Monday on an actual Monday!!!

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Hey everyone! Here we are on our second Monday of 2024 already! I hope it's going well for you so far. I am working from home all of this week while they do electrical work on our office building, so I am VERY happy, and next week I'm off on holiday! I fly to Christchurch next Sunday to spend a couple of days visiting my two kids and grandson living down there, so that makes me happy! I am driving home again with my son, who is coming back to load up his car with all the things he couldn't fly down there when he moved, and then his father makes the return journey with him driving down via a slightly different route, visits the family, and flies home. Sweet! LF (my son) and I will travel northward slowly over 3 nights and 4 days, visiting my sister for one of the nights (the others in motels) and I am looking forward to it, although hopefully the heat won't be oppressive and my son's car's aircon will work! LOL ;-)

As for this week, bleh, I'll get through some work and try to find time to take down the rest of the Xmas decorations and thank people for the gifts and cards they sent! How is your week shaping up? I hope you get some writing done! I don't have any planned, but I did manage to make 100 icons for the 100-in-100 prompts that K put up at the end of last year. Unfortunately I didn't make them in time for 2023, but I'm using them as my January contributions to the count for this year! I posted 50 of them on my LJ and hope to get the other 50 up before I go away, and get the 2024 count posts up so I can add them in there!

I know I also need to do the final 2023 count (so rush in now to add yours if you haven't already!) and let you all know how we did! In addition, I'm trying to get a volunteer to run our first long challenge for 2024, so if you haven't voted in the poll, nor read the post about the challenges, please go do so NOW! I need to get this one going, STAT! I'm not sure I can get anything up and running before I go away, and we usually start on the 15th Jan, so if you think you can help, I would be very grateful!

So, there are the usual weekly and other regular posts up for the last week; please go and check them out for inspiration! Your flash challenge for this week is: Don't cross swords with me! Give us at least 100 words on that subject and then pat yourself on the back for adding to the count!

Big Buddy peeps, you should be at around 25% of your monthly goal! How's it going? Need help or inspiration? Just ask! We're here for you! And I hope all the daily challengers are going OK too!

I think that's about it for now! Have a great week, everyone! ;-)

Comments

[itsanonyx.livejournal.com]

All the best for your plans. :o) I hope it will be fun. <3

I voted in the poll. :o) I have a question about it. Should it go in that special entry? Or can I hit it here? Or is there a main entry somewhere where I can ask question?

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It should be! ;-)

Thanks for voting! You can ask anywhere, so reply to me here with your question or put a new entry in the poll post and ask there, whatever's easiest for you!

[itsanonyx.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :o)

If you need help and I'm in for helping: What exactly should be the rules for setting up the long challenges? I looked all tags up for that polls and I'm not really sure. I don't want to sign up for helping without knowing what to do. :o)

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

That would be cool if you can help. They're not really that hard, but it kind of depends on which challenge you are doing as to set up for it, but basically at the minimum you're looking at a set-up post at the beginning to explain how the challenge will run and any rules etc, and then probably a couple of check-in posts along the way, and a round-up at the end, and if you're offering rewards maybe a couple more related to them.

A lot of them can be scheduled in advance, so as long as you're organised it can be relatively painless, and you can also choose to run one with another person if you'd rather; sometimes it's a lot easier having another person or two to share the duties with, depending on the challenge of course! Bingo needs quite a bit of prep with cards, but I know Dreamy's done that one by only offering personalised cards rather than a bunch of random ones, which cut some of the prep down. Some other challenges don't take as much work.

Anyway, we have the vote closing soon (I'm just trying to get a few more people to vote so I can break a tie), and then when you see any that you might want to run, let me know and I can give you more info on what to do.

In the meantime, let me know any dates that are good or not good in particular for you, and if you might prefer to help rather than taking on a challenge by yourself (we often have at least a second person listed who the main person can call on if needed).

[agdhani.livejournal.com]

Have a great trip!
I'm behind...again...hoping I might sneak some in today cause the side affects of the last vaccine have made me achy, feverish, and made it hard to sleep...so I'm home.
Maybe I'll come close to catching up to where I should be.

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Oh no! but you will catch up; you always do! Ugh to the vax side effects - I had those with the last 2 vaxes I had (and am a little reluctant to get the next one because of it, but I probably should!). I hope you feel better soon, and get those numbers up where you want them!

