Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I know it's a bit early, but I wanted to take this time to tell you all to be safe, have fun, and come back from wherever you go in one piece. 2012 won't be the same without each and every one of you. There are many parties to attend tonight in our fair Spiral and I hope you'll check them out (unless you have plans in reality like I do!).   I'll be at a dance from 8:30 tonight until about 12:30 this morning, with breakfast to follow. Since 12:30 here is only 10:30 on the West Coast, maybe I'll drop in and say hello to party the rest of the night with the West Coast crew! Ya never know.

Remember: Don't drink and drive (unless it's a Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers ;) )

Your Friend Always,
John Lifeglen

Post-Party Post

First of all, thank you to everyone who came out last night! It was a great time. Secondly, a huge thank you to Connor Mistblade for his kind contribution of a Candy Cane Mount to the winner of the G+ Contest! Awesome!

Then for our contest winners! All prizes have already been distributed!

From Hide'N'Seek (Blogger): Morgrim Trollfriend
From Pet Scavenger Hunt (G+): Flint Stormtail
From Hidden Fairy Colony (Twitter): Connor Mistblade
From Costume Contest (Facebook): Elijah Stormheart

Congratulations to all of the winners!

I'm exhausted right now (haven't slept yet) so I'm going to bed NOW. Have a great day, I'll be sleeping in.

Your Friend Always,
John Lifeglen

Blogger Contest Rules

Short post here. Just dropping off the picture for everyone! It has the complete details for the contest being hosted through Blogger.

I'll also be posting here and removing the countdown post that will appear above when I have been found!

Can't wait to see everyone!

Your Friend Always,
John Lifeglen

P.S. The image from the last post now serves 2 purposes. The links have been reworked to the corresponding contest announcements. The short URLs are still directly to my profile for the given website!

P.S.S Contest Update I have been found by Morgrim Trollfriend!

Contest Info

While I'm not publishing full details for all contests yet (expect that by Wednesday) I have started releasing bits and pieces. This image should provide information on where to find full contest information (since all 4 have different host locations!)

The image should be mapped to allow you to click different parts to take you to the different locations. If it doesn't work, I have provided short URLs for each page to make navigating and finding me fast and simple.

Hmm. And I forgot to say "hello" at the beginning. Hi! 

And now Goodbye for now. 

Your Friend Always,

John Lifeglen

Holiday Extravaganza Updates

The port bus will arrive in the Lincoln Area 1 Myth Tower at 7:55 CST, and the party will begin at 8. The countdown will activate at 8, as well, and give a nice big reminder to everyone where exactly the port bus will be! Contest times are subject to change and as such are not yet posted. You'll need to track me down on G+, Twitter, and Facebook in order to participate in all 4 contests! If you are too young to participate in G+, the contest will still be posted there publicly so that anyone may see it, and alternate means of entry will be made available to you. Get ready for an awesome time!

Your Friend Always,

John Lifeglen

Integer Dolor

That title is in Latin. It means "Finals Complete". Yep, I'm done with finals (wooootttt!). Now it's on to a much needed vacation that will doubtless be filled with all kinds of interesting things (Arcanists, Minecraft, Runescape's Christmas events when they come out, and that Wizard101 thing). My cohorts in crime are also done. More on that to come soonish. It shall be fun and entertaining (at the very least!).

I'm still having that party next Thursday night. I need to post about the contests, except only one contest will have details posted here. The other 3 will involve different means of social media. One contest hosted over on G+, one on Facebook, and the final on Twitter. The Twitter contest will involve finding a hidden area in one of my houses during the party and tweeting a very specifically worded tweet at me.  G+ will involve a scavenger hunt through the houses, and Facebook's is a surprise. For the contest here, I'll be playing a short game of Hide and Seek in-game, in one of my houses, during the party. Everyone will need to watch the blog during the party to see what secret phrase you'll need to say. I'll update that post as soon as I'm found, too, so you all stop your searching. Prizes will be announced at a later time. All 4 prizes (1 per contest) are being sponsored by the Wizard101 Bloggers' Club.

