Thank you so much to everyone who entered the guest blog contest! There were over 250+ entries and they were awesome. Very awesome. Some were personal, some were wacky, some were touching, some were hilarious, but all were good in their own way. This was actually one of the most difficult contests I've yet had to judge and I spent a really long time agonizing over the choices.
So -- let me say again, thank you so much to everyone who entered. I wish I had time to thank everyone personally, but... well, I have a plane to catch. So THANK YOU everyone.
You will be in great hands next week. I intentionally chose a variety of publishing topics and authors representing different perspectives, so there will be a little bit of everything.
Without further ado, next week's guest bloggers will be (in no particular order):
Eric
Kiersten White
Jordan McCollum
Victoria Mixon
Steph Damore
Also, please note that all opinions expressed by the guest bloggers are their own and may not necessarily be shared by me, Curtis Brown Ltd., the Internet, and/or Ryan Seacrest.
Enjoy!
Friday, July 3, 2009
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140 comments:
Congrats to all those chosen - can't wait to read your entries!
Hey everyone, blogger's auto-publish wasn't working this morning so if there is a gap in the posts next week that's why. I'll try and check in to make sure they post. .
Poop. Megan beat me to it. :-)
I, too, can't wait to read next week's posts... congrats to the winning entries!
In the meantime, have fun on your volunteer vacation, Nathan! Be safe!
--Laura
Thanks for the contest, Nathan. I'm sure next week's blogs will be entertaining.
Woohoo! Kiersten's pretty much the awesomest person ever:) Yeah, that my best friend.
Congratulations to all the winners! Have a great week, Nathan.
Congratulations to the winners. And thank you Nathan for forcing me to get off my rear and writing a new post.
I'm using it today!
I'm eager to read the guest posts. Congratulations!
Congrats to the winners! Should make for interesting reading...
Congratulations everyone! I'll definitely be there next week cheering you on.
Nathan, thanks for doing this, and let's do it again. That was sooo fun!
Have a wonderful trip, Nathan!
Congrats to the winners!!
We'll miss you next week but it sounds like we're in for some good reading anyway. Congrats to everyone who was chosen. Safe trip, Nathan!
Great contest, Thanks Nathan. I'm curious to see the posts that won!
Congrats to the winners! I can't wait to read the posts. :)
The great thing about this contest is that now I have an new entry to post on my own blog. It's a win-win situation. Congrats to the winners, and looking forward to seeing the posts!
I have it on good authority that Ryan Seacrest and I agree on ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.
Thanks, Nathan! I'm very excited.
Congrats to the winners - I'm very much looking forward to reading their posts.
Thanks, Nathan, for giving other bloggers the chance of a lifetime.
Way to go, Eric!
Congratulations!
Excellent contest Nathan, congrats to all the winners, I'm looking forward to reading them.
Enjoy your holiday!
Happy Holiday on holiday, Nathan.
I'm looking forward to next week - not the Nathan-somewhere-that-isn't-here-ness of it - but the anticipation of, not only what might be posted, but in what 'voice'!
Congratulations to the winnners.
Congrats ALL!!!
Can't wait to read!
(Hey Nathan, with 250 ...maybe you could give some of them weekend spots occasionally.)
Wow! Thanks so much, Nathan, and thanks to everyone here, too.
Looking forward to all the other posts, too!
Hey, I like that weekend spots idea... bonus blogs!
Thanks Nathan - I'm really excited for next week. Have a safe trip!
Steph
Congrats to the winners! And have a safe trip Nathan.
This was a great idea. Can't wait to see the posts!
This was a brilliant idea, Nathan, and wish I'd had time to enter. I'm also admiring your altruistic vacation choice. Thanks for making sure we are informed and entertained during your absence. Happy 4th to all!
Bryan, how 'bout LA picking up Artest? -- heard Cleveland was gonna get him and figured that might put them over the top, but now I'm definitely sweet on the Purple & Gold again :)
Personally, I love the idea of weekend bloggers. I would love to see all 250 of them, myself.
Especially if it was a hard choice.
People might think I'm saying that b/c I wasn't chosen.
Well, duh.
Although I'm sort of relieved. My entry was.....rather demented.