[agdhani.livejournal.com]

I knew someone who had shingles...so I definitely don't want that. A few days of aches and fever and little sleep is better than the alternative, but its messing up my mojo ;)

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

That's understandable! Sending all the good vibes! ;-)

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Enjoy your trip!

*ahem* I'm not touching that flash challenge. 😂

Er, I don't even know what my goal for this month is, so no, not likely at 25% yet!

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to it!

LOL! *waits for the resulting fic*

I hope you get some words done, no matter how few!

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

I know you'll love every second of it!

Man, there was a movie back in the 80's or maybe early 90's with John Ritter in it. I don't remember anything else about the movie except for a scene where he and another guy are wearing glow in the dark condoms and have a battle of sorts. I might be misremembering, but this is what came to mind with that prompt!

Thank you! Wrote a good 500 between two book reviews, so it's a start.

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

LOL - that sounds hilarious! I loved John Ritter; so sad when he died so young. I have to admit that that kind of 'crossing swords' did occur to me for a second when I wrote the prompt!

That is definitely a start! ;-)

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

I thought it was! Wish I could remember what movie it was though. Yeah, I loved him, too. Grew up with Three's Company and cried when I heard he'd died. I have to admit - I read too many blurbs for reverse harems and 90% of them say, "No swords cross" and I'm always like... but there are five guys and just her! HOW?

But um, maybe that says more about me than anything? :D

It is! I'm hopeful!

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Oh, you're talking Anita Blake, right? Clearly the woman that writes those has this thing that all men are about HER! I am with you on the 5 men, one woman thing - OF COURSE they're crossing swords, you stupid b****! Maybe not while you're looking (cos let's face it, two could keep her busy; how the fuck does she know what the others are doing?) LOL!

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Not specifically, but yes, she qualifies. The disclaimers in these books even say, "It's all about HER." Which is fine, but what are the other two or three dudes doing while waiting for their turn? Knitting? So yeah, I'm with you. "Er, we're going to go grab a quick coffee. Be back in a jiff." *sneaks off with the other two still waiting*

[severina2001.livejournal.com]

I hope you have an amazing visit next week, and how nice to get to spend some quality time with your son on the way back. Should be fun!

Your first batch of icons was great, looking forward to seeing the rest!

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Thanks, for both things!

It will be nice spending time with LF - I feel like we don't get much time to chat these days! (though to be honest he can be a bit much sometimes, so I may regret saying that! LOL!)

Cheers! I hope to get them posted soon and then I may link both posts to the comm. I had hoped to do them closer together, but life got in the way! ;-)

[kaige68.livejournal.com]

It's already Friday night!!!

I have decided to knit a book worm! Like a stuffed animal, but for every book I read, I'll do 5 to 7 rows. I've picked colors for the different genres, I've found a pattern for a ball and I figure half at each end, a white spacing stripe inbetween each book and I'm going to use different size needles in the pattern that I made you that orange scarf in years ago where it bunched in for the garter stitch rows.

And that is all I hve planned or creativity at the moment!
Happy Saturday to you!

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about that — I know how crazy things have been for you.

The bookworm sounds awesome! What a great idea! I am looking forward to seeing how that goes!

I need to get my knitting/crochet mojo back on, but it's so hard when it's hot here! I probably won't hit it till March or April when things start to cool down here, but I'm thinking either the temperature blanket for my daughter in Chch or finally get that jumper (sweater) made for myself that I bought the yarn for in 2019 from a gift voucher you sent me, lol! I have yarn for both (hopefully I have enough for the temp blanket), so I just need to get going!

Love you! 😉

[kaige68.livejournal.com]

I do love the idea of doing a temp blanket for baby's first year. It seems exactly like a thing that a Nana should do.

I did start a simple raglan sweater that is the color of the dogs' hair. And I do feel like a made a lot of knitting progress this weekend.

I hope you find the mojo soon!!!

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

It does, doesn't it? I think I may start both that and the jumper for myself, and see how I get on, but it needs to get a bit cooler first!

Oh! I like the sound of that! Yay for knitting progress!

Thanks! I hope so too! I am feeling quite positive about getting started, so maybe it's ticking towards the front of my brain!

[kaige68.livejournal.com]

Show me colors when you pick them out!

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

I will ❤️🧶😘