Green Room - Week 24 - Weekend Edition

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Another intense finish and more contestants than ever gripping onto that last ledge before the big drop into the chasm that is the Home Game.

Even the people who say that they don't care - most of them end up caring. No one wants to be eliminated and no one wants to see their favorites going home either. Which does bring up the question: Them or you?

We saw it in action with the sacrifice - there were folks willing to sacrifice their spot for someone else. But, in the competition itself - is there anyone that you just don't think you should advance past?? What do you do then if they are in danger of being eliminated?

Do you call attention to it and pimp them on your FL at your own expense? Is 'ems the breaks?

I've heard the "I want to go out on a strong entry" argument, but what happens when it's someone else going out on an entry that you think is stronger than yours? Surviving that vote - do you then have extra pressure to prove that you "deserve" to continue on?

Just some thoughts on a Saturday late afternoon. . .

because honestly, everyone left is someone's favorite(s), and are all strong in one way or another - even if you don't always believe it/see it in your own work.

It's there and other people see it. It will just be a matter of who gets the chance to see what they do as the pressure increases and who will be watching from the sidelines enjoying a fruity drink?

***

So - other than that, how has your weekend been going?

Comments

[onda-bianca.livejournal.com]

"Even the people who say that they don't care - most of them end up caring. No one wants to be eliminated and no one wants to see their favorites going home either."

This exactly. The amount that I ended up caring was shocking really.

The end really does end up getting tough. This round especially I noticed. I suppose although the first trip to the home game was rough...I seem to be in good company!

[onda-bianca.livejournal.com]

When I was in the game, I had on a couple times pimped my favorites who looked like they needed help. I'm not sure how much it actually helped though. I suppose I didn't see it as "them or me" since I pimped me along with them. :)

Now that I'm an eliminator(ed) alligator, I don't foresee myself pimping anyone. For a multitude of reasons, one of which being that after 22 weeks of pimpage my f-list is likely tired of the ticky boxes. ;)

[callistahogan.livejournal.com]

I definitely feel like the competition is getting more difficult as the list of people remaining gets smaller and smaller. I know that I was freaking out at the possibility of going home, and I only just managed to scrap through by the skin of my teeth in this round.

It's also getting more and more difficult to pinpoint who's going to win because, honestly, everyone remaining has their own distinct style and I think everyone has the talent and skill to win. I'm not sure if I could say that there was anyone who didn't deserve to be here at this point.

'Tis getting more stressful, though. I know that my entries, at the least, haven't been as strong as the ones at the beginning, but I'm holding on. So for that, I'm happy, and I can't wait to blow everyone's socks off with my entry this week. :)

In other news, I got a haircut. My hair used to be about halfway down my back, but now it's about an inch above my shoulders. It's going to take quite a while to get used to. I still think I'm going to reach back there and all my hair is going to be there! :D

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

I still think I'm going to reach back there and all my hair is going to be there!

I do that all the time! I recently had a haircut and a bit more than desired was lopped off and it's so strange when I, say, reach up behind myself to scratch my back and don't touch hair o_O

[oneonthefence.livejournal.com]

I miss you guys, and congrats to those who are still in the running. You all rock.

As for me - this has been my life (http://oneonthefence.livejournal.com/490833.html).

I wish I had happier news :(

But I hope everyone here has a good weekend, and I am thinking about you all. *hugs*

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[teaberryblue.livejournal.com]

Hey, this is a sort of weird request, but I don't drive and have never even had a license, and I don't live in a place where people really drive cars, so I tried to read up on the topic for this week but I still don't really understand it or the implications or how it might be used as a metaphor. Does anybody mind explaining it to me?

Thanks!

Also, I am enjoying a fruity drink right now, because I have a rhubarb capirinha that I just made with fresh rhubarb from the garden.

I feel kinda bad saying this, but since I think everyone knows I'm not an underdog in this competition, I haven't really experienced the position of being the one at risk yet. I *am* really curious about who is voting for me, because I get more votes than contestants still in the competition even when I don't post to remind my flist to vote, and I am just so flattered by it all that I'm curious as to who it is who is voting. It's a really nice feeling to know that people who aren't commenting are liking my entries.

[fourzoas.livejournal.com]

A rolling stop is what you do when you come to a stop sign and "sorta stop" before continuing on...

