I make the beats.

Back in December, Mark and Bree announced they were putting together a Best of Buzznet 2008 collection for which we were invited to submit nominations. I don’t know whatever became of the results of it; I never saw the post. (If anyone has a link, shoot it my way.)  At the time, a light bulb immediately went on in my head to do a list of my own which would consist of my favorite photos of 2008 from all my friends.(I don't know if these are the best, but they're my favorites.)

Well, this turned out to be the Mother of all Projects. I’ve been working on it since the end of December. It’s still not done, but here’s Volume One. (I’ll post Vol. 2 as soon as I get it together.)  There were only two requirements to be included in this list:  If you  posted an original photo as recently as October 2008 and have been in touch with me in one way or another, then you are included here.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the photographic achievements of some of Buzznet’s most  Beautiful People.

 
“Concentration” by crash13 (Sue).

*After being away for what seemed like an eternity, she’s back!*

 
“Good Morning” by nessalh (Vanessa)

 
“Silly Donkey” by hidedontseek (Kerri)  *Who can resist this?*

“Bounce” by kassady (Becky)

“Sci Fi Scene” by kassady  

*With city photos--both candid and posed--her specialty, it’s so hard to choose just one!*

Bizarreland (J.J)  posts a wide variety of photos, from scenes with her cute zombie toys to amazing close-ups of insects, but her squirrely and chimpmunky friends are favorites of many of us.

“Squirrely Wednesday”

“A Squirrel’s Nightmare.” by bizarreland (J.J.)

“Holding the Heavens”  by eyelinersmudge (Madison)

“So many kids” by that lovely Scottish lass brokenglassheart (Lucy)

“Chap-Stique”  by tryingtofindthewords (Savannah)

 
“She is Killing Me”  by tryingtofindthewords. *THAT HAIR!*

“I’m not so attached to this face.”  by ikkyg (Kristyn)

*Brave and Creative.*

“Beautiful Girl” by darkxhuntress

“Dancing in my new shoes” by vero333  (Veronika) 

*She doesn’t post much, but everything she posts is beautiful.*

“Our New President”  by rhiannaresolution (Rhianna)

“Untitled”  by breesays  *One of the best The Academy Is... shots everrrrr.*

“Metallica at the Great Western Forum”  by panasonicyouth (Mark)

“Cute dog at Reverse Prop 8 rally”  (mark)  *awwwwwwwww*

“She’s not Coming” by elrich (Rich)  *Rich created this for susieq’s birthday, and it was love at first sight for this photo and me.  True artistic creativity with an added touch of wistfulness.*

“She spins her web undisturbed” by 5footer (Sue)

“Thinking” by allynallynallyn

“You can never have too many giraffe pictures” by alyheartscandy (Aly)

*Have you ever seen anything quite like this?  I haven’t!*

“So this is Christmas” by alyheartscandy

“Brr, this frosty grass is cold”  by annier 

*Beautiful sunrises and sunsets are one thing, but even they can’t match the charm of Annie’s inimitable dog, Hovis.*

“Untitled”  by anrathebadangel

*Known more for her drawing talent, this is a great photo anra took of her super-happy Dad.*

“Golden Bunny Ears” by ashdood (Ashley)  *Rockin’ iconic photo*

“Cacti” by arenee (Renee)

“Really romance is not my thing”  by azepuzha 

*Perfect match of photo and caption.*

And that’s it for tonight, gang. Hope you enjoyed it. After my “top friends list,” I’ll be going alphabetically. And look!  I’ve already done the A’s!!

More to come!!

(still from video)

Well, I’ll tell you.  As some of you know, AFI is running a contest for all fans interested in singing on their upcoming album.  They asked us to make a video of ourselves (2mins. or less) and post it to a special AFI group set up on youtube.

I made one of these videos.  And you, my Buzzfriends, are a big part of the reason I got up the nerve to do it.

Two years ago I never would have dreamed of videotaping myself, and posting it on the internet for all the world to see.  All my life I have let the fact that I am a small, mousy person get in the way of living life to the fullest.  But two things contributed to helping me take what, to me, is a big step.  The first is the band, AFI.  If you are a fan, you know that it’s not “just another band.” It is a unique band composed of its extraordinary members, Adam, Davey, Hunter and Jade.

The second thing is the Buzznet community.  Since I became a member here, you, my friends, have consistently shared your friendship and support and have helped greatly improve my confidence. 

What I am finally learning almost halfway through my life is that if you never take any risks in life, you will reap very few rewards.  In making this video I know that I only have a miniscule chance of winning the contest. But if I hadn’t made the video, I would have no chance at all.

While many of you can’t relate to my feelings or my life experiences, perhaps there are a few of you out there who can. And to you I say, “Mouses of the world, come out of your holes, and go after that cheese!”

Thank you for reading this, dear friends, and if you’d like to see the video I made, I’ll get you a link.

[note: I posted this same exact thing as a photo.]  (link)