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Happy Halloween !
The new Challenge Blog will begin November 1st - the first challenge will be up at just after midnight, so please drop by and play along. I hope to see you there.
Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween
WOW - it is so windy here. Theres a storm in the gulf (Noel) but thats not what's causing it. It seems that the two fronts are converging and causing all the wind. It's not raining much, which is a good thing. We're of couse watching Tropical Storm Noel because he will probably go just off the coast of Florida which will cause some rainy windy weather but hopefully not much else.
You open a door and if the wind catches it, it gets pulled open and it's also kindof hard to get a cigarrette lit (oh don't worry I'm managing). The next couple of days the weather should be getting progressively worse until the storm is north of us - it's supposed to stay well off shore but we'll still see some of the bands of weather. They say Tomorrow more wind, and then Thursday the rain will pick up.
Since it's not a hurricane, I can deal with the wind and rain portion.
We went to a new car show this evening. This one is the 4th Saturday of the month (there's one every weekend at a different location) at the Tamiami Airport. It just started up last month, so this is the 2nd month.
Last month, there were some logistics problems - the restaurant sponsoring the show could not keep up with the food and drink orders, and it rained. This month, I was surprised to see that they made some positive changes - they set up BBQs for hot dogs and hamburgers, they had several locations with coolers selling soda and beer, and had ladies walking around selling the beer from coolers (the guys loved this). They also were serving free wine to the ladies. On the weather side, we had a short shower but it was over quick and stayed clear for the rest of the night.
We had a great time, then went out to Longhorn for dinner (mistake). We normally have great service at Longhorn, but tonight they were super busy which put them behind. You know you are in trouble when the waiter prefaces his welcome statement with "we've been very busy tonight and the kitchen is backed up so remember that it's not your servers fault". I took offense with this statement. I mean jeeze at least say welcome, what can I get you to drink, something. I made some snappy comment to nip it in the bud and moved on - which rattled his cage some so now he couldn't do anything right. So we had no set ups ("what you mean the hostess didn't give you any - are you sure?"), we received the appetizer but no small plates (took 15 minutes to get them), the drinks came after the appetizer (I'm not quite sure how the kitchen being backed up affects the drinks, but who knows in the altered universe), they were out of all the special items, I asked for a cream sauce on the side and they put the whole topping on the side (the shrimp and cheese, and sauce all in a separate bowl - now that really threw him when I proceeded to slide it back onto my (overdone almost crisp) chicken to which he said "you didn't want the topping on the side?", and I said not the topping the cream sauce to which he said oh, it comes together. Then my other pet peeve ... bringing the check without asking if we wanted desert. Anyhow .... we were practically the last people in the restaurant which closes at 11PM, we arrived at 10:20, and we were leaving at 12:30 - so a little over 2 hours to get through dinner service. Since we were almost last, and many people came in after us, I believe it was more the waiter having issues than the kitchen.
Now ... you might be asking why did you stay - well .... we were having a good time with friends, talking, and laughing at all the mishaps, and we weren't in any particular hurry so it's all in how you look at it.
I've finished a couple of more books by Harlan Coban and am getting closer to my goal of 50 books for the 50 book challenge. I'm now well into my next read which is Kill The Messenger by Tami Hoag. I'm behind pace for the challenge, but I've been spending more time at scrapping retreats then home - I usually bring a book with me, but never crack it open because I'm too busy socializing.
This however, is my "reading season" if you will. I read, when I'm standing in line at the stores, and when I'm waiting for stores to open, and I have a weekend car show coming up, so I'll have time to read there as well. Right now, I'm not sure if I'll reach the 50 book goal, but I won't quit. Whatever I reach this year, will be the goal I try to exceed next year.
So, I watched the second episode of the show, and I did like it a little better. I'll probably keep watching for awhile to see if it holds my attention. The underlying story of the ongoing case is interesting. I do like the actors chosen to play the characters. I think I'll warm up to it so I'll still give it a little time - it just seems more forced then the other shows I watch (Closer, Life, L&O, etc). Overall it was better, but I'm still not sure if I'll hang in there.
This is a new blog I came across with challenges to help you journal.
It's called Journaling Junkie. The first challenge has just been posted so if you want to follow along it's a great time to start. I know I can use the prompt to encourage more journaling.
There's another one starting up called Global Perspectives which has members from all over the globe participating in challenges - the person Representing the USA is a guy (how cool is that - the minority) named Josh - his blog is here and there are some of his layouts on the blog. Looks like it will be fun to follow.
I've added the links to the challenge section in the right panel. Have Fun!
and I guess I could also add that I'll be starting up my own Challenge Blog with the help of Jules so check the site, share the link, and play along.
So there's been this huge issue with one of the CK Hall of Fame choices this year. It seems that the rules stated that only original photos could be used in the submission and one of the winners used a photo that was not her own. She did the right thing and reported the error but CK had done nothing to address the issue.
Personally, I don't buy it. What they are in essence saying is that they have no way to determine if the contest rules were followed other than the affidavits that contestents sign. While contestents should adhere to the rules, it's not their job to self govern. There needs to be a mechanism for confirming that the rules were adhered to. If they can't come up with that mechanism, then don't take the pictures into account - just base the contest on the format, design, creativity and journaling.
Additionally, the 2008 rules will say that heritage photos are excluded from the ruling and that heritage is considered older than 10 years - that means Feb 1998 and earlier - so gee, I can use the photos from my wedding in '92 taken by photographers. I don't think heritage is 10 years old - heck a car isn't a classic unless it's 25 years old.
