too. These variants have caused everything some temporary blindness to delusions.

"GBSFI is one of two GBS charities in the US and I feel that not enough is being done in terms of research to identify the causes of GBS and how to speed up the recovery process. When I decided to do Blogathon, we thought my godfather might die from GBS. But since this recent development with his leg, we are more hopeful, and he's been put back into rehab to progress more-- and that just gives me more of a reason to support GBS/CIDP Foundation International."

by...Heather... 7/26/2007 08:22:00 AM ... ~link~
Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Blogathon on the Radio!

Tomorrow morning, Nat and Drew from 95 Crave FM will be interviewing our beloved Sheana (one of the Blogathon admins) about the ins and outs of the event.

Not in the Vancouver area, but still want to tune in? No worries - there's an option to listen to a live stream on the top of their web site.

If news outlets in your area are giving any attention to the Blogathon, we want to hear about it! Send us the info via the contact form, and we'll feature it here on the main page.

by...Heather... 7/25/2007 08:15:00 PM ... ~link~


How 'bout the Twin Cities?

In a not-unexpected development, another MetBlog has picked us up. If you're blogging from the Minneapolis area, hop over to the Twin Cities Metroblog and speak up!

Any other MetBlogs out there joining in?

by...frykitty... 7/25/2007 02:51:00 PM ... ~link~


Are you blogging from Vancouver, BC?

Then head on over to Vancouver Metblogs. Rebecca is putting together a list of local bloggers--just put your details in the comments.

by...frykitty... 7/25/2007 10:48:00 AM ... ~link~


Please don't break the frames!

Heya bloggers--we are starting to test the surfing frame, and have noticed that a few sites have code built in to break out of frames.

If you have breakout code, please take it down until the Blogathon is over. Thanks!

by...frykitty... 7/25/2007 08:45:00 AM ... ~link~


Blogger Spotlight: aka_monty for United Cerebral Palsy

I am blogging for United Cerebral Palsy again this year. My 12-year-old son is severely affected with CP, and the UCP provides so much help to families and schools--equipment, assistive technology, housing, employment, and so much more! This charity means a lot to me because my son personally benefits from their good works.

by...Heather... 7/25/2007 08:05:00 AM ... ~link~
Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Blogger Spotlight: ehlara for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

"I am blogging for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation primarily in honour of my Mom, who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and also to honour my godmother (also currently fighting,) several family friends who are survivors, and in memory of my husband's Aunt who passed away last December.

"In addition, as a woman and as a mother of a daughter, I see the importance of this research and the awareness campaign. I don't want my daughter to be blogging for me one day, nor do I ever want to have to do this in honour or memory of her."

by...Heather... 7/24/2007 08:39:00 AM ... ~link~
Monday, July 23, 2007

Blogger Spotlight: fembat for Gingerbread

"I'm blogging for Gingerbread this year, primarily because it is a charity focused on assisting one/single parent families in the UK.

"As someone raised in a one parent family during the late 70's and 80's my mother and myself faced a lot of stigma. It seems there is a certain sort of people who just love to blame all the ills of society on people who either chose, or are forced, to raise children alone. Be it increase in drugs, crime or poverty, for some people it is all laid at the foot of the increase in single parent family. My mother faced a lot of abuse locally, as did I when I was at school. I remember being called names on the street, in the playground. The worst abuse, I hate to say, came from people who should have known better. Single parent families were often excluded from tax breaks, or general government legislation. Life was difficult for Mum, but despite that I had a wonderful and happy childhood.

"I support Gingerbread this year, because it is one of the few charities that stand up for the rights of single parents, and their children. They are there for those people who are forced to raise children alone from the loss of a partner, or through divorce. It is a magnificant support network."

by...Heather... 7/23/2007 06:36:00 AM ... ~link~
Sunday, July 22, 2007

Blogger Spotlight: iceprincezz for The American Cancer Society

"In 1990 I lost my father to liver cancer. He battled 2 years longer than anyone said he would just so he could meet one of his grandkids. I watched him go from a strapping 6'3" 280 pounds to a mere shell of a man weight all of 170lbs. At the end he didn't even know me. The last day I spoke to him, he didn't know me, he looked right through me.

"I am blogging for The American Cancer Society so that they can find a cure for these terrible diseases. I wouldn't wish what my family went through on anyone. 24 hours for a cure."

by...Heather... 7/22/2007 08:20:00 AM ... ~link~
Saturday, July 21, 2007

Blogger Spotlight: TenseTeacher for The Smile Train

"I only recently learned about the existence of the charity I chose, The Smile Train, but immediately it struck a chord with me.

"The Smile Train repairs cleft lips and palates for children whose families cannot afford the simple surgery needed to give them the ability to smile, talk and eat normally. I, too, was born with a cleft lip, but I was blessed to have parents who had insurance and were able to take me to plastic surgeons who would repair my lip. I had 2 surgeries, one at age 3 months and another again at age 7; I could have one more surgery to do away with the slight scar that remains, but I choose to keep it. It's part of who I am, and very few people ever notice it; however, when they do, I am not ashamed to tell them about my past.

"In that way, and hopefully also through my participation in this blogathon, I can make people aware of this all-too-common problem, and maybe I can lead others to be generous."

by...Heather... 7/21/2007 09:13:00 AM ... ~link~
Friday, July 20, 2007

Blogathon on Livejournal?

Lucky you! We have a special Livejournal community set up just for LJ folks who plan on participating in Blogathon. The excellent Featherjean, who is blogging for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, has offered her services maintaining the community this year. She's trying to rouse the LJ crowd and get them all participating - if you keep a journal there, why not head over and say hello!

And hey, you don't have to take *my word* for it that the community is pretty swank - even the Livejournal Overlords are giving us props:

Blogathon LJ on Livejournal Highlights!

by...Sheana... 7/20/2007 04:55:00 PM ... ~link~


Blogger Spotlight: alhena for Compassion In World Farming

"The organisation I have chosen is called Compassion In World Farming, because they deal with a matter that is very close to my heart. They are a UK-based animal help organisation but they work internationally. Their goals are to end cruelty to those animals that we usually forget about; to end factory farming, long distance animal transports, and similar atrocities. These animals, who you will later meet again in form of a steak or hamburger, spend their lives under the most horrible conditions, and then 90 hours or more in overcrowded vehicles or ships while being carted to their final destination. If you really need more details, please visit CIWF's website.

"The welfare (or lack thereof) of farm animals has always meant a lot to me. We can't make people stop eating meat. What we can do is to make sure the animals at least have a decent life before they have to die, which is what the people at CIWF are striving to accomplish."

by...Heather... 7/20/2007 06:56:00 AM ... ~link~