Green Room - Week 18 - Day 5

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Good morning.

Is it time for breakfast? Or has that become too controversial these days?

I think locally that it has.

Our local Creative Loafing has sponsored a "Breakfast Bowl", taking advantage of March Madness and putting it to use in getting people out to support their local eateries.

There are a wide variety of places represented. Or at least there were when they started. Now it's down to "The Sizzling 16" and at least one of the races is getting quite heated.

It's between Bowled and Munch's.

Bowled has been around for a couple years now, but is relatively new on the scene. Most of their menu is more themed and a tad upscale. They have added a build your own omelette, which is always tasty.
Their biggest claim to fame is that about a year ago, they announced on facebook that they were closing. They just weren't able to make it.
The buzz was so strong and people were so "WHA---!!!!" that business immediately poured into the place and now they are in a position where they can not only stay open, they will be opening a second location soon!

Munch's is the ultimate in greasy spoons for the area. If by "greasy spoon" you mean a traditional 50's style diner with a full menu where you can order breakfast all day. They were recently filmed for that Guy whatshisname show on the Food Network about dives and diners.
Their claim to fame locally is that they have been open for 50+ years in the area. They *are* the breakfast institution.

The back and forth started last round when Bowled started complaining online about their last opponent and driving voters to the site when it was discovered that you could vote as many times as you wanted. Obviously Creative Loafing set it up to be that way, so that's within the rules.
Bowled started offering specials if they hit a certain amount of votes in the contest.
Some people didn't like that.

Munch's doesn't have much of an internet presence, but they were handing out strips of paper with the address and asking people to please help them. They had a huge come from behind victory in the last round.

Some people didn't like that.

So now they are head to head, and both sides think the way "the other guy" plays "isn't the right way" and are suspicious of what is going on with the voting, because clearly the other guy is the one who is going to have karma get 'em.

There is also - among the ranks, an idea that the upscale variety is REAL BREAKFAST and the the diner isn't - and the opposite, that "it's more of a brunch" and they shouldn't be included.

It got me thinking. . . (and grateful that I didn't just allow 'refresh and keep voting' when I set this place up!!!) about the "what is and isn't an entry" debates and "writing to the prompt". Because from what I've seen, over the seasons, is that most people DO, as far as it makes sense to the way the writer sees it, and that some people are more likely to just not see that.

http://community.livejournal.com/therealljidol/442302.html is where our particular action is! :)

BUT it does create a criteria of "If *I* get it - then I will vote for it". It doesn't mean that *they* didn't deliver in the eyes of themselves or other people. It just means that you might think it's more of a brunch than a breakfast.

Ultimately though, the question is going to be "what are you in the mood to eat" and of course "are you hungry?"

I do wonder what is going to happen long term to those two places - especially if the nastiness keeps escalating between them. I wonder if trying so hard to win, and being less than cordial about it, is going to result in people staying away from actually eating there in the future. Which would be a shame. They both are doing their own thing, and putting out good food.

Comments

[barrelofrain.livejournal.com]

I want breakfast! I haven't slept yet.

I did, however, do a recs list (http://sketchybrunette.livejournal.com/681723.html).

[team-jessie.livejournal.com]

Hey! You recommended my husband (nishi_kaze) in there. Thanks! He had one of those "uh oh" moments when he didn't get many comments early on. Happy to hear you liked it! :)

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

Thanks, now I want breakfast. mmmm.

I have the day off today. I'm home waiting for a repair man.

[creature-girl08.livejournal.com]

They coming to fix the tredmill?

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

This is about the meta posts I've seen this week, isn't it? :P

I've read, commented, voted, and posted recs (http://comedychick.livejournal.com/494543.html). Now I just have to try and avoid that refresh button too often. Luckily, my husband's girlfriend flies in from the Philippines tomorrow, so that should be a good distraction. I also plan to see some comedy and friends tomorrow night.

