First order of business: Sponsorships are remaining open for the next… 50-some hours.  There’s still plenty of time to sponsor me or any other blogger whose work you enjoyed or whose charity you support.

Second order of business:  I will be online another 30 minutes.  I got a major rush of energy in the past two hours.  I’m running on fumes, mind you, but I’m running.

Third order of business: Last year, I raised $223.00 for The Innocence Project.  This year, before my matching pledge, I came in at $221.13.  I would… well, I would do a lot of things for one last pledge.

Fourth, and most important, order of business:  I LOVE YOU.  Thank you for reading and writing and being your wonderful, talented, generous selves. *big wet kisses*

See you next year.

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007

I was planning on handing out 3 random $5 sponsorships throughout the night.  Well, maybe not random–little mini-challenges.  By the time I REMEMBERED, my brain was fried, and I had what I thought was a great idea, until Glo Paint repeatedly pointed out, and I repeatedly failed to comprehend, that what I was asking was impossible.  Glo Paint received one of my sponsorships anyway, for 1) completely understanding my intent, 2) following my directions, and 3) kindly telling me I was a moron (not in so many words).  But this leaves me with two remaining.

#1: First LOLCAT I *haven’t seen before* (I won’t lie to you!)  Post or link it here.

#2: Tell me a joke about a penguin.  We’ve all been up for 24 hours now.  I’m pretty flexible about the definition of the word “joke.”

Open to folks I HAVEN’T already sponsored, please!  We wanna share the love here, right?

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007

Gina totally wins Simpsons Trivia, by a mile, which, if you have been following along at all, you knew was coming.  Gina has won herself a $20 iTunes giftcard for her time, efforts, and obsessive knowledge of everything Springfield!

I’ll hook up with you tomorrow… later… whatever… to work it out.  I have a feeling I could have just fired questions at you without pause for 24 hours and you would have done perfectly!  Well played!

Huge thank-yous to EVERYONE who chimed in to play along–it really wouldn’t have been any fun without you. 

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007, The Simpsons

So here is the story.

My amazing and wonderful friend Alicia is in the process of moving, with her love Shawn Marie, to Denver from Las Vegas.  Along the way, she somehow was convinced it would be a good idea for her and Shawn Marie to drive a gigantor U-Haul full of her mom’s stuff, her mom’s dogs, and towing her mom’s car, from mom’s house in Vegas to mom’s new home in Dallas.

You with me so far?

SO.  Alicia and Shawn Marie drove their OWN stuff from Vegas to Denver, then drove on through to here.  They left Denver around 2 p.m. my time on Friday.

They stopped a couple of times.  They stopped in Wichita, for example, for about 8 hours when Shawn was stricken with heat exhaustion.  They finally arrived here around what, 10:30 Saturday night, which equals:

32+ travel hours for a 677 mile journey.

They unloaded the dogs–mom’s 2 dogs and Alicia’s one–and themselves.  They ate chili.  We chatted, and they slept.  Chet, who had promised to stay up with me (I can’t believe I fell for that!) fell almost immediately asleep on the couch.

Cue music:  All by myselllllllllfffff….

Around 5, they woke up.  Took the dogs out.  And chaos ensued.  Just something about us all really WANTING to be able to sit and chat longer, but them NEEDING to get on the road, and me NEEDING to get back to the computer and finish this thing, and dogs being funny and cute and thinking they’re people.  Once they decided it was time to leave, it took ten minutes to herd the dogs from the dining room to the front door–a space of about 20 feet.

(And now I understand why 677 miles took 32 hours.)

Anyway.  These are friends I do not get to see nearly often enough, whom I love very, very dearly, and you have to believe me when I say these dogs–especially Murphy!–are cute and manipulative and possibly plotting world domination… but in a fluffy, cute, licking-your-face kind of way.  And now they’re gone, and I will see them again soon, but I’m sad.  There’s just never enough time lately, it seems like. And as far as trying to have a proper “visit,” well, hello, worst timing ever.

But I’m here now!  And unfortunately, I’m now painfully awake.

As you were.

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007

Instead:

Because Ralph Wiggum = WIN.

Your last questions:

• What is your favorite Simpsons episode?
• Give me a quote!
• And who created the show?

