Finish this line: I simply refuse to learn how to...
make me laugh: winner
I so appreciate the many of you who sent videos to make me laugh. And laugh I did, I assure you. I'm also grateful that some of you sent a video hello. My face likes seeing your faces.
The winning video had me doubled-over in laughter. I've watched it over a dozen times, and it still makes me laugh. Every. Single. Time.
The Make Me Laugh award goes to...
:: insert drum roll here ::
... Tracee and Stephanie!
I hope their video makes the rest of you laugh even half as much as I did.Watching it is definitely worth the four+ minutes you'll never get back.
Tracee and Steph? Your StarBUCKS and iCASH will be heading your way soon. Oh, and you've got a week to submit your acceptance speech video, ok? Your fans will be waiting. I know you won't disappoint us.
::
A huge thanks to all of you who participated. You seriously made my day week month.
jabberwacky: snow
I could use some weekend entertainment, and I thought you might enjoy some too. So how 'bout we Jabberwacky? It's easy, I promise. Just write the first word or phrase that comes to mind when you read the comment directly above yours.
Feel free to chime in as often as you'd like between now and Monday morning.
Ready?
The first word is... snow.
contest: make me laugh!
You know a cheerful heart is good medicine, right? Well, these days I keep finding myself scouring the internet for some comic relief. Laughing always feels good, but right now it feels like magic.
And it's your turn to provide me a dose of laughter medication.
Head over to the talk to me page and you'll see a new feature I recently added to the Grit. You can easily record and send me a video (or audio) message that comes straight to me. It isn't displayed online; I'm the only one who sees it.
So get your webcam rolling and create a funny video to send me. The person who makes me laugh the hardest will be declared the winner.
Contest rules:
- You can submit as many entries as you'd like.
- Record your video here. If you'd rather film/edit your video some other way and email it to me, that's fine, too.
- Submissions must be received by midnight (EST) on Monday, January 12th 19th.
- Winning video will be displayed on my blog.
- Winner will receive some bucks to spend at two of my favorite places to drop cash: Starbucks and iTunes.
Got it? Let me know if you have any questions!
This is your time to shine. And my time to laugh.
Bring it on!
:::::
**POST UPDATE**
bunkum: gatvol
Man, it's been ages since we've played a game here at the Grit. I think it's time to resume the weekly ritual. Here goes:
- Post a definition for the made-up word above your comment, or use the word in a sentence.
- Then leave a made-up word for the next person.
- Have fun!
Starter word: gatvol (thanks, Anti!)
just a girl
Back when Niel and I were engaged, the Notting Hill movie soundtrack was one of very few CDs I owned. Since we were going budget-style on our wedding, we supplied all the music for the big event. Consequently, many of the songs from Notting Hill were played at our reception.
One night, months before our wedding, Niel and I drove to town to use the ATM. As usual, Notting Hill was in the CD player. In Harrismith, they pretty much roll up the streets at 5:00, so town was fairly empty. As Niel waited in the car while I walked up to the ATM machine, he opened the car windows and blared 98°'s I Do (Cherish You) from the soundtrack. We both laughed really hard as he belted out the words.
Needless to say, our first dance together at our wedding was to that song.
Notting Hill was on TV yesterday while we were holed up inside our rental house at the lake (it was freezing outside!). I hadn’t seen it in years but it still made me laugh. And my favorite part, as always, was when Julia Roberts walks back in to the travel book shop towards the end of the movie and says, “I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”
I looked over at Niel and my eyes whispered the very same thing to him.
jabberwacky: medical malpractice
Ready to Jabberwacky?
- Post the first word or phrase that comes to mind when you read the word above yours.
- You can challenge a commenter to explain the connection in their brain when they wrote their word. (If you know your word choice won’t make sense to others, please take time to explain it.)
- I'm writing an extra bullet point of jibberish to see if anyone even bothers to read the instructions anymore!
- The last word when I close comments will be the starter word next time.
Alrighty then!
Starter phrase: medical malpractice (thanks to Tam)
clicking my heels worked!
Apparently I'm spending the weekend in Kansas, where hopefully I'll be getting a makeover and a boob job.
bunkum: klem
lady in waiting
So i'm sitting at the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew my driver's license. Now I don't know if all DMVs are set up the same way, but in New York after waiting in line at counter #1 just to state the purpose of your visit, you're given a ticket that basically numbers you in the queue. (I can say queue. I live in South Africa where British English rules. Long live the Queen!)
Then you move to the waiting area which is nothing more than rows of benches. Up on the wall is a big digital screen that displays ticket numbers and directs people to the appropriate counters for assistance. Every time the digital screen changes, a short bell sounds. Everyone looks up, every time it dings, even though the wait is always ungodly long.
So here I am, sitting on a bench at the DMV, ticket in hand.
Twenty or so minutes have already gone by and not only has my patience worn thin, but so has my attention span. Or maybe it's my sanity.
The digital screen changes.
The bell sounds.
I hold up my ticket, jump out of my seat, and shout, "Bingo!"
It's not even my turn. I sit back down with a proud yet embarrassed smile on my face. Around me, people begin to clap. And cheer. Someone on the bench behind me leans forward and pats me on the shoulder.
Who says a visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles needs to be boring?
captionating
[INSERT CAPTION HERE]
jabberwacky: heidi
It's Jabberwacky time! Are you ready?
- Post the first word or phrase that comes to mind when you read the word above yours.
- You can challenge a commenter to explain the connection in their brain when they wrote their word. (If you know your word choice won’t make sense to others, please take time to explain it.)
- The last word when I close comments will be the starter word next time.
Got it? Good. Starter word: Heidi (compliments of The Anti-Blogger)
jabberwacky: beautiful
Since we haven't Jabberwackyed in a while, here's a refresher on how this works.
- Post the first word or phrase that comes to mind when you read the word above yours in the comments.
- You can challenge the preceding commenter to explain if you don’t understand the connection they made when they wrote their word. (If you know your word choice won’t make sense to others, take time to explain it.)
Starter word: beautiful (compliments of Melissita over at Nature Girl)
wwjd?
I've gotten some flak over my blog post about that short-story competition. "C" left a numbered-list comment to point out his/her disdain over the fact that I asked my blogging community to vote. He/she clearly does not like my writing, stating that my story was "terrible," "full of cliches, ambiguities, abstracts," and "does not deserve to win." While harsh, C's remarks made me chuckle ("WWJD?"), and graciously taught me the word carousel.
Some discussion has even arisen in the comments over at the contest itself. "Babygurl69" (dontcha just love that?!) bluntly asks how my story is possibly getting any votes. She again FYI'd me about the word carousel, and pointed out that my "worthless anecdote" is "littered with dialogue ambiguity."
C showed up there as well, rehashing most of the same arguments he/she aired on my blog and soaboxing about the fact that my blog post "received nearly 500 comments". Too bad C didn't actually read those comments; 90% had nothing to do with the contest and everything to do with authenticity in relationships.
Mr. Scocco answered them both, and even seemed to defend both my blog and my writing ability (well, kinda).
The most ironic part is that I've remained in second place since the contest started. All this hoo-ha, and I'm not even winning.
And now here I sit, pondering this whole situation and wondering: What would Jesus do? (I wonder how His response to C would have differed from mine.)
In all honesty (as always), I don't think there's anything wrong with asking my friends to support me in an internet-based writing contest that is open to votes from the general population. I see it like I see American Idol or any of those other reality TV shows whose winners are determined by the voting public. If only seasoned professionals voted, we may very well end up with a different outcome, but that's not how the game works.
What do you think?