[tigrkittn.livejournal.com]

There's meta? Damn, how do I always miss the meta?? I am clearly friends with the wrong people. Or, more accurately, not friends with the right ones. *sadface*

[shadowwolf13]

I just had breakfast with the Hubby. Today's my busy day to get the apartment clean. (That really means about 2 hours or so of work, not a lot.) I still want the place clean before I leave so he'll have something nice while I'm gone. Of course I'm also setting up random notes for him to find. :D

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

Aww..that is so sweet (the notes:)

[creature-girl08.livejournal.com]

Good grief, I rarely eat breakfast in the morning and now i have an urge to eat food. Sigh!

[alephz.livejournal.com]

And me? I'm just sad that tasty breakfast-food-serving places can't just get along.

Also, I could SO go for some biscuits and gravy with a short stack of pancakes and a sausage link or two.

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

Mm...that sounds SO good (and fattening but, oh well, it's internet food right?:)

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

I've seen meta posts floating around. My problem is that I understand where both sides are coming from, so, in that vein, they each have a plausible argument that makes sense. OTOH...I know people get passionate about certain things, and I know that passion may cause people to say/do/behave in manners normally foreign to them. You almost want to say "Let's agree to disagree and be done with it", any maybe you do, but there's always that "gotta get the last word" reflex that likes to bite you when you're not looking.

ANYWAY.

I was planing to go the whole nine yards with breakfast today -- eggs, toast with homemade bread, sausage, home fries -- then I remembered, oh, I really should go shopping first :eek: So I'm going to have the last bagel, the last yogurt, and another cup of coffee instead.

[team-jessie.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen these types of posts... probably because I have a pretty small friends list to begin with, and this is my first season here. I didn't realize there was so much debate going on.

[hosticle-fifer.livejournal.com]

I wish I wasn't awake and vertical already. One international conference in my PJ's at 8:30 EST, then the march of horrors begins early today. And I'm on until 8PM tonight. Gonna be a looong day.

Granola, milk, and the first of two pots of coffee for breakfast this morning. I got some bourbon I kinda wish I could put in the coffee - if only I didn't have to think. ;)

[tigrkittn.livejournal.com]

Sneaky Gary and his parables!!

Joining the Literal Contingent, though, I am not hungry but have been told by my doc to eat more, so I've got a cottage cheese and six clementines in my bag for breakfast. Also coffee. Need more coffee... having a sleeeeepy morning!

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

This hypothyroid thing is kicking my appetite to the nether reaches of Mars. I literally have to force myself to eat :rolls eyes:

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

Nice analogy, Gary...it makes a lot of sense. But did you really have to mention breakfast? I'm starving.

I'm almost through the entries now. Like I have 3-4 more to go and a few more comments to leave to claim I've commented on every entry. I'm not going in order exactly, so don't think I missed you if you're in the middle. I'm trying to get there!

Comments are really low on some entries and that makes me sad :(

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping the entries with low comments are just indicative of what people haven't read yet. It seems like a lot of people haven't started reading or haven't gotten far anyway.

I'm pretty sure I commented on everything. I've read everything in any case!

[faerie-spark.livejournal.com]

Wow, Gary's parable really had me worried. I thought perhaps things had blown up in the green room yesterday.
Everyone has their own tastes in writing, but I will say this: If we all took a literal interpretation of the topic things could get pretty damn repetitive. *backs away quickly from the risk of starting a debate* You didn't read my last non-starred sentence. Really, really you didn't.

Back to the other writing work I have today, reading more entries, and constantly refreshing the polls. I knew I should have written about sex again, dammit! *grin*

[locknkey.livejournal.com]

sex is always appropriate (well in my circle)

[momebie.livejournal.com]

It might be that I'm a total plebe, but I always feel that the greasier the spoon the more 'real' the breakfast. :p

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

I'm actually with you on that!

[ckocher.livejournal.com]

I completely miss out on the meta stuff, but I'm slightly worried now because I really try to find some kind of not-obvious angle for the topics. But for me, they all start with a pretty regular process, and they all are inspired by the topic we're assigned.

[ckocher.livejournal.com]

And also, now I'm hungry. Which is, perhaps, the more important point to make.

[dreamchaser.livejournal.com]

Your breakfast analogy is making me hungry!!! It does make sense, though.

I'm still trying to finish commenting to entries - I thought that now that I don't have to worry about writing an entry, I would be able to do a better job of keeping up, but I was wrong!

