Goodnight.

My friend has been asleep on my floor for the last 2 hours. I'm gonna go be asleep in my bed.

Last one, and it's easy, so go to it before you fall asleep.

Most of the songs are unguessed, but I think a couple of he bonus rounds got guessed. Once I am more awake, I will figure out who the winners are. I'll make sure I do it before the sponsorship deadline. That also means they're open for guessing for another couple of days. I'll post a list of all the answers in a couple days, so check back if you're dying of curiosity.

Almost the last one. Play people! PLAY!

Anyone? Anyone? I'll give your charity $5...

Okay. I'm hard at work keeping monitees awake. TONS of songs still unguessed, and no one has won sponsorships yet! Song intros will keep you awake!

This one's easy guys!

by Charlotte

Ok, so this is Judy's blog, so she gets to title the entries, but if *I* got to title it, it would be called "So, What Form Would You Use For That." You see, at the moment, I don't have a car. Two hours ago, I had a car. Granted, that car had a slightly (and by slightly, I mean more than one month, less than two) expired registration, but still, a car. And then Judy sent me to Wing Stop, and, being a good-blogathon-supporting friend, I went. And the cop(s) pulled me over. One kinda hung around in the background. The other was new. Really new. Really, really new. Too new to go out alone new. Thus the guy in the background. NewCop did most of the talking. At one point, she asked a series of questions, then walked back towards the car. I have (had. will have. tenses are funny) have a convertible, so, from my car, I can here things that people with roofs and rear windows can't hear, and so it was that, as NewCop (doesn't that sound like a air freshener flavor? No? Right. Sorry, I ramble late at night) as NewCop walked back to the car, I heard her partner say "did you ask her x, y, and z?" She said "Oh, no." and promptly came back to ask me the questions. Yeah. So, I'm sitting there, and they're talking, and I hear her say something like "two days over." This can't be good. It isn't, and I know it isn't, because he replies "so you *could* tow it." And NewCop says "I've never towed a car before." And *he* replies "so, what form would you use for that." Yeah. NOT GOOD. Apparently, she finds the form. She then goes down the list of things she can do. This list includes searching my car for drugs and/or weapons (she had to touch my stinky hockey gear so, you know, ha ha), searching me for drugs and weapons (so, you guys, if an officer asks you "is there anything in your pockets I should know about?" and you answer "Uh, there's Kleenex in my pocket. I've, uh, used some of it." NewCop will look very nervous and throw a Help-me look at her partner. Her partner will laugh. Kind of a lot. Then NewCop will gingerly pat the *outside* of your pocket. Yeah.), and putting me in the back of the police car for awhile. Also, if, while you're in the back of a police car and Taylor Swift comes on, and you openly sneer at Taylor Swift, the older, more experienced cop, who is having *no* part of searching a beat up old car in the post-midnight cold, will mock you and turn up the radio. I'd complain about police brutality, but really, he was kind of awesome. Except for the part where he and NewCop towed my car. But, you know, besides that.

So, anyway, after is was all over, and I was standing, alone, at almost 1 in the morning, in a weird hotel parking lot, with no car, I called Judy. And she came. Because she's my friend. Plus, I had the food.

And that, you see, is why Judy's 1am post was late. Honest.

I think maybe they're getting easier... maybe? Try!

Stay tuned for 3am's post- it'll be worth it!

We're watching big bang theory, So you think you can dance, and eventually the Tony's. I'm about to go get ice cream. But I think the second wind has arrived. Hooray! Here's more bonus music for $5 sponsorship.

So. That was an adventure. I have food now and Charlotte will tell you all about it in the 2:00 hour.

$5 sponsorships if you can guess either (or both for $10) of these!

Charlotte is not back with food yet. I'm starting to worry. But I feel more like I can do this, and once I get some food I know it'll get even better. Here's another tune. Hopefully these'll be easier- I tried in my prep to put easier ones in the hours when we were likely to be flagging...

And how 'bout a bonus round?

This post snuck up on me! I was surfing monitees and watching Harry Potter, again, because we have the DVR paused and Charlotte is out getting food. My goodness but Dolores Umbridge is like a first grade teacher on crack. And that furry pink coat looks like it belongs on a Sesame Street muppet.