I wish those of you finishing up finals good luck, and I wish everyone and their families a very Merry Christmas! You'll be hearing me say that quite a bit soon. It is the most wonderful time of the year, after all.

Your Friend Always,
John Lifeglen

Changes and Finals

Heylooo out there! John Lifeglen giving a quick update in regards to finals week. I am alive and kicking. 1 finals down, 1 more today, then 1 Wednesday and 1 Thursday. Then I'm finished. Getting over halfway on day 1 is both a blessing and a curse, I suppose.

Now with party news! The party is set for the 22nd, which is a Thursday. Keep checking the countdown for up to the minute information on time. When the party countdown strikes 0, the information for a port bus will be revealed. I'll probably give everyone a heads up before the countdown drops, though. Please let me know if there's any conflict with party times. While I can't adjust the time (much) further, and the date is fairly locked-in, I can make changes to how the contest/s will be operated. I'll extend deadlines/ make myself available at a couple of other times to allow everyone to participate to the best of my ability!  Have a great and safe finals week. Good luck to all of the collegiate types out there, as well as any other students taking finals. You'll all do great!

Your Friend Always,
John Lifeglen

Feedback

Helloo Spiralites! I've been getting some e-mail feedback about bumping when the party is. Tuesday night sounded good for me, because I was figuring everyone would be done with school for the semester by then. I was wrong...so I'm going to adjust the date! How does the 23rd look for people at 8PM CST? I didn't want to push it back that far, because I know a lot of people travel for the winter holidays, but that's what's going to have to happen. I can't host it the weekend before the 20th because StormyWiz is throwing a party. Does Thursday the 22nd work, in case Friday falls through? Leave me a comment on this post, write me an e-mail, or drop me a tweet! Links to my Facebook, G+, and Twitter can all be found beneath the countdown information!

Your Friend Always,
John Lifeglen

*EDIT* Apparently Luke Goldhorn is having a party on the 23rd, and it was announced last month. I'm bumping the day back to the 22nd now. If the 22nd will not work, I will adjust and the "Holiday Extravaganza" will take place between Christmas and the New Year. Continue sending me date/time conflicts!

Bloggers' Club Holiday Extravaganza

Hey party people! Exciting news! There's going to be a Holiday Extravaganza hosted by moi on the 20th of December (tentatively). There will be 4 individual contests that night spread between my 3 houses that will be involved. The 4 contests will each be through a different social networking device, but there will be more information on that soon. I'm not revealing any contest details or anything yet, just giving you a heads up.

I WANT THIS EVENT TO BE FUN AND ACCESSIBLE FOR AS MANY WIZARDS AS POSSIBLE. IF YOU HAVE A CONFLICT WITH THE TIME, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO I CAN TRY TO ACCOMMODATE YOU. FAILURE TO NOTIFY ME WITHIN4 DAYS OF TODAY WILL RESULT IN NO TIME FOR ME TO MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS TO PLANNING. 


And now that bold-caps-speak has left the building, I'll bid you all a good night. Remember! Check your social calendars. If ANYONE cannot make it, let me know. I'd like as many wizards to be able to participate in the contests as possible! And yes, these contests have [small] prizes attached.

Your Friend Always,
John Lifeglen

P.S. I reserve the right to change the time of the party if something comes up. The countdown is the most up-to-the-minute way to know what's going on.

A Happy Holiday Gathering

Hey gang! I just tweeted about wanting to dust off the old Bloggers' Club countdown that has just been sitting there forever (except that it's a new one. And you need to update your copy and get this one! See previous post) and have a party! I'm thinking of a nice Holiday gathering. BYOBI (Bring Your Own Battle Implement) and have a party set up between a couple of my houses. Multiple PvP matches easily accessible, etc. Maybe I'll even raffle off a couple items, we'll see where exactly this goes. I make no promises of prizes, I'll have to check my crown situation at this time and leading up to the party.

Anyway, I wanted to get some feedback on a good date/time for people, so I'm opening up comments to let you all tell me when works best for you! Just drop me a comment with your thoughts or concerns, and I'll take them under consideration before I finalize anything. I just want to get a feel for when people are available (AKA not studying for tests!).