That wraps up Simpsons trivia! I’m going to count up points from the last 22 hours so I can award the prize!

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007, Ralph Wiggum, The Simpsons

… and other things that will have to wait just a teeny bit longer.

Houseguests–and their dogs–have given me great fodder for the rest of this thing.

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007

• What kind of car is Homer sent to Italy to retrieve for Mr. Burns?
• What word does Sideshow Bob’s son repeat over and over again?
• What opera does Sideshow Bob hijack in order to attack the Simpsons?

Heh. I saw this one relatively recently.

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007, The Simpsons

I had to move furniture. I’ll explain in a minute. I’m still here!

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007

Totally just stared at my monitor for three minutes, knowing I needed to do *something*, but having no idea what it was or how to do it.

And, quite frankly, is looking none too pleased about it.

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007

• Why were the vending machines installed in Springfield Elementary?
• What are the mascots’ names?
• General Simpsons Trivia: Name TEN musicians/bands who have appeared as themselves on the show. >:D

Next Simpsons trivia: 90 minutes.

And what, you don’t want my money? For goodness sake.  *cough*  Still waiting for that first text message!

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007, The Simpsons

Remember? We’re here to raise money for a really worthy charity!

The Innocence Project is dedicated to the use of DNA testing to exonerate those who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes. They’ve cleared the names of 205 innocent people over the last 15 years! Anthony Capozzi is one of them:

Biological evidence stored for two decades in a hospital drawer was the key to the 2007 exoneration of Anthony Capozzi, a Buffalo, New York, man who spent 20 years in prison for two rapes he didn’t commit.

DNA tests in March 2007 showed that another man, currently awaiting trial on three murders, actually committed the 1985 attacks, know as the Delaware Park rapes.

Capozzi was charged with three similar rapes and went to trial in 1987. The rape victims told police their attacker was about 160 pounds – Capozzi weighed 200 to 220 pounds. None of the victims mentioned a prominent three-inch scar on Capozzi’s face. All three victims identified Capozzi in court as the attacker. He was convicted by a jury of two rapes and acquitted of the third. He was sentenced to 35 years.

Biological evidence was collected from two victims in 1985 and stored in a hospital drawer. When the evidence was tested in 2007 at the request of Capozzi and his attorney, sperm collected during the rape examinations of both victims matched the profile of a man currently in state custody – and proved that Capozzi could not be the rapist.

Capozzi was exonerated and released from state custody in April 2007.

STORED IN A DRAWER FOR TWENTY YEARS. Meanwhile, an innocent man sits in prison. This can’t be permitted to continue. It’s time to do something. Speak up.  Make a pledge tonight.

Anthony Capozzi, Blogathon, Blogathon 2007, DNA testing, Exoneration, Innocence Project

• Where was the Kitchen Carnival purchased?
• What is Grampa’s new job in this episode?
• General Simpsons Trivia: Name the two recurring characters voiced by the late, great Phil Hartman.

P.S.: Know what happens when you drink 32oz of iced coffee? You have to pee. A lot. Just wanted to share.

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007, The Simpsons

More Simpsons trivia–we’re on season 15!–as soon as I get the clip uploaded.  In the meantime, come on.  Do some sleuthing!  I’m still waiting for that text message!

Hint: Over on the right, there?  Click the “About Your Hostess” link, and see what you can find from there.

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007

Note:  You are INELIGIBLE to win if you already have my phone number.  Because that means I probably already sponsored you already anyway.  Come to think of it… yeah, you’re ineligible if I’ve sponsored you already, or if you have my phone number already.

First person who manages to send me a text message with their URL wins a $5 sponsorship.  It’s possible.  You might need to explore around here a bit.  Follow links and such.  You know.  But it can be done.  Go!

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007

I made up this uber-nerdy spreadsheet (no, really!) to keep track of what I was supposed to post and when.  I mean, it’s not like I had any kind of grand plan, but I had a vague idea of a timeline.

It is kicking me in the butt now, though, that I filled in late-night slots with “RANDOM POST.”  Not smart.  I learned this last year, but somehow, I forgot about it again.  Ah well.

Blogathon, Blogathon 2007