At least, that's what that cop told me that one time.

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

Your post this week was one of the greatest things since sliced bread and I am pretty sure my girlfriend also voted for you, so there's one :)

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

Oh, there are a lot of people I don't feel like I deserve to advance past. I'm bad with the pimping though because I feel bad at leaving people out of rec lists :-(

[liret.livejournal.com]

That's why I don't rec people, really - I'd feel bad if I didn't keep doing it for everyone who was awesome, and there is a lot of awesomeness.

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

I've pimped people I really like who I thought shouldn't go out and will no doubt do it again if I think it's merited, it's just that the field now is so tight that I don't know that there's anyone I feel really, really, really shouldn't go that wouldn't be getting the votes to secure their place. The only time I've pimped myself was during the intersection because I teamed up with people I thought were fantastic and I didn't want them to go out on my account. I wouldn't say that I'm not going to pimp myself this season but I haven't felt the urge to yet. I thought I was going to go out this week because I didn't think it was one of my stronger entries so as far as I'm concerned, every week I remain is a week I'm lucky to be here and a bonus. The more pregnant I get, the more that takes over my brain anyway. I'm quite tempted to do a post that is exactly how I type so people can see what gibberish my brain churns out these days if I don't stamp on it.

In other news, there's a mouse loose somewhere in our front room. This is the second time recently the cats have released a live one for later and I'd really rather just let it go free than have to deal with entrails in the near future.

And I went to see Kick Ass last night and will be posting about it to my LJ later. I didn't enjoy it, despite it being well made, fast paced, nicely scripted and beautifully choreographed. Darn my insistence on obsessing with the underlying themes rather than just taking it superficially and enjoying it as popcorn!

[cheshire23.livejournal.com]

For myself...I'm glad I was eliminated on an entry that I truly enjoyed writing but that wasn't in any way (that I can think of) controversial. That's easier than it would have been to be eliminated in the midst of a sucky week with an entry I wasn't entirely comfortable with.

[notbatman.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I think I'm the opposite and I'm always surprised when someone voices this point of view. If I wrote something that I thought was really good and got eliminated, I would take that much harder than getting eliminated for an entry where I was almost phoning it in, as it were.

When I go, I would rather be able to say, "Yeah, I didn't think that was going to work," than "For serious??? That was so awesome!"

(I know, big words from someone still in the competition...)

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

Oh and I should also say that the polls have been closing while I've been in bed asleep for the past few weeks, which is why today's results were so unexpected for me because they were nothing like they looked when I went to bed last night. As such, it makes it a little more difficult for me to pimp those in danger when they're not in danger last time I checked!

[connie]

I would rather go out on an entry that I like and feel proud of. Last week I hated my entry and was really freaking out that I might be eliminated on it and it would just be because I couldn't write something that was good enough and fix my entry so that I would like it ahhh etc. This week I liked my entry a lot, and even though I was in danger at the end and the last hour of the poll was kind of tense, I felt like I could be eliminated much more calmly, knowing that I had done the best job I was capable of.

[agirlnamedluna.livejournal.com]

Whenever I can make the end of the polls, it's nerve-wrecking because it seems plenty of people vote for everyone but me (and a couple of others) in the last hour or so, so even if I *was* safe I always end up not really, this is bad! LOL.

I'm a little confused about the topic too, I mean I know what a rolling stop is (they are allowed here at yield signs but not at stop signs or red traffic lights) but metaphorically I'm at a loss, must be an American thing again.

Also, I've only done a rec list once this season but they were entries that I felt very strongly about and would probably have linked were they not written for Idol too ... I try not to make them because pretty honestly, I'm hardly ever on them and some people seem to always be and in general I tend to favour a particular style of writing too (not that I will only vote for it) so I don't want to add to others' bad feelings (if that makes sense - it's late and I should go sleep haha)

[beautyofgrey.livejournal.com]

I'm American and I'm having difficulty with this one metaphorically. :D

[worldofcharlie.livejournal.com]

*is in between two parties right now*...

Claudia dropped us off at the house after the first one (she went back cause it's only 10 minutes away) and we found out that we had the wrong time for party #2, which is fine - it's an hour later than we thought...

Dammit it's too late to take a bloody nap...

First party was meh...left right when the bad karaoke started...

[lyrical-liessss.livejournal.com]

On the same topic as everyone else's...

