Unfortunately, I had to back out of NaNoWriMo this month. Just too much on my plate. I hate it but there is always next year and I will still be writing what I can, when I can this month. Just not with any pressure.
On the bright side, I will once again be participating in EXTRA LIFE this year! I'm excited to game for 24 hours on November 7th to raise money for my Children's Miracle Network Hospital. That's right folks, every penny I raise goes directly to help sick kids. Last year was my first year and though those last few hours were tough, (Not only was I tired but I became sick to my stomach. Still pushed on, though.) it didn't in any way put me off of participating again this year. As a mother, this is a cause I can truly get behind.
Yes, the holiday season is coming fast, I realize this. Times are hard, the economy is a bitch. With four kids of my own, I know how tight money can be. But I still find a bit to donate to this wonderful cause. Honestly, just a few dollars can go a long way in helping children who are truly sick and need medical help. Last year, Extra Life gamers raised over five million dollars for hospitals. $5,000,000! This year, I want to do something I haven't done before. I want to reward one lucky donater with a free digital copy of one of my books! I will pick a random winner to choose whichever book they would like in mobi, pdf, or .doc format. That means that everyone who donates to my page will have a chance to win a free book! I suggest checking out the website to read the true story of how Extra Life came to be. If it doesn't put a tear in your eye, you are not human. My team is Power-Ups Not Included. Want to game with us? Come right in and join the fun! My page is Ashley Uzzell if you would like to make a donation. Can't donate? Spread the word! Share the links on social medias like Facebook and Twitter. Let's get the word out and raise some money. Let's let this year be the best Extra Life event yet!
Every year my buddies at Power-Ups Not Included participate in a charity event called Extra Life. For those of you who have no idea what this is all about, here's the rundown. Extra Life is an annual event where gamers pledge to play games for twenty-four hours straight to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Each player calls for friends and family to make donations through email, social media and word of mouth. Started in 2008, Extra Life has raised millions for children's hospitals. Last year they raised four million dollars! This year I decided to participate and see if I could raise money for my local children's hospital. Though you don't absolutely have to stay up and play for twenty-four hours, my friends always take the challenge and I didn't want to fall short on my first year. So I got some drinks and snacks together, shipped the kids off to different locations for the weekend (grandparents), had my games ready and set out to raise some dough! My goal was to raise two hundred dollars. The plan was to start on Friday night and finish up on Saturday night, a bit ahead of my PUNI friends' schedules. I started out around 6:30pm by playing Wartune online. I had just started a new server and was making some good friends in my guild. Next, I played World of Warcraft for a bit. When my body was tired of sitting and staring at my computer, I decided to go fire up the Wii. I played Wii Sports Resort for a bit and actually had some of the best gaming I've ever had on that game. I murdered my previous score in Frisbee Dog!
Soon enough, I was ready to switch it up again. I tried to play Dragon Age 2 on the PS3 but I was still towards the beginning and it was so much dialogue. Blah, blah, blah, that was trying to put me to sleep! I swigged a gross tasting five hour energy drink and moved on. I went back to my PC and played Wartune on a different server for a bit. Then I figured I'd play some League of Legends. Now LoL is a fun game, don't get me wrong, but I really suck at it. That's one of those games that I play for fun but have no expectations at all of doing well. Unless, I'm drinking, then I'm decent at it. As night became day, sleepiness began tapping my shoulder. I ignored it. I took some caffeine pills at some point. Then, only a little over an hour later, I drank another energy drink, completely forgetting until afterwards that I'd just have caffeine pills. Big mistake. After hours of PC gaming, it was time to switch up again. I could have spent most of my time on the PC but my ADD wouldn't have it. I played a few games on my phone, all the while beginning to feel sicker and sicker. The caffeine overdose really started kicking my butt. I felt sick for the rest of the day and well into the night. But I kept going. Small trash can at the ready, stomach groaning and bitching, I was determined to push through and finish my first year, even if I had to puke and game simultaneously for the last five hours!
Sitting and playing on my phone had my eyes drooping so I switched up again and played a board game with my husband: Trouble. I honestly can't even remember who won but the competition of a live gamer right there woke me up. After that it was back to the ol' PC to wrap it up. I called on some friends and we played a few games of League of Legends. They even helped me improve on my game some, bless their dear hearts. I need all the help I can get! Unfortunately, after my time was up, sleep didn't want to take me completely. After three hours of dozing I was back up feeling sickly so I decided to hop back online and support the team members who were still gaming. In the end, I raised one hundred and fifty-one dollars. It was actually way more than I expected! I'm really grateful to everyone who supported me as I gamed by donating, sharing my posts and cheering me on. This was one hell of an experience that I hope I can do again. When the day was done, our team, PUNI, raised three thousand, one hundred and seventy-five dollars for children's hospitals. All Extra Lifers raked in over five million, six hundred thousand dollars! And even better, donations can still be made until the end of the year. Please consider donating if you haven't already. It's for a worthy cause. See, gamers are awesome people after all.
Hello everyone! I wanted to take this time to promote my friend's, Timothy Ruyevcan, podcast, RANDOMADNESS. The web address is http://www.powerupsnotincluded.com/randomadness/ . He
does live podcasts once a week and sometimes I make a guest
appearance. You'll recognize me, I'm the loud mouthed chick who they like to refer to as ta-tas. The
subjects are just as the title suggests: very random. But we are rather
nerdy gamers so usually discussions involve movies, games, anime and pop
culture. And, of course, that one mysterious thing that all men love to
discuss - females! It
does contain foul language and adult themes but we just shoot the crap
and enjoy each other's company. So check out the website and listen to a
few recordings to see if you find our discussions as amusing as we do.
We love to laugh and if you do too, I hope you'll become a regular
listener!
