Cakes and sentiment
OK, two people have had good ideas as to how we celebrate the first birthday of this blog, which occurs in a little over two weeks. The first one, from Craig, is simple and fitting:
‘How about a couple of thoughts on the blog’s first year from every Watsonian willing to contribute?’
This would be nice, then we could put them all together into a sort of montage, like if this was a reality show and we were reviewing my ‘best bits’ with ‘One Day Like This’ by Elbow behind it. It’s the sort of thing I would love to happen, but without me organising it. Does anyone fancy being the editor of this? It’ll just involve people sending you their couple of thoughts on email, and you putting them together into an uber-document and maybe posting it on the day itself. Like a present for me. (I think we should do it this way because if people left public Comments, there wouldn’t be much excitement when it was unveiled.)
And then there was Josh’s idea.
‘We all make a birthday cake.
And then we all take pictures of the cakes.
And then we eat the cakes.’
It’s hard to find much fault with this. I therefore declare an official state of Making Cakes. As with a state of national emergency, this is only to be done in extreme circumstances and when all alternatives have been exhausted. I think we are at that point now. Nobody should feel under pressure to make a cake. But those who do will be rewarded and there will be at least one prize for the best. Maybe even prizes in different categories if there is more than one cake created. Again it would be good if someone took charge of collating pictures of cakes. Another of those sentences I never quite expected to write.
You have more than two weeks to address one, or more, of these tasks.
Also – remember when we started that iPod racing round the country? It would be great if we could finish off its journey for the 1st birthday. Or failing that, maybe more realistically for the first anniversary of the iPod project itself. But anyway, we should have an end-point. If you are meant to be in the chain, get in touch with the organisers. If you are the organisers, get in touch with me.
We face this milestone together with our now-traditional optimism.
Posted by Shell on February 4, 2011
Happy with both those suggestions – if I was any good at writing in icing I’d combine the two!
x
Posted by Sephy on February 3, 2011
Misha – I’m still up for it and i have quite a bit of free time atm so should be able to work something out. x
Posted by Anna on February 3, 2011
I will do my best to make cake, though can I be excused if I end up giving birth on cake day? I’m not very good at multi-tasking, and I fear that baking between contractions may be beyond me.
Posted by issey on February 3, 2011
i’m so excited about the the cake making!!
Posted by Anji on February 3, 2011
Oo cake! I shall try and make a cake! It will be wheat and dairy free, coz then I can eat the cake I make! I may make it for next weekend and tie it in with a friends birthday! Whoop de whoop!
Is it right for us all to be so excited about cake?!
Posted by louisel on February 3, 2011
Oooh, cake! I’ll really try to make one, but I’m not exactly brilliant with cooking (the cookery teacher at school banned me from using the electric whisk after I managed to get dough on the ceiling …). You didn’t say that it had to be edible though, so I’ll give it a go
Posted by Lydia on February 3, 2011
I will try and make a cake and add my thoughts on everything, although I’m not very coherent so I suppose that might be a bad idea.
Speaking of TYSICs I have to sort of face one of mine at the moment. I have one that is something to do with not being terrified to show people my creative writing, and one of the universities I have applied to have written to me asking for at least 7 pages. I guess since I don’t have much choice over this it isn’t exactly not being scared, but I am going to think it is anyway. Although thinking about them critically looking at my rubbish ramblings makes me want to puke.
Posted by Sephy on February 3, 2011
yay cake! exciting.
can I collate the cake pics?
Posted by Juliet on February 3, 2011
I like the idea of making a cake, depending on the exact date I may or may not be able to do it. But I’ll do my best, I like Craig’s idea as well, so I will definitely be doing that (easier from this part of the world – not in Buenos Aires right now – internet connection a bit unreliable).
Looking forward to the 1st Birthday, I’m sooooooooooooooooooo excited I can’t believe it’s been a year!!!
Posted by cymruangel on February 3, 2011
Happy to collate thoughts of the year and will also endeavour to make cake.
I think it would be good to use the thoughts document to create a world cloud (a la http://www.wordle.net/) to show frequent themes topics, mainly because I think they are pretty!
Posted by Beth (Doomed1) on February 3, 2011
Why the 24th Mark?? Why?! Of all the day of the year!!!
Posted by Craig on February 3, 2011
Yay, cakes and thoughts! Glad I offered the sensible suggestion in my head, instead of the unsensible *is that a word?) “Let’s burn a dummy of Frankie Boyle at the stake.”
I got the email for cake pictures but has someone offered one for the comments/thoughts? I would have offered but am guilty of working too hard…
Posted by Rachael on February 3, 2011
I think i just thought of my ‘thoughts on the year’. It sounds like it could be on a greeting card.
Posted by Beth on February 3, 2011
I am all OVER this making a cake lark… my head is now swimming with all sorts of cakey ideas and I’m totally going to be distracted from work for sometime. Excellent.
Posted by Beth (Doomed1) on February 3, 2011
Rubbish. My com crashed thru my frist comment so redid it! Apologises!
Posted by Beth (Doomed1) on February 3, 2011
Finally a cake based challange!! Im in! Happy to help with the cake photos as well if needed, I think a blog would be good for all entries? Then can be used next year?
Not sure what my best watsonian TYSIC moment is from this year, everythings been a bit slow for me. However things are looking great for year two!!
