Procrastinators

[Birol]

C'mon, Finalists. Post something. I need something good to read this weekend.

[William Haskins]

i'm working on... well, i went and found a book called "Be the World's Greatest and Most Fabulous Writer in 4 Days!" but it's written in japanese.

then i bought a book called "Redneck to Japanese in Just 3 Days".

unfortunately it's in japanese, as well.

i have a ghost writer that's supposed to call me back as soon as he bonds out of the city jail.

we'll see...

[hapsburg]

Then that's when you'll have it.... this weekend :P

[maestrowork]

Crossroads, pot roasts,
frigging potholes
days are longer
nights to ponder
two people in lust
one missing a toe

-- by William Haskins


(do you think they figure out I impersonated Will?)

[William Haskins]

how did you get into my brain???

[BlueTexas]

I wonder who'll have the guts to go first?

I also wonder who on earth could possibly be able to quit editing until the minute before the deadline?

It's only Wednesday, and I'm over the word limit!

[William Haskins]

It's only Wednesday, and I'm over the word limit!

not me. i've only got 100 or so of thse word magnets on the refrigerator and, even allowing for compound words, i can't seem to stretch it.

[BlueTexas]

not me. i've only got 100 or so of thse word magnets on the refrigerator and, even allowing for compound words, i can't seem to stretch it.

Want me to mail you mine? They live on my filing cabinet, and are almost as distracting at this forum!

[pepperlandgirl]

I'm waiting to hear from my trusty beta (should have it by tomorrow morning) and then I'll be ready to post.

[jdkiggins]

I've gathered all the inspirational clippings I've got taped and tacked all around my office and combined them into one 2,000 word doc. I think I may have found a way to organize them in an orderly fashion so they qualify to meet the crossroad challenge. We'll see. :)

[Birol]

Stories, stories, stories. :snoopy:

[jdkiggins]

Crossroads, crossroads, crossroads.
:poke:

[Birol]

Joanne, this is going to be cruel of me to say, because I don't want to offer any more detail, but of the seven stories that have been posted so far, I've already marked three of them that I'd be willing to vote 'yes' for. And, yes, I know we're only allowed to vote for one. Once they're all posted, I'll have to go back and reread all my yes's and choose between them. I wonder how many more yes's I'll have by then?

(DISCLAIMER: I would just like to remind all the finalists that you beat some very tough competition to get this far. So the fact that I may not vote for your story does not mean I did not like it or think it was good, solid writing. The rules just requiring anyone voting to choose one story and one story only. This requirement is turning me into a bit of a Simon as I personally evaluate each entry.)

[jdkiggins]

Joanne, this is going to be cruel of me to say, because I don't want to offer any more detail, but of the seven stories that have been posted so far, I've already marked three of them that I'd be willing to vote 'yes' for. And, yes, I know we're only allowed to vote for one. Once they're all posted, I'll have to go back and reread all my yes's and choose between them. I wonder how many more yes's I'll have by then?
Birol,
I think it's great that you had the courage to say you've picked three out of seven so far. Now that I've posted mine, I have read the entries to date and I will say there is stiff competition out there.

(DISCLAIMER: I would just like to remind all the finalists that you beat some very tough competition to get this far. So the fact that I may not vote for your story does not mean I did not like it or think it was good, solid writing. The rules just requiring anyone voting to choose one story and one story only. This requirement is turning me into a bit of a Simon as I personally evaluate each entry.)
I'm still not certain if we finalists are allowed to vote on each other's entries, but if we are, I will have a difficult time deciding as well.

[MacAllister]

omg...we can only vote for ONE???

What if we do it like survivor--and reluctantly vote for who to throw off the island, instead...?

[Birol]

That idea's already been put out there, Mac. Jenna said something along the lines that it would take a huge pile of cash and/or tagalongs to get her to change the rules, then she laughed maniacally.

[jdkiggins]

That's not a bad idea, Mac.

Has it yet been stated how this whole vote thing works? I know there was mention of PMing Melina. But I think it was also mentioned that details of voting would come later. :Shrug: I'm sure Jenna will let us know how she wants to handle the voting, and who is and isn't allowed to vote.

Have to have all the entries before a vote takes place. :)

Midnight. Crossroads.

[Birol]

:Jump:Three more. Just three more. And only a little over seven hours remaining in the deadline. :Jump:

[jdkiggins]

Actually, we need four more, the first post was Jenna's instructions. :) Same deal as the 308 entries vs 307.

There were 11 finalists.

[Birol]

Firehorse posted since we started today's conversation, making 8 total who have posted their stories so far and three individuals who are still frantically writing and rewriting. Jenna's original post does not count in the reply tally.

(I can neither confirm nor deny if the number of yes's in my tally has increased.)

