We all have them. That loved one that you just cannot help but care a little extra for. It might be a friend, boyfriend or a family member. Whoever it is, its time to honour that special person in this campfire.

For me it's my uncle. When my brother and I were young he was the uncle that always took the time to play with us and tell us stories, and never let it show if our games bored him. Basically, he was the awesome funny uncle that you always looked forward to seeing during those boring family gatherings.

Nowadays he's the awesome uncle that offers his apartment to you while he's away in Austraila, doesn't have a problem with letting you and your friends stay the night (we were 7 and he lives in a 1 bedroom apartment) after a night out in Stockholm, shares the same love for True Blood and even buys you a True Blood bottle without you even having to ask.

He is also the uncle that gladly showed me and my best friend Stockholm's gay clubs after my best friend came out as gay. My best friend had his first real make out session with another guy that night, and he still believes that this is the best night he's had in his life.

My uncle recently turned 40 and I met many of his friends for the first time. For me this was the first time I really understood how much he loves me, my siblings and my cousins, because every friend of his said "So you are Michaela! Your uncle talks about you all the time!". It got to the point that I almost cried because I was so touched, and I felt that I need to spend more time showing him how much I love him.

So next week Sweden's annual Pride parade is taking place, and I'm planning on being there and walk in the parade with a T-shirt saying "Proud Niece!"  to show the world how proud and happy I am to have this awesome and loving uncle.

So campers, let us spread some love by telling us about your awesome loved one!

Last week I found out that one of our campers, goldenhair, is called Lamia in real life.  For some reason she didn't know that a lamia is a type of vampire but I was happy to point it out to her - so she has the coolest name ever, and one most appropriate for our fandom.

Anyway, as my mind has a tendency to wander when I should be doing my job more productive things it got me thinking about names and meanings...

My name is Michelle.  It is the French feminine form of the name Michael, which means 'godlike'.  My parents knew what they were doing.

(my middle name is Anne, which means 'grace'...okay, they dropped the ball on that one).

So campers, my question to you is...what's your name and what's it mean?

If you need a little help you can look on these websites:

Behind the Name

Meaning of Names

Google

Also, if you have any anecdotes about why your parents chose your name, share it here! (I have no clue why they picked my name, apart from my parents were clearly prepared for the awesomeness that would be their daughter).

Xavier: Derived from the Basque place name Etxaberri meaning "the new house".  Eh, kinda boring.

Robert:  From the Germanic name Hrodebert meaning "bright fame", derived from the Germanic elements hrod "fame" and beraht "bright".  Interesting...

Thought I'd download the eclipse soundtrack, plugged in my ipod to sync it (first time I've connected my ipod to my new computer) and managed to delete my entire ipod.

EVERYTHING!

I guess I'll be listening to the eclipse album on repeat for a while. 

Bring back walkmans i say!!!!!

Evening all!

REVIEWS

I'm pretty sure we all love to get them. I know I do, it means a huge amount when someone takes time out of their day to let you know what they think of your stuff.

So what do we do with the bad reviews? The flames? The unnecessarily hurtful comments?

I've been writing fanfiction for around 9 years now. I was 13 when I wrote my first story (I had little to no understanding of plot, characterisation, spelling, grammar, continuity...you can see where I'm going with this) and I like to think that I've come a LOOOONG way.

Yet when I received a nasty review this week, it still totally bummed me out. It wasn't even constructive criticism - just nasty, hurtful, bitter comments.

So why, after 9 years, does this still get to me?

How long have you been writing?

How do you react to nice/nasty reviews?

What's the nicest/nastiest review you've ever received/left?

FYT

This, on the other hand, is just to cheer me up ;D

It's free for all Friday! I'm sitting at home with nothing to do while the menfolk work on cars. Yeah, it's boring. SO... I thought we could play a game.  A fun one. One of my favorites actually. And I love when people interact and make it fun, so I'm hoping everyone joins in.

I don't know how many have played before so we'll just do a quick rundown of the rules. It's simple... like the title. You post two truths about yourself, and one of them is supposed to be a lie. Then people try and guess which one is the lie.

We gettin this? Yes, yes? Okay, so that's how it goes. Let's see who can get the most right.

Mostly... I could use some entertainment lol.

Mine will be in the comments :)

First campire! Nervous!

So I used to read a blog from a girl in Vancouver ages ago. I really can’t remember why I stopped because it was really good. She did a Love List every Friday and I used to wait excitedly for it! You got to share your own list on the comments or your own blog and link it. I would write down everything I noticed I loved during the week so I wouldn’t forget and I think it made me start appreciating and enjoying a wide variety of things that sometimes went unnoticed.

Anyhoo... I feel like a need a Love List today and I hope you share yours in writing or with pictures! It has to have something Twilight-y! :D

I love:

*Lattes in a Starbucks cup
*Crispy clean cold sheets
*Sexy shoes
*My six cats and two dogs
*The Dog Whisperer
*Shows about organizing and redecorating
*When your crying so hard you start laughing even harder
*My new retro sunglasses
*Jazz
*Eye makeup (Love KStew’s!)
*Jeans (Love KStew’s! :D)
*Cozy outdoor dining with a nice group of people
*Twitter because it helped a homeless man, his wife and their sick child find a home, jobs and medical care. <3
*Finding great new music
*Listening to a song I loved but had forgotten all about
*Perfectly worn band t-shirts
*Twilight Fanfiction
*This here forest and its inhabitants!
 