Need caffeine....

And the ice makes my ankle/calf ache.

you know what'll wake you up when you're exhausted? An ice pack. A trip to the store in a convertible will help too, but an ice pack clinches it. Charlotte is headed to get Wingstop for a very late dinner. I predict that second wind will be showing up very soon.

Seriously. I don't remember ever being this tired at 11pm. And I have 7 hours left to go. Charlotte and I are heading to Safeway for some sugar and some real food. I have real food in the house, but I don't feel like eating any of it. Which is probably a big part of the problem. Coffee will be brewed when I return.

Seriously, how is everyone else doing?

I was just very smart! I explained why it's called a debit card! Here's another song no one will get!

I haven't hit a wall exactly, but I kinda want to be done. We're watching Top Chef Masters, which is making me hungry, and it could just be that I need some fresh air and to eat something. My friend's husband is a Starbucks addict, an half his siblings have worked there at one time or another, and he gave me the locations of a couple shops that are open late, so there may be a late night starbucks run when my show is over. And there can be real food then too, more than the munchies I have around. Stay tuned, I'll be shiny and peppy again at some point.

Here's this hour's tune:

And a Bonus tune for a $5 sponsorship:

and something special: The challenge on the main site is to draw something blogathon related. I drew a turtle, because I want to pull my head into my shell and be done. But I keep plodding along instead as the time goes slowly.

Not tired exactly, just feeling a little bit pressed. It doesn't help that these Death Eaters are damn loud. And alas, there will be no green tea frap for me. All the Starbuckses close at 8. Maybe some ice cream later. I can send Char to the 24 hour Safeway up the road.

Oh man! Sirius Black just died. I hate this scene!

Okay, I need to get up and walk around. Maybe make some coffee. And ice my ankle. See everyone in 30.

Here's another one. Are these really so hard? Sorry everyone! I'm kind of hoping this'll be one of those things where y'all kick yourselves and go "man! DUH!" because if you don't, I'm gonna feel really bad.

Robert Pattinson was way hotter as Cedric Diggory than as Edward Cullen.

Neville Longbottom is forever and always my Harry Potter boyfriend.

My house is getting more and more thrashed as the day goes on. I am not pleased with this. I should pick up in this next 30 minutes. In case you've been following along since this morning- I still haven't done the litterbox.

Green tea frappucino is on its way! This is the most exciting thing EVER.

Charlotte is bringing the frap. Which means company! Wooooo!

Hey monitees- here I come! Post frantically!!

So that last one was the last one from the party. I'm back at home now, and have updated the wardrobe change counter accordingly.

Some open letters:
Dear all the cars on 280:
Why are you on 280? There is no Sharks game tonight, the Garlic Festival will be closed by the time you get there, and you're in my way. Please move.

Dear lady on my street in a white bikini top and purple sarong:
Going to a luau? Becaue I know you don't have a pool and the beach is 30 minutes that way --->

Kisses.

It's been so nice being out of the house and around people, and friends of my friend are amused when I say "on that note, be right back!" I'll probably head home after the next round of Name That Tune. There's a whole lot of guessing still to be done. I really really didn't think these were so hard...

How is everyone else doing?

My monitees are doing well, but their comments are looking a little sad. Head over to the main blogathon site and give the surfing frame a try. It's really cool. And leave a comment for a random blogger. You may just meet your next really good friend.

6:30's song:

and the next bonus round:

I suppose I should not be surprised, given where I know all the people involved from, but there is another guy here who dated the same friend I mentioned earlier. This one is actually the reason the bed I inherited from said friend had a cracked footboard that I had to repair when I moved. (Yeah, don't think too hard about that, but I just inherited the frame. I bought my own mattress).

I just run in what seem like very different circles these days, but the Bay Area really is small, and social circles are really just a huge live action venn diagram.

I get to be that antisocial geek again now. I have to surf monitees, and then probably post again right on the heels of finishing that, and then I think I may head home. We'll see how it goes.