But I digress ... here's CKs letter/response, and at the bottom I've linked to Kristina's blog post about the decision.
October 20, 2007
CK's letter
Dear Creating Keepsakes readers and scrapbookers:
We would like to thank you for your loyal dedication and continued commitment to scrapbooking and our Creating Keepsakes (CK) magazine. Without the support of our loyal readers and scrapbooking partners we would not be where we are today. In the spirit of continuing our editorial mission and fulfilling our commitment to you, we want to address the recent incident related to our Hall of Fame (HOF) contest.
We have been reading your comments and dialogue on the Creating Keepsakes message board and we internally investigated the error that has caused us all great concern: awarding Hall of Fame recognition to someone who submitted work that was not solely their own.
Our review has found the primary cause of our error. Staff changes on the CK and Hall of Fame editorial team occurred at a critical juncture in the production of the HOF book and the new team was not fully briefed on this assignment. The specific breakdown came just as the HOF book was going to press. One of our staff was called by a winner who requested a photo credit be given to another photographer for one of the winner's photo entries. Given that the rules of the contest dictate contestants submit their own work, we should have disqualified this person's entry accordingly. Unfortunately, our staff person did not understand the ramifications of the winner's request and simply added the other photographer's credit to the HOF book after the publication had already been proofed for printing.
We acknowledge and take full responsibility of our mistake and we assure you that it was not done with any bad intent. We deeply value the trust of our readers. We have read your messages and want to explain our action plan outlined below to help rectify the situation and assure you it will not happen again:
1. We appreciate the winner's forthrightness in notifying us that the photo credit should be given to another photographer. Unfortunately, as a matter of fairness to our other contestants, this winner has been disqualified.
2. As part of the contest rules, all potential winning entrants must sign an affidavit confirming that their entries are solely their own work. Although we received signed affidavits from all such entrants, we now have evidence that such a measure failed to protect us against all errors. In order to satisfy both our and our readers' concerns that no other errors occurred during the HOF contest, we are now resubmitting this affidavit to the other 24 winners for final verification thereby underscoring its importance to the integrity of the HOF contest.
3. One week after receiving the newly signed affidavits, we will announce the 26th place 'winner' (Honorable Mention) and add him/her to the 2007 Hall of Fame. The winner will receive the prizes and cash award granted to the other 24 winners.
4. Upon receiving their second affidavit should other 2007 winners come forward and acknowledge that their work is not solely their own or fail to return the second affidavit, we will disqualify them and add the next-in-line Honorable Mention(s) to the 2007 Hall of Fame, providing the prizes and cash award accordingly.
5. We will print a special The Scrapbook Hall of Fame, Volume 9 supplement to honor the new winner(s) and re-acknowledge those winners. This special printing will be poly-bagged with Creating Keepsakes' February 2008 issue, which will deliver into subscribers' homes and onto newsstands late December 2007
6. We will move forward with our 2008 Hall of Fame contest, but revised rules that will be published on our web site by November 1, 2007 and in the January 2008 issue of Creating Keepsakes. To avoid such errors in future contests, all relevant staff members have been appropriately informed and educated on contest rules.
Certainly this has been a challenging situation for us all. We are painfully aware that our error has deeply upset many of you, our cherished readers and scrapbooking partners. We value you and your trust that you have placed in us and we will continue to do everything we can to maintain your faith in Creating Keepsakes.
We hope our response to our error is seen as a step towards maintaining your trust.We deeply appreciate your support and hope you continue to enjoy our magazine, scrapbooking events and book products for many years to come. If you have any questions to comments, please contact Lin Sorenson at linsorenson@ckmedia.com.
With our sincerest apologies,
Dave O'Neil Lin Sorenson Brian Tippetts
Chief Executive Officer Editorial Director CK Editor-in-Chiefxxx
here's the link to Kristina's Blog Post about the decision.
http://soundsofscience.blogspot.com/2007/10/and-winner-is.html
If you're not watching this you are really missing a hysterical show. It's a 1/2 hour show on Mondays, and it is just too funny. Both hubby and I love it. It's about two nerdy guys (physicists) in their 20s who live across the hall from a beautiful (but dumb) girl. One genius falls for the girl, and the other thinks he's chasing a dream he'll never catch so he tries to discourage his friend. The two guys that play Sheldon and Leonard really work well together
It was just announced that the series was picked up for a full 22 episode season and I'm happy about that. I don't usually watch comedys on TV, but this one I love.
If you have the time, take a chance and watch it - you won't regret it.
Yeah well ... although I love Tim Holtz and think he is a fantastic teacher (I've taken classes with him both at CKU and local stamp stores), I was so put off by the 2007 CE event that it's not enough to convince me to go. I think I'd have more fun if I went on one of his cruises - you'd have fun at the ports as well as classes with Tim.
I was disappointed.
The way they wrote for the characters was that they were sappy and shallow.
In the book the women have character - they take care of each other, know each other's lives, and help each other through the good times and bad -- strong, smart, knowledgeable in their field yet still caring.
In the first episode, they were women who were more interested in dating and their relationships then being professional.
Alright ... truth be told, I almost had to turn it off but I toughed it out til the end. I've got TiVo set to record the next episode, but if the character development doesn't get any better, then I'll be deleting it from my seasons pass list and sticking to the books.