So, I may or may not have gotten caught up on Vampire Diaries last night and all I can say is OH MY GOSH!!!! It had so many twists and turns and crying moments that I can't wait for the next season!!!!!

Edit: My interactive part is this-Which Salvatore brother would you choose and why?

I'm going to go visit my hair stylist today and am a wee bit excited since I haven't had a haircut since October of last year.  I've had my hair in a bob for so long that I'm looking forward to playing around with my medium length hair.  I've decided that I'm going to grow it.  I'm probably going to get something similar to this:

I have a round face and want to cut my bangs again.

Tell me fellow campers, who's hairstyle do you wish you had or better yet, post some pics of you with your awesome hair.

(My title is from the Amy Poehler skit..."Rick! Rick! Rick! I want some taco bell!..." anyone? no? kay moving on.....)

I am currently in the middle of reading The Screamers by KiyaRaven and I just had to recommend it over here with this little excerpt....

EPOV

I looked over at Bella who was carefully drizzling fudge on a massive ice-cream sundae. A small dribble ran down the side of the bowl, and I saw her bend down to lick it off before checking to see if anyone had noticed.

She caught me looking.

She smiled proudly as she pointed to her massive concoction, giving me two thumbs up and rubbing her tummy.

Funny bitch.

lol....this is just a fun, funny story and if you're in the mood to read something pretty vulgar and random, go for it. I love it!

Have a good weekend forest.

Ok, so I have a problem.  Well, not really a problem, it's more of a personal challenge.  My husband and I just bought a house, not our first, but it was an upgrade for our growing family.  Anyway, things are tight now and we're cutting corners everywhere we can.  I need to work on cutting our food budget.  I figured there have to be other people out there needing to do the same thing so I thought maybe we could commiserate. :)  So, here's my challenge to you: post your favorite budget friendly recipe and maybe we can all compile some great recipes that will help us in these tight times.  If you have several, go ahead and post a bunch.  Ok, so not the most exciting campfire, but I'm hoping it can be useful.  Oh, and bonus points for healthy and kid friendly meals!

My recipe is in the comments.

And in more domestic pursuits, did you know that you can make your very own Robert Pattinson cross stitch?  This was too funny to not post.  I'm a little frightened...

Hi all!

I'd like to get recommendations a new way.

Rec me something COMPLETED and MATURE based on this picture:

What story does this make you think of? Is there an Edward out there that comes to mind?

I'm really interested to see what you all come up with!

EDIT: Don't hesitate to add yours even if the comment count is high or you feel you're late to the party, I've favorite'd this so I will keep on checking it! I think my expirament is coming up with some GREAT suggestions!

(this is my open letter to Rob.  You can add to it, if you like, in the comments.  I'm sure some of you have a word or two for him as well)

Dear Rob,

I have stuff to do.  I am a busy woman, with a business that needs my attention, I have a household to run, children to raise, stories to read, and to write, and friends to chat with. 

STOP DISTRACTING ME.

Stop wearing that damn tuxedo and allowing your picture to be taken.

Stop being so freaking hot, I can't get shit done.

JUST STOPPIT.

Yer ruining my life.

Thanks,

g.a.w.

Here's the evidence:

more via rpatz daily

Okay, so I know a lot more than necessary about some of you and nothing about others of you. So, I thought we should take this opportunity to get to know more about each other.

Here's how it works. Introduce yourself and provide as much or as little information as you'd like.

I'll start us off in the comments and we'll go from there. Umkay?

Just to make it pretty....

Ugh.  Haven't been around for a while, just lots of RL and stuff that makes me sad.  

But, one thing that made me happy today is this interview from SM where she basically says some of the scenes in the Eclipse movie were just not right.  Silly thing to be happy about, but I felt validated and delighted to know that it wasn't her fault.  I kept thinking when I was watching the movie, that if it were my book, I'd be pissed.  ETA: not that I didn't giggle and snort and enjoy myself through the entire movie.  OMG it was awesomely cheez and fun.  

Anywho, here's an excerpt:

Transcription:
Kim: Okay, we have a question about the Angry Edward, and how hot he is. When he gets angry, he pulls up, and he’s like…ya know……if you ever touch her against her will again. All the fans just love it. We all love it and everybody went crazy. The members, our members, we all wanna know about angry Edward.

Alison: Why do you think the fandom thinks Angry Edward is SO hot?

