Ohmigawd. I just spent three hours with 35 other avid contest enterers (contesters) this afternoon. It was awesome!

Of course, I did experience that whole "oh no, what if they're all like the library club" or "over the age of eighty" or "carrying trolls in large numbers"? But that wasn't the case. We were all just a group of regular women (and one very brave man) who happen to get a big kick out of entering - and winning - contests.

We shared our tales of big wins, near misses, odd prizing and different ways to attract luck. Heck, we even had guest speakers talk about using feng shui to better our chances. (Must remember to place a live plant in the bedroom to the far left of the door.)

And for once, I didn't get weird looks or eye rolls while talking about contests. It was a fabulous feeling. Normally I just get a "that's nice dear," then the snoring starts up. Here, people were asking each other for more details, sharing tips and even saying "Oh, I know, I had trouble logging in as a returning player on that site too!"

It was a beautiful moment.

Best thing is, the group is breaking into three smaller ones and meeting monthly. How cool is that? And, if you hadn't guessed already, yours truly will be sharing the baton of responsibility with another contester to head up the Central Toronto chapter. We're going to have prizes and everything! Woot!

Heck, it sure beats signing up for that continuing ed course on basket weaving or underwater ballroom dancing that I was thinking about. Actually, I was all set to take a class at the high school up the street, but the only courses I was interested in were offered at locations on the other side of the city. Ain't that the way it usually goes?

Of course, this will not interfere with the half an hour a day, every day program. Which is still moving along quite well, even though I discovered that I have written one character using the "piece of crap" method throughout the first half of the book. So that needs a wee bit of a rewrite. I'm trying not to panic too much as I see how much work I have in front of me. And that's before the betas get it. Sigh.

I'm also being wooed by the many features on wordpress. Is there anyone out there who's had a bad wordpress experience or something strange that I should be aware of before I make the big leap?