[jdkiggins]

Right, Birol. But of the eight posts, the first was Jenna. So seven entries have been posted, and four finalists still have until midnight.

[Birol]

Okay, this is getting comical, but if you open the thread with the entries, there have been 9 posts, Jenna's + 8 responses.

I've also got a spreadsheet going to help me keep track of whose story I liked and why. So far, 8 stories have been posted.

[jdkiggins]

Hmm, let me go count. I must have missed one, then, because I wrote them down this morning as I read them. :) I'll be back.

[William Haskins]

comical

[jdkiggins]

OK, you got the prize! :roll: I didn't count my own!
:Smack: My brain IS fried. If I do make it to the next round, the rest of you won't have a thing to worry about. ROFLMAO

Birol, sorry. Glad you have things in control. :)

[BlueTexas]

I wonder how many people will actually vote? Will there be as much interest now that not everyone is in the running?

[Hermit]

An uninspired quote about procrastination:

Don't put off today what you can avoid altogether.
-Can't remember the author's name

Anyway, I'm really enjoying the writing so far. I've got a lot to learn!

I plan to stay up until all have posted and send in my vote right away.

[jdkiggins]

Good question, Blue.

[William Haskins]

you obviously haven't seen the lines forming at the polls.

and the t-shirt vendors.

[jdkiggins]

William,
Are there any t-shirts with a :Smack: on them.

I think I'm going to have one made for myself with that little smiley.
He expresses my brain malfunctions very well.
Much better than the one I already wear which says:
I suffer from CRS
Can't
Remember
Sh*t

[Birol]

OK, you got the prize! :roll: I didn't count my own!
:Smack: My brain IS fried. If I do make it to the next round, the rest of you won't have a thing to worry about. ROFLMAO

Birol, sorry. Glad you have things in control. :)

:roll: But it's easy for me. I'm not competing, judging, or counting votes, but merely taunting. :D


I wonder how many people will actually vote? Will there be as much interest now that not everyone is in the running?


I'm probably more interested now that it has been narrowed down to just the finalists. Three hundred and eight entries were a bit much to read and keep track of. The judges have my admiration. And after tonight, Melina The Vote Counter will have my deepest sympathy.

[BlueTexas]

I'm curious about something....we're supposed to have a week to ger our entries ready. I'm assuming that the theme won't be posted until the voting is completed, which surely won't be today.

So I'm guessing it won't be Sunday to Sunday next time, or else we won't have a full week?

[Birol]

I wondered something similar, but I wasn't thinking so much of the loss of time, but that everyone may have to start working on their next entry before they know who has been eliminated.

Jenna said she'd let everyone know how the voting works when the time came. I'm sure she'll cover that, too.

We all just need to be patient and trust in The Jenna.

[jdkiggins]

:roll: But it's easy for me. I'm not competing, judging, or counting votes, but merely taunting. :D
Birol, may I ask you to keep taunting. Someone needs to keep me on my toes through this ordeal. :)


I'm probably more interested now that it has been narrowed down to just the finalists. Three hundred and eight entries were a bit much to read and keep track of. The judges have my admiration. And after tonight, Melina The Vote Counter will have my deepest sympathy.

Has voting procedure been completely established? Toss me the thread if it has, please?

[William Haskins]

that's a good question. i'll come by and pick you guys up and we'll head over to jenna's and nail our questions to the door like martin luther.

--if voting starts when all entries are posted/11:59 pm tonight, do we know when it ends?

--when will results be announced?

--when will the next theme be announced?

these are the questions i've burned into my stomach with a heated coathanger.

[jdkiggins]

Jenna said she'd let everyone know how the voting works when the time came. I'm sure she'll cover that, too.

We all just need to be patient and trust in The Jenna.

I think I said this before as well. I thought that I may have missed something between my last post and this one. The way I miss things, I figured I'd ask for an alert when the voting is established. :)

[Birol]

My problem is my writing group meets on Sunday nights. It's an online group, so I imagine I'll have multiple windows open this evening waiting for the last three stories and the voting rules.

If I see anything about how and when to vote, Joanne, I'll let you know if you'll do the same for me?

[jdkiggins]

Win or lose, I'm still going to use the weekly theme for a writing exercise.

[jdkiggins]

Sure, Birol. You PM my back, I'll PM yours. :)

[BlueTexas]

Well, however it works, GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Eight of us so far have kept a writing goal for the week! And, this contest has gotten me so motivated, I finished my genealogy book today!

[Birol]

Just remember, there's only one loser each week, so at this stage, the odds of each individual surviving to the next round are pretty good. Each of you only have a 9% chance of being eliminated this round, but you have a 91% chance of continuing on. Granted, someone has to be eliminated, but the odds are in your favor.

(Hmm... Need to work on my taunting skills.)

