Discussion - January 2012 - 75 Word Challenge

[Christopher Lee]

Thanks for the listing Highlander. Everyone's been great this month!

 

[hopewrites]

much thanks to everyone who liked my story

Perp, I think that going with the first name to come to your mind at a time like that is more fair then flipping a coin, or rolling a dice (the d3 is really a d4 but you re-roll 4's. I prefer a d6 and just half the even numbers) because you are letting your subconscious in on your voting.
Every time flipping a coin to decide something one is torn over comes up, a seen from the TV show Frasire comes to mind. Niles helps his brother out of a dilemma by convincing him to go with the result of a coin toss and when he has it covered by his hand, he looks up at him and asks "what do you want it to be?" Frasire then realizes he knew all along what he wanted but had been unable to admit it to him self and ran off to do what ever it was, I forget what the choice was and why it was so important to him. What I remember is that feeling of "yes, I know. I just didnt know I knew" that I saw on the actor's face when Niles asked him what he wanted without even looking at the coin he had spent the last 5 minuets talking him into trusting.

Sometimes we talk our selves into a corner. I know I do when it comes to single choices, like who to vote for. In the end I have to let it all go and just vote for the story that speaks to me the loudest in the moment I am voting.
Not fair by any means because each every story speaks different things to me at different times, but then there is so little of life that is fair I cant help feeling that life isnt meant to be fair, and the best we can do is to be as fair as we can in the moments we are given.

 

[The Spurring Platty]

Thanks Starbeast, Abernovo, TDZ, High Eight, and Perp for the mentions.
And SUPER THANKS RSliwinski for the vote - made my day!

Now off to re-read and vote....

 

[alchemist]

Thanks to High Eight, TDZ, hopewrites, Perp Man, Scott R Forshaw and Highlander for the mentions.

'Tis a curious distribution of votes this month, with all those 2s. Still all to play for.

 

[The Spurring Platty]

Excellent stories all, but I particularly enjoyed
AnyaKimlin - untitled
Hex - Scary Stor(e)y on the Prairie
paranoid marvin - Seventh Heaven
alchemist - Sleeping With The Enemy
Brev - The Legend of Painted Rock
The Judge - The Yellow Rows of Texas

My vote went to springs1971 - Sadly Missed

 

[Brev]

Firstly thanks to Starbeast, TheTomG, alchemist, hopewrites and The Spurring Platty for the mentions...and Perp, I've always said you were a goodun... Seriously its nice to come back in after a few months out and get some positive comments (and I've managed to achieve my private ambition of parity with the iconic TDZ... Well for now anyway, it wont belong before he gets another well deserved vote...)

Does anyone else spend longer with the vote than with their submission? I've read and re-read and the overall standard is excellent. Its a tough call.
Special mentions to Moonbat, Aun Doorback, The Spurring Platty, RSliwinski, TheDustyZebra and stormcrow. All Gems amongst a glittering field, but I've had to vote for the one which stuck with me from the start...HareBrain.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

'Tis a curious distribution of votes this month, with all those 2s. Still all to play for.

Now we've got some threes. Even yet, none of the leaders have managed a commanding lead, and with so many votes yet to be voted, anyone with a story could surprise us all by surging ahead.

Thanks alchemist, Grizzgreen, johnnyjet, and Parson for the votes!

Thank you to everyone who mentioned my story.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

(and I've managed to achieve my private ambition of parity with the iconic TDZ...

...

Really?

I'm speechless. And as everyone knows, that doesn't happen very often!

Err...perhaps you should get out more?

Thanks for the too-kind words, and for the mention as well!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

SP; thankyou for the vote, dead chuffed here. How many entries too? Good to see so many; all great.

 

[chrispenycate]

Fifty entries - and only thirty two votes, with barely more than a day left? And many prominent figures, too: oh, I've get a little list… but I'll probably be out being snowed on during the week end, and it's too early now.

 

[StormFeather]

I'm afraid that the lurgy I've been battling this month has swept back with a vengeance over the last few days. Therefore I've not voted as early as I'd hoped, and I'm sorry, but at the moment just don't have the energy to create a shortlist. Maybe over the weekend I can pay homage properly . . .