[adoptedwriter.livejournal.com]

I could eat breakfast any time of the day. Mmmmm......

Still waiting on that job. Man! I know the secretary knows something, but she is not at liberty to say.
Keep Job Dancing, Guys! Ok?

AW

[dreamchaser.livejournal.com]

I'm keeping up the job dance for you!!!

[serpentpixie.livejournal.com]

The way I see it, the prompt is a springboard. It's a starting point. It's the foundation of a house, that you don't ever see, but it's still holding up the house.
/metaphorical overload.

When I'm voting, I never EVER read an entry and think "Now, how does that relate to the prompt?" - I read an entry and look for an interesting story, and/or exciting use of language and image. I realise that's a bit of a sweeping statement, but it's very hard to define what these things are.
I don't look for entries that I "get" in the literal sense - that is, I might not be able to explain what the entry is about, but if I like the overall flavour then that's a good thing. I'd rather read something a bit unpolished that has lots of life, and that dares to be new than something very polished that is generic and boring.


At the moment I'm actually re-writing the play I entered this week, because I'm going to enter it into a festival of short plays (because I like it so much and I want people to see it!).
I'm totally happy with my entry as an entry, as it were, though - I think I took a massive chance by writing a play (it takes me longer than a week to write a short play, usually) - and a play that is a response to the current Budget situation in Britain (even though most people here aren't British, I think), and is effectively an early draft with massive structural problems. I guess... I hope people appreciate the process enough to appreciate the entry as a standalone.
Also, writing for theatre is... maybe going to get some people going "but this is a blogging competition." Maybe? I might be wrong? In any case my response to that would be more videos and poetry, and playing around with the boundaries of this competition - LJ Idol is the ultimate writing playground.

Which, I think is a very long-winded way of saying all I look for in entries is people who are willing to play. ;)


On a different note, I've got time set aside tonight and tomorrow morning to read the other entries though, and I'm really looking forward to it :)

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

I shared a video this week, and did poetry another week... you know what I think about the "blogging" aspect... I just post what I want to share! I think other people doing the same just makes things more interesting.

[serpentpixie.livejournal.com]

On an entirely unrelated note there's a wasp in my bedroom, and I am NOT IMPRESSED. Wasps are not conducive to work.

Neither, I suppose, is hanging out on livejournal, but I'm going to blame the wasp.

[dreamchaser.livejournal.com]

Eep!!! I hate wasps with a passion!

[agirlnamedluna.livejournal.com]

Gary, is this another one of your longwinded allegoric comments on what people said about the competition? LOL

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Is this one of your ill-advised attempts at sarcasm? ;)

[snarkerdoodle.livejournal.com]

Mmmm... greasy spoon food. :)

I have not yet started reading, as this week is just kicking my ass so far, but will definitely get to it starting tomorrow. I am also going to try very hard for increased commenting, since pretty much everyone loves comments. (Mine are often just simple "Hey, liked this!" things, but I figure people like to hear even that rather than nothing at all because I couldn't find something 'meaningful' to say, lol.)

As to the meta and any negativity that might be out there and the whatnot -- I guess I'm just not as tuned in to all that unless someone specifically links to their public meta post somewhere. I suppose I also just have a fairly laid-back attitude about most things, Idol included. I write, I read, I like what I like, I vote, I try to participate in green rooms when I can, I see if I made it to the next week -- rinse, lather, repeat. ;)

One thing I love about Idol, though, is that there *are* so many different opinions and so on about the game itself. (Right down to the base concept of whether it's a 'game' or a 'writing contest'.) We're all interested and opinionated and passionate about it, for whatever reasons, and that's just cool. :)

Late Commenter League: Now I'm hungry

[beldar.livejournal.com]

"I saw a restaurant with a sign that said 'Breakfast any time' so I ordered French toast -- from the Renaissance."
- Steven Wright

There are about as many approaches to a topic as there are people in this contest. If one is picky about what is or isn't "appropriate" then that will be reflected in the votes, but I'm not seeing any hard-and-fast rules emerging, except that quality tends to be rewarded.
Other factors help (friendslist, etc.) but quality that connects to readers is still a biggie.

And I think by this point in the game, we all have an idea of what works and doesn't.