[BlueTexas]

Just remember, there's only one loser each week, so at this stage, the odds of each individual surviving to the next round are pretty good. Each of you only have a 9% chance of being eliminated this round, but you have a 91% chance of continuing on. Granted, someone has to be eliminated, but the odds are in your favor.

(Hmm... Need to work on my taunting skills.)

LOL, after reading a couple of the entries, 9% feels pretty high to me!

[BlueTexas]

I wonder if WhisperingBard will make a graphic for the first finalist to be knocked out? "I was the first AW Idol Loser"? Think one of us will get on Good Morning America, :)

[jdkiggins]

Just remember, there's only one loser each week, so at this stage, the odds of each individual surviving to the next round are pretty good. Each of you only have a 9% chance of being eliminated this round,
(Hmm... Need to work on my taunting skills.)

Dang Birol, you had to put a percentage on it, didn't you. LOL

[William Haskins]

numbers make my face hurt.

[BlueTexas]

Numbers make me want to borrow your shiny new pen, William!

[Birol]

Sorry. It's a bad habit.

[William Haskins]

no problem. many things make my face hurt.

[BlueTexas]

I think hapsburg, trumancoyote and bass are all playing strategy...the whole 'last thing read sticks in your mind' thing. Or they're trying to torture the rest of us.

[William Haskins]

no, they've posted. they're just way, way under the max word count.

[jdkiggins]

Or they've used invisible ink.

[BlueTexas]

Maybe they used invisible ink?

[BlueTexas]

I think we posted at the same time! Great minds and all...

[Hermit]

Did the last 3 drop out? Is there scandal in the works?

I've been doing some research in the last couple of hours and I'm getting suspicisious. Google can bring up some interesting stuff!

"Hapsburg" - was caught dirty-dancing last Friday night. Pictures will be published in the Enquirer this week.

"Trumancoyote" - has a history of carb-abuse. Oh my! Reuters is reporting a cover up coming from the White House.

"Bass" - well, it’s fishing season ya know. Heck, there's no better excuse than that!

[BlueTexas]

Uh oh. Did google show you my secrets?

[Hermit]

Yea, I did. I actually did a search on all the contestants earlier this week. I just assumed you didn't want anyone to know about that incident at the truck stop last July. You know....that thing where you did a stiptease on the counter? The pictures are embarassing don't ya think? Anyway, we're not posting 'the dirt' on you yet....it's not part of this weeks PLAN ;) . We've got you down for week 5.

[jdkiggins]

Hmm. Maybe we should collaborate when this is over. :) LOL
I think we posted at the same time! Great minds and all...

[jdkiggins]

:Hammer: Darn Google. I thought I felt something breezing past me.

It was you, wasn't it Hermit? Oh my, thank goodness Google didn't come out until after I'd been bad. LOL

[Birol]

Four hours remaining and no sign of those last three yet, huh? Wonder what time zones they are in? They do know the deadline is Eastern time, don't they? My writing group starts in two minutes. This is going to be a serious scheduling conflict.

:Jump:

[jdkiggins]

Don't worry, Birol. I'll be PMing your back, remember. :)

[Birol]

Those of you who don't like numbers, stop reading now.
.
.
.
I'm serious, read no further if you don't like math.
.
.
.
Okay, Jenna's instructions stated that the deadline was "Sunday, April 10th at 11:59 p.m. EST" (bold mine). EST stands for Eastern Standard Time. But the time has changed. We are now in Daylight Savings Time. Meaning, by the clock, 11:59 p.m. EST is actually 10:59 p.m. EDT and technically, the three missing individuals have an hour less to turn in their submissions than they think they do.

I'm betting that Jenna didn't actually mean this to be a trick deadline, though, and that the deadline is 11:59 Eastern time on the date of the deadline, irregardless of whether we are in Standard Time or Daylight Savings Time. I'm also betting the only reason I'm bringing this up is I'm an evil tauntress who is trying to make up for that encouraging post where I pointed out all the finalists have a 91% chance of continuing on to the next round.

:D

[Hermit]

You famous folks just can't stay out of trouble can you?

Don't worry, Birol. I'll be PMing your back

What's that all about? You don't think.....nah.......but really.....oh my! I think the National Enquirer has their cover story and I'll get a big fat commission cheque! :)

[BlueTexas]

Yea, I did. I actually did a search on all the contestants earlier this week. I just assumed you didn't want anyone to know about that incident at the truck stop last July. You know....that thing where you did a stiptease on the counter? The pictures are embarassing don't ya think? Anyway, we're not posting 'the dirt' on you yet....it's not part of this weeks PLAN ;) . We've got you down for week 5.

Ha! You assume I'll be around in week five--perhaps the joke's on you!

It was a small truckstop in the middle of nowhere...you didn't see my freckles, did you?