So, there's this guy here that's known me since I was 1. My friend dated him years ago, and thought it'd be cool to set us up. When she proposed this plan to him however, he was like, "uh, I'm 20 years older than her, I knew her when she was in diapers, and she may be 27 now, but her dad would still kill me". I found out about this plan after the fact, and am still vaguely traumatized if i think to hard about it.

Caryn- I'm lookin at you on this one...

I'm totally that member of the family people hide away at family gatherings. My friend really wanted me to come to her bbq and meet her sister. I said I had this today and she said she'd hook me into their wireless. So I have totally been shut away in the office with my computer, like the most antisocial geek at a party, or that family member you don't want being seen. But I am glad to have some social interaction, and there was a burger waiting for me. I'm gonna go eat it now.

Back in 30.

Zero network bars are fun.

I'm at the bbq- can't connect to the house network. Actually logged into the next door neighbor to buy time. Back soon!

Just finished surfing monitees, hoping I can get changed and over to Allison's in time for my next post. Go visit Dave. He's doing book reviews, and they're really cool. I can't believe how detailed he is being in such short time spans.

Let's keep it up everyone. We can DO this!

I am really tempted to rip apart the alcove full of boxes in search of the rest of my DVDs. But I won't. It'd make way too big a mess than it's worth, and I've got enough to deal with today already. I guess it just means no Harry Potter marathon for me. No LotR either. Boo.

Threeish more hours until Charlotte rescues me from my tedium. I'm also supposed to put in an appearance at a bbq at my friend Allison's. She's got wireless and offered to set me up in the office so I can just disappear back there every 20 minutes or so. still kinda figuring out what I want to do with that...

-Okay, that was gross. I just pulled my super sweaty skull cap and undershirt out of my hockey bag and threw them on the living room floor, making sure to avoid the rug and hit the hardwood so I could wipe it later. My cat almost immediately flopped down and started rubbing his face on them.

-Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow. My deck is HOT. I went out there barefoot to spread out my gear to dry. I had to come back inside and put slippers on. But my gear is now drying in the sun, which is awesome and keeps it from stinking up my tiny apartment.

Is it naptime yet?

And also, a picture of my favorite remote. It is the epitome of lazy, but it came with the apartment. It's the remote for the ceiling fan. Really? People can't get up to use a wall switch or fan chain? I mean, I get it if you have a vaulted ceiling... maybe. But my 6 foot tall friends knock their heads on my fan. But, well, I'll use it since I have it.

and the tune:

My roommate was just here talking about of a bunch of administrative stuff about our house. It's important stuff, but so boring. Basically it boils down to the fact that an assessor will be over at some point in the near future and I should probably make sure my apartment is clean (not that it isn't clean now, she just wanted to give me a heads up).

I'm watching Big Bang Theory. Have you seen this show? You should watch it because it is totally awesome. You can get the first season on DVD.

Surfing Monitees... There's a lot of good stuff out there. I'd encourage you to try out the frame on the Blogathon main page and see the hard work people are putting into this. Leave a comment. Make someone feel like there is someone out there appreciating their efforts.

I'm just here plugging along. Watching my cat snooze in the sun. Cleaning off my dvr, watching and rewatching a number from So You Think You Can Dance that gives me chills... It may be time to switch to DVDs. Now... Sex and the City, or Firefly?

You can watch the dance I'm talking about here. I don't normally love contemporary, but I thought this was so powerful...

Well, I made it til noon before the snackies hit. I'll eat a real lunch later, but I made some ranch dressing, also for later, and had a small bowl of kettle corn. I'm thinking tuna sandwich. Or maybe the last of the oven fried chicken, because I'm pretty sure I can talk Charlotte into bringing me something for dinner.

And oh hey, bloggers? Don't forget to hydrate.

At the Ice House in Wake Forest, a children's hockey team was zipping across the rink -- on folding chairs.

Keagan Kelly kept slipping off his seat and doggedly pulling himself up. Lauren Atwell kicked and screamed with glee -- though neither her skates nor her stick touched the ice.

And Adam Soderberg ripped a slapshot past the goalie.
"Mom-eee! I scored a goal!"

Adam, who has autism, has never been able to play team sports before, said his mother, Tracy Soderberg.