But the sad thing is, now I can't say I haven't written anything!
It will be fun next week. I'm looking forward to it.
Whoops, I meant Bane and Bryan.
Did you guys enter the contest?
Congratulations to the winners!
Mira - nah - I don't blog (and figure I yap enough here anyway :). But I like the idea of weekend bloggers - though I think Nathan would need a voluntary good citizen to help him w/ that b/c he already goes above and beyond.
I'm very happy for the winners. A very exciting opportunity!
Bane - I agree, that might be extra work for Nathan, and he does seem swamped.
Or he might want to move onto a new contest. I'd just like to read the entries. If it was that hard of a decision, I bet people wrote some really good stuff.
And if my opinion matters - I don't think you 'yap' too much here. I like your posts.
Thanks - Likewise :)
Of course, people who weren't selected can list their blog links here during the weekend, I imagine, w/ a tagline to entice us to come on over :)
Oh, that would be great! I hope they do.
Looks like a good list.
So, Mira, what did you write about? I'm just dying to know.
--Laura
Have a safe and fun trip, Nathan. You rock for doing this. I had fun cranking something out in a hurry. I already hate it, but it made me write quickly, which I think was good for me.
Laura - rofl. I'll send it to you. I wish you'd written something. Next time!
Bane,
I love that Lakers deal... on the defensive end. They have a pitbull now who can free up Kobe. On the offensive end, however... well, Artest can score, but he's a black hole. He pounds the ball, pounds the ball, pounds the ball... and he pouts and gets angry when he doesn't get touches. How's that going to work with the Lakers great passing offense? Plus, you know, he's crazy. Even for a master manipulator like Jackson, Artest is gonna be a challenge chemistry-wise.
On the other hand, I think Ariza is becoming hugely overrated. He's not half the player Artest is (though twice as sane - what's that worth, I wonder?). Reports say my Raptors were offering quite a bit more for him than Houston was, and I'm totally glad he turned them down. Ariza is the sort of guy who looks good on a Championship team playing twenty-five minutes. He can defend, and occasionally hit a wide open jumper (wide open thanks to Kobe, Pau and Odom). On a mediocre team (sadly, that includes my Raps) you suddenly realize he can't dribble, drive or pass and you've sunk eight million a year into a role player with limited skills.
Next year should be interesting, though...
Yep. Next time. :-)
Ooh, goodie. I just received your email - I'll send you my thoughts in a jiffy!
--Laura
P.S. I owed you an email anyway. Oops.
Oh - Laura, I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at what I wrote. That's the fun of a 24 hour deadline.
VQ, I bet your piece was fine!
Mira,
I did write something, though how good it was I don't know... I only had a rushed hour and no time to edit. I liked the subject matter and it didn't seem too horrible when I finished it. But the cold light of a new day may make me change my mind on that. :) I'll stick it up on my blog sometime soon (it'll make a nice break from my great Blogging the Rings experiment).
Yeah, they won't have enough balls to go around; totally agree about the Ariza point -- his true value will become apparent once he goes to a lower caliber team (kind of like Pippen when Jordan left -- sorry, had to get that dig in at one of the 10 most overrated players of all time :)
Ink, I'm so glad you wrote something! I don't know why, but that makes me really happy.
I bet it's just fine. :-)
Oh, Mira, I knew you weren't laughing at me. But even if you were, I'm not THAT sensitive. Sheesh.
I knew I shouldn't have apologized to Nathan about "Pelham 123" - now I'll never live my "thin skin" down. :-)
All who entered were brave. Braver than I. I raise my glass. Cheers!
Oh, no Laura. It's not that. I don't think of you as thin-skinned. I think of myself as saying things that come out all wrong.
Thanks, Anon.
Congratulations, winners!
Oh, okay, Mira. Phew!
I thought, "Poop. What kind of a wuss have I portrayed myself as?"
I mean, I laugh at myself all the time. Just call me William Shatner. :-)
--Laura
Bane,
Lol, the funny thing is that Pippen was my all-time favourite player. '94 stats (without Jordan): 22.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.3 steals. Everyone thought the Bulls would completely fall apart and suck that year, but they won 55 games (only two less than the year before with Jordan) and might've had a chance at another title if not for one horrendous call in the playoffs. Pip should've been MVP that year. Led his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks and steals... plus all-world defense. Good ol' Pip. Not the handsomest guy in the world, but hey, who gets everything they ask for?