Discussion will also (hopefully) be up on G+, which is linked by my widget on the right-hand side of the page.

Your Friend Always,
John Lifeglen

Study Time!

So, uh, quick update to yesterday's post. Widgetbox hasn't gotten back to me yet. The newly updated countdowns are in place. I strongly urge everyone that currently has a copy of one of the countdowns up to take the new ones and replace the existing ones to bypass any problems.  If you don't update your countdown, the old one will simply sit there saying "Showtime" until you realize a problem. The Protean Charm placed on those Galleons has worn off. I'm trying to distribute newly enchanted ones. Bonus points to the first person to correctly identify which book the Protean Charm is first mentioned in. Even more points to the first person to correctly identify who the first person in said books to use (chronologically in time, not restricted to the time constraints of the books) the Protean Charm was.

And now, a bit of humor. I'm in college. Finals are fast approaching. I found this prayer that I think anyone should be able to use, if they're so inclined.

Now I lay me down to study,
I pray the Lord I don't go nutty,
And if I fail to learn this junk,
I pray the Lord I do not flunk.
And if I die, don't bury me at all, 
Just lay my bones in Study Hall,
And pile my books upon my chest,
and tell the professors I did my best.
So now I lay me down to rest,
And pray I pass tomorrow's test,
And if I die before I wake,
That's one less test I'll have to take.

To all students everywhere, good luck with your end-of-term exams and projects! 

Your [Exhausted] Friend Always,

John Lifeglen

*EDIT* 

For those of you who liked that little poem, here's another! 

Twas the night before finals/ And all through the college/ The students were praying/
For last minute knowledge.

Most were quite sleepy/ But none touched their beds/ While visions of essays/
Danced in their heads.

Out in the taverns/ A few were still drinking/ And hoping that liquor/
Would loosen their thinking.

In my own dorm room/ I had been pacing/ And dreading exams/
I soon would be facing.

My roommate was speechless/ His nose in his books/ And my comments to him/
Drew unfriendly looks.

I drained all the coffee/ And brewed a new pot/ No longer caring/
That my nerves were all shot.

I stared at my notes/ But my thoughts were all muddy/ My eyes went ablur/
I just couldn't study.

"Some pizza might help,"/ I thought with a shiver/ But each place that I called/
Refused to deliver.

I'd nearly concluded/ That life was too cruel/ With futures depending/
On grades had in school.

When all of a sudden/ Our door opened wide/ And Patron Saint Put It Off/
Ambled inside.

His spirit was careless/ His manner was mellow/ He looked straight at me/
And started to bellow:

"What kind of student/ Would make such a fuss/ To toss back at teachers/
What they tossed at us?"

"On Cliff Notes! On Crib Notes/ On Last Year's Exams/ On Wingit and Slingit/
And Last Minute Crams!"

His message delivered/ He vanished from sight/ But we heard him laughing/
Outside in the night.

"Your teachers have pegged you/ So just do your best/ Happy Finals to All/
And to all a good test."

Countdown Updates: IMPORTANT!

Hey there, gang! I'm alive (for now) as finals approach, then I'll be off for a month for Christmas break. I'm very excited for that. It's also getting cooler now, and even Noah is shivering and complaining a little bit. I keep telling him to buck up and deal with it, it is his school after all! Haha.

The point of this post is to update everyone on what's going to [probably] happen with the countdown to the side for Ravenwood Radio.  Widgetbox, which I still love dearly for their massive collection of customizable widgets has some issues right now. The main issue is that I didn't ever create an account with them, because I was using Facebook Connect to sign in. Now, the Facebook Connect login button is gone, which means I'll have to create a real account. No big deal, right? Everyone is [most likely] going to have to remove the current countdown and replace it with a newly updated one. The old one will stop updating itself for you all (since I'm the one behind updating it) and just show that it's "Showtime" all the time. We can't have that, can we?

I apologize for the inconvenience, and I'm currently working with the fine folks over at Flite (who power Widgetbox) to see if I can't salvage my account or transfer widget ownership somehow to make it nice and easy. I'll keep you all updated on what's going on!

Until next time.

Your Friend Always,
John Lifeglen