It's really disheartening sometimes to see rec list after rec list and not see your name. This being my first time playing, I don't know a lot of people. I can hardly make the green room, and I don't comment a lot because I simply lack the time it takes for my slow computer to get to the page. I do read entries, and most always read green rooms. If I get to green rooms early enough, I'll have them sent to my email, but still, it's hard to do so when you're busy.

That being said, I've seen recommendation after recommendation for the same people, and they ARE good, don't get me wrong, but there are a lot of people I've seen that are awesome that don't get recommended. I also think that there are definite favorites, as Gary said, and so that means they'll be recommended more oft than not on the list of some people.

But, alas, you're all my favorites. The hardest votes are the ones where we only get a certain amount to pick from.

[joeymichaels.livejournal.com]

Are you calling me fruity?

Because that wouldn't be entirely inaccurate.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I'm enjoying a fruity drink from the sidelines, ha!

Hubby and I went to see The Losers this evening, it was great! Hubby is really looking forward to The A-Team movie once it comes out, and I gotta admit it looks pretty good to me, too!

minikin and her hubby and son will be coming over tomorrow evening for cook-out. Monday, she and I are starting on a new mixed bowling league (two adults, two kids) with her son (who is 16) and his friend. I don't know if Monday's bowling will count for league play or if it is more of a meet-n-greet / informational meeting. We still need to come up with a team name... hrm.

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

We finally arrived in London! Our rental house is very quirky, but seems to have plenty of space and wireless internet :) It also has a huge DVD collection. Now I have to narrow down my list of London "must see" places, because there's only so much I can accomplish in a week and we're already devoting one whole day to traveling into Paris to see the Louvre and eat cheese.

I just found out the results from last week and the new topic, so I'm starting to percolate about my next entry. Miss you guys in the GR!

[norda.livejournal.com]

No fruity drinks here at the moment, but there will be some fruity and veggie liquids here... I'm making a chicken gazpacho with tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, lemon and watermelon.

-------------------

As far as the GR questions go...

* I never said I didn't care. I care tremendously. I'm still more grateful than I can say for marjory's sacrifice to get me back in the game, and I'm still bloody annoyed that I went out the way I did the second time, missing a deadline because someone in my family decided to do something royally stupid. On an extremely selfish note, I think if I were still in the competition and having the impetus to write to deadline, I would not have had the crappy April I've just had. [The Home Game doesn't have enough urgency to overcome my natural tendency towards entropy... that my failing, not the game's.]

* I've never done rec lists, and probably never will. I prefer to show my admiration in comments and votes.

* The "going out on a strong entry" argument dovetails into what others have previously referred to as the "cup of tea" syndrome. Somebody's always going to go out in this game. It's just a matter of time until there's only one left.

-----------------

Just my thoughts, take'em or leave'em.

[beautyofgrey.livejournal.com]

I make rec lists, obviously, and I try to switch up the people that I rec on a regular basis (going back to check previous lists, etc.), because I do want to recognize all sorts of writers, and not just those that are my particular brand of tea. I make rec lists because I try to share the fun stuff with my friends list (the half that ISN'T already a part of Idol). I know that I have friends who aren't playing who read the entries and vote (not just for me, in other words), and I have friends who have joined the community and voiced intentions of playing next season...and a few who have written in the home game! So, yes, that is why I have rec lists!

I do prefer the idea of going out on a strong entry. I have not liked my entries very well over the past two weeks, mainly because I couldn't devote the amount of time I wanted to thinking on the topic and writing it out. I don't always vote for myself, even...

I am grateful to have the support that I do, though, and most specifically, I enjoy the feedback that I get. I don't know why people support me, or who exactly that it is, but I'm appreciative.

As for who goes before who - I couldn't even say. I know it's gonna sting when I'm eliminated, but I'm already feeling pretty happy about being among this group of writers. I mean, the teas are all different, but I like pretty much any kind of tea, and so I find all of them pretty frickin' awesome.

[spydielives.livejournal.com]

*meep meep* stopping in on my way through an incredibly busy weekend.

ETA: I like that, at this point in the game, contestants write as though every entry could be their last. It might be subconscious, but I think they know it could happen, and they want to be remembered (just in case), for going out on a high note, if it happens.

Ok, gotta get to the airport.