But on the Cat5 Canes special hockey team, players are developmentally delayed, visually impaired, struggling with muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy. Some kids skate well; others sit on standard folding chairs pushed by volunteer mentors. Some need help following the puck; others need aid swinging the stick.

The team, the first of its kind in the state, is part of the fast-growing American Special Hockey Association, which claims 60 teams in 20 states.

It is supported by the Carolina Hurricanes. But even Paul Strand, youth and amateur hockey coordinator for the Canes, has been surprised at how quickly the team has grown -- and how solid its volunteer base has been.

"I was skeptical at first," said Strand. "A lot of people have big ideas but not everyone comes through with the commitment. Getting people to volunteer is usually like pulling teeth."

read the rest of the article

And some photos

...and a peek at what blogathon looks like around here.

Breakfast!

My blogging space:

It's actually the first peek into my new apartment that my friends have been waiting 3 months for. Click through to flickr to see photo notes.

And the tune:

From their website (also posted a couple of weeks ago below):
Over 50 American Special Hockey Programs have been established in over 30 cities in the United States. The goal of Special Hockey is to give people with physical and Developmental Disabilities the chance to play the sport of Ice Hockey in an environment which is adapted to the level of ability which the athletes are able to participate.

Special Hockey exists for the enrichment of the athlete with a developmental disability. In addition to physical hockey skills, the program emphasizes the development of desirable individual characteristics such as dependability, self-reliance, concentration, willingness to share and personal accountability. The game of hockey is used by Special Hockey to develop within each player the characteristics that will help the player to be more successful both inside and outside a hockey environment.

As a hockey fan, I kinda hate the Pittsburgh Penguins, but you should check out this article and video: click here

Lots of guessing to be done. Get on it people! Is my musical taste really that obscure? I'm starting to feel guilty over here.

Also- Dog food commercials are really annoying, and this ice is making my ankle ache.

Here's the song for 10:30:

And here is the first Bonus Round! The person who gets this wins a $5 sponsorship for their charity! This one is meant to be obscure. If you get it, it means you have similar taste to mine.

I forgot how challenging it is to blog and monitor at the same time. It's cool though, I love seeing what other people are coming up with. You should all go check out Hucklebug. They're doing podcasts! I doubt I could do that coherently all day long. I'm way too much of a nut, and not everyone gets me. I think I'm hilarious though.

Oh, and I still need to clean the litterbox and do the breakfast dishes. Can I take a nap instead?

Also, lots of name that tune action below! I thought at least 2 of the unguessed 3 were on the easy side...

And a few lessons learned:

-Hit PUBLISH on your posts if you want them to go live on your site.

-Rebuild your indexes if you want your template changes to show up.

-Don't put your plate down on the couch, or you will sit on it.

-DirecTV DVR does not hold a candle to Tivo.

-Ice packs feel colder when it's cold in your house.

-Chores don't stop needing to be done just becasue you're blogging for charity. Litterbox, here I come!

Breakfast achieved. The smoke detector went off, like it always does when I cook. Gotta love that. Thankfully my roommate isn't home. And I am momentarily out of things to say. That, my friends, is not grand given that there are 21 hours to go.

I just remembered my hockey gear is still in my trunk. I should go get that and put it out on the deck to dry. But I'm sitting here with ice on my leg, trying to eat my eggs before they get cold... Wow, why is my life SO HARD??

Hee.

I think the coffee may have just kicked in. I'm gonna go bounce off some walls. See y'all in 30.

And the start of something new and fun. Fun for me at least, perhaps y'all could care less. But for 2 of the last 3 Blogathons, I've run a counter in the sidebar over the course of the day. I don't think we'll ever top, or perhaps even equal, 2005's Rabbit Counter, but today I give you "Wardrobe Changes". I've been at this 2 hours and already changed my clothes 3 times.

Yes, I am that girl.

I don't love this song but I could listen to this intro all day.

Or not. I'll get to it.

First, I want to talk a little about my process. For the last 3 Blogathons, I've blogged for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. But this year, American Special Hockey really caught my eye and stole my attention. I play hockey now, and I never thought of myself, at 350lbs, as someone who would ever play a sport or be on a team. And I play. And I'm not awful. AND I LOVE IT. It took a while to get to that point, but now that I'm there... it's the best.

