Please Excuse Bet...

...from a Picture Sunday this week. She had all good intentions and even a recipe idea, but is apparently too old and infirmed to stay up all night on Saturday and do a Picture Sunday today.

Hello, end of weekenders, and welcome to pictureless Sunday blog. As anyone who has 1) read this blog in the past week or two, or has 2) had to endure my begging for donations and pledges knows, I spent all day yesterday and all night last night with Stennie (via a Skype internet hookup) participating in our Podcastathon to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

I don't see how it could have gone any better, and I had a blast.

Well, truth be told, I guess it could have gone better had I arrived at my computer on time.

It all started at 9 am Saturday, which meant I was supposed to be at my computer at 8:45 to record our first podcast to be uploaded at 9. I set all alarms, and brought out the big guns, the ironclad alarm clock, I had my mom call me at 8:15. I popped out of bed, stretched, splashed some water on my face, and it was so nice and cool in my house I thought, "Hmmm, I'll have a little sit in the Comfy Chair." And oh dear, I grabbed my little purple blankie and threw it over me.

I woke up at 8:55, and then had to face Stennie. I wasn't sure I'd live through the first podcast.

She got over it quickly, though, and we spent the next 24 hours talking, laughing, drinking coffee, eating junk food, laughing, singing TV theme songs, playing Fact or Crap, laughing, playing $25,000 Pyramid, trying to stump but not be stumped at movie quotes, watching Eddie Izzard's "Dress To Kill," laughing, playing the clarinet and guitar, taking text pages online and reading comments from people, watching "Cash in the Attic," "Bargain Hunt," and "Life On Mars," laughing, and, did I mention we laughed a lot?

We also raised a very nice sum of money for the ACS.

We had a long line of friends and listeners joining us with emails, comments, pledges, and messages of goodwill. We even found a way to have some special guests via remote hookups, Michelle the Dishy joined us and sang the TV theme "The Electric Company," Mr M played clarinets for us, Duke came on the show to tell us all about his new television guilty pleasure, "Johnny Socko and his Giant Flying Robot," and Mike came along around the 4:30 am shift to, well, to not get to say much at all.

LilyG wanted to join us on the show but couldn't get the software going, but was there at the very beginning, during the day, and when we finished up. And Michelle also tried to hook us up with her party full of Germans, but it didn't work because of their internet capabilities. Kellie (with an ie) joined us via computer and fancy-ass cell phone, during which time she sent the Podcastathon into mobile mode and took us paddleboating with her and the family. The DeepFatFriar was standing by to compose limericks for pledges. Then we heard from a large contingent of Stennie's friends from Washington.

And so, here's the world's biggest thanks to LilyG, Kellie (with an ie), Michelle the Dishy, Mr M, Capt A (who is never in the same room as Mr M), Duke, Mike, the DeepFatFriar, Marla, Alisa, the Former Flipsycab, and ThePete, Stiglitz, and ScottyDude (who all wished us well).

And even tonight, the pledges are still coming in. My cousin Jacob, whose mother was the coolest aunt in the world, just got my email, and lent her support.

Hours 19-24 were the hardest. From about 3:30 to 5:30 we had almost no listeners, and had to entertain ourselves by watching television. For me, it became very difficult when the sun started coming up, because I knew it was getting close to the end, but that I couldn't leave till 9:00 this morning.

When I did the Blogathon a few years ago, I had a strange occurrence when I signed off for the final blog, went to bed - and was so wound up I couldn't sleep. It was miserable. This year, we signed off for the final podcast, I turned off the lamp, washed out my coffee cup, went to bed - and was out like a light within 10 minutes. I slept till about 2:45 this afternoon.

And now it's over, I have my life back, and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that what I often say to anyone who'll listen is true. I have the coolest and most generous friends on the planet. And I love each and every one of them.

Betland's Olympic Update:
* Maybe we can do a picture blog through the week.
* And I'm not posting those podcastathon instructions anymore! However, if you haven't pledged and still want to, head to the blog below.
* Thanks again, everyone!