Mira,
I hope it's okay... but I never count my chickens before they're plucked (and edited).
:)
Congrats to the winners! Mira, I hope you post your entry somewhere! I would love to read it... I love the way you write :)
I don't really have anything to add to the conversation... but I just had to share my word veri: burpt. Need I say more?
Bryan - sorry to step on the toes... No, he was definitely a highly productive player, but he'd never be top 50 w/o Jordan... He may not have been handsome, but he sure is a step up from Sam "Enemy Mine" Cassell :)
I picked a bad week to not stop by the blog. But congrats to the winners!
Ink - this is driving me crazy. I really want to read yours and everyone's.
Jen C, that's so nice of you. I'll e-mail it to you or anyone who wants to read it. It's not worth posting. It's not my usual style and honestly, it's not that good. Really. Truly. Promise.
It's overdue for us to chat by e-mail, though anyway. Do you want to? my address is in my profile....
Thanks for the contest, Nathan and congrats to all the winners! I have a strange question. Was I one of the winners? It's possible there's a Victoria Mixon, but I know I entered and my last name is Dixon. Thought I'd ask. I look forward to seeing all of blogs!
Victoria, that's......well out of 250, it would just be too weird if there was a Victoria Mixon.
I would think!
I'm going to say mega -congratulations!
Congratulations!!
Victoria - I agree with Mira. What are the odds that it wasn't just a typo? After all, Nathan was in a hurry - bent on catching his plane and all! He's a cool cat, but accidents do happen. Guess you'll just have to wait till next week to know for sure! :-)
Mira - Sigh. Your post is funny... don't sell yourself short.
Jen C. - You should definitely email Mira - she's entertaining off the blog, too!
Victoria, maybe Victoria Mixon is your evil doppelganger *cue scary music*.
Mira, I'm emailing you now. I need a break from editing!
Thanks Laura. Appreciate it. :-)
I'm really excited to see the winning entries! What an opportunity for them. Amazing. I'm really going to support them when they post.
I wonder where Nathan is right now....do you think he's there yet? Wonder what time it is in South America. Will he go right to work with the orphans? Wonder what he'll do there. Play games with them? Sing songs? Feed them meals? Build things? Tell them about America and....read books!
Probably all of the above, Mira! :-)
I suppose my 6th place finish will have to do.
Mira,
Wow, you think about Nathan a lot.
Steve
Lol.
Only when I'm not thinking about you. ;-)
and, of course, it is his blog.
Congrats to all the winners. I'm looking forward to reading your posts. With over 250 entries these are sure to be the cream of the crop.
I must win the 'Stalker with the most available time' prize - first thing I did was Google the lot.
allegory 19 I'm so glad it's you and not the ex-principal of the Martin Luther King School!!!
Victoria Mixon - Editor?
Man Utd signed Michael Owen? That was random!
Michael Owen! Ooooh!
Turkoglu a Raptor!
Ain't life grand?
I worry that your Hedo could score more goals for Utd than the injury prone ex-England striker - without actually turning up for a game!
Can't wait to read these!
Nathan- Brazil, by any chance? Have a great time wherever you're headed!
Elaine,
I have this dream of perfect health and universal synchronicity that returns Owen to the speed and form of his exuberant days as an eighteen-year old... It's such a nice dream. Just beautiful.
I would not really want you all to read my entry. I entered never expecting to be chosen. It was the strangest coincidence when I decided to check Nathan’s Blog again the morning the contest began. I had recently read some of his entries with responses about favorite books, characters, etc. As the blog was opening, I was literally thinking that I wished he would write something about books that become movies. Then I saw that I could write it myself. I opened Word without even closing the blog and wrote my entry in 15 minutes flat. I never thought I would win, but figured it was too serendipitous to pass up at least putting a spark of a thought for a post of Nathan’s own someday. A little “Cuuuuh—stanz-uh” if you will (Seinfeld reference). I can tell that the rest of the entries would have been by people with true talent looking for a chance to showcase it, and those I would love to read...