My vote went to Springs - I made the mistake of reading the first entry as it was submitted this month, and was humbled and defeated from the get-go! Although there are other really good entries, the story and the eye-catching formatting sealed the deal for me.

*Now off with my supermarket brand of hot, lemony drink with added anti cold & flu ingredients, and hoping for a good nights sleep and to feel human again soon*

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I am sort of offline right now because my kids threw milk on my keyboard.

I'll thank everyone properly later but thanks for all the mentions and I just have to say ***I GOT VOTES*** I so was not expecting that so kisses to those that voted for me.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Stormfeather, thanks so much. I hope you feel better soon, the flu that's around this winter seems really nasty and hard to shake; lots of hot drinks and let the kids run after you (ha, some hope!)

Anya; hope the computer feels better soon, have you tried sticking it in the hotpress? Crazy, but sometimes works.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

There were a lot of stories that almost made my short list, there were so many good ones to choose from. But at last I came up with this, along with my shorter list:

Mouse
Brev
johnnyjet
AnyaKimlin
TDZ
AlcubierreWarp
RSliwinski
springs1971

In the end, it was a hard choice between RSliwinski's Pioneer Ingenuity and springs1971's Sadly Missed.

I finally went with springs, because Rusty's epitaph stayed with me from the moment I read it.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

Anya; hope the computer feels better soon, have you tried sticking it in the hotpress? Crazy, but sometimes works.

Hubby is a geek he has done everything, it's dead, I'm gutted I loved it, it was back lit and everything about it felt right Trying to find the exact same one is proving a headache.

I've borrowed the one off the media centre thing for tonight.

Thanks for the mention Teresa.

 

[Starbeast]

Thanks to, Aun, Highlander, and again to Starbeast for the mentions, greatly appreciated, also to Perp Man for the great review.

Great funny ending.

Thanks Starbeast, Abernovo, TDZ, High Eight, and Perp for the mentions.

Another great funny ending. And you were tied for 1st place too (on my list).

Firstly thanks to Starbeast, TheTomG, alchemist, hopewrites and The Spurring Platty for the mentions.

A marvelous poem.

Fifty entries - and only thirty two votes, with barely more than a day left? And many prominent figures, too

I agree Chrispenycate. Where are "the others"?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Ty for the vote, Teresa, lovely to wake up to.

 

[nixie]

Apologies for not been around. I was moving house, have to say I was slightly panicking my internet wouldn't be on in time for me to vote but it was up and running yesterday and I managed to read through them all. Springs got my vote, I love dogs.
Juelz4sure and Highlander thank you for the mentions.

 

[Boneman]

I seriously think this has been the hardest challenge to find a winner for. Not surprisingly, I had 18 entries on my shortlist, which is almost exactly a third of the total. The diversity and sheer ingenuity of the entries makes voting so hard, and it's taken me ages to decide. I thought 'I can't print out that long a list' and I was going to shorten it, and print just the top five, but actually, I'm going to mention them all, because they deserve a mention. All of these stories could have made the top five, and it's only because I've got to choose one, that I use this artifice to make the shorter list:

Springs 1971
Abernovo
Reiver 33
Grizzgreen
Harebrain
Paranoid Marvin
Culhwch
Mouse
Starbeast
Mosaix
Moonbat
The Spurring Platty
The Dusty Zebra
Johnnyjet
Highlander
Hoopyfrood
The Judge
Ursa Major

And then to choose one from those five was impossible; but I read 'em all again. Then again. Now I'm going to have lunch and try and do the impossible and choose one...

Result: One cream cheese and pastrami bagel later, it hasn't got any easier. But, I'm going for Springs 1971 for no other reason than a) they all deserved to win, and b) it was impossible to choose between them and c) I only just realised the story was laid out in the shape of a cross (doh!).

Hopes: Impossible, from Cinderella? I hear Frank Sinatra...

 

[hopewrites]

now you have me humming "Impossible" from Cinderella.
way. to. go.