And I want others to feel the way I feel. ASHA is such a special thing. SFAF is amazing too, but, well... a lot of people know about it and work really hard. Less people know about ASHA. Like, less than 1% I'd bet. So, even though I have guilt and feel a little like I've abandoned an old passion for a new one, I know that those I have done this in honor of in the past would understand.

Scott will always be the reason I do blogathon. I don't know how he felt about hockey, or sports in general, because it wasn't something I ever thought to ask. But if anyone knew about being different, and about living your life fully and with passion in spite of those differences, it was him.

Okay, Round 2! Round 1 is still unguessed as well!

I think it's totally misting outside. I expected today to be super warm, and it probably will be. This is a time of day I seldom see, as I'm usually running around with the blinds closed and don't see what the weather is doing until I get in the car to go to work. And also, a post on the weather? Already? It may be a very, very long day.

But I got a shower in- clean is the best thing ever- and now, eggs. And a total "gimme" in the tune department.

It is not very good, but it has been acheived. (I have not yet figured out this coffee maker)

I grabbed a cup of coffee, but no breakfast yet (Caryn don't yell at me). I had this delusion last night that I was going to make (turkey) bacon and eggs, and am not ready to ruin that thought yet with a bowl of cereal. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and two breakfasts are not going to kill me, but still. Maybe once I post this I can slip off to the kitchen for a spell.

There is also hope for a shower at some point, because I am not human in the mornings til I've had both coffee and a shower.

Why am I so addicted to 16 and Pregnant on MTV? The adoption episode kills me every time but I cannot stop watching it. I know, wasn't I just saying I needed to clean off my DVR, yet I'm watching a show I've already seen 4 times? Yeah. New stuff after this.

Coffee is brewing, and my cat is looking at me like "The hell Mom. You don't even get up this early for work." I've got bad TV on, eventually I'll switch to DVDs for the day, but my DVR is getting full and is threatening to delete my favorite shows, so I figure I should clean that off. The full season of SYTYCD I'm saving probably isn't helping.

It's time for our first round of Name That Tune. This game works two ways: The hourly songs go toward an overall total. Winner gets to choose between a $25 sponsorship, or a gift card to Starbucks or somewhere. There will also be several bonus rounds, and those are instant win for a $5 sponsorship for yourself or the blog of your choice. Good Luck, my musical taste can be a little random.

Here's something a nice and peppy to get us started.

I don't know what it is with me and sleep the night before the Blogathon. I had a hockey game last night, and it looked like maybe I'd make it into bed by about 11:30. Not stellar, but better than the 3am that happened one year. But then, I made a grave mistake. And ended up not driving home after the game, but to the home of a friend who is a massage therapist, tears streaming most of the way because My God my ankle hurt.

No, I'm not injured. Wouldn't that have been just awesome. I laced my boot too tightly, thought it was too loose given how my ankle felt, and tightened it on the bench. Forgetting that you NEVER tighten your skate on the bench. So then I loosened it and my poor linemate took a 5 minute shift. (shifts should be 60-90 seconds) I managed to finish the game on a really wobbly left leg, and left the rink with a couple of really strained muscles.

I'm fine. Ice and the chance to sit around in front of my computer all day should have me right as rain. But guys? I'm 6 minutes in and already tired.

Year 4, we are go. I completed sign-ups on last week, which means you can now sponsor me. I'm blogging for a new charity this year, the American Special Hockey Association.

From their web site:
"Over 50 American Special Hockey Programs have been established in over 30 cities in the United States. The goal of Special Hockey is to give people with physical and Developmental Disabilities the chance to play the sport of Ice Hockey in an environment which is adapted to the level of ability which the athletes are able to participate.

Special Hockey exists for the enrichment of the athlete with a developmental disability. In addition to physical hockey skills, the program emphasizes the development of desirable individual characteristics such as dependability, self-reliance, concentration, willingness to share and personal accountability. The game of hockey is used by Special Hockey to develop within each player the characteristics that will help the player to be more successful both inside and outside a hockey environment."

Check out their site in the sidebar and find out more...