Anon 8:45, obviously you have talent and deserved to win. Don't be silly.
Allegory, you're Steph? You won? Omg, you go, girl! Right on. This may be a weird thing to say, but I'm proud of you. I hope you drop in, say 'hi' and celebrate alittle! Yea!
Hmm, let me say alittle more. I may not need to, but just in case.
Allegory, if you're thinking maybe I'm alittle jealous because I didn't win, and here I encouraged you to enter, well, duh.
But so what! I'm impressed by your bravery and talent, and happy for you. There's a reason I was encouraging, after all. Contests come and go, but writers are in this together. That's much more important. Good for you, Allegory.
Bryan
Re your dream ...
So do I!
But the press here will be lining up to trip him over!
Hargreaves is the name I'd want on the back of my shirt (course that could be just a reaction to his hair in motion) and I spent all last year checking for medical reports on his 'performance'.
Happy 4th of July!
Good Canadian boy, that Hargreaves. Like me! I'm sure Ferguson will be calling any minute now.
I can't wait to read the winners!
As Nathan suggested, I've posted my "losing" piece on my blog: "Everybody's a critic: dealing with unsolicited criticism."
http://annerallen.blogspot.com/
Anybody who's been stung by clueless a critique might find some comfort in it.
Congratulations to the winners. Can't wait to read them all. And have a great time away Nathan.
Anne Allen,
I thoroughly enjoyed your blog!
Funny, insightful, entertaining... and true! Everything I look for in a blog.
I have added your blog to my favorites and will visit regularly.
Thanks for sharing.
AM
Dear AM Anonymous: You made my day! Thanks a bunch.
Thanks for sharing, Anne. Maybe we all should? We've got these blogs we wanted to share amidst our little community here, so why not? What else should the kids do while the teacher's away?
This is my post, Found in Translation.
I'd love to see some more bonus blogs here... lay 'em on me, folks.
Just wanted to share that I just read an incredible book...the Glass Castle. I couldn´t put it down! It reminded me a little bit of Running with Scissors. Happy 4th everyone!
What else was I going to do with the surplus entry?
http://notexactlyblogging.blogspot.com/2009/07/you-tell-me-and-nathan-when-he-gets.html#comments
Bryan
Like I didn't know the origin of the England team's best mid-fielder.
Happy 4th everyone.
Finally got a chance to get on-line and read everyone's entry who shared them. Thanks so much for sharing them!! I left comments there...RBG - thanks for being so brave.
I hope some other people post theirs if they want to, this was a treat.
I don't know if I'm going to post mine....um, I'm torn.....it's sort of......vicious.
I just re-read it. Nope. I'm not posting that. Lol.
I read them. Interesting. Wouldn't mind seeing more.
Hey, what's wrong with vicious?
:)
Ink - I sent it to you.
So tomorrow's the first one. Exciting. :-)
Winners - congratulations!
Hey Mira -
Yep that's me.
Wow, did I pick a weekend to go up north and not have an Internet connection! I managed to post a quick thanks Friday from my brother-in-law's phone, but then none of us had phone service the rest of the weekend - Ahhhh!!!!
Thanks for the congrats - and an official THANK YOU for motivating me to post an entry. You rock!
Elaine "still writing" Smith - Google away. I don't think you'll find anything on me. I guess I better hurry up and post my author website - huh?
Steph
There you are Allegory. What a weekend to not have access. I'm really happy for you.
Congrats! :-)
You know I am happy to answe to Elaine (insatiably curious)Smith too - or Elaine for short.
Okay Elaine "still writing" Smith - er, I mean Elaine - I'll have to remember that.
Thanks, Bryan, Anne, Brent, & Elaine!
I enjoyed reading all of your posts - and commenting, too. Glad you shared them with us. Makes me even more curious about the this week's winners.
I posted mine (www.amisinterpretedwave.blogspot.com) and my sister said that it wasn't true to me. I thought it was, but on reflection, it is missing something. I'm obviously not very good at writing things in a rush. Will work on that. Love having an open and honest sister ( better than saying everything is good all the time).