SM: Ya know it’s funny about this scene, and Meghan’s giving me the eye. That’s the one I walked out on, on the dailies because in my head that scene was so much different. In the movie Edward is quite separate motivation-ally from the book Edward. At this point in the film in the story for me he’s gotten past this. Like he’s realized “I can’t act like a teenage boy anymore. I have to give her space. I have to be the mature one here.” And in that scene in the book, he has, icy calm control. He is very gentle. He is very soft spoken. He is very mature. So when I see him….and plus ya know, the movies are unable to bring to life some of the elements in the mythology. If Edward had, in anger, grabbed Jacob by the shoulder, his arm would have come off. And the fact that Taylor is uninjured, and that he just kind of sits there…..bothered me. So I'm like…wait! If we are gonna go for it, tear his arm off. Ya know. And it’s hard for them, because blood puts you over the limit and stuff, and they would not tear off Jacob’s arm. I’m like….if we want angry Edward, I wanna see some blood. They had already filmed that day, so we couldn’t redo it but, people have responded really well to it. 

The rest is HERE, worth a read if you felt the same way.

So, er, what mistakes bug you in regards to fanfiction? Robert Webb should have said 'saying things wrongly' instead of 'saying things wrong'. Naughty.

Hey Campers,

I need a little guidance as I come crashing down from what I thought was a great natural high for me.  This may also just be one of those I'm doing okay but I'm just freaking out too much now so let me explain:

I entered a one-shot contest the other day.  When I wrote the story I was really proud of myself.  Lucky enough I was given advice by some helping hands.  I paid close attention to my past/present tenses.  Also tried to jumble up my sentences so I did say "I", "I", "I" all the time.  lolI found myself for once feeling like I was improving my skill in writing instead of just putting stuff down on paper.  I would even go to say I was confident in my writing because I was FINALLY catching on to the constructive feedback.  I was even giddy with joy when I was done.  Doesn't take much to amuse me.

Now that the contest has started I'm seeing my story being read (70+ count) with only two replies.  I'm REALLY trying not to focus on this.  WHY DID I CLICK THE STATICS LINK!  I feel some what saddened by this.  And I know I shouldn't.  Maybe this should be some sort of mind test to understand why we as humans want to feel accepted or something like that.  Anywho...

So writers...are there others out there that have this issue?  Am I just being an overprotective mom and want my baby story to succeed in its short life? I try to think of this as a situation that just not everyone replies to posts. Which is completely fine. I see you reading so at some point I got your attention. My only issue is that darn little voice in the back of my head is mocking me saying look at that no one likes it. ::headdesk::So any advice…hug…face slap would be great. I'm having so much mixed emotions I don't know what up or down.

Luna StarFire

I know I'm probably risking the possibility of being axe murdered by some of you by saying this, but until recently, I was kind of over the whole Rob craze. Originally I was completely on the bandwagon. That was when Twilight was a little known thing (I was one of the originals, reading the first book when it first came out)...and now its some insane craze. And I found myself getting over it all.  It just seemed like these crazy 12 year old girls were screaming about him simply because he plays a character they love (and they probably are). I was fed up with the fact his acting in the Twilight Saga is frankly pretty horrible. I figured he was just some one hit wonder who would disappear once the twilight "phenomenon" blows over.

And then I watched 'Remember Me' tonight.

And HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER.

All my original love for him came flooding back. THAT MAN CAN ACT. with PASSION, and SKILL. I love that he's moved away from being stereotyped. *happy dance*I completely fell in love with him again (in a completely mature, non-fangirl way. haha)

So, what do you think of Rob in Remember Me? Have you found yourself getting over the whole craze at one point or another (possibly from all the screaming tweens)?

*I hope this post is ok...It is Friday Free For All, yes??*

Can someone please tell me why the fack no one is talking about the MSOB update?

We need to correct that pronto.

or

the how to get yer arse in shape campfire.

I'd been thinking about posting this in a FFF campfire for a couple of weeks but had decided against it because, well, many reasons - anyhoo, when lo and behold GAW decided to host the fantastic advice campfire about 4 posts or so down from here. It struck me that a lot of the questions actually had to do with self-confidence issues. It seems we women seem to be a bit thin on it - props to those of you who are flush with it - cue my prompting to post this campfire.

Lets talk xercise and diet - no, don't run away, it's not that daunting.

In my personal amateur opinion - but with many years of exercise and nutrition experience, getting your butt off the couch and your junk food habit under control are the two best single things you can do for yourself, including your self confidence. Following some simple eating tips and getting some regular exercise can help fight:

Depression

Osteoporosis

High Blood Pressure

Stress

Heart Disease

Cancer...

and on and on and on.

It is NEVER too late to start (with the go ahead form your Dr of course) eating clean and getting mean in the gym.

Honestly, the gym is my church, it's where I go to keep myself a sane ( most of the time) friendly, happy (er than I would be) useful member of society (and yes, you can also catch me praying/meditating/chanting my way through my 4th set of weighted walking lunges)

I've had several breaks from the gym over the years, and going back is hard, so I can understand how daunting it might be for someone who has never taken a step toward exercise in their life - but it's extremely important.

So anyway, soapbox put aside - I'm going to give you the best tips I have, the publications I use and some engouraging pictures for those of you who don't think they could ever be in shape and I want those of you who have tips/idea/workout routines/recipes, anything diet and exercise orientated to jump on in with them.

Tips/resources in the comments.