[BlueTexas]

Those of you who don't like numbers, stop reading now.
.
.
.
I'm serious, read no further if you don't like math.
.
.
.
:D

You are evil, you know.

[BlueTexas]

So if they miss the time zone deadline issue, do we get to pick three new competitors from the play along thread? There are a lot of good entries in there.

[BlueTexas]

You famous folks just can't stay out of trouble can you?



What's that all about? You don't think.....nah.......but really.....oh my! I think the National Enquirer has their cover story and I'll get a big fat commission cheque! :)

I'm sure you'll split it with her, won't you?

[Birol]

So if they miss the time zone deadline issue, do we get to pick three new competitors from the play along thread? There are a lot of good entries in there.

Nah, it means your chances of being eliminated have increased. Would you like me to recalculate the odds for you?

[jdkiggins]

:roll: NO!

[jdkiggins]

But if you feel you must. It might take the eyes off Hermit's Google post. :)

[BlueTexas]

Nah, it means your chances of being eliminated have increased. Would you like me to recalculate the odds for you?

Did I mention that you're evil? Not just a little evil, but more evil than the person who eats the last oreo and leaves the bag in the cabinet. Sneaky and mean you are!

[Birol]

Ah, but I'm keeping you distracted and entertained why you wait, aren't I?

[Birol]

BTW, if all three of them fail to show, your odds of being eliminated increase to 12.5%.

If two of them fail to show, the odds of you being eliminated are roughly 11%.

If just one of them fails to show, your elimination odds are a nice, even 10%, or a 1 in 10 chance of "going home".

[jdkiggins]

I'm already home. Did I miss my doorstep?

10% Hmmm. That's better odds than I had before. :)

Yes, you're keeping me distracted, entertained, occupied, and...confused. LOL

Thank you, Birol. I'm definitely at home now.

[jdkiggins]

OK guys and gals, I'm going to watch a movie. Be back at the witching hour to see if we have more competition. Have fun without me, but know that I'll catch up when I get back. :)

[Birol]

Enjoy the movie, Joanne. See you back here in a couple hours.

[Duncan J Macdonald]

Okay, Jenna's instructions stated that the deadline was "Sunday, April 10th at 11:59 p.m. EST" (bold mine). EST stands for Eastern Standard Time. But the time has changed. We are now in Daylight Savings Time. Meaning, by the clock, 11:59 p.m. EST is actually 10:59 p.m. EDT and technically, the three missing individuals have an hour less to turn in their submissions than they think they do.
Two things, both of which are pet peeves of mine, and I thank you for feeding them, they've been very hungry lately.
First, it's Daylight Saving TIme. No final "s" on Saving.
Second, the math is wrong. The Spring change set clocks ahead an hour, so 11:59 P.M. EST = 12:59 A.M. EDT, so they actually have an extra hour.

[William Haskins]

actually i think the "saving"/"savings" terms are pretty much interchangeable, but, yeah, it would be an extra hour because of the springing forward and all.

[Birol]

Oops. Yep. My math was off. I was thinking that EST was the same as CDT and that Central time is an hour behind Eastern. Teach me to make things more complicated than they are.

[firehorse]

I've also got a spreadsheet going to help me keep track of whose story I liked and why. Will you post this feedback after the voting is finished?

[Hermit]

I'm going to bed in 30 minutes. So is Jenna. End of story?

[Birol]

I don't know, firehorse. On one hand, it's not a full critique, just a couple of sentences if that. There's one story I jotted down just three words for. It really doesn't do any of the stories justice and I'd hate to make anyone feel bad. But, on the other hand, I know the "survivors" are probably interested in seeing what the audience is voting for as each round will get tougher and tougher.

Let's get through tonight and we'll see.

[jdkiggins]

Three minutes and counting....
Tick, Tick, Tick

[jdkiggins]

Yay! Truman and Hapsburg.

[jdkiggins]

One minute, Bass. Don't miss the deadline! I'm rooting for you.

[jdkiggins]

Awh, man. Bass didn't make it. Dang. I really wanted to see what followed "Reading to Elizabeth."

[Birol]

Ah, thanks, Joanne. I was wondering who we were missing.

Now, where's Jenna?

(I'm not impatient or anything. ;) )

[jdkiggins]

Glad you made it back, Birol.

[hapsburg]

Gods was that close....it never felt so long for the submit button to respond....


I sent Bass a pm but haven't heard or seen them online:(

[BlueTexas]

I don't think Bass has been back...the only two posts by Bass were the entry and the bio in the Meet the Finalists thread...

[jdkiggins]

That's a shame, really. I was looking forward to reading his entry.

:(

[BlueTexas]

Me, too.

Now, since one has been eliminated, will there even be voting? I hope so!

[jdkiggins]

I hope so, too. But, I'll wait to see what Jenna says and I'll read it tomorrow. I'm going to bed.

Good luck everyone.