Posted by Beth (Doomed1) on February 3, 2011
Yes finally a cake challange!! Im in. I suggest putting the cakes up on a google type bloggy thing! Happy to help if its needed!
Struggling to find my best watsonian TYSIC part at the moment, however things are looking great for the second year!!!
Posted by Madeleine on February 3, 2011
Cake will be made!
It will be vegan though, hope that counts!
Posted by Tibbs on February 3, 2011
Well, since we’ve already got two other offers to edit the thoughts, I’ll switch to offering to edit the pictures. I was thinking it would be neat if we could have videos of everyone doing something like taking their cake from off screen, eating a bite, and then handing it off to the side, and then edit it together to make it look like we’re handing cake from one person to the other, although that might be too complicated (and I basically stole the idea from Jonathan Coulton fans, although I don’t think they’d mind). Either way, I’m happy to edit it all together. I’ve set up the email watsoncake@yahoo.ca for people to email in their submissions.
Posted by Kathryn on February 3, 2011
I love making cakes. Unfortunately my student accommodation only has a microwave. I’ll have to be inventive and devious…
Posted by Josh (the magnificent one) on February 3, 2011
I would like to remind everyone that my first idea was to sacrifice Patrick to the sun god Ra.
But cakes are fine too, even if they wouldn’t taste as good.
It’s remarkable how a train of thought can turn to cannibalism.
Posted by Ally on February 2, 2011
I’ll volunteer to do the editing/posting of thoughts etc.
And I shall start trying to work out what kind of cake to make. I’ll take any excuse for baking!
Posted by Alex on February 2, 2011
Oh my God I love this blog. I am smiling a LOT right now. I would offer to help with these things but I have very little time at the moment. But I will definitely DO these things.
Posted by Linsey on February 2, 2011
I’ve just spent the last half an hour catching up on about half a month’s worth of blogs because my laptop has only just decided to let me read them! Anyway I would love to make a cake. I will probably end up making a cake.
Posted by A lot of Rachels on February 2, 2011
I like all the ideas. Cake will be good to eat.
Posted by lisan66 on February 2, 2011
Cake making sounds absolutely amazing…cake eating sounds slightly better than that. And I would volunteer to collate things, but my knowledge of technology isn’t that great (very bad). But I’m making cake, and I can make cake well apparently. And part of my TYSIC is to go somewhere with baking. I think that Josh had the most awesome idea in the entire world when he thought of this cake thing….and now I’m going to shut up rambling and finish rading this book.
Posted by Alice on February 2, 2011
Forgot the link. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs5__DUGmMw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I’m the lass with the big mouth and multicoloured scarf singing.
Posted by Alice on February 2, 2011
Cake is perfectly timed, i’ve been asked to make cupcakes for a DareDevil Diva photo exhibition for Women’s Day so I’m designing especially decadent cupcakes. I’m working on a Black Swan cupcake right now, tricky but potentially beautiful.
Incidentally this relates back to our old burlesque discussion, and as Vivi has put together our video recently, do take a look and see what positive work these ladies do. And, if you live in Bristol and are a fan of women do come see our exhibition on march 8th at the Tobacco Factory.
Plug done. I’m still up for cake! Just made a batch of brownies with macadamia nuts. Bliss.
Posted by Misha on February 2, 2011
Also, toberlerunners! Could you try and find them again Mark? Or if you’re here ladies, it’d be nice to do that by the first anniversary.
I’m happy to collate, but will also probably make a cake and feed it to the flatmates.
Posted by Emily on February 2, 2011
This blog made me smile (even) more than usual
I don’t have the equipment, time, or ingredients to make cake, but I may buy one, and use this as an excuse.
Posted by Tibbs on February 2, 2011
Well if nobody else volunteers, I would be happy to edit the Best Bits Review editing.
And I love the cake idea! Although I’m not used to baking anything, so this will be a bit of a challenge…
Posted by MusicalLottie on February 2, 2011
I could collate thoughts, as long as we had a deadline of a few days before the anniversary itself to make sure that I could still get it to you in time even if any emergencies crop up (I’m not being pessimistic, just realistic!)
I do like the idea of making cake. The last one I made turned out better than expected, so … yay
Posted by Katie on February 2, 2011
I have 2 weeks until I go back to uni. Time to let cake making once again consume my thoughts.
Posted by Jen on February 2, 2011
cake….yey!!!!…sorry to bother more accomplished Watsonians but im new to this so where would we send our photos?Jx
Posted by Carl on February 2, 2011
I am happy due to this blog. Would love to do both. Although I’m poor at caking.
2 quick questions:
1. Would it be possible to get a list of all of the tracks put on the iPod once the mission is complete?
An. 2. Mark, as you’re feeling all sweet and nice today, any more thoughts to you and I jumping from a plane?
Thanks for another great blog,
Carl
@baby_bucket
Posted by Patrick L. on February 2, 2011
I approve of cake.
Posted by Megan on February 2, 2011
This has made my day. Not that I need an excuse to make a cake, really.
(I will have to bring it to work to share, I’m thinking. The vulturous staff will be thrilled.
)
Posted by Sophie on February 2, 2011
I honestly do not have the time to make a cake. I could write thoughts. Maybe not edit. I am getting far too much school work. Internet procrastination does not help. That means I should really stop writing now.
Posted by Rachel/Pandora on February 2, 2011
I can well do cake.
Shall email you about iPod things now…