Might as Well Get it Over With

[dogriver]

With an hour and a half left before the polls close, I am in second-last
place in my group. Since they remove the bottom two people, that means
unless things change, and they show no signs of doing so, I'm out.

So what have I learned? I've learned that competition is a two-edged
sword. I had a rivalry going with the increasingly-lovely tazcat. It was a lot of fun to have that rivalry until, oh, the
middle of last week or so. Then it occurred to me that it was
conceivable that both she and I might wind up in the same tribe and in a
tie, forcing a runoff. I tried imagining being in a one-on-one race with
her, and I couldn't do it, I couldn't imagine it, I couldn't picture it,
and I knew I'd hate myself if I were to beat her in a situation like
that (no guarantee that this would happen, of course, but anything's
possible). So I decided, then and there, that should a situation like
that ever arise, I would immediately conceed.

I also learned again just how fun writing can be. The LJ Idol
competition allowed me to exercise my creativity. I always tried to put
a little twist on the given topic, to write it just a little differently
than was expected. I suppose it worked to a point. I did make it this
far. Not one of the power-house vote-gainers, not by a long shot, but I
came out all right. It's been a lot of fun, I've enjoyed myself
immensely. To those of you who did vote for me, thanks. To those of you
who didn't, well hey, thanks for being honest, and maybe next year I'll
write something that you consider voteworthy. I'm looking forward to the
rest of the competition. If the impossible happens and I stay in the
race, great! If not, well hey, I'll still be around, and I'd encourage
you all to read tazcat's entries and give her your support.
There are a lot of people worthy of support, but Caroline's special, you
see. HUGE GRIN

Comments

[kittytech.livejournal.com]

I still say I'd give up some of my votes if it meant keeping you in this week. *HUGS*

[ewok-626.livejournal.com]

We shall miss you (should you get ousted), but keep visiting us in the green room. I think I'll bring in pasta today... ;)

[puppybraille.livejournal.com]

And then the suspense continues. I'm hoping the best for you, it's an incredibly close race as I look at the run-off. Either way, I'm looking forward to what you write next, whether you're writing for Idol or your personal journal. It's been fun to be part of this with you. Either way it goes, know that a lot of people have huge respect for you, myself included.

[masterofmusings.livejournal.com]

Hey, that means a lot, thanks so much. But tell me, what do these gold stars mean exactly? When I lose, I'd like to know why ... is it just someone's whim that's pitting me head-to-head against someone I don't know from a hole in the wall as opposed to either being immunity or being in an eight-way tie? I've never understood these fabled gold stars.

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

Basically Gary gives out gold stars to people he noticed were helpful to other contestants or to him or to the game itself. It has nothing to do with your writing or how you are doing in the competition. The only benefit to having them is they are used to break any ties.

[puppybraille.livejournal.com]

OOPS, just now saw this comment. This explanation is so much less complicated. Ignore me if you wish.

[puppybraille.livejournal.com]

The best understanding I have of the gold stars is that they are given out by clauderainsrm. They're given out some time before the votes and can be for anything from being active or helpful in the green rooms to whatever he wants to say thanks/good job for. I know I got one (just discovered it in my technorati rank). Anyway, that's the deal as best as I understand it.

I admit, I don't know how many gold stars you've gotten (I can try to see if I can figure this out if you like). But say you and the other run-off participant, have 1 gold star, but the others had two over the entire season, they weren't put in the run-off. It's not immunity, perse, just comes into play if there's a tie. So if they'd been the only person with the fewest votes, they would've still been eliminated.

I hope this makes sense, and more importantly that it's actually correct and that I didn't miss something. If you have any more questions, feel free to instant message me, I'm not doing much right now, just getting ready for dinner.

[masterofmusings.livejournal.com]

I can tell you that. None. that's why you're high and dry and I'm not.