290th Friday Blog Roundup

Okay, for the 300th post of the Friday Blog Roundup, we’re going to play a game that I am calling: Blog Marks the Spot. It will air in place of the 299th Friday Blog Roundup on July 30th so we can have a proper Roundup for the 300th post on August 6th.

If you want to be included, this is what you need to do:

Step One: Make a 1 minute video

• It should showcase where you commonly write your blog.  If you take your laptop on the road, feel free to shoot outside your house.  If you commonly work at a desktop, show your messy desk.
• It can also showcase you or you can keep it anonymous.  I would prefer for it to also showcase you (so either set up a tripod or have someone film it or turn the camera around and pop into the frame at the end) but if you do not wish to be featured (since some people blog anonymously), only film inanimate objects.
• Even if you feature yourself, please do not mention your name, your blog name, or show your blog on a screen during the video.
• Please make sure you make one of these types of files: avi, mov, mp4, wmv (email me if you need to use a different type of file).

The question I know you’re going to ask: what if I don’t have a way to shoot video?  You can still participate by taking a photograph of your writing space and describing it in one paragraph.  One brief paragraph.

Step Two: Email me this 1 minute video.

• Email me your video.  Do not post it anywhere, do not load it on YouTube, do not show it to friends.  Just make it and mail it.  If you are going the photo route, email me the photo and paragraph.
• Also email me your blog name and the url.
• The deadline is July 16th.  No videos that come in after July 16th will be included.

Step Three: Wait until July 30th.

• I will upload all the videos and embed them in a single Roundup post.  And you will try to match the blogger with the video from a linked list of participating blogs.  The answers will be announced later in the weekend so you can always go back and visit each blogger’s video and get a glimpse into their writing space.

Important points once again:

• Make your video 1 minute or we’ll be here all day.  Do not go over 60 seconds.
• It can either be anonymous or feature you, but it should feature where you commonly write your blog.
• If you truly can’t shoot video, send a photograph with a one paragraph description of your space.
• Email it to me without showing it to others or loading it on a video-sharing site.  Do not say your name, your blog name, or show your blog in the video.  Make sure you include your blog name and blog url in the email.
• The deadline is July 16th.  Videos that come in after July 16th will not be included.
• Come back  on July 30th to see how many blogs you can identify just from seeing the writing space.  Oh–and get to see a small glimpse into the lives of your favourite bloggers.

If you plan on participating, please let me know by leaving a comment below that says, “I’m in!” Just trying to get a sense of how many videos to expect.

You will be horrified by my writing desk.  I’m not even going to clean it up one bit before I film.

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The Weekly What If: What if you could see the writing space of any blogger out there?  Who would it be? (Not to guilt anyone into making a video just because we want to see your space ever so badly).

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And now, the blogs…

Stacey’s Thoughts on Infertility has a post discussing the past as well as the present.  When she was in the throes of loss, she wasn’t always there for people.  On one hand, she can look at it rationally and say, “Only you know how much you can handle at any given time when you are the one who’s hurting. While it may sound selfish, sometimes you really do have to think about your fragile emotional state and do what’s necessary to protect yourself.”  And now, during pregnancy, she also understands that not everyone will be able to read her blog.  She hopes they will stay, but she also gives her understanding if they need to leave because just as she has mourned the losses, she also needs to feel and express joy over this current baby.  It’s a beautiful, moving post.

The Fertility-Challenged Black Sheep has a post I love and it’s not just because she quotes “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads which happens to be a family favourite but because it is one of those ordinary trying-to-catch ovulation posts that is both familiar and funny at the same time.  She’s a great, humourous read.

On the other end of the spectrum, A + B, Waiting for C has a really heartbreaking post about her friend’s loss.  It also comes with the realization that she may need to come clean to people in her face-to-face world and how deeply she has been emotionally affected by this experience.

Lastly, Can I Get Some Sugar with These Lemons has a post about her trip.  She writes, “I expected it to be a barren vast land of emptiness, much like me. Perhaps it was a blessing we visited when we did because it was hardly the lifeless space I expected. Instead it was covered in beautiful wildflowers that smelled so strongly we didn’t even need to open the windows.”  The trip is both metaphorically and actually connected to IVF, and it’s a great read filled with stunning pictures.

The roundup to the Roundup: I finally know how we’re going to mark the 300th Friday Blog Roundup–with my video getting-to-know-you/matching game, Blog Marks the Spot.  Let me know if you are planning to participate.  Answer the Weekly What If.  And lots of great blogs to read.