I'm looking forward to going back over all of yours, I spend about four hours the other night stalking blogs, and enjoyed it so much (hehe).
This is kind of embarassing, but after anonymously saying I would not want my entry read by everyone, I have changed my mind. I finally decided to start a blog, which I've been meaning to do for a while (more related to my son's cochlear implants than writing, but still). Since I actually set up the blog, I figured I might as well also post my entry to this contest on it. If anyone wants to see it, they can: http://mamasavage.blogspot.com/
Thanks, Christine and Rhonda, for posting your links, too!
More, more, give us more! The clock's running out for the other unchosen posts... soon, we'll be reading the winners.
Me, too. Thanks for sharing! I left comments.
This is fun. It's fun to see samples of people's actual writing. :-)
Oops, Rhonda.
I think I messed up and posted two comments on your site - please delete the second one. Teehee.
--Laura
How nice!
I see I have several more blogs to visit this week.
I am looking forward to visiting each of you.
AM
Me too!
Sorry about the comments not posting on my blog. I set it up to moderate them. The topic of cochlear implants can lead to some words that I wasn't sure I wanted my son to happen across. I may change the settings (if I can find where I did it again). So your comments did go through. I just had to approve them first. Thanks for checking it out!
Hi, A misinterpreted wave, I have one of those sisters too. Thank god!
Phew ... just finished following you lot around blogger. I've commented too, and really enjoyed reading and 'getting to know' you guys.
Still waiting for the winning posts, but have no idea when to expect them due to time difference.
Thanks Nathan for a fantastic way to get loads of blogs to attach ourselves to.
Jen C do you have a blog? If you do, I'm either blind or struggling to navigate today.
ahem.
waiting.......
Ooh, the excitement is unbearable - I wonder whose post will be up first!
--Laura
P.S. Rhonda - I'm sorry again about posting two comments on your blog. After the second, I realized that I'd missed the "moderation" note. It's no big deal, you know - I, too, moderate comments on my blog (not so much because of concern for nasty posts, but because my last wordpress blog got inundated with spam - I've been seriously thinking of using Blogger instead). So, please don't change on my account - I was just too clueless to notice the little "moderation" message.
Where have all the guest bloggers gone... (well, it needs the music to make it work).
I wonder if the autmotic posting is still down? So sad, after all the build up. Ah, the tyranny of technology.
Laura,
For what it's worth, I'm on Blogger and I've never had a spam comment.
I like blogspot. I've been on it almost a year. Only one spam comment so far.
Then again the auto-publish doesn't seem to be all that reliable...
Bryan -
Thanks so much for the tip. I'm glad to hear that your Blogger experience has been spam-free. I used to have a travel writing blog (through Wordpress) on my wanderingsoles.com site - but I've since abandoned it. Not because I stopped caring - I loved writing that silly blog - but because over 30,000 spam comments was too much to bear. :-(
Given your own experience, I think I AM going to switch to Blogger - I already have the account, I just need to start the blog... and I so miss my travel one. So, thanks again! You're a god among bloggers.
I really think more people should call me a god. Some sort of ratification vote, maybe...
:)
Managed to crank out an entry to this about 15 minutes before the deadline time. Thanks for the opportunity to hastily write! It's excellent practice!
Maybe he set it to post at noon?
You would think one of his colleagues could post it....you know whoever is watching the blog......hello, anyone there? Surely it's not.....unsupervised again.
Oh no. Not unsupervised.
Oh no. I got in enough trouble once. I'm not going there again.
Ink - lol. Although I don't think Gods are voted in. I think they just create worlds and then demand everyone sacrifice their goats in the God's honor.
I've always thought that was hard on the goats.
Bryan, when you're a god, be nice to the goats.
It's okay, I've never been too fond of lamb. I make no promises about ducks, however.
Mmmmmm....
Oh, no, God of Bloggers, don't sacrifice the ducks. If ill-prepared, they're much too greasy.
Develop a taste for mosquitoes instead - people hate those buggers - that way, it's a win-win for everyone. You, as the God of Bloggers, still receive your just sacrifice, and us writers won't be missing out on much. After all, the ducks on the lake outside my window are fun to watch - quite inspiring, really - whereas, mosquitoes, well, not so much.
Sincerely,
Your Lowly Writer Servant
Okay, now we're just getting punchy. Bring on the guest blogs already!
-----
Ooh, I love my word veri - realme - you could read it so many different ways...
I concur on the mosquitos. Once my divinity fully blossoms I shall sentence them to an eternity in the god gullet. Which is good; my daughter puffs up like a melon whenever one even gets close to her. Plus they might taste good in chocolate. (I mean, everything tastes good in chocolate, right?)
Chocolate or Ketchup. Just ask any kid.
Um, Ink, I think your first act as a God should be non-discriminatory. What about the other insects? Cockroaches? Earwigs? Bedbugs?
How can you leave them out? You'll hurt their little feelings.
Are they not just as crunchy delicious as mosquitos? Do they not taste just as good in ketchup and chocolate?
And in case anyone wonders if this is on topic....errrr....this is my blog post I sent to Nathan. Can't see why it wasn't chosen.
Hey! I just figured something out. I bet they are posting in the order that Nathan listed them.
That means tomorrow's you, Kiersten.
This is really fun. I'm having a fun time not only reading posts, but thinking about Nathan's choices.
This whole thing is so cool.
Speaking of other insects, I vote for spiders. I got bit while camping this weekend and it itches like a dickens. I want revenge!!!
omg.
There is a Victoria Mixon. Wow. That is just weird. Such a shame that Nathan wasn't here to clear that up.
Victoria D., I don't know if you're reading this thread anymore, but I'm sorry.
I'm sure your blog entry was just great.
I'm sort of miffed that Victoria Mixon didn't drop in to clear that up.
Maybe she didn't read the comments....?
Wow Mira, you're right, that is too weird.
Hey, Mira! Okay, you've written so much today that I feel the need to comment in return...
1. As to the mosquitoes, I'm not opposed to the God of Bloggers sacrificing all such pesky insects. I was just trying to save the ducks... so crunch away on the gnats, spiders, earwigs, and fleas of the world (with or without chocolate or condiments). As a Lowly Writer Servant, I give Bryan my blessing.
2. Yeah, I, too, had figured out the Victoria Mixon/Dixon snafu. Too bad we didn't figure it out earlier - now, I feel like a jack-arse. Sorry, Victoria D.
3. Just because Eric's was the first to post today doesn't NECESSARILY mean that Nathan gave us the names in order. But, ahem, you're probably right.
4. Lastly, I just want to say... You're a big fat fibber!!! Your blog post was so NOT about yummy insects. I read it, remember? Or did you think I was fibbing when I said I had?
Wink, wink.
I know Allegory! Isn't that bizzare? That just sucks. Victoria D., if you're reading this, I'm sending you a metaphoric hug. I have so been there.
Laura, what do you mean I've written alot today? Only 6 posts....well, seven if you count this one. Um, and eight if you count the next one. But I'm not going over 25 posts, that would be excessive.
The insect one was the true blog post I sent to Nathan. I was talking about how the insects are taking over the world, so we should eat them. I was totally worried about it.
But now I know that Bryan is in charge, and will show great insect eating leadership, so I can relax.
That other thing I sent you is what I'm sending to Nathan as a welcome home gift.
Um, I really should stop posting here. I'm going to get in trouble....
But we're unsupervised! Yahoo! We can't possible get in trouble... um, right? Or is Nathan even in South America? Maybe he's just lurking... waiting for one of us to say something really retarded, offensive, or mean-spirited...
But discussing insects is still okay, right?
Hmm. I suspect that we're being supervised. Probably his co-workers are taking shifts, and are just thrilled about it.
Hmmmm....
It's after 12, and no new guest blogger.
Maybe the site is unsupervised.
Next time, Nathan could leave me in charge. I wouldn't mind. I would use my administrative priviledges very wisely and very well and very, very frequently.
Must. Be. Patient.
But it's soooo hard!!!!
Where's the new one?
Uh-oh, the Bransford blog is experiencing technical difficulties. Must... refrain... from... tantrum.
Guess patience